Negros Heritage (Part 1)
Back in the days when sugar barons own large pieces of land that makes a hacienda, Negros was the biggest sugar producer in the country. The wealth of the island of Negros is from its volcanic soil, which is ideal for agriculture. The collapse of the textile industry in the 19th century attracted Spaniards from Spain and Manila, the French and people from neighboring provinces, which started the sugar industry. But what are known as the Negrense Hacienderos (sugar barons) are from its neighbor Ilo-ilo in origin and ancestry.
The expansion of the sugar industry in the 1850's and the opening of the Suez canal flooded Bacolod with European fineries and artworks. Baroque churches and sprawling mansions rose across the Negros landscape and Spanish culture blossomed in the tropics.
churchSilay's most famous landmark is the Church of San Diego.
The Negrenses lived the good life in those days. The golden years of the sugar magnate, however came to an end in the 1980's and the sugar industry swiftly declined leaving many tycoons landless.
Many however held on to their ancestral homes, turning them to galleries or museums. Some actually still live in it like that of our hosts' residence, where we stayed during our stay. The house was once used as a set for Oro Plata, Mata, a well-acclaimed film of period setting.
Silay and its neighboring towns such as Talisay abound in well-preserved ancestral homes and aside from staying in one, we dropped in on some. Come, let's explore some of these houses together.
Balay ni Tana Dicang
One house that is in perhaps the best state of preservation is the stately 1880 "bahay-na-bato" (literally house of stone) of Don Efigenio Lizares y Tyeres and Doña Enrica "Dicang" Alunan y Labayon built in coral stone and various hardwood. Engaged in the production of sugar and owning several haciendas, they built their 1st house of modest size, it however was burned down by the guerillas during World War I. What is standing today is their 2nd house built in 1880 in Talisay, larger than the first hence the name Balay Dako (big house). The couple had seventeen children, Efigenio died in 1902, leaving his widow to raise fifteen children (2 died early) on her own for the next 4 decades. Kapitana Dicang as she was popularly known (which was later shortened to just Tana Dicang) assumed the management of the haciendas and continued to acquire more. She was an extremely enterprising lady, apart from being a great haciendera, she was a grocer, cigar manufacturer and a famous confectionery as well. How she raised her children was one that was instilled in stern discipline in the family and her sons and daughters took her word as law.
tana-dicangThe bust of Don Efigenio and Tana Dicang
boyencyclopediaThat's a set of encyclopedia.
capizWindows were made of capiz shells
This recently opened balay, although not as famous as Balay Negrense, echoes the lifestyle of past splendor down to the chinas, furnitures and other accessories.
The ground floor houses K (for Kapitana) gallery and the stairway leads to the entrance hall on the 2nd floor. The floors are from "balayong" wood custom cut – meaning the floor planks stretched from one point to the other in one piece.
Balay ni Tana Dicang
36 Rizal St., Talisay City
Negros Occidental
For details call: (34)4952104
More houses to come… For a glimpse of other worlds, click here.
10 thoughts on "Negros Heritage (Part 1)
 1. I'm so impressed! Very, very impressed! Love to see those historical artefacts that you feature here. Thanks for the interesting write-up and the pictures are so beautifully photographed. I will also check on your Inasal Nga Manok. I've been craving to eat that in a long, long time. Goodness Me, I feel homesick now.
 2. beautiful post and so enjoyed the photos and history of the area…like the windows made from the capiz shells and the planked floors.
 enjoyed it all
 3. Through your tour and photos, I learned much new information. Your closeup shots inside the house of books, candles, pitcher, and window frames were awesome! Keep having adventures, Jenn, and sharing them.
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"Enforceable undertakings promote the introduction of long-lasting and more wide-ranging safety changes that would not have occurred under the prosecutorial system that imposes fines after the event."
Enforceable Undertakings can be a powerful force for improving occupational health and safety (OHS) but they could also be used by employers to forestall investment in OHS and minimise the financial penalties should an incident occur.
Australian law firm Sparke Helmore has released a prosecution summary of legal proceedings by SafeWorkSA about the application of an Enforceable Undertaking to Adelaide Resource Recovery Pty Ltd (ARR) over the severing of a thumb tip in May 2015. The company had no previous record on occupational health and safety (OHS) breaches and, although the company had plenty of the standard OHS policies and procedures, the conveyor machine mechanism was inadequately guarded – (OHS-101). ARR has spent over $A215,000 on rectifying the workplace in return for the dismissal of legal proceedings.
Taking this case as a discussion point, a company could avoid a prosecution and potential fine for an OHS breach by suggesting it fix the causes of the breach/incident through an Enforceable Undertaking. It may be argued that by suggesting an enforceable undertaking a company can turn a potential (large) fine into the (lower) cost of improving OHS at their workplace that, if it had spent that amount already, could have prevented the incident. A company could risk safety incidents by under-resourcing on OHS and wait for an incident (hopefully not life-threatening) at which point it can spend the money on the safety resources that it should already have had in place.
It is worth looking at the commitments that ARR has made in its enforceable undertaking. Almost all of them are the actions and resources that an OHS regulator would expect companies to have already, in order to comply with OHS laws:
- "installing appropriate guarding to the machine,
- upgrading lighting in the area,
- hiring an additional construction and demolition shed supervisor,
- employing a site safety supervisor.
- committing that the behaviour leading to the alleged contravention had ceased and would not reoccur
- committing to ongoing effective management of WHS risks
- committing to disseminate information about the undertaking to relevant parties
- committing to participating constructively in all compliance monitoring activities of the undertaking
- retaining the additional construction and demolition shed supervisor, and ensuring they conduct spot audits, site safety walks and revising the Safe Work Method Statements in consultation with workers
- retaining the site safety supervisor
- publishing a safety hazard alert for its industry on the importance of adequate guarding
- having a representative speak at a forum conducted by SafeWork SA
- assisting in running a training program conducted by Mission Australia, and
- paying SafeWork SA's costs associated with the undertaking."
(More details, and costs, of actions undertaken are available in ARR's Enforceable Undertaking)
The use of Enforceable Undertakings is a positive move in OHS penalty options in Australia but it may also provide opportunities for exploitation for which OHS regulators need to watch.
ARR's use of the undertaking makes economic sense. As Sparke Helmore point out, the company could have faced a maximum penalty of $A1.5 million for the incident but instead has reinvested over $A200K into its own operating and OHS systems. The Enforceable Undertaking has saved ARR a lot of money and avoided a prosecution.
The update of the OHS resources by ARR is to be applauded, but it should not be forgotten that all of this activity seems to be bringing the company to the level of OHS compliance that all employers are expected to already have.
More information on Enforceable Undertakings in South Australia is available HERE

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Why the other sovereigns (Jean I and Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg) don't use to sign their names with "R", "GD" or "P"?
I also know HM Queen Elizabeth II of Great-Britain used to sogn "Elizabeth R".
"R" stands for the latin word Rex(king) or Regina(queen). FOr example, in Latin, The queen of England's name is Elizabetha Regina Secunda. Using the latin has come down from early times and now is just shortened with the "R". (btw: Charles will be Carolinus Rex Tertio, if he chooses the name Charles). As far as the other heads of state, I guess that using the latin form just isn't a practice that has evolved over the years, and sometimes there is not that good of a latin translation for "archduke", etc. I'm sure that it depends on the tradition of each country.
Mandatory Credit: Photo By PAUL BROWN / REX FEATURES SIGNATURE OF QUEEN SILVIA IN THE MEMORIAL BOOK SERVICE OF THANKS GIVING CELEBRATING 350 YEARS OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND SWEDEN AT THE SWEDISH CHURCH, LONDON, BRITAIN - 28 APR 2004 EXCLUSIVE 451205/PAB

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


vibe.d beta banner
get vibe.d
0.7.30
ChunkedOutputStream.write - multiple declarations
 - Function ChunkedOutputStream.write
 - Function ChunkedOutputStream.write
 - Function OutputStream.write
Function ChunkedOutputStream.write
Writes an array of bytes to the stream.
Prototype
void write(
 const(ubyte[]) bytes_
);
Function ChunkedOutputStream.write
Pipes an InputStream directly into this OutputStream.
The number of bytes written is either the whole input stream when nbytes == 0, or exactly nbytes for nbytes > 0. If the input stream contains less than nbytes of data, an exception is thrown.
Prototype
void write(
 InputStream data,
 ulong nbytes = 0LU
);
Function OutputStream.write
Writes an array of chars to the stream.
Prototype
final abstract void write(
 const(char[]) bytes
);
Authors
Sönke Ludwig, Jan Krüger
Copyright
© 2012-2015 RejectedSoftware e.K.
License
Subject to the terms of the MIT license, as written in the included LICENSE.txt file.


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Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams and County Fleet Management Director Greg Nuzman unveiled the county's new CNG (compressed natural gas) fueling station just in time for the start of the winter inversion season in the Salt Lake Valley.
McAdams said that Fleet Management maintains large diesel trucks that until now have contributed significantly to both CO2 and NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions—two tailpipe sources of both winter and summer air pollution.
"Switching to cleaner natural gas as a fuel shows that Salt Lake County is doing whatever we can to help lower the number of bad air days in the valley," said McAdams. "Replacing diesel fuel with CNG is a significant step towards less air pollution and more cost-savings on fuel."
McAdams said that by switching diesel trucks over to CNG the county will displace 500,000 gallons of diesel fuel. According to county air quality officials, the fuel changeover will result in a reduction of 3.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide from the air. That decrease is equivalent to taking 310 passenger vehicles off the road each year.
County air quality officials also said NOx emissions will decrease – from between 20 – 40 percent. These chemicals contribute to both ozone – a component of summer smog—and particulate matter, which contributes to winter pollution.
McAdams notes that because CNG is less expensive than diesel, the county expects to save money on fuel costs as well.
The new CNG station was constructed by Clean Energy, a publicly-traded company that operates over 500 natural gas fueling stations in 43 states. Salt Lake County fleet director Greg Nuzman said that the new station marks the company's expansion into Utah and features a redundant compression system designed to fuel the 50 Wasatch
Front Waste and Recycling District trucks. The station will be able to fill the trucks overnight so no employee time is spent fueling and the trucks will be ready for work each morning. Nuzman said Clean Energy will support the station by opening a new parts warehouse in Salt Lake County as well as hiring a full-time station technician.

source: m-a-p/FineFineWeb


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Western wins grant for endangered species breeding study
The National Leadership grant, from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, will allow a team at the school to study how genetics can be used to maximize diversity and robustness in breeding endangered species. The study will focus on snow leopards, but researchers believe the findings could be applied to other endangered species in the future.
The research team at Western University will collect DNA samples from snow leopards and form a draft of its genome, which will be used to identify specific genes associated with immune function.
Oregon State University, the Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum of Natural History and the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan also will be involved in the study.


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But African Americans do not perform as well as whites on these tests even if test-takers from both ethnic groups have attained the same number of years of schooling. Because of the lower scores, healthy African Americans may be more likely to be misdiagnosed with Alzheimers disease or other cognitive defects.
In an effort to make neuropsychological tests more accurate, Columbia Health Sciences researchers decided to study whether quality of education, rather than quantity, could explain the lower test scores among African Americans.
In their study, the investigators measured quality of schooling by administering a reading test to 192 elderly African Americans and 192 elderly non-Hispanic whites from Northern Manhattan. The participants, who were all 65 years and older, did not have dementia and were functioning normally in their daily lives.
The researchers found that they could eliminate most of the racial differences found in the neuropsychological test assessments by factoring in the scores from the reading tests. Both blacks and whites with a poor reading test result achieved similar neuropsychological test scores.
The findings suggest that including an assessment of reading skills will help neuropsychologists know what scores to expect from elders with diverse educational backgrounds, says Dr. Jennifer Manly, lead author of the study and assistant professor of neuropsychology in the
Contact: Annie Bayne
Columbia University Medical Center


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When we try to see the MicroStation Properties of ProStructures elements there so many types of properties visible in the dialog box. As there are so many types of properties visible, we can limit the number of properties visible. In this wiki, we will learn how to hide unnecessary properties.
1.Right Click on any ProStructures' element and click on its Properties. 2. This will open the properties dialog showing all the properties like geometrical properties, structural properties etc. 3. To hide any individual property, right click on the section of that properties and click on hide option.4. This will show 'Show/Hide' option and from here you can uncheck the properties which are not useful for you. In this way, you can limit the number of properties which as per the requirement.


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Why Contactless Makes Saving Harder
Please note this blog post was published over 12 months ago and so may not include the most up-to-date information, for example where regulation around investing has changed.
Here are two things you may not know about recent consumer spending behaviour: firstly, there has been an increase in the amount of money spent per transaction , and secondly, there has been an increase in the number of transactions made with card compared to cash . Could these two facts be linked?
Since the introduction of credit cards in the late 1950s, and debit cards in the 1970s, spending and saving behaviours have significantly changed. We believe in putting the client first, which is why we have developed new features, such as impulseSave® and Personal Finance, to tailor investing to these changes and make saving a lot easier.
Research has found that people spend 12 to 18% more when using card compared to cash , and people are willing to spend more on something if they are paying using card, compared to buying the same thing with cash . This implies that the tangibility of money has an influence on buying behaviour, which leads to the question, are people spending more because money is becoming less physical?
Money on debit or credit cards could be viewed as 'virtual money' and using a card to pay for something makes the cost less visible compared to spending a £20 note. This effect is further emphasised when it comes to contactless or Apple Pay as this quick and easy 'scan and go' technology means that the customer doesn't even have to think about spending money for longer than a couple of seconds.
Psychologists suggest that consumers' perceptions of spending vary with different payment methods . For example, with cash transactions, customers are aware that they are exchanging something of value which is why parting from cash can be "psychologically painful". However, with mobile phone transactions such as Apple Pay, consumers may not mentally or emotionally take in how much they are spending as the transaction is so quick and forgettable, leading them to spend more freely and more often.
Research provided by 118 188 Money found that a quarter of 18-24-year-olds say they now spend more due to contactless than they did previously, and they are tending to run out of money much faster too . Swiping your card for a one-off £2.50 coffee on the way to work builds up if it happens every day. This highlights that as spending moves from physical to virtual, saving has become a lot harder – but why?
Firstly, because we are increasingly spending more per transaction, we are unlikely to have money left over to save. We believe the solution to this is to set up a direct debit which transfers money into your savings or investments at the start of every month. This means the issue of running out of money to save each month is eliminated.
Secondly, saving is harder because we may not be fully aware of what we are actually spending our money on, therefore we don't know what we can do to save. The answer to this is our Personal Finance feature – this allows you to view all your bank accounts, credit cards and savings accounts in one convenient location so you can track your spending and identify how you could improve your saving habits.
And lastly, spending is so much quicker and easier than saving, especially with the new 'scan and go' methods, and far less effort is required. However, we believe we have developed a solution for this discrepancy which can turn spending into saving just by swapping between apps – impulseSave®. This world-first, unique technology allows you to top up your investment, from just as little as £1.
Although saving may seem harder since the rise of virtual spending and contactless payments, there is help at hand. Simple changes following these 3 solutions can make the difference and turn impulse spending into impulse saving.


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What is the use of Surge Tank? Surge Tank in Hydro Power Plant, Hydropower Advantages, Surge Tank in Hydroelectric Power Plant
Overhead Crane Specifications: Overhead crane parts description, wiring diagram, load chart, Electrical Requirements
Hydropower Advantages and disadvantages: How does hydropower work? Types of water turbines, Head race in hydro-power plant.
Indoor Gantry Crane: Small gantry cranes, Mobile Gantry Crane for sale, Gantry Crane Price, outdoor cranes
Surge Tank in Hydroelectric Power Plant: Pumped storage hydropower, Hydroelectric energy renewable or nonrenewable
Surge Tank in Hydro Power Plant: plant diagram, hydro turbine generator, Water turbine generator, Generator in hydro power plant


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13 May 2011
A built-in web server makes set-up extremely easy since no separate software is needed and the camera can be accessed using any popular web browser. A powerful suite of built-in measurement tools turns live 3D profiles into realtime measurements with pass/fail decisions and real-time profile data can be viewed on any computer using any operating system. A simple point and click GUI allows single or multiple measurement tools to be selected according to the application requirements. For added flexibility, scripting in 'C' is possible to allow tailored calculations.
LMI Gocator is a true stand-alone system, with no additional controllers required. It can be accessed via industry standard Ethernet and simple cabling is provided for inputs, outputs, and power. Versatile I/O capabilities allow the camera trigger to be chosen from time, encoder, external input, or software, while data and decisions can be transmitted a via RS-485 serial output channel or measurement decisions can be output digitally to external devices or measurement values and decisions can be converted to analogue output signals.
Calibration is extremely straightforward since the integral laser and camera are precision factory aligned to provide consistent, reliable measurements in real-world coordinates, even in applications where temperature variation normally would introduce measurement errors. The field of view ranges from 14 mm to 1260 mm depending on the Gocator model selected. Advanced features include dynamic exposure modes to deal with surfaces with a high variation of surface reflectivity where the camera combines multiple exposures to deliver an accurate profile every time.
The LMI Gocator can seamlessly link to a second camera to provide a host of measurement possibilities. Profile data from both cameras are combined using a single GUI to measure, make decisions, and show results as if they came from a single sensor.


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Definitions for gonzoˈgɒn zoʊ
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
fiercely advocative or partial without regard for balance or objectivity.
Category: Common Vocabulary, Journalism
Origin of gonzo:
1970–75, Amer.; appar. first used by U.S. journalist Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939); perh. < It: simpleton
A wild or crazy person
Using an unconventional, exaggerated and highly subjective style, often when the reporter is part of the story.
The New Hacker's Dictionary
[from Hunter S. Thompson] 1. With total commitment, total concentration, and a mad sort of panache. (Thompson's original sense.) 2. More loosely: Overwhelming; outrageous; over the top; very large, esp. used of collections of source code, source files, or individual functions. Has some of the connotations of moby and hairy, but without the implication of obscurity or complexity.


Behavior During Niddah
Behavior During Niddah
Behavior During Niddah
The time when the woman is niddah is a time of abstinence of all physical
contact. It is a time where the loving relationship between the couple
should find expression in non-physical ways, such as greater sensitivity
towards one another, consideration and giving. In addition to abstinence
from sex, the halacha dictates certain other practices from which the
couple should refrain, so as not to lead to temptation to physical
1. From the onset of a woman's menstrual period certain behaviors which
cause the couple to be physically or passionately close together are
forbidden. Not following these laws is very serious as it is expressly
forbidden to come close to those with whom it is forbidden to have sexual
2. These rules apply equally whether she is actually bleeding or is
counting seven clean days–they apply as long as she has not properly
3. When the woman is niddah it is forbidden for the couple to behave
frivolously with one another. Joking around is expressly forbidden. Of
course, the couple should not be cold or nasty towards one another.
Arguments should be avoided if possible.
4. Even the slightest physical contact is absolutely forbidden.
Additionally, they may not pass each other objects from one hand to
another, as that might lead to inadvertent physical contact. One should
also not touch the clothes of their spouse (while they are being worn)
when the woman is niddah. (There is no restriction regarding clothing
which is not being worn.)
In situations where it is difficult for the couple to not work together
(eg. taking the baby carriage down from an apartment, etc.) the couple
might hold the long object together taking maximum precautions that they
will not touch.
5. It is permissible to throw things from one to another. However, it is
commendable to be strict in this matter, and not to throw directly from
one to another.
6. There are those posqim who allow the couple to pass their child from
one to another when the woman is niddah, and there are those who
disagree. It is commendable to be stringent in this matter.
7. It is permitted for the couple to give one another gifts during when
the woman is niddah, even though it increases the emotional attachment of
the couple.
8. When the couple sits down to eat at their normal places they should
have a reminder on the table to remember that she is niddah. This is
similar to two familiar people eating milk and meat on the same table
where a reminder is used to prevent them tasting from one another's food.
A cup which is not being used may be put in between them as reminder or a
small bowl of fruit. If one uses a place mat and the other does not it is
also considered a reminder. Basically, anything which reminds them that
they must not eat from one another's plate is suitable.
Of course, this law only applies when the couple is dining alone.
However, if they are dining with other people there is no need for any
such reminders. Likewise, if they are eating alone, but on opposite ends
of a long table there is no need for the reminders.
9. He may not drink from what remains in her cup, since this is a sign of
affection. However, if the liquid were poured into another glass it is
permitted for the husband to drink it, even if he then poured it back
into the original glass. Additionally, if she drank half of the glass he
may fill it up and drink the remains.
10. If another person drinks from the cup after the wife drank, the
husband is allowed to drink from the cup.
11. If she drank from a glass and has left the room, the husband can
drink from her glass. He can continue drinking even if she returned to
the room, while he was in the process of drinking from her cup. This law
applies also if she turned to another side of the room and does not
notice him drinking rom her cup.
12. If a woman drank from a glass and her husband does not know, she need
not inform him. If, however, he knows that she drank from the glass but
he does not know that she has become niddah, she must inform him.
13. A woman may drink from the remains of her husbands glass.
14. Although ashkenazim are stringent concerning the remains of food of
the woman who is niddah, sepharadim allow the husband to eat his wife's
leftover food, without any restriction.
15. It is permissible for a man to use the same towel as his wife when
she is niddah. Their is no need for her to have her own special towel.
17. One should not kiss or play with a baby being held by either him or
her, while the woman is niddah. It is also better to be strict not to
feed a baby being held by the other spouse, unless there are extenuating
circumstances where this is necessary and the couple is careful not to
18. They should not light each others cigarettes since this brings
closeness. However, it is permissible for a wife to hold the Havdalah
19. It is permissible for the husband or wife to blow away lint or a
feather from each other's clothing while she is niddah, yet it is
commendable to be strict in this matter, if possible.
20. On a hot day they may not fan each other unless one of them is ill.
However, there is no restriction regarding turning on the fan or the air
conditioner for one another.
21. On a rainy day they may walk under the same umbrella as long as they
are careful not to touch.
22. It is permissible for the couple to read the same book together,
while the woman is niddah, provided they are careful not to touch.
23. A husband may not sit on his wife's bed even if she is not around,
and he certainly may not lay on her bed. If the bed is not specifically
hers, for example, at times she lies on it and sometimes he does, then he
may sit on the bed when she is niddah. She may lay on his bed while he is
not around.
24. The sephardic minhag is to permit the couple to sit together on a
couch even if it is soft and moves as long as care is taken not to touch
each other. However, it is commendable to be strict and not sit together
if the couple is on a pleasure trip while she is niddah.
25. It is absolutely forbidden for the couple to lie on the same bed
together even if they are fully clothed. Similarly, they may not use one
blanket. Strictness should be applied not to lay on two separate beds
unless the beds are separated, even slightly.
26. It is permitted to sleep on beds which are separated even if they
have a common frame. It is not necessary to put a divider between the
27. When a woman is niddah it is permitted for her husband to gaze at her
beauty while she is fully clothed, since she will be permitted to him in
the near future. However, her husband should not look at the normally
covered parts of his wife's body, while she is niddah.
28. A husband may be in the delivery room when his wife gives birth but
should not look at the normally covered parts of his wife's body.
29. It is permissible for the husband to hear his wife singing even
though she is niddah. This applies also to singing shabbat songs.
However, it is commendable to be stringent.
30. A man should be careful not to intentionally smell his wife's
perfume or flowers that she is wearing when she is niddah. However, if
she has removed the flowers he may even make a blessing on their
31. A woman should have special clothing when she is niddah, though
they may be just as nice as her regular clothing. This is so the couple
will constantly remember that she is niddah.
32. A woman may dress nicely and wear jewelry and cosmetics when she is
niddah, as is her custom when she is not niddah. Even if the husband
claims that it does not matter to him, if that is her normal way of
dressing up she should continue it when she is niddah.
33. If the woman normally works in the house she may do all of her
normal household chores, even those specifically done for her husband,
even in his presence. For example, she may cook or bake for him, set the
table or serve him food. Excluded from this is serving him glass of wine,
which is absolutely forbidden, unless it is done in a different way than
normal, like serving with the left hand. All other liquids may be poured
and served in the normal way.
34. Likewise, the husband may serve his wife food and make her coffee
etc. However, he should not serve her wine unless it is done in an
unusual way.
36. Although wine may not be poured or served, the Kiddush cup may be
passed around in the usual manner with the wife who is niddah drinking
from the cup directly after her husband.
37. She may not make his bed in front of him since this may be construed
as a


text:
From Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 January people from around the world will be gazing at the sky during the period of 100 hours.
This year, Korenica will also join the activities of the global project called "100 Hours of Astronomy". Each day, "Korenica Astronomical Association" will organize a public viewing at the Korenica Observatory starting at 7 pm.
During this era, people from around the globe will share the experience of observing the sky. For many, it'll be their 1st glimpse of the wonders of the heavens through a telescope. For others, it's the proper chance to impart their data and excitement, helping unveil the cosmos to fresh and eager eyes.
Join the 100-hour, round-the-clock, round-the-globe celebration composed of a broad range of activities aimed at involving the public!


'Sensing the Shining' explores new ways of visualizing the emotional reaction to movies, exemplified with Stanley Kubrick's classic 'The Shining'.
Current advances in sensor technology, biofeedback and algorithms enable an increasingly deep analysis of our emotional responses to content.
Movies are traditionally constructed to evoke emotional responses using surprise, delight or shock.
Movie posters are designed to convey these moments in a single image.
Measuring the emotional response of the viewer using Galvanic Skin Response technology, 'Sensing the Shining' creates a movie poster that takes the stills from the movie itself to visualize the emotional reactions of the viewer while watching it.
As an experiment, 'Sensing the Shining' creates a new kind of responsive feedback interface for visual content that highlights the more emotionally impactful parts of the movie.
Project Details
'Sensing the Shining' utilizes GSR (Galvanic Skin Response ) that measures the speed of an electromagnetic pulse between two sensors attached to two different fingers.
The GSR sensor
An emotional response increases the sweat level on the human skin which also increases the speed of the impulse travelling between the contacts.
Throughout the movie the sensor measures the emotional reaction of the viewer in 0.2 second intervals.
The raw data as measured by the GSR sensor throughout 'The Shining'
The movie is exported with the same intervals as the sensor measurements to have a matching frame for each value of the data.
Each frame's width is then cropped according to it's corresponding data value as measured by the sensor.
Cropped area - quiet times
Cropped area - tension mounts
Cropped area - a sudden moment
During the uneventful parts of the movie, this cropping leads to each frame being shown as just a small slice. The higher the measurement of the data, the more becomes visible of each frame.
Sudden peaks in measurements create "moments" that enable an almost entire view of the frame.
The cropped images are then stitched together in sequence to create the movie poster collage.
By cropping the movie frames according to the measured data time becomes visually condensed or stretched
Emotionally meaningful moments become emphasized while the less exiting parts of the movie become almost visual noise.
Meeting the twins
In its entirety it gives a visual impression of the movie, its exciting parts, patterns and rhythms.
The final image plot
'Sensing the Shining' creates a new kind of feedback interface for visual content that highlights the emotionally relevant parts of the movie as sensed by its viewer.


text:
The Japanese phone system is a rather colorful one, quite literally.
The Japanese term for telephone is denwa and the public phones are akadenwa. There are four kinds of public phones. The oldest and most common is the red phone which is used for local calls. A blue phone is used for both local and long-distance calls. A yellow phone accepts 100 yen coins and is also used for both local and long-distance calls. Finally a pink phone, found in restaurants, coffee shops and similar places, are for local and long-distance both but have a call-back feature that the others lack.
Although the actual use of the phones is inexpensive getting a phone put into your house or apartment is not.
Japan main page
Japanese-American Internment Camps index page
Japan and World War II index page


Chemical investigation, anti-inflammatory and wound healing properties of Coronopus didymus
K.R. Prabhakar, K.K. Srinivasan, P.G.M. Rao
Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review
32 Citations (Scopus)
Abstract
A systematic chemical investigation of Coronopus didymus was undertaken. A new flavone glycoside, viz., chrysoeriol-(6″-OAc)-4′-β-D-glucoside, along with free chrysoeriol and stigmastanol, were isolated and characterized on the basis of chemical and spectral studies. The ethanol and aqueous extracts of the whole plant were subjected to anti-inflammatory and wound healing activity studies. Both ethanol and aqueous extracts showed statistically significant wound healing activity, whereas only the aqueous extract showed significant anti-inflammatory activity.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)490-493
Number of pages4
JournalPharmaceutical Biology
Volume40
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2002
Externally publishedYes
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Why is Oymyakon so cold? (info + photos)
September 20, 2009
Oymyakon or Ojmjakon in winter. Yakutia, Siberia/Russia. Photo by Bolot Bochkarev
I found the question "Why is it so cold in Oymyakon?" in the list of keywords that have brought some traffic to my weblog, and I recalled Nick Middleton, an Oxford geography lecturer and the creator of the four-series TV show "Going to Extremes." The first part, btw, depicted his travel to Oymyakon, the world's coldest inhabited place on Earth. While staying in the village of Oymyakon, he gave a detailed explanation of why the Oymyakon area in eastern Yakutia was able to keep the cold as low as -71.2 degrees Celsius (-96.16 degrees Fahrenheit).
The same explanation he gives in his book Going to Extremes: Mud, Sweat and Frozen Tears, in which he ventures to the hottest, driest, coldest, and wettest inhabited places on Earth. He wants to know not only how people manage to live in these places, but also why they settled there in the first place. And, most intriguing of all—why they stay. He follows Stalin's "Road of Bones" across Siberia's icy wilderness to the world's coldest village of Oymyakon, and Nick Middleton's account of his journey to the edge is never less than fascinating.
I am not a pro geographer, so I wouldn't be able to give such a thorough information on Oymyakon weather specifics as Mr. Middleton did, but I'll try to do it in a more simple way.
Oymyakon as well as the whole Yakutia is located at northern latitude and relatively far from oceans to not be dramatically affected by streams. Besides, mountains surround the Oymyakon village so tightly that they turned out the area to be a mere trap for air. The chilly air is literally kept and not allowed to go up and dispersed. Moreover, it continues being refrigerated, because of its inability to be warmed up in the course of the short daytime. That makes Oymyakon possible to hold the chilly distinction of being the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth.
Photographs of Oymyakon, Yakutia, Siberia/Russia. The world's coldest inhabited village!
I took the below Oymyakon pictures during my trip with friends. See more photo sets in the post A Journey to the Pole of Cold.
Answer to the question, Why is Oymyakon so cold?
So why did people choose to live in such a chilly trap as Oymyakon, and how do they manage to survive in extreme cold, according to Nick Middleton?
His answers can be found in the interview he gave to the National Geographic Channel. Below, please, find the Q&A.
Why would people choose to live in such an inhospitable place?
Before the 1920s and 30s, Oymyakon was a seasonal stop for reindeer herders. But the Soviet government, in its efforts to settle nomadic populations—claiming they were difficult to control and technologically and culturally backward—made the site a permanent settlement.
What is there to eat so far north?
All people eat is reindeer and horsemeat. Medics say the reason they don't suffer from malnutrition is that there must be lots of micronutrients in their animals' milk.
There is a short summer season during which people can grow things. But for the most part people don't eat fruit or vegetables.
How do people keep warm?
Fur. Fur is considered a luxury in the West but it is the only thing that keeps you warm. Most of my crew wore synthetic fibers, and they were cold and miserable. My hat was raccoon, my coat was made from the skins of a flock of sheep, and I had knee-high reindeer boots. Reindeer fur is particularly good at keeping you warm, because the shaft of each hair is hollow, and the air [in the shafts] has an insulating effect.
You had a pretty icy introduction to Siberia when you arrived. You became a member of the Walrus Club [a group of people who swim in rivers and lakes in winter, sometimes called polar bear clubs in other parts of the world]. How did it feel to take an ice bath in the frozen river?
It was short and sweet, but my biggest concern was that I would have a heart attack. It isn't so much the water but getting out that is the worst—that brief moment between the water and contacting the air, which is about -22 Fahrenheit (-30 Celsius).
Transportation can't be easy in those temperatures. How do people get around?
Cars and trucks housed in heated garages are fine. But diesel freezes at -58 Fahrenheit [-50 degrees Celsius]. It's a pretty common practice to light a bonfire beneath the fuel tank to keep it from freezing. Axle grease also freezes and is warmed with a blowtorch.
What effects did the cold have on your expedition? Did you run into any problems in Oymyakon?
We had severe difficulties with filming. The eyepiece froze, and you couldn't see through it. The camera lenses did strange things, because the metal casings and screws holding the lenses in place were made of different metals that contracted at different rates and distorted the images—so really we had absolutely no idea whether we were actually shooting anything.
One of the guys who runs the power station hasn't been paid in nine months, but he keeps doing his job. There is a great sense of community. People do what they need to do to survive. For them, extreme [subzero] temperatures are normal.
Interviewed by Bijal P. Trivedi
Via National Geographic Channel
A short explanation regarding Oymyakon weather phenomenon given by tanetahi, a Flickr pro user:
- The reason Oymyakon gets so cold in winter is the combination of its elevation above sea level and its being sited in a valley between two mountain ranges. The valley behaves as a frost-hollow in calm anticyclonic weather during the Siberian winter, so yes, it does kind of make its own weather.
- The World's Coldest Road Trip. Yakutsk – Oymyakon – Magadan. Winter 2012-2013.
- 6-Day Travel Yakutsk to Oymyakon, the coldest inhabited village on Earth.
Find more facts & photographs in Oymyakon-related posts.
Check also a report of our fascinating Journey to the Pole of Cold, Oymyakon.
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Using IR modules from VCRs
1) Intro
Some time ago, I came across the Lirc (Linux Infrared Remote Control) website and decided to build a serial port IR receiver. They had a list of suggested IR receiver modules, but I was unable to buy one, so I had to think of using something else.
A IR Receiver module is usually a photodiode and a 38khz detector. Most of them have 3 pins. VCC, GND, an output pin. If a 38khz carrier is detected, the output pin will become active. Some modules are active low, and others are active high. It is sometimes required to use an inverter(eg: 7404) to get the correct signal.
At first I thought to build a 38khz detector and to use a photodiode for receiving IR, but I soon realized that this would be too much trouble. Instead, I decided to use the IR module from one of my old VHS I had lying around.
2) Finding the module inside the VCR
This should be pretty easy. Just remove the plastic cover from the front panel, and you will probably see a small metal cage somewhere, as shown in the picture to the left.
3) Figuring out the pinout
There are 2 types of modules used in VCRs:
 1. Self-contained modules
 2. Built on board modules
1. Self-contained modules
Self contained modules are usually come with their metal cage soldered to the PCB, with 3 wires or pins coming out. Here are pictures of such modules:
The pinout is not usually too difficult to guess. If you're lucky, it will be printed on the pcb like this:
Otherwise, you can find the pinout by trial and error. Simply connect the ground, vcc. Connect the output pin to a led using a high resistor value like 1k. Also, limit the current in the VCC line if possible(using a resistor or a good power supply).
To test your pinout, aim a remote control to your module and press a button. The led will blink if you have the right pinout.
2. Built on board modules
Built on board modules have their metal cage soldered to the PCB, and a bunch of component (sensor, chips, resistor, caps...) directly soldered to the PCB. If you have this type of module, I recommend that you cut the PCB around it using a dremel or something.
Next, look at the board layout. Usually, this area is insulated with a ground plane. You will probably see 3 traces going inside the module like this:
One of them is VCC, another GND, and the last one is the output. You can easily guess which one is the ground and vcc. Just follow them on the PCB, and it will eventually connect to other chips. You can look theese chips datasheet to learn their pinout. If the trace connects to a VCC or GND pin, you got it. The remaining trace is the output.
4) Using the module
You can use these modules as an universal infrared receiver for your computer with projects like Lirc. You build an Infrared Break Beam detector. You can extend the range of your remote controls by building a repeater.
Written by Raphaël Assénat <>, in the hope that it will be useful. Comments and suggestions are welcome.
Sun Sep 29 15:29:17 EDT 2002


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I am trying to write an array (data = [][]) to a worksheet I will create using xlwt. My question is can I specify a column to start from? I am planning to use a for loop to iterate through the array retrieving the values row by row starting a new line with each row ex: first row starts at C1, next row starts at C2 etc... I have read the documentation and examples but cannot find a clear way to do this. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Insert two blank cells at the front of each row? – Thomas K Jun 21 '11 at 20:59
The examples are included in the documentation if one knows where to look... Also typing the first '(' will often give a description of the parameters a method accepts and what they do – Corey Jul 13 '11 at 14:07
1 Answer 1
up vote 5 down vote accepted
Something like:
wb = xlwt.Workbook()
ws = wb.add_sheet('Sheet1')
for r, row in enumerate(data):
 for c, col in enumerate(row):
 ws.write(r, 2 + c, label=col)
share|improve this answer
Thanks! worked great – Corey Jun 22 '11 at 12:31
Your Answer


Take the 2-minute tour ×
As in this question there were two questions, I extract the second question here.
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You mean memorizing this kind of things senseis.xmp.net/?MiaiValuesList%2F100To199? – Stéphane Gimenez Dec 13 '11 at 19:17
4 Answers 4
I don't know if they spend a lot of time doing point-value memorizing, but I would imagine that there is a reasonable amount of time spent studying and memorizing endgame tesuji. Counting is important to properly evaluate when the tesuji are profitable.
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If I don't mistake professionals learn a lot of typical local value of moves it's a way to play faster and correctly endgames I suppose.
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Possibly the best book on endgames (for amateurs) was written by Tomoko Ogawa: _URL_
She doesn't exactly "memorize" endgame positions, but she gives a list a "typical" (and not so typical) positions, and teaches us how to COUNT them.
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My impression is more that the emphasis is on reading (or counting) the endgame, rather than memorizing the endgame. Certainly in that process you see some positions so frequently that you basically memorize how they are going to fall out, but this isn't quite the same thing as deliberately setting out to memorize the position.
This is especially the case because of both endgame tesuji/maek and because even fairly straightforward sequences can be interrupted due to the surrounding stones or thanks to the value of sente.
share|improve this answer
Your Answer


text:
From Sioux Falls to Rapid City, fire weather meteorologists are watching conditions closely. And until we receive widespread, heavy moisture they'll be monitoring what is known as the Keetch-Byram Drought Index or KBDI.
It measures the amount of precipitation needed to return the soil to full saturation. It uses a system rating of zero to 800, which represents the moisture amount of zero to eight inches of water. It's what is needed to reduce the drought index to zero, which is saturation.
Much of KELOLAND is at 500 or above. The KBDI of 400 to 600 is typical of late summer and early fall.
When it gets to 600 and above, that's when intense, deep burning fires can be expected with an emphasis on downwind new fires occuring.
The highest spots are in south central, north central and northeast South Dakota. Just this week, the area near Lake Andes is also considered at 800.
It's an important number to know this time of year, whether you're harvesting or off road for hunting.
© 2012 KELOLAND TV. All Rights Reserved.


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Hitachi High-Tech
 1. Home
 2. Knowledge
 3. Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment
 4. Welcome to "Semiconductor Room."
 5. Semiconductor Manufacturing
 6. 6. Review SEM - What is a Review SEM?
Semiconductor Room
6. Review SEM - What is a Review SEM?
A Defect Review SEM is a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) that is configured to review defects found on a wafer. A defect detected by a semiconductor wafer defect inspection system is enlarged using an Review SEM to a high magnification image so that it can be reviewed and classified. A Defect Review SEM is mainly used together with the inspection systems in the production lines of electronic devices and other semiconductors.
Review SEM
Review SEM role
Review SEM generally works in the following way:
 1. Wafer defects are detected using an inspection system in advance.
 Inspection system lists position coordinates of the defects and outputs it into a file.
 2. The inspected wafer and the file of the inspection result are loaded into the Review SEM.
 3. Images of the defects on the list are taken.
 The defect position is determined based on the position information from the defect list. Images of the defects are then taken and stored by the Review SEM.
 Several thousand to several tens of thousand defects are detected using the inspection system, and the data is output into a file. Whether to review and to take photos of all or some of the defects can be specified in the operation settings of a recipe of the Review SEM.
Sometimes a defect on a wafer cannot be found using the position information in the defect data file. Because of various errors, it is not easy to find a defect using the position information alone.
In a defect inspection system, the defective image is compared with the adjacent die image (reference image) and the defect is detected due to the image difference (difference image processing).
The Review SEM, similar to the defect inspection system, detects the defect by comparison with the circuit pattern of the adjacent die and obtains the correct position of the defect. The defect is then moved to the center of the field of view and an enlarged photo is taken of it.
In the case of Memory IC's defect review, in which cell patterns are arranged repeatedly, the image of the minimum unit of a cell is registered as the reference image in advance. One method of detecting a defect on the Review SEM is to compare the image of the defect with the reference image using difference image processing. This method can speed up the defect detection on the Review SEM because multiple sections can be compared with the same reference image.
Review SEM
Review SEM
ADR function
ADR stands for Automatic Defect Review. The aim of the Defect Review is to observe, classify and analyze the shape and components of the defect and particles detected by wafer inspection system in greater detail.
Automatic Defect Review automatically obtains image of the desired defect using the defect information (coordinates, etc.) obtained in defect inspection. The data is stored and arranged into a database.
In Defect Review SEM, an image of the defect is automatically obtained and stored using the ADR function.
ADC function
ADC stands for Automatic Defect Classification. The image information of the defect stored in the image server is classified according to the cause of the defect by the classification software based on the predetermined rules and is then restored in the classification server. The classified information is sent to Yield Management System (YMS) and the host computer of the IC manufacturer so that it can be used in the failure and defect analysis.
Some systems can classify defects using ADC in conjunction with the ADR function of the Defect Review SEM. The defect information obtained by ADR can also be classified collectively at a later stage.
Reference
Products
Introducing the product lineup of Defect Review SEM & Defect Inspection Systems
Wafer Surface Inspection System LS Series
Wafer Surface Inspection System LS Series
Wafer surface inspection system to detect various types of small defects on non-patterned wafer of next generation device.
Dark Field Wafer Defect Inspection System IS Series
Dark Field Wafer Defect Inspection System IS Series
Delivering high detection sensitivity and high inspection throughput which enables yield improvement and production cost reduction.
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Giraffids were once a diverse group spread throughout Eurasia and Africa.
The earliest known giraffid fossil remains have been dated at 15-20 million years.
An intermediate form known as Palaeotragus has been dated to approximately 10-12 million years.
The skeleton of Palaeotragus is very similar to that of the modern okapi, which has led to the okapi being referred to as a 'living fossil' (Wilson and Mittermeier, 2011).
Now, only two species remain – the giraffe and the okapi. A number of features are shared between both including: Long dark coloured tongues, lobed canine teeth, and skin covered horns called 'ossicones'. Both giraffe and okapi simultaneously step with the front and hind leg on the same side of the body rather than moving alternate legs on either side like other ungulates (Dagg, 1960).
Restoration of the early giraffid Palaeotragus © Mauricio Anton
Similarities between giraffe and okapi include skin-covered horn-type protusions called ossicones
Sources
 - Skinner JD and Mitchell G. Family Giraffidae (Giraffe and Okapi). pp788-802 in Wilson DE and Mittermeier RA. 2011. Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Volume 2: Hoofed Mammals. Lynx Edicons
 - Dagg AI. 1960. Gaits of the giraffe and okapi. Journal of Mammalogy 41:282
The giraffe and the okapi are both ruminants belonging to the Giraffidae family.
Giraffe Okapi
ClassMammaliaMammalia
OrderArtiodactylaArtiodactyla
FamilyGiraffidaeGiraffidae
GenusGiraffaOkapia
Both the Okapia and Giraffa genera are represented by only one species each, but while Okapia johnstoni has no subspecies, Giraffa camelopardalis has nine currently recognised subspecies (although research is ongoing): Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis, G. c. antiquorum, G. c. camelopardalis, G. c. giraffa, G. c. peralta, G. c. reticulata, G. c. rothschildi, G. c. thornicrofti and G. c. tippelskirchi.


Unfortunately, when the formula that arises in the 5-dimensional case 0 = n^5 + 10n^4 + 35n^3 + 50n^2 + 24n - 120t is depressed by n=m-2, we obtain 0 = m^5 - 5m^3 + 4m - 120t. Although both the m^4 and m^2 terms have vanished, there is an inconvenient contant term. This may be soluble; I don't know.
However, the 4-dimensional case makes me quite optimistic about the 6- and 8-dimensional cases…
6-Dimensional Hypertetrahedral Roots
t = \bigtriangleup_6(n) = \dbinom{n+5}{6}
leads to
0 = n^6 + 15n^5 + 85n^4 + 225n^3 + 274n^2 + 120n - 720t
Depress this with n=m-\frac{5}{2}:
0 = m^6 - \frac{35}{4}m^4 + \frac{259}{16}m^2 - (\frac{225}{64} + 720t)
which is just a cubic in m^2, so depress again with m^2 = k + \frac{35}{12}:
0 = k^3 - \frac{28}{3}k - (\frac{160}{27} + 720t)
Substitute k = h + \frac{28}{9h} and multiply by h^3:
0 = h^6 - (720t+\frac{160}{27})h^3 + \frac{21952}{739}
which is now just a quadratic in h^3, so
h^3 = \dfrac{720t + \frac{160}{27} \pm \sqrt{(720t + \frac{160}{27})^2 - 4 \times \frac{21952}{729}}}{2}
= 360t + \frac{80}{27} \pm \sqrt{\frac{64}{3}(6075t^2 + 100t - 1)}.
Thus, if we choose +, and back-substitute:
\sqrt[\bigtriangleup_6]{t} = n = \sqrt{(h+\frac{28}{9h} + \frac{35}{12}} - \frac{5}{2} where
h = \sqrt[3]{360t + \frac{80}{27} + \sqrt{\frac{64}{3}(6075t^2 + 100t - 1)}}
8-Dimensional Hypertetrahedral Roots
t = \bigtriangleup_8(n) = \dbinom{n+7}{8}
leads to
0 = n^8 + 28 n^7 + 322 n^6 + 1960 n^5 + 6769 n^4 + 13132 n^3 + 13068 n^2 + 5040 n - 40320 t.
Depress with n=m-\frac{7}{2}:
0 = m^8 - 21m^6 + \frac{987}{8}m^4 + \frac{3229}{16}m^2 + (\frac{11025}{256} - 40320t)
which is just a quartic in m^2, so depress again with m^2 = k + \frac{21}{4}:
0 = k^4 - 42 k^2 - 64 k + (105 -40320t).
This is
0 = k^4 + c k^2 + b k + a
with
c = -42, b = -64 and a = 105 - 40320 t.
Note that we know \langle c, b, a \rangle.
We try to factor this as a biquadratic:
0 = k^4 + c k^2 +b k + a
= (k^2 + p k + s)(k^2 + q k + r)
0 = k^4 + (p+q) k^3 + (pq+r+s) k^2 + (pr+qs) k + rs.
Comparing coefficients, we thus have:
0 = p+q;
c = pq+r+s;
b = pr+qs; and
a = rs.
Therefore
q = -p;
c = r+s-p^2, so r+s = c+p^2;
b = p(r-s), so r-s = b/p.
We also have
s = \frac{1}{2}(c+p^2-b/p);
r = \frac{1}{2}(c+p^2+b/p);
so if we find p, we will have \langle p, q, r, s \rangle,
and we can then obtain k from 0 = (k^2 + p k + s) and 0 = (k^2 + q k + r):
k = \dfrac{-p \pm \sqrt{p^2 - 4s}}{2} or \dfrac{-q \pm \sqrt{q^2 - 4r}}{2}.
Now,
(c+p^2)^2 = (r+s)^2 = r^2 + s^2 + 2rs, and
(b/p)^2 = (r-s)^2 = r^2 + s^2 - 2rs; so
4a = 4rs = (c+p^2)^2 - (b/p)^2.
Multiplying that by p^2 and rearranging, we have
0 = p^6 + 2c p^4 + (c^2 - 4a) p^2 - b^2
= p^6 - 84p^4 + 1344(120t+1)p^2 - 4096.
This is just a cubic in p^2, so we can depress this with p^2 = h+28:
0 = h^3 + 1008(160t-1)h + 1152(3920t-9).
Substitute h = g - \dfrac{336(160t-1)}{g}, then multiply by g^3:
0 = g^6 + v g^3 + w where
v = 1152(3290t - 9), and
w = - (336(160t - 1))^3.
And, that is just a quadratic in g^3.
So: g = \sqrt[3]{\dfrac{-v \pm \sqrt{v^2 - 4w}}{2}}.
Now, we just back-substitute to p, solve the two quadratics, and back-substitute to n. At various stages, there are multiple, complex roots, thus each must be tried.
The overall solution in this case is fairly complicated, but it does exist.
3 Responses to "Hypertetrahedral Polytopic Roots"
 1. Randolph Says:
 _URL_
 2. Heritier Says:
 I like this article. I just want to let you know that there is no need to make individual formula for each level of the simplexes. I have developed a general formula which works for all of them and gives the exact roots. By the way, I am an undergraduate studying mathematics in London.
 - Rob Says:
 Thanks for your comment. I'd be interested in seeing the details. I'd be especially interested to know whether the (general) formulae are soluble by radicals.
 If you have any notes on-line, could you provide a link?
 Thanks.
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text:
Texas Wild-rice (Zizania texana)
- Texas Status
- U.S. Status
- Endangered, Listed 4/26/1978
- Texas wild-rice has long green leaves up to 45 inches in length and 1/4 to 1 inch wide. Rice "seeds" are black or brown.
- Life History
- Texas wild-rice is an aquatic perennial grass found only in the upper two miles of the San Marcos River in central Texas. It is related to the wild-rice grown for human food. On a sunny day, this plant's bright green leaves can be seen waving in the current near the river bottom in areas where the water is clean and clear. This plant is endangered because the river water is being impacted by the growth of the city of San Marcos and increasing numbers of people swimming, canoeing, and tubing the river. Because more people are using water, less underground water is flowing from the springs. Nutria, a non-native rodent that lives in wetland areas, is also a threat because it eats the wild-rice.
- This plant grows in clear flowing spring-fed waters.
- This species grows in the San Marcos River in Hays County, central Texas; Edwards Plateau region. Currently, only one population is known.
- You can help save this plant by not pulling it up or disturbing it. Do your part to conserve water and keep the San Marcos River clean.


text:
USB 1.1 Plug-In
Model No. PL0USBP000100
The SLS USB Plug-In for CDLogic is a software addition along with a hardware accessory that can be used with the sampling and triggering features of CDLogic to analyze the USB 1.1 bus protocol.
- Easy configuration :
- One can locate and study errors:
- Additionally, one can use the hardware dongle provided to debug the system and study the protocol by capturing and displaying individual signals on CDLogic.


Calcium silicate against clay brick masonry: an experimental comparison of the in-plane behaviour during light damage
Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review
25 Downloads (Pure)
Abstract
The north of the Netherlands is prone to frequent, light earthquakes linked to economical losses and societal unrest due to the induced seismicity in the region. These light earthquakes produce correspondingly low values of in-plane drift on the typical masonry structures of the region, many of which are built with cavity walls composed of an inner, load-bearing calcium-silicate masonry leaf, and an outer, exposed fired-clay masonry veneer. To assess the resulting damage from the lighter earthquakes, it is thus necessary to understand the difference in behaviour of the inner and the outer masonry leaves when exposed to the same drift values. Experimental tests of replicated, full-scale calcium-silicate brick walls and spandrels are detailed herein and compared to previously tested clay masonry samples. A purposely developed, scalar damage parameter is used to assess the width, number and length of the cracks to objectively quantify damage. High resolution digital image correlation is used to accurately monitor the initiation and propagation of cracks. The experiments reveal that calcium-silicate samples exhibit slightly greater damage than clay samples when subjected to the same in-plane drift. From the tests, drift values for light damage or 'damage state one' are set between 0.15 and 0.65‰ for the type of wall tested. Moreover, in these tests, cracks in calcium-silicate samples were significantly more likely to split brick units, whereas cracks in the type of clay samples employed, always followed the masonry joints. This fundamental difference in the light-damage behaviour between the two materials is of importance when considering the perception of damage, the strategies and cost of the repairs, and the strategies for strengthening of masonry structures with cavity walls resembling the type of masonry tested herein.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2759–2781
Number of pages23
JournalBulletin of Earthquake Engineering
Volume18
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020
Keywords
 - Calcium silicate
 - Clay masonry
 - Cracks
 - DIC
 - Light damage
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text:
Is EDM right for 2-axis metal cutoff?
Many people look at the topic of wire EDM cutting in terms of how the method stacks up against laser cutting, 3D manufacturing, or traditional machining for multi-axis shaping of metal. But for us at Metal Cutting Corporation — and our customers — the topic of wire EDM cutting pros and cons is all about 2-axis cutoff and how the EDM method compares with other 2-axis precision metal cutting options.
Wire EDM Cutting Advantages
With the wire EDM cutting process, controlled and rapidly repeating electrical charges are used to remove material from electrically conductive materials. It is a very precise method for the right applications, such as for 2-axis cutting of small parts with tight tolerances at high volumes. For example, for mass production of pins, probes, and other small, solid metal parts with diameters under 0.020" (0.50 mm), wire EDM can deliver:
- Highly repeatable lengths without end deformation, distortion, or delamination
- Far better cost-effectiveness than a method such as laser cutting
For small diameter solids, wire EDM cutting also offers extremely high measures of central tendency, for remarkably high Ppk/Cpk values. For example, EDM not only can cut a precious metal wire of 0.004" (0.1 mm) diameter to a length of 1" (25 mm), but also can do so while achieving a length tolerance of ±0.001", radiused ends, and a Ppk well over the standard minimum of 1.33.
Wire EDM can cut diameters ranging from a few thousandths of an inch to several inches, to lengths from 0.5" (12 mm) to 18.0" (450 mm) and with high dimensional accuracy. Because it does not involve a wheel or saw teeth, the wire EDM cut procedure generally does not leave any burrs, and the kerf width is usually 0.004" to 0.012" (0.1 to 0.3 mm).
Wire EDM cutting is alsoversatile in the hardness of the conductive metals it can cut with relative ease, ranging from copper to the hardest materials including molybdenum and tungsten. EDM also gives a natural radius to the end cut; this may or may not be an advantage, depending on the application.
The most widely known negative is that wire EDM cutting is still an extremely slow method. Modern EDM machines with AWT (automatic wire threading) and CNC capability can be programmed to work "lights out," to help mitigate the slow cutting speed. However, for very high volumes of parts with diameters larger than 0.020″ (0.5 mm), a method such as thin-wheel abrasive cutting might be preferred.
Due to the nature of wire EDM cutting — removing material by using rapidly repeating, controlled electrical charges along a strand of metal wire — the method is limited to electrically conductive materials. Therefore, any material that is a composite or coated with a dielectric is not feasible for EDM.
The total EDM environment — including the wire, deionized water, and workpiece — is charged. The wire's repeated electrical discharges can heat the target area of the workpiece to thousands of degrees. This can result in thermal stress to neighboring portions and cause some amount of waste. The wire itself also suffers damage, so the EDM machine must constantly feed new wire.
Depending on the metal being cut, another disadvantage of wire EDM cutting is that an oxide layer can form on the cut surface. This may require secondary cleaning, which adds to cost.
Wire EDM cutting is best for materials that are solid, so the method is not a good choice for cutoff of tubing. To maintain conductivity, the parts to be cut using EDM must be held firmly in place. This creates significant risk of deformation to tubing. It can also cause the cutting wire to contact the workpiece — shorting out the cut, causing the cutting wire to break, and possibly causing a "step" in the workpiece.
Although you can fixture a tube can so that it rotates in the EDM machine, the method is optimized for more complex shapes and not cost-effective for simple 2-axis cutoff of tubing. In addition, the wire EDM method cannot do very short cutoffs, under 0.125" (3.175 mm), and does not produce quality cut end surface finishes. In fact, wire EDM cutting can result in surface roughness that is often characterized as "craters of the moon"!
So for applications such as medical device tubing that must be cut to very short lengths and have a very smooth end finish, a method such as thin-wheel abrasive metal cutting would deliver the necessary tight tolerance, burr-free results and a clean end cut without tube wall deformation.
A Myriad Of Options
Clearly, there are many advantages and disadvantages to wire EDM cutting as well as the other precision cutting methods that might be considered. So, does EDM make sense for 2-axis cutoff of small parts?
It depends! That's because the efficacy of ANY cutting method can vary greatly depending on the material you use and the desired results. Making the right choice requires an in-depth understanding of your application, its parameters, and the product's end use.
How does wire EDM cutting compare with other precision metal cutting methods? Keep reading to find out.


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these categories: (1) most inspiring, compelling, and engaging, (2) most unique perspective, (3) strongest call to action. Submission deadline is February 27, 2015 "
ACTION: Due Date: now
- Your input needed on shaping Western New York trails for the future, a future when less greenhouse gas emissions for transportation is a must. Help shape western New York's trail network "The Genesee Transportation Council (GTC) is updating its trails plan for the Genesee Finger Lakes Region and wants your input. This is your opportunity to help further shape a truly regional, interconnected trail network for Monroe, Genesee, Orleans, Livingston, Wyoming, Ontario, Wayne, Seneca, and Yates Counties. Use the short needs assessment survey and online interactive map to provide feedback on existing and planned trails and ideas for new connections and other corridors or locations for future trail development. The map even lets you see what others have already suggested. "
ACTION: Due Date: Now
- Please make comment on a Strategic Plan for Transportation in the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region through 2040. Transportation issues are strongly related to Climate Change because our transportation infrastructure (roads and bridges) is extremely vulnerable to extreme weather—heat, flooding, and very expensive to repair. Most of your transportation dollars ($15 billion annually in New York State) go to keeping this vast system in repair, and now it must do so in a time of warming. If the public doesn't urge our transportation authorities to strongly make our system more robust and resilient, and provide more and more access to alternative transportation (bicycling and walking) in a time of increased extreme weather, the transportation system as a whole might be in jeopardy. We have many bridges and roads and disrepair already and much will have to be done at a high cost to ready the transportation system to Climate Change. More folks walking and bicycling would reduce the amount of infrastructure wear (after they are built) more safety, and a lot less greenhouse gas emissions. Without public support for this increase attention to our transportation infrastructure it may compromise our most robust and viable adaptation efforts in our region. All climate studies in this region call for major updating and repair of our transportation infrastructures. Transportation Survey: Genesee Transportation Council wants your input Work is underway for develop strategies that will guide investments in transportation for the NEXT 25 YEARS – a Strategic Plan for Transportation in the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region through 2040. You can help by 1. Taking a Brief 5 Minute Survey at _URL_ 2. Go to the Public Input Map at _URL_-lrtp-2040/p-71950 and add any comments you have/show what projects you feel would be beneficial.
ACTION: Due Date: Now
- Interested in the water quality of our rivers and streams and want to get trained to help monitor them? "Reminder -- Volunteers for Stream and River Monitoring Wanted: DEC is looking for citizen scientist volunteers for stream and river monitoring as part of the Water Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators (WAVE) project. Volunteers visit stream sites once between July and September to collect macroinvertebrates -- insects and other small organisms -- from the rocks and rubble on the stream bottom. In 2014, volunteers can participate by joining a local WAVE group led by a trained local coordinator, or by sampling independently. Volunteers working under a trained local coordinator do not need to attend a training session; however, volunteers who want to work independently must attend a training session. WAVE training sessions rotate around the state on a five-year schedule, targeting those basins that will be sampled by DEC's Stream Biomonitoring Unit the following year. Three training sessions remain for 2014: June 14 in Esperance, June 21 in Wyoming and June 29 in New Hartford. " (June 13, 2014) The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
ACTION: Due Date: Now:
- Give Feedback to open.ny.gov! Back in March of 2013, Governor Cuomo Launches Open.NY.Gov Providing Public Unprecedented User-Friendly Access to Federal, State and Local Data "Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today launched "open.ny.gov," a new and comprehensive state data transparency website that provides - for the first time - user-friendly, one-stop access to data from New York State agencies, localities, and the federal government. The website, featuring economic development, health, recreation, and public services information, was unveiled today during Sunshine Week, a nationwide initiative designed to raise awareness about the importance of open government." open.ny.gov is now up and running and filled with a lot of data, most of not really helpful in learning about the state of our environment. This data site is a good start, but it could use some more datasets focused on information we need to monitor the health of our New York State environment—especially as Climate Change affects our state. Consider giving open.ny.gov suggestions on new datasets, like Brownfield sites that need cleaning up, what kind of toxins are still the in Genesee River, where are all the landfills, what routes to hazardous materials take through our state, in what areas are folks getting cancer and what kind of cancers, and a lot more. Give Feedback to open.ny.gov!
ACTION: Due Date: Now.
- Chance to volunteer and help largest wetland in Northeast. "Montezuma Audubon Center Seeks Volunteers Savannah, NY - September 20 - The Montezuma Audubon Center (MAC), located at 2295 State Route 89 in Savannah, is seeking volunteers to strengthen the current staff's ability to fulfill Audubon's mission in conservation. The MAC is dedicated toward providing opportunities for youth, families, and communities to connect to conservation and enhance the Montezuma Wetlands Complex as an Important Bird Area. We are looking for volunteers interested in routinely supporting day to day needs as an information desk receptionist, animal caretaker for our live reptiles and amphibians, and office supporter to help with clerical tasks. Please call Chris Lajewski at _PHONE_ or e-mail _EMAIL_ for more information or to sign up today! "
ACTION: Due Date: Now
- New website by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to demand clean energy and do away with dirty energy to prevent more Climate Change. "Tell President Obama to reject the climate-destroying, Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and lead the way to a clean energy future instead. " DemandCleanPower.org
- ACTION : Due Date Now:
- Join the New York Water Sentinels stream team! Training provided periodically. Sentinels test and document stream quality now, so future effects from gas drilling are more easily identified. Water Sentinels has trained over 100 citizens to use simple scientific methods to evaluate stream quality. With stream information (such as stream depth and conductivity), we can help regulators recognize trends and address problems. For more information: _EMAIL_ | or FaceBook
Due Date: Now
- Thinking it's about time to do something on a big scale to combat Climate Change? Think about joining Citizen's Climate Lobby. Here's what Dr. James Hansen, head of Goddard Institute for Space Studies, NASA say's "Most impressive is the work of Citizens Climate Lobby, a relatively new, fastgrowing, nonpartisan, nonprofit group with 60 chapters across the United States and Canada. If you want to join the fight to save the planet, to save creation for your grandchildren, there is no more effective step you could take than becoming an active member of this group." The contact information for the local Rochester group: _EMAIL_ We meet monthly, and people can contact us for more info on getting involved!
- ACTION: Due Date Now
- Don't need those massive phone books? Just throw them away because you're a digital kind of person? Opt out of getting those phone books, easy peasy, and save trees . Phone Book Opt-Out Program Gives Choice to Consumers Did you know you can control how many phone books you get every year, or whether you get one at all? In the age of smart phones and Wi-Fi, the way people search for information is changing. For many, online search options are the new go-to for finding contact information to local residences or businesses. That means when a printed phone book arrives on your doorstep, it might go to waste. Find your local recycle solution for Phone Books So why do phone books continue to show up? According to the Local Search Association, 70 percent of consumers still prefer to receive a printed phone book every year. (November 20, 2012) Earth 911 [more on Recycling in our area]
ACTION: Due Date: Now!
- Can you imagine what our world would look like if everyone used their smartphones to report environmental crimes? Healthier! Become an environmental crime stopper Polluting a stream and getting away with it? Violating the Clean Air Act without detection? Now, anyone with a smartphone can help bust abusers of the environment. New York State Crime Stoppers announced a new phone app that makes it very easy for people to instantly report environmental crimes to the appropriate agency. Cellfare created the app in collaboration with Crime Stoppers, Waterkeeper Alliance, state police and local law enforcement agencies across the state. (November 21, 2012) Investigative Post
ACTION: Due Date: Now
- As Climate Change increase the changes of combined sewer overflows due to increase frequency of heavy rain fall in the spring, this issue will become more critical. We must plan for this and it will be expensive, but more so if we wait. Take action here: Help Keep Sewage Out of the Great Lakes Billions of gallons of combined raw sewage and storm runoff are dumped into the Great Lakes each year. Raw sewage, trash and personal hygiene products —


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I am currently developing an application that requires to display raster images over a period of time (I'm looking how Hurrican Sandy progressed). While investigating, people have suggested that I could use a WCS service and view it on a viewer. We are currently using Google Maps API.
My question is, how can I publish these rasters in a WCS service (or relevant format) that can allow a viewer to loop through all images. Is there a standard practice everyone follows to accomplish this? I have knowledge using ArcGIS 9.3 Desktop/Server, ArcGIS Flex Viewer, and QGIS.
I appreciate any information regarding this topic or tutorials (haven't found any good ones yet). The images are geotiffs.
Thanks in advance!
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3 Answers 3
I suspect that you might actually want a WMS rather than a WCS (since you say raster images rather that raster data, and are currently using Google maps).
If all you want to do is display the images over time (using a slider or some such to control the time) then Openlayers and almost any WMS (GeoServer, MapServer, ArcServer etc.) will handle this.
See these openlayers example (which could use some UI love but shows the idea).
(The first example depends on this openlayers addin: _URL_ )
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You might look at this weather widget. I know they load separate layers for each image and play through those layers to get the effect you are talking about. Flex 2.1 - 3.0 weather widget on arcgis.com.
And for flex 3.1 weather widget on arcgis.com. +1 iant for WMS. That is what is used here.
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VISI offers a unique combination of applications, fully integrated wireframe, surface, and solid modeling, extensive 2D, 3D, and 5-axis machining strategies with special high-speed routines. Industry-specific applications for designing stamping and deep-draw dies with step-
by-step unfolding for the method provide the toolmaker with unparalleled productivity. Setting up a strip is achieved in a very short time through a straightforward step-by-step method.
VISI Progress is an intuitive tool used for developing flat blanks, 3D strip layouts, and designing progressive dies and press tools.
VISI Progress offers the following benefits:
- Part investigation + bend analysis
- Automatic calculation of the blank
- Bend and shear calculations
- Definition of the follow-on steps
- Simulation of the deep-drawing process
The powerful unfolding tool VISI Progress can unfold both surface and solid models using a
robust geometry-based unfolding algorithm. The developed blank is based on a neutral fiber
model calculated by choosing one of the standard offset ratios or by using an automatic
formula for the neutral axis. Step-by-step unfolding allows the designer to plan each forming
stage by dynamically adjusting bend angles. It is possible to include parametric features such
as ribs and protruding parts that can be activated or deactivated during the forming stage if
necessary. Flexible processing allows for the removal or addition of extra steps, giving the
user complete freedom for unfolding experiments.
When a sheet metal component is removed from the die, and the forming forces are released, the material's elasticity will cause the part's geometry to resiliently spring back. The springback prediction tool utilizes the initial nominal part, material data, and blank calculation to generate a second mesh of the product geometry, including adjustments for springback. The designer can then use the relative compensation tool to apply a deformation on the original surface to generate compensated surfaces, producing an accurately formed sheet metal component. This will provide significant benefits by reducing the time of the 'design to production' process and minimizing the costs of the usual trial-and-error approach of this lengthy process.
When validating the part for formability, a new graphical analysis mode will categorize the results into six possible zones that occur during the forming process:
- Strong tendency for wrinkles: Slight stretching in one direction and compression in the other with thickening of the material. Wrinkles are highly likely to occur.
- Tendency for wrinkles: Stretching in one direction and compression in the other with slight thickening of the material. Wrinkles may occur.
- Low stretch: Minimal stretching or compression in both the major and minor directions.
- Safe: Area below the forming limit curve where failure is unlikely.
- Margin: Area between the safe and failure zones where the forming process is marginally safe.
- Failure: Area above the forming limit curve where splitting is likely (local thinning).
With the developed blank part, it is possible to quickly formulate a 3D strip layout. Automatic blank alignment, rotation, and optimization assist in planning a more efficient strip. The design and layout of the punch become more effective with the use of the automatic 2D strip plan, including fold lines. Various automatic and semi-automatic tools aid in creating shear punches that, once created, can be dynamically moved to different stages in the strip using drag and drop. Placing 3D folding stages in the strip is a seamless process, and the strip can easily be updated to accommodate a reduction or increase in the number of stages. At any time, it is possible to access all strip parameters, including strip width and pitch, for essential adjustments when needed. The 3D strip can be simulated at any time to check the validity and performance of the design.
VISI Machining 2D offers a practical, intuitive, and simple solution for CNC programming, including indexing for 4 and 5 axes. Knowledge-based feature recognition will automatically select features directly on fixed geometry and generate reliable milling and drilling toolpaths.
The machining of highly complex 3D parts is addressed by VISI Machining 3D. Smart tool paths are created for the most intricate 3D components. With specific techniques for high-speed milling and built-in smoothing algorithms, highly efficient NC code is generated. Thanks to these intelligent tool paths, cycle times on the machine are reduced, productivity is enhanced, and consistently high-quality components are produced.


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Adding movement to mental rehearsal can improve performance finds a study in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions. For high jumpers the study shows that dynamic imagery improves the number of successful attempts and the technical performance of jumps.
The technique of mental rehearsal is used to consolidate performance in many disciplines including music and sport. Motor imagery and physical practice use overlapping neural networks in the brain and the two together can improve performance as well as promoting recovery from injury. Researchers from the Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation sur le Sport found that adding simple movements to mental rehearsal could further improve performance by a third.
When they looked at the rates of 'hit' or'miss' for high jumpers taught to use either internal visual imagery or external visual imagery (such as mimicking the arm movements during the jump), the researchers found that while mental rehearsal improved performance by 35%, mental rehearsal plus 'dry run' movements increased performance by 45%. Dynamic imagery scored the highest for all measured aspects of the jump including approach, curve, impulsion, and bar clearance. It also shortened the number of jumps required
Prof Aymeric Guillot, who led the study, said, "Our study on high jumpers suggests that dynamic imagery may provide a training edge to professional and amateur athletes. This technique may also be of use to people in other disciplines where 'dry run' rehearsals are routinely used."
Dr Hilary Glover
Scientific Press Officer, BioMed Central
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3192 2370
Mob: +44 (0) _PHONE_
1. Moving while imagining as a new perspective for motor imagery practice: a within-subjects design Aymeric Guillot, Kevin Moschberger and Christian Collet
Behavioral and Brain Functions (in press)
Please name the journal in any story you write. If you are writing for the web, please link to the article. All articles are available free of charge, according to BioMed Central's open access policy.
Article citation and URL available on request on the day of publication.
2. Behavioral and Brain Functions is an open access, peer-reviewed, online journal that encompasses all aspects of neurobiology where the unifying theme is behavior or behavioral dysfunction.
3. BioMed Central is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the STM sector. _USER_
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


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The key feature of a desert is its lack of water. But how do animals stay clean? They still need to get rid of dirt, germs, bugs and parasites.
This story began for me on the Continental Divide, the line of ranges that divide the Rocky Mountains watersheds into those that flow toward the Mississippi River and those that flow toward the Pacific Ocean. Standing on the back porch of my childhood home, the Continental Divide was a mere half mile north and was our playground. Regina, New Mexico lays at about 6000 foot elevation, 100 miles north of Albuquerque. Scrub brush fills this high desert area.
My father ran cattle, but he leased national forest lands to fatten up the spring calves and rounded them up for the sale ring before winter storms hit. Our most important asset was water rights to the Hatch Lake, which allowed some irrigation of fields and planting of some grasses.
I remember playing with horny toads, building corrals for them from scrap bits of wood. They always escaped, of course. It was a dry climate, with dusty roads, rare days of rain, and harsh winters.
Fast forward to a couple years ago when I heard about birds who anoint themselves with ants to get rid of parasites. What? This is strange, but true. For over 100 years, naturalists have observed birds that stand on an ant nest and let ants swarm over them. Studies have revealed that birds are allowing ants to carry off parasites. Other birds will locate an ant nest, then pick up an ant in its beak, crush it and use it as a washrag to clean its feathers. Scientists believe the formic acid from the ant acts as an antiseptic to kill and discourage parasites.
When I learned of this anointing behavior, I remembered the dry landscape of my childhood. I wondered what were some other ways that animals stayed clean? After a lot of research and multiple drafts, the result was Desert Baths, a companion book to my first nature book, Prairie Storms.
For both books, I wanted to do more than just talk about a species. Instead, I wanted to add an extra layer of information, while still keeping the story fun to read. For Prairie Storms, the extra layer was the variety of storms throughout a year. For Desert Baths, the extra layer is animal hygiene.
Take a peek at Desert Baths:
And Prairie Storms
Here are some possible discussion questions to share with your children after reading Desert Baths.
- Is regular hygiene easy or hard for you?
- Do you need to be reminded to brush your teeth?
- Do you resist baths?
- How would it affect your health if you didn't bathe and clean yourself regularly?
Published in eight languages, children's book author and writing teacher Darcy Pattison is the author of picture books and novels. Her three nature books include Prairie Storms (Sylvan Dell), Desert Baths (Sylvan Dell) and Wisdom, the Midway Albatross: Surviving the Japanese Tsunami and Other Disasters for over 60 Years (Mims House). For more, see her website.


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Optimal Collection of Data for Parameter Identificationby F. E. Udwadia, Univ of Southern California, Los, Angeles, CA, USA,
Document Type: Proceeding Paper
Part of: Dynamic Response of Structures
Abstract: In this paper, the author attempts to study the optimal spacing of measurements for a structural system modelled by a single-degree-of-freedom oscillator so that the variance of one or more of the parameters being identified is minimized. The study starts with a linear oscillator, and using Fourier transforms, derives a set of linear algebraic equations. The condition on the measurement frequencies so that the estimated variance of either the mass parameter, the stiffness parameter or the damping parameter is minimal is derived analytically. It is also found that there may exist a set of frequencies at which no additional information on that parameter is available, yielding no reduction in its estimated variance. The determination of the optimal measurement frequencies depends solely on the nature of the forcing function used in the identification procedure and are invariant with respect to the actual values of the parameters being estimated.
Subject Headings: Parameters (statistics) | Dynamic structural analysis | Oscillations | Linear analysis | Dynamic loads | Model analysis | Structural systems | Linear functions
Services: Buy this book/Buy this article
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Robots capable of switching between snake-like and bipedal motion have advantages of greater manoeuvrability. The ReBiS (Reconfigurable Bipedal Snake) robot is a novel modular design mechanism which can quickly transform between various configurations without rearrangement of modules. Reconfiguration without rearrangement has advantages of lighter weight, lower power consumption and higher efficiency, by eliminating the requirement of actuators and mechanisms needed for rearrangement. The video on the right, shows the gaits implemented on ReBiS. Possible gaits are divided into three categories; snake gaits, transforming gaits and walking gaits. An example gait, belonging each of the three categories, is implemented and presented here.
Our main objective was to design a modular mechanism which can transform from a snake configuration into a walking configuration without any detaching and attaching modules. This eliminates the need of additional actuators and mechanism for docking and undocking the modules. Using modular architecture makes it easy to replace modules or add additional ones to increase the Degrees of Freedoms (DoF).
The figure to the right shows the image of a pair of module of the ReBiS robot. It consists of a C-Clamp, Motor Clamp and a Dynamixel MX-28 Motor. The joint has a rotation angle of +-120 degrees. Each part is custom manufactured by our team on a CNC milling machine at FMS Lab, Mechanical Department of VNIT Nagpur, under Prof. Shital Chiddarwar. The images below show the ReBiS robot during manufacturing and assembly.
The figure on the left shows the software architecture of the ReBiS robot. The implementation of the upper block is done using ROS (Robot Operation System) on ubuntu 12.04 running on a laptop. ROS framework helps us in using multi-processing along with inter-process communication. The laptop is connected to a ARM cortex M4 processor, by Texas Instruments, which communicates with the Dynamixel motors. Each Dynamixel motor is connected to TIVA using UART in a daisy chain. The angles for each gait are calculated by the gait generator node, which sends messages to the communicator node. The communicator node sends the msges to TIVA over UART, which then sends the reference positions to each Dynamixel motor.
ReBiS: Re-configurable Bipedal Snake Robot is a modular open chain mechanism of a snake robot that can walk in multiple configurations. ReBiS achieves re-configuration without any re-arrangements of its modules. This paper introduces a novel optimization based approach to design 9-DOF walking gaits for ReBiS robot which can be used for tasks that are difficult for snake robots to perform such as stair climbing or passing over high obstacles, etc. The generated walking gait moves the centre of mass only in its double support phase, making it more stable. Experimental verification by testing the gait on ReBiS Lite Robot showed that high speed walking gait is generated without obtaining the zero moment point and the same algorithm can be used to generate keyframes for HEAD LOOK gait.
Developing an autonomous motion planning algorithm and doing SLAM:
The Rebis robot is mounted with a wireless stereo camera in its head and LiPo batteries in its tail to make it completely wireless. Hence it can be use for performing spying operations or creating a map of an unknown area. The challenge is to do make everything completely autonomous; such that the robot will decide which is the best configuration for locomotion in the given environment and the same time, dynamically create a map of the environment. We are currently testing our algorithm in a controlled in-door environments. The image on the right is the result of work done by Rohan Thakker for SLAM on ModSnake Robot under Prof. Howie Choset at Biorobotics Lab, CMU.
- Ajinkya Kamat
- Rohan Thakker
- Sachin Bharambe
- Prasad Vagdargi
- Sai Teja
- Akash Singh
- Anshul Paigwar
- Manish Maurya
- Shivam Shrivastav
- Prof. K. Bhurchandi(VNIT Nagpur)
- Prof. Shital Chiddarwar (VNIT Nagpur)


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Blue whiting is a species of the cod family that is widespread and common in the northeast Atlantic and in the Mediterranean. Smaller stocks are also found in the northwest Atlantic.
Blue whiting in the northeast Atlantic is regarded as one management unit but consists of two main components, one northerly and one southerly with a rough separation line on the Porcupine Bank west of Ireland. Some Norwegian Fjords and the Barents Sea have local stock components, even if the relatively large amount of blue whiting seen in the Barents Sea in later years belongs to the large Atlantic main stock.
Blue whiting is one of the most abundant fish stocks in the semi-pelagic water masses of the northeast Atlantic. The species is most common at 100-600 m depth, but is also found close to the surface in parts of the day and close to the bottom in shallow waters. It is observed as deep as 900 m.
The food of blue whiting consist mainly of crustaceans as krill and amphipods, and larger fish feeds also on smaller fish species, also included young blue whiting. Sometimes the blue whiting is found to have food competition with herring and mackerel. This is most common in young blue whiting (0- and 1-group), which is found at shallower depths than the adults. Some fish predators and sea mammals feed on blue whiting, and it is an important part of the food for saithe, Greenland halibut and pilot whale.
Adult blue whiting migrates every winter to the spawning areas west of the British Isles. Eggs and larvae are transported by currents, and the drift pattern varies from year to year. Larvae from the spawning west of Ireland can end both in the Norwegian Sea and in Bay of Biscay. The most important feeding and nursery area is the Norwegian Sea.
Blue whiting in more languages:
- Latin: Micromesistius poutassou
- Norwegian: Kolmule
- French: Merlan bleu/poutassou
- German: Blauer Wittling
- Spanish: Bacaladilla
- Russian: Putassu
- Finish: Mustakitaturska
- Dutch: Blauwe wijting