Gait trajectory prediction via extreme learning machine
Lim, Han Leong (2021) Gait trajectory prediction via extreme learning machine. MPhil thesis, University of Nottingham.
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Abstract
In this thesis, an algorithm to estimate the gait trajectory based upon the electromyography (EMG) signal is proposed. The algorithm is developed using Extreme Learning Machine (ELM). Experiments were conducted to acquire the gait parameters from 20 healthy human subjects. EMG signals from Tibialis Anterior (TA) and Gastrocnemius Lateral (GL) muscles were obtained during the gait cycle. Three stages were completed to ensure the viability of EMG signals and ELM used to predict the gait trajectory. The first stage comprises of using EMG signals to predict temporal gait parameters and benchmarked with a basic same architecture Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The target temporal gait parameters are gait speed and stance/swing phase which were measured using an inertia sensor and camera system. The ELM algorithm was developed using a single hidden layer feedforward network architecture where the weights from the input layer to the hidden layer were randomized and not updated during the run. Results obtained from ELM were compared with an ANN model with the same architecture as the ELM algorithm. In ELM, the mean estimation errors of gait speed, stance percentage, and swing percentage were 11.86%, 7.62%, and 6.07% respectively. This was compared to the errors of 12.92%, 11.75%, and 9.56% using ANN. Besides that, ELM achieved shorter training and testing time. The robustness of the ELM algorithm demonstrated the capability of real-time computation due to superior computing performance compared to conventional ANN models. The second stage superseded the first with a more advanced variant of ELM to classify the endpoints of EMG for each gait cycle during the whole gait duration. This was done with a Weighted ELM, and for 20 participants, it was able to achieve an average testing classification rate of 99.38%. In the last part, a boosted Ensemble ELM was proposed to predict the x trajectory of the gait using features of EMG signals. The best configuration of 8 ELMs boosted is shown to produce an average RMSE of 0.1055m when compared to an un-boosted version of 0.1344m.
Item Type: Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (MPhil)
Supervisors: Ho, Jee Hou
Jauw, Veronica Lestari
Keywords: gait trajectory, electromyography signal, extreme learning machine, architecture artificial neural network, machine learning
Subjects: T Technology > TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
Faculties/Schools: University of Nottingham, Malaysia > Faculty of Engineering > Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering
Item ID: 63929
Depositing User: Lim, Han Leong
Date Deposited: 24 Feb 2021 04:40
Last Modified: 24 Feb 2021 04:40
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The migration of the naturally derived antimicrobial (AM) agents, linalool, carvacrol, and thymol, from\ud low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films containing ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer into the food simulants,\ud isooctane and various ethanol/water mixtures, was studied with a view towards examining the applicability of a\ud first-order kinetic approach as well as a diffusion model approach for describing these systems. The results suggest\ud that the proposed models adequately describe the release of AM agents. The combination of kinetic and diffusion\ud analyses can provide additional information about the release process using the same data set. The analyses suggest\ud that the release of linalool from LDPE/EVA depends on the EVA content in the formulation and that an optimum\ud level of EVA is required to minimize the rate of release. A modification of the existing "idealized diffusion" model\ud is proposed that enables the model to be applied to systems that demonstrate a departure fromlinearity when subjected\ud to conventional analysis. The applicability of the idealized diffusion modelwas compared with the "simulantlimited"\ud model and the results suggest that the formermodel is appropriate for describing most real systems when\ud the simulant (or foodstuff) is favored in the partitioning of the AM agent between the film and the simulant
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Do Bearded Dragons Play Dead? How To React
Do bearded dragons play dead?The worst situation ever is the one in which you come up to your bearded dragon's habitat only to find them in a position indicating they are dead. You begin to worry. You may touch your dragon, in hopes that they will come back to life. But are they really deceased?
Do bearded dragons play dead? Bearded dragons have the ability to hold their breath for a REALLY long period of time. In some cases, the vet may have to intubate because they cannot get the animal to breathe in the anesthesia. If you suspect your dragon may be deceased, wait a while to make sure they are not playing dead.
 Now you know that bearded dragons can play dead. Why do they do this, and what can owners do to help bring them back to their normal way of life? Keep reading to find out.
Why Is My Bearded Dragon Playing Dead?
Stories from around the internet from other bearded dragon owners indicate such instances happening when the dragon is under some sort of stress.
For instance, one owner told a story in which her dragon would do this every time he had to undergo a bath. Another user told a story similar to that in which her dragon opened up an eye as soon as she picked him up again.
In the wild, they do that to escape predators. Some predators lose interest when their prey is dead or they start to relax and don't pay close attention anymore because dead prey can't run away.
As soon as the predator starts to relax and does not pay close attention to the "dead" bearded dragon, the dragon takes advantage of the situation and runs away.
The video below shows a bearded dragon that seems to be very stressed during bath time. As you can see it also plays dead for a while either to "escape" the situation or the water might be too cold.
How To React When Your Bearded Dragon Is Playing Dead
Bearded dragons can hold their breath for ten minutes, so don't jump to conclusions right away if you see your bearded dragon lying motionless. Give it some time and come back to check on the dragon.
However, bearded dragons do not play dead for fun. If you see this behavior in your bearded dragon, you might have done something wrong.
It is very important to reflect on the situation that could have caused that behavior and to do things differently in the future so that your bearded dragons can live stress-free.
Another thing to take into consideration is the possibility of brumation. It is a time in which bearded dragon owners who are inexperienced get nervous about their beardie. Let's learn what it is and how you can know what to expect.
Brumation 101: Know the Signs
Brumation is the reptile version of going into hibernation, which is what bears do during the wintertime.
The metabolism of the bearded dragon slows down and leaves them looking lethargic and lacking in appetite.
The bearded dragon actually has evolved to do this action over the years. It is a response to the seasons changing.
Signs that your bearded dragon is getting ready to begin brumation:
 - They don't want to be handled
 - They don't want to bask
 - They have trouble waking up
 - They lose their appetite
 - They lack energy
 - They bury themselves in their sand
 - They eliminate less and less
Many beardie owners who don't know about these dragons may assume their reptile has contracted a disease or parasite or is impacted.
Dragon owners not in the know may try to force-feed or play with their reptile as a means of waking him up, but don't do this. Brumation is a natural process, and your dragon is just following his instincts.
When Will Brumation Happen?
Brumation depends on whichever hemisphere you reside in. When it comes to beardies that live in the Southern Hemisphere, like Australia, their brumation will start around March or April, and they can stay brumating as late as August.
And then, when THOSE beardies begin waking up, the Northern Hemisphere dragon will start falling into brumation! These include dragons in Canada, the USA, UK, and Europe. You can expect a beardie in these hemispheres to brumate during September to March.
The point? Your bearded dragon will brumate as a way of answering the change in seasons. When temps get low around winter and autumn, you can be sure your dragon will probably start brumating around that time.
It should also be noted that not every bearded dragon who lives in captivity will brumate. It is very possible that your bearded dragon will never brumate, meanwhile others will go through that every year.
You may even see some bearded dragons go into brumation during the spring and summer months, even when they live in the Northern Hemisphere.
During brumation, you should offer a hide, which gives the dragon a place to settle down and stay safe during brumation.
Many dragons enjoy this on the cool side of the tank, so put it there for the best results. These hides come in many sizes to accommodate bearded dragons of all lengths.why do bearded dragons play dead?
How Do I Know If My Dragon Is Sick, Brumating, or Deceased?
In this section, we will take a look at the difference between sick, brumating, and deceased dragons.
Brumation Vs Death
First, don't make any quick decisions or jump to conclusions. Bearded dragons are very good at playing dead. Dead beardies have rigor mortis set in, and they are also very cold to the touch.
Their color will be different, and they may have a foul smell as a result of being deceased.
Here is a test you can do: Lay the dragon on his side and see if he moves. If no movement is spotted, try putting them on their back. A dragon that is alive will try to upright themselves, but if you see no movement, chances are the dragon is deceased.
Brumation Vs Illness
Look at the physical condition of your bearded dragon for the best results.
A dragon that is sick may have fat pads that have been totally depleted, mouth mucus, abnormally colored scales, or sunken in eyes. Mostly, these dragons do not look like themselves at all.
A dragon entering brumation will not display any of these signs. Dragons getting ready for brumation most often change up their behavior patterns as compared to their physical ones.
How To Become Better At Telling If Something Might Be Wrong With Your Bearded Dragon
Seeing a bearded dragon playing dead can be a shock. However, that is not the only behavior that can shock you when it comes to bearded dragons.
Have you ever entered the room, just to see your bearded dragon colored completely black? That can be extremely scary and stressful!
I know that most people are worried about their bearded dragons all the time even if their beardies don't show extreme behavior like that. They are just afraid that they are doing something wrong and their beardie might end up sick.
I totally get that, because I also worried a lot about my reptiles in the past. The good thing is, that you can actually become more confident when it comes to your bearded dragon's behavior.
All you need for that is knowledge.
If you know how to distinguish between a sick bearded dragon and a healthy bearded dragon, or if you know (for example) how to tell by your beardie's body language that the tank is too cold or too hot, you will be a much more confident beardie keeper.
Just because you know how to read your dragon.
To help you with that, we have created the Beardie Behavior 'n' Health ebook.
This ebook will show you how to spot diseases in your beardie and how to help, how to read a bearded dragon's body language, how to care for a beardie during brumation, and much, much more. You can get our ebook here!
Bearded dragons can and will play dead when they feel like it. Often this takes place when they feel afraid or threatened in some way. It is crucial for owners to understand what this looks like, so they know not to jump to conclusions or act in a rash way.
Bearded dragons can hold their breath for ten minutes, so don't worry just yet. If your reptile appears motionless, give him some time to come back. You should also try the test I mentioned earlier where you place the dragon on his side and then his back.
Dragons are great, but they sometimes can alarm us-know what to look for, so you don't end up scared or confused!
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Q:
How do you determine your metabolic type?
A:
Quick Answer
Several types of metabolic tests can determine metabolic type; one of the most effective ways to begin is by having your blood work done by a professional doctor. The results will allow you to determine whether your metabolism is carbohydrate-efficient, fat- and protein-efficient, or some combination of both. You need your standard lipid profile to complete this task.
Continue Reading
How do you determine your metabolic type?
Credit: Tetra Images Brand X Pictures Getty Images
Full Answer
 1. Obtain your full blood profile
 Make an appointment with your doctor to get your blood work done. This typically includes your HDL and LDL cholesterol levels, HDL-to-LDL ratio, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. If you do not have a primary doctor, you can get your blood work performed at a clinic or health services center.
 2. Determine if you are carbohydrate efficient
 This metabolic type runs most efficiently on a heavy-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. If your HDL is below 45, LDL is above 140, HDL-to-LDL ratio is above 3.5 and triglycerides are below 100, you have a carbohydrate-efficient metabolism.
 3. Determine if you are fat- and protein-efficient
 This metabolic type runs best on a low-carbohydrate, high-protein and moderate fat diet. If your HDL is above 55 with LDL below 110, with an HDL-to-LDL ratio below 3.5 and triglycerides above 120, you likely are fat- and protein-efficient.
 4. Determine if you are dual-efficient
 Your numbers may not fit into the two main types. If your HDL is above 45 with LDL below 115, HDL-to-LDL ratio is below 3.5 and triglycerides below 120, you have a dual-efficient metabolism. In this case, your metabolism runs best on a balanced diet with moderate percentages of carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
Learn more about Medical Ranges & Levels
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Single crystal blade single crystal furnace
A single crystal blade is a cast blade with only one grain. The directional crystallized blade eliminates the transverse grain boundaries that are sensitive to voids and cracks, making the entire grain boundary parallel to the stress axis, thus improving the performance of the alloy.
Single crystal blade.jpg
Nowadays, single-crystal hollow blades containing niobium are the preferred and trend for turbine engines. The blade material of the turbine must be nickel-iron alloy. In the normal casting process, an electromagnet is used to generate a strong directional magnetic field, and the unsolidified superalloy is solidified in the same direction under the action of the directional magnetic field. Finally, all the single crystals with the same molecular arrangement are formed, not the ordinary steel molecules. It is a mess. Neatly arranged materials can withstand high temperatures. This is the secret to the manufacture of single crystal superalloys.
Single crystal blade1.jpg
It is easy to use a turbine blade made of a single crystal superalloy containing germanium. Niobium-bearing single crystal superalloy is a metal material that can work for more than 600°C under certain stress conditions for a long period of time. It has excellent high temperature strength, good oxidation resistance and thermal corrosion resistance, good fatigue performance, fracture toughness and other comprehensive properties. It has become an irreplaceable key material for the hot-end components of military-civilian gas turbine engines.
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SIMUWU can provide the vacuum single crystal directional solidification furnace according to your requirement to produce the single crystal blade.
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Why You May Need to Use a Telehandler for Your Business
Whether you work in an industrial setting, agriculture or a warehouse, you may need a telehandler at some point. These machines provide a lot of benefits that cannot be overlooked. In general, they are responsible for lifting and hoisting heavy items. Learn more about why you may be interested in a telehandler rental in Chicago.
What Is a Telehandler?
Telehandlers are also often referred to as telescopic handlers. At first glance, they appear to be the same as a forklift. However, there are actually many differences between the two. A telehandler rental in Chicago actually has a boom attached to it. This means that it can perform many of the same operations as a crane. This is the main difference between a telehandler and a forklift.
More About Booms
Booms give the telehandler the ability to hoist items. These attachments are usually able to move in a forward direction. They can also extend upwards for several feet. In addition, the person operating the telehandler can add other attachments to the end of the boom. This makes it a truly versatile tool for use in a wide variety of environments.
Consider the Attachments
As mentioned, there are many ways to add attachments to a telehandler. You may find it necessary to use a lifting jib for carrying jobs. You might also need an earthmoving bucket for heavy items. Finally, you can always rely on fork tines to get the same benefits as a forklift.
For more information about construction rentals, contact La Grange Crane Service, Inc.
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Investing in a future-ready agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector is the goal of the 2022 Science and Innovation Awards grant program, with applications now open.
Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia David Littleproud is inviting young researchers, scientists and innovators in agriculture, fisheries and forestry to submit a project application that addresses current industry challenges.
"Australia has a proud tradition of innovation, and we're looking to build on that legacy with the next generation of Aussie smarts," Minister Littleproud said.
"We're looking for projects that tackle issues in innovative ways and contribute to the ongoing success and sustainability of Australia's agricultural, fisheries and forestry industries.
"It's about supporting young people who are passionate about agriculture and helping them to make a difference.
"Our young people are at the forefront of transforming agriculture as it grows to a $100 billion industry.
"Their innovations and new ideas will help individual farmers as well as whole industries and communities. They will drive change as ideas and protypes become reality.
"Last year's Ministerial award winner was Fraser Border from the University of Southern Queensland.
"His project used augmented reality to help meat process workers improve accuracy and efficiency, reduce waste and increase returns for processors."
For more information and to apply visit here.
Source: Australian Government

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The legendary Jacques Cousteau taught him about oceanography at the U.S. Naval Academy more than 40 years ago. Now, professor Mark Edwards of the Morrison School of Management and Agribusiness at Arizona State University (ASU) would surely be making his late mentor proud with a new "top science book of the year" award for his work on how algae can revolutionize food and fuel.
"Algae is very nutritious, delicious, sustainable and affordable," said Edwards, whose book Green Algae Strategy: End Oil Imports and Engineer Sustainable Food and Fuels recently received an Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards Gold Medal.
"You can process algae into flour so it tastes great, and then use it for just about anything you would make out of soybeans, corn, wheat, or any other grain," Edwards said.
"You can also grow algae on very large water-based farms about 30 times faster than you can grow land-based crops, and you can harvest about half of the new growth daily. The result is double the protein value of land crops that would take an entire season to produce."
Instead of using freshwater, fossil fuels, and pesticides, Edwards says algae can grow using renewable sunshine, carbon dioxide, and wastewater or reclaimed water. This saves money, natural resources, and farmland which makes algae an appealing sustainable source for food.
The book summarizes algae research around the world, including an ASU project on converting algae into fuel.
"Oil from algae can be used to fuel diesel engines, cars, or jet planes," Edwards said. "When oil is pressed out of algae, the remaining material can be used for animal feed and food products."
Judges chose the book from more than 4,300 entries.


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Nine years of ESA's class of 2009 astronauts
- Title Nine years of ESA's class of 2009 astronauts
- Released 08/09/2018 4:17 pm
- Copyright ESA
ESA's class of 2009 astronaut reported for their first day at work at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, 3 September 2009. The six started their first days of 18-month basic training in preparation for missions to the International Space Station and beyond.
The new astronauts were:
- Samantha Cristoforetti, from Milan, Italy.
- Alexander Gerst, from Künzelsau, Germany.
- Andreas Mogensen, from Copenhagen, Denmark.
- Luca Parmitano, from Paternò, Italy.
- Timothy Peake, from Chichester, UK.
- Thomas Pesquet, from Rouen, France.
Each astronaut has already flown to the International Space Station. A new recruit, Matthias Maurer, joined the ESA astronaut corps in 2015.
This collage shows scenes from nine years of training and spaceflight.
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Inflection - teaching idea
In this step we consider how to use film to explore inflection in an active way. We've posted an audio clip from the opening to another one of our shorts for you to listen to.
From the sound of the voices, what can you tell about who the character/s might be, what kind of situation they are in, and what kind of exchange this is? What kinds of mood are being created? What range of emotions can you pick up on, just from the sounds of voices? If you don't speak French, is it possible to pick up from intonation and inflection whether the character is asking or answering a question, or making an exclamation? NB, if you speak French already, it might not necessarily help!
Add your comments and ideas to the comments section.
Ask your learners to write a 'story opener' - a one sentence beginning to a story - that sets out what you think is going on. This is a task that can be carried out in a target language and you could specify a given tense or grammatical form. Beyond this, think about how you might scaffold or support your learners' engagement with intonation and inflection, using a sequence of film dialogue such as this one. How could you develop or adapt this idea/activity for use with your learners?
© Annick Teninge - La Poudriere


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Cuban born pianist Elio Villafranca has spent a lifetime observing the space between different worlds. He spent his childhood in the small Piñar de Rio region on the Western coast of Cuba and then jumped into the centralized bustle of Havana. He went through a broad and varied musical education that not only focused on the piano, but also included intensive investigations of the guitar, percussion, and composition. He immersed himself in the complex musical constructions of Havana's academic classical music world, and then struggled to explore jazz and Cuban popular music on his own. He moved from the island life of his childhood into the urban settings of Philadelphia and later, New York. He experienced massive crowds of crazed fans while performing with Cuban artist Carlos Varela, and then transitioned into small intimate crowds in American jazz clubs. As a stateside musician he has worked in traditional Latin jazz settings and free-form exploratory modern jazz groups, both as a performer and composer. In so many ways, Villafranca is a man with a very broad perspective.
It seems only natural that Villafranca's musical concept explores relationships between musical worlds. The connections between musical genres appear naturally for Villafranca, whose songwriting devices touch upon modern jazz, Afro-Cuban traditions, and classical composition techniques. Where many of us see differences between musical worlds, Villafranca sees similarities. He can see a single composition through a variety of lenses, placing it easily in a straight ahead jazz setting or within the world of Afro-Cuban rhythms. He understands these musical relationships on an instinctual and academic level, making his genre-bending experiments both natural and informed. His two albums as a leaderIncantations/Encantaciones
(Universal Latino, 2003) and The Source In Between
(Ceiba Tree, 2008)reflect the duality of his musical personality, with each album focusing upon a different musical world. Yet the strength of his musical foundation and highly developed artistic personality bursts through stylistic borders, providing a steady guide as Villafranca explores the source in between musical cultures.All About Jazz:
You grew up in San Luis on the western coast of Cuba, where your primary exposure to music as a child was cultural. One of the cultural elements that you've mentioned in the past was the Tambor Yuka tradition. For our AAJ readers not familiar with Cuban culture, can you explain a little bit about the traditionwhat makes it unique to the Piñar del Rio region and how it impacted you?Elio Villafranca:
Cuba as many other people know was one of the last countries to liberate the slave. Actually the slave trade in Cuba lasted way longer than after all the slaves were "officially" free. In Cuba the freedom of the slaves was not a pact or a treaty like in the United States where they decided to free the slaves and just move on and use machines for labor. Cuba, since it was not very advanced in machinery, was still treating people like slaves for a lot of years after everything was already over. What that means is that we were still receiving slaves from Africa
You see these movies like Amistad
(1997), and all these horrible stories, where the British put all these ships on the seas just to punish those who were still trading slaves. All these horrible stories where they were bringing boats of slaves and they would see the police ships so they would throw all the slaves in the seaI mean, those horrible stories. At the same time, what that says is that we had a lot of slaves coming into Cuba. And that's what made Cuba, in this particular sense, very special. Because we had more opportunities to integrate into our own culture all these beautiful traditions from Africa.
San Luis, being close to Havana, one of the main ports of Cuba, received a lot of slaves to work in the fields. It's pretty much flat with numerous sugar cane and tobacco fields, and other small crops. I noticed that every time there was a celebration in town, people from many areas of the San Luis region would come into the middle of the town and would make all these huge fires and bring these big drums; for me, it was very interesting. As a kid, it was not necessarily a cultural thing, but this whole event that transpired between the drums and the fireit was so very intense. And it was not until much later when I went to music school that I discovered that these were people from the Congolese culture. Then I realized that since I was a very young age, I had been exposed to those elements, not knowing exactly what they were.
And then, as for all the regions of Cuba...from my hometown, we have the Congolese culture which has several different branches. You have the Tambor Yuka, which is the drum festival that they do in Piñar del Rio. You have also Tambor Makuda, and then you have Tambor Palo. In those three, you have different kinds of drums, but they are all encompassed in the same culture. Then you have, in other regions, the Abakua, which is a kind of a culture that came from a different region of Africa. Then you have the culture of the Lucumi, which is the culture that encompasses the Yoruba, which has a tremendous amount of Orishas. Every Orisha has their own chant and their own dance, and their own dresseverything. And then you also have the Arara which is similar to the Yoruban tradition, just becausebefore they even came to Cuba, the Arara, who were based in Dahomey (now Benin), were conquered by the Yorubans.
Yoruba was one of the biggest kingdoms in Africa, and when they were expanding, they conquered the Arara people. And then they had to integrate their religious concepts into their culturethat's why in Arara, you have almost the same number of saints or Orishas that you have in the Yoruban culture, they just changed the name. The same thing happened in Cuba between the slaves and the Hispanics. The Cuban slaves could believe in Christianity, but they said, "OK, we're going to name our Orishas after your saints, so we'll know what we're talking about." Basically, they say we're going to call her Chango Santa Barabara, instead of calling her Chango. And Babalu Aye, we're going to call him San Lazurus. They would put a saint in front, and that's exactly what the Arara people didin a way to fool their lords. They didn't use the word saint, of course; they did it in their own native language.
After the Haitian revolution there was a huge migration from Haiti to the Eastern part of Cuba, the Oriente. We got the Tumba Francesa from them that developed in the Eastern part of Cuba at that time. And then we've got some other different groups of culture that are kind of disappearing. One is called GagaI remember interviewing these two old ladies who were the only people remaining from that culture. They had everything written in books and they were kind of afraid that after they passed away, the whole culture would die, if nobody else took over. As you can see, Cuba is amazingly blessed with a great number of songs, chants, rituals, and instruments...you name it. It's very interesting.


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Flathead Lake is a stunning natural wonder located in Montana and is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States. It is the deepest lake in Montana and is known for its crystal clear waters and abundant wildlife. The lake spans 20 miles long and 15 miles wide, with an average depth of 188 feet. But within this vast expanse of water, there is one spot that is even deeper than the rest.
The deepest part of Flathead Lake is located near the eastern shore, in a region known as Wild Horse Island. The maximum depth of this area is 370 feet, making it the deepest spot in the entire lake. This area is located in the southern portion of the lake, and is one of the most popular fishing spots among locals.
The deep waters of this part of Flathead Lake create an ideal environment for a wide variety of fish species to thrive. Species such as lake trout, kokanee, and lake whitefish can be found in abundance here. The lake is also home to a variety of other aquatic creatures, including crayfish and freshwater clams.
In addition to its abundant wildlife, the lake is also known for its incredibly clear waters. This clarity is due in part to the lake's lack of any significant agricultural runoff or other pollutants. This makes the lake a popular destination for water sports such as swimming, kayaking, and boating.
The deep waters of Flathead Lake provide a unique and exciting adventure for visitors and locals alike. The lake's crystal clear waters and abundant wildlife make it an ideal destination for those looking to explore the depths of nature. With its maximum depth of 370 feet, Wild Horse Island is the deepest spot in this Montana lake, and a must-see for any nature lover.


How to Negotiate a Car Lease [Understanding the Terminology]
Leasing a car can be an excellent option for some people, but it's important you understand the language, terms and other details about it before jumping into it.
A car lease is very similar to renting it. You use it for a certain amount of time or miles, and you pay the car company for the time you have the car. At no point do you own the vehicle.
The difference between renting and leasing is that with leasing you are only paying for the depreciation cost of the car, rather than a percentage of the actual car.
All dealers have set terms that are used in the lease. But what terms are flexible? What affects the price of your lease? And, how can you negotiate to get a better deal?
Dealers might use fancy terms to try and confuse you, but don't let that scare you.
We are here to help you be well-informed about how to negotiate a car lease.
Understanding the Terminology
couple talking to car salesman
One of the most important things when thinking about leasing a car is to understand all of the terms.
Some of the language might seem confusing and could be misleading if you do not fully understand it.
We've broken down 11 common terms that might be thrown around that you should fully understand before agreeing to anything.
1. Gross Capitalized Cost
This is the cost of the vehicle you will be leasing, think of it as the selling cost or the sticker cost of the car.
This price is used to help calculate your monthly payments for your new leased car.
Make sure to compare the gross capital cost number to the MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) of the vehicle you are looking to lease.
If the gross capital cost number is lower than the MSRP number you are most likely getting a good deal.
2. Cap Cost Reduction
The cap cost reduction refers to anything that brings down the price for the capital cost. Say you have another car you want to trade-in
3. Net Capitalized Cost
The net capital cost is the gross capital cost minus any discounts the dealer offers and any cash you put towards a downpayment.
4. Residual Value
The amount your car will be worth at the end of your lease. This is an estimated professional guess.
5. Rent Charge
First of all, the rent charge has nothing to do with renting.
This is just a fancy way of saying the total amount of money you will owe towards your leased vehicle. This can also be referred to as a finance fee or money factor.
The rent charge is determined after a money factor is calculated. You can think of the money factor as an interest rate that is dictated by your credit score. The higher your credit score, the lower your money factor will be.
Rent Charge = (Net Cap Cost + Residual) X Money Factor
6. Acquisition Fee
An acquisition fee is basically just an additional administrative fee covering the costs to create the lease. This does not include registration or taxes due on a new vehicle.
7. Closed-end Lease
A closed-end lease allows the lessee to buy out the vehicle at the end of the lease term. The value of the buyout is determined at the beginning of the lease, so there are no surprise costs at the end of the lease term.
8. Buyout Price
This is the amount you will pay at the end of your lease term if you decide you want to buy the car.
9. Purchase Option Fee
This would be the processing fee if you decided to buy the car at the end of the lease term that is tacked on to the final bill.
10. Disposition Fee
This is a fee for the dealer to prep the car for resale if you don't want to buy the car at the end of the lease.
There could also be an additional fee if you go over the mileage or there are damages on the interior or exterior of the car that need to be fixed before it can be put back on the market.
11. Due at Signing
This is the total amount of money you will be paying for your car lease. Typically, this includes your down payment, first month payment and, if required, a security deposit.
Know What the Car is Worth
Now that you are familiar with the terms, you need to know how to negotiate the best deal on your lease.
Just like when you go in to buy a car, you shouldn't pay the sticker price.
The price of the car is negotiable.
Do your research and find out what the price of the car is, or what it should be. You should never pay more than the average price for the car. You can find out the average price of your car at Kelly Blue Book.
Choose a car that is on the lot. Dealers are typically more willing to give you a good deal on a car to get it off of the lot than on one they will have to order.
What is the Best Deal?
When you are looking for the best lease deal, you need to know what you are looking for and just because the deal seems good doesn't mean it is the best car.
A good, reliable car is the most important factor.
Be open to different car models and years. You may find better deals on cars that were not necessarily the car you originally had in mind.
It's also important to consider a car that has a high residual value.
Know What is Negotiable
Understanding what is negotiable is also crucial before going in to chat about a car lease. There are several things that can be negotiated to help you get the best deal.
Interest Rate
The interest rate, also called "the money factor" and is negotiable to an extent.
The interest rate is what determines the cost of your monthly finance fee.
Also, remember that the better your credit score is, the lower your interest rate will be. Focus on finding ways to increase your credit score before you go in to negotiate a car lease.
Related: How To Build Credit (For Complete Newbies)
Lease Deals and Price Reductions
You can reduce your car price (also called capitalized, or cap cost) upfront by doing these few things.
Do you have a car you can trade in? This will help reduce the cost of the car. Try to get the highest price you can when you trade-in the car.
If you are unsure of what you should get for your trade-in, you can look it up at Edmunds.
If you don't feel like you are getting a good offer for your trade-in, you may want to consider selling it yourself and putting the cash down as a down payment on your lease, which will also help reduce the cap cost of a leased vehicle.
Dealer Offers
Shop around at different dealers and see if they have any special offers that will reduce the price of the car.
Let the dealers know you are doing so and this might entice them to give you their best price just to lock in your business.
Lease Deals
Manufacturers will often offer Lease Deals that will lower payments all around.
Lease deals tend to only benefit individuals with high credit scores, making it even more important to focus on keeping a high credit score before you consider leasing a vehicle.
You can typically find lease deals in November and December for the year-end closeouts and then again in May and June when the dealerships are competing for business.
Note, all lease deals are subjective by location.
Best Price Program
Check out US News Best Price Program for the best price in your area. They help you find the best deals and lowest cap cost on vehicles near you.
Simply plug in the make and model of the car along with your zip code and you can see what is available.
Estimated Expected Mileage
Understand how many miles you realistically put on a vehicle each month. If you currently own a car, start to track your monthly mileage and then calculate out your yearly mileage usage. Make sure to give yourself a buffer.
Going over your mile limit can be very costly on a lease.
It's typical for a lease agreement to have a per-mile cost of 15 to 25 cents for every mile that you go over the cap. If you need to increase your mileage cap, negotiate this in the beginning.
If you can't get a lease that will accommodate the number of miles you intend to drive the car, then leasing may not be the right option for you.
You may want to consider buying a car instead.
Lower Buyout
If you think you may want to buy your car at the end of the lease, try to negotiate that price now. You won't be able to negotiate that after the fact.
Even if you don't think you will wind up buying the car, at least have a good option to consider when the time comes.
Add Ons
Add-ons can be sneaky. Make sure you are fully aware of what add-ons will be tacked on to a lease. Add-ons may include things like warranties, paint protection and key protection.
Regular Maintenance
Know before you sign the lease whether regular service visits are included in the lease or if you have to pay for those out of pocket.
This is determined by the dealer and can also be a costly add-on if you are expected to pay for it.
Understand What isn't Negotiable
It's important to understand what you can't negotiate so you focus on trying to reduce the price on things that are negotiable.
Most of the fees below are set and it isn't worth your time even trying to negotiate. Some of these fees aren't even set by the dealership so they will not be able to assist in any reduction.
Residual Value
The residual value, one of the biggest factors to determine the cost of your lease and is non-negotiable. These values are determined by organizations like Auto Lease Guide and are dictated by


text:
Organic forms inspire Fast + Epp's VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre
Located in the heart of Vancouver, the VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre is inspired by the organic forms of a native orchid. Requiring extensive collaboration between the architect and the structural engineer, the project's most innovative feature is the dramatic free-form roof structure. Appearing to float above the building's curved rammed earth walls, the roof form metaphorically represents undulating petals, flowing seamlessly into a central occulus and the surrounding landscape.
The design team pioneered a wood solution in the interests of economy, sustainability, innovation, and to meet tight time constraints imposed by a federal government stimulus funding programme. While similarly complex building forms-like Spain's Guggenheim Bilbao Museum or the Music Experience Building in Seattle, Washington-have been achieved through the use of steel or concrete, this is believed to be the first example of panelized wood use for such a geometrically complex form.
Curving along all three axes, the roof consists of 71 different panels, each with a different geometric form but similar framing system. Engineers were able to tackle a complex problem by breaking the project down into manageable pieces - trapezoidal-shaped roof panel modules that were typically within a 3.6-metre-wide by 18-metre-long shipping size. The units consisted of doubly-curved glulam edge beams and sawn timber joists spanning between them. Part of the ingenuity of this simple panelized approach was using the curved glulams as a "jig" in the shop to frame the complex geometry
All panels were prefabricated and pre-installed with thermal insulation, sprinkler pipes, lighting conduits, acoustic liner, and wood ceiling slats. Comprised entirely of FSC-certified Douglas fir, the roof structure supports an extensive green roof, carefully designed to include native plants and connect to the ground plane to encourage use by local fauna. The design team also collaborated to produce a novel, universal 'one-size-fits-all' panel-to-column connection to accommodate unique geometric conditions at every support location.
The project is a collaboration between the engineering firm Fast + Epp and the architecture pratice Perkins+Will.


Generate create/drop external table scripts on Synapse SQL using PowerShell DbaTools
Published May 06 2020 12:21 PM 6,273 Views
Microsoft
Azure Synapse SQL Analytics is Azure Data analytic solution that contains all components and services that you would need to implement data analytic solutions. One important part of Azure Synapse is Synapse SQL serverless query service that enables you to query Azure storage files using pure T-SQL language and external table.
Synapse SQL supports rich T-SQL language that enables most of the tools (even open-source non-Microsoft tools like DbaTools) to work with this new service. In this article you will see how you can use PowerShell DbaTools to script Synapse SQL objects the same way you are doing this in standard SQL Server and Azure SQL Database.
DbaTools is well known community PowerShell tool that simplifies database administration tasks. It contains many useful scripts that can help you automate administration/devops tasks, configure database, and script objects in the database.
One interesting PowerShell script that might be handy is Export-DbaScript that enables you to generate scripts of some selected objects from your database. In Synapse SQL you can list set of external tables from your database and use Export-DbaScript to generate CREATE or DROP scripts. This might be useful if you need to move external tables to another database, or keep scripts under source control.
Installing DbaTools
DBAtools is an open-source PowerShell library that must be installed on the computer that you will use to connect to your Synapse SQL query service. You can review requirements on dbatools download/ page, but if you are already using PowerShell, you probably need to run to following command to install this library:

Install-Module dbatools

Once you install you are ready to try the samples in this article.
Generating a script that creates external tables
If you have created a set of external tables in Synapse SQL and you want to move their definitions to another instance or keep creation script locally or in some source-control system, you can easily create script that creates all external tables.
If you have installed the latest version of DbaTools you can use the following script to generate CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE scripts for a set of your tables:

$loginName = "<login>"
$synapseSqlName = "<sql endpoint name>"
$databaseName = "<database name>"
$login = Get-Credential -Message "Enter your SQL on-demand password" -UserName $loginName
$script = Get-DbaDbTable -SqlInstance "$synapseSqlName.sql.azuresynapse.net" -Database $databaseName -SqlCredential $login | Export-DbaScript -Passthru | Out-String
$script -replace ' NULL', ''

You need to enter name of Synapse SQL serverless endpoint instead of <sql endpoint name> (for example mysynapsesqlendpoint-ondemand), login name that you will use to connect to your Synapse SQL database instead of <login>, and name of the database where your external tables are placed instead of <database name>.

NOTE: if you have problem connecting to .sql.azuresynapse.net domain, try to switch to .database.windows.net.

Once you run this script, you will see the script that creates external tables in output window.
Export-DbaScript enables you to customize the script and export CREATE TABLE statements in some file, define encoding, omit schema, etc. You have many options that you can use to customize script generation.
In the example above I have used Get-DbaDbTable command to fetch all external tables from my database. You can also customize this command to get the tables from multiple databases or specify set of tables that you want to export.
Generating a script that drops all external tables
If you already have external tables in your target database you might want to generate drop script that will drop. Export-DbaScript also simplifies this task and you can use the following script:

$loginName = "<login>"
$synapseSqlName = "<sql endpoint name>"
$databaseName = "<database name>"
$login = Get-Credential -Message "Enter your SQL on-demand password" -UserName $loginName
$options = New-DbaScriptingOption
$options.ScriptDrops = $true
Get-DbaDbTable -SqlInstance "$synapseSqlName.sql.azuresynapse.net" -Database $databaseName -SqlCredential $login | Export-DbaScript -ScriptingOptionsObject $options -Passthru

Again, you need to enter name of Synapse SQL serverless endpoint instead of <sql endpoint name> (for example mysynapsesqlendpoint-ondemand), login name that you will use to connect to your SynapseSQL database instead of <login>, and name of the database where your external tables are placed instead of <database name>.
Note the DbaScriptingOption parameter where you can instruct Export-DbaScript to generate only DROP statements. Using these options you can easily customize the generated scripts.
Conclusion
DbaTools is very useful set of PowerShell commands that can enable you to automate administration tasks in your Synapse SQL databases. In this example you have seen hot to generate scripts that create and drop tables, but you can easily modify this script to create/drop users, databases, etc.
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Familial Mediterranean Fever
INFORMATION FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE FAMILIAL MEDITERRANEAN FEVER DURING PREGNANCY OR BREASTFEEDING
The information provided below is for readers based in the United States of America. Readers outside of the United States of America should seek the information from local sources.
What is familial Mediterranean fever?
Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a condition that is characterized by paroxysmal (sudden, intense) episodes of high fever (38-40°C or 100.4-104°F) and pain in the abdomen and other body parts (such as joints), typically lasting 48 96 hours. An attack of FMF can resemble acute appendicitis, cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder), or kidney stones, fairly common conditions that also feature fever and pain in various parts of the abdomen. FMF episodes also can produce arthritis and gastrointestinal symptoms, and a problem called amyloidosis that causes disease in organs, such as the kidneys, and is related to the presence of a substance called amyloid-A in the blood. Episodes of FMF result from an autoimmune process (inappropriate action of the bodys own immune system) that attacks the outer layers of various organs. This is an inherited condition. FMF is seen in particular ethnic groups and is based on the presence of certain genetic sequences, notably mutations within a gene called MEFV. Since FMF symptoms almost always begin prior to age 40 (and often by the teenage years), the condition can easily coincide with pregnancy.
How common is FMF during pregnancy?
Although FMF is rare in the populations of western countries, it is common among particular ethnic groups. In certain populations of Armenians, for instance including Armenians of southern California (as well as Armenians in Lebanon), FMF occurs in 1 out of every 500 people; this is related to the presence of a mutation of the MEFV gene in 1 out of 7 people. In Turkish people, the FMF rate is somewhere between 1 per 150 to 1 per 10,000 people. Sephardic Jews have a rate between 1 per 250 and 1 per 1,000 people. Arabs, Greeks, and Italians also are known to have high rates of the disease, but the precise numbers are controversial. FMF also occurs in Ashkenazi Jews, but only at a rate of 1 per 73,000, so it is much rarer than in Sephardic Jews, although reports also suggest fairly high rates of FMF in Jews hailing from Arab countries. The take-home message of all of this is that if you are Armenian, Jewish, or have roots in a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean country its realistic that you could have FMF, and if you do have FMF it is likely that it will have struck by the time that you are in your reproductive years.
How is FMF diagnosed?
If you have a history of attacks of fever and pain in the abdomen and/or other locations in the body that have not led to the diagnosis of another condition, despite doctors working you up for other conditions with numerous tests, or if you have had a healthy appendix or healthy gallbladder removed, and if you are part of an ethnic group that is known to have a high rate of FMF, doctors will suspect that you have FMF. In such cases, you will be offered genetic testing to look at the MEFV gene. There are many known mutations of this gene, and the finding of any of them will support a diagnosis of FMF.
Does FMF cause problems during pregnancy?
In some women with FMF, the condition improves during pregnancy, but in other women, FMF can get worse in terms of the intensity of the attacks of pain and fever. The pain attacks in the abdomen can be the result of peritonitis, which also can trigger very early contractions of the uterus, leading to a spontaneous abortion (miscarriage). In addition to the fact that high fever can cause dehydration, the amyloid A that circulates in the blood in connection with FMF can lead to damage and ultimately failure of internal organs, such as (but not limited to) the kidneys.
FMF is notorious for causing unnecessary surgical procedures, such as an appendectomy on a healthy appendix, or a cholecystectomy of a healthy gallbladder.
Does FMF during pregnancy cause problems for the baby?
An FMF attack that includes peritonitis can trigger a spontaneous abortion (miscarriage), resulting in the loss of the baby. Additionally, fever itself can be harmful to the developing baby. Some studies have suggested that fever during pregnancy can increase a babys risk of having congenital defects involving the heart and other organs. Also, a recent study identified maternal fever as a possible risk for the baby developing autism spectrum disorder.
What to consider about taking medications when you are pregnant:
 - The risks to yourself and your baby if you do not treat the FMF
 - The risks and benefits of each medication you use when you are pregnant
 - The risks and benefits of each medication you use when you are breastfeeding
What should I know about using medication to treat my FMF during pregnancy?
Treatment for FMF consists of an anti-inflammatory drug called colchicine, which is thought to be safe for the developing baby.
Who should NOT stop taking medication for FMF during pregnancy?
Any woman whose FMF is under control from colchicine should continue taking the medication as normal throughout pregnancy.
What should I know about choosing a medication for my FMF during pregnancy?
You may find Pregistrys expert reports about the individual medications to treat FMF here. Additional information can also be found in the sources listed at the end of this report.
What should I know about taking a medication for my FMF when I am breastfeeding?
Colchicine has been found to be safe during breastfeeding.
What alternative therapies besides medications can I use to treat my FMF during pregnancy?
There are no alternatives to anti-inflammatory medication.
What can I do for myself and my baby when I have FMF during pregnancy?
Be very aware that you have a condition that easily is confused with abdominal conditions that are considered emergencies and are treated with surgery. Doctors may lead you to discuss your history or family history, or the fact that you have, or may have, FMF, but this often depends on the location of the emergency room or delivery room that you are visiting. If you are in a geographic location with few people from Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern lands, its quite realistic that FMF might not be considered in a pregnant woman with fever and abdominal pain, so you should be proactive in being part of the conversation.
Resources for FMF in pregnancy:
For more information about FMF during and after pregnancy, contact _URL_ _PHONE_ [TDD: _PHONE_]) or read the following articles:

Read the whole report
General information
It is very common for women to worry about having a miscarriage or giving birth to a child with a birth defect while they are pregnant. Many decisions that women make about their health during pregnancy are made with these concerns in mind.
For many women these concerns are very real. As many as 1 in 5 pregnancies end in a miscarriage, and 1 in 33 babies are born with a birth defect. These rates are considered the background population risk, which means they do not take into consideration anything about the health of the mom, the medications she is taking, or the family history of the mom or the baby's dad. A number of different things can increase these risks, including taking certain medications during pregnancy.
It is known that most medications, including over-the-counter medications, taken during pregnancy do get passed on to the baby. Fortunately, most medicines are not harmful to the baby and can be safely taken during pregnancy. But there are some that are known to be harmful to a baby's normal development and growth, especially when they are taken during certain times of the pregnancy. Because of this, it is important to talk with your doctor or midwife about any medications you are taking, ideally before you even try to get pregnant.
If a doctor other than the one caring for your pregnancy recommends that you start a new medicine while you are pregnant, it is important that you let them know you are pregnant.
If you do need to take a new medication while pregnant, it is important to discuss the possible risks the medicine may pose on your pregnancy with your doctor or midwife. They can help you understand the benefits and the risks of taking the medicine.
Ultimately, the decision to start, stop, or change medications during pregnancy is up to you to make, along with input from your doctor or midwife. If you do take medications during pregnancy, be sure to keep track of all the medications you are taking.
Read articles about Familial Mediterranean Fever


- Back dimples are a current trend made popular by celebrities and fashion influencers.
 - They're a genetic feature that not everyone has, although certain exercises can help make back dimples appear more pronounced.
 - Alternatively, cosmetic surgery to remove lower back fat can create back dimples.
Back dimples are a popular trend right now. Whether it's an aesthetic that speaks to you or not, you'll probably be tempted to check your back in the nearest mirror after reading this article.
What are back dimples, exactly?
Back dimples, also known as dimples of Venus, are the two small indents that reside on the lower back just above the glutes. These striking dimples are formed by the sacrum and the two hip bones attached to either side.
According to Miami plastic surgeon Dr. Jacob Freiman, "Back dimples, or 'dimples of Venus,' are caused by a skin attachment to the part of the pelvis called the posterior superior iliac spine. While other areas of the skin can sag a little, since the skin is attached to the bone here, it doesn't and therefore causes dimpling. You can find examples of back dimples in paintings from hundreds of years ago, but recently they have become aesthetically popular."
Why are they considered attractive?
You may be wondering what all the fuss is about. The lower back has always been considered one of the most attractive parts of the female figure. As such, it makes sense that recent trends in buttock lifts and sculpting would lead to a focus on improving the look of the lower back.
By that logic, dimples can be seen as aesthetically pleasing since they draw the eye to the curves of the lower back and waist. With popular celebrities and models like Kendall Jenner flaunting their dimples on Instagram, dimples of Venus have come to be seen by some as a sign of a fit body.
According to Dr. Freiman, "There is nothing innately beautiful about back dimples. Aesthetics is based on trends and your geographical location. In some parts of the world, large buttocks and small breasts are popular and in other parts, the opposite. Currently, back dimples are trending in the United States and some parts of Europe."
While back dimples are considered a genetic feature, it does appear anecdotally that a large percentage of lean athletes are blessed with them as well. This would suggest that body fat reduction can help enhance the appearance of back dimples.
While it's not possible to reduce body fat in a specific area, a combination of diet, lower back exercises and cardiovascular conditioning could help you achieve the dimples of Venus look.
Dieting and the back dimple workout
According to Scientific American, lean athletes typically have a body fat percentage of 6 for men and 12 for women. These are the sculpted bodies that we see in the media with back dimples. The average body fat percentage in the U.S. is 22% to 32%, so a layer of adipose tissue might be covering many potential dimples.
As back dimples are located on a part of the body which doesn't have very many muscles, it can be difficult to make these indentations appear more prominent through muscle building alone. A better way to naturally achieve the look is through diet and fat loss.
Lose weight the right way
If there is a thick layer of fat covering the lower back, these dimples won't show. Since there is no way to lose fat from a specific place on the body, an overall reduction in body fat percentage is necessary to make these indentations more pronounced.
A safe rate of body fat to lose is 1-2 pounds a week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This can be achieved simply by cutting your daily calorie intake.
There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat, so if you trim 500 calories from your daily calorie intake, you will lose about a pound of fat per week. It's important to not cut calories too drastically as this can lead to muscle loss instead of fat loss, which won't help you develop more pronounced dimples.
Developing new habits like replacing juice, soda or alcoholic beverages with water or no-calorie drinks is a simple step you can take to reduce caloric intake and cut body fat.
Exercise your way to a leaner back
If dieting isn't your thing, regular exercise can also help burn calories and drop body fat. A simple increase in your daily activity level can help burn calories while allowing you to eat more regularly.
Although fat loss is the most effective way to achieve back dimples, you can enhance these indentations with certain exercises. There are no muscles directly below the dimples themselves but building the muscles in the area can help Venus dimples stand out.
Here are three specific gym exercises that help target the muscles around your lower back:
 - Back extensions
This exercise targets the spinal erectors and other muscles throughout the lower back. These gym machines utilize weight blocks that can be adjusted to fit your strength level.
For this move, sit on the machine and rest the padded rollers on your shoulders. Starting in the upright position, use your lower back muscles to push against the rollers until you are in a horizontal position. By repeating this movement, you effectively target many muscles in your lower back to enhance your back dimples.
 - Rowing machine
This is a classic back strengthener and a great way to target and develop the lower back muscles while burning a ton of calories. Not only does it provide a full body aerobic workout, but it also targets the erector spinae and the glutes, enhancing the curves of your backside for a lifted butt and sculpted lower back.
 - The Roman chair
Although the Roman chair is a popular core machine, it also targets the muscles in the lower back. This machine provides a similar workout to the back extension but with more weight
Sit on the machine and position your thighs and feet under the padded bars. Use your lower back and core muscles to lift the torso up and parallel with the knees. Keep your hands behind your head while performing the motions to isolate the muscles in your lower back.
Back dimple surgery
At the end of day, back dimples are thought to be a genetic feature so reducing body fat and developing lower back muscles may not help you achieve them.
Although there are some surgical procedures available to create back dimples, not all surgeons agree on the effectiveness of these procedures in producing the desired results.
Vaser liposuction
The most popular procedure for producing back dimples is Vaser liposuction. This minimally invasive procedure, known as the "V-Spot" treatment, uses an ultrasound probe to remove fat from very specific areas of the lower back, creating crevasses for back dimples.
This trendy new procedure, also known as liposculpturing, isn't used for back dimples alone. Its main objective is to shape any part of the body to the client's desired look.
Liposuction used to involve breaking up and separating fat before extracting it, which caused a lot of pain for the patient and entailed a long recovery time. Vaser liposuction is less invasive and has a much quicker recovery time. The targeted area is numbed while the ultrasound probe dissolves the fat as it's extracted. The fat turns to a butter-like consistency, making it easy to remove. The process is far less painful as a result.
What about injectables?
Injectable options do exist for back dimples, but the safety and effectiveness of these procedures are debatable.
These procedures are typically done with steroid injections like Kenalog 40, which is known to cause fat atrophy but may also cause thinning of the overlying skin. Alternatively, injections of deoxycholic acid can act more selectively to dissolve targeted fat without causing adverse effects to the skin.
The FDA, however, has not approved these injectables for the use of fat dissolution so these uses are considered "off label." While off-label usage of injectables can be safe, it's important to do your research on the skills and qualifications of the physician performing the procedure.
Before buying into back dimples
If you've decided that back dimples are a must-have to complete your look, try diet and exercise first. If that doesn't work or if you are looking for a shortcut, then consult a reputable surgeon with experience creating these dimples before you take the plunge.
» To find out more about surgical and non-invasive body contouring procedures, use Zwivel's online consultation tool to contact a cosmetic doctor in your area.
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text:
Definition of Mutuel
1. a system of betting on races [n -S]
Click the following link to bring up a new window with an automated collection of images related to the term: Mutuel Images
Lexicographical Neighbors of Mutuel
Literary usage of Mutuel
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Evolution of Credit and Banks in France from the Founding of the Bank of by André Liesse (1909)
"The characteristic of the Credit Agricole mutuel is to give a mutual basis to credit; to offer as security to the lender the joint responsibility of a..."
2. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge (1918)
"... France the Credit Agricole mutuel represents a development of the Raiffeisen idea. Small local societies had been doing business with moderate success,..."
3. Rural Credits, Land and Cooperative by Myron Timothy Herrick, R. Ingalls (1914)
"Long-term Loans to Associations through Credit Agricole mutuel.—Long-term Loans to Individuals.—Two Methods of Amortization. MUCH private property was..."
4. Baily's Magazine of Sports and Pastimes (1901)
"And if the simple fact that betting with bookmakers takes custom away from the guichets of the Pari mutuel were a sufficient objection to it,..."
Other Resources Relating to: Mutuel

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Why do they need company?
Imagine living by yourself for your entire life and never having anyone to interact with - how would that make you feel? Guinea pigs that are kept on their own are more likely to become bored or even depressed. They are herd animals, meaning that they are very sociable, and thrive with company of their own kind!
A few of the many benefits that companionship provides:
 - Security
 - Improved quality of life
 - Happiness
 - Interaction
Having a herd of guinea pigs with a neutered boar and several sows is similar to how they live in the wild, so their natural behaviours really show with that group combination. It is very interesting to see the way they interact with each other, and the various dynamics of a herd.
A significant benefit of housing guinea pigs in a herd is that they have a lot of freedom with who they want to be with. Having said that, some pairs of guinea pigs have a great bond.
When you have a pair of guinea pigs, if one passes away, you will be left with just one guinea pig, and as guinea pigs are herd animals, they can become very lonely or even depressed without company of their own kind - as a result you may then end up in a situation of either leaving the guinea pig on its own, or getting a new friend for the guinea pig (which can be complicated, especially if you have had a pair with a strong bond).
With a herd of guinea pigs, if one passes away, this may unsettle the group at first, but none of the guinea pigs will end up on their own, which is a great advantage of a group.
If you have the space, time and commitment, then I would really encourage owning a herd of guinea pigs. It can be a lot of work, but it is so rewarding. With guinea pigs, company is also a'safety in numbers' thing because they rely on each other for security and can become scared on their own.
As they are very social creatures, they regularly interact and communicate with each other. They are much more confident little characters when they have a friend or more and their personalities really come through. If you have a lone guinea pig, I strongly reccomend that you get them a friend because guinea pigs should not be alone!
There may be some circumstances where are guinea pig can be particularly aggressive. In reality, if they are matched with the right partner(s) then they are likely to settle into place. A guinea pig on their own may seem okay, however it is difficult to detect signs of loneliness, and although they may not show it, there is a good chance they are experiencing it.
What are good guinea pig combinations?
 - Neutered boar with one/several sows
 - A pair or group of sows
 - Boars that have been brought up together
 - An older, more dominant boar with a young boar
It is possible to have a herd of males providing that they have lots of space. Like with any group/pair, it is very important for the personalities to work well together - some piggies will get along very well, others may not like each other, it is just like with people! The main thing is that they are able to tolerate each other and this is essential for a group to work. Male groups are not ideal for new owners, and should only be attempted by experienced owners.
guinea pig floor time
How do you introduce guinea pigs that have never met?
There are various methods for introducing guinea pigs that have never met before. I have had the most success by introducing guinea pigs via a split cage. This is a very simple, stress-free method, and all you will need is a partition. C&C cages are great for introducing guinea pigs who have never met before. This is because you can easily build a partition with just a few grids. Once the cage has a divider, you just put one guinea pig at either side of the partition. If you are introducing multiple guinea pigs who have never met before, you can add more dividers. If introducing a pair or group to a new guinea pig, keep the pair/group together, then put the new guinea pig at the other side of the divider. Split cages are often very successful because it allows them to interact without doing harm to one another. You also get a clear indication of how they are going to get along judging by the way they behave. When new guinea pigs first meet via a split cage, it is common for them to display dominant behaviours - they do this to establish which guinea pig is boss, and which is submissive.
There is usually more aggression when the guinea pigs first meet, but once they have been together for a while, the dominant behaviours are usually reduced. I reccomend waiting about 1 week before introducing them properly. In the meantime, you may sit the guinea pigs together on your lap and hand feed them some veggies as a distraction - this is good positive reinforcement as the guinea pigs learn to associate each other with something positive. Little and often is good, so once a day for about 5 minutes at a time is ideal. Remember, if the guinea pigs start to show signs of aggression, put them back into the split cage as you want to always try and end on a positive.
After a week (or when you think is best), the next step I reccomend is introducing the guinea pigs in a neutral territory. It is very important that you pick a location where neither of the guinea pigs have visited before, otherwise they may become territorial and show more dominance.
For example: bedroom floor, bathroom floor, kitchen floor, pen on the grass etc.
You will need
 1. Playpen or fully secure room
 2. Towel or gardening gloves in case fighting gets serious and you need to separate the guinea pigs
 3. Lots of food! Veggies, hay piles, grass, plants etc. This is vital for keeping them occupied
 4. Kitchen roll and/or sweeping brush to clean up any urine/faeces
 5. Another person (optional, but useful) to keep an eye whilst you set up their cage
 - Butt sniffing - like how dogs greet each other, they often do this to unfamiliar guinea pigs
 - Humping - they may try to hump, and the guinea pig on top is trying to be the boss
 - Teeth chattering - usually a sign of dominance but sometimes out of fear
 - Rumble strutting - common dominant behaviour, they 'butt sway' and make a deep rumbling sound
 - Chasing - guinea pigs sometimes chase during introductions when trying to establish hierarchy
 - Pee spraying - especially with females, they do this to warn the other guinea pig(s) away
 - Lifting head high - they may try to lift their head high to show they are the boss
 - Nipping/drawing blood - guinea pigs may bite out of fear or aggression
 - Hair pulling - when sorting out the ranking, they sometimes pull out fur to show dominance
 - Launching - another indicator of aggression, they may launch/attack each other
Guinea pig dominance may seem scary, however it is best not to intervene. I would only separate the guinea pigs if fighting got very serious, and it could cause too much stress or even injuries if they are left together much longer. If all seems to be going ok, try to leave them for a few hours in the neutral territory to ensure they are going to get along.
pair of guinea pigs
pair of guinea pigs
bonding guinea pigs
guinea pig herd
What happens next?
This depends entirely on how the introduction went. If there was little to no aggressive behaviour, you may then put them together in the same cage. Remember that mounting, teeth chattering etc is very common and you may still try to put them together. Ensure that the cage setup is quite simple - you don't want too much enrichment at this time. You may wish to provide two of everything, for example bottles, bowls, hide houses etc so they do not have to share. Make sure the hide houses have multiple entrances/exits so they can not get cornered (a towel/blanket draped over the cage works very well). It is also a good idea to introduce them in a clean cage with fresh bedding so they do not act territorial. Hay piles are great during the first few days as it provides a distraction and allows them to have their own space.
It is common during the first few days for the guinea pigs to show dominant behaviour. It can take a while for the guinea pigs to decide on the hierarchy. The common behaviours listed above may still apply to when the guinea pigs being put together in the same cage, so do not separate them if they are still showing this behaviour as they need time to adjust. While dominant behaviours usually subside within a few days, sometimes the dominant behaviour will continue. Most commonly this is because the guinea pigs are both aiming for the boss role, and neither will back down, which can result in the guinea pigs being aggressive and possibly doing harm to one another.
What happens if...?
I am going to list different possible scenarios and the solutions to different introduction problems.
Scenario 1. A pair of male guinea pigs are both fighting for the boss role & neither will back down.
Solution 1. First of all, ensure that their


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Peter Aldhous, San Francisco bureau chief
Over in California's Monterey bay, an unusual three-day cruise kicked off today. Marine biologists there are investigating what happens to sea-floor ecosystems when shipping containers are accidentally shed from cargo ships. With 10,000 containers lost at sea each year, that's a less trivial question than it might seem at first glance.
The project is the result of chance discovery of one such container - plus a legal settlement which resulted in the US government receiving $3.25 million to compensate for the pollution of a national marine sanctuary.
On 25 February 2004, the container ship Med Taipei was caught in 9-metre
swells off Monterey bay in central California, heading south for the
port of Los Angeles. That night, 15 of its containers broke free of
their lashings and toppled into the sea. Their contents included
wheelchairs, cyclone fencing, clothing and recycled cardboard.
That would have been the end of the story, had the remote controlled submersible Ventana
, operated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Reseach Institute
(MBARI) in Moss Landing, not happened across the container in June
2004. Video footage clearly showed the container's serial numbers, which
was key to extracting the record-setting payment
from the Med Taipei's operators - All Oceans Transportation, Italia Marritema and the Yang Ming Transport Corporation.
Some of the money is now being used to allow scientists from MBARI and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
(MBNMS) to see what has happened to the ecosystem since the 10-metre-long container landed on the seabed.
The container is lying in 1300 metres of water. Like most of the deep
ocean, the seabed at the site is soft and muddy. While the 2004 video
shows the container looking pristine and uninhabited, it may since have
been colonised by species including sea anenomes and deep sea corals,
and provided a habitat for fish generally found near rocky reefs.
Introducing an artifical reef might sound like a positive result, but
the colonisers could also include predators of the snails, sea cucumbers,
brittle stars and other species that live on the muddy bottom - much in
the same way as introducing a tree into an upland area can threaten
local rodents by providing a perch for birds of prey. "You're
establishing a new habitat for species to base their foraging from,"
says James Barry
, a senior scientist at MBARI.
While this particular container was carrying a relatively benign cargo of tyres, Andrew DeVogelaere
research co-ordinator for the marine sanctuary, warns that other
containers are used to transport toxic materials. And with some 10,000
containers being lost at sea each year, they may also provide "stepping
stones" along shipping routes, facilitating the spread of invasive
species that prefer hard-surfaced habitats.
DeVogelaere and his colleagues will explore the container with a newer remotely operated vehicle, the Doc Ricketts
They will count deep-sea animals on the container and the surrounding
seabed, use the submersible's robotic arm to capture those that need to
be identified in the lab, and take samples of the sediment for
biological and chemical analysis.


Pedro Bank
Parish: St. Elizabeth
Category: Underwater Cultural Heritage Sub-Category – Shipwrecks
Classification: Historic Site - Priority 1
Jamaica National Heritage Trust - Pedro Bank, Jamaica
Pedro Bank
section of the Taino site.
All that area known as Pedro Bank being found within the coordinates:Longitude 78° 20' 00" West and 77° 20' 00" West and Latitude 16° 45' 00" North and 17° 10' 00" North containing in particular shipwrecks, sunken vessels and other objects of archaeological interest located above or below the surface of the land or floor of the sea.
Historical/Archaeological Significance
Other than an abundant supply of birds and fish, Pedro Bank offered only hostility to early explorers and settlers alike. From surveys and excavations done on the Pedro Bank, it appears that among all nations, the Spanish may have suffered the largest losses in terms of people, ships and cargo valve. For example, the records show that in 1512, 1602, 1605, 1691, 1730 and 1755, Spanish vessels were lost on the Pedro Bank. Archival records describe in detail the shipwreck of 1691.
On the night of June 2, 1691 four merchant ships from the Spanish Armada y Festa de Tierra Firme (South American Fleet) returning to Spain via Havana (Cuba) from Cartagena (Colombia) sailing in poor weather suddenly ran aground on "Baja de la Vibora" a large and treacherous shoal area now known as Pedro.
Bank, 80 miles southwest of the island of Jamaica. The loss was significant. A document addressed to Lord General Marques del Vado in charge of the 1691 fleet from three deputies of Commerce at Havana states "the four (4) galleons under the command of your Lordship Santa Cruz, La Concepcion, El Angel and Nuestra Senora Del Carrea lost on the 'Baja de la Vibora' on the night of June 2. The people were saved by the warship Nuestra Senora de Regla. It is known that three (3) of the ships remained intact even though one suffered a fire that consumed the ship above the water line. It was found that in all four vessels portions of the silver remained, that for the quality of the weather and for the haste necessary in saving so many people, they were unable to remove the silver. Therefore, it is necessary to issue a decree to which effect the said silver be removed in as brief a time as possible in order that the English who are nearby in Jamaica, have no opportunity to arrive first and take it."
Inherent Features
Lying approximately 80 miles to the southwest of Jamaica is a mega like underwater shoal rising up from 500 fathoms or more and encompassing an area slightly smaller than Jamaica itself. Most of the water over the bank is navigable except for areas of submerged reefs and small cays that wind along the southern edge of the bank. Vast stretches of underwater reefs are covered with a dense growth of Elkhorn coral, which to a wary mariner could easily appear to resemble fangs of a snake. The Spanish viewed the bank as a hostile and dreaded place. The eastern end was referred to as "la Cabeza de la Vibora" (the head of the viper) while the southwestern end was known as "el Cascabel" (the tail of the viper).
The location of "la Vibora" was treacherous for it intruded into the historic Spanish trade route. Moreover, the prevailing winds and the equally dangerous Seranilla Bank further to the southwest left only a relatively narrow passage for
Donald G. Geddes: Paper at the conference on Underwater Archaeology under the auspices of the society for Historical Archaeology, Reno, Nevada, January 15, 1988.


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About 2 years ago, I stumbled on a StackOverflow post that really summed up much of the experience we're having with GeoQuery. After 2 years and 4 months (as of this post) – no accepted answer has been posted.
I am trying to do a seemingly simple task — extract mean pixel values from a raster based on a polygon overlay in PostGIS…
Based on help files and the aforementioned posts/questions, I arrived at the following PostGIS query:
SELECT id, (SUM((ST_SummaryStats(a.rast, 1, true)).sum)/SUM((ST_SummaryStats(a.rast, 1, true)).count)) as mean
FROM imagery.l8_2015_09_12 AS a, analysis_results.zonal_stats_test as b
GROUP BY id;
The results are:
However, when I test the results against ArcGIS's "zonal statistics to table" tool, I get the following results:
Close, but not identical.
So, to summarize: User wants the mean value of a raster, summarized to arbitrary boundaries. They use two common tools – PostGIS and ArcGIS – to do so. And, they get two (in my opinion, very) different answers.
This type of question is a common one, so how is it possible that powerhouse groups like ESRI and PostGIS disagree on the fundamental solution? After all, there is a right answer: their is only one true mean value for (for example) nighttime lights within a given boundary for a given time point; there is only one true sum.
The Technical Answer
The process of aggregating raster data to vector boundaries is at the core of GeoQuery, and is commonly called "zonal statistics". Nearly every software platform you can imagine – QGis, ESRI products, PostGIS, and more – have mechanisms built in to conduct zonal stats. With that power comes two enormous limitations, however:
(1) Zonal stats is computationally (and memory) expensive, increasingly so as the resolution of your source data gets higher.
(2) Zonal stats requires either the programmer or user to be exceptionally knowledgeable about a lot of esoteric details when it comes to spatial data (projections in particular).
We have an entire blog post on #2, but the short of it is that even knowledge GIS practitioners have to make choices regarding accuracy when they reproject data; if you're reading this and you know what "reprojection" is, this comes down to the deep, dark interpolation mechanics behind reprojection – stretching and warping a raster always involves some form of assumption, even if it's not explicit. This can result in slightly different answers to zonal statistics questions, and thus lead to confusion such as that in the stack overflow post.
On number 1, the memory and computation challenges come down to two fundamental steps required in zonal statistics: (a) creating a matrix of every cell that belongs in a given polygon, and (b) calculating the weight each one of those cells should have for a summation or mean calculation. Both of these steps can be hugely challenging. Imagine this scenario: You have an excel spreadsheet with 4 billion cells. Separately from that, you have a second excel sheet with 140 cells identified with a "1". How do you identify the 140 cells in the first spreadsheet you should be using? Then, once you've done that, how do you handle cells that only partially should be counted (i.e., a boundary where half of a cell falls inside of the city, but half of the excel cell falls outside of the city)? While simple concepts, calculating these two things at scale becomes costly for most generic algorithms, which will hold the entirety of spreadsheet #1 in memory to perform manipulations on it. The ways algorithms handle these (sometimes, just crashing!) can change the output of a zonal statistics approach in many ways, and are generally predicated on many assumptions. Behind the scenes, we have GeoQuery do all sorts of things to mitigate this (I won't go into detail here, but rest assured it's very painful); so, while we can provide accurate solutions that lack the limitations of some generic desktop environments, the approaches we use are simply not suitable for most non-HPC environments.
The Organizational Answer
GIS is a scattered discipline – innovation in GIS comes from a huge range of actors. Computer Scientists, GIScientists, Computational Geographers (like me!), and even economist, archaeologists, hydrologists, city planners, and a huge variety of others all contribute to GIScience. Different groups have very different approaches to dealing with "fuzzy" data measurement issues like those noted above. Computer Scientists may be more concerned about the runtimes of code; memory management and efficiency, and be willing to trade off precision for those things (frequently behind the scenes, or buried in help documents). City planners may be more concerned about getting exceptionally accurate line or polygon data, so questions about how to appropriately summarize a raster to a polygon simply don't get as much attention. Economists broadly look at country-level summaries of data (though subnational is becoming more common), so these types of errors amount to very little for them.
All of these differing views of and needs for GIS means that it sometime takes a while – sometime a very long while – for "seemingly simple tasks" to become.. well, simple. We'll be the first to say that, today, this task still isn't simple – memory management, physical disk space required, hugely variable spatial datatypes, and many more issues still make Cliff's question a hard one to answer and implement a solution for.


gs = GA_EMPTY_INIT_VALUE; /* * Garbage collection for lists and dictionaries. * * We use reference counts to be able to free most items right away when they * are no longer used. But for composite items it's possible that it becomes * unused while the reference count is > 0: When there is a recursive * reference. Example: * :let l = [1, 2, 3] * :let d = {9: l} * :let l[1] = d * * Since this is quite unusual we handle this with garbage collection: every * once in a while find out which lists and dicts are not referenced from any * variable. * * Here is a good reference text about garbage collection (refers to Python * but it applies to all reference-counting mechanisms): * _URL_ */ /// Do garbage collection for lists and dicts. /// /// @param testing true if called from test_garbagecollect_now(). /// @returns true if some memory was freed. bool garbage_collect(bool testing) { bool abort = false; #define ABORTING(func) abort = abort || func if (!testing) { // Only do this once. want_garbage_collect = false; may_garbage_collect = false; garbage_collect_at_exit = false; } // We advance by two (COPYID_INC) because we add one for items referenced // through previous_funccal. const int copyID = get_copyID(); // 1. Go through all accessible variables and mark all lists and dicts // with copyID. // Don't free variables in the previous_funccal list unless they are only // referenced through previous_funccal. This must be first, because if // the item is referenced elsewhere the funccal must not be freed. for (funccall_T *fc = previous_funccal; fc != NULL; fc = fc->caller) { fc->fc_copyID = copyID + 1; ABORTING(set_ref_in_ht)(&fc->l_vars.dv_hashtab, copyID + 1, NULL); ABORTING(set_ref_in_ht)(&fc->l_avars.dv_hashtab, copyID + 1, NULL); } // script-local variables for (int i = 1; i <= ga_scripts.ga_len; ++i) { ABORTING(set_ref_in_ht)(&SCRIPT_VARS(i), copyID, NULL); } FOR_ALL_BUFFERS(buf) { // buffer-local variables ABORTING(set_ref_in_item)(&buf->b_bufvar.di_tv, copyID, NULL, NULL); // buffer marks (ShaDa additional data) ABORTING(set_ref_in_fmark)(buf->b_last_cursor, copyID); ABORTING(set_ref_in_fmark)(buf->b_last_insert, copyID); ABORTING(set_ref_in_fmark)(buf->b_last_change, copyID); for (size_t i = 0; i < NMARKS; i++) { ABORTING(set_ref_in_fmark)(buf->b_namedm[i], copyID); } // buffer change list (ShaDa additional data) for (int i = 0; i < buf->b_changelistlen; i++) { ABORTING(set_ref_in_fmark)(buf->b_changelist[i], copyID); } // buffer ShaDa additional data ABORTING(set_ref_dict)(buf->additional_data, copyID); } FOR_ALL_TAB_WINDOWS(tp, wp) { // window-local variables ABORTING(set_ref_in_item)(&wp->w_winvar.di_tv, copyID, NULL, NULL); // window jump list (ShaDa additional data) for (int i = 0; i < wp->w_jumplistlen; i++) { ABORTING(set_ref_in_fmark)(wp->w_jumplist[i].fmark, copyID); } } if (aucmd_win != NULL) { ABORTING(set_ref_in_item)(&aucmd_win->w_winvar.di_tv, copyID, NULL, NULL); } // registers (ShaDa additional data) { const void *reg_iter = NULL; do { yankreg_T reg; char name = NUL; bool is_unnamed = false; reg_iter = op_register_iter(reg_iter, &name, ®, &is_unnamed); if (name != NUL) { ABORTING(set_ref_dict)(reg.additional_data, copyID); } } while (reg_iter != NULL); } // global marks (ShaDa additional data) { const void *mark_iter = NULL; do { xfmark_T fm; char name = NUL; mark_iter = mark_global_iter(mark_iter, &name, &fm); if (name != NUL) { ABORTING(set_ref_dict)(fm.fmark.additional_data, copyID); } } while (mark_iter != NULL); } // tabpage-local variables FOR_ALL_TABS(tp) { ABORTING(set_ref_in_item)(&tp->tp_winvar.di_tv, copyID, NULL, NULL); } // global variables ABORTING(set_ref_in_ht)(&globvarht, copyID, NULL); // function-local variables for (funccall_T *fc = current_funccal; fc != NULL; fc = fc->caller) { fc->fc_copyID = copyID; ABORTING(set_ref_in_ht)(&fc->l_vars.dv_hashtab, copyID, NULL); ABORTING(set_ref_in_ht)(&fc->l_avars.dv_hashtab, copyID, NULL); } // named functions (matters for closures) ABORTING(set_ref_in_functions(copyID)); // Channels { Channel *data; map_foreach_value(channels, data, { set_ref_in_callback_reader(&data->on_stdout, copyID, NULL, NULL); set_ref_in_callback_reader(&data->on_stderr, copyID, NULL, NULL); set_ref_in_callback(&data->on_exit, copyID, NULL, NULL); }) } // Timers { timer_T *timer; map_foreach_value(timers, timer, { set_ref_in_callback(&timer->callback, copyID, NULL, NULL); }) } // function call arguments, if v:testing is set. for (int i = 0; i < funcargs.ga_len; i++) { ABORTING(set_ref_in_item)(((typval_T **)funcargs.ga_data)[i], copyID, NULL, NULL); } // v: vars ABORTING(set_ref_in_ht)(&vimvarht, copyID, NULL); // history items (ShaDa additional elements) if (p_hi) { for (uint8_t i = 0; i < HIST_COUNT; i++) { const void *iter = NULL; do { histentry_T hist; iter = hist_iter(iter, i, false, &hist); if (hist.hisstr != NULL) { ABORTING(set_ref_list)(hist.additional_elements, copyID); } } while (iter != NULL); } } // previously used search/substitute patterns (ShaDa additional data) { SearchPattern pat; get_search_pattern(&pat); ABORTING(set_ref_dict)(pat.additional_data, copyID); get_substitute_pattern(&pat); ABORTING(set_ref_dict)(pat


text:
Piezoelectric flexing and output voltage of a microchannel heat engine
MetadataShow full item record
In this thesis, a new model is formulated for a piezoelectric membrane and fluid motion in a microchannel heat engine. A new slug flow model is developed for droplet motion in a circular cross-section channel. The model includes friction, pressure, viscous and thermocapillary forces on the droplet. This thesis examines the concept of a piezoelectric device at one end of the channel to generate electricity from thermocapillary pumping of the droplet within the microchannel. The slug flow model is used to predict the flow energy needed to convert the thermocapillary pumping into electrical energy. A thin membrane design of a piezoelectric device is developed and modelled with the slug flow approximation. The deformation of the piezoelectric membrane is analyzed. The deformation is found to be a function of the air pressure in the closed microchannel and the displacement of the droplet along the microchannel. This was formulated based on the bending of a thin plate (representing the membrane). The displacement relates to the final output voltage of the design. The direct piezoelectric effect was also examined to determine a relationship between the output voltage and induced stress on the membrane by the force of air. Results are presented for a micro heat engine configuration containing a single membrane on one side of the droplet. It was found that the deformation of the membrane and the output voltage were directly proportional to the displacement of the droplet. A relatively small output voltage was gained from a complete cycle of the droplet. A sensitivity study was performed by varying the channel dimensions along with the dimensions of the piezoelectric membrane. The coupling factor of the piezoelectric membrane was varied to examine its effect on the output voltage. It was found that a larger channel and thinner membrane resulted in a larger output voltage. Materials with a large piezoelectric constant were found to have the largest output voltage, as opposed to those with a lower dielectric constant.


text:
LV [Lakshmi Vilas] Palace, Balconies in the Darbar Hall [Vadodara]
Medium: Photographic print
Photograph of balconies in the Durbar Hall in Lakshmi Vilas Palace at Baroda, Gujarat from the Curzon Collection, taken by an unknown photographer during the 1890s. Originally designed by Major Charles Mant (1840-81), the palace was begun in 1878 and completed in 1890 by Robert Fellowes Chisholm (_PHONE_). Both architects were pioneers of the Indo-Saracenic style, which created an exuberant fusion of Western and Eastern forms with an emphasis on arches and domes. The interior was conceived and furnished in a largely European manner but richly decorated in an orientalist style with lavish ornamental detail and architectural elements such as the balconies shown. The huge durbar or royal audience hall was located in the north wing of the palace. An immense structure, it was built for the Gaekwar Sayaji Rao III (ruled _PHONE_) and was reputedly the most expensive private building erected in India in the 19th century.


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Chromium rich spinels of Upper Carboniferous Balinka conglomerates from south part of Boskovice GrabenArticle PDF
Chromium rich spinels of Upper Carboniferous Balinka conglomerates from south part of Boskovice Graben
Balinka conglomerates formed the basal Upper Carboniferous sedimentation of Boskovice Graben and locally contain light-green fine-grained aggregates of Cr-mica and clay minerals. During the study of these phyllosilicates, relicts of Cr-rich spinel were found. Cr-rich spinel is a common minor to accessory mineral in the Moldanubian peridotites. Two principal compositional types of spinel from Balinka conglomerates were identified: a) low Cr# (0.1–0.3) and high Mg# (0.71–0.76), which correspond to spinels from Hrubšice peridotite (Fo-Spl-Opx±Prp) analysis and b) high Cr# (0.72–0.77) and middle Mg# (0.43–0.51), which correspond to spinel analysis from Hrubšice serpentinite (Srp-Spl). Studied Cr-spinels from Hrubšice peridotite to serpentinite consist of variable amount of TiO2 what shows limited using of this plot for distinguish between origin of spinel, which is common use in literature. Grains of partially corroded garnets were found in heavy fraction.
Pavla Hršelová, Stanislav Houzar, Department of Mineralogy and Petrography, Moravian Museum, Zelný trh 6, 659 37, Brno, Czech Republic, e-mail: _EMAIL_, _EMAIL_
David Buriánek, Czech Geological Survey, branch Brno, Leitnerová 22, 602 00, Brno, Czech Republic, e-mail: _EMAIL_