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Yale Building Uses 81% Less Water, 58% Less Energy
A new building at Yale is a working laboratory for the students that frequent it. Kroon Hall, home of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, uses 81 percent less water and 58 percent less energy than comparable buildings, according to the Courant.
The building, which achieved LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, also generates about 25 percent of its electricity needs onsite from solar.
Solar hot water heats about half of the potable water, while a photovoltaic display on the roof provides up to a quarter of the electricity
In the area of water efficiency, a stormwater collection system also takes in wastewater from sinks and showers, which is all filtered through a landscape of native plants. The building also includes low-flow plumbing and irrigation fixtures.
In construction, about 16 percent of materials were made of recycled content, and 34 percent came from regional sources.
About 80 percent of the wood used in the structure was Forest Stewardship Council certified.
Energy Manager News
- Digging Deep to Cure HVAC Inefficiency
- Technavio: Global Data Center Liquid Cooling Market Growing
- GE Shreveport Plant Finishes First Stage of Retrofit
- Entergy Arkansas Reaches Rate Settlement
- EMEX Named TEPA Aggregator/Broker/Consultant of the Year
- Switching to LEDs Without Leaving the Past Behind
- McKinstry Replacing 6,200 Lights with LEDs in Henderson, NV
- USDA Investing More than $300M in Efficiency, Renewables


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The Plymouth High School SEED Club (Students Engaged in Environmental Development) recently traveled to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
Twenty-five PHS students, along with SEED Club sponsor Lori McClellan participate in the field trip that took place during spring break.
"We watched the dolphin show and visited all of the exhibits. Students were able to touch a starfish and a couple other animals, which was pretty cool! On the way home, we stopped at Albanese Candy Factory in Merrillville and ate dinner at Steak 'n Shake in Valparaiso."
McClellan said. She continued, "We all had a great time and learned a lot about marine animals and ecosystems."
McClellan teaches science at Plymouth High School. She said not only did students get a lesson in science on the field trip, but they got one in math as well. "They learned about budgeting their money for the entire day," she said.
Photo 1:(L-R)Jacqueline Garcia, Diana Baca, America Arroyo, and Kimberly Baca
Photo 2: (L-R) America Arroyo, Kimberly Baca, Jennifer Torres, Ashley Rosas, Anna Gutierrez, and Mary Blake
Photo 3: (L-R)Jacqueline Garcia, Diana Baca, America Arroyo, and Kimberly Baca

source: m-a-p/FineFineWeb


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Abstract—A prototype of an anomaly detection system was developed to automate process of recognizing an anomaly of roentgen image by utilizing fuzzy histogram hyperbolization image enhancement and back propagation artificial neural network. The system consists of image acquisition, pre-processor, feature extractor, response selector and output. Fuzzy Histogram Hyperbolization is chosen to improve the quality of the roentgen image. The fuzzy histogram hyperbolization steps consist of fuzzyfication, modification of values of membership functions and defuzzyfication. Image features are extracted after the the quality of the image is improved. The extracted image features are input to the artificial neural network for detecting anomaly. The number of nodes in the proposed ANN layers was made small. Experimental results indicate that the fuzzy histogram hyperbolization method can be used to improve the quality of the image. The system is capable to detect the anomaly in the roentgen image. Keywords—Image processing, artificial neural network, anomaly detection. I
To submit an update or takedown request for this paper, please submit an Update/Correction/Removal Request.


The Purchase College Experience
The Purchase College Experience is comprised of five components that coincide with the institution's "8-semester plan to graduation", an individualized plan that guides a student's academic progress toward a timely degree attainment. Each component gains its inspiration from the well-studied barriers, checkpoints, and questions that students encounter over the course of his or her four years in terms of intellectual, psychological, cultural, social, and professional development.
Goals Statement:
The Purchase College Experience aims to create stability and sustainability in an institutionally supported goal to graduate its student body in a timely four-year sequence. It achieves this through centralized communications and programmatic efforts.
Goal 1: Synchronize and streamline communication to provide reliable and non-conflicting information to students and parents, while minimizing redundancy and outreach overload. This centralized structure will focus on the following themes:
A. Various academic and enrollment policies and co-curricular opportunities throughout the academic year
B. Campus policies and programs so that students recognize when they are pertinent in the context of their academic standing and whom to contact for specific issues and concerns
C. A communication system to students that focuses on social networking, electronic communication, and in-person peer-to-peer interactions
Goal 2: Create, coordinate, and/or maintain programs that address cohort-specific needs while increasing collaboration throughout the campus. This centralized structure will focus on the following themes:
A. Enhancement of current staple events
B. Thoughtful collaboration with various offices throughout Student Affairs and Enrollment Services to lessen over-programming and eliminate redundancy and cross-scheduled efforts
C. Faculty involvement in various programs and services


Quick Answer: How Many People Did Bubonic Plague Kill?
Did anyone recover from the Black Death?
What was the last pandemic in the USA?
How long did the 1918 flu last?
Has the US ever had a pandemic?
There have been multiple pandemic and epidemic outbreaks in recent history, including the 1918 influenza pandemic, the 2003 SARS-CoV outbreak, and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
What made the 1918 flu so deadly?
How did bubonic plague end?
Does bubonic plague still exist?
But as long as you don't touch an animal that has the plague bacteria, your chances of getting it are incredibly low. The plague is extremely rare. Only a couple thousand cases are reported worldwide each year, most of which are in Africa, India, and Peru.
How many cases of bubonic plague were there in 2018?
What stopped the Great Plague?
How long did the last plague last?
The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality, or the Plague) was the deadliest pandemic recorded in human history. The Black Death pandemic resulted in the deaths of up to 75–200 million people in Eurasia and North Africa, peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351.
How long did bubonic plague last?


Kimochi Book: Cat's Not-So-Perfect Sandcastle
Product Number : KI-11
Irresistible Toys With Feelings Inside
Kimochi means "feeling" in Japanese, and that's what these adorable characters and related teaching materials are all about. Each plush character (Cloud, Cat, Bug, Lovey Dove, and Huggtopus) helps children recognize and communicate feelings and comes with three little "pillows" that can be tucked inside a belly pouch. Each pillow has a feeling named on one side and a drawing expressing that feeling on the other side. Extra pillows representing different emotions are also available (in packs of 6 or 33). Constructed of soft polar fleece, these cuddly critters help little ones identify and understand their feelings.
The Kimochis Teacher's Tool Kit includes five plush characters, 29 feelings pillows, a Parent Guide, and a beautifully designed, unbelievably useful Teacher's Manual, brimming with lessons, activities, teachable moments, games, and reproducibles—everything you need to teach emotional intelligence.
In addition, three Kimochis books, Cloud's Best Worst Day Ever, Bug Makes a Splash!, and Cat's Not-So-Perfect Sandcastle offer captivating illustrations and charming stories that reinforce feelings awareness.


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The design of BODC's databases have developed over the years to support the evolving nature of data collected by the science of oceanography.
- Oracle Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)
- National Oceanographic Database (NODB)
- Project Database
- Web Database
1. Oracle Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)
Our databases adhere to the relational model of database design and have been implemented using the Oracle Relational Database Management System (RDBMS).
The databases contain tables which are used to store information. Tables consist of columns and rows. Sometimes a column is called a field and a row is called a record. Each row should be unique and can be identified using a primary key. A primary key is made up of one or more fields.
Tables can have relationships or links with other tables. A value (e.g. a parameter code) stored in one table can have more information stored about it in another table. This approach helps to minimise duplication of information.
Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between a plankton net data table (NETDATA) and a parameter table (PARAMETER). The field PARA_CODE in NETDATA links to CODE in PARAMETER. PARAMETER contains more information about the parameter that was measured
The relationship between PARAMETER and NETDATA is one-to-many. Each row in PARAMETER corresponds to one type of parameter. The rows in NETDATA can store the same parameter code many times.
2. National Oceanographic Database (NODB)
The NODB stores metadata (data about data) in a relational database in the form of a data series. Metadata includes the data originator, position and collection start/end dates and times. The actual data measurements are stored outside the database in binary data files. These data are available by online delivery via our NODB data series facility.
The concept of a data series is fundamental to the design of the NODB. Each series consists of a number of data cycles. Each data cycle usually contains one value for each parameter sampled. Examples include
- a year of tide gauge data measuring sea level at a given location every 15 minutes.
- a CTD profile measuring temperature and salinity every 2 m from the sea surface to the sea floor at a particular place and time.
Each data series has one row in the master NODB table. The table links to other NODB tables containing metadata about parameters, restrictions, documents and storage.
The origins of the NODB go back to the 1970s. It was developed by Meirion Jones and Trevor Sankey using a COnference on DAta SYstems Languages (CODASYL) system. Its aim was to improve the availability of oceanographic data for science and industry, and to protect it for future use. A function the NODB still performs today.
3. Project Database
The Project Database is used to manage data for large multi-disciplinary research projects. Both the data measurements and the metadata are stored in the Oracle RDBMS. Its evolution started in 1988, when BODC took on data management for the North Sea Project.
Advances in analytical technology used by oceanographers had dramatically increased the number of parameters that could be measured. The NODB was not designed to support such large numbers. Metadata collected for the NODB was paper based and was not adequate for the hundreds of water bottle samples taken during the North Sea Project.
BODC decided to develop a new database structure. This was made possible by the replacement of the CODASYSL system (running on a Honeywell mainframe computer) by the Oracle RDBMS (running on an IBM mainframe). The Oracle RDBMS enabled efficient collation, population and interrogation of both data and metadata.
The Project Database is organised around three main groups of tables
i. Sampling metadata tables consist of sampling and event description tables. These link to the fieldwork description table and to the sampling instrument or gear code table.
ii. Data tables consist of a series of data storage tables for each main type of sampling or data collection technique.
iii. Parameter dictionary tables define the eight byte parameter codes used to label the measurements in the data tables.
The data table structure has been adapted and modified for each main type of data collection technique. This enables storage of specific metadata information, such as bottle depth and type for water collection events, and plankton net depth range, mesh size and mouth area for plankton net hauls. All data tables have the same field structure consisting of a
- primary key
- parameter code
- data value
- quality control flag
- originator code
- loading date
This structure enables easy expansion to include new sampling instruments, methodologies and parameters. Figure 2 illustrates the flow of data into the Project Database.
The Project Database has not replaced the NODB. Both are used in parallel.
4. Web Database
Currently, we are developing the Web Database to meet the specific needs of web applications. Issues such as security and performance require particular care when exposing data to the internet.
Related BODC pages
|Data processing steps||Future strategy|

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


11 July 2020
Fruit Sugar: Is It Bad?
For those who are watching what they eat or on a specific diet, they may often hear a lot about fruit sugar. There are those who say this is bad, while others say that since this is a sugar that is occurring naturally in the fruit, it is okay to have in your diet. So, what is the truth about fruit sugar?
Is Fruit Sugar Bad?
All fruits contain some form of sugar. However, when compared to those sweet treats out there that are manufactured, fruit sugar is much more healthier for you. What most people do not realize is that the sugar from fruits is processed differently than if you were to eat a sweet piece of pie or cake for a sugar fix. Sugar in fruits is not going to raise blood sugar like sweets and candies. So, in reality fruit sugar is not as bad for you as you may have been led to believe. And remember, that having fruit in your diet is a part of a healthy overall diet.
The key is that you want to eat the right fruits. However, we have to emphasize that eating lots of fruits that are high in sugar is not going to negatively affect your blood sugar. However, everything in moderation is a moto for a reason.
What Fruits are Low in Sugar?
Different fruits are going to have different levels of sugar in them. So for those who are looking to eat more fruit but still do not want to eat a lot of fruits that are high in sugar, they can opt to eat fruits that have lower sugar content. Here are some of the best fruits for those who are looking for low sugar levels:
 1. Lemons
 2. Limes
 3. Raspberries
 4. Strawberries
 5. Blackberries
 6. Kiwis
 7. Grapefruit
 8. Oranges
 9. Apricot
 10. Blueberries
 11. Granny smith apples
 12. Pears
Those fruits that are high in sugar include watermelons, pineapples, grapes, plums, and even bananas. Remember this, if the fruit often tastes sweet naturally, this does mean that it contains more sugars.
Overall, fruits are a great source of fiber for many people and they can add some sweetness into any diet that you have. Most dietitians will recommend eating fruit everyday to help you avoid overeating sugary items later, especially if you are someone that has a sweet tooth.
Image by silviarita from Pixabay
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There are a couple of reasons, just off the top of my head, why someone would do this. Ox yokes are curved in this way and would be much stronger if the wood grew that way instead of having to be carved. Another use could have been sled or sleigh runners. Same advantage over bending or carving. Fascinating though.
The trees were probably bent like that for building boats. the wood is stronger if it has a natural bend, boat builders would go out and look for trees with a close enough bend to it to fit their project, and i bet a farmer was trying to achieve this.
yep,i agree with the previous poster. I considered this myself years ago as a way of making strong arches for several projects. Someone with forethought and time did this. Maybe wagon wheels or arched doorways/windows or furniture. It takes skill to wet,bend & secure arches in any scheme.
It's called soil creep. As colder temperatures pervade the area, the moisture in the soil freezes and expands, displacing the soil and anything not held fast in it (ie. saplings), then during the warmer part of the day, thaws and retracts. Over days, tiny saplings can be moved to angles ranging from just slightly off 90° to laying flat against the ground as if they had fallen.
The saplings prefer very much to remain vertical, as their ability to be able to catch sunlight to keep photosynthesizing is dependent on it, so it will actually bend itself towards the sunlight, much like a sunflower turning its 'head' to face the sun. The result, these curved trunks of trees until they are old enough to grow straight up, and not be affected by soil creep.
This phenomenon is most prevalent on hilly terrain, as the steepness of the slope causes for more drastic soil creep. Science.
Its actually an act of nature. I live in the northern Rockies and we have trees like this all over our mountains. We call them pistol butts. What happens is smaller younger trees get buried under heavy wet snow that bends the trees over, and when spring comes the tree keep growing even under snow load and end up growing all bent and twisted like this.
so how exactly did they make them grown like this? I'm thinking something along the lines of embedding them with some sort of metal, such as iron, since they are all bending northwards? anyone else have another explanation?
maybe it is a mystery why dont you f**king leave it at that. and stop analyzing such awesomness. maybe the farmer was a stoner and was like yeaahhhh! lets make these crooked trees cuz it would look frickin awesome!
the answer is so obvious.... These trees had a whore pine tree mother who slept around with sunflowers; when the trees were born their wood was not very hard so the baby pine trees were able to bend and follow the sun just like sunflowers do; until one day when the sun was pointing north all the baby trees suddenly matured at the same time and their wood was hardened at the same time in that position,,, kindly note that the use of the terms matured,wood, hardened and positions was not intentional...
This is not speculation. The trees were planted and form-curved to provide ready-made parts for furniture, specifically Thonet bentwood rockers.
As previously mentioned, there is significant cost associated with the steaming and clamping usually involved, growing the parts would be a logical labor reducer.
As also mentioned, 8-10 years after the planting of said trees, the region was overrun, and the manufacture of furniture was interrupted first by the re-tooling of plants for the war effort, and again by the invasion. Ultimately, production of the chairs began again, but after the war most of the parts for these chairs was produced in Czechoslovakia.
someone was just drunk and thought "hey i'll bend this tree...and that...and that...etc. this.is.POLAND!
^ so stupid.
About "dancing pnie tree" forrest: one in Pniewo isnt only one in PL; another one is in Zasieki (_URL_ Actualy if u like misterious places Zasieki is the one that u travel to. There was german weapons factory complex, and u can find over 400 bunkers and buildings (industrial mostly) in hiden deep forrest. (Piniewo was military object as well but smaller) And the Dancing Pine Tree: my friend was studing dendrology and the final exam was about dancing pine tress, we actualy cut 3 of them with help of local renger so we ask about the story; it was grown by germans (in 1930 it was german terrytory ; look at he map of poland form 1939 : _URL_ )at first was about to mess with grown cone (dont know proper name of it in english - science experyments anyways)and make tree to grown like spiral but later on they realize that it wont work that way. Local carpenters were very interessted in producing furniture of it. Not very mysterius doh. U see it take time to grow the tree and 9 years later II ww begin, than after war it become polish terrytory. Locals were moved to germany, new, polish setlers didnt go here coz it was mined (mines wewe taked of complitly in 2004 in Zasieki - dont know about Pniewo). Trught those 60 years knowloge was lost but fortunetly that ranger was same interestet in this temat as you all so he did reserches. Any questions? just ask. one more think Pniewo means n english tree-trunk; and links with pictures of Zasieki (not of dancing pine tree): _URL_ _URL_ And im very sorry for my english.
Several folks are attributing this to soil creep (or pistol-butting.) This site is too flat for that to be the case. Even if soil creep were occurring, the trees' response would be an even curve, not a straight stump followed by a curved bole.
A storm could do this, but the surrounding forest doesn't show this if the description is correct. With nearly every tree in a small area showing the same effect and none around it showing any effect makes a natural event an unlikely cause.
An explosion in the early 1940s in Poland doesn't seem out of the question, but trees should be bent in more than one direction - away from the explosion.
It makes much more sense that the trees were bent over (or broken) mechanically. Heavy equipment passing through could do this - deliberate or otherwise.
Boomerangs, definitely. My studies confirm this. I was walking through the park recently,watching two people throwing a boomerang. I was trying to deduce why a curved object appears larger as it becomes nearer to the observer,and then it hit me...........
we have trees similar to those where i live in california. the bend developed after a strong snowstorm blew in and left an unusual amount of snow for that time of year. the younger trees were damaged and grew sideways for the next couple years, but after that they began to correct themselves and continue to grow up towards the sky. these photos are great and slightly erie. keep up the good work!
What a bunch of dumb asses. Get a life. People suck. Who fucking cares. You could have people starving in a third world country and it would get less comments than something as stupid and useless as this.
this is obviously done by man and is part of some industrial forestry practice the only unknown is the purpose of bending the trees. it is obviously for some wood product that needs both strength abs a curve possibly oxen yolks or a boat keel
Its so you have something to hang your ass over while you take a shit outdoors. Perfect squatting height. No danger of falling over in your poo (or of getting pushed over into it by your jerk friends). Tree trunk to one side to hold onto for support. Perfect...and thoughtful.
This is caused when you prune the top of a pine tree off and all that is left is the lower branch to grow. They grow off the side of the stem hence the bent look. The branch starts off being completely horizontal but if you but the rest of the tree off it becomes the new leader and grows toward the light.
There are two theories being discussed the most here: man-made for industry or caused naturally. I will add 2 cents to each theory.
1. If they were man-made, the trees would have most likely been harvested at a young age as most bent wood applications use trees with 2 to 3 inch diameters. These trees would be planted in many adjacent fields of trees of different ages to ensure yearly harvest. This field was most likely abandoned as World War II was ignighting. Questions linger for me on this theory...


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What is Conditional Admittance?
- Conditional admittance may be offered to select freshman applicants who do not meet the minimum admissions requirements but show potential for success
- Applicants with lower cumulative GPAs, academic GPAs, class rank, and/or standardized test scores may be offered conditional admittance
- Conditional admittance requires that students successfully complete SMART START.
What is SMART START?
- SMART START is an intensive course designed to explore key knowledge, skills and attitudes that increase preparedness for the freshman academic experience.
- Students arrive on campus two weeks before the start of the fall semester in order to take course work designed to build information literacy skills and effective learning strategies.
- Students also complete preparatory assignments prior to the start of SMART START classes and complete follow-up activities during their first semester.
- Students earn two elective credits by successfully completing all SMART START requirements.
Benefits for SMART START students
- Exploration of qualities that correlate with success during the freshman year and beyond
- Opportunity for self-assessment, goal-setting and planning for change
- Tips for thriving in an environment that values and encourages academic excellence
- Access to a personal research coach during the freshman year
- Ability to move into the residence halls two weeks early
SMART START Schedule 2015
- Preparatory assignments completed independently prior to the start of the course
- An orientation to SMART START scheduled the afternoon of Sunday, Aug. 9
- Classes scheduled weekdays Monday, Aug. 10, through Thursday, Aug. 20, from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
- Assigned follow-up activities scheduled during the fall semester
SMART START Costs
- Fall full-time tuition charges include the tuition for the SMART START course
- $175 food service charge for students moving into the residence halls early for SMART START
- Price of assigned textbooks and materials

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


%0 Journal Article %A Kim, Seon Tae %A Zamengo, Massimiliano %A Ryu, Junichi %A Kato, Yukitaka %D 2015 %I Begell House %K chemical heat pump, magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, expanded graphite, calcium chloride %N 2 %P 91-107 %R 10.1615/HeatTransRes._PHONE_ %T KINETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF EXPANDED GRAPHITE, CALCIUM CHLORIDE, AND MAGNESIUM HYDROXIDE COMPOSITE FOR THE CHEMICAL HEAT PUMP %U _URL_ %V 46 %X A composite chemical heat storage material, EMC, comprising a mixture of expanded graphite (EG), magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2), and calcium chloride (CaCl2) has been developed as a magnesium oxide/water chemical heat pump reactant. The reaction kinetic characterization of the optimized EMC (which was an optimized mixing weight ratio of the material) was conducted. From BET and thermal conductivity measurements, it was confirmed that an optimized EMC had a higher specific surface area and thermal conductivity values than pure Mg(OH)2 on adding EG. The durability of the optimized EMC was also investigated by thermobalance and XRD experiments. EMC maintained enough reacted conversion and unchanged crystal structure throughout the repetitive experiment. The film diffusion control model was suggested as a dominant reaction process for MgO hydration by kinetic analysis of experimental results. In conclusion, the optimized EMC showed shorter dehydration time corresponding to the heat storage process period and enhanced hydration conversion corresponding to the heat output capacity than pure Mg(OH)2 on adding EG, a moldable and porous carbon material, and a CaCl2 hydrophilic material. %8 2014-12-16


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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework - 2010
1.14 Community Functioning
Why is it important?:A functioning is a state of being or doing that people have reason to value. Measuring functionings is an important supplement to the more traditional approach to the measurement of health and wellbeing. This measure seeks to describe, both in aggregate and as single measures, the level of key functionings Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have described as important to the quality of, and equality in, life. Life is multidimensional and it cannot easily or accurately be measured by reference to just one facet. Measures of functionings add value to health analyses by helping to frame more traditional, single issue measures in a quality of life construct defined by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Health providers, planners and health and social policy interests need to know more than the level of sickness in a community if they are to work with communities and families to achieve a healthy life.
This measure can play a vital role in evaluating programs, initiatives and progress more generally. Single-issue measures are effective and appropriate in evalu-ating single issues. But for more complete analyses of life, single-issue measures may not be sufficient. For example, measures of morbidity alone can tell us about the level and perhaps type of disease in a population but they do not describe the very real and substantial difficulties that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities experience in trying to deal with ill health; they do not describe the context or ability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to change the circumstances that have contributed to it. An Indigenous person might seek and obtain health care from a GP but if their power to control choices and options in respect of household income is low or if there is no appropriate storage for medications then treatment may be only a temporary fix. More complete measures are required based on the factors that impact on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
As an example, while it is possible to estimate life expectancy at birth (measure 1.17), this provides a prospective measure of longevity rather than quality of life—it does not describe how relatively hard or easy that life will be. Will the individual be free or able to choose a career, be educated or adequately housed, or participate freely in cultural events? Will the individual be free or able to achieve the things in life that they believed were demonstrative of a fulfilling life? Measurement of functionings assists in understanding the quality of life.
Indigenous Australians have long sought health outcomes encompassing the physical, social, cultural and emotional elements of life. The cultural elements relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' ability to live proudly and freely as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, to achieve a state of being that is commensurate with their view of a culturally fulfilling life. Similarly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have sought a quality of life where racism ceases to be a barrier. Racism can reduce access to adequate shelter; it can deter people from being able to go out in public without shame or fear and from accessing or deriving an equal benefit from a health service.
To develop a picture of quality of life from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' perspectives, workshops drawing together participants from across Australia were held in 2008 and 2010. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants at the workshops described the various achievements and objectives that they believed were necessary if Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' lives were to be fulfilling. The workshops identified a number of key themes and weighed these functionings according to their relative value. In 2010 there were six functionings identified by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants and these have been used to present available data. Each of these functionings is relevant to the ability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities to achieve greater levels of family and individual development. If these functionings were improved then the potential for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and families to achieve better health and wellbeing would be improved. They would have greater capacity and freedom to be well.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants at the workshops indicated that the functionings used in this measure are important to the quality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family and community life. Participants were drawn from a number of jurisdictions and settings so the themes they identified appear to reflect widely held views among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Independently of these workshops a review of relevant research has supported the association between the functionings identified by the workshops and the achievement of health and wellbeing.
Findings:Connectedness to country, land, and history; culture and identity is a theme involving being engaged and communicative with family, country and spirit, which gives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples a strong sense of identity. This identity is connected to being part of a collective in which sharing, giving and receiving, trust, love and looking out for others, supports strong and positive social networks with other Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Data items drawn from the 2002 and 2008 NATSISS show that the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who recognise their homelands has remained constant (70% and 72% respectively). Over the same period, the proportion of people who identified with a clan or language group has increased significantly, from 54% to 62%. Importantly, 89% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians 'feel able to have a say with family and friends' some, most or all or the time.
Resilience is a theme involving the ability to cope well with difference and optimising what one has through engaging in decision-making, coping strategies and the ability to control choices and options. Examples of such options are challenging injustice and racism and proceeding in the external world without shame. Data from NATSISS 2008 show that the majority (98%) of children aged 5–14 years were regularly attending school; 80% of those aged 15 years and over agreed that their doctor could be trusted; and 69% agreed that the local school could be trusted. In addition, 89% of adults felt they were able to find general support from outside the household and 89% of adults had participated in sport, social or community activities in the three months prior to the survey.
Leadership was a theme valued highly by participants at the workshops. Leadership is used to describe strong vision and direction from Elders in family and community (both male and female) and strong role models who have time to listen and advise. Data items from NATSISS 2008 to describe this theme were limited to values for children: 42% of children aged 3–14 years had spent time with an Indigenous leader or Elder in the last week. For one in five children in secondary school (22%), encouragement from Elders and Council was considered to be a type of assistance that would help them complete Year 12. Additional data items which describe values of leadership would be useful in future social surveys.
Having a role, structure and routine is a theme encompassing being valued and acknowledged within family, community and society. This value is about knowing boundaries and culturally acceptable behaviours which support having a role for oneself and participating in paid and unpaid roles using capabilities and skills from non-formal education. In the 12 months prior to the 2008 survey, 78% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians had lived in one dwelling— suggesting stability in housing and routine. Informal learning activities were undertaken with most children aged 0–14 years (94%). Most children in this age group (71%) also cleaned their teeth at least once per day.
Feeling safe is a theme encompassing relationships that can sustain disagreement, cultural competency, emotional security, and safe places where there is no physical or lateral violence. Data from 2008 NATSISS show that 81% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 2–14 years were not bullied or treated unfairly at school because of their Indigeneity. In addition, 75% of those aged 15 years and over had not experienced violence in the last 12 months. In the five years prior to the survey, 97% of Indigenous Australians had not been incarcerated (91% have never been incarcerated in their lifetime).
The final theme, Vitality covers community infrastructure, access to services, education, health, income and employment. NATSISS 2008 data show that half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults had no disability or long-term health condition and 68% experienced low/moderate levels of psychological distress. There was no smoking inside the house in the majority of households (70%). The majority of children aged 0–14 years did not have problems sleeping (76%) and 74% of children aged 4–14 years spent at least 60 minutes every day being physically active. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are seeking to improve their knowledge, skills and qualifications, with 33% of those aged 15 years and over intending to study in the future. Education was the main purpose of Internet use for children (54%), while overall 30% reported using the Internet for education or study.
Implications:Community functioning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be assessed within a framework that reflects the values of Indigenous Australians themselves. Community functioning scores present a national quantitative measure of functioning and suggest differences between remoteness, sex, age groups, and states and territories. Policy makers need to listen carefully to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples themselves when assessing community functioning and the approaches that will enhance functioning.
Figure 37 – Community functioning score by remoteness, proportions, Indigenous Australians aged 0–14 years, Australia 2008
Source: ABS and AIHW analysis of NATSISS 2008
Text description of figure 37 (TXT 1


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Posts Tagged: Alexander Nguyen
Scorpions--to fear or to revere?
The Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house last Sunday drew visitors of all ages who marveled at the scorpions glowing under ultraviolet light.
UC Davis entomology major Alexander Nguyen flashed a UV light on the critters as his audience watched in amazement.
Most--but not all--of the world's scorpions glow under ultraviolet light, says Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum, which houses more than seven million insect specimens.
Scorpions are not insects, but arachnids, the same as spiders. Ranging in size from 9 mm to 21 mm, scorpions have eight legs (arachnid alert!) and grasping claws that help conquer their prey. But it's their venom that kills. And all scorpions possess venom.
UC Davis entomologist Bruce Hammock and his lab made the news back in 2003 when they published a study that showed that scorpions produce two venoms: a pre-venom to deter predators and immobilize small prey, and then the good stuff, the powerful venom that's meant to kill.
It's like saving the best for last or waiting for the venom glands to pump and reload, so to speak.
So, why do they glow?
Scientists believe it's because of the fluorescent material found in the scorpion's hard outer covering.
"The fact that they glow serves no physiological function," said Bohart senior museum scientist Steve Heydon. "It's probably a quirk of chemical makeup."
Great quote..."a quirk of chemical makeup."
Scorpion glowing under ultraviolet light at the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis entomology undergraduate student Alexander Nguyen flashes a UV light on a scorpion, as Professor Demosthenes Pappagianis, M.D., Ph.D., of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, watches. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Most scorpions glow under an ultraviolet light, but now a discovery on Alcatraz Island reveals that a certain species of millipedes will, too.
Forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, who does fly research on Alcatraz, said that bait laced with a non-toxic fluorescent dye to estimate the rat population in February yielded the expected result: the glow of rat urine and feces.
But something else was glowing nearby: millipedes.
Had they consumed some of the rat bait?
No. An experiment at the Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus showed that these millipedes (Xystocheir dissecta (Wood) glow under black lights, just like scorpions.
Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum and a professor of entomology at UC Davis, said the species is a relatively abundant species in the Bay Area. "This particular species of millipedes glowed all along, but nobody was paying any attention to it," she said.
She suspects that the millipedes on Alcatraz Island originated from soil transported over from the nearby Angel Island when "The Rock" was just that—rock with little or no soil.
Meanwhile, if you attend the Bohart Museum's open house from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 3 at 1124 Academic Surge, California Drive, you'll see scorpions and millipedes glowing.
And there's something else to draw you in: a special live display of the California dogface butterfly by naturalist/photographer Greg Kareofelas of Davis. If all goes as planned, an adult will emerge from its chrysalis. If this doesn't happen (well, you can't tell a buttterfly when to emerge!) you can watch the life cycle on his PowerPoint presentation, to run continuously throughout the open house.
And, you can ask Kareofelas all about the California dogface butterfly (Zerene eurydice), which, by the way, is close to royalty--it's California's designated state insect.
This millipede (Xystocheir dissecta) glows under ultraviolet light. Alexander Nguyen of the UC Davis Entomology Club captured this image on Alcatraz, during one of UC Davis forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey's field trips.


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Soil & Terroir
With so much geographic variety, the Chilean landscape also offers a vast mosaic of terroirs and soil types.
Soils are healthy, well-drained, and have a variety of origins (alluvial, colluvial, fluvial, etc.) and textures (loam, clay, sand, silt).
Despite the relatively dry atmospheric conditions, abundant water for irrigation flows from the eternal ice caps of the Andes Mountains that tower all along Chile's eastern border.


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|SCIENTIFIC NAME: Brachinus sp.|
The bombardier beetle belongs to the ground beetle family (Carabidae) ranging from 1.2 to 1.8 cm long. This beetle is found in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Australia. Most bombardier beetles are carnivorous and hunt on the ground or in trees. The larvae feed on other insects. They are found in undisturbed riverbanks and floodplains.
This insect possesses a unique method of defense: it sprays predators with hot corrosive liquid that is under pressure. Within its abdomen the beetle has two chambers. One contains a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and hydroquinone; the other contains a mixture of the enzymes catalase and peroxidase. When threatened, the beetle mixes the contents of these two chambers. The enzymes catalyze the decomposition of hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide to water, p-quinone and oxygen. The heat generated from the reaction brings the mixture to boiling, building up pressure that results in the mixture being expelled explosively from the chamber. The oxygen generated by the reaction acts as a propellant, causing the mixture to pop out of the abdomen through the abdominal tip, which can be aimed by the beetle. A single beetle can discharge up to 29 consecutive times and can spray at a distance of up to 4 times its body length.


Mature Brain Boosts Self-Control
Mature Brain Boosts Self-Control
Mature Brain Boosts Self-Control
Boost Self-ControlMaturity is something that most people associate with age, and it turns out that this isn't far from the truth. Maturity levels increase as people grow older because of the fact that it takes a while for the brain to build its information highways in a more efficient manner, thereby helping a person to make better decisions and control their impulses more effectively as they age.
Maturity Helps Boost Self-Control
A study published in Current Biology revealed that the ability to control impulses, make good decisions, and stay on task all increased over time. The study consisted of roughly 900 subjects from the ages of eight to 22. The results of the study show that abilities such as running or seeing are well developed by the time a person is eight years old, but that the ability to inhibit inappropriate responses doesn't develop well until they are in their 20's.
The development of such self-control is known as executive function. One of the goals of the study was to determine how the brain changes as executive function develops. Researchers used diffusion imaging to observe the fibers making up the information highways of the brain. They discovered two things:
 - Information highways in the brain cluster into modules that perform specialized functions, such as impulse control.
 - The connections between those modules become stronger.
These two changes allow information to flow more efficiently throughout the brain's network. The more efficiently the brain is able to process information, the stronger a person's executive function will become.
While this study revealed enlightening information about how the brain functions and develops, the study itself was not without its limitations. Although there was a large study group, the observations of these subjects were not made over time. New studies that will explore the maturation of the brain and the development of executive function plan to rectify these limitations.
The ability to identify the development of executive control could also allow medical professionals to identify individuals at risk of developing psychiatric or substance abuse disorders in the future. For more health-related news, visit us at The Benefits Store today.


Units of Measurement/Acceleration
< Units of Measurement
The SI unit for acceleration is m*s^-2. Acceleration is equal to change in velocity over change in time. Taking a second derivative of speed or first derivative of velocity is equal to acceleration.
Young, Hugh. University Physics: With modern Physics. 12. Pearson College, 2007. Print.


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File(s) under permanent embargo
Dual Kalman filter for estimating load-free human motion kinematic energy expenditure
journal contributionposted on 2018-03-01, 00:00 authored by Gareth Williams, S Li, Pubudu PathiranaPubudu Pathirana
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd The need for measuring energy expenditure using non-wearable devices in sports science is a complex task involving strict protocols of measurement. Such protocols and measurement involving indirect calorimetry or inertial measurement unit (IMU) based measurement are expensive to setup, too inaccurate or force the subjects being measured to modify their actions in a significant manner. In this paper, we explored the concept of using a parallel Kalman filter setup being used in simulation. The simulation used was an iterative one using a dynamic model, featuring the use of two different types of setup- structured or non structured movement and the use of one or two Kalman filters. The results from the simulations performed showed that structured movement using a dual Kalman filter setup was the best performer when using root mean square error as the metric for performance. These results will help influence our work utilising the Microsoft Kinect and estimating weights of human joints and the energy expenditure attained from that.


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Out of period
Out Of Period (often abbreviated OOP) refers to anything that was not discovered or in general use during the time-frame accepted to be covered by the SCA. By contrast, anything that falls within the accepted time-frame is said to be "in period" or simply period.
Some items that would technically be OOP are considered "in period by consensus" (not sure of the exact phrasing) as life would be way too difficult without them. Some examples include:


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The caracal cat, or Caracal caracal, is a mesmerising animal. While many have not even heard of them, those that have will remember them forever. Their trademark giant ears and long, lean bodies make them very distinctive large cats, and their ability to leap high up into the air, and pluck birds from the sky, gives them an almost mythical hold over the imaginations of the world's more daring pet-owners.
Caracal kittens are unique and cute, but there are many factors to consider. Yes, there are owners who have domesticated these cats. However, it is not without a huge commitment of time, money and energy. Would you try to keep a hyena as a pet? It is a similar sort of question. Perhaps there are those of you who would—well, there are some very important things you should know. So, read on!
Its name harks from the Turkish word karakalak, which means 'black ear': kara = black, kalak = ear. It's not difficult to imagine why this part of the caracal's succeeded in being its namesake; the caracal's black ears are its most identifiable feature. The Turkish connection is the Caspian Sea coast, an area which throughout large parts of history has spoken Turkish, or languages similar to Turkish.
The caracal is native to the deserts and savannahs of this very coast, as well as the Arabian Peninsula, Central Asia and parts of Africa. While it may purr when content, and communicate with a range of meows, growls and hisses much like a domesticated house cat, this carnivorous predator is a fierce hunter, capable of taking down animals much larger than itself—for example, springboks nearly a meter tall.
Can you have a caracal as a pet?
Here's a rundown of the areas I'll be covering, and the questions I'll be answering, in this guide.
- Caracal cat habitat: Where do caracal cats originate?
- Caracal size and weight: How big can a caracal kitten grow? And when does it stop being a kitten?
- Longevity: What is the lifespan of a caracal? When does a caracal kitten become an adult caracal?
- Caracal cat behavior: Are caracals dangerous? Can they be handled?
- Caracal cat diet: What do they eat?
- Legal issues: Is it legal to own a caracal kitten in the United States?
- Caracal cat cost: How much would it cost you to buy one? Is it as simple as that?
- Caracal cat extras: What sounds does a caracal cat make? Do they hiss? How fast is a caracal cat? How high can a caracal cat jump? And the question you're desperate to know the answer to… How far can a caracal cat hear?
If, by the time you've perused this article, you're still hungry for more information, a quick online search should pull up some more sites. If you're still in doubt, I suggest you contact an expert!
#1 Caracal cat habitat:
Where are caracal cats from?
Caracals are native to large swathes of dry, desert land. Over the years, they have found home in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and even parts of India. As far as caracals are concerned, the drier the better. Well, not exactly, but they have evolved to subsist on very little water.
One such country that the caracal calls home is the kingdom of Lesotho, which it shares with a handful of other big cats, including the Transvaal lion, the African leopard, and the South African cheetah. While it may not have the grandest reputation among its other feline companions/competitors, the caracal certainly takes the biscuit for cutest cat in Lesotho… and maybe the world.
As they are solitary animals, caracals are typically found alone, though may be spotted in mating pairs. Other caracal guides state that caracals are diurnal, but they are in fact mostly nocturnal, meaning they are mostly active at night. For this reason, they can be difficult to observe in the wild.
Caracals come in a variety of hues and colorations, from pale beige to bright orange-brown, sometimes even red, as befits each caracal community's habitat. For example, those whose region of origin is covered in pale brown sand will exhibit fur of a similar—evolution at its finest. And that's besides the ears!
Caracal Housing as Pets
In order to meet their requirements as animals, you must ensure your pet caracal has a large outdoor area in which to roam, sneak and play – several acres ideally. This area should be high-fenced, and secure.
If you rear a caracal from a very young age, it will probably be tame enough not to wreak havoc on your indoor furniture. It will still relish the opportunity to swat birds from low skies and tree branches, but there are examples of well-socialized caracals that interact positively with humans, even strangers.
However, it is ill-advised to house in captivity a caracal which has previously lived in a cage. Such animals require very forgiving captive environments, and are unlikely to adjust well. Caracals lack a homing instinct, so will not return if they get out of their enclosure. For this reason, I recommend constructing a roofed enclosure. Obviously, installing a roof over several acres of grassland is a giant operation for a private pet owner to undertake, but a scared caracal on the loose could cause a lot of damage to unsuspecting livestock, and neighbors.
#2 Caracal cat size and weight:
How big can a caracal kitten grow?
Many of those who fantasize about owning a caracal cat are fixated predominantly on the earlier stages of caracal development. Basically, everyone loves the look of a caracal kitten. And who wouldn't? You just can't help it. Caracal kittens are adorable, and quirky.
But eventually that kitten is going to grow into a cat—a large cat, at that. Fully grown caracals can be as heavy as 50 lbs, though most males don't reach more than 40 lbs, and females 30 lbs. Adults can grow up to 32 inches in length, and stand at 21 inches at the shoulder. They also require 2 to 3 lbs of meat a day.
Mostly, wild caracals sustain themselves on small mammals, such as rodents, and birds, which they catch out of the sky (or out of a tree). However, their capacity for taking on much larger prey should be a warning to anyone seeking to tame one. If a cat can take on a springbok, it can take on its owner.
It is a medium-sized wild cat with a robust build, and shares heritage with lynxes and other wildcats. Caracals are excellent, finely tuned territorial predators with an incredible capacity to leap into the air. Let that be known before taking the plunge into owning this exotic animal!
When does it stop being a kitten?
Caracals, both male and female, become sexually mature at 7-10 months, though won't successfully copulate until 14 to 15 months of age. Once ready, they breed throughout the year – another great survival mechanism. The gestation period for a caracal lasts 2-3 months, and results in a litter of 1-6 kittens.
In the wild, juvenile caracals leave their mothers at the age of 9-10 months. Some females stay back with their mothers, but most caracals fend for themselves before they are a year old. By this time, they are not far off fully grown, and know how to take care of themselves.
What is the lifespan of a caracal?
The average lifespan of captive caracals is nearly 16 years, while the maximum captive longevity reported was just over 20 years, for a wild-born female raised in a captive environment. Wild caracals tend to live to about 12 years. This is in line with various other types of wild cat, such as Canada lynxes and wildcats, slightly longer than cougars, and slightly shorter than servals.
#4 Caracal cat behavior:
While mating, caracals will be seen in pairs, but caracals are mostly solitary, and hunt for prey independent of each other. They are excellent tree climbers, a skill which allows them to sneak up on unwitting birds and snatch them from their perches or nests. They are also proficient diggers. Burrows serve as dugouts for kittens to grow up in. Caracal kittens spend most of their time in these underground shelters until they are large enough to live independently.
Caracals have been tamed and used for hunting since the time of ancient Egypt. But this is 'tamed' in the loosest sense: this does not mean they are evolutionarily wired to be domesticated. The vast majority lives in the wild, and hunts for its prey.
Are caracals dangerous?
Caracals can run at 50mph, outrunning such animals as antelopes and ostriches. They are also territorial and primarily nocturnal. They are skilled, tenacious climbers, and able diggers, with the ability to fend off predators twice their size. All of this means that you do not want to get on the wrong side of a caracal.
Can they be handled?
In theory,


The Calming Effect of Horses
The Calming Effect of Horses
Wednesday 18th September 2019
There are many benefits of horse riding for children with autism. Autistic people see, hear and feel the world differently to other people and this can cause considerable anxiety.
The rhythmic movement experienced during horse riding has been found to calm this distress and the actual physical contact with the horse may also help to build other relationships and reduce negative reactions.
Communication and empathy may also be increased by the interaction with the horse as their excitement of riding encourages them to speak to their horse and they begin to understand that their reactions can have an impact on how the horse behaves.
Riding different horses, introducing new activities and the rotation of volunteers that help out during riding sessions can assist with the resistance to change that is often associated with autism.
Cameron Branchett has riding been since 2011. When he began to get frustrated with his progress, Malvern Riding School, an Accessibility Mark accredited centre, stepped in to help. Here his Dad, Jonathan, tells his story.
Cameron's Story
Cameron was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in December 2006. In 2011, after discovering that the rocking motion on the pelvis when riding a horse released oxytocin that can help calm people, Cameron tried his first riding lesson.
The effect on him was immediate. Trying to cope in a main stream school, Cameron was showing symptoms of Tourette's Syndrome alongside his ASD. All of this stopped every time he sat on the horse.
He was hooked and we were amazed that a half hour lesson could have such a profound effect on him. They say certain animals have an affinity with humans and this is certainly the case with every horse Cameron has ridden. He forms a genuine bond with them all and they seem to instinctively understand his needs.
With ASD comes difficulties, listening to and understanding complex sets of instructions can be challenging at times. Cameron never expressed any desire to be a champion rider, or show jumper, he just enjoyed riding and trotting.
However, he began to get frustrated with his own limited progress and was starting to find the lessons troubling. In 2016, he was on the verge of giving up. That's when we turned to Malvern Riding School. Julie and the staff there are simply wonderful.
Within a few months he had mastered his rising trot, something he had never managed in five years! He now canters and jumps with ease and he is so much more confident and enthusiastic about his riding now and determined to become as good as he can be to help him with his dream of becoming an actor.
Julie and the staff, have a way of sensing when Cameron is getting a little disengaged with his riding and quickly change the lessons to keep him interested.
The way they communicate with him really resonates and he responds well to them. The little things like stopping the horse and talking towards him rather than shouting to his back as he rides past make all the difference. They also know the best way to challenge and support him even when he doubts himself.
There are currently 53 Accessibility Mark-approved centres across the country.
To find your nearest RDA Group or Accessibility Mark centre visit
In other news: Activity Alliance releases updated profile toolkit


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The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, in partnership with the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) Research Scholar Initiative, will hosts post-baccalaureate students. This program aims to provide a bridge to graduate education in STEM for students interested in gaining additional skills and enhancing their preparation for graduate education in engineering and applied sciences. Eligible students will be preparing to graduate from undergrad or have graduated within the last three years. Students will participate in a two-year post-baccalaureate training program in which they will engage in extensive research experience, have access to academic courses, and attend professional development opportunities.
Research Areas: Applied Physics, Applied Mathematics, Bioengineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science & Engineering, Materials and Mechanical Engineering (Please see examples of faculty mentors and projects below)
- Mentored research assistantship in a Harvard SEAS faculty member lab
- Weekly academic/professional development sessions
- Undergraduate/graduate coursework as needed
- Access to Harvard University resources, including faculty, libraries, software, and tutoring
- Full funding, including a stipend, health insurance, and tuition
- Graduate application preparation coaching
- Funding to attend one conference each academic year
- Opportunity to engage with Harvard Centers and Institutes
If you have questions about the post-baccalaureate program, please contact _EMAIL_.
- Completed bachelor's degree by the start date of the program (July), but no more than three years before you apply to the program.
- A desire to apply to a PhD program upon completion of the program
- Research Interests that align with a SEAS faculty member (please see below for examples of projects)
- US citizen or permanent resident
|Our lab groups research topic is "Self replicating and autocatalytic digital magnetic polymers". The research area is theoretical and computational material science with machine learning. We welcome applications from students with some background in computational science or machine learning. We also welcome students with a background in science and python and have an interest in learning about the uses of machine learning.
|Our nano-design research group is actively developing the next generation of energy-efficient computing systems, by combining new technology advances in nanomaterials, devices, systems, computer architectures, and integration techniques. Example nanomaterials include 1-dimensional carbon nanotubes or 2-dimensional materials, devices may include new types of transistors/memories or photonic devices, and integration techniques we're exploring include monolithic three-dimensional integration, where multiple layers of these circuit devices can be fabricated directly on top of each other to realize massive system-level energy-efficiency benefits for next-generation computing systems. Our work spans a wide range of disciplines from material science, to electrical engineering, to computer science, and we're open to exploring innovative projects related to any of these disciplines - and don't be shy to ask questions about new project directions!
|My research areas include computational complexity, cryptography, randomness in computation, and data privacy. Our lab group welcomes privacy-oriented students to join research of the interdisciplinary Privacy Tools Project (privacytools.seas.harvard.edu) and OpenDP (opendp.org). We also welcome theory-oriented students to join our wider theoretical computer science research group (toc.seas.harvard.edu).
Our research group is interested in robotics, specifically the development of wearable devices that enhance, track, and rehabilitate human capabilities. We welcome applications from students with a background in mechanical, electrical, or computer engineering with some experience in engineering design and prototyping (through any of those disciplines).
|Our research group is interested in robotics, specifically the development of autonomous devices for recording audio and other data from whales. We welcome applications from students with a background in mechanical or electrical engineering with some experience in engineering design and prototyping (either in the electrical or mechanical domains).
To request an application for the 2024-2025 academic year, please complete this interest form. Applications for the 2024-2025 academic year are due by February 1, 2024.
- Student Application
- Letters of Recommendation
If you know of any students who may be interested in this opportunity, please email _EMAIL_, and we will reach out to the student.


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Poy Sang Long
The Poy Sang Long (Shan: ပွႆးသၢင်ႇလွင်း; lit. "Festival [of the] Crystal Sons") is a rite of passage ceremony among the Shan peoples, in Myanmar (also known as Burma) and in neighbouring Northern Thailand, undergone by boys at some point between seven and fourteen years of age. It consists of taking novice monastic vows and participating in monastery life for a period of time that can vary from a week to many months or more. Usually, a large group of boys are ordained as novice monks at the same time.
It can also be observed in neighbouring Thailand, where Shan immigrants have brought over the traditions from Myanmar. The ceremony goes on for three days, as the boys (dressed up like princes in imitation of the Lord Buddha, who was himself a prince before setting out on the religious path) spend the entire time being carried around on the shoulders of their older male relatives. On the third day, they are ordained, and enter the monastery for a period of at least one week, and perhaps many years.
See also
- "The Poy Sang Long Festival" in Chiangrai Magazine
- "The Poy Sang Long Festival" by Thanapol Chadchaidee
- Poi Sang Long Festival in Chiang Dao
- Shan Tradition Rules in a Northern Thai Town Sai Silp, The Irrawaddy, April 2007
- "Shan - Rites of Passage - Sang Long" in Chiang Mai
|This Burma-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.|
|This culture-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.|


Statalist
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
st: RE: re: a question related to -foreach-
From "Nick Cox" <_EMAIL_>
To <_EMAIL_>
Subject st: RE: re: a question related to -foreach-
Date Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:32:10 +0100
Notwithstanding this good advice, it may be of interest to see an answer
to the original question.
First, as does Kit, I assume that the number of observations is at least
36. This can always be achieved by -set obs- if it is not correct.
gen mean = .
local i = 1
qui foreach x of var b1-b36 {
 su 'x', meanonly
 replace mean = r(mean) in 'i'
 local ++i
}
OR
gen mean = .
qui forval i = 1/36 {
 su b'i', meanonly
 replace mean = r(mean) in 'i'
}
You will want to keep track of names too.
For example,
gen mean = .
gen varname = ""
local i = 1
qui foreach x of var b1-b36 {
 su 'x', meanonly
 replace mean = r(mean) in 'i'
 replace varname = "'x'" in 'i'
 local ++i
}
Nick
_EMAIL_
Christopher Baum
Carlo asks
. foreach x of varlist b1-b36 {
 2. summarize 'x'
3. }
 I would like to generate a newvar in which the r(mean) for each one
of the 36 variables included in varlist are stored. How can I do this
in Stata 9.2/SE?
No need to use a foreach loop.
tabstat b1-b36, save
mat mu = r(StatTotal)'
mat li mu
If for some reason you want these in a variable, use -svmat-:
svmat mu
which creates variable mu1, obs. 1-36.
*
* For searches and help try:
* _URL_
* _URL_
* _URL_
© Copyright 1996–2014 StataCorp LP | Terms of use | Privacy | Contact us | What's new | Site index


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Accurate, rapid and easy access to the temperature in the modern enterprises, pl...
Accurate, rapid and easy access to the temperature in the modern enterprises, plant has a home workshop and more and more important. This article has designed a single chip MSC51-based temperature acquisition system. Application of the system can be immediate, accurate access to two temperature parameters (can be expanded to 256 road), temperature range of 0 ~ 125C, precise parameters to 0.25C, and can be collected at the scene To control the temperature of the sensor parameters specified by the digital tube shown through RS232 interface can be connected to the computer and monitoring software through real-time data and waveform observation. The system is easy to expand with high precision, low cost, and suitable for field monitoring, laboratory, on the home place where the temperature is required.


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East Lancashire Inclusion Partnership (ELIP) is a teaching school alliance made up of partners from across the Early Years, Specialist, Primary, Secondary and Further Education phases of education, led by Tor View Specialist Learning Community, a National Teaching School and National Support School.
ELIP is governed by a strategic board with representatives from each of our strategic partner schools. There are two operational groups whose role it is to implement the 'Big 6'. All schools are welcome to join the operational groups:
School Improvement and Development Operational Group:
- Continuing Professional Development
- Research and Development
- Leadership and Succession Planning
- School to School Support
- Specialist Leaders in Education and Specialist Practitioners in Education
School Direct Operational Group
- Responsible for all aspects of Initial Teacher Education
We communicate funding opportunities funded by the Teaching School Council through the operational groups and welcome innovation and creative input from all partners.
Further information on each of our Strategic Partners partners can be found on their respective websites by following the links below. Our vision is clear, to improve outcomes for pupils by raising standards of teaching and learning through high-quality training and development of the next generation of teachers.


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Contact us if you want to know more
With more than 300.000 geotechnical drilling profiles, Geo's digital archive is Denmark's most extensive knowledge database on the Danish subsurface.
Geo has systematically collected geodata since 1943, primarily in urban areas and prior to major infrastructure projects. Both the archive and numerous reports have already been digitized.
The archive also contains many supplementary investigations, such as hydraulic pump tests, measurements of secondary and primary groundwater levels, geophysical logs, environmental analyzes and geotechnical laboratory tests.
Most of our data are presented in GeoAtlas Live, and the rest can be ordered on request.


Unit Theme: How Global Are We?
Global Issue: Population/Migration and Changing Needs
Essential Unit Question: How will knowledge of other languages and cultures enable us to collaborate in seeking solutions to global issues in an interdependent world?
Targeted Question: What role do urban parks play in cities?
What constitutes a successful urban space?
Why do we need to continue to create and maintain parks?
Learning Scenario: Urban parks exist in every culture and are a magnet for bringing people of all ages and interests together. They exist in many sizes and forms from the sprawling and lush XiHu in Hangzhou, China that serves a city of six million to the compact Parque Central in Heredia, Costa Rica that serves a city of 70,000. For centuries, parks have served an important social function and ecological role in our ever expanding cities. As population density increases, the importance of parks increases as well.
In this unit, students will explore parks in target language cities. Building upon the language they acquire in studying both the infrastructure of parks and the functions parks serve in society, students will then move on to discuss the role of parks in their own community and in their lives. Additionally, they will discuss the impact population growth has on city planning for recreational areas. Working in groups, students will participate in an international competition to locate and plan new parks in target language cities.
Proficiency Level(s): Novice High
Grades: 6-10
Length of Unit: Dependent on minutes and frequency of instruction in the program
Interdisciplinary Connection: World Languages, Science and Social Studies


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Recycling Is As Easy As Washing Your Hands [Video]
Excitement is building for the Summit Bechtel Reserve, and with lots of hype about whitewater rafting, zip line canopy tours, biking trails and hiking trails, who wouldn't be?
(And to check out the latest craze in water sports, share this with your friends.)
While the Summit is most known for its action-packed activities, there are plenty of other projects on-site that make it unique.
Summit Bathhouse
The new bathhouse designs are going to be high-tech, recycling centers. (Summit Blog Staff Photos)
Example: How about the showerhouses?
Trinity Works, developer of the Summit, is currently constructing a series of permanent showerhouses (3 are already complete) that will make rinsing off a green experience.
For starters, the showerhouses are made entirely of locally cut and milled hemlock, which means when a tree is cut to make room for construction there is an excellent chance it ends up as a structure just down the road.
The Summit Now Has White, Gray And Black Water
We've heard a lot about the awesome whitewater activities near the Summit, but there are other types of water we're keeping our eye on, too.
The showerhouses will use a graywater recycling system that captures and treats used sink water and then recycles it to flush toilets and urinals.
Here's how the process works:
 1. You use the sink while washing your hands.
 2. The sink water then enters the graywater system where it is treated by a series of filters and UV rays.
 3. The graywater is then separated from the blackwater (we'll talk more about this step in a second).
 4. The graywater is then recycled into the toilet and urinal flush system.
Still with us? Good.
Now we know the graywater gets recycled, but what happens to that so-called blackwater we mentioned? In fact, what is blackwater?
Basically, it's just a nice name for sewage, and it would usually go to a sewage treatment plant where large amounts of energy are required to make it safe for disposal. But don't worry, the Summit has managed to find an alternative to this, too.
Here's how we're using blackwater to enhance the environment:
 1. Blackwater is drained into a lagoon where it can naturally filter itself.
 2. It is then sent into a drip-irrigation system which lines nearby forest floors.
 3. The irrigation system slowly releases the filtered blackwater into the ground which adds nutrients to the soil.
 4. There is plenty of fertile land for vegetation to flourish in the future.
Alison Schapker, the director for sustainability at Trinity Works, said the best thing about the graywater system is that none of the waste is being put into the local municipal system.
"The best filter isn't a chemical filter or any other high tech filters," said Schapker. "It's soil."
So How Much Water Are We Saving?
Sink Drain
All sink water will be treated by a graywater system. (Photo by vagawi/Flickr Creative Commons)
Did we mention there will be 116 neighborhoods at the Summit that you and thousands of your friends will be inhabiting for 10 days? That means a grand total of 2.32 million gallons of recycled water at the jamboree.
You would have to leave your average garden hose running for almost an entire year to come up with that much water.
"It's saving about 2,000 gallons per day per neighborhood," said Pete Munoz, senior engineer for Natural Systems International.
With the installation of these innovative facilities, the Summit plans to demonstrate the importance of conserving and caring for the land that gives us the ability to take part in the adventures that make Scouting special.
So who's ready to wash your hands with pride at the 2013 National Scout Jamboree?


text:
The structure of a new abietane diterpenoid, taxayunnin (1), from the barks of Taxus yunnanensis, was determined by spectroscopic analysis. A known abietane diterpenoid, taxamairin C (2), was also isolated.
|Number of pages||2|
|Journal||Chinese Chemical Letters|
|Publication status||Published - May 2001|
Scopus Subject Areas
- Abietane diterpenoid
- Taxus yunnanensis


Event Registration in Event-Reflexive Programming
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Continuing our recent theme of an IRC bot, the next step in the story concerns the suggestion someone once made to me that given the way most of the internals of this bot worked, it shouldn't be too hard to have these events broadcast over some kind of IPC socket or similar, between multiple processes, to allow parts of the bot to be written out-of-process. Indeed, given the right kind of serialisation, there's no reason these extra parts had to even be perl, they could be implemented in a different language.
This idea has come up twice now in two different concepts, so I decided to think about it in some more detail. In principle the idea is sound enough, but as ever the devil comes down to the details. If every event was serialised and broadcast to every listening process, the IPC overheads could get very large, because most of the time most of the processes would ignore it. The simple form of event-reflexivity we have been using up to now has relied heavily on the very cheap (virtually free) cost of introspection within the code of one process, but now we need to find a better way to implement it.
The obvious way to start this is some kind of registration system. When each process connects to the central core, it starts off telling the core which events it is interested in, perhaps in a set of strings, or regexp matches, or something. This is a good first step in cutting down plenty of unwanted noise over the serialisation links, and generally improves things. This filtering doesn't have to be perfect as each connected process can still state it isn't interested in specific events it still manages to receive, but anything we can do on the core side to cut that down will obviously help.
However, further consideration of the specific domain of interest in being an IRC bot starts to suggest we can do something more powerful. Within IRC, it's quite likely that most events of interest to plugged-in processes will concern some specific IRC channel or user. It's also quite likely that at least some plugins may be interested only in events on specific channels or users, or matching only specific text, or some other criteria. If we could get the core event distribution mechanism to filter on these as well, we can further cut down on pointless IPC overheads.
The full implications and decisions of how this might work aren't really related to event-reflexivity, but what is of interest here is that this kind of event registration system doesn't have to be only for out-of-process management. In fact, as soon as we start to consider how event-reflexive programming might be implemented in a static language like C, as compared a dynamic language like Perl, we fairly soon conclude that there must be some kind of registration call, to hook up pieces of code and help in the event dispatch process on some level or another.
This leads us on to in fact two questions this time:
How useful is it to implement event reflexivity using explicit registrations of interest in events?
Does the answer depend on whether the language is static or dynamic? Can explicit registrations provide useful abilities even in dynamic languages, or they just add unnecessary complication
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correct way to catch exception with Python 'with' statement
Grant Edwards grant.b.edwards at gmail.com
Fri Dec 2 10:22:35 EST 2016
On 2016-12-02, Steve D'Aprano <steve+python at pearwood.info> wrote:
> I'm not an expert on the low-level hardware details, so I welcome
> correction, but I think that you can probably expect that the OS can
> interrupt code execution between any two CPU instructions.
Yep, mostly. Some CPUs have "lock" features that allow two or more
adjacent instructions to be atomic. Such a "lock" feature is usually
used to implement atomic read-modify write operations (e.g. increment
a memory byte/word, set/clear a bit in a memory byte/word) on CPUs
that don't have any read-modify-write instructions. In general CISC
processors like x86, AMD64, 68K have read-modify-write instructions
that allow you to increment a memory location or set/clear a bit in
memory with a single instruction:
 INC.W [R0] # increment memory word whose addr is in register R0
Many RISC CPUs don't (many ARMs) and require three instructions to
increment a word in memory:
 LD R1,[R0] # read into register R1 memory word whose addr is in R0
 INC R1 # increment value in R1
 ST R1,[R0] # store from regster R1 into memory at addr in R0
Some such RISC CPUs have a mechism (other than the normal interrupt
enable/disable mechanism) to allow you to lock the CPU for the
duration of those three instructions to ensure that they are atomic.
--
Grant Edwards grant.b.edwards Yow! I request a weekend in
 at Havana with Phil Silvers!
 gmail.com
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text:
Grilled Cheese: History Of The Classic Quick Dinner With Infinite Variations
By Spencer Reynolds
Grilled cheese is a classic comfort food, and probably one of the very first things you learned to make at home. It's a nostalgic dish, it reminds us of being kids and having nothing else to worry about. But despite its simplicity, grilled cheese has an interesting origin story and has evolved into different unique forms around the world. It's still a North American staple, and one chefs love to riff on, creating endless satisfying versions of a speedy sandwich classic.
The history of grilled cheese can be traced back to the Great Depression era in the United States. It was affordable and convenient, it could be made on the fly by vendors and families alike, and it was quite filling. During this time, people were looking for ways to stretch their food budgets, and grilled cheese literally fit the bill. But it wasn't exactly the grilled cheese we know and love today. Back then it was known as the "Cheese Dream" – what could be more American?
The Cheese Dream was more often an open-faced sandwich made from one slice of bread and one slice of cheese which was fried, or often broiled, until the cheese was browned and puffy. Despite its popularity, the Cheese Dream has largely fallen out of favor in the United States, but it remains a nostalgic reminder of a difficult time in American history.
Grilled cheese has been emulated around the world. In France, it's known as a "croque-monsieur," which is made with ham and Gruyere cheese and is often topped with a béchamel sauce. In India, a "paneer sandwich" is made with paneer cheese and is typically served with chutney or other spices. In Spain, a "bocadillo de queso," which is made with manchego cheese, is served on a crusty baguette.
There are a million ways to make grilled cheese. In fact, it's become a badge of honour for chefs to add their own twist to it. Some chefs even make sweet grilled cheese with ingredients like Nutella or fruit preserves. This versatility makes grilled cheese a popular choice for takeout and delivery, as it can be tailored to different tastes and never loses its charm. Many specialty grilled cheese restaurants have cropped up over the last twenty years.
Though the original recipe is simple enough, recipes have been included in some of the greatest cookbooks ever written. For instance, Irma S. Rombauer's "The Joy of Cooking" (1953) includes a simple recipe for grilled bread and cheese using a waffle iron – for the "maidless host". U.S. Navy cookbooks have featured some kind of grilled cheese recipe since world war two, although these were more reminiscent of the Cheese Dream and did not include a top slide of bread.
It wasn't until the 1960s that the popular sandwich became known as the "grilled cheese", having previously been called simply a melted cheese, or toasted cheese. Coincidentally, it was in the 1960s that Kraft Processed Cheese slices started to take off, and bagged sliced bread become more uniform and readily available in grocery stores.
This iconic snack has become a cultural phenomenon and has led to some surprising grilled cheese stories. In 2004, a woman named Diana Duyser sold a grilled cheese sandwich on eBay for $24,000 because it had the image of the virgin mary seared into its grill marks. In 2007, a competitive eater named Joey Chestnut ate 47 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes, setting a new world record. We don't recommend you try that at home. We also discourage making grilled cheese sandwiches using a clothing iron, like Johnny Depp's character did in Benny and Joon. Not only will you burn your fingers, but you'll also never use that iron again!
The perfect grilled cheese is best left to the professionals. In fact, the exact things that make grilled cheese a perfect at-home snack lend themselves to takeout and delivery. It's fast, it travels well, it's hand-held, and it can be as simple or customized as you like! So next time, before you bust out the frying pan to make yourself a late-night grilled cheese, consider ordering one in!


text:
illustration (attribution, if any possible, is at the end of the article)
A monk asked Zahozhou, "Does the cypress tree have buddha nature?"
Zhazhou answered, "It does."
The monk said, "When does it become buddha?"
Zhazhou said, "When the sky falls to the ground."
The monk said, "When does that happen?"
Zhazhou said: "When the cypress tree becomes buddha."
Please take the time to ask yourself how you understand the above, before continuing with the talk below…
A student asks "Does the cypress tree have buddha nature?"
A preliminary question would be: what is buddha nature? Nāgārjuna —a great Indian philosopher— in his Verses from the Center said that Buddha nature is the nature of this world. Buddha nature has no nature, nor does this world. That is to say: buddha nature and the world both are emptiness ('no nature,' i.e. no essence), and emptiness is empty.
What is emptiness? It is the absence of an independent'self,' an essence independent from a web of conditions and circumstances. 'Conditions' usually refer to the 'causes' or simply the 'background' from which the being arises. Basically, emptiness is when a being cannot say "it is in my (independent) nature to…"
Upon observation, the whole world is empty because nothing has a nature to exist (let alone evolve or live or create) regardless of the circumstances. Any tendency has to meet supportive conditions in order to mature, existence itself requires supportive circumstances, the very distinction of anything requires the existence of a'something else'… hence there is nothing with an independent 'essence:' every thing is nature-less or'self'-less (i.e. any thing is defined "in relation", "in context").
So, having mastered Nāgārjuna's teachings, the insightful teacher thus hears the student's question "does the cypress tree have buddha nature?" as: "Is the cypress tree 'empty' of any essential self (i.e. of a self independent from a web of conditions)?" No surprise then that he answers
Not only the cypress tree as we see it (a concept, categorised in a biological family, without much attention to what makes this particular tree different from other trees of the same family) is 'empty,' but the real tree is 'empty'! Why? The concept is born from a contact with the world, and from grouping different perceptions under one category, and from an intention to understand the world, to make it predictable hence safe… The concept does not exist independently from such conditions. Similarly, the tree did not appear spontaneously: it required a seed, a fertile soil, water, light, temperatures within a certain range… and none of these conditions were themselves independent from their own web of conditions.
Greed and hatred are based on ignorance, the childish illusion most beings have that "the world would be so much better if only this (insert personal preference) was different." Greed and hatred are based on the illusion that there exist things whose 'nature' is pleasurable or disagreeable, independently from circumstances.
Realising the emptiness of all things, experiencing emptiness, and thus destroying such illusions are insights that a buddha experiences, hence the name of 'buddha nature,' but such experience is 'lived,' it is not an object or a place or even a'separate' process (karmic or whatever). Emptiness (or 'buddha nature') is empty.
Unfortunately, the student has reified buddha nature, he has made emptiness to be'something' (a karma seed maybe, or a characteristic of beings, etc.) that leads to the fruition of Buddhahood. Hence he asks
"When does it become buddha?"
The misunderstanding by the monk (emptiness being something, i.e. not empty itself) is decried by Nāgārjuna in unambiguous terms: believers in emptiness are incurable.
Clearly, emptiness is empty of any essential, independent existence: e.g. emptiness is (at the very least) dependent in particular on our illusion that things do have a 'nature'!
Zahozhou now has to dispel such misunderstanding by the monk but words are risky, as exemplified by the reification of 'buddha nature'… Words cannot tell the Truth, only point to it. The answer of the master should hopefully show to the monk the absurdity of making 'buddha nature' be something that leads to Buddhahood.
"When the sky falls to the ground."
This is a multi-level answer, a marvellous spiritual millefeuille:
1. the sky never falls to the ground. What is left after the sky fell? Another sky? Nāgārjuna says that "no trace of space is there before the absence of obstruction which describes it." The sky doesn't fall to the ground, because the'sky' is defined as 'not the ground' (and, as such, is empty of any essential nature). If the sky never falls to the ground, the cypress tree never becomes a Buddha. As a cypress tree, this is just factual;
2. Nāgārjuna also states that "in seeing things to be or not to be, fools fail to see a world at ease." _We_ separate the concepts'sky' and 'ground' in separates entities, although they are not separate for real: the sky starts where the ground stops, and there's no distance to 'fall' between the two. The tension created by the idea of 'the sky falling' puts on display a tense mind (tense from clinging to concepts which do not capture things 'as they are'), rather than a tense world;
3. there's no distance, no separation between'sky' and 'ground,' no more than there's separation between the cypress tree, buddha nature, buddha… they're all empty (concepts), there aren't different types of emptiness which we could distinguish. Nāgārjuna says "when transfixed on what's unwavering beyond fixation's range, you see no buddha nature" i.e. the concepts, fixated ideas, put a veil on the empty nature of 'things.' The student has reified emptiness, made emptiness to be something, hence he has obscured the nature of reality. "Buddha nature is the nature of this world. Buddha nature has no nature, nor does this world." i.e. 'buddha nature' is emptiness and emptiness is empty;
4. if one poetically interprets the sky falling to the ground, a lightning storm might be an appropriate image: it would refer to the sudden insight of emptiness. A deep insight of emptiness is an Earth-shattering experience, because the lack of 'nature' is suddenly seen about everything; the Mahāparinibbāna sutta [DN 16(.3.17)] mentioned that when the Tathāgata gains unsurpassed enlightenment, then the earth shudders and shakes and violently quakes;
5. Continuing with this poetic interpretation of the sky falling to the ground, a deep insight of emptiness is an Earth-shattering experience, because the lack of 'nature' is suddenly seen about everything: the sky-high castle made of our concepts, views, preferences and opinions suddenly collapse onto the reality, onto the ground (of our concepts) 'as it is.'
One may note that if one questions the 'nature' of the ground, its essence is never found as one digs deeper and deeper in the soil (it is 'empty' of essential nature); however the existence of the ground is reliable enough to support sky-scrappers…
6. another poetical image tells us that the sky covers everything; and so does emptiness…
7. just for fun, one might note that what is 'inserted' both in the sky and in the ground is the cypress tree. So, isn't the cypress tree what prevents the sky from falling? ;-)
Ultimately, the student needs to let go of 'nature', of 'essence' (incl. the hypothetical essence of buddha nature), that is "wisdom," and the teacher cannot 'let go' in place of the student. Unfortunately, when presented with the above gorgeous multi-faceted diamond-answer "When the sky falls to the ground," the student takes the explanation literally:
"When does that happen?"
"When the cypress tree becomes buddha." Emptiness is the same, no matter in which order one puts concepts on the table. A true insight in emptiness will lead to seeing the emptiness of concepts like'sky' and 'ground' simultaneously to seeing the emptiness of other concepts, like 'cypress tree,' 'buddha nature' and 'buddha.' There aren't different types of emptiness.
The circular answer is solved in the flash simultaneously shedding all obscurity: all'mental constructions' stop at once, i.e. all creations and reifications of concepts from perceptions stop, when emptiness is experienced.
The reversal of order naturally echoes the Heart sūtra too: "form is emptiness, emptiness is form." Everything is empty (as a mental construction, i.e. as an un-enlightened human experience), but emptiness is not nothingness: you cannot pin down your'self', but whacking a stick on your head still hurts!
Any quote from Nāgārjuna's _Mūlamadhy


text:
During the last decade the tile industry has reinvented the way ceramic tiles are decorated. With the advent of inkjet technology being incorporated into this process there is no longer a need for screen or roller printing methods, freeing the industry up to many different opportunities. As with screen and roller printing, the image of the design is first scanned, then modified on a computer. However, by utilizing the key advantages of digital imaging the design can be almost instantly transferred to the inkjet printing machine, which is fully equipped with the essential inks to print any design with any desired color.
The non-impact technology that the inkjet printer utilizes enables manufactures to decorate any type of tile, including relief tile, just as easy as traditional flat tile. This is done by using a print style called Drop on Demand (DoD) and by utilizing a special type of printing device called a piezoelectric printhead. These let the printer create an identical picture of the digital image by propelling tiny drops of ink (measured in picoliters) onto the tile. Because the inkjet machines fit perfectly into the manufacturing process, it is no wonder how they improve efficiency, yet allow for a higher degree of customization by allowing virtually an infinite possibility of design.
What We Used Before
In the not too distant past the entire ceramic tile industry were slaves to screen and roller printing. While not bad, technology has since proven these methods to be rather inefficient. Not only are they more time consuming, but they can produce large amounts of waste.
A key benefit of the inkjet printer is not just the fact that you can load an image of almost unlimited length, but at any time during the printing process you can change that image instantaneously. With the older methods your design capability is more limited, and changing designs can prove to be time consuming and expensive. The biggest hindrance of the older methods is that the production line needs to briefly stop while the design is applied to the tile. Because inkjet printing allows a seamless application of the image, it can speed up the production rate up to five times!
You must also consider the green benefit for embracing this new technology. Besides the screen and roller printers taking longer, they must also be replaced from time to time. You must also replace the film, adhesives, chemicals, and emulsion from the process as well, creating an unnecessary amount of waste.
Simply put, an inkjet printer reproduces a digital image by propelling a continuous stream of ink droplets onto the tile. With virtually no setup time, this shortens the period from idea to product immensely. As mentioned earlier, this allows relief tile, as well as fragile tile, to be decorated without any additional effort other than programming in the design.
Although standard inkjet printers are only equipped with enough memory to decorate about 30 12×12 ceramic tiles, like most computers additional memory can be added to create a virtually limitless possibility of unique designs. Factor in the ability to easily adjust to any size and texture and it's easy to see how inkjet technology is revolutionizing the ceramic tile industry.
Another key factor is that all of your design information can be stored digitally. This allows the manufacturer to reproduce any image with a push of a button, with alterations to the design or size easily changeable.
In today's market the demand for stone tile is declining as it is now so simple to replicate these images, despite the fact they inherently fluctuate in their design. Not only do you get the same aesthetic cosmetic design, but because the engineered stone is actually technical porcelain it is not only stronger and more durable, but it is much easier on the environment.
Products such as StonePeak's Limestone Ebony combine the subtle beauty of a soft hue with the uniqueness of the limestone's design. By using engineered stones you not only receive the green benefits of manufacturing the tile instead of cutting it from a quarry, but Limestone Ebony contains 84% recycled material. Combine this with superior strength of porcelain and a through-body color you have an eco-friendly tile that will look spectacular for a lifetime.