text:
Il Widna, Malta
The only sound mirror outside England – unless anyone knows better – is on the Mediterranean island of Malta. It is known locally as "il widna", Maltese for "the ear".
The design is the same as the 200 foot mirror at Denge, although the Maltese mirror appears to be in better condition. It retains its painted camouflage pattern, which blends into the colours of the landscape quite effectively.
The site is now used as an earth station for telecommunications company GO (formerly Maltacom), so there is no access to the mirror, though visitors can get quite close and peer through the barbed wire fence.
The construction of early warning sound mirrors was proposed in the early 1930s to help protect the key imperial locations of Gibraltar, Malta and Singapore. Four sites were identified in Gibraltar, but there were concerns about interfere produced by noises from the local population, the wind and the sea. A system of five to eight mirrors was suggested for Singapore, but it was thought that there would be problems with noises from local animal and insect life.
The surveys undertaken in Malta during 1933 were more productive, and five suitable sites were identified around the coast. The ideal site should be sheltered from noise behind and to the sides of the mirror, and 'under no circumstances should the mirror have a view if the breaking sea', said Dr Tucker, who undertook extensive research into sound-based direction finding.
The five proposed sites were given letters
- Ta Karach
- Ta Zura
- Tal Merhla
Priority was given to A and B, which were either side of Valletta and would help to protect the Grand Harbour. The first mirror was to be at Maghtab, on a site a mile or so inland with hills behind. It faces out to sea at a bearing or 20 degrees, towards Sicily around 60 miles away.
Construction was underway in the autumn of 1934, with the work completed during the summer of 1935. The design is a direct copy of the 200 foot mirror at Denge, near Dungeness in Kent. Minor differences include small projecting buttresses at the foot of the mirror face, which were found to harm its performance.
The electrical equipment was installed in the first weeks of September 1935, and testing was undertaken on 23 September. Training of the operating staff began the next day. The total cost of the development of the first mirror on Malta was put at £4500.
Trials using a Supermarine Scapa flying boat found that the range of the mirror was 21 to 37 miles, with an average of 25 miles, and a bearing error of ±2½ degrees. In contrast, the range of the unaided human ear was put at 5 miles. It was estimated that the mirror would provide a six minute warning of an enemy aircraft approaching Malta at 250 mph.
Unfortunately not all the test were successful, perhaps one of the more embarrassing failures being on 5 February 1936 during a visit by Sir Cyril John Deverell, Chief of the Imperial General Staff. No further mirrors were built on Malta, and the Maghtab mirror was reported to be out of use by 5 May 1937.
In May 2008 I had the chance to make a brief visit visit to Malta, so took the opportunity to track down the mirror.
View Larger Map
From Valletta bus station I caught bus number 55 to the terminus at Gharghur, which takes about 35 minutes. As I got off a little old lady came over to ask me where I was going, as she was slightly concerned that I might be lost. I mentioned the "widna", and she knew straight away what it was, and kindly took me to see it. A local chap mending a car also knew the way, and I'd suggest the best way of finding the mirror is simply to ask someone (widna is pronounced as it would be English).
A few minutes walk from the town centre, we turned down a small road along the side of a ravine, through the Victoria Lines, and from the brow of the hill had a view across the fields below, with the earth station in the middle (and a humongous landfill site in the distance).
The white satellite dish makes the mirror pretty easy to spot, though binoculars are helpful for a good view. The track runs down to the bottom of the hill, passing a small cave containing a shrine. From the bottom of the hill I found my way to the mirror by trial and error.
Unfortunately my trip them went horribly wrong, when I thought I was on a different main road to the one I was actually on, and I had a long walk along a busy road until I found a bus stop at Salina Bay. A better move would have been to return to Ghargur, or head across to the coastal road and catch a bus to Sliema from there.
Malta has pretty obvious merits as a holiday destination, and absolutely bristles with things of interest to history enthusiasts, and especially fortification anoraks. I can thoroughly recommend the guided tours of the steam-operated gun at Fort Rinella, which somehow managed to entertain a group of women who were simply ticking off the attractions, a chap with technical questions about the control system, and me wanting to know about sound mirrors.
Links and more information
- Photo on the Naxxar local council website.
- Early warning system from the WWII times, Maghtab.
- Maltacom's Earth station at Maghtab.
- Aerial view.
- Evidence of Malta's Role in WWII, Maghtab Sound Mirror.
- Maghtab sound mirror, Malta by Paul Wells of the Pillbox Study Group.
- SPTT Wied id-Dis Walk 14th October 2007, Ramblers Association of Malta.
- The book Echoes from the Sky by Richard N Scarth devotes two chapters to Malta and the Empire and the Mirror at Maghtab. It is now out of print, but is the definitive work on the subject.
- A tour guide at Fort Rinella told me the mirror is mentioned in a book on the Victoria Lines, but unfortunately they'd sold out of copies.


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Appendix A: QIMAGELIST
Rapid-Q Documentation by William Yu (c)1999-2000 Appendix A: QIMAGELIST
QIMAGELIST Component
QImageList is an array of images, all of the same/fixed size.
QImageList Properties
FieldTypeR/WDefault
BkColorINTEGERRWclNone
BkColor determines which background color to use when drawing an image. Setting BkColor to clNone specifies no background color, ie. the image is drawn transparently. Setting BkColor to clDefault specifies using the imagelists background color when drawing.
BlendColorINTEGERRWclNone
BlendColor determines which foreground color to use when drawing an image. Setting BlendColor to clNone specifies no blend color, while setting BlendColor to clDefault specifies the system highlight color for the foreground.
CountINTEGERR
Count returns the number of images in the imagelist.
DrawingStyleINTEGERRWdsNormal
DrawingStyle specifies the style to be used when the imagelist is drawing an image.
0 = dsFocused -- Draws the image blending 25% with the system highlight color. This only affects imagelists which contain masks.
1 = dsSelected -- Draws the image blending 50% with the system highlight color. This only affects imagelists which contain masks.
2 = dsNormal -- Draws the image using the color specified in the BkColor property. If the BkColor is clNone then the image is drawn transparently using the mask.
3 = dsTransparent -- Draws using the mask regardless of the BkColor setting.
GetBMPARRAY of IMAGES/BMPR
GetBMP returns the image specified by their index.
Examples:
DIM ImageList AS QIMAGELIST
DIM Button AS QBUTTON
ImageList.AddBMPFile("whatever.bmp", 0)
Button.BMP = Imagelist.GetBMP(0)
GetICOARRAY of IMAGES/ICOR
HandleINTEGERRW
HeightINTEGERRW
ImageTypeINTEGERRWitImage
ImageType determines whether the imagelist will use the image or the associated image mask when drawing.
MaskedINTEGERRWTrue
Masked specifies whether the imagelist contains transparent or non-transparent images.
WidthINTEGERRW
QImageList Methods
MethodTypeDescriptionParams
AddBMPFileSUB (FileName$, MaskColor%)Add BMP file to Imagelist2
AddICOFileSUB (FileName$)Add Icon file to Imagelist1
AddBMPHandleSUB (BMP_Resource, MaskColor%)Add BMP to Imagelist2
AddICOHandleSUB (ICO_Resource)Add Icon to Imagelist1
ClearSUBRemoves all images0
DeleteSUB (Index%)Delete image at Index%1
DrawSUB (QIMAGE/QBITMAP/QCANVAS/QDXSCREEN, X%, Y%, Index%)Draw on canvas at (X,Y) with image index% in ImageList4
InsertBMPFileSUB (Index%, Filename$, Mask%)Insert BMP file at Index%3
InsertICOFileSUB (Index%, Filename$)Insert Icon file at Index%2
InsertBMPHandleSUB (Index%, BMP_Resource, Mask%)Insert BMP at Index%3
InsertICOHandleSUB (Index%, ICO_Resource)Insert Icon at Index%2
QImageList Examples
' Imagelist demo
$resource bmp_handle as "nolight.bmp"
$resource ico_handle as "close.ico"
DIM ImageList AS QImageList
DIM Form AS QForm
DIM Button AS QButton
ImageList.Width = 9
ImageList.Height = 17
ImageList.AddBMPHandle bmp_handle,0
'ImageList.AddBMPFile "nolight.bmp", 0
ImageList.AddICOHandle ico_handle
'ImageList.AddICOFile "close.ico"
Button.Parent = Form
Button.BMP = Imagelist.GetBMP(0)
Form.Icon = ImageList.GetICO(1)
Form.Showmodal
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text:
NLT2 Illustrated Study Bible-Brown/Tan TuTone Inde
The Illustrated Study Bible brings Scripture?s message to life by giving readers an entirely new visual study experience. Hundreds of information-rich windows to the Bible world instantly communicate foundational truths and complex information in an understandable, compelling way for today?s visual generation. The who, what, where, when, and why of the Bible come alive with stunning photos, illustrations, infographics, and full color maps integrated seamlessly with background material, study notes, and theme articles. The Illustrated Study Bible empowers readers to draw closer to God by opening their eyes to Scripture?s living, powerful message.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Since the early days of firearm building, armorers noted that if they imparted spin to the projectile that it greatly enhanced in-flight stability and accuracy. The earliest rifles had numerous bands of metal that were forged together and twisted to create the helical shape of the rifle groves. As machining processes were developed and refined, hammer forged barrels became popular as they were much stronger and much more precise.
Rifle twist is represented with a "1;" a colon; and another number, such as 1:7, 1:9, 1:10, 1:12, etc. The second number is the length in inches that it takes for the grooves to make one complete revolution. Thus, a 1:10 twist rifle barrel makes a complete 360 degree revolution in 10 inches. A 1:7 rifle barrel on the other hand makes a complete turn in only 7 inches, giving it a much tighter faster rate of twist (and consequently a greater RPM to the bullet).
The Greenhill Formula, developed by Sir Alfred George Greenhill, lays out the mathematics for computing the optimum spin and rifle twist necessary to stabilize a bullet. His most basic calculation is
where C = 150 (or 180 for muzzle velocities greater than 2,800 fps) D = bullet caliber (in inches) L = bullet length (in inches) and SG = bullet's specific gravity (10.9 for most lead bullets). For lead core bullets, the second half of the equation is disregarded as the value of the square root of 10.9/10.9 is 1, however the value will need to be calculated for steel core, steel jacketed, or frangible bullets as their specific gravity will vary. Because of the high muzzle velocity of most 5.56/.223 rounds, C should be set to equal 180 in the above formula.
What does all of this mean? For most shooters, not much. For our purposes, it means we can determine the appropriate twist based off of the bullet weight for a given caliber since bullet length is generally a function of the combination of bullet weight and caliber. Having said that, we're not going to delve any deeper into the mathematics of calculating the optimal barrel twist for various bullet designs. Instead, we'll lay out the basics and give you some good guidelines to go by when figuring whether or not your AR-15 barrel will stabilize a given round.
In general, you want a faster twist (lower second number) for heavier bullets. Firing lighter bullets through a fast twist barrel can over spin them, causing inaccuracy from overstability and/or spin induced drift. Overstability occurs primarily in light weight projectiles fired from a fast twist AR barrel and causes the bullet nose to remain at a high angle of attack during the descent phase of the flight trajectory, due to extreme gyroscopic stability. Extremely light weight, thin jacketed varmint rounds, that are overspun past 300,000 RPM, can even fly apart from the immense centrifugal forces imparted by the bullet spin.
For 5.56/.223 bullets weighing between 35 and 50 grains, you can use a 1:12 or 1:14 twist. 1:9 (probably the most common twist found in AR rifles) and 1:10 are good, moderate twist rates that are capable of stabilizing bullets weighing from 45 to 69 and even 70 grain bullets. For the heaviest 5.56/.223 bullets, you will need a 1:7 to 1:8 twist barrel in order to reliably stabilize bullets weighting between 69 and 90 grains.
There are some odd barrels out there being used to fire heavily customized.223 loads. Some custom barrels are available in a 1:6.5 twist and are capable of stabilizing 100 grain bullets, though that weight is not very common and difficult, if not impossible, to find. Extremely high velocity loads firing a bullet weighing 55 grains or less, at speeds exceeding 4,000 feet per second, require a very slow twist rate of 1:15 to 1:16.
Most shooters find that a 1:9 twist barrel meets their needs quite well, but if you're going to be firing heavier match loads, or lighter, faster varmint rounds, you'll need to search for a barrel with a more appropriate twist rate.The mission of Cheaper Than Dirt!'s blog, "The Shooter's Log," is to provide information—not opinions—to our customers and the shooting community. We want you, our readers, to be able to make informed decisions. The information provided here does not represent the views of Cheaper Than Dirt!

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
- Visit the Reserve
- The Conservancy
- Support SELC
- Gateway Park
Bird viewing along Santa Inez Trail during Wildlife Walks
San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve is one of San Diego's largest coastal wetlands.
Naturalist-guided walks explore the ecology and history of the lagoon, and highlight plants and animals that depend on six distinct plant communities:
More than 700 species of plants and animals rest, eat, breed, and make their homes here. Birders will delight in discoveries of rare and migratory species in the reserve.
FREE, GUIDED WEEKEND WALKS
Please note: groups of 5 or more are requested to schedule a walk in advance (see below).
See Side Bar for Weekly and 2nd Saturday Walks.
GUIDED WALKS FOR SCOUTS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS
Designed for groups of 5 or more
Scouts and community groups can arrange for naturalist-led tours tailored to feature wildlife, plant communities, or native Kumeyaay culture of the lagoon. Please schedule at least one month in advance of desired date.
Days: Wednesday through Saturday
Times: 9 am–5 pm (Guided Walks are 1.5 hours)
Suggested Donation: $50
Donations toward environmental education programs enrich our docent training and educational materials. Thank you for your support of San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy.
Log on, and sign up for your desired walk: Calendar
Please contact Tara Fuad, Education Director
E: education [at] sanelijo [dot] org
P: _PHONE_
NATURALIST-LED WEEKEND WALKS
San Elijo Lagoon Guided Walks
Beginning at San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center, this easy walk provides an overview of San Elijo Lagoon's important features, and the connection of wetlands with our society. This walk is also great for birding and marine invertebrate sightings that provide an up-close view of life between the tides. The ¼-mile Nature Center Loop Trail is ADA-accessible. San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy naturalists lead these weekly walks.
Set out traversing coastal sagebrush with chaparral communities on the hills in the lagoon's south side. Underfoot are broken bits of shells, reminders of the native people who once lived here. You will see the freshwater marsh below, and if lucky, you might glimpse mule deer that reside in this eastern region of the Reserve.
ADOPT-A-CLASS FIELD TRIPS:
Summer Evening Walks
As the sun begins to descend over the ocean, some animals that live in San Elijo Lagoon emerge from daytime slumber. Explore the estuary as day becomes dusk with San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy docents. Enjoy the fragrance of sage-scrub on a warm evening. Search for mule deer emerging from naps and scan for night herons fishing for breakfast. Santa Carina trail has moderate inclines in some areas. It is helpful to have water and to dress comfortably.
Summer Evening Walks are free, and are made possible through membership support of San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy. Evening Walks occur 3rd Wednesdays from 5:30-7 pm, except September from 5-6:30 pm.
Summer Wildlife Walks
Focus your binoculars and cameras for incredible opportunities to see osprey, cormorants on the power poles at the inlet, waterfowl, and the rare Clapper Rail that nest in this area. This is San Elijo Lagoon's south side featuring riparian woodlands and coastal sage scrub, with intimate views of the salt marsh, all hosting a wide variety of birds and plants.
Fall Wildlife Walks
Enjoy a stroll through four distinct plant communities: from the shade of riparian woodlands, farther down to the marsh, along hillside chaparral and coastal sage scrub. Listen for the tapping of woodpeckers, or watch for mule deer grazing vegetation along creek banks.
Wildlife Walks are free, and are made possible through membership support of San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy. Wildlife Walks occur 2nd Saturdays from 9-11 am, rotating to a different trailhead every three months starting with Santa Inez, followed by Santa Carina, Rios Avenue, and La Orilla.
Family Discovery Days

source: m-a-p/FineFineWeb


In my earlier post, we saw different ways in which we can use Gomobile. In this post I'll try illustrating how to incorporate Gomobile into a mobile application using the bind command.
 1. Ensure that you've setup Go and Gomobile in your machine
 2. Install NDK (If you are generating a Android library)
Three Step Recipe
Step 1 - Write a Go Package
 1. Create a go package in $GOPATH/src/$username/gomobile_contact
 2. Create the following files
In the above linked files I've made a network request, parsed the response and unmarshalled it into a Contact object and returned the first Contact's name. This is an example of a simple business logic component that can be written in Go and ported as a library.
Step 2 - Generate libraries
Use the following commands to generate libraries for iOS / Android applications
 gomobile bind --target=ios _TAG_
 gomobile bind --target=android _TAG_
Step 3 - Import library into Application
Gomobile generates _URL_ for Android and.Framework for iOS
Import the packages into your application and call the FetchContactName() method which returns the first contact's name.
Voilà! You've succesfully generated a library using Go and integrated into your application :)


text:
Background: Both heart failure symptoms and self-care are associated with patient outcomes. Although it is thought that symptoms drive self-care, there is limited evidence to support this assumption over time. Aims: To determine whether patterns of physical symptoms are significantly associated with heart failure self-care over time. Method: Latent mixture analysis was used to identify subgroups based on physical symptoms of dyspnea, sleepiness and edema (using the heart failure somatic perception and Epworth sleepiness scales). Growth modeling was used to determine if symptom subgroups were associated with self-care behaviors (using the self-care in heart failure index) over 6 months. Sociodemographic and clinical variables predicting the likelihood of subgroup membership were identified using logistic regression. Results: The sample (n=146) was on average 57 years old, 70% were men and 59% had class III/IV heart failure. Two symptom subgroups were identified (entropy 0.91): a high symptom group (n=24; 16%) with no significant change in symptoms over time (high sustained), and a low symptom group (n=122; 84%) with no significant change in symptoms over time (low sustained). The high sustained group was associated significantly with better self-care behaviors at baseline and over 6 months. Women (odds ratio (OR) 3.67, P=0.023) and patients with more depressive symptoms (OR 1.16, P=0.015) were more likely to be in the high sustained symptom group. Those treated with a renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system agent were less likely to be in the high symptom group (OR 0.17, P=0.015). Conclusion: Patients bothered more by symptoms are consistently more engaged in self-care behaviors over time. The results of this study support symptoms as an important driver of self-care behaviors.
- Heart failure
- symptom management
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine
- Advanced and Specialized Nursing


abatic Temperature Rise Data
 Science.gov (United States)
 Chee Siang, GO
 2017-07-01
 Experimental test was carried out to determine the temperature rise characteristics of Portland-Fly-Ash Cement (CEM II/B-V, 42.5N) of Blaine fineness 418.6m2/kg and 444.6m2/kg respectively for 20MPa mass concrete under adiabatic condition. The estimation on adiabatic temperature rise by way of CIRIA C660 method (Construction Industry Research & Information Information) was adopted to verify and validate the hot-box test results by simulating the heat generation curve of the concrete under semi-adiabatic condition. Test result found that Portland fly-ash cement has exhibited decrease in the peak value of temperature rise and maximum temperature rise rate. The result showed that the temperature development and distribution profile, which is directly contributed from the heat of hydration of cement with time, is affected by the insulation, initial placing temperature, geometry and size of concrete mass. The mock up data showing the measured temperature differential is significantly lower than the technical specifications 20°C temperature differential requirement and the 27.7°C limiting temperature differential for granite aggregate concrete as stipulated in BS8110-2: 1985. The concrete strength test result revealed that the 28 days cubes compressive strength was above the stipulated 20MPa characteristic strength at 90 days. The test demonstrated that with proper concrete mix design, the use of Portland flyash cement, combination of chilled water and flake ice, and good insulation is effective in reducing peak temperature rise, temperature differential, and lower adiabatic temperature rise for mass concrete pours. As far as the determined adiabatic temperature rise result was concern, the established result could be inferred for in-situ thermal properties of 20MPa mass concrete application, as the result could be repeatable on account of similar type of constituent materials and concrete mix design adopted for permanent works at project site.
 4. Numerical study of laminar nonpremixed methane flames in coflow jets: Autoignited lifted flames with tribrachial edges and MILD combustion at elevated temperatures
 KAUST Repository
 M. Al-Noman, Saeed
 2016-07-07
 Autoignition characteristics of laminar nonpremixed methane jet flames in high-temperature coflow air are studied numerically. Several flame configurations are investigated by varying the initial temperature and fuel mole fraction. At a relatively low initial temperature, a non-autoignited nozzle-attached flame is simulated at relatively low jet velocity. When the initial temperature is higher than that required for autoignition, two regimes are investigated: an autoignited lifted flame with tribrachial edge structure and an autoignited lifted flame with Mild combustion. The autoignited lifted flame with tribrachial edge exhibited three branches: lean and rich premixed flame wings and a trailing diffusion flame. Characteristics of kinetic structure for autoignited lifted flames are discussed based on the kinetic structures of homogeneous autoignition and flame propagation of stoichiometric mixture. Results showed that a transition from autoignition to flame propagation modes occurs for reasonably stoichiometric mixtures. The autoignited lifted flame with Mild combustion occurs when methane fuel is highly diluted with nitrogen. The kinetic structure analysis shows that the characteristics of Mild combustion can be treated as an autoignited lean premixed lifted flame. Transition behavior from Mild combustion to nozzle-attached flame was investigated by increasing the fuel mole fraction. As the maximum flame temperature increases with decreasing liftoff height, the kinetic structure showed a transition behavior from autoignition to flame propagation of a lean premixed flame. © 2016 The Combustion Institute
 5. Effect of hydrogen addition on autoignited methane lifted flames
 KAUST Repository
 Choin, Byung Chul
 2012-01-01
 Autoignited lifted flames in laminar jets with hydrogen-enriched methane fuels have been investigated experimentally in heated coflow air. The results showed that the autoignited lifted flame of the methane/hydrogen mixture, which had an initial temperature over 920 K, the threshold temperature for autoignition in methane jets, exhibited features typical of either a tribrachial edge or mild combustion depending on fuel mole fraction and the liftoff height increased with jet velocity. The liftoff height in the hydrogen-assisted autoignition regime was dependent on the square of the adiabatic ignition delay time for the addition of small amounts of hydrogen, as was the case for pure methane jets. When the initial temperature was below 920 K, where the methane fuel did not show autoignition behavior, the flame was autoignited by the addition of hydrogen, which is an ignition improver. The liftoff height demonstrated a unique feature in that it decreased nonlinearly as the jet velocity increased. The differential diffusion of hydrogen is expected to play a crucial role in the decrease in the liftoff height with increasing jet velocity.
 6. Two-dimensional simulations of steady perforated-plate stabilized premixed flames
 KAUST Repository
 Altay, H. Murat
 2010-03-17
 The objective of this work is to examine the impact of the operating conditions and the perforated-plate design on the steady, lean premixed flame characteristics. We perform two-dimensional simulations of laminar flames using a reduced chemical kinetics mechanism for methane-air combustion, consisting of 20 species and 79 reactions. We solve the heat conduction problem within the plate, allowing heat exchange between the gas mixture and the solid plate. The physical model is based on a zero-Mach-number formulation of the axisymmetric compressible conservation equations. The results suggest that the flame consumption speed, the flame structure, and the flame surface area depend significantly on the equivalence ratio, mean inlet velocity, the distance between the perforated-plate holes and the plate thermal conductivity. In the case of an adiabatic plate, a conical flame is formed, anchored near the corner of the hole. When the heat exchange between themixture and the plate is finite, the flame acquires a Gaussian shape stabilizing at a stand-off distance, that grows with the plate conductivity. The flame tip is negatively curved; i.e. concave with respect to the reactants. Downstream of the plate, the flame base is positively curved; i.e. convex with respect to the reactants, stabilizing above a stagnation region established between neighboring holes. As the plate\\'s thermal conductivity increases, the heat flux to the plate decreases, lowering its top surface temperature. As the equivalence ratio increases, the flame moves closer to the plate, raising its temperature, and lowering the flame stand-off distance. As the mean inlet velocity increases, the flame stabilizes further downstream, the flame tip becomes sharper, hence raising the burning rate at that location. The curvature of the flame base depends on the distance between the neighboring holes; and the flame there is characterized by high concentration of intermediates, like carbon monoxide. © 2010 Taylor
 7. The Effect of Specimen Size on the Results of Concrete Adiabatic Temperature Rise Test with Commercially Available Equipment
 Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
 Byung Jae Lee
 2014-12-01
 Full Text Available In this study, adiabatic temperature rise tests depending on binder type and adiabatic specimen volume were performed, and the maximum adiabatic temperature rises and the reaction factors for each mix proportion were analyzed and suggested. The results indicated that the early strength low heat blended cement mixture had the lowest maximum adiabatic temperature rise (Q∞ and the ternary blended cement mixture had the lowest reaction factor (r. Also, Q and r varied depending on the adiabatic specimen volume even when the tests were conducted with a calorimeter, which satisfies the recommendations for adiabatic conditions. Test results show a correlation: the measurements from the 50 L specimens were consistently higher than those from the 6 L specimens. However, the Q∞ and r values of the 30 L specimen were similar to those of the 50 L specimen. Based on the above correlation, the adiabatic temperature rise of the 50 L specimen could be predicted using the results of the 6 L and 30 L specimens. Therefore, it is thought that this correlation can be used for on-site concrete quality control and basic research.
 8. The Effect of Specimen Size on the Results of Concrete Adiabatic Temperature Rise Test with Commercially Available Equipment.
 Science.gov (United States)
 Lee, Byung Jae; Bang, Jin Wook; Shin, Kyung Joon; Kim, Yun Yong
 2014-12-08
 In this study, adiabatic temperature rise tests depending on binder type and adiabatic specimen volume were performed, and the maximum adiabatic temperature rises and the reaction factors for each mix proportion were analyzed and suggested. The results indicated that the early strength low heat blended cement mixture had the lowest maximum adiabatic temperature rise ( Q ∞ ) and the ternary blended cement mixture had the lowest reaction factor ( r ). Also, Q and r varied depending on the adiabatic specimen volume even when the tests were conducted with a calorimeter, which satisfies the recommendations for adiabatic conditions. Test results show a correlation: the measurements from the 50 L specimens were consistently higher than those from the 6 L specimens. However, the Q ∞ and r values of the 30 L specimen were similar to those of the 50 L specimen. Based on the above correlation, the adiabatic temperature rise of the 50 L specimen could be predicted using the results of the 6 L and 30 L specimens. Therefore, it is thought that this correlation can be used for on-site concrete quality control and basic research.
 9. Effect of diluents


Transgenderism More Likely in Military, Study Finds
 (CN) - Biologically male U.S. veterans were twice as likely as their civilian counterparts to identify as female, a former military psychologist told Courthouse News, discussing a soon-to-be-published study of more than 5 million service members.
 No information has been released indicating whether the subjects of the study sought sex-reassignment surgery, or more generally disassociate with the sex of their birth.
 The study by psychologist George Brown follows up on his 1988 paper, "Transsexuals in the Military: Flight Into Hypermasculinity," which relied on interviews with 11 service members who identify as male-to-female transgender, meaning that they were born as biological males but identify as female. Many prefer the umbrella term transgender over the more narrow descriptor transsexual, which usually implies surgical alteration.
 "A striking similarity was noted in the histories of nearly all of the military gender dysphorics," the 1988 study states. "They joined the service, in their words, 'to become a real man.'"
 "Flight into Hypermasculinity" speculated that enlistment statistics could bear out the theory that male-to-female transsexuals might enlist as a way of "purging the feminine self."
 "Current military policies, in association with the proposed hypermasculine phase of transsexual development, may actually result in a higher prevalence of transsexualism in the military than in the civilian population," the 1988 study theorized.
 Brown, a veteran himself with 12 years of service in the U.S. Air Force and 13 years in the Department of Veterans Affairs, now says that his new research backs his 24-year-old hypothesis.
 "I have data from a study I did in VA that demonstrates a prevalence double that in the nonmilitary population," Brown told Courthouse News in an email. "It is unpublished data, pending presentation in San Francisco in the fall. It totally supports my 1988 work. The denominator in the study is over 5 million veterans. So, I am now confident that my early theory was correct."
 Brown, who has 118 scientific papers and abstracts under his belt, added that professional ethics prevent him from describing the study's data in further detail before its public presentation.
 In his 1988 research, Brown cited figures from Laura Giat Roberto in the Archives of Sexual Behavior that said transsexualism among males has an incidence between 1 and 37,000 and 1 and 100,000.
 Twenty years later, the American Psychological Association's Task Force on Gender Identity and Gender Variance relied on statistics that said 1 in 11,900 male-to-female transsexuals experienced gender identity disorder. It noted that transgender activists in the research community, such as University of Michigan professor Lynn Conway, say the numbers are underreported.
 It is unclear at this juncture where Brown compiled his latest data.
 Brown currently sits on the board of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which publishes the Standards of Care for Gender Identity Disorders recommended by the American Psychological Association.
 Aaron Belkin, the director of the Palm Center, a research institute studying sexual minorities in the military at the University of California Los Angeles, said in a phone interview that he believed Brown's new study could make transgender soldiers more visible to the public.
 "People who oppose transgender rights and LGBT rights more broadly would have you believe that there's no such thing as transgender troops," Belkin said, using the abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.
 The first line of Belkin's new book, "Bring Me Men: Military Masculinity and the Benign Facade of American Empire _PHONE_," cites the "Flight Into Hypermasculinity" thesis.
 Belkin said that he was struck in particular by the fact that Brown's "path-breaking" study revealed that transgender soldiers often volunteer for the most dangerous missions.
 Belkin advocates for the military to repeal its ban on transgender enlistment, based on principle, not numbers.
 "Transgender troops should be allowed to serve because that's what's good for the military, and that's what's democratic, not because they join at higher or lower rates," Belkin said.
 Eileen Lainez, a spokeswoman at the Pentagon, declined to comment on the findings of the unreleased study or speculate about how it could affect military policy.
 Instead, she stated the Department of Defense's position on transgender service members.
 "DoD regulations don't allow transgender individuals to serve in the military, based upon medical standards for military service," Lainez told Courthouse News an email.
 Traditionally, the military has justified the medical standards barring sex changes on the basis of maintaining discipline and morale.
 As quoted in "Flight into Hypermasculinity," however, the judge advocate general for the U.S. Air Force has long questioned that rationale.
 Meanwhile, scientists outside the United States are studying how transgender individuals have acclimated to militaries that no longer ban sexual and gender minorities, such as armed forces in Canada, Israel, Spain and Thailand.
 Alan Okros, a retired Navy captain and professor at Canadian Forces College, told Courthouse News that his country lifted its ban exactly two decades ago.
 A Canadian court struck down all military barriers against sexual and gender minorities in 1992 when challenged by intelligence officer Michelle Douglas, who was fired from the Special Investigations Unit for being a lesbian.
 Okros said that Canadian society quickly adapted to the change.
 "It was at the time and it continues to be a complete nonissue," Okros said. "We have openly gay members of the CF [Canadian Forces]. They're very open about their identity. They're open about their partners."
 But cultural taboos still make it difficult to prove this integration through empirical studies, the psychologist said.
 "Members of the Canadian Forces want to be judged by one criterion only: Can you do the job?" Okros said.
 Asking a Canadian soldier about sexual and gender identity in such an environment would be "perceived as unnecessary and intrusive research," he explained.
 "Don't put a 1,000-watt spotlight on this part of my identity," Okros said, describing this mindset. "Being gay, or being aboriginal, that doesn't define me. That is an important part of who I am, but understand me as a whole person."
 Such cultural attitudes prevent the Canadian military from helping locate interview subjects for Okros' study, narrowing his pool of willing participants to just three male-to-female transgender CF service members, he said.
 Okros also lent his expertise to help shape U.S. military policy, having testified as to the unconstitutionality of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, in the Northern District of California.
 At the time, Okros said, he argued that the policy cut off gay soldiers from sharing their combat experiences with family, friends and other support networks, posing mental health risks for post-traumatic stress disorder.
 U.S. policies barring transgender service members could pose similar health risks, he added.
 Defense attorneys for Bradley Manning, the suspected source for the biggest intelligence leak in U.S. history, have argued that policies barring transgender troops took a toll on their client's mental health.
 At the Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a grand jury, an army investigator said she found a copy of "Flight into Hypermasculinity" in Manning's housing unit.
 Manning also read about female facial reconstructive surgery and explored a female persona, "Breanna," on the Internet, evidence from the hearing showed.
 Defense attorneys say that the military's isolating policies led Manning to attack a superior officer and destroy military property.
 Despite this line of argument, Manning's lawyers frame his alleged decision to disclose classified information as a matter of conscience, in informing the public about U.S. diplomacy and warfare through WikiLeaks.
 For now, Manning reportedly told his lawyers and the public to refer to him as male.
 Okros, the Canadian professor, said that "good ole American exceptionalism" stands in the way of the U.S. military heeding the examples of foreign nations that allow transgender enlistment.
 While the U.S. military has unique challenges and missions, the behavior of smaller groups, such as individual units and platoons, remains constant throughout the globe, he added.
 "Small group dynamics are small group dynamics are small group dynamics," Okros said. "The size, the purpose, and the role of the U.S. military are irrelevant."


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'The Blue Ribband of NZ Yachting'
by New Zealand Marine Artist Jim Bolland
Before the great war of 1914-18 competitive sailing in New Zealand was still in its relative infancy. Remember, New Zealand is a very new country!
About the time that the schooner yacht 'America' sailed for England to challenge British sailors for that well known cup, our English forbears were still struggling to establish a foothold on our tiny land and any form of noncommercial sailing was restricted to a few wealthy families.
To give you an idea of the 'recent' development of sailing in NZ, the best known of our clubs, The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, was founded in Auckland in 1859. In Wellington, the Capital City, the club that was to be known as The Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club, was formed in 1883.
Sailing on Wellington Harbour 1888
Auckland was and always will be the centre of sailing in New Zealand and keel yachts abounded there from the earliest days, but during those early days there were problems establishing a suitable small dinghy class for young men of lesser means.
Cutting a long story into a short story, things started to happen with a boom in yacht club membership following World War I and the efforts of a group of Auckland enthusiasts to establish a fourteen-foot sailing dinghy for boys.
Boosting this move was the news that Viscount Lord Jellicoe, a WW1 hero Admiral of the Royal Navy and keen yachtsman, was to arrive in New Zealand as Governor-General and he had expressed interest in getting involved in one-design class yacht racing on his arrival.
Unfortunately there was no one-design class of race yacht in New Zealand at the time, so with the thought of a Governor General actually sailing in their midst, the Royal New Zealand Yacht squadron immediately threw it's weight behind the effort of the other groups establishing the 14 ft. dinghy class.
The 1916 drawings of the 14 ft. one design class.
However, those whose ambition it was to see the growth of a dinghy class for boys were concerned to discover that many of the new class were being built for experienced older sailors who were drawn to the idea of the competition promised by the one design.
For the complete article, including more discussions on THE BLUE RIBBAND OF NEW ZEALAND SAILING, the Breitling MedCup won by 'Artemis' and more, click here.
Visit Jim's website to see his paintings of the America's Cup as well as Commissioned works he has painted.


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- Volume 28 Issue 12
DOI QR Code
Analysis of Groundwater Flow Characterstics and Hydraulic Conductivity in Jeju Island Using Groundwater Model
지하수 모델을 이용한 제주도 지하수 유동특성 및 수리전도도 분석
- Kim, Min-Chul (Jeju Research Institute) ;
- Yang, Sung-Kee (Department of Civil Engineering, Jeju National University)
- Received : 2019.10.08
- Accepted : 2019.12.02
- Published : 2019.12.31
We used numerical models to reliably analyze the groundwater flow and hydraulic conductivity on Jeju Island. To increase reliability, improvements were made to model application factors such as hydraulic watershed classification, groundwater recharge calculation by precipitation, hydraulic conduction calculation using the pilot point method, and expansion of the observed groundwater level. Analysis of groundwater flow showed that the model-calculated water level was similar to the observed value. However, the Seogwi and West Jeju watersheds showed large differences in groundwater level. These areas need to be analyzed by segmenting the distribution of the hydraulic conductivity. Analyzing the groundwater flow in a sub watershed showed that groundwater flow was similar to values from equipotential lines; therefore, the reliability of the analysis results could be improved. Estimation of hydraulic conductivity distribution according to the results of the groundwater flow simulation for all areas of Jeju Island showed hydraulic conductivity > 100 m/d in the coastal area and 1 - 45 m/d in the upstream area. Notably, hydraulic conductivity was 500 m/d or above in the lowlands of the eastern area, and it was relatively high in some northern and southern areas. Such characteristics were found to be related to distribution of the equipotential lines and type of groundwater occurrence.
Supported by : 제주대학교
- Choi, B, S., 1999, Determination of aqnifer characteristics from specific capacity data of wells in Cheju Island, J. Groundwater Environment, 6, 180-187.
- Franke, O. L., Reilly, T. E., 1987, The effects of boundary conditions on the steady-state response of three hypothetical ground-water systems-Results and implications of numerical experiments, U.S. Geological Survey water-supply paper, 2315.
- Aquaveo, 2015, MODFLOW-USG, Manual.
- Franke, O. L., Reilly, T. E., Bennett, G. D., 1987, Definition of boundary and initial conditions in the analysis of saturated ground-water flow systems - An introduction.
- Jejudo, 2003, Comperhensive survey of hydrogeology and groundwater resources in Jeju Island(III), 173-179.
- Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, 2013, Water resources management master plan.
- Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, 2018, Water resources management master plan.
- Jung, W. Y., 2013, The estimation of parametric runoff characteristics and flood discharge based on riverine in-situ measurements in Jeju Islan, Ph. D. Jeju National Univercity, Korea.
- Kim, K. J., 1999, Current situation and problems in applying groundwater flow medels to EIAs in Korea, J. Korean Society Groundwater Environment, 6(2), 66-75.
- Kim, M. C., Yang, S. K., 2019, Hydraulic watershed classification and analysis of flow characteristics of groundwater on Jeju Island, J. Environ. Sci. Int., 28(4), 423-433. _URL_
- Kim, M. C., Yang, S. K., Oh, S. T., 2015, Analysis on groundwater flow according to low permeable layer structure over Seongsan Watershed of Jeju Island, J. Environ. Sci. Int., 24(4), 449-459. _URL_
- Kim, M. C., Yang, S. K., Lee, J. H., Lee, G. B., 2016, Assessment of groundwater flow modeling according to hydraulic conductivity zonation in Jeju Island, Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Sciences Society Conferences, 25(1), 163
- Ko, J. W., 2016, Groundwater flow analysis of Middle-Seogwi watershed area based on monitored filed data, Ph. D. Jeju National Univercity, Korea.
- Koh, G. W., Kang, B. R., Moon, D. C., 2006, Hydrogeological and groundwater management system of Jeju Island, Jeju.Hawaii Water Forum, 134-166.
- Na, H. N., Koo, M. H., Cha, J. H., Kim, Y. J., 2007, Sensitivity analysis of groundwater model predictions associated with uncertainty of boundary conditions: A Case study, J. Groundwater Soil and Environment, 12(3), 53-65.
- Park, J. K., Kim, M. C., Yang, S. K,. Lee, J. H., Kim, Y. S., 2016, Assessment of groundwater flow modeling according to hydraulic conductivity zonation in the Dae-jeong watershed of Jeju Island, J. Environ. Sci. Int., 25(12), _PHONE_. _URL_
- Yun, S. W., Jo, Y. J., Lee, J. Y., 2009, Comparison of groundwater recharges estimated by waterlevel fluctuation and hydrograph separation in Haean basin of Yanggu, J. Geological Society of Korea, 45(4), 391-404.


Christina McCranieChristina believes in helping others make confident financial decisions during the course of their divorce. She decided to become a CDFA in 2011 after going through her own divorce. She knows through her own experience how overwhelming, emotional, and tedious the divorce process can be and understands the anxiety that surrounds making decisions about one's future. By understanding the tax effect, financial valuation of each asset, and future financial needs, a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst can help clients make decisions with a clear understanding of the short and long-term effects, therefore decreasing anxiety.
Christina majored in accounting and was a CPA prior to raising her four children. She knows firsthand that even though a person may have an understanding of their finances, making financial decisions during an emotional and challenging time is difficult. She wants to help people see a clear picture of their current financial situation, so they can make informed decisions for their future.
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The mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) is a crucial component of mammalian auditory system. The gating mechanism of the MET channel remains a puzzling issue, though there are many speculations, due to the lack of essential molecular building blocks. To understand the working principle of mammalian MET, we propose a molecular level prototype which constitutes a charged blocker, a realistic ion channel and its surrounding membrane. To validate the proposed prototype, we make use of a well-established ion channel theory, the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations, for three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulations. A wide variety of model parameters, including bulk ion concentration, applied external voltage, blocker charge and blocker displacement, are explored to understand the basic function of the proposed MET prototype. We show that our prototype prediction of channel open probability in response to blocker relative displacement is in a remarkable accordance with experimental observation of rat cochlea outer hair cells. Our results appear to suggest that tip links which connect hair bundles gate MET channels.
Mechanoelectrical transducer; Gating mechanism; Poisson-Nernst-Planck model; Ion channel
Lateral inhibition of cells surrounding an excited area is a key property of sensory systems, sharpening the preferential tuning of individual cells in the presence of closely related input signals. In the olfactory pathway, a dendrodendritic synaptic microcircuit between mitral and granule cells in the olfactory bulb has been proposed to mediate this type of interaction through granule cell inhibition of surrounding mitral cells. However, it is becoming evident that odor inputs result in broad activation of the olfactory bulb with interactions that go beyond neighboring cells. Using a realistic modeling approach we show how backpropagating action potentials in the long lateral dendrites of mitral cells, together with granule cell actions on mitral cells within narrow columns forming glomerular units, can provide a mechanism to activate strong local inhibition between arbitrarily distant mitral cells. The simulations predict a new role for the dendrodendritic synapses in the multicolumnar organization of the granule cells. This new paradigm gives insight into the functional significance of the patterns of connectivity revealed by recent viral tracing studies. Together they suggest a functional wiring of the olfactory bulb that could greatly expand the computational roles of the mitral–granule cell network.
Olfactory processing; Modeling; Mitral cells; Granule cells
The lack of a deeper understanding of how olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) encode odors has hindered the progress in understanding the olfactory signal processing in higher brain centers. Here we employ methods of system identification to investigate the encoding of time-varying odor stimuli and their representation for further processing in the spike domain by Drosophila OSNs. In order to apply system identification techniques, we built a novel low-turbulence odor delivery system that allowed us to deliver airborne stimuli in a precise and reproducible fashion. The system provides a 1% tolerance in stimulus reproducibility and an exact control of odor concentration and concentration gradient on a millisecond time scale. Using this novel setup, we recorded and analyzed the in-vivo response of OSNs to a wide range of time-varying odor waveforms. We report for the first time that across trials the response of OR59b OSNs is very precise and reproducible. Further, we empirically show that the response of an OSN depends not only on the concentration, but also on the rate of change of the odor concentration. Moreover, we demonstrate that a two-dimensional (2D) Encoding Manifold in a concentration-concentration gradient space provides a quantitative description of the neuron's response. We then use the white noise system identification methodology to construct one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) Linear-Nonlinear-Poisson (LNP) cascade models of the sensory neuron for a fixed mean odor concentration and fixed contrast. We show that in terms of predicting the intensity rate of the spike train, the 2D LNP model performs on par with the 1D LNP model, with a root mean-square error (RMSE) increase of about 5 to 10%. Surprisingly, we find that for a fixed contrast of the white noise odor waveforms, the nonlinear block of each of the two models changes with the mean input concentration. The shape of the nonlinearities of both the 1D and the 2D LNP model appears to be, for a fixed mean of the odor waveform, independent of the stimulus contrast. This suggests that white noise system identification of Or59b OSNs only depends on the first moment of the odor concentration. Finally, by comparing the 2D Encoding Manifold and the 2D LNP model, we demonstrate that the OSN identification results depend on the particular type of the employed test odor waveforms. This suggests an adaptive neural encoding model for Or59b OSNs that changes its nonlinearity in response to the odor concentration waveforms.
System identification; Olfactory sensory neurons; White noise analysis; I/O modeling
Ankle control is critical to both standing balance and efficient walking. This hypothesis presented in this paper is that a Flat Interface Nerve Electrode (FINE) placed around the sciatic nerve with a fixed number of contacts at predetermined locations and without a priori knowledge of the nerve's underlying neuroanatomy can selectively control each ankle motion. Models of the human sciatic nerve surrounded by a FINE of varying size were created and used to calculate the probability of selective activation of axons within any arbitrarily designated, contiguous group of fascicles. Simulations support the hypothesis and suggest that currently available implantable technology cannot selectively recruit each target plantar flexor individually but can restore plantar flexion or dorsiflexion from a site on the sciatic nerve without spillover to antagonists. Successful activation of individual ankle muscles in 90% of the population can be achieved by utilizing bipolar stimulation and/or by using a cuff with at least 20 contacts.
sciatic nerve; Flat Interface Nerve Electrode (FINE); Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES); three dimensional Finite Element Method (3D FEM); selective stimulation
Neuronal networks produce reliable functional output throughout the lifespan of an animal despite ceaseless molecular turnover and a constantly changing environment. Central pattern generators, such as those of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion (STG), are able to robustly maintain their functionality over a wide range of burst periods. Previous experimental work involving extracellular recordings of the pyloric pattern of the STG has demonstrated that as the burst period varies, the inter-neuronal delays are altered proportionally, resulting in burst phases that are roughly invariant. The question whether spike delays within bursts are also proportional to pyloric period has not been explored in detail. The mechanism by which the pyloric neurons accomplish phase maintenance is currently not obvious. Previous studies suggest that the co-regulation of certain ion channel properties may play a role in governing neuronal activity. Here, we observed in long-term recordings of the pyloric rhythm that spike delays can vary proportionally with burst period, so that spike phase is maintained. We then used a conductance-based model neuron to determine whether co-varying ionic membrane conductances results in neural output that emulates the experimentally observed phenomenon of spike phase maintenance. Next, we utilized a model neuron database to determine whether conductance correlations exist in model neuron populations with highly maintained spike phases. We found that co-varying certain conductances, including the sodium and transient calcium conductance pair, causes the model neuron to maintain a specific spike phase pattern. Results indicate a possible relationship between conductance co-regulation and phase maintenance in STG neurons.
stomatogastric system; pyloric neural network; model neuron database; conductance-based model; phase maintenance
Synchronized spontaneous firing among retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), on timescales faster than visual responses, has been reported in many studies. Two candidate mechanisms of synchronized firing include direct coupling and shared noisy inputs. In neighboring parasol cells of primate retina, which exhibit rapid synchronized firing that has been studied extensively, recent experimental work indicates that direct electrical or synaptic coupling is weak, but shared synaptic input in the absence of modulated stimuli is strong. However, previous modeling efforts have not accounted for this aspect of firing in the parasol cell population. Here we develop a new model that incorporates the effects of common noise, and apply it to analyze the light responses and synchronized firing of a large, densely-sampled network of over 250 simultaneously recorded parasol cells. We use a generalized linear model in which the spike rate in each cell is determined by the linear combination of the spatio-temporally filtered visual input, the temporally filtered prior spikes of that cell, and unobserved sources representing common noise. The model accurately captures the statistical structure of the spike trains and the encoding of the visual stimulus, without the direct coupling assumption present in previous modeling work. Finally, we examined the problem of decoding the visual stimulus from the spike train given the estimated parameters. The common-noise model produces Bayesian decoding performance as accurate as that of a model with direct coupling, but with significantly more robustness to spike timing perturbations.
Retina; Generalized linear model; State-space model; Multielectrode; Recording; Random-effects model
State space methods have proven indispensable in neural data analysis. However, common methods for performing inference in state-space models with non-Gaussian observations rely on certain approximations which are not always accurate. Here we review direct optimization methods that avoid these approximations, but that nonetheless


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Curriculum resources from industry
TechFuture Classroom supports Key Stages 3-5 students through an award-winning free-to-use learning hub. The hub offers a range of projects and activities designed by the tech industry. This includes resources for computer science GCSEs and A-levels students, and Countdown to Chaos, an interactive simulation of a cyber attack.
Also available are free learning resources for teachers to update their skills in delivering the new curriculum.
All TechFuture Classroom resources are available via the Tech Partnership's new Learning Platform, providing personal learning zones for teachers and students.


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- Trip Style: pk9
- Ways to Travel: Guided
- Activities: Culture
- Group Size: 4-12
- High Altitude 5500 m
With an impressive 7031 m, Mount Saipal is the second highest peak of the Far Western Himalayas.
Saipal is a spectacular peak when viewed from the east or north. East Saipal and North Saipal Base camp can be accessed from Simikot, Humla as a separate trip or as an add-on to the Limi Valley circuit. The route to the East Base camp heads south from Simikot, Humla and makes a detour through steep-sided forested country.
Culturally as well as geographically isolated from the rest of the country, the region's broad, rolling lekhs (pass) are forested with ancient blue pines, spruces and enormous cedars, and the village nestling among them are populated by Chhetris, Brahmin, Thakuris and Bhotias. There is a degree of cultural and economic interaction between Hindu and Buddhist unparalleled else-where in the Himalaya.
The Limi valley (Simikot) is the only remaining place where you can still witness the vibrant Tibetan and Himalayan culture and lifestyle, due to the matrimonial relationship between Western Nepal and Tibet. Your trek follows the ancient salt trading and pilgrimage route to the border of Nepal and China, crossing the Nara La pass (15,000 ft/ 4,620 m) and Nyalu La (16,000 ft/ 4,900 m) with spectacular views of the Himalaya.
During this trek, you will have the chance to spot the elusive snow leopard, bharal (Himalayan blue sheep), jackals, kiang (Tibetan wild ass), and musk deer. This trip will take a total of 18 days, starting and ending in Kathmandu. The trek will take approximately 15 days, and will be moderate to strenuous, including high altitude trekking for many hours each day. The majority of this trek will take place above 10,000 ft (3,000 m), so you may feel the effects of elevation. The best season for this hike is from May to October, as the passes are likely to be covered in snow the rest of the year.
Trek for 2 weeks through the spectacular and varied Limi Valley
Follow the Karnali river as it cuts through spectacular rock formations
Bathe in the healing Chugzur hot springs
Cross over breathtaking 16,000 ft (4,900 m) passes
Wander through ancient Buddhist monasteries
- Day 1 Fly to Simikot Hotel
- Day 2 Trek to khagalgaon Taal Full Service Camping
- Day 3 Trek to Sakya Lagna Base Full Service Camping
- Day 4 Trek to Rani Kharka (Base of Mt. Saipal) Full Service Camping
- Day 5 Explore Saipal Base Camp Full Service Camping
- Day 6 Trek to Chala phedi Via Sakya Lagna [4709m.] Full Service Camping
- Day 7 Trek to Yalbang Monastery Full Service Camping
- Day 8 Trek to Muchu/Tumkot Full Service Camping
- Day 9 Trek to Yari/Thado Dunga Full Service Camping
- Day 10 Trek over Nara Pass [4500m.] to Hilsa Local Tea House
- Day 11 Hilsa to Manipeme 12,900 ft (3,930 m). Full Service Camping
- Day 12 Manipeme to Til Village. 13,500 ft (4,100 m) Full Service Camping
- Day 13 Til village to Chagzur hot springs via Halji Full Service Camping
- Day 14 Rest Day- Drive to Lapcha Sher- View of Mt. Kailash From Limi Pass Full Service Camping
- Day 15 Trek to Jade/Nyalu Base Camp Full Service Camping
- Day 16 Nyalu base camp to Sheng Jungma Full Service Camping
- Day 17 Sheng Jungma to Langdogd Base Full Service Camping
- Day 18 Langdogd Base to Lekh Dinga Full Service Camping
- Day 19 Lekh Dinga to Simikot Local Tea House
- Day 20 Flight from Simikot - Nepalgunj – Kathmandu Hotel
Inclusions & Details
For Queries & Reservations
Group travel is a great way to discover new adventures and create memories that last forever . Choose your trip with guaranteed departure dates and join us now.


HES students practicing gratitude
Each month, Herkimer Elementary students focus on a different character trait through the school's "Be." program. In November, "Thankful" is the character trait the school is focusing on.
Parents are encouraged to talk with their children throughout the month about what they are thankful for, and different ways to show their appreciation. Below are some tips for practicing gratitude from the HES School Counseling office:
 1. SAY PLEASE AND THANK YOU. Our manners show that we do not believe we are entitled to anything, and that in fact, we appreciate whatever comes our way.
 2. HELP SOMEONE LESS FORTUNATE. This could be your neighbor down the street, grandma, or someone you know who is in a tough spot.
 3. VOLUNTEER. Help out at a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or nonprofit.
 4. SEND OUT THANK YOU CARDS. Express your gratitude for those who have added value to your life.
 5. LOOK FOR AWE-INSPIRING MOMENTS IN YOUR DAY. If the sunset is particularly beautiful, comment on it. If the sound of the baby's laughter warms your heart, tell your children. Encourage them to look for their awe-inspiring moments and share them with you.
 6. SHARE YOUR GRATITUDE AT BEDTIME. Take five minutes at the end of the day to ask your child what he is thankful for that day.
 7. SHARE YOUR GRATITUDE AT THE DINNER TABLE. Take a moment at dinner time to share what you are thankful for. Go around the table, allowing each family member a chance to vocalize their gratitude.
 8. COMPLIMENT OTHERS. Encourage your children to do the same. Share things you appreciate about another person.
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Terminal ([Setup] menu; English mode)
This page is described when the Language is selected to English on the Setup - General dialog. Please refer to below page if another language mode is used.
"Terminal setup" dialog box
Terminal size
The logical size of the terminal (numbers of columns and lines). Note that the window size (real screen size) is not necessarily equal to the terminal size.
Term size = win size
Forces the terminal size to be always equal to the window size.
Auto window resize
When the terminal size is changed, resizes the window to the terminal size.
New-line (receive)
CR
Tera Term doesn't convert it.
CR+LF
Received CR ($0D) character is converted to CR+LF ($0D $0A) pairs.
e.g.) If "CR LF" is received, it is converted to "CR LF LF."
LF
Received LF ($0A) character is converted to CR+LF ($0D $0A) pairs.
e.g.) If "CR LF" is received, it is converted to "CR CR LF."
AUTO
Received CR ($0D) or LF ($0A) character is converted to CR+LF ($0D $0A) pairs.
e.g.) If "CR+LF" are received, it is not converted.
If "CR" is received, it is converted to "CR LF."
If "LF" is received, it is converted to "CR LF."
New-line (transmit)
CR
Tera Term doesn't convert it.
CR+LF
CR ($0D) character to be sent is converted to CR+LF ($0D $0A) pairs before it is actually sent.
LF
CR ($0D) character to be sent is converted to LF ($0A) before it is actually sent.
Terminal ID
Terminal ID to be reported to the host when the host requests it. Note that the terminal ID is not identical to the telnet terminal type. To change the telnet terminal type, use the [Setup] TCP/IP command.
Local echo
Enables local echoing of characters sent.
Answerback
The string to be answered back to the host, when the ENQ ($05) character is received. Each non-printable character in the string can be expressed as a "$" and ASCII code in two-character hex number. For example, the string "ABC<CR><LF>" is expressed as the following:
ABC$0D$0A
Auto switch (VT<->TEK)
Enables auto switching between VT and TEK emulations.


Thursday, 6 April 2017
Quick and easy ways to add "game juice"
If you're in a hurry, I'll just give you a list of the things I'm going to cover in this post.
 - Use screenshake
 - Use particles
 - Add bass to your sound effects
Okay, so for those of you who are not in a hurry, I'm going to take this a bit more slowly.
There are some methods of "juicing" a game which are so common and versatile that they can be applied to most arcade-y or action-oriented games.
Tip #1: Use screenshake
Screenshake can be incredibly effective if used correctly. Randomizing the camera offset every frame for even a tenth of a second makes explosions and high impacts feel considerably more powerful.
However, one thing to be wary of is that it can cause motion sickness if overused. I've never experienced this, but I've heard several anecdotal reports that excessively shaky screens can make some people a bit unwell. The easy solution to this is to either add an option to disable screenshake, or to limit it to only during certain explosions and only for very short(less than 0.2 second) periods.
Tip #2: Use particles
Fewer things make a game feel more flat than killing an enemy only for it to unceremoniously disappear. If you are graphically limited(as I was in the development of Super Displacement), particles are incredibly useful. If you're going for a lo-fi art style, large and blocky particles can be tremendously helpful. They can be used (conservatively) for a collision, for an enemy death, or anything that you think looks kinda bland (provided that you choose the right colours and speed for the particles to travel at).
Again, there's a catch to using copious amounts of particles. It can seriously lag older computers.
Warning: Don't try to turn down the number of particles for the sake of larger particles, because more often than not this doesn't work. In most systems, the GPU makes a calculation on each pixel that is occupied rendering a particle. This means that if you're balancing the same number of pixels that are being rendered as particles by just increasing the size of each particle, you're not really saving the user any performance. Instead of this, I would recommend a button to turn all non-essential particles off entirely.
Tip #3: Don't be afraid to add bass to your sound effects
This is applicable to a lot of games, and it's something that I've seen a lot of beginning hobby/indie developers fail at. If your sound effect sounds a bit toss, chances are it just doesn't have enough bass in it. Go to audacity, open your sound effect and apply a bass boost. Even if this doesn't immediately make your sound effect amazing, it'll help most of the time. Of course, if you're an audio engineer then you already know that what I'm saying is mostly rubbish.
If your sound effect doesn't fit the game, just don't use it. This isn't really about "game juice", but sound effects make a massive difference to how a game feels.
Rami Ishmael, the public half of Dutch independent studio Vlambeer, often recounts how in SuperCrateBox players would be more inclined to play aggressively, get higher scores and proceed to enjoy the game more if the sound effect to the gun was more powerful, keeping the graphics and the gameplay identical each time. This is a perfect example of sound effects affecting the game in more ways than can often be predicted.
Regardless, I hope you found this post useful. This is probably going to all seem very obvious to the seasoned veterans of indie development, but personally, I would have loved to see this post about a year ago.
If you disagree with anything on this list, or if you think that I've missed out on something super obvious, leave a comment. Otherwise, if you have beenthanks for reading!
 1. Not sure if it was just a spelling error or not but Rami Ismail is spelled without the 'h' ;)


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The disconnect should be sized at 115% of the minimum circuit ampacity
1.15 x 31.5 = 36.225
since disconnect sizes jump from 30 amps to 60 amps,
a 60 amp disconnect will be needed.
Use the information on the data plate in Figure 89-24 to determine the
maximum circuit breaker size for the unit.
What type of overcurrent protection is used with air conditioning equipment?
How should ductwork be sealed against air leaks?
How can vibrations and sound transmission from the unit to the ductwork be
Use Figures 89-27 and Table 89-2 to determine the correct amount of
additional charge for a new split system with a 40 foot line set and a 3/8" liquid
line. The factory charge includes enough refrigerant for 15 feet of line.
What position are the unit installation valves in when the unit is shipped?
When installing a split system, what should be done prior to opening the


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Stall Catchers is a citizen science game, developed by the Human Computation Institute as part of the EyesOnALZ project in 2016.
Funded by a grant from the BrightFocus Foundation, HCI has been collaborating with Cornell, Berkeley, Princeton, WiredDifferently, and SciStarter to develop a platform for crowdsourcing the AD research being done at Cornell University.
"Stall Catchers" will allows participants to look at movies of real blood vessels in mouse brains, and search for "stalls" – clogged capillaries where blood is no longer flowing. By "catching stalls" participants can build up their score, level up and compete in the game leaderboard, as well as receive digital badges for their various achievements in the game.
Most importantly, the game will enable the crowdsourcing of promising Alzheimer's research at the Schaffer-Nishimura Laboratory (Cornell Dept. of Biomedical Engineering). There, recent breakthroughs have been made in understanding the role of reduced brain blood flow in AD, and reversing some of the Alzheimer's symptoms, such as memory loss and mood changes, by targeting blood vessel stalls.
Stall Catchers has been built on the existing platform of stardust@home – one of the first volunteer thinking projects. Just as aerogel images were being studied in stardust@home to look for interstellar dust particles, in Stall Catchers a "Virtual Microscope" plays back vessel movies – images of consecutive layers of a live mouse brain. Participants analyze one microscopic vessel at the time, looking for signs of stalls.
The game, launched Oct. 1, 2016, is expected to remove the current analytic bottleneck of blood flow analysis in AD, and accelerate the research towards promising AD treatment candidates.
Crowd2Map Tanzania is a crowdsourced initiative aimed at creating a comprehensive map of rural Tanzania, including detailed depictions of all of its villages, roads and public resources (such as schools, shops, offices etc.) in OpenStreetMap for everyone to use.
By turning complex laboratory analysis into a game (Stall Catchers) that anyone can play, EyesOnALZ has made it possible to accelerate Cornell's promising Alzheimer's disease research to compress decades of inquiry into just a few years.
Human Computation Institute is leading an initiative to develop an online Citizen Science platform that will enable the general public to contribute directly to Alzheimer's Disease research and possibly lead to a new treatment target in just a few years.
It has long been known that reduced blood flow in the brain is associated with Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia. However, new imaging techniques have enabled our Cornell-based collaborators to make important discoveries about the mechanisms that underlie this reduced blood flow.
These findings are suggestive of a new treatment approach that could reduce cognitive symptoms and halt disease progression. However, arriving at a specific treatment target based on these findings requires additional research. Unfortunately, the data curation required to advance these studies is very labor-intensive, such that one hour's worth of collected data requires a weeks worth of annotation by laboratory personnel. Indeed, the curation aspect of the analysis is so time consuming that to complete the studies necessary for identifying a drug target could take decades.
Fortunately, accurate curation of the data, though still impossible for machines, involves perceptual tasks that are very easy for humans. We aim to address the analytic bottleneck via crowdsourcing using a divide-and-conquer strategy. The curation tasks in this research map closely to the tasks used in two existing citizen science platforms: stardust@home and EyeWire, both of which have enabled discoveries reported in the journal Science. In direct collaboration with the creators of these highly successful citizen science platforms, we are developing a new platform for public participation that we expect will reduce the time to a treatment from decades to only a few years.
If you are interested in participating in an online activity that will directly contribute to Alzheimer's research, please pre-register here. By participating, you will not only help speed up a treatment, but also understand more about the disease and exactly how your efforts make a difference.
Abstract (the full paper is available here as a PDF)
Humans are the most effective integrators and producers of information, directly and through the use of information-processing inventions. As these inventions become increasingly sophisticated, the substantive role of humans in processing information will tend toward capabilities that derive from our most complex cognitive processes, e.g., abstraction, creativity, and applied world knowledge. Through the advancement of human computation – methods that leverage the respective strengths of humans and machines in distributed information-processing systems – formerly discrete processes will combine synergistically into increasingly integrated and complex information processing systems. These new, collective systems will exhibit an unprecedented degree of predictive accuracy in modeling physical and techno-social processes, and may ultimately coalesce into a single unified predictive organism, with the capacity to address society's most wicked problems and achieve planetary homeostasis.
HC Institute director, Pietro Michelucci, led a multidisciplinary group of world experts in the emerging field of "human computation" in Washington, DC last week to consider the unprecedented capabilities that might arise from crowd-powered systems and to map out the research needed to get there.
The workshop itself employed human computation techniques in service of its own goals, such as participatory gaming, workflow execution, group composition, and interaction mechanics. Through these methods, workshop participants explored human motivation in participatory systems, worst-case scenarios, mapped out high impact success cases, and iteratively developed new human computation solutions to societal problems to help identify research gaps and inform related national policies.
The three-day workshop, held at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, was proposed and co-organized by the Human Computation Institute, Cornell University, and the Wilson Center, and funded by the Computing Community Consortium (CCC). A workshop report, under development by the co-organizers and community of participants, is expected to be published by the CCC in early 2015.
*** UPDATE: workshop report now available here ***
Event coverage links:
HC Institute director, Pietro Michelucci, participated in a White House meeting this afternoon to discuss crowd engagement methods that involve game-like elements. This was the first in a series of Washington, DC-based events titled "Games & Crowds: Using Computer Games to Maximize Crowdsourcing Outcomes", to explore the societal value of such methods and prospective related initiatives. In a follow-on event, Dr. Michelucci will be presenting tomorrow at George Mason University on the topic of "Building Contentment" and the prospective role of gamification in the future of human labor.


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save historical information. However, disabling sensors can effects adversely other database server functions. It is always better to update the ph_task table in sysadmin database to limit the amount of data collect by a sensor than disable sensors. Following is an example that tells the DB Scheduler to delete data older than 4 times the collection frequency:
DATABASE sysadmin; UPDATE ph_task SET tk_delete = (4 * tk_frequency) WHERE tk_type = 'SENSOR';
SQLTRACE part 2
Today we will now cover part 2 of the new SQL tracing facility inCheetah. In part 1 we discussed how to enable SQLTRACE and how tomonitor it via onstat -g his. I'm sure you noticed that while onstat -ghis provides a lot of very useful information, you would need someserious awk and sed skills to script it, for example, that you only sawqueries that had an average execution time of 1 second or more.Fortunately SQL tracing is set up in the sysmaster database. The tableis calledsyssqltrace
This table allows you to quickly get subsections of the SQL traceoutput. So, for example, you can find out how many queriestookmore than 1 second to run by executing the following query:select count(*) fromsyssqltrace where sql_totaltime >1;
You can obviously drill down and get additional information includingthe actual queries that were run that took more than 1 second.
The table syssqltrace is not the only table, however, that coversinformation regarding SQL tracing. The table syssqltrace_iter
provides information in the form of an iterator tree for each sql. This allows you to know what part of your plan took the mosttime to run.
These two tables allow you to use the information gathered from SQLtracing, and will allow you to generate reports, and diagnose problemSQL more efficiently.Mark Jamison
One of the new features in Cheetah is the ability to enable tracing for SQL. While this has been available in limited method though the use of the IBM product I-SPY, the drawback before has always been the performance hit to actually monitor this information. That limitation is effectively eliminated with this feature in Cheetah. So how is SQL Tracing enabled? It's actually pretty simple, one way is to just put SQLTRACE in your ONCONFIG. One configuration I use most often is:
This allows me to keep track of the last 1000 sql statements on the instance.
However ONCONFIG is not the only way to enable tracing, you can also dothis through the sysadmin database by running the following:
EXECUTE FUNCTION task("set sql tracing on", 1000, 2,"low","global");
So by using either of the above methods you now have enabled SQLRACE, buthow do you validate it. The easiest method is by running :
onstat -g his
Below is a sample of onstat -g his output.
In Part 2 we will look at how to read this in SQL, and possible optionsfor the data.
There is good news for those who were downloading the Node.1.0 DataBlade
from the developer works
and using it AS-IS. As per policy there is no support for AS-IS software downloaded from the developer works.
Node DataBlade creates an Informix DataBlade with a node opaque type data that addresses the problem of transitive closure/hierarchical data queries.
From IDS V11.10 onwards, Node.2.0 DataBlade (with some added functionality) is being bundled as one of the default DataBlades along with the server. That means moving forward Node.2.0 DataBlade (and subsequent higher versions) would be eligible for support. Anup Nair
If you use Enterprise Replication(ER), you can use onstat -g rqm to print the statistics and contents of the low-levelqueues managed by the Reliable Queue Manager(RQM). From IDS 10.00.xC7 onwards, a new option to print information aboutthe sbspaces configured for ER is available.
onstat -g rqm SBPACES prints detailed statistical information about the sbspaces configured for CDR_QDATA_SBSPACE.A sample output is shown below:
$ onstat -g rqm SBSPACES
IBM Informix Dynamic Server Version 11.10.FC1 -- On-Line -- Up 00:18:03 -- 67584 Kbytes
RQM Space Statistics for CDR_QDATA_SBSPACE:-------------------------------------------name/addr number used free total %full pathname0xda3d088 2 1 4586 4587 0./replsbs replsbs 2 1 4586 4587 0
0xda539c0 3 1 4586 4587 0./sbsp1 sbsp1 3 2 9172 9174 0
As you can see it prints the address of the chunk or name of the sbspace, chunk/space number, total pages, free pages,percentage used and path name for the chunks. The information printed is for each chunk in a sbspace followed bysbspace itself. In this case replsbs and sbsp1 are the sbspaces configured for CDR_QDATA_SBSPACE. Suma Vinod
On IDS version 11.10 a significant amount of focus has been given to automatically keep administrators up-to-date on database performance. Several performance advisory triggers added to Informix server to flag administrator once a threshold reached. The IDS will automatically calculate different thresholds based on current database activities and generate an appropriate performance advisory in message log (MSGPATH).
Following is a list of performance advisory available in IDS version 11.10:
- Physical log too small for RTO_SERVER_RESTART
- IDS server boot time too long
- Physical log too small
- Logical log too small
- Long transactions blocking checkpoints
- Physical log too small to accommodate bufferpool flushing
- Logical log too small to accommodate bufferpool flushing
- Physical log too small to accommodate automatic checkpoints
- Logical log too small to accommodate automatic checkpoints
- Bufferpool flushing
In this article we will discuss about the checkpoint related advisory. The 'onstat -g ckp' command has introduced with IDS version 11.10 to get checkpoint information and checkpoint related advisory. This command will display checkpoint related configuration parameters recommendation, once a sub-optimal configuration detected.
Following configuration parameters can significantly impact performance of IDS:
During checkpoint IDS will evaluate checkpoint related configuration parameters and produce a performance advisory once a sub-optimal configuration detected. If configuration parameters is not tune properly, database server can encounter block during checkpoint.
Following is an example of 'onstat -g ckp' command output:
The description of 'onstat -g ckp' command output:
- The first section of the display describes checkpoint information
- The second section of 'onstat -g ckp' output describe the checkpoint related advisory
In the above example physical log file size (PHYSFILE) was set to 15000 Kbytes. During checkpoint IDS evaluate the configuration parameters and found out physical log size was small, which can cause checkpoint block, and suggested PHYSFILE value as 16800 Kbytes.
The checkpoint performance advisory also available in the message log file. Following is an example of message log with a checkpoint performance advisory:
I don't know about the rest of you, but I have had a lot ofproblems truly determining if my SQL Cache settings are efficient. If my UserDefined Routine (UDR) cache, for example, always seems to be 50% full, does that mean thecache only uses 50% and so the settings are to high, or are they at 50% becauseI'm constantly cleaning the pools, and thus I'm configured too low. Beginning in Cheetah you now have a means to diagnose thattype of information, and it's located in the sysmaster database. The table name is syssqlcacheprof, and it contains profileinformation for each of the caches.
Below is a sample output from this table:
As you can see in the above you can now quickly identify how often the cache is removing entries (orcleaning), and what the efficiency is of your cache, in terms of a hit rate. Infact a very simple query that could be used for analyzing the hit ratio for the caches would be:
select *, (hits/(hits+misses)) hit_ratio from syssqlcacheprof
This table also provides youthe benefit of quickly seeing how much memory each cache is actually using,something that before Cheetah was a bit awkward to calculate. While not a major feature of Cheetah, this new sysmaster table is a valuable new asset in performance tuning.
feature was actually introduced in IDS starting with 10.00.xC4 version but with restrictions and one of the restrictions was it did not work on Enterprise Replication
replicated tables. But starting with Cheetah release this will be supported even on the replicated tables. This feature introduces TRUNCATE TABLE as a supported operation on a replicated table while replication is active, which basically eliminates need for dropping and redefining the replicate and saves time for DBAs. This feature will support TRUNCATE TABLE on local table only, meaning ER will not propagate the TRUNCATE operation to other participants
. The TRUNCATE command needs to be issued on each participant as needed. There are plans to implement the propagation of command in future along with other alter operations(ALTER, RENAME).
One of the key uses of TRUNCATE support which is in conjunction with cdr sync
is, if there is a significant difference between the source and the target, the customer might elect to perform a truncate table followed by a cdr


- maryjowiseman
What is your Medical Risk Management Plan?
Did you know that:
 - The average emergency medical response time is 10-14 minutes (from first call to arrival of emergency personnel).
 - 5% of meeting attendees come to a meeting ill (up to 10% in winter months).
 - One in four international travelers will become ill while attending a meeting.
Have you ever experienced a medical emergency of any kind when you have been on-site for a meeting? How did you handle the situation? Did you communicate beforehand to your meeting participants what they should do in case of a medical emergency: who they should call in the hotel and they become sick or injured; where the closest/ best medical facility was that best fit their immediate needs, etc.? Like it or not, the unexpected does happen and you need to be prepared for any number of different scenarios.
With this in mind, it is imperative you have a Medical Risk Management Plan (MRMP) in place before an incident occurs so that when the unexpected happens everyone knows what to do and can stay calm and focused on the issue at hand. For starters, your MRMP should identify and/or answer questions like:
 - Your definition of a "routine medical emergency."This could be anything from a slip and fall to a cardiac event.
 - Other risks specific to your event and location that might occur such as altitude sickness and/or water sport activities.
 - Additional risks you need to be aware of if the group is traveling abroad, such as infectious disease, and potential food and water contamination.
 - Location of the closest and medical clinic and hospital to the meeting venue.
 - Are security personnel at the venue contractors or employees?Are they available 24/7? Are there at least two on-site at any given time?
 - What is the protocol for contacting security when an emergency occurs?
 - Are security personnel CPR and AED trained?Where are the AEDs located?
 - What is the closest entrance to the meeting room for emergency personnel to arrive at?Who from your staff will meet them?
 - Do the meeting rooms have house phones?What is the protocol for using, where do the calls go, who responds?
 - Does the venue have a physician on-site or on call?If yes, are they available 24/7?How do you or your guests reach them?
 - How/when do you communicate and to what extent do you communicate any or all of this information to your guests?
Have you considered having a physician or other medical personnel on-site during your meetings?
Having trained medical professionals on-site especially for large programs, high profile meetings such as Board of Directors Meetings, and/or international meetings where response time and/or quality of care may not be up to par would go far to insure that your medical emergencies were properly managed.We did have corporate security officers who traveled with us to our larger meetings and our Board of Directors Meetings who were CPR and AED trained and who could tend to the non-life threatening cases, and there were procedures to follow, but we didn't at the time have physicians or other medical/emergency personnel on site.However, one could make a pretty good argument for doing so in the right set of circumstances.
I recently had the opportunity to connect with Karen Moore, Sales Manager, with InHouse Physicians and learned some interesting facts about the organization she represents that I wanted to share with you.
InHouse Physicians was founded in 1992 by an Emergency Room physician by the name of Jonathan Spero, MD, who recognized a need for a service that provided on-call medical specialists to deliver VIP treatment to meeting attendees who become ill or injured while at a meeting venue after he himself had been asked by a meeting host he was an acquaintance of "if he knew of anyone who …. "
IHPs on-site medical personnel consist of board certified or board equivalent qualified physicians, mid-level support and paramedics assigned to your group 24 hours a day.Many of the physicians are board certified in emergency medicine and many are employed full-time as ER physicians in the hospitals where they reside.(Their ER schedules work well with their off-duty schedules.)
They provide concierge care services such as those middle of the night calls (whether sick or injured) to quick response emergency room type care to life threatening emergencies, and can go so far as setting up an actual ER setting at a venue complete with ER and ambulance equipment such as cardiac defibrillators, sutures, IV fluids, etc. They have a global network of credentialed and qualified specialty professionals available 24/7, and have admitting privileges at international hospitals (all English speaking).They make sure your attendees receive the appropriate care when they need it, while mitigating the risks associated with delayed or substandard care.
In addition to providing on-site medical care, they also set up Mobile Pharmacies that offer a wide range of frequently prescribed US medicines 24/7.
When you contract with IHP, they provide cell phone numbers directly to your attendees or through apps or other forms of communication you provide to your guests.
If you'd like to learn more about InHouse Physicians and/or how to medically risk-proof your meetings, contact Karen Moore | _PHONE_ | _EMAIL_. She'd welcome the opportunity hear from you.
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Having a well thought out PLAN and a strategic and orderly PROCESS for carrying out your PLAN is imperative when planning a meeting or special event. But, PROCESS and PLANNING is not limited to just


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CASB Majority Report
Flight Crew Scheduling Practices | Fatigue Assessment
Flight Crew Fatigue
Flight Crew Scheduling Practices
Daily flight-time limits and minimum crew-rest requirements have been established to reduce the potential for aircrew fatigue. Examination of the flight crew's flight time records for the month of December 1985 determined that the flight-time limitations of FAR 121.521 had been exceeded twice. In the 24-hour period commencing 0206 GMT, 05 December 1985, the flight crew's flying time was recorded as 13 hours 22 minutes, that is, 1 hour 22 minutes in excess of the 12-hour maximum. In the 48-hour period commencing 1018 GMT, 03 December 1985, the flying time recorded was 22 hours 24 minutes. Following this, only seven hours elapsed before the crew initiated its next flight. FAR 121.521 requires that a minimum of 18 hours crew rest be given when a flight crew member has been aloft for more than 20 hours during any consecutive 48 hours.
A review of FAA special surveillance reports determined that, on other occasions, Arrow Air flight crew had exceeded the requirements of FAR 121.521 with respect to flight-time limitations and crew rest.
It was the stated intent of the flight crew to ferry the aircraft to Oakland, California on completion of the night to Fort Campbell. The Board estimates that, at the completion of this flight, the crew would have accumulated about 15 flight hours in the 24 hours commencing with departure from Cologne. The crew's duty day would have approached 20 hours. Because the flight to Oakland was to be conducted without passengers, it was not considered an FAR 121 flight. Rather, it was to be conducted under the provisions of FAR 91. FAR 91 does not include any flighttime limitations or minimum crew-rest requirements. Thus, the flight could be conducted within the provisions of applicable FARs.
By scheduling non-revenue ferry flights under the provisions of FAR 91 at the completion of a series of FAR 121 flights, flight-time limitations and crew-rest requirements designed to reduce the potential for aircrew fatigue can be circumvented. The Board can find no reason to justify the absence of such limits and requirements for flights conducted by FAR 121 certificated air carriers under FAR 91.
To a large extent, the prevention of flight crew fatigue is dependent on the scheduling practices and policies of the air carrier. In the United States, the FARs provide a framework within which the carrier must operate; however, it is incumbent on the carrier to devise workable policies that meet the operational needs.
The pilot-scheduling policy developed by Arrow Air makes no reference to flight-time limits, duty-day limits or minimum crew rest It was determined by the Board that company scheduling procedures did not address flight crew fatigue factors. No maximum duty-day limit was established.
Fatigue Assessment
A detailed analysis of available information pertaining to each flight crew member's vulnerability to fatigue was undertaken. Consideration was also given to identifying behavioural evidence that could be attributed to fatigue. and the causal sequence of events leading up to the accident.
It was the opinion of the medical expert who testified at the Board's public inquiry that, in the 12 days leading up to the accident, the flight crew had been consistently exposed to work patterns and fatigue-inducing factors which were highly conducive to the development of chronic fatigue. These factors included short layovers, night departures, multiple time-zone travel, and a flight-hour accumulation of almost 57 hours in the previous 10 days.
There are no accepted toxicological tests which can verify the presence of, or quantify the influence of, fatigue. However, research has empirically identified certain fatigue-induced behaviours and associated performance decrements.
An analysis of what was known of the flight crew's behaviour while in Cologne, during the flight, and while on the ground in Gander indicated no clear behavioural pattern that could be associated with fatigue. As a result, the Board could not determine whether any individual flight crew member was in fact fatigued nor establish any cause and effect relationship between probable fatigue and the accident sequence.
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NO WORRIES! An Activity Book For Young People Who Feel Anxious or Stressed
No Worries! is an interactive self-care activity book for children aged 7+ to color and doodle their way to happiness, calm and confidence. The encouraging and simple, yet well designed, activities and exercises tackle anxiety, sadness and stress; children will enjoy using their creativity to combat negative feelings, work out why they feel worried and how to put stress back in its place through writing, coloring, doodling and drawing.


text: This project explores the perception of space. Visual sense enables us to recognize a space through the detection of light present in space. The visual perception of space by the eye is complemented by the use of the camera obscura, a system consisting of a box that, by means of an opening in space, is penetrated by light, thus creating an inverted image of the exterior. The object used in order to combine both systems is a helmet, acting as a viewfinder. It reveals the rays of light that create the flipped image of space that, outside of the helmet, is perceived by the visual organs. This interaction created a portable and personal system for the perception of space and the reflection of what we usually see.


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We have explored the changes in the
graph ofwhen a, b, and c vary individually.
What happens when two or more of a, b, or c affect the sine graph
at the same time?
Use your knowledge of changes in a,
b, and c to predict the sine curves of the following equations.
Click on the equation to reveal its graph and an explanation of
how the graph changes. Try to graph the equations yourself before
checking the solutions.
Examples changing two values of a, b,
on an equation to see its graph!
Examples where the values of all three
of a, b, and c have been changed:
Can you write the equation for
the sine graph below? What are the values of a, b, and c? Solution