text:
Soil-aquifer treatment (SAT) of wastewater is an increasingly valued practice for replenishing aquifers due to ease of operation and low maintenance needs and therefore low cost. In this study, we investigated the fate of endotoxins through laboratory-scale SAT soil columns over a four month period. The effluent of rapid sand filtration was run through the columns under gravity flow conditions. Four SAT columns were packed with four different filter materials (fine sand, medium sand, coarse sand and very coarse sand). The effluent of rapid sand filtration (average dissolved organic carbon (DOC) = 4 mg l−1 and average endotoxin concentration = 4 EU ml−1) was collected from a domestic wastewater treatment plant in Sapporo, Japan. DOC removal ranged from 12.5% to greater than 22.5% during the study, with DOC levels averaging 3.1 and 3.5 mg l−1 for the SAT columns packed with different soils. Endotoxin transformation exhibited different profiles, depending on the time and soil type. Reduction in endotoxin concentration averaged 64.3% and was as high as 86.7% across the soil columns 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. While DOC removal was gradual, the reductions in endotoxin levels were rather rapid and most of the removal was achieved in the top layers. Soil with a larger grain size had lower efficiency in removing endotoxin. Tests were performed to evaluate the transformation of organic matter showing endotoxicity and to determine the mechanisms responsible for changes in the structural and size properties of dissolved organic matter (OM) during SAT. Dissolved OM was fractionated using Sep-Pack C18 Cartridges into hydrophobic and hydrophilic fractions. Dialysis tubes with different molecular weight cut-offs were used to perform size fractions of OM showing endotoxicity. Evaluation of the transformation of organic matter showing endotoxicity during SAT indicated that both hydrophobic and large molecules were reduced. Moreover, experimental findings showed that adsorption test data fit to the Freundlich isotherm and were affected by the particle grain size with higher adsorption capacity for fine and medium sand.
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text:
Spanish senior organisation warns about growing share of older people with disabilities & increasing loneliness
Photo europapress - from 65YMÁS
On the occasion of the 'International Day of Persons with Disabilities' last 3rd December 2019, the Spanish confederation of older people's organisations CEOMA warned, in an article for the Spanish magazine 65YMÁS, about an increasing number of older people with disabilities and in situation of loneliness and isolation in Spain.
Like in other EU countries, the Spanish population is getting older. To adapt to that situation, CEOMA asks for promoting and guaranteeing preventive actions that foster active and healthy ageing. They also call for allowing the assistance resources needed to guarantee adequate quality of life for people with disabilities.
There are currently 9 million older persons in Spain and around four million persons with disabilities, around 56% of whom are older persons. By 2050, the United Nations ranks Spain as the second oldest country in the world after Japan. For CEOMA, the ageing phenomenon can clearly not be ignored, neither can the link between ageing and disability. Accessibility will therefore be essential to ensure older persons' day-to-day participation in society and quality of life. Furthermore, implementing accessibility solutions would lead to more enjoyment of leisure time in older age, which would have a positive impact on the country's economy.
'At the same time, we must seek to make society aware of the need for a change in mentality towards older people with disability and the isolation experienced by many of them', further highlighted CEOMA. 'This is an issue that requires the involvement of everyone'.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
|نسخه تمام متن
|11 صفحه PDF
Underground concrete structures composed of flat slab-column connections are sensitive to punching failure at ambient temperatures. During fire, however, due to the restraint of thermal curvatures an increase of the punching load can occur, possibly leading to premature collapse. In this paper, this problem is studied numerically by the combination of CFD and mechanical finite element analysis, whereas further considerations are developed by the use of plasticity theory. The basis for the fire scenario used in the analysis is found in the literature as a real fire. The Belgium standard NBN S 21-208-2 for the design of the ventilation system in underground car parks with respect to car fires is used as well. The dimensions of the underground car park are based on a real fire accident that occurred in Gretzenbach, where the structure actually failed due to punching following a rather small fire. In the analysis, special attention is given to the increase of the axial load on the slab-column connection with temperature. For the mechanical properties and boundary conditions assumed, it is found that during fire the axial load may increase with a factor which, at least in the worst cases, can be close to the safety factor found from large scale fire tests.
► The structural stability of a car park is studied with combined CFD-FE analysis.
► Due to restraint forces, the column load increases to punching failure values.
► The load increase is highest for the fire sequence started in the middle car.
Journal: Fire Safety Journal - Volume 57, April 2013, Pages 96–106

source: m-a-p/FineFineWeb


DTAM
DTAM: Dense tracking and mapping in real-time. DTAM is a system for real-time camera tracking and reconstruction which relies not on feature extraction but dense, every pixel methods. As a single hand-held RGB camera flies over a static scene, we estimate detailed textured depth maps at selected keyframes to produce a surface patchwork with millions of vertices. We use the hundreds of images available in a video stream to improve the quality of a simple photometric data term, and minimise a global spatially regularised energy functional in a novel non-convex optimisation framework. Interleaved, we track the camera's 6DOF motion precisely by frame-rate whole image alignment against the entire dense model. Our algorithms are highly parallelisable throughout and DTAM achieves real-time performance using current commodity GPU hardware. We demonstrate that a dense model permits superior tracking performance under rapid motion compared to a state of the art method using features; and also show the additional usefulness of the dense model for real-time scene interaction in a physics-enhanced augmented reality application.


text: Cell permeabilization by shock waves may have application in gene therapy and anticancer drug delivery. In the present study we performed direct molecular dynamic (MD) simulation of the interaction of a single shock wave with a cell membrane to investigate the mechanism of the cell permeabilization. The shock wave was characterized by an impulse that was expressed with a velocity determined by the change in the momentum. The cell membrane was designed as a dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) lipid bilayer placed between two layers of water molecules. The MD simulation determined the relationship between water penetration into the bilayer, the order parameter, the fluidity of each lipid molecule, and the intensity of impulse. These structural changes in the bilayer may be an important factor in the use of shock waves to produce transient membrane permeability.


text:
What is a wet snow?
Hi, everyone! I noticed there is a precipitation type called wet snow, as shown in the figure below. This is a new term for me. I'd like to ask what is a wet snow? What's the difference between normal snow and wet snow? How to predict wet snow in Windy?
Gkikas LGPZ Moderator last edited by
I copy from _URL_
"Wet snow is great for making snow balls and it is a sticky snow.
Dry snow is powdery, easily blown around by the wind and is not sticky."
I noticed there is no such wet snow in GFS model, so this is only contained in the ECMWF data?
As I searched the posts, I found your proposal which ask the windy developers do improve ECMWF meteogram by involving PTYPE Precipitation type (ID: 260015 GRIB2) and SF Snow fall (ID:144).
The description is here:
Describes the type of precipitation at the surface at the validity time. A precipitation type is assigned wherever there is a non-zero value of precipitation in the model output field (however small). The precipitation type should be used together with the precipitation rate to provide for example indication of potential freezing rain events. Precipitation type (0-8) uses WMO Code Table 4.201
Values of ptype defined in the IFS:
0 = No precipitation
1 = Rain
3 = Freezing rain (i.e. supercooled)
5 = Snow
6 = Wet snow (i.e. starting to melt)
7 = Mixture of rain and snow
8 = Ice pellets


text:
French cement producers plan to increase the use of alternative fuels from 44 % of the fuel mix to 50 %, by 2025. To support this initiative, they aim, in collaboration with construction and recycling trade organisations, to double the amount of wood waste used in the energy supply of cement plants. The part of the wood demolition waste that is not recovered but simply landfilled as there is no recycling option, represents 500 ktpa. French cement producers plan to increase energy substitution by using 90 ktpa of those. In this context, a Green Deal has been signed by the French Ministry for Environment, the French Ministry for Industry, and the project stakholders.
Main activity field:
- Development of biomass use in cement industry;
- Reduction of fossil fuel consumption;
- Reduction of CO2 emissions;
- Reduction of landfilling.


text:
Online United States of America
Krypto Labs, the global innovation hub with a unique ecosystem for funding groundbreaking startups, is announcing Drone X Challenge (DXC); a US $1.5+ Million global challenge (US$1 Million Final Prize and US$500,000+ in R&D Grants) that is pushing the frontiers of R&D and innovation in drone technologies.
DXC aims at accelerating the practical deployment of drones in key applications focusing on transportation and delivery. DXC will support innovative solutions that tackle two major challenges: payload capacity, and flight endurance.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Drone X Challenge has two categories:
- Fixed Wing Drones
- Multi-Rotors Drones
Points will be awarded based on the technical and commercial capabilities of the drones meeting or exceeding the Drone X Challenge requirements. Bonus points will be accredited to innovative commercial applications demonstrating:
- Advanced Control Systems
- State-of-the-Art Avionics
- Swift Maneuverability
- Fault Tolerance
- Autonomous Navigation
THE 3 PHASES
The overall challenge timeline is divided into 3 phases and a final event. During the challenge, teams will have to design, develop and demonstrate their drone systems according to the specifications of the chosen category.
- Phase I – Drone Design Proposal: this phase requires to provide a technical proposal.
- Phase II – Develop an MVP: this phase requires to provide a technical document demonstrating an MVP and a video demonstrating a functional drone based on the proposed design.
- Phase III – Demonstrate: this phase requires to provide a technical document detailing an MVP that achieves a minimum criteria as per subcategory and a video demonstrating the MVP capabilities.
Teams that did not apply to Phase I or Phase II can apply directly to Phase III.
- October 2, 2018: Applications open for Phase I
- January 10, 2019 Application deadline for Phase I
- May 2019: Announcement of R&D winners for Phase I and Applications open for Phase II
- December 2019: Applications deadline for Phase II
- March 2020: Announcement of R&D winners for Phase II and applications open for Phase III
- July 2020: Applications close for Phase III
- August 2020: Announcement of finalists
- Q4 2020: Final day event
Opportunity is About:
Candidates should be from:
Description of Ideal Candidate:
DXC 2020 is open to entrepreneurs, start-ups, R&Ds, university students and companies. The winner should offer an innovative, inventive, or disruptive product/service, which is agile, original, and has scalable commercial applications.
Deadline: July 15, 2020
Cost/funding for participants:
US$1 Million Final Prize and US$500,000+ in R&D Grants.


The Difference Between Silicone and Saline Breast Implants
difference-between-saline-and-silicone
If you are looking into a breast augmentation procedure, one of the greatest decisions you must make is whether to go with silicone or saline breast implants. Board certified plastic surgeon in Fort Lauderdale, Dr. Wigoda, would like to inform you that there are many factors worth considering before making your decision. Each implant has its pros and cons, but the decision is ultimately up to you.
First and foremost, the difference between silicone and saline implants is what goes inside the shell. The breast implant shell is made up of solid silicone.

Saline Implants
are filled with sterile saline or salt water. If the shell of a saline implant ruptures, the solution is absorbed into the body and the implant will deflate. They are surgically inserted while they are empty, and are then filled with the saline solution after the insertion. This gives the plastic surgeon in Fort Lauderdale the ability to create a relatively small incision site. This also allows the surgeon to increase or decrease breast volume to their discretion in order to achieve symmetry. Saline is available to women ages 18 years and older. If someone is considering a saline implant, it is best if the patient is at least a B cup of natural breast tissue. Saline implants may ripple, which is typically seen on the outer part of the breast. Rippling is more commonly seen in patients who do not have a lot of breast tissue covering the implant. Saline implants also tend to be firmer than silicone gel implants. They are less expensive than silicone implants.
Silicone Implants
were taken off the market at one point in time, but a new generation of silicone was produced and became approved for general use again in the year 2006. These implants are particularly good for women who are going in to the surgery with very little breast tissue. The difference between silicone and saline implants is that silicone gives a person with less fatty tissue a more natural look. This is because the silicone mimics natural breast tissue in terms of feel, more than the saline water does. The gel inside these implants is a thick, gummy-like substance. Plastic surgeon in Fort Lauderdale, Dr. Wigoda, wants you to know that although these kinds of implants rupture, the ruptures are not easily detected. The gel is designed to hold together and not leak to other parts of the body. However, if a leak occurs, one must get an MRI in order to locate it. The majority of patients, both in Dr. Wigoda's practice, and around the country, now choose silicone implants over saline implants.

If you are interested in learning more about the difference between silicone and saline breast implants, or the surgery in general, you can visit our resources page. If you wish to schedule a consultation with Dr. Wigoda, contact us or set up a virtual consult today!
Review us at:
 - address: 1404 E Broward Blvd.
 - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
 - phone: _PHONE_
 - Fax: _PHONE_
 - Email: _EMAIL_


text:
TAC-3000 prevents tower crane collisions
24 April 2008
The TAC-3000 tower crane anti-collision from Persha International uses wireless technology to monitor the actions of all cranes on a construction site. The anti-collision, boundary, and zone protection capabilities are suited for single or multi-crane installations, can be used on top slewing and luffing cranes, and is programmable for up to ten cranes per site. Distributed via a high-speed network, Persha claims the TAC-3000 requires minimal commissioning time compared to systems that use a mechanical interface.
The anti-collision feature detects and anticipates the risk of hook block, jib, or counter jib collision when multiple cranes of different or same height are in use.
Boundary protection is achieved with a 25-point area in which the hook block cannot operate or over-fly.
The zone protection feature can determine up to six prohibited zones in which the hook block or jib are not allowed to operate. It prevents the hook block from over-flying restricted zones like buildings, highways and other public areas.


" : 303
 },
 {
 "value" : 1,
 "count" : 296
 },
 {
 "value" : 1.3,
 "count" : 280
 },
 {
 "value" : 1.5,
 "count" : 268
 },
 {
 "value" : 1.6,
 "count" : 268
 },
 {
 "value" : 0.6,
 "count" : 256
 }
 ]
 }
 }
}
num_messages_analyzed is 2 lower than num_lines_analyzed because only data records count as messages. The first line contains the column names and in this sample the second line is blank.
Unlike the first example, in this case the format has been identified as delimited.
Because the format is delimited, the column_names field in the output lists the column names in the order they appear in the sample.
has_header_row indicates that for this sample the column names were in the first row of the sample. (If they hadn't been then it would have been a good idea to specify them in the column_names query parameter.)
The delimiter for this sample is a comma, as it's a CSV file.
The quote character is the default double quote. (The structure finder does not attempt to deduce any other quote character, so if you have a delimited file that's quoted with some other character you must specify it using the quote query parameter.)
The timestamp_field has been chosen to be tpep_pickup_datetime. tpep_dropoff_datetime would work just as well, but tpep_pickup_datetime was chosen because it comes first in the column order. If you prefer tpep_dropoff_datetime then force it to be chosen using the timestamp_field query parameter.
joda_timestamp_formats are used to tell Logstash how to parse timestamps.
java_timestamp_formats are the Java time formats recognized in the time fields. Elasticsearch mappings and Ingest pipeline use this format.
The timestamp format in this sample doesn't specify a timezone, so to accurately convert them to UTC timestamps to store in Elasticsearch it's necessary to supply the timezone they relate to. need_client_timezone will be false for timestamp formats that include the timezone.
Setting the timeout parameteredit
If you try to analyze a lot of data then the analysis will take a long time. If you want to limit the amount of processing your Elasticsearch cluster performs for a request, use the timeout query parameter. The analysis will be aborted and an error returned when the timeout expires. For example, you can replace 20000 lines in the previous example with 200000 and set a 1 second timeout on the analysis:
curl -s "_URL_-tlc/trip+data/yellow_tripdata_2018-06.csv" | head -200000 | curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -XPOST "localhost:9200/_ml/find_file_structure?pretty&lines_to_sample=200000&timeout=1s" -T -
Unless you are using an incredibly fast computer you'll receive a timeout error:
{
 "error" : {
 "root_cause" : [
 {
 "type" : "timeout_exception",
 "reason" : "Aborting structure analysis during [delimited record parsing] as it has taken longer than the timeout of [1s]"
 }
 ],
 "type" : "timeout_exception",
 "reason" : "Aborting structure analysis during [delimited record parsing] as it has taken longer than the timeout of [1s]"
 },
 "status" : 500
}
If you try the example above yourself you will note that the overall running time of the curl commands is considerably longer than 1 second. This is because it takes a while to download 200000 lines of CSV from the internet, and the timeout is measured from the time this endpoint starts to process the data.
Analyzing Elasticsearch log filesedit
This is an example of analyzing Elasticsearch's own log file:
curl -s -H "Content-Type: application/json" -XPOST "localhost:9200/_ml/find_file_structure?pretty" -T "$ES_HOME/logs/elasticsearch.log"
If the request does not encounter errors, the result will look something like this:
{
 "num_lines_analyzed" : 53,
 "num_messages_analyzed" : 53,
 "sample_start" : "[2018-09-27T14:39:28,518][INFO ][o.e.e.NodeEnvironment ] [node-0] using [1] data paths, mounts [[/ (/dev/disk1)]], net usable_space [165.4gb], net total_space [464.7gb], types [hfs]\n[2018-09-27T14:39:28,521][INFO ][o.e.e.NodeEnvironment ] [node-0] heap size [494.9mb], compressed ordinary object pointers [true]\n",
 "charset" : "UTF-8",
 "has_byte_order_marker" : false,
 "format" : "semi_structured_text",
 "multiline_start_pattern" : "^\\[\\b\\d{4}-\\d{2}-\\d{2}[T ]\\d{2}:\\d{2}",
 "grok_pattern" : "\\[%{TIMESTAMP_ISO8601:timestamp}\\]\\[%{LOGLEVEL:loglevel}.*",
 "timestamp_field" : "timestamp",
 "joda_timestamp_formats" : [
 "ISO8601"
 ],
 "java_timestamp_formats" : [
 "ISO8601"
 ],
 "need_client_timezone" : true,
 "mappings" : {
 "@timestamp" : {
 "type" : "date"
 },
 "loglevel" : {
 "type" : "keyword"
 },
 "message" : {
 "type" : "text"
 }
 },
 "ingest_pipeline" : {
 "description" : "Ingest pipeline created by file structure finder",
 "processors" : [
 {
 "grok" : {
 "field" : "message",
 "patterns" : [
 "\\[%{TIMESTAMP_ISO8601:timestamp}\\]\\[%{LOGLEVEL:loglevel}.*"
 ]
 }
 },
 {
 "date" : {
 "field" : "timestamp",
 "timezone" : "{{ event.timezone }}",
 "formats" : [
 "ISO8601"
 ]
 }
 },
 {
 "remove" : {
 "field" : "timestamp"
 }
 }
 ]
 },
 "field_stats" : {
 "loglevel" : {
 "count" : 53,
 "cardinality" : 3,
 "top_hits" : [
 {
 "value" : "INFO",
 "count" : 51
 },
 {
 "value" : "DEBUG",
 "count" : 1
 },
 {
 "value" : "WARN",
 "count" : 1
 }
 ]
 },
 "timestamp" : {
 "count" : 53,
 "cardinality" : 28,
 "earliest" : "2018-09-27T14:39:28,518",
 "latest" : "2018-09-27T14:39:37,012",
 "top_hits" : [
 {
 "value" : "2018-09-27T14:39:29,859",
 "count" : 10
 },
 {
 "value" : "2018-09-27T14:39:29,860",
 "count" : 9
 },
 {
 "value" : "2018-09-27T14:39:29,858",
 "count" : 6
 },
 {
 "value" : "2018-09-27T14:39:28,523",
 "count" : 3
 },
 {
 "value" : "2018-09-27T14:39:34,234",
 "count" : 2
 },
 {
 "value" : "2018-09-27T14:39:28,518",
 "count" : 1
 },
 {
 "value" : "2018-09-27T14:39:28,521",
 "count" : 1
 },
 {
 "value" : "2018-09-27T14:39:28,522",
 "count" : 1
 },
 {
 "value" : "2018-09-27T14:39:29,861",
 "count" : 1
 },
 {
 "value" : "2018-09-27T14:39:32,786",
 "count" : 1
 }


Why Do Shia Pray On Rock?
Do Shias have Friday prayer?
According to a Shiite law, only one Friday prayer may be prayed in a radius of 3 miles (720 yards).
Why is Friday holy in Islam?
The religious significance The Qur'an invokes the importance of Friday as a sacred day of worship in a chapter called "Al-Jumah," meaning the day of congregation, which is also the word for Friday in Arabic. … Muslims believe Friday was chosen by God as a dedicated day of worship.
Does Sunni and Shia read the same Quran?
Why do Shias pray 3 times a day?
Why do some Shias pray three times a day? The Shi'a acknowledge the five obligatory daily prayers. … The Sunni schools of law (fiqh) – with the exception of the Hanafi school – allow the combining of the obligatory prayers (al-jam' bayn al-salatayn) in the case of rain, travel, fear, or other emergencies.
Why do Shias pray differently?
Shia Muslims pray three times a day as they join two salats such as Maghrib and Isha salat together whereas Sunni Muslims pray five times a day. … 'Nawm' is a must for Sunni Athan but Shia Muslims do not say it because it was not said at the time of Prophet Muhammad and Omar. The caliph introduced it during his times.
What is the Kalima of Shia?
In the tradition of the Shia Muslims, there is the addition of "وعليٌ وليُّ الله", ʿAli-yyun wali-yyu-llāh ["Ali is the Vicegerent (cf. … Recitation of the Shahadah the "oath/testimony", is the most important of the Five Pillars of Islam for Muslims.
Can Shia go to Hajj?
Do Sunnis have imams?
Sunni imams The Sunni branch of Islam does not have imams in the same sense as the Shi'a, an important distinction often overlooked by those outside of the Islamic religion.
How many times do Shia pray?
Shia theological beliefs and religious practises, such as prayers, slightly differ from the Sunnis'. While all Muslims pray five times daily, Shias have the option of combining Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha', as there are three distinct times mentioned in the Quran.
How are Sunnis and Shias difference?
Sunni judges are known to follow Islamic law to the letter. Shiite judges are known for being more lenient in interpreting the law. Shiite law refuses to accept traditions not transmitted through Ali or one of his descendants. Reject the doctrine of ijma (coming to a decision by consensus).
Why do Shias hit themselves?
Can Sunni pray with Shia?
Yes, it's fine, I'm Sunni and I pray alongside my Shia friends all the time. It's not considered permissible by mainstream Muslim scholars to pray behind a Shia imam.
Which Surah should we recite on Friday?
Al-Jumu'ahAl-Jumu'ah (Arabic: الجمعة, "Friday") is the 62nd chapter (sūrah) of the Quran with 11 verses (āyāt).
Why do Shia say Ya Ali?
"Ya-Ali" (Arabic: یاعلی "O Ali") is an indirect Shiite Muslim prayer to ask Allah for assistance by way of Ali, the first Imam of Shia Islam.
What are Shia beliefs?


text: - A Michelson-type unequal path interferometer for measuring the effective thickness of dielectric slabs is presented. Due to unequal paths, this interferometer is frequency dependent so that frequency tuning of the source controls the phase difference between the two paths and serves as a phase shifter. FM modulation of the source enables determination of the null point with an electronic sensitivity of 0.02°. High spatial resolution (≃ λ/2) is achieved by spacing a suitable horn antenna close to the dielectric surface. Detailed design considerations and experimental results concerning an X-band interferometer are presented.


BioKIDS home
Kids' Inquiry of Diverse Species
Five-lined Skink
Plestiodon fasciatus
What do they look like?
Adult Five-lined Skinks are from 12.7 to 21.6 cm in length. They are characterized by five yellow to cream colored stripes of equal width running from the snout to tail. These stripes, separated by darker lines, may lighten with age, eventually disappearing in older males. The typical black background color of juveniles and young adult females also fades with age to a brown, gray, or olive hue in adults. The body is slender and long and lacks a distinct neck. The head is wedge-shaped. The small limbs have five toes each with well-developed claws. Hatchlings are from 5 to 6.4 cm in length. They possess bright blue tails and distinct white or yellow stripes on a black background. Tail color dulls with age, and is more commonly retained in females than males, which display gray tails as adults. Males and females are different in head size and overall coloration. Males develop a widened head and reddish-orange coloration of the snout and jaws during the spring breeding season.
 - Sexual Dimorphism
 - sexes shaped differently
 - Range length
 12.7 to 21.6 cm
 5.00 to 8.50 in
Where do they live?
The range of Five-lined Skinks extends south from the lower peninsula of Michigan, southern Ontario, and eastern New York to northern Florida, and west to Wisconsin, part of Michigan's upper peninsula, Missouri, and eastern regions of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Isolated populations also occur in northeastern Iowa, and west central Minnesota.
What kind of habitat do they need?
Five-lined Skinks prefer moist wooded or partially wooded areas with significant cover and abundant basking sites. These sites may include wood or brush piles, stumps, logs, rocky outcrops, loose bark, or abandoned buildings. Most Five-lined Skinks inhabit disturbed environments, such as forest edges, cleared areas, or burned regions, commonly called ecotone areas. Five-lined Skink populations may also occur among driftwood piles on the sandy beaches of the Great Lakes. Home range size is affected by available habitat type as well as changes in seasonal food distribution, shelter, and other requirements. Home range may also vary in size and shape in accordance with the age and sex of the skink. Five-lined Skinks seek cover in rotting wood, rock crevices, vegetation, or building foundations, remaining inactive during the cold winter months.
How do they grow?
How do they reproduce?
Fertilization in five-lined skinks is internal, with eggs laid by the female between the middle of May and July, at least one month after mating. Females lay fifteen to eighteen eggs in a small cavity cleared beneath a rotting log, stump, board, loose bark, a rock, or an abandoned rodent burrow. Females prefer secluded nest sites in large, moderately decayed logs. Soil moisture is also an important factor in nest selection. Females often place nests in regions where soil moisture is higher than in nearby areas. Even when nesting sites are abundant, female skinks tend ot nest near each other. The parchment-like eggs of Five-lined Skinks, similar to many other reptiles, are thin and easily punctured. Freshly laid eggs range from spherical to oval in shape averaging 1.3 cm in length. Absorption of water from the soil leads to increased egg size. Egg coloration also changes over time, from white to mottled tan, after contact with the nest burrow. The incubation period ranges from 24 to 55 days, depending on the temperature. Young Five-lined Skinks become mature and begin reproducing within two to three years of hatching.
 - How often does reproduction occur?
 Five-lined skinks breed once each year.
 - Breeding season
 Female skinks lay eggs between May and July.
 - Range number of offspring
 15 to 18
 - Range gestation period
 55 (high) days
How long do they live?
 - Typical lifespan
 Status: wild
 6.0 (high) years
How do they behave?
Five-lined Skinks are mostly active during the day, taking refuge at night. They find protected areas, such as under logs or other debris, to stay through the winter in a state of suspended animation. Males actively defend small territories against other males. Five-lined Skinks are mainly solitary but females may cooperate to guard their eggs.
How do they communicate with each other?
What do they eat?
 - Primary Diet
 - carnivore
 - eats non-insect arthropods
What eats them and how do they avoid being eaten?
What roles do they have in the ecosystem?
Do they cause problems?
Five-lined Skinks are hosts and carriers of the common chigger, a species that also attacks humans.
How do they interact with us?
Where populations are abundant, Five-lined Skinks may aid in controlling insect pests.
 - Ways that people benefit from these animals:
 - controls pest population
Are they endangered?
Five-lined skinks occur in small, isolated popuations in parts of their range. These populations are especially vulnerable to habitat destruction or natural catastrophes and may become extinct in those areas.
University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyNational Science Foundation
BioKIDS home | Questions? | Animal Diversity Web | Cybertracker Tools
Vanwormer, E. 2002. "Plestiodon fasciatus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed September 02, 2015 at
University of Michigan


Toss 'em or Keep 'em? What To Do With Harsh Open-Ended Comments in 360-Degree Feedback?
December 21, 2016 by Sandra Mashihi
"A pleasant illusion is better than a harsh reality."
-Christian Nevell Bovee
Open-ended comments have some clear benefits and disadvantages. Participants generally find comments from open-ended questions useful and a great way of clarifying the sometimes confusing quantitative scores (e.g., when rater agreement is low but average scores are moderate or moderately high).
Open-ended comments do have some potential downsides. For one thing, they take more time to complete and require more effort on the part of raters to make them more behavioral and useful. At the same time, open-ended comments might also reveal raters, diminishing anonymity in the feedback process, where the participant is likely to identify who said what.
One of the biggest disadvantages of open-ended comments is the negative impact it can have on the participant.Open-ended comments can create strong emotional reactions that can interfere with the acceptance of feedback and lead to diminished engagement and productivity. For example, Smither and Walker (2004)1 analyzed the impact of upward feedback ratings, as well as open-ended comments, over a one-year period for 176 managers. They found that those who received a small number of unfavorable, behaviorally-based comments improved more than other managers, but those who received a large number relative to positive comments significantly declined in performance more than other managers.
Coach's Critique:
They say that some things are better left unsaid….. I couldn't agree with this statement more. It is common for raters to take advantage of being provided with open-ended questions by stating their opinion about the participant in an overly critical way, either intentionally or unintentionally. This can lead to hurt feelings, diminishment in confidence, and a decreased motivation to change on the part of the participant.
The challenge is to collect as much honest and useful information as possible, while keeping the participants emotional reactions in tact! So, what do consultants or coaches do when they have reviewed a 360-degree feedback that consists of overly critical open-ended comments? Do they toss 'em? Or, do they keep 'em?
This is obviously a difficult question to answer, as it is essentially a judgement call on the part of the coach. In my experience, if a feedback comment is not behavioral AND specific, it does not need to be included. If there is something negative to be said about someone, then perhaps it does NOT need to be mentioned. A rater might say, "No body respects or listens to Joe's presentations! He is clumsy and boring!". Well, here is what I would do….I would ask one question…does the quantitative portion of the 360 results cover development opportunities for presentation skills. If so, I would take this comment OUT. Not only would keeping such a comment emotionally hurt the participant and decrease chances of behavioral change, but it could motivate him to try to identify the rater that made the comment…this could inevitably lead to tremendous resentment and animosity.
So, generally, when comments are highly critical, it might be a good idea to delete the comment or modify it in a way that participant might feel more comfortable to receive.
What has been your experience with harsh and unnecessary open-ended comments? Would you toss 'em or keep 'em?
 1. Smither & Walker, A.G. (2004). Are the characteristics of narrative comments related to improvement in multi-rater feedback ratings over time? Personnel Psychology, 89, 575-581. []
Posted in 360 Degree Feedback
If You Enjoyed This Post...
 1. Sandra–you have effectively raised the major points for and against leaving raw comments in 360 feedback. They usually help explain otherwise confusing quantitative scores and provide a richer, deeper feedback report. However, harsh or punitive comments can bring out the worst in the person being rated, including a desire for payback.
 On our FULLVIEW Feedback InventoryTM, which has 14 places to make comments, we leave every word the raters write. This means that the person being rated sees the whole continuum of verbiage, from the effusive, honey-sweet to the curt, bitter comments.
 The introductory narrative in our FULLVIEW report reminds readers that, no matter what raters said or how low their ratings were, their feedback is a gift of their time and energy. We suggest that people value that rater time and energy, and state that it's better to know the degree to which raters think they walk on water or suck water, than to not know.
 We have found that those receiving the ratings and comments usually put them into perspective, and then move on to creating a development plan. Sometimes, like a new coaching client of mine, they get stuck for a week or two and need additional help to process the hurt and disappointment they feel.
 I am on the side of showing them the true comments and ratings, and then helping them come to grips with the data.
 2. […] feedback and lead to diminished engagement and productivity. For example, Smither and Walker (2004)1 analyzed the impact of upward feedback ratings, as well as open-ended comments, over a one-year […]
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Slider Puzzle: Lesson 7
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==Slider Puzzle Lesson 7: The n-puzzle (Mathematical Patterns and Sequences)==
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[[Category:Learning Activities]]
Current revision as of 13:28, 5 July 2007
 english | español HowTo [ID# 47764] +/-
The n-puzzle is general name for a slider puzzle that consists of a grid of numbered squares with one square missing, and the numbers out of sequence. The 9-puzzle is a 3×3 numbered grid, the 16 puzzle is a 4×4 numbered grid. The goal of the n-puzzle is put the scrambled numbers back in sequence.
The n-puzzle is a classical problem for modeling repeatable steps (or "algorithms") involving mathematical patterns (or "heuristics.") For example, you can begin by counting the number of misplaced tiles as you formulate a strategy for solving the puzzle. The n-puzzle also helps students to understand that some tile arrangements are unsolvable.
 - Recognize patterns.
 - Practice classification and grouping.
 - Practice sequencing.
 - Put numbers in order.
1) Start the Slider Puzzle activity and choose the category labeled "Sequencing." Sequencing is when you put things into a logical order.
2) When the first image comes up, think how this image is set up differently from the one on the Slider Puzzle. The Slider Puzzle creates a large image, where all the squares are pieces of the larger image, while the Sequencing image contains a number on each tile.
3) Try to solve the 9-tile puzzle first. Try to put the numbers in order from smallest to largest. Model for other students how to slide the keys and place them in order.
4) Once you are able to solve the 9-puzzle, share your strategies with the class. How is this different from the Slider Puzzles where you are assembling a picture?
5) Now try to solve the 16-puzzle. How is this harder or easier?
6) After completing the 16-puzzle, walk around and help those who are having trouble.
Personal tools
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 - Login with OpenID
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About the laptop
About the tablet
OLPC wiki


, and a category to a row (column index is null). For this chart, only one entity can be selected at a time. Extended description .
Return Type: none
clearChart()
Clears the chart, and releases all of its allocated resources.
Return Type: none
Events
For more information on how to use these events, see Basic Interactivity, Handling Events, and Firing Events.
Name
animationfinish
Fired when transition animation is complete.
Properties: none
click
Fired when the user clicks inside the chart. Can be used to identify when the title, data elements, legend entries, axes, gridlines, or labels are clicked.
Properties: targetID
error
Fired when an error occurs when attempting to render the chart.
Properties: id, message
onmouseover
Fired when the user mouses over a visual entity. Passes back the row and column indices of the corresponding data table element.
Properties: row, column
onmouseout
Fired when the user mouses away from a visual entity. Passes back the row and column indices of the corresponding data table element.
Properties: row, column
ready
The chart is ready for external method calls. If you want to interact with the chart, and call methods after you draw it, you should set up a listener for this event before you call the draw method, and call them only after the event was fired.
Properties: none
select
Fired when the user clicks a visual entity. To learn what has been selected, call getSelection().
Properties: none
Data Policy
All code and data are processed and rendered in the browser. No data is sent to any server.
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text:
What is railway monitoring?
Railway infrastructures and systems play a significant role in highly efficient transportation, which is needed to meet the increasing demand in transporting both cargo and passengers. These structures are extremely susceptible to degradation and failure, due to extreme environmental situations under severe loading and working conditions, caused by the traffic growth, heavier axles and vehicles and increase in speed. Innovative sensing technologies based on fiber optic sensors have been utilized for structural health monitoring (SHM), the real time measurement and long-term assessment of structural properties.
A fiber optic structural health monitoring system allows for early-stage damage detection and characterization, which leads to timely remediation and prevention of disastrous failure. The use of fiber optic sensors for structural health monitoring is in great demand due to their inherent distinctive advantages, such as small size, light weight, immunity to electromagnetic systems. Furthermore, the geometry and versatility of these sensors allow them to be integrated into these structures for real time monitoring for sensing critical components of both railways and trains over long distances (up to 20 km).
A fiber optic monitoring system can be used for operation monitoring (train speed and components) and structural health monitoring (rails, sleepers, ballast, bridges, tunnels, rail security etc.) of railway structures. Such a system is being widely used due to its ability to measure physical quantities (such as strains, temperature, displacements, cracks etc.) continuously distributed over the full length of the fiber.
Railway monitoring for.......
I'm a paragraph. Double click here or click Edit Text to add some text of your own or to change the font. This is the place for you to tell your site visitors a little bit about you and your services.


Incredible and fun facts to explore
Boise Idaho facts
While investigating facts about Boise Idaho Weather and Boise Idaho Real Estate, I found out little known, but curios details like:
Due to the large Basque population in Idaho, Boise state university is only one of two universities in the US (the other being University of Nevada-Reno) to offer a Basque language course.
how much snow does boise idaho get?
The USA's current passenger airbag laws resulted from a tragic accident where a child's head was knocked off and flew out the broken window when airbags deployed in a fender bender in Boise, Idaho in 1996.
What's boise idaho like?
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what boise idaho zip code. Here are 11 of the best facts about Boise Idaho News and Boise Idaho Homes For Sale I managed to collect.
what to do at boise idaho?
 1. Boise, Idaho, USA has a (relatively) large ethnic Basque population.
 2. Idaho's capital city is Boise.
 3. Boise, Idaho used to have an electric trolley system which was discontinued and paved over. Some tracks have been unearthed during recent construction projects in the city.
 4. Boise, Idaho has a long history of Basque culture
 5. In 1985 a 7ft. "Mr. Potato Head" ran for Mayor of Boise, Idaho. It was the "first vegetable and the first toy to run for public office."
 6. For celebrating the New Year, Boise, Idaho drops a giant potato.
 7. It takes only 10 letters to write Boise, Idaho. It takes 24 letters to write Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are first and last in state name + capital city length.
 8. The fewest number of letters to spell a U.S. State AND its capital is 10. (Boise, Idaho)
 9. Kevin Spacey's brother is a limousine driving Rod Stewart impersonator in Boise, Idaho (You have to see this website).
boise idaho facts
What is the population of boise idaho?
This is our collection of basic interesting facts about Boise Idaho. The fact lists are intended for research in school, for college students or just to feed your brain with new realities. Possible use cases are in quizzes, differences, riddles, homework facts legend, cover facts, and many more. Whatever your case, learn the truth of the matter why is Boise Idaho so important!
Editor Veselin Nedev Editor


text:
Moving the area of interest in the Reviewer Overview window
The area of interest is a hatched area in the Reviewer Overview window that represents the extent of the data in the map. For example, to navigate the map, you can move the area of interest rather than panning in the map. When a polygon grid is used to navigate the map, and you are moving from one cell to the next, the area of interest moves to the corresponding cell.
- Start ArcMap.
- If necessary, load data in the map.
- On the main menu, click Customize > Toolbars > Data Reviewer.
Click the Reviewer Overview Window button on the Data Reviewer toolbar.
The Reviewer Overview Window appears as a docked window in ArcMap.
- Right-click in the Reviewer Overview window and click Adjust Map Extent.
- Click the hatched area and drag it to a different place in the grid or Reviewer Overview window.
The map refreshes to reflect the change in area of interest.


A trusted stability metric is required to recognize fall susceptibility that
A trusted stability metric is required to recognize fall susceptibility that better addresses fall prevention and increases gait rehabilitation. than MOSmax throughout the majority of one limb support TCN 201 for regular strolling gait. This selecting signifies the MOSmax metric may absence awareness to Rabbit polyclonal to IFIT5. instability as it might be positive once the real MOS signifies existing or impending instability. This evaluation also showed which the MOS might give more information about strolling stability highly relevant to gait evaluation for fall avoidance and rehabilitation. Nevertheless like other balance metrics this capacity should be established with further investigations of pathological and perturbed gait. may be the COP placement may be the COM placement represents acceleration because of terrestrial gravity and may be the distance in the ankle towards the COM. In case a continuous COP placement (u) is normally assumed the next equation TCN 201 establishes the partnership between your 'extrapolated' COM and COP placement: using the maximal COP placement is positive and it is detrimental (see Amount (1)) the numerator inside the mounting brackets is positive. Which means denominator of formula (14) must be positive to make a positive true amount or: and reversing the organize transformations the balance condition is currently: vCOM0?vCOP0ω0+(xCOM0?xCOP0)<0 (16) which may be rearranged to create a generalized MOS equation: MOS=|(xCOP0+vCOP0ω0)?(xCOM0+vCOM0ω0)| (15) Remember that the COM conditions that comprise the extrapolated COM remain present. Furthermore the COP conditions can now end up being combined to create an 'extrapolated COP' quantifying the mixed COP placement and speed. Also remember that the assumption of a set maximal COP will get rid of the vCOP term making formula (5). Whereas the initial type of the MOS quantified the utmost MOS obtainable (MOSmax) and was structured solely by walking and body positions formula (8) quantifies the exact MOS at any moment (MOS). Essentially this even more generalized type of MOS TCN 201 establishes if the effective minute arm-the length between xCOM and xCOP-is enough to avoid instability predicated on current COM and COP velocities. Including real COP positions and velocities within the MOS provides understanding into a number of the neuromechanical replies to varying powerful conditions. This feature becomes especially ideal for the scholarly study of discrete gait perturbation responses and unstable gait. Experimental Validation Validation of MOS as described in formula (8) was performed using data gathered from 14 healthful kids (7 male/7 feminine Age group: 12.5±3.0 years Height: 152±13.8 cm Weight: 48±16.2 kg) on the Nationwide TCN 201 Institutes of Health (NIH) Scientific Center and accepted by the NIH Institutional Review Board. Parental created up to date consent was TCN 201 attained for every participant and created assent was extracted from each participant. Three-dimensional more affordable extremity kinematic and spatiotemporal data was gathered at 120 Hz using a 10-camera motion catch program (Vicon Oxford UK) using.


text:
Geography of a Massacre: Cherokee and Carolinian Visions of Land at Long Cane
Cook, Jessica, History - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia
Edelson, S. Max, History, University of Virginia
On February 1, 1760, after eighteen months of rising tensions between Cherokee peoples and British colonists, a contingent of Cherokee warriors attacked a convoy of fleeing British settlers near Long Cane Creek in northwestern South Carolina. Later named "The Long Canes Massacre" by Anglo-Americans, the deadly ambush made front page news throughout the colony and precipitated two devastating British military campaigns into Cherokee homelands. Over the last eighty years, scholars have considered the attack at Long Cane Creek only as a narrative event and have used it to illustrate rising tensions in their broader studies of the region's history. As a result, academic understanding of Long Canes' significance has changed very little since the nineteenth century. By using eighteenth century maps, treaty texts, settler plats, and contemporary documents, this essay explores Cherokee and British conceptions of land management and revises the current interpretation of the events leading up to the attack at Long Canes by arguing that spatial confusion, and the absence of a boundary line rather than the existence of one ultimately triggered violence.
MA (Master of Arts)
Long Canes Massacre, Long Cane, South Carolina, Early South Carolina, Cherokee
All rights reserved (no additional license for public reuse)


text:
|Autors: Mihov, G. S., Badarov, D. H.|
Title: Combined Filter for Rejection of 1st and 3rd Powerline Interference Harmonic from ECG signals
Keywords: ECG signals, interference suppression, mains interference, notch filters
Abstract: The article presents a combined notch filter that removes the first and third harmonics of power-line interference from ECG signals. The filter is based on two second-order notch filters for the first and third harmonics, respectively. An additional procedure determines the variation in the mains frequency first harmonic. According to this variation, the coefficients of the combined filter are tuned so that its zeros coincide with the first and third harmonics of the power-line interference. Experiments were performed in a MATLAB environment with real signals and synthesized mains interference. Results of research are presented with appropriate tables and graphs.
Вид: постер/презентация в национален форум с межд. уч., индексирана в Scopus


text:
Used as a popular moisturiser since Ancient Greek & Roman times, lanolin has long been celebrated for its beneficial hydrating and nourishing properties. Easily absorbed into the skin, lanolin works to improve the suppleness and elasticity associated with healthy, youthful skin.
For over 20 years, Wild Ferns has been renowned for its New Zealand-made skincare products, all of which feature key, naturally occurring ingredients unique to our country. The skincare range is proudly free of sodium lauryl sulphates, parabens and mineral oils, and is not tested on animals.
Unsurpisingly, our exceptional skincare products are beloved not only in New Zealand but increasingly throughout the world as well. Each one utilises a natural homegrown product such as Manuka honey, Rotorua mud, kiwifruit or lanolin.
Sheep produce lanolin to protect their skin from the sun, wind and rain. Lanolin also has antibacterial and antifungal properties to help keep the skin healthy. A natural oil extracted from the wool of the sheep, lanolin is the closest oil in nature to that which humans produce. Lanolin can absorb more than 200 per cent of its weight in water, which helps to hydrate the skin, and it also acts as a barrier to prevent further moisture loss. Proof of this is in the hands of shearers and wool workers around the world – they are known for having particularly soft and supple hands that retain their youthful look, due to their constant handling of lanolin-rich sheep's wool.
Lanolin is extracted after the wool is removed, then it is cleaned to eliminate all impurities before being added to the Wild Ferns Lanolin skincare range. However, lanolin is not the only beneficial ingredient in the Wild Ferns Lanolin skincare collection. To further enhance the conditioning and rebalancing benefits of these crèmes and lotions, antioxidant-rich apple extract and grapeseed oil have been included too. There is also nourishing and energising royal jelly; collagen to provide the skin with strength, flexibility and resilience; marshmallow root extract to soothe; and skin-boosting alfalfa. The formula also contains protein-rich placenta to increase the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the skin – which helps to promote cell renewal.
Click here to learn more about the Wild Ferns Lanolin skincare collection and to shop the collection online, or phone 0800 69 44387 to place an order.


Biologically, a child is a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some biological definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority.
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text:
The Drug Tetrathiomolybdate Found To Be Useful For Various Diseases
The drug called tetrathiomolybdate
which helps Wilson's disease by controlling copper toxicity may be very useful to treat other diseases say researchers . //
Researchers say that when you lower copper, you can inhibit a thing called angiogenesis, which is blood vessel growth. Cancer requires ...
Useful Cancer drug stops tumour blood supply
... element copper in their bodies. Researchers at the University of Texas, through research on Wilson's disease, // have discovered a compound, known as tetrathiomolybdate
(TM) that could fight cancer by lowering copper levels.
Researchers found that copper plays a previously unexpected role in promoting blood suppl...


pele.optimize.MYLBFGS.adjustStepSize
MYLBFGS.adjustStepSize(X, E, G, stp)[source]
We now have a proposed step. This function will make sure it is a good step and then take it. This is known as a Backtracking linesearch
_URL_
 1. if the step is not anti-aligned with the gradient (i.e. downhill), then reverse the step
 2. if the step is larger than maxstep, then rescale the step
 3. calculate the energy and gradient of the new position
 4. if the step increases the energy by more than maxErise,
 then reduce the step size and go to 3)
 5. if the step is reduced more than 10 times and the energy is still not acceptable, then increment nfail, reset the lbfgs optimizer and continue
 6. if nfail is greater than 5 abort the quench
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text:
Effects of Voids Towards Electric Field in High Voltage Cable
Keywords:Electric Field, Voids, High Voltage Cable, COMSOL Multiphysics
This paper presents a study and analysis of the effects of voids on electric fields in high voltage cables. The main objectives were to determine the electric field distribution at contaminated XLPE cable by designing the model of the cable using simulation software and to evaluate the effect of the location of voids using different materials of voids toward the electric field in the cable. The goal of this research is to explore the electric field in insulation containing a void as it is affected by the position of the void and the type of material utilised. The investigation of electric field gives a view on the performance of XLPE as an insulator as its existence may shorten the life span of cable. As the result, Other than using different materials of a void, each material has been tested on its different distance of void from the conductor at 12mm, 14mm and 16mm. Consequently, the relationship of a different material of void with the effects of the electrical field is set up such that is random. All of the different materials used in the cable, aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) showed the least electric field. Decrement of electric field gives a view that this material can be used as nanofillers at optimum size.


text: Here's one we almost missed: last month a Caltech press release announced the development of a radar-on-a-chip. Ali Hajimiri, Hossein Hashemi, and other researchers at the Caltech High-speed Integrated Circuits Lab found a way to replace the moving parts normally required for a radar with an integrated phased-array antennae (PDF format) and, combined with chip technology that can run at 24 GHz, they produced a working radar on a silicon chip that can be fabricated with conventional photolithography. Companies like M/A-COM and Valeo already sell relatively small, inexpensive automotive radar systems. Mass production of a radar chip for automotive use should bring the cost into a range suitable for robot builders to add radar as a standard sensor. A recent New Scientist story has more details about the new radar technology.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
United Nations Special Commission
United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was an inspection regime created by the United Nations to ensure Iraq's compliance with policies concerning Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction after the Gulf War. Between 1991 and 1997 its director was Rolf Ekéus; from 1997 to 1999 its director was Richard Butler.
United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was an inspection regime created with the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 in April 1991 to oversee Iraq's compliance with the destruction of Iraqi chemical, biological, and missile weapons facilities and to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency's efforts to eliminate nuclear weapon facilities all in the aftermath of the Gulf War. The UNSCOM inspection regime was packaged with several other UN Security Council requirements, namely, that Iraq's ruling regime formally recognize Kuwait as an independent state and pay out war reparations for the destruction inflicted in the Gulf War, including the firing of Kuwaiti oil supplies and destruction of public infrastructure. Until the UN Security Council saw that Iraq's weapons programs had been aborted and Iraqi leaders had allowed monitoring systems to be installed, the UN's aforementioned sanctions would continue to be imposed on Iraq.
The commission found corroborating evidence that Rihab Rashid Taha, an Iraqi microbiologist educated in England, had produced biological weapons for Iraq in the 1980s. The destruction of proscribed weapons and the associated facilities was carried out mainly by Iraq, under constant supervision by UNSCOM.
Inspectors withdrew in 1998, and disbanded the following year amid allegations that the United States had used the commission's resources to spy on the Iraqi military. Weapons inspector Scott Ritter later stated that Operation Rockingham had cherry-picked evidence found by the United Nations Special Commission; evidence, he says, that was later used as part of the casus belli for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The successor of the United Nations Special Commission was the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission.
The United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was headed by Rolf Ekéus and later Richard Butler. During several visits to Iraq by the United Nations Special Committee (UNSCOM), set up after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait to inspect Iraqi weapons facilities, weapons inspectors were told by Rihab Rashid Taha that the al-Hakam germ warfare center was a chicken-feed plant. "There were a few things that were peculiar about this animal-feed production plant," Charles Duelfer, UNSCOM's deputy executive chairman, later told reporters, "beginning with the extensive air defenses surrounding it."
The powers given to UNSCOM inspectors in Iraq were: "unrestricted freedom of movement without advance notice in Iraq"; the "right to unimpeded access to any site or facility for the purpose of the on-site inspection...whether such site or facility be above or below ground"; "the right to request, receive, examine, and copy any record data, or information...relevant to" UNSCOM's activities; and the "right to take and analyze samples of any kind as well as to remove and export samples for off-site analysis.
Acceptance of the intrusion of the UNSCOM's inspectors on the part of the Iraqi regime was slow coming. But with the threat of punitive military action looming from the international community, and particularly the U.S., Saddam Husain begrudgingly allowed UNSCOM's inspectors into the country to begin their work.
Between 1991 and 1995, UN inspectors uncovered a massive program to develop biological and nuclear weapons. A large amount of equipment was confiscated and destroyed. Iraq by and large refused to cooperate with UNSCOM and its inspections as mandated by UN SC Res. 687 until June 1992, ten months after deadline, at which time the Iraqi government submitted "full, final and complete reports" on all of its weapons of mass destruction programs. These reports, however, were found to be incomplete and deficient, and at the same time UN inspectors were subjected to harassment and threats on the part of the Iraqi regime.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 699 was also passed in 1991, declaring that Iraq was responsible for all funding of UNSCOM's inspections in Iraq.
In 1995, UNSCOM's principal weapons inspector Dr. Rod Barton showed Taha documents obtained by UNSCOM from Israel that showed the Iraqi government had just purchased 10 tons of growth media from a British company called Oxoid. Growth media is a mixture of sugar, proteins and minerals that allows microscopic life to grow. It is used in hospitals, where swabs from patients are placed in dishes containing growth media for diagnostic purposes. Iraq's hospital consumption of growth media was just 200 kg a year; yet in 1988, Iraq imported 39 tons of it.
Shown this evidence by UNSCOM, Taha admitted to inspectors that she had grown 19,000 litres of botulism toxin; 8,000 litres of anthrax; 2,000 litres of aflatoxins, which can cause liver cancer; clostridium perfringens, a bacterium that can cause gas gangrene; and ricin, a castor bean derivative which can kill by inhibiting protein synthesis. She also admitted conducting research into cholera, salmonella, foot and mouth disease, and camel pox, a disease that uses the same growth techniques as smallpox, but which is safer for researchers to work with. It was because of the discovery of Taha's work with camel pox that the US and British intelligence services feared Saddam Hussein may have been planning to weaponize the smallpox virus. Iraq had a smallpox outbreak in the 1970s and UNSCOM scientists believe the government would have retained contaminated material.
UNSCOM learned that, in August 1990, after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, Taha's team was ordered to set up a program to weaponize the biological agents. By January 1991, a team of 100 scientists and support staff had filled 157 bombs and 16 missile warheads with botulin toxin, and 50 bombs and five missile warheads with anthrax. In an interview with the BBC, Taha denied the Iraqi government had weaponized the bacteria. "We never intended to use it," she told journalist Jane Corbin of the BBC's Panorama program. "We never wanted to cause harm or damage to anybody." UNSCOM found the munitions dumped in a river near al-Hakam. UNSCOM also discovered that Taha's team had conducted inhalation experiments on donkeys from England and on beagles from Germany. The inspectors seized photographs showing beagles having convulsions inside sealed containers.
The al-Hakam germ warfare center, headed by the British-educated Iraqi biologist Dr. Rihab Rashid Taha, was blown up by UNSCOM in 1996. According to a 1999 report from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, the normally mild-mannered Taha exploded into violent rages whenever UNSCOM questioned her about al-Hakam, shouting, screaming and, on one occasion, smashing a chair, while insisting that al-Hakam was a chicken-feed plant.
Iraq charged that the commission was a cover for US espionage and refused UNSCOM access to certain sites, such as Baath Party headquarters. Although Ekéus has said that he resisted attempts at such espionage, many allegations have since been made against the agency commission under Butler, charges which Butler has denied. Within the UN establishment in Iraq, UNSCOM was not without its critics, with the UN's humanitarian staff informally calling the inspectors 'UN-Scum'. In return, the UN's humanitarian staff were called "bunny-huggers".
Also in 1996, the Iraqi ruling regime agreed to the terms of United Security Council Resolution 986, an oil-for-supplies agreement in which Iraq was allowed to sell $2 billion worth of oil every six months as a ways to purchase supplies for its increasingly impoverished and malnourished population. This agreement also allowed the UN to oversee the use and management of oil revenues, and to see that some of the funds went to pay war reparations and for the work of UNSCOM in Iraq during this period. The distribution of supplies purchased with oil revenues was also to be supervised by UN inspectors to ensure fair and equal distribution throughout the Iraqi population.
 1998 Airstrikes
Security Council Meeting On the evening of 15 December 1998 the Security Council convened to consider two letters from weapons inspectors. The IAEA report by Mohamed El Baradei stated that Iraq "has provided the necessary level of cooperation to enable... [our] activities to be completed efficiently and effectively". The UNSCOM report, authored by Richard Butler, deplored the restrictions, lack of disclosure, and concealment. While conceding that "[i]n statistical terms, the majority of the inspections of facilities and sites under the ongoing monitoring system were carried out with Iraq's cooperation," his letter listed a number of instances where unspecificed "undeclared dual-capable items" had been discovered, and where inspections had been held up so that buildings could be cleared of sensitive material.
Since Operation Desert Fox had already begun at the time of the meeting (just hours after the inspectors had been evacuated), the Security Council debated about who was to blame for the military action, rather than whether they should authorize it. The Iraqi representative said:
|"||I speak to you now while rockets and bombs are falling on the cities and the villages of Iraq... At a time when the Security Council... was discussing [the] reports..., and before the Council reached any conclusion on this subject, the United States and Britain launched their attack against Iraq. The two Powers requested a suspension of the informal meeting of the Security Council and their pretext for aggression was


H2020 UpgradeDH launches campaign: become a _TAG_
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UpgradeDH is launching an image raising campaign to promote modern district heating networks. The campaign aims to improve the perception of district heating at local level, thus establishing district heating as a viable solution for the energy transition, in the minds of citizens. This will be carried out through different visual communication activities. First, a brochure "District Heating and Cooling. A modern solution to traditional challenges" (see attachment) which describes in simple terms what is district heating, its features and operating principles, and the benefits of implementing district heating at local, national and global levels.
Second, an animation video entitled "Decarbonising DHC For Our Cities", in order to get a clear vision and simple explanation of what the project is about (available in many European languages to reach as much audience as possible). Third, a social media campaign _TAG_ in order to raise awareness and interest among the general public.
Here you can find information on DHC, as well as its role in decarbonising our cities. In addition, it highlights examples of decarbonisation success stories thought an integrated _TAG_ map.
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Monday, April 23, 2012
FRAY JUAN DE PADILLA IS RECOGNIZED AS THE FIRST CATHOLIC MARTYR IN UNITED STATES' HISTORY
PADILLA, JUAN DE (?–1544).
Fray Juan de Padilla came to the New World from his native Andalucia in Spain, where he had been a soldier before joining the Franciscan order. The exact date of his arrival is not known, but his signature did appear on a letter from the New World dated October 19, 1529. He was among the friars selected to sail from Tehuantepec to the Orient as part of an expedition organized by Hernando Cortés, but the ships proved unseaworthy.
Subsequently, Padilla labored among the Indians at Ponzitlán and Tuchpán. Some sources record him as being at Matatlan and Hueytlapa missions at Tulancingo and at Zapotlán in Jalisco in 1531–32. Padilla was one of the two ordained priests chosen to accompany Fray Marcos de Niza on the Coronado expedition in 1540. After Coronado's capture of Cíbola (or Háwikuh), the westernmost Zuñi pueblo, in July, Padilla, in the company of Pedro de Tovar, visited the Moqui (Hopi) villages in Arizona.
In August he accompanied the advance guard under Capt. Hernando de Alvarado to the Cicuye (Pecos) and Taos pueblos and the buffalo plains beyond. Padilla was among the select party that journeyed in 1541 with Francisco Vázquez de Coronado to Quivira, the Wichita village in present Kansas.
Among other things, he reportedly conducted a service of thanksgiving in Palo Duro Canyon. When the disillusioned Coronado declared his intention to return to New Spain in the spring of 1542, Padilla chose to remain in New Mexico and return to Quivira to continue missionary efforts among the plains tribes.
With him were two lay brothers, Luis de Escalona and Juan de la Cruz, who worked in the New Mexico pueblos and reportedly were martyred. Three blacks, one of whom was accompanied by his family; a Portuguese soldier named Andrés do Campo; and several Indian converts from the monastery of Zapotlán likewise volunteered to remain with Padilla. Leaving Escalona at Cicuye, Padilla and his companions set out for the buffalo plains.
Some accounts claim that they followed the Canadian River as far as the area of present Hutchinson and Roberts counties before turning north to Quivira, where they were warmly received by the natives. After working in the area about two years, Padilla, do Campo, and two Tarascan mission Indians named Lucas and Sebastián sought to expand their ministry to neighboring tribes in unexplored territory.
About November 30, 1544, at a little more than a day's journey from their home base, they were suddenly set upon by a war party of enemy tribesmen. Urging his companions to flee, the account goes, the friar knelt and deliberately sacrificed himself to "the arrows of those barbarous Indians, who threw him into a pit, covering his body with innumerable stones."
Campo and the two Tarascans were allegedly held captive by the Indians, but later escaped. Afterwards they made their way south to Pánuco, Mexico, and reported the incident. The actual location of Padilla's death is disputed, as are certain details surrounding the episode, such as who was really with him.
However, he had been revered by Texans as the first Christian martyr of Texas, and possibly of the United States. In 1936 a monument commemorating the martyrdom of Juan de Padilla was erected jointly by the state of Texas and the Knights of Columbus in Amarillo's Ellwood Park.
Herbert Eugene Bolton, Coronado: Knight of Pueblos and Plains (New York:Whittlesey; Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1949). Carlos E. Castañeda, Our Catholic Heritage in Texas (7 vols., Austin: Von Boeckmann-Jones, 1936–58; rpt., New York: Arno, 1976). Angelico Chávez, Coronado's Friars (s: Academy of American Franciscan History, 1968). Dianna Everett, ed., Coronado and the Myth of Quivira (Canyon, Texas: Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, 1985). Charles W. Hackett, ed., Pichardo's Treatise on the Limits of Louisiana and Texas (4 vols., Austin: University of Texas Press, 1931–46). George P. Hammond and Agapito Rey, eds. and trans., Narratives of the Coronado Expedition, 1540–1542 (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1940). Frederick Webb Hodge and Theodore H. Lewis, eds., Spanish Explorers in the Southern United States, 1528–1543 (New York: Scribner, 1907; rpt., Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1984). Harold Schoen, comp., Monuments Erected by the State of Texas to Commemorate the Centenary of Texas Independence (Austin: Commission of Control for Texas Centennial Celebrations, 1938).
Posted by Eileen at 11:29 PM


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We have investigated the defect accumulation and amorphization in14N+implanted 6H-SiC as a function of ion fluence using confocal micro-Raman scattering. Raman spectra are very sensitive to changes in the chemical short-range order and to the formation of Si-Siand C-C-bonds, which are not present in the unimplanted material. The technique also allowed the determination of the optical absorption coefficient. It increases proportional to the ion dose until the formation of the amorphous layer, and this increase is related to the formation of absorbing centers.
|Journal||Materials Science Forum|
|Publication status||Published - 1 Jan 2000|


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NCMRR Director Alison Cernich Gains Inspiration from Patients
Improving the lives of people with disabilities through research is the mission of NICHD's National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR).
Among the many projects the center has funded are the development of new assistive devices and technologies, such as prosthetics and improved mobility devices, and projects to help deliver better health services to people with disabilities. NCMRR also funds research to develop new diagnostics and interventions in rehabilitation, manage chronic symptoms, such as pain, and help find ways to adapt the home and community environments to rehabilitation care.
Alison Cernich, Ph.D., has overseen the NCMRR's portfolio of research projects and training programs since becoming director in early 2015.
In this interview, Dr. Cernich talks about innovative technologies that are improving mobility and recovery for patients of all ages and her thoughts on future directions for rehabilitation research. She also provides a valuable piece of advice to those in the rehabilitation field: Always keep in mind the people you are working to help.
Watch highlights from this conversation.
Where we are now
What do you see as some of the most pressing issues in rehabilitation today, and what role could the NCMRR play in resolving them?
There are a number of pressing issues that cut across the research that NIH supports. Some of them center on how rehabilitation changes at the different stages of a person's life; the rehabilitation needs of a child are very different than those of an older individual.
- We need to better understand the needs of our pediatric patients and figure out how to deliver treatments that are developmentally appropriate for them.
- We need to better understand the needs of the families of people with disabilities and the people who help care for people with disabilities.
- And we need to know how to intervene to make the environment better.
There is a need to find out whether we are developing technologies and devices that users want and can use effectively. Another challenge is to develop standards for interventions used for various impairments that we can disseminate to the community. We have to look at areas where rehabilitation can benefit from advances in precision medicine. Finally, we have to address the challenges of conducting clinical trials in rehabilitation.
What are some examples of NCMRR-supported technologies that are helping people now?
Our assistive technology projects mostly fall into two categories:
- refinement of existing systems to make them easier to use, and
- development of new systems that provide a novel way to assist someone with disabilities
An example of a refinement of an existing technology is the development of IntelliWheels Easy Push , which makes it much easier to propel a manual wheelchair without having the weight of a powered chair.
One of the novel systems we helped fund is the Mount'n Mover , which helps wheelchair users with limited or no use of their arms use devices independently.
Where we are going
What advances in rehabilitation might we expect in the near future?
The field of rehabilitation is poised for great advances, from bionics (integrating technology with biological systems to achieve function), to assistive devices that are more intuitive for the user with a disability, to the basic understanding of the body's ability to adapt or regain function after injury.
I think one of the areas poised for exciting developments is how we refine some of the more sophisticated technologies that show such potential for mobility or functional assistance and make them more easily powered, more intuitively controlled, and lower in cost.
The other area where rehabilitation is poised to make inroads is in using available data for discovery. A number of scientists are looking at publicly available data to determine the issues most pressing for individuals with disability and how we target those with interventions across their lifespan.
What advice do you have for students or trainees who may be considering a career in rehabilitation research?
First, find the profession or area of work that holds your interest and excites your curiosity. Seek out mentors who share that interest and who are invested in bringing you into the field and building your expertise.
Finally, and probably most importantly, get to know the people who may benefit from your research. Attend advocacy group meetings, go to the clinic, volunteer with a community group. The way to keep your motivation and drive is to keep in mind the people you are working to help.


Children and Play in the Holocaust
Games among the Shadows
Occasionally an accident of research produces a book more engaging than the one the historian originally intended. While sifting through material for his Ph.D. dissertation, which dealt with an entirely different topic, Eisen came across a diary from the Vilna ghetto written by Zelig Kalmanovitch. His tone was sober, but not entirely so. The passage that caught Eisen's eye concerned a playground erected around 1942 and the author's inner conflict surrounded the coexistence of games and sports and mass murder in the ghetto.
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Core a big one for two retirees.
Self-described apple detectives EJ Brandt and David Benscoter have tracked down 10 varieties believed to be extinct — their biggest single-season haul ever in their annual treks across the Pacific Northwest.
But the men, who make up the nonprofit Lost Apple Project, won't see the fruits of their labor this year because of the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Associated Press.
They had to cancel both an annual fair where they sell newly grafted "lost" apple trees and a class on how to graft wood to grow a new apple tree. Together, the events raise about $10,000, which help fund the men's fall hunts.
Brandt, a Vietnam veteran, and Benscoter, a former FBI agent, learned the names of their delicious discoveries from botanists at Temperate Orchard Conservancy in Oregon, who identified the apples by comparing them to watercolor illustrations from the 1800s and early 1900s and by poring over written descriptions in old botany textbooks and reference guides.
With their double-digit treasure trove, plucked from rural Idaho and Washington state, Brandt and Benscoter have rediscovered 23 varieties. North America once had 17,000 named varieties of domesticated apples, but now has only about 4,500.
Their latest finds include the Sary Sinap, an ancient apple from Turkey; the Streaked Pippin, which may have originated as early as 1744 in New York; and the Butter Sweet of Pennsylvania, a variety that was first noted in a trial orchard in Illinois in 1901.
"It was just one heck of a season. It was almost unbelievable. If we had found one apple or two apples a year in the past, we thought were were doing good. But we were getting one after another after another,' Brandt said. "I don't know how we're going to keep up with that."


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Ralph Paonessa wrote: ↑Tue Dec 01, 2020 6:26 pm
Beautiful picture. But I'm puzzled by this in the description : "Therefore, in this 18-hour exposure image, blue areas are hotter than red."
I realize that blue stars are hotter than red ones. And O III emission is blue and so higher energy than Red H II. But does this tell us anything about the temperature of those regions?? It seems like it really tells us about the distribution of oxygen and hydrogen in these areas.
Ralph (curious amateur)
These mapped color images!!!
Here's the deal. In mapped color images, blue usually means ionized oxygen emission (of circa 501 nm). Green often means ionized hydrogen emission (of circa 656 nm), and sometimes red means ionized hydrogen emission. But often red means ionized sulfur emission (of circa 658 nm). (Sigh.)
Let's cut to the chase. It takes a lot more energy to ionize oxygen and make emit photons of 501 nm than it takes takes to ionize hydrogen and make it emit photons of 656 nm. In narrowband imagery, blue color typically means that a very energetic phenomenon has ionized oxygen atoms into OIII ions and made them emit their photons of 501 nm. But the reason why they have done this is that a very energetic source has affected them.
Take a look at these two pictures of emission nebulas IC 405 and IC 410. In optical light, IC 405 is a reddish-pink nebula that also contains some blue light that has been scattered from the hot star passing through this nebula and ionizing it. IC 410 is more brick red in color than IC 405 overall, because IC 410 is located much farther away from us, and is reddened by intervening dust.
In mapped color, IC 410 becomes blue, because it contains a cluster of hot stars that emit a lot of ultraviolet light, which in turn ionizes oxygen and makes it glow green. IC 405, by contrast, contains a lot less ultraviolet light, because it is ionized by a single passing star. Not much oxygen is being ionized there.
And that's the best I can do when it comes to explaining why mapped color looks the way it looks.


The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook
As a new college student straight out of high school, alone for the first time, it can be scary to become sick. Many kids are used to their parents taking care of them and giving them advice. However, once you are in college you must take care of yourself. The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook provides the essential tips and tricks a student would need to prevent an illness or take care of themselves when they fall ill. This exceptional guide will help you determine whether you just need a warm tea and some sleep or a doctor visit.
The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook is the perfect book for parents to slip into their kids luggage when they go off to college. Written by a doctor, it is filled with reliable and factual information presented in easy and understandable terms. It prepares young adults and enables them to be self reliant. Nothing tests your capability like being sick with no one around to care for you as your mother would. You are vulnerable and weak. You have to make important decisions like how high a fever is too high.
The Ultimate College Student Health Handbook has a laid back style with a pinch of humor. It covers a wide range of topics from hangovers to real health issues. Jill Grimes, MD, FAAFP, has tailored the content to a specific demographic, but it is also accessible to everyone else. While you could just Google 'hangover cure', the results you get are not always accurate and could lead you down a rabbit hole of bizarre stories. This informative and engaging guide comes from a medical professional. Jill Grimes has created a book that is perfect as a quick reference for common issues. It's easy to flip to a section, learn about symptoms, treatment, and prevention.
What I liked most about this book was how it distills issues down into easily understood pieces of information. While it could be easy to spend a whole page or two explaining why things occurred, Jill Grimes is able to sum up issues in a small paragraph followed by bulleted points. The accompanying illustrations are simple, cute, and effective.
I know this book is aimed at college kids, but I really think that this book is a great medical reference guide for everyone. Again, you could go to the internet, but then you have to dig through ads, comments from non-professionals, and misleading information to find what you need. If you are a parent with a child about to depart for college, give yourself peace of mind by gifting this book to them. I found it immensely helpful.
Pages: 333 | ASIN: B084G9BF3P
Buy Now From B&
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Why Envoy America Deserves to Be Awarded
A Dementia SMART Award was given by the Dementia Society of America to Envoy America which is a specialized program which is offering accompanied transportation in addition to companionship and assistance for patients and seniors. This prestigious award celebrates and recognizes organizations and businesses with large-scale efforts to become more Dementia-friendly in their product and service offerings. As we all know, dementia is a very complex disease that involves cognition, and organizations and businesses can contribute to making patients' lives and their families easier by offering dementia-friendly products and services.
The Banner Alzheimer's Institute provided all drivers of Envoy America were given dementia training as well as the important certification they need to assist patients with dementia. Patients with dementia need to be managed the right planning to make sure they enjoy activities and are safe. An important stabilizing factor to take into consideration by patients with dementia is transportation, and their families understand that traveling can disrupt a patient's life. For a patient who is usually confused and not fully aware of his surroundings, traveling can be very disorienting and very difficult to manage.
Because all drivers of Envoy America are certified and trained to deal with patients suffering from dementia, they can handle them properly and accordingly. The special training they received provides a very good extension of the different healthcare services, allowing every travel to smoothly whenever possible. The mission of Envoy America is a fundamental aspect, helping seniors to stay healthy, socially active, and independent. Envoy America aims to provide unique and pioneering services, making a real difference to patients suffering from dementia, their families and their caregivers in a wide array of settings. The Chief Executive of Envoy America , K.C. Kanaan, expressed his pride and sincerest gratitude for receiving the award. Because Envoy America drivers deliver excellent transportation services to patients with dementia, their caregivers, and their families, Kevin Jameson, the president of Dementia Society, said that the award is a great tribute to the drivers and the management team of the company.
Learn more about Envoy America and how they treat their passengers by checking this info. Envoy America is one of the fastest growing rideshare companies, and it is primarily focused on assisting senior citizens and those people who cannot drive. Here, you can check their website now! Read more now about Dementia SMART by visiting our homepage or website now! Come and learn about dementia, check it out! Click here for more details about managing patients suffering from dementia, and how you can help them.


Surface chemistry in relation to flotation selectivity: TOF-SIMS surface analysis of mineral phases from metallurgical tests in flotation circuits
Request for analysis:
Metallurgical testing on a poly metallic Cu/Pb/Zn ore indicated either copper or lead activation of sphalerite in a Cu/Pb flotation test.
Objective:
To establish and rank the factors controlling sphalerite flotation.
Methodology:
The surface composition of individual sulphide grains was examined by TOF-SIMS and comparative analyses of the surface chemistries on sphalerite grains from the feed, concentrate (fast floating particles) and tails (rejected particles) were performed.
Results of the study:
Both Cu and Pb were identified on the surface of the sphalerite grains examined. Figure 1 shows a Zn map (secondary ion image of Zn in the concentrate sample) along with an example of the positive ion spectra from the surface of sphalerite grains from the concentrate and tail samples in the mass region of Pb (Pb isotopes 206, 207 and 208 are shown). The spectra clearly illustrate peak positions and windows identified for peak (mass) intensity measurements.
Activators species on surface of sphalerite:
Plots of normalized counts for Pb and Cu on the surface of the sphalerite grains from the feed, concentrate and tails samples (Figure 2) reveal that:
 - The Pb content is not significantly different on the surface of the sphalerite grains in the concentrate relative to the feed.
 - The Pb content on the surface of the sphalerite grains in the tail is less than that in the feed and concentrate.
 - Cu is more abundant on the surface of the sphalerite grains in the concentrate relative to the feed.
 - The range of Cu content in the tail samples is dispersed over the entire range defined by the feed and concentrate.
Depressant species on surface of sphalerite:
Potential depressant species: Ca does not appear to be favoured on either the concentrate or tails sphalerites; Mg appears to be slightly more abundant on the sphalerites in the tail samples (Figure 3).
Statistical comparison of sphalerite surface composition between concentrate and tails:
The data in the scatter plots is emphasized in the T-test comparison analyses (Figure 4). T-test values for mass species that exhibit statistically significant differences at 95% confidence level will be presented in a green colour on the T-test graph, while species with t-values that are not as statistically significant will be presented in a grey colour.
 - The data show a strong statistically significant presence of Pb on the surface of the sphalerite from the concentrate relative to the tails.
 - Cu does occur on the surface of the sphalerite, however the strength of the presence is markedly less than that for Pb.
Relevant mechanisms based on surface analyses:
 - Analyses indicate that Cu and Pb are involved in the activation of the sphalerite grains.
 - The greater discrimination in the Pb signal between the concentrate and tail samples suggests that Pb may be dominant in the inadvertent activation of sphalerite. Moreover, the distribution of Pb on sphalerite surfaces in the concentrate is limited in range, relative to Cu, suggesting it may be a more consistent activator.
 - Depressant species (for example Ca and Mg) are not strongly discriminatory between concentrate and tail samples. This indicates that depressant species are not likely controlling the flotation characteristics of the sphalerite. The slight enrichment of Mg in the tail samples suggests that the sphalerite surfaces may contain a greater proportion of adsorbed gangue material, thus inhibiting activation by Cu or Pb.
Cu versus Pb activation:
 - Pb activation; given the similar proportion of Pb on sphalerites in the feed and concentrate suggests that adsorption likely occurred during grinding.
 - Cu activation; given the significant difference between the proportion in the feed and concentrate, adsorption likely occurred during conditioning and flotation.
Major findings:
 - Pb is the predominant activating agent.
 - Activation of sphalerite by Pb occurs during grinding.
 - Cu is mostly a secondary activation agent.
 - Activation by Cu likely occurs during conditioning and flotation.
 - No significant role of common depressants (Ca, Mg) observed.
Figure 1. Secondary ion image (map) for Zn in the concentrate. Area in the image is 300×300µm. Positive ion spectra from the surface of sphalerite in the concentrate and tails in the mass region for Pb (205.5 to 208.5 amu). The data in the spectra are normalized by total ion intensity.
Figure 2. Scatter plots showing the distribution for Pb and Cu versus Zn on sphalerite surfaces in the feed, concentrate and tail. The data are normalized by total ion intensity and area.
Figure 3. Scatter plots showing the distribution for Ca and Mg versus Zn on sphalerite surfaces in the feed, concentrate and tail. The data are normalized by total ion intensity
Figure 4. T-test statistical analyses for data from sphalerite grain surfaces from concentrate/tail flotation tests. All data in the tests were normalized by the total ion intensity and area. The surface components in bright green are considered to be statistically different between the concentrate and tail samples


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The definition of politic is someone who is shrewd, tactful or unethical.(adjective)
An example of politic is a decision made because it it likely to be accepted by the voters and will make the politician more popular; a politic decision.
Politic is defined as to participate in campaigning.(verb)
An example of politic is to run for office.
See politic in Webster's New World College Dictionary
Origin: ME polytyk < MFr politique < L politicus < Gr politikos, of a citizen < politēs: see police
See politic in American Heritage Dictionary 4
Origin: Middle English politik
Origin:, from Old French politique
Origin:, from Latin polīticus, political
Origin:, from Greek polītikos
Origin:, from polītēs, citizen
Origin:, from polis, city; see pelə-3 in Indo-European roots.
Learn more about politic


Study finds frequently checking text messages can mean fewer friends. What do you think? (with poll)
Richard Alleyne, LDT
A text message is sent on a mobile phone.
Constantly checking for messages is an addiction which like other drugs can ruin personal relationships, according to researchers.
The addiction can also prove extremely annoying to those around them.
He said that getting hooked on a mobile phone is similar to other addictions, such as compulsive buying.
The study is the first to investigate the role that materialism plays in mobile phone addiction. The researchers said that materialism affected many decisions made by consumers, including their choice and use of mobile phones.
They said the study was driven by a belief that because mobile phone use had become so common it was important to have a better understanding of what drove such technological addictions.
The study for the Journal of Behavioural Addictions used data from 191 business students and two universities, as mobiles are used by about 90 per cent of students for "more than just a utilitarian purpose", Dr Roberts said. The ability to access mobile phones at any time and their ever-expanding functions make their use or overuse more likely, it was found.
Dr Roberts said: "At first glance, one might have the tendency to dismiss such aberrant mobile phone use as merely youthful nonsense - a passing fad.
"But an emerging body of literature has given increasing credence to cell phone (mobile phone) addiction and similar behavioural addictions."
The addiction has even been given a slightly tongue-in-cheek name - nomophobia. The term was created by British researchers in 2008 to identify people who experience anxiety when without access to mobile technology.
A previous study showed that young people were so addicted to their mobile phones that it felt like they had lost a limb when they were without them.
The Daily Telegraph