New findings suggest post-traumatic growth may often be illusory
GettyImages-502659354.jpgBy Christian Jarrett
After a trauma many people have the sense it has changed them for the better, such as granting them a new appreciation for life or improving their relationships. This has given rise to the appealing notion that there is such a thing as "post-traumatic growth". However, the majority of investigations into this phenomenon have relied on asking people whether they believe they have changed; very few have assessed people prior to a trauma and then re-assessed them afterwards to see if positive changes have actually occurred.
A new study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships is the first to apply this kind of "prospective design" in the context of relationship breakups in young adults, and – unfortunately for anyone who found comfort and inspiration in the principle of post-traumatic growth – the authors Meghan Owenz and Blaine Fowers say their findings are more consistent with the idea that such growth is mostly illusory, the result of a positive re-appraisal of the breakup and one's current situation.
The researchers recruited 599 undergrads currently in a romantic relationship and assessed them twice on a range of measures: at the beginning, and near the end of the semester. During that time, 100 of them lived through their relationship breaking up, an experience that, typically for their age group, they found extremely distressing (in fact, on a formal scale they rated their feelings of distress on a par with those reported by survivors of natural disasters and cardiac surgery).
At the start of the semester, all the participants completed a version of the commonly used "post-traumatic growth inventory" that had been slightly reworked to refer to their feelings over the last couple of weeks – such as whether they had experienced a sense of closeness with others over that time or had an appreciation for each day.
Near the end of the semester, all the participants re-took this same revamped version of the growth inventory, thus providing a before and after measure of their general outlook and behaviour. Importantly, the 100 students who'd been through a breakup also took the classic version of the inventory, rating how much they felt they had changed for the better in the same domains (such as closeness to others and life appreciation, among others) but specifically as a result of their relationship trauma.
Comparing earlyand late-semester scores on the revamped growth inventory, there was no evidence for positive change, and no evidence that the students who'd been through a break-up showed any more improvement than the students who had not. In contrast, the break-up students did report feeling that the trauma had changed them for the better. Moreover, this perception of growth was higher for students who previously described themselves as more optimistic and who found their breakup more distressing.
Owenz and Fowers believe these findings are consistent with the idea that the perception of growth after trauma is illusory, arising from a (positive) re-appraisal of the situation. Colloquially we might invoke Freud and call this a defence mechanism – looking on the bright side as a way to cope (something that the more optimistic students, and more distressed students, were more inclined to do). More generally, the researchers acknowledge that actual positive growth may be a reality for some people, but they think it unlikely for most.
Future research might paint a different picture. The current findings pertain to young people in a specific culture going through a specific kind of trauma, and they were tested over a relatively short time frame. For now, though, these authors and others believe the burden is on advocates of the existence of post-traumatic growth to provide more robust evidence for their claims, especially using study designs that do not rely purely on people's subjective and retrospective reports of change. The current situation – where post-traumatic growth is considered a reality based on limited research – Owenz and Fowers find "…particularly worrisome, given the rapid move from research 'documenting' post-traumatic growth to interventions and self-help books designed to promote an approach to trauma that remains questionable."
Perceived post-traumatic growth may not reflect actual positive change: A short-term prospective study of relationship dissolution
Christian Jarrett (_USER_) is Editor of BPS Research Digest
8 thoughts on "New findings suggest post-traumatic growth may often be illusory"
 1. Post-traumatic growth takes much longer than the length of a semester. Also, people's assessment ratings are highly relative.
 If someone has never seen a large lake (or the ocean), they might rate a relatively small lake as big and if someone has never seen a rose, they might rate a normal daisy as being very beautiful.
 Similarly, someone who rates their emotions during time-1 of an experiment is only considering other emotions that they have experienced up to that time of their lives in order to rate their present state. When this happens, the researches would not observe a change in the ratings – this is probably why asking people whether they have changed as a result of a particular situation might be the better way to assess this phenomena.
 1. I agree. Additionally, I would also like to know what these assessment criteria were. I would see break-up being useful for growth mainly in the context of relationships. It does make sense though, one must be at least that much smarter that they wouldn't repeat the same mistakes again. Another sort of trauma might cause growth in some other aspect of personality.
 I'm not at all convinced by this study. People aren't stupid, they would see how there would be a gap between what they report in one test compared to the other. There must be some aspect of the situation they were not asked about. I would be more convinced if there was first a qualitative study to learn what sort of growth and for what reasons is reported and then focus the quantitative questions on that.
 2. The general understanding that suffering and distress can be possible sources of positive change is thousands of years old. For example, some of the early ideas and writings of the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, and early Christians, as well as some of the teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam contain elements of the potentially transformative power of suffering.
 When talking about Post Traumatic Growth it is useful to understand that literature does not refer to resilience, hardiness, optimism, sense of coherence or positive ways of coping. All these concepts describe certain attributes that allow people to manage hardship well. In contrast, posttraumatic growth refers to a change in people that goes beyond an ability to cope with and withstand highly distressing circumstances (with the emphasis being on highly). Posttraumatic growth, has a quality of evolving and results usually in a qualitative change in functioning, unlike the apparently similar concepts of resilience, sense of coherence, optimism, and hardiness which they aim to safeguard the sense of self in face of adversity, it aims to transform the sense of self and often better it.
 People with good levels of coping capacity against common stressors, as I imagine people going through university would be, they will report relatively little growth in the aftermath of such trauma as a breakup. That is because these people have coping capacities that will allow them to be less challenged by trauma, and the struggle with the trauma is what is crucial for posttraumatic growth.
 3. A relationship break-up, whilst distressing, is not the sort of trauma usually referred to in the trauma literature. For example, to be given a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder the triggering event would need to be a major trauma such as "… exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violation". It is important to make this sort of distinction between "big-t Trauma" (actual or threatened death, etc.) and "small-t trauma" (other distressing life events, like relationship break-up). My personal hypothesis is that post-traumatic growth is associated with the sense of having survived something that truly threatened to destroy you psychologically and come out the other side, leaving you with a qualitatively different perspective on life.
Comments are closed.


From FedoraProject
< PackagingDrafts
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Currently local server virtual provides are used in fedora, the one I am aware is smtpdaemon for a mail server listening on the smtp port. webserver is also another potential candidate, but as seen below it doesn't seems to be used for a web server listening on the http port. Therefore the naming and the exact meaning of those virtual provides is not clear. There is no way to discover the name of such virtual provides, nor to list them all.
This draft proposes a naming scheme for virtual provides corresponding with local servers listening on a specific port, with a strict meaning of the provides and a naming scheme generic and rule based.
The aim is not to inflate the number of virtual provides, they should only be added if needed, but to provide a more systematic naming scheme.
Virtual provides corresponding with local servers should be named along
port_name being the service name associated with that port number in /etc/services, or the port number when no record exists in /etc/services (but in that case it is doubtful that a virtual provides is useful).
So, for example a virtual provides for a server listening on port 80 should be server(http).
Things to do if the proposal is accepted
collect the virtual server provides
Currently smtpdaemon. Don't hesitate to add more if you know them.
change the virtual provides
For the known existing virtual provides.
smtpdaemon should be changed to server(smtp).
# repoquery --whatprovides smtpdaemon
It looks like all the packages that should provide this virtual provide are listed here.
# repoquery --whatrequires smtpdaemon
I remember having inspected those packages and if I recall well, they really requires a local smtp server.
webserver status is less clear. Indeed there are packages that set up an http server that are not providing this virtual provide:
# repoquery --whatprovides webserver
And it seems that none of the packages that requires webserver requires a local http server:
# repoquery --whatrequires webserver
Instead most of them seem to require a cgi server, and some clearly requires the apache web server since they install their files in apache specific directories.
Therefore the semantics of the webserver virtual provides may be more along a web server providing cgi support (namazu-cgi, nut-cgi, darcs-server, qdbm-cgi) and therefore can stay. Sometimes it means a cgi server, but also also means a server with apache like web server configuration directory and config file (bugzilla, htdig-web, phpMyAdmin, postgresql-pgpoolAdmin, wordtrans-web) in that case the requires may better be httpd, but this is out of the scope of that proposal.
nut-devel seems to be a mistake (hopefully the merge review isn't still done).
A server(smtp) provides should be added to the packages providing smtpdaemon by F-9. The Requires for all Fedora packages should be changed to use the new provides by F-9, too. When you implement the new Provides, please leave the old ones so that third party packages that have grown to depend on them can continue to function, at least for F-9. After F-9 keeping or removing the provides is left to the packager.
PatriceDumas will fill bugs and provide patches for spec files as soon as (and if) FESCo ratifies this proposal.
There is a need for a server(xdmcp) in ltsp5, and for the corresponding virtual provides in gdm, kdm, xdm, wdm. PatriceDumas is also volunteering to take care of that.


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a yellow warning icon instead of the normal blue camera icon. The default setting (0.000) turns off any warnings.
In the following example, the error threshold is set to 0.5mm, so that the three cameras with a calibration error greater than this are displayed with a warning icon:
If you are working with a large number of cameras, it is useful to be able to sort the results to enable you to quickly identify problematic cameras. You can now sort the columns in the Camera Calibration Feedback section by clicking on the required column heading.
The default sorting is on the camera number (low to high):
To make it easy to find cameras with the highest errors, you can sort on World Error or Image Error, displaying the cameras with the highest errors at the top of the column:
Understand camera calibration refinement
Calibration refinement provides a fast, reliable way to fine-tune an existing camera calibration, for example, as part of your daily calibration workflow before beginning the day's captures.
Full Calibration consists of an initialization phase, followed by a multi-pass process to optimize the camera positions.
Calibration Refinement uses exactly the same process as full calibration, but without the initialization phase. It provides a reliable way to refine existing calibration data to produce a calibration that is as good as a full calibration of the same system, but is much faster.
As Calibration Refinement operates on existing data, you must have loaded a full calibration into Nexus before running the refinement calibration.
To save time while maintaining accuracy, you can perform both full and refinement calibration on any selected camera(s), as well as on all cameras.
Under most circumstances, the default value for Refinement frames produces good results. If you need to improve the results, particularly if you are using larger numbers of cameras, try increasing this value.
Note that the value specified for Refinement frames applies to the number of frames used:
- By Auto Stop
- In the refinement phase of a Full Calibration
- When running a Calibration Refinement
When to use a refinement calibration
The following table gives guidance on when to use each type of calibration:
|Scenario||Type of calibration|
|A full calibration of all cameras has recently been performed, but since then, several cameras have been repositioned to another part of the volume.||Full Calibration on just the moved cameras, with a short wand wave that concentrates on the moved cameras.|
|A full calibration of all cameras has recently been performed, but during the trial, one camera was accidentally slightly bumped.||Full Calibration on the bumped camera, with a short wand wave that concentrates on the bumped camera.|
|Since yesterday's full calibration, environmental factors may have caused small changes in the camera positions and it is necessary to re-calibrate them accurately and quickly.||Calibration Refinement of all cameras, with a normal length wand wave that includes all cameras.|

source: m-a-p/FineFineWeb


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Rolled hinges is the collective name for all hinges with a bead. Rolled hinges refers to the hinge shape having been formed by 'rolling' the metal. Rolling is a pressing process; a special beading tool creates a 'roll' in both parts of the hinge. The hinge halves are then calibrated to receive the correct pin diameter. The parts are connected with a pin to create the hinge.
Simply let us know your requirements and we will immediately provide you with a quote.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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Inclusion problems for one-counter systems
MetadataShow full item record
We study the decidability and complexity of verification problems for infinite-state systems. A fundamental question in formal verification is if the behaviour of one process is reproducible by another. This inclusion problem can be studied for various models of computation and behavioural preorders. It is generally intractable or even undecidable already for very limited computational models. The aim of this work is to clarify the status of the decidability and complexity of some well-known inclusion problems for suitably restricted computational models. In particular, we address the problems of checking strong and weak simulation and trace inclusion for processes definable by one-counter automata (OCA), that consist of a finite control and a single counter ranging over the non-negative integers. We take special interest of the subclass of one-counter nets (OCNs), that cannot fully test the counter for zero and which is subsumed both by pushdown automata and Petri nets / vector addition systems. Our new results include the PSPACE-completeness of strong and weak simulation, and the undecidability of trace inclusion for OCNs. Moreover, we consider semantic preorders between OCA/OCN and finite systems and close some gaps regarding their complexity. Finally, we study deterministic processes, for which simulation and trace inclusion coincide.


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A Transition in the Law: Transgender Discrimination
Published: February 3, 2017
On February 2, 2017, Attorney Timothy M. Netkovick hosted a roundtable-style seminar discussing how to navigate through the legal landscape of the evolving and challenging area of discrimination law: transgender discrimination
Discrimination based on transgender status or gender identity is a developing area of the law. There has been a lot of debate on the local, state, and national level over access to bathrooms for transgender individuals. As the public debates this issue, legislators, administrative agencies, and courts are shaping the law that prohibits gender discrimination, including discrimination against transgender individuals.
If you have any questions about transgender discrimination and workplace accommodation, please contact the attorneys at Royal, P.C.


"example-recipe:2.0.0" and "example-recipe:2.0.1" in GBDX. Using the REST call DEL '_URL_ Will only delete "example-recipe:2.0.1", but will leave all other versions of the recipe, such as "example-recipe:2.0.0", for instance, available to users. To delete **ALL versions of a recipe**, leave off the recipe version in the recipeID. For example, DEL '_URL_ Will delete _all_ versions of example-recipe, from the first to the final version that exists within GBDX. **Note** Deleting a recipe disables it, allowing users to continue to view the results that already exist, but no longer allowing users to run the recipe.
User Information
Try It Out
delete
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Orchestration and automation might sound like they mean more or less the same thing. But when it comes to software testing, test orchestration and test automation are distinct concepts. Although they share some similarities, they each have different features and benefits.
This article breaks down the key similarities and differences between test orchestration and test automation and explains which strategy to employ for which testing needs.
Test automation is the practice of automatically testing software to evaluate it for performance, quality, security, or other features. Test automation is the opposite of running tests manually, which entails having a human sit down and test different aspects of an application by hand. With test automation, you use an automation framework – such as Selenium or Appium, to name two popular open source test automation solutions – to execute tests automatically.
The key benefits of test automation include:
Less effort for engineers to run tests
The ability to scale testing operations by repeating the same test as many times as desired
Greater consistency in testing because each execution of a given test will run exactly the same – whereas, with manual testing, an engineer performing a test by hand may not perform exactly the same operations each time that he or she executes the test
Faster testing operations, since tests can run in parallel
In short, test automation leads to faster, more efficient tests. Although there are typically always some tests that an organization can't run automatically – such as tests that evaluate nuanced aspects of the user experience and require qualitative feedback – most tests can and should be automated.
Test orchestration is the coordination of multiple automated tests, such that they can run in a predefined sequence. Put another way, test orchestration means arranging automated tests so that multiple tests can run at the same time in an efficient way.
Test orchestration can be implemented by writing scripts that manage when automated tests should run, although writing and maintaining such scripts can be a lot of work. An alternative is to use a ready-made test orchestration solution, like Sauce Orchestrate.
Test orchestration is important because even if you write tests that you can execute automatically, actually triggering the execution of each test may still be a manual affair. As a result, your engineers have to decide when to run each test, which increases the effort that testing requires and reduces test velocity.
Test orchestration addresses these challenges by allowing teams to automate the execution of tests in an efficient way. That's especially true when test orchestration is integrated with software development operations such that automated tests are triggered by events in the software delivery pipeline, such as the completion of a new application build that needs to be tested. By executing tests automatically for each new build, test orchestration allows teams to avoid the delays that would arise if engineers had to trigger tests for a new build manually.
In addition, test orchestration can help engineers test more efficiently in scenarios where one or more tests can't begin until other tests are complete. For instance, you might have one set of tests that evaluates whether your application meets basic performance requirements and another set that tests whether interface elements appear in the right location on the screen. If the first set of tests fails, running the second set is pointless because you won't be able to release the app until you've addressed basic performance issues. By orchestrating the first set of tests to run before the second one, you avoid the risk of wasting time and resources running the second set in the event that the first set fails.
To sum up, test orchestration offers the following benefits:
The ability to save even more time and effort than you get from automated testing alone.
Efficient management of complex testing scenarios where you need to coordinate some tests to run before others
It's fair to say that test orchestration takes test automation to the next level. It almost entirely eliminates the need for manual management of software testing processes, and it helps test operations to keep pace with software delivery operations in order to ensure the consistent and efficient release of high-quality applications.
The main difference between test automation and test orchestration is that test automation automates the steps required to perform a software test, whereas test orchestration automates the execution of tests.
To use an analogy, test automation is like using ChatGPT to write emails. ChatGPT can generate the text for each email automatically, but it won't send the emails for you. You have to click the send button manually. Meanwhile, test orchestration is akin to using a bulk email program to send multiple emails to multiple recipients. A bulk email program doesn't write emails for you (usually), but it does help you manage the complex task of sending emails to many people.
To be more specific, the differences between test automation and orchestration include:
Test automation can be used to evaluate software quality or security automatically, but it can't manage when tests run. You need test orchestration for that.
Test automation can automate individual tests, but not an entire sequence of tests.
Because each automated test is independent, test automation on its own can't handle dependencies between tests or determine the right order in which tests should run. Only test orchestration can do this.
Test automation reduces the time and effort required to manage software quality, but test orchestration reduces them even further.
Automating individual software tests
Automating software test sequences
Software testers (who no longer have to test manually)
Software testers (who no longer have to execute tests manually), developers (who get faster release cycles), and end-users (who enjoy faster application updates)
Test automation framework (such as Selenium)
Test orchestration tool (such as Sauce Orchestrate)
When to adopt
If all of your tests are manual
Once you have at least some automated tests in place
To contextualize the differences between test automation and orchestration, consider the following example.
A team wants to ensure that its Web app displays properly across different browsers and operating systems, so it writes a suite of automated tests that evaluate the app under various platforms. But because the team doesn't have a test orchestration solution in place, it has to run the tests manually. As a result, the testing process slows down software delivery operations. It also causes some friction between the testing team and the software development team, which is annoyed that its releases are delayed by an inefficient testing process.
Recognizing the benefits of test orchestration, however, the team decides to orchestrate its tests by running them automatically whenever developers push a new application build down the CI/CD pipeline. Doing so ensures that the tests run as quickly as possible. It also helps avoid wasted time and resources due to tests that are executed in the wrong order.
The result is happier testers (because they can run tests with less effort), happier developers (who are no longer annoyed by application release delays), and happier end-users (who get faster application updates thanks to a more efficient testing routine).
You can't orchestrate tests if you don't automate them, so to get started with both test orchestration and automation, you need to create automated tests first.
You can do this by selecting a test automation framework, then writing code that defines what you want each automated test to evaluate. At this point, you have a suite of automated tests.
From there, you can orchestrate your automated tests by configuring rules that determine when the tests should execute. As mentioned above, you can manage test execution using custom scripts, or you can choose a turnkey test orchestration solution like Sauce Orchestrate.
Test automation is a great step toward optimizing the efficiency and speed of software testing. But if you really want to supercharge your operational efficiency and simplify workflow management, you should implement test orchestration alongside test automation.
Doing so doesn't require that much effort – if you already have automated tests, you simply need to choose and deploy a test orchestration solution in order to orchestrate them – and test orchestration quickly pays for itself in the form of faster, more reliable, and more efficient test operations.
Learn more about test orchestration: what it is, how it streamlines CI/CD pipelines and testing, and how you can get started.
Learn how Sauce Orchestrate can help you go to market faster, improve the developer experience, and optimize your CI/CD pipeline while reducing CI costs.


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- Colombian Black and White, T. teguixin
- Blue, T. teguixin sp.
- Gold, T. nigropunctatus
- Argentine Black and White, T. merianae
- Red, T. rufescens
Tegu is the common name for a species complex of large lizards. The name comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) tecoixin
, meaning lizard. Tegus are large, carnivorous lizards indiginous to South America. They are the ecological equivalents of the varanid
family, and are an often-cited example of convergent evolution
The Black and White, Gold and Blue tegus are all smaller members of the genus, growing to a size of roughly 3 feet and weighing 7 pounds. They have similar diets and behaviour, and inhabit similar climates. These three species can be found as far north as Colombia and as far south as Argentina. They are almost exclusively carnivorous, and feed upon insects and other invertebrates when young, moving to frogs, lizards, snakes and all kinds of eggs as they reach adulthood.
The Red tegu, on the other hand, is larger than its congenerics (up to 4.5 feet and 25 pounds), and has a differnt diet. Its native range is restricted to northern Argentina. They prey upon small mammals, lizards and snakes in the wild, but their principle sustenance comes from insects and fruit.
Unlike monitor lizards, the tegus are capable of caudal autonomy (dropping their tail) and subsequent regeneration. They are hunted by South Americans in rural areas for their hides, putting the species under some pressure. Coupled with their attractiveness to herptoculturists, many populations of these species are at risk. They are also considered pests in many places in South America, as they have been known to hunt farm stocks (especially for eggs) and even go so far as begging for food in parks. The latter behaviour has put them in direct conflict with humans, especially since these animals are very powerful and can seriously hurt a human with either a bite or a lash of their tail.
* It should be noted that this taxonomic classification is in some dispute. Some herpetologists claim there should be only three species, others claim as many as six or seven. Until serious genetic work is done, consider this classification as only one of several equiprobable organizations.
** Mad props to JudyT for setting me straight on this. I had previously attributed the etymology to the Portugese.
Information culled from personal experience and the following sources:

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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On 21 May, twenty four pilgrims, including Fr Darryl Mackie and Sr Helen Clarke rsc, gathered in Dublin to begin their journey around sacred sites that were part of the Mary Aikenhead story.
Pilgrims were drawn from across Mary Aikenhead Ministries: some from education and some from health care; one staff member from the Sisters of Charity congregational office also joined the pilgrimage as did Sr Maureen Heffernan (as a Sister of Charity).
In addition, this year we were honoured to have Bishop Terry Brady, auxiliary Bishop of Sydney, as a pilgrim. Bishop Terry and Father Darryl shared leadership of the liturgies at various sites.
The pilgrimage took us from Dublin, to Cork, to Galway and Foxford, then back to Dublin, and finally to Glendalough for two reflective days.
A highlight of the pilgrimage was meeting the Irish Sisters of Charity in different places and accepting their hospitality. Sr Mary Christian, Congregational Leader, hosted our opening liturgy and dinner at Sandymount, Dublin, and the Sisters of Charity crossed our paths throughout the entire pilgrimage.
Each day, pilgrims were encouraged to journal and then reflect on three aspects of the pilgrimage, "what did I learn today?", "what touched me today?" and "what will I take back to my ministry?" – head, heart, hands!
The pilgrimage ended on 30 May when the pilgrims were delivered back to Dublin Airport, after nine days together in the country that was home to Mary Aikenhead and the first Sisters of Charity who came to Australia.


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What are your rights?
Firstly, employers are always free to agree more favourable contractual terms with their employees. It is not, however, possible for an employee to agree to less favourable terms than the statutory regime provides:
Employment Rights whilst in employment and on leave
Your employment rights are protected. These rights include:
- Time off for antenatal appointments.
- Health and safety protection while pregnant and breastfeeding.
- Up to 52 weeks' maternity leave. Employees are entitled to one year's statutory maternity leave (made up of 26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave (OML) and 26 weeks of additional maternity leave (AML), regardless of length of service. With effect from 5 April 2015, up to 50 weeks of this can be shared with the father under the new Shared Parental Leave scheme (SPL).
- Statutory maternity Pay (SMP) for up to 39 weeks
- The right to return to the same job, or to a similar job under the same terms and conditions following AML.
- Priority for alternative employment in redundancy cases above other employees, even if other employees are more suitable.
- The right to request flexible working conditions on return to work.
- Protection from dismissal, detriment or discrimination by reason of pregnancy or maternity.
To qualify for statutory maternity leave (SML) you need to:
- Be an employee (not a worker); and
- Give the correct notice:
a. At least 28 days prior to taking statutory maternity leave; and
b. Providing the employer with proof of pregnancy.
Statutory maternity leave can start:
- Up to 11 weeks prior to the expected week of birth; or
- The day after the birth (if premature birth); or
- On the commencement of any pregnancy related ill-health absence from work in the 4 weeks prior to the expected week of birth.


Governor Sandoval Declares July BEAR Logic Month - KTVN Channel 2 - Reno Tahoe News Weather, Video -
Governor Sandoval Declares July BEAR Logic Month
Posted: Updated:
From the Nevada Department of Wildlife:
Governor Brian Sandoval has declared July "BEAR Logic Month." "BEAR" stands for Bear Education, Aversion and Research, and BEAR Logic Month is an opportunity to help educate the public about living in bear country.
To meet the goal of BEAR Logic Month, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) has put together a series of public service announcements (PSA), press releases and a resource page on the NDOW website at In addition, the agency will host a BEAR Logic event for kids and is holding a youth coloring contest in a push to inform the public about steps that help decrease bear encounters.
Bear and human-wildlife conflicts often become more common with Northern Nevadans during the summer months, and living in bear country requires that residents take extra precautions.
"Bears can be very tolerant of humans, and very adaptable to urban environments," says NDOW game biologist Carl Lackey. "People are attracting birds with bird feeders, deer with ornamental shrubs and coyotes with small pets and pet food. Especially in a drought, people often make their backyards better habitat than certain types of wildlife can find anywhere else, causing further conflicts."
Bear complaints have risen sharply in the last ten years, due in part to the increase in people living in bear habitat. With Nevada in its third year of drought and the population of black bears in the state increasing, the problem will only continue to grow unless people start taking steps to remove the food sources that are attracting the bears.
"Some people don't recognize that they live in wildlife habitat, but anywhere along the Carson Front, from Reno to Gardnerville, including the Tahoe Basin and associated mountain ranges is bear habitat," said Lackey. "Areas like Galena Forest on the Mt. Rose Highway are historically very good wildlife habitat for bears, deer, mountain lions and coyotes."
Bears are opportunistic and will eat anything that becomes available. The bear's powerful sense of smell allows it to find food that humans consider out of reach. By removing these attractants, bear and humans are less likely to have unpleasant encounters.
When people are irresponsible with their food and garbage, bears can wind up in trouble. The Nevada Department of Wildlife reports that nearly 95 percent of all human-bear conflicts are associated with trash. Bears naturally fear humans, but if they have access to human food sources they may become addicted, lose their natural fear of humans, and even become aggressive.
"As always the main issue is people living in bear habitat and allowing bear's access to their trash," said Lackey. "We've proven that by stopping access to human sources of food the wildlife conflicts almost totally disappear."
NDOW believes that by following a few simple steps, you can help avoid human-bear conflicts.
* Use bear resistant containers (BRCs) and place them outside at least 30 feet from the house so bears do not learn to associate the smells and food rewards with your home.
* Use removable bird feeders (including hummingbird feeders) for temporary placement, or better yet, scatter bird seed on the ground, not in a container or in a pile. This way, bears and other animals like deer won't be able to easily get it.
* Keep pet food cleaned up or indoors. Place horse grain and chicken feed inside lockable metal containers and keep them outside so bears do not break into your shed or barn.
* Use electric fencing to keep bears out of gardens, apiaries and orchards. You should also remove any fruit as soon as it ripens.
From the Nevada Department of Wildlife
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Energy and Change Electricity Energy Light
Electricity > Applications PD | Assessment | Home
Station 9: Applications** Overall management Strategies
Electric trains have many components that use electricity.
They have an electric horn.
They use an overhead wire and sliding contact to make the circuit.
They have an electric motor that drives the train.
There are coloured signal lights and there are flashing lights at crossings.
Using simple materials such as cells, wires, globes and magnets you can make models of these devices. The following illustrates some possibilities. You could invent others.
Railway boom and flashing lights
Flashing lights and signals
You could build a working model of either of these devices.
Railway signal
You will have to use your knowledge of electricity to invent your circuit so that you can make the lights flash.
Electric train horn location
Electric horn Hints
The working model below is a buzzer. It works like many electric bells and some horns.
Electric buzzer
Overhead sliding contact on a train
Sliding contact (nerve tester) Hints
The nerve tester sliding contact device is similar to the overhead sliding contact of the train.
However, the nerve tester can be used to test your skill. Can you move the sliding contact from one end of the overhead wire to the other without touching it?
Electric buzzer skill tester
Electric motor 1 Hints
To start the motor, you need to flick the coil or twist the ends quickly. You may need to fiddle to get it to work, but when it works, the coil twirls around at a rapid rate.
Electric motor 1
Electric motor 1
Electric motor 2 Hints
The magnets will have to be supported level with the coil. Up to 30 turns of thin insulated wire is needed for the coil, but it will work with less.
To reduce the effect of the friction of the brushes mount the two pins close to the axle shaft. The cork needs to be well balanced.
Electric motor 2
Electric motor 2
Closer to home
You could make a model of your front door so that when you push a button a buzzer or bell rings, or when you open the door the porch light comes on.
Student section
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Page 1
CANFORD
canford.co.uk
TECHNICAL DATA SHEET OPTO SWITCHER 42-6701 CANFORD OPTO-SWITCHER MK.2
INTRODUCTION
SWITCHING METHOD 1
This free-standing unit allows the remote switching of mains powered equipment while maintaining electrical isolation from the mains.
Apply a closing contact across pins 1 and 3 of the control XLR.
Control is implemented using either a closing contact or by applying 5-50 volts DC. Switching occurs at the zero-crossing point of the mains cycle, which together with spike suppression components, ensures that interference is virtually eliminated. Mains input and output connectors are IEC (CEE22) 3 pole with a 20mm fuse on the input line. The control input uses a 3 pin female XLR panel connector.
If logic or transistorised switching is intended, the following information may be helpful: (1) Pin 3 is at zero volts. (2) P  in 1 â€“ the open circuit voltage is approximately +5 VDC (load switched off) (3) P  in 1 when forced low (<1v) requires a current sink capability from the switching element of <1mA. SWITCHING METHOD 2 Apply between +5 to +50 VDC to pin 2 relative to pin 3.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION Mains input:
230 VAC
Fuse:
20mm; 6.3(T) HRC (Stock code:42-275)
Max load (resistive):
1.5kW
Contact closure output sink requirement:
5 VDC @ <1mA (close to switch load on)
DC input:
5-50 (pin 2 positive) (close to switch load on) 50vDC @ < 2mA
Control to mains isolation:
1.5 kV
Size:
Standard extruded case; 107 x 93 x 50mm
Weight: 320g Mating connector stock codes:
IEC input
42-154
IEC output
42-153
Control input 41-032
Ensure that the case receives adequate ventilation.
Canford Audio Limited. Crowther Road Washington,Tyne & Wear, NE38 0BW. UK
02-480 Issue 3
CANFORD
canford.co.uk
TECHNICAL DATA SHEET WARNING:THE CASE IS CONNECTED TO MAINS EARTH-ALWAYS USE MAINS EARTH!
Canford Audio Limited. Crowther Road Washington,Tyne & Wear, NE38 0BW. UK
02-480 Issue 3
Profile for Canford Audio
02-480 OPTO SWITCHER
02-480 (42-6701) This free-standing unit allows the remote switching of mains powered equipment while maintaining electrical isolation from...
02-480 OPTO SWITCHER
02-480 (42-6701) This free-standing unit allows the remote switching of mains powered equipment while maintaining electrical isolation from...


text:
TRACKING DYNAMIC CHANGES AND MONITORING SOCIOECONOMIC PARAMETERS IN ALGERIA BETWEEN 1993 AND 2012, USING NIGHTTIME LIGHT REMOTE SENSING
Keywords: Nighttime light, Human settlement, Gas flaring, Light separation, Dynamic change, Socioeconomic parameters
Abstract. This paper is based on using DMSP-OLS data from satellites nighttime light observations to detect both sources of light emissions in Algeria from human settlement areas and gas flaring from oil-extraction and natural gas production. We used the time series of data from DMSP-OLS images to examine the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban development in 48 Algerian provinces from 1993 to 2012. A systematic nighttime light calibration method was used to improve the consistency and comparability of the DSMPOSL images and then a separation is made between light detected from human settlements and light detected from gas flaring in order to allow us to study human settlements without other light emissions and then assess the suitability of using DMSP data in southern Algeria and its ability to monitor gas flaring. Linear regression methods were developed to identify the dynamic change of nighttime light and estimated its growth directions at pixel level. This work is the first to use nighttime light observations to detect and monitor the growth of human settlements in North Africa. In this study, we made use of DMSP-OLS data as a return ticket to the years of crises and we found the most affected provinces during that period. The DMSP-OLS data proved to be an index of growth in the economy during the period of stability in Algeria expressed by positive dynamic changes in the lighted area in all Algerian provinces. We used NTL data as an alternative to annual growth indexes for each province, which are unavailable, and its help as a monitoring system for socioeconomic parameters to fill the gap of data availability. We also proposed nighttime light remote sensing data as a useful tool to control and reduce CO2 emissions in Algeria's petroleum sector.


Compute the orthogonal projection of the data onto the subspace spanned by columns of $\boldsymbol U$.
In [ ]:
### PCA for high-dimensional datasets
def PCA_high_dim(X, n_components):
 """Compute PCA for small sample size but high-dimensional features.
 X: ndarray of size (N, D), where D is the dimension of the sample,
 and N is the number of samples
 num_components: the number of principal components to use.
 X_reconstruct: (N, D) ndarray. the reconstruction
 of X from the first 'num_components' pricipal components.
Given the same dataset, PCA_high_dim and PCA should give the same output. Assuming we have implemented PCA, correctly, we can then use PCA to test the correctness of PCA_high_dim. Given the same dataset, PCA and PCA_high_dim should give identical results.
We can use this invariant to test our implementation of PCA_high_dim, assuming that we have correctly implemented PCA.
In [ ]:
np.testing.assert_almost_equal(PCA(Xbar, 2), PCA_high_dim(Xbar, 2))
Now let's compare the running time between PCA and PCA_high_dim.
Tips for running benchmarks or computationally expensive code:
When you have some computation that takes up a non-negligible amount of time. Try separating the code that produces output from the code that analyzes the result (e.g. plot the results, compute statistics of the results). In this way, you don't have to recompute when you want to produce more analysis.
The next cell includes a function that records the time taken for executing a function f by repeating it for repeat number of times. You do not need to modify the function but you can use it to compare the running time for functions which you are interested in knowing the running time.
In [ ]:
def time(f, repeat=10):
 times = []
 for _ in range(repeat):
 start = timeit.default_timer()
 stop = timeit.default_timer()
 return np.mean(times), np.std(times)
We first benchmark the time taken to compute $\boldsymbol X^T\boldsymbol X$ and $\boldsymbol X\boldsymbol X^T$. Jupyter's magic command %time is quite handy.
The next cell finds the running time for computing $\boldsymbol X^T\boldsymbol X$ and $\boldsymbol X\boldsymbol X^T$ for different dimensions of $\boldsymbol X$.
In [ ]:
times_mm0 = []
times_mm1 = []
# iterate over datasets of different size
for datasetsize in np.arange(4, 784, step=20):
 XX = Xbar[:datasetsize] # select the first 'datasetsize' samples in the dataset
 # record the running time for computing X.T @ X
 mu, sigma = time(lambda : XX.T @ XX)
 times_mm0.append((datasetsize, mu, sigma))
 # record the running time for computing X @ X.T
 mu, sigma = time(lambda : XX @ XX.T)
 times_mm1.append((datasetsize, mu, sigma))
times_mm0 = np.asarray(times_mm0)
times_mm1 = np.asarray(times_mm1)
Having recorded the running time for computing X @ X.T and X @ X.T, we can plot them.
In [ ]:
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.set(xlabel='size of dataset', ylabel='running time')
bar = ax.errorbar(times_mm0[:, 0], times_mm0[:, 1], times_mm0[:, 2], label="$X^T X$ (PCA)", linewidth=2)
ax.errorbar(times_mm1[:, 0], times_mm1[:, 1], times_mm1[:, 2], label="$X X^T$ (PCA_high_dim)", linewidth=2)
Alternatively, use the time magic command for benchmarking functions.
In [ ]:
%time Xbar.T @ Xbar
%time Xbar @ Xbar.T
pass # Put this here so that our output does not show result of computing 'Xbar @ Xbar.T'
Next we benchmark PCA, PCA_high_dim.
In [ ]:
times0 = []
times1 = []
# iterate over datasets of different size
for datasetsize in np.arange(4, 784, step=100):
 XX = Xbar[:datasetsize]
 npc = 2
 mu, sigma = time(lambda : PCA(XX, npc), repeat=10)
 times0.append((datasetsize, mu, sigma))
 mu, sigma = time(lambda : PCA_high_dim(XX, npc), repeat=10)
 times1.append((datasetsize, mu, sigma))
times0 = np.asarray(times0)
times1 = np.asarray(times1)
Let's plot the running time. Spend some time and think about what this plot means. We mentioned in lectures that PCA_high_dim are advantageous when we have dataset size $N$ < data dimension $M$. Although our plot does not for the two running time does not intersect exactly at $N = M$, it does show the trend.
In [ ]:
fig, ax = plt.subplots()
ax.set(xlabel='number of datapoints', ylabel='run time')
ax.errorbar(times0[:, 0], times0[:, 1], times0[:, 2], label="PCA", linewidth=2)
ax.errorbar(times1[:, 0], times1[:, 1], times1[:, 2], label="PCA_high_dim", linewidth=2)
Again, with the magic command time.
In [ ]:
%time PCA(Xbar, 2)
%time PCA_high_dim(Xbar, 2)


text:
- 1 Why is my leopard lily dying?
- 2 Why are the leaves on my leopard lily turning brown?
- 3 Why does my leopard lily have yellow leaves?
- 4 Should I mist leopard lily?
- 5 Should I remove yellow leaves from dumb cane?
- 6 When should I repot my leopard lily?
- 7 What's the best way to care for a leopard?
- 8 When to put leopard lily in direct sunlight?
- 9 How to take care of a potted lily plant?
Why is my leopard lily dying?
Why are my lilies dying? Although lilies require moist, humid conditions to grow and develop, too much water can make them wilt and die. Propagate lilies in loose soil with good drainage. If maintaining lilies as houseplants, make certain their primary containers are set in trays where excess water can drain.
Why are the leaves on my leopard lily turning brown?
This is know scientifically as guttation and is typically harmless, however this "water" also contains various salts from the plant which if left to dry can cause leaf burn resulting in brown tips. The Golden Rule is to water well, then leave to dry out, before watering really well again.
How do you grow a leopard lily?
Plant them in well-drained soil. Soggy soil will cause the rhizome to rot. The plants enjoy regular watering and bloom better when they are watered regularly but they are also drought tolerant in case you forget to water them. There is no need to fertilize your plants.
Why does my leopard lily have yellow leaves?
Why Are Your Dieffenbachia Leaves Turning Yellow? Dieffenbachia (Dumb Cane) leaves most commonly turn yellow due to overwatering, but other causes include lighting problems, temperature extremes, low humidity, pests or nutrient deficiency.
Should I mist leopard lily?
The plant loves humidity so mist the leaves in the morning. Can grow up to 3′ – 6′ tall indoors. Use a well-drained soil and fertilize every two weeks in the growing season and none in the winter.
Is a leopard lily a succulent?
Ledebouria Socialis Scilla leopard lily is a small evergreen perennial bulbs. Grows in thick clusters that survive drought as effectively as any succulent. This species is a geophytic species of bulbous perennial plant native to the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
Should I remove yellow leaves from dumb cane?
Dieffenbachia is one of the most popular houseplants because it lives for a long time. But like all living things, it eventually starts aging. The green leaves turn to yellow leaves… When all the leaves fall off, it is a good idea to trim the stems and cut back foliage to spur new growth.
When should I repot my leopard lily?
Repot annually in the spring if the roots are becoming dense. Use a pot size one inch larger and provide the plant with fresh, nutritious well-draining soil. The best way to propagate this plant is through new growth cuttings or division.
How often do you water leopard lilies?
As long as it is not placed in direct sunlight or allowed to get too hot, it will flourish within any home. Plants should be watered every two to three days, preferably when the medium dries out, and at least once every two weeks with a liquid fertilizer.
What's the best way to care for a leopard?
The plant thrives in rich, moist soil. Water leopard plant as needed to keep the soil consistently moist, especially during hot, dry weather. Regular irrigation is especially important during the first growing season. Feed leopard plants before new growth appears in spring using a good quality, general purpose fertilizer.
When to put leopard lily in direct sunlight?
Keep it away from direct sunlight during the middle of the day and early afternoon when the suns is at its hottest. If the light levels are too bright however the leaves will scorch, too dark and you will be left with a leggy and sickly looking plant. Find the balance that works for your plant and stick with it.
What's the best way to care for a peace lily?
Gently pack your soil down so that it will support your plant firmly without sinking downward. Pry or dig your peace lily out of its pot and place it atop the soil in its new pot. Add soil from the original pot around the plant in its new pot – using familiar soil can ease the plant's transition to its new home.
How to take care of a potted lily plant?
Plants from the lily family are beautiful and their scent fills up the whole room. Follow these easy how to tips to take care of a potted lily. If you choose your own lily check the stem. It should be filled with dark green leaves. Avoid lilies that have brown or yellowing leaves.


text:
Sarah Tishkoff, Ph.D., David and Lyn Silfen University Professor, University of Pennsylvania
Sarah Tishkoff is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor in Genetics and Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, holding appointments in the School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Tishkoff studies genomic and phenotypic variation in ethnically diverse Africans. Her research combines field work, laboratory research, and computational methods to examine African population history and how genetic variation can affect a wide range of practical issues – for example, why humans have different susceptibility to disease, how they metabolize drugs, and how they adapt through evolution. Dr. Tishkoff is a recipient of an NIH Pioneer Award, a David and Lucile Packard Career Award, a Burroughs/Wellcome Fund Career Award and a Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) endowed chair. She is on the editorial boards at Genome Research; Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health; Molecular Biology and Evolution; G3 (Genes, Genomes, and Genetics), and The Quarterly Review of Biology. Her research is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.
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text:
In order to combat forgetfulness, it is important to understand some of the major reasons why we forget things. Elizabeth Loftus, one of the world's most renowned experts on human memory, has identified four major reasons why forgetting occurs. One of the most common explanations is a simple failure to retrieve the information from memory. This often occurs when memories are rarely accessed, causing them to decay over time.
Another common cause of forgetting is interference, which occurs when some memories compete with other memories. For example, imagine that a woman just started a new school year as an elementary school teacher. She spends some time learning the names of each of her students, but over the course of the year she finds herself constantly calling one particular girl by the wrong name. Why? Because the girl's older sister was in the same class the year before, and the two look remarkably similar. It is the memory of the older sister that makes it so difficult to recall the younger student's name.
Other causes of forgetting include failing to store the information in memory in the first place, or even intentionally trying to forget things associated with a troubling or traumatic event.


Paper Title
Analysis of Factors Affecting People Satisfaction Towards the Unification of Asean Economic Community
This paper aimed to examine AECassociated consequences including trade agreement, occupation and tourism as the influential factors of public satisfaction towards the AEC. The quantitative approach was utilized with questionnaire as a tool in collecting the data. The samples were 400 people from Pha Rai, Phan Seuk, Klong Namsai and Tha Kam Subdistrict. The hypotheses were established with the variables namely trade agreement, occupation, tourism and satisfaction of people, in order to analyze the public satisfaction towards the unification of AEC. The findings concluded that trade agreement, occupation, tourism, service, free trade areas accommodating factor, child labor, human trafficking and transportation cooperation and prevention measures delivered effect on people's satisfaction towards the AEC. Index TermsASEAN Economic Community, Factors, Satisfaction, Unification


text:
The Conservation Learning Centre's School Program offers students in grades 3 through 11 practical, hands-on activities that reinforce the foundational and learning objectives set out in the Saskatchewan Education curriculum.
This new curriculum is great for groups with mixed grades, science clubs or groups that want something a little different. We also have a new grade nine curriculum called Risks and Limits that focuses on critical thinking and decision-making skills.
Worksheets and take-home materials are available in French upon request.
About School Tours
The CLC is a research and demonstration farm located 18 km south of Prince Albert on Highway #2. The agricultural practices at the CLC focus on the conservation of soil, water and wildlife habitat. Since 1994, over 30,000 students have participated in activities based at the Centre.
|May to June, and September to October|
|1-2 hours on-farm depending on the teacher's preference (plus one-hour in-class presentation, where applicable)|
|Morning session 9:30 AM / Afternoon session 12:30 PM
Alternate time arrangements can be made for schools travelling further distances.
|40 groups per season|
* We recommend that each class have a student-to-chaperone ratio of approximately 7 to 1.
The continued support of many organizations and programs enables the CLC to continue offering a quality learning experience to your students. We are grateful for their commitment and encourage you to express your appreciation by sending a letter to any of the sponsors listed in your farm visit packages. Your acknowledgement of their support will in turn ensure future participation by these groups in all education programs.
Grade three students will investigate the growth and development of plants, including the conditions necessary for germination. They will also analyze the interdependence among plants, individuals, society and the environment.
This class will investigate the interdependence of plants and animals, including humans, within habitats and communities. They will also analyze plants and animals' structures and behaviours that enable them to exist in various habitats and assess the effects of natural and human activities on habitats and communities and propose actions to maintain or restore habitats.
With a new state-of-the-art climate reference station at the Conservation Learning Centre, the students will learn how local weather, including temperature, wind speed and direction, amount of sunlight, precipitation, relative humidity and cloud cover, are measured. They will also investigate local, national and global weather conditions, including the role of air movement and solar energy transfer. Analyzing the impact of weather on society and the environment, including technologies that help humans address weather conditions, will also be investigated.
Students will learn to recognize, describe and appreciate the diversity of living things in local and other ecosystems and explore related careers.
Grade 7 students will observe, illustrate and analyze living organisms within local ecosystems as part of interconnected food webs, populations and communities. They will evaluate biogeochemical cycles (water, carbon and nitrogen) as representations of energy flow and the cycling of matter through ecosystems, and analyze how ecosystems change in response to natural and human influences and propose actions to reduce the impact of human behaviour on a specific ecosystem.
Students will analyze the impact of natural and human-induced changes to the characteristics and distribution of water in local, regional and national ecosystems. They will also examine how wind, water and ice have shaped and continue to shape the Canadian landscape. Students will also analyze natural factors and human practices that affect productivity and species distribution in marine and freshwater environments.
Students will learn to describe the processes and implications of sexual and asexual reproduction in plants and animals.
Students will study ecosystems.
Students will learn about sustainable agriculture, habitat destruction and pesticide use.
Book a Tour!
To book a tour through the School Program, please contact Dorothy Stewart using one of the following methods:
- Phone: _PHONE_
- Fax: _PHONE_
- Email: _EMAIL_
Please have the following information ready when you phone:
- Grade of students
- The approximate number of students
- School name, phone number and teacher's email address
- Possible dates (check calendar below for availability)
- Which curriculum you would like (for split grades)
- When the students in your class last visited the Conservation Learning Centre
- If you are planning to stay for lunch
If more than one class from your school is planning to visit the Conservation Learning Centre, please try to coordinate and work together to save on transportation costs.
Directions to the CLC
The Conservation Learning Centre is located 18 kilometres south of Prince Albert on highway #2.


text:
When substances do not mix thoroughly and evenly (like sand and gravel), the mixture is said to be heterogeneous
Both substances could be seen
When solid materials are mixed with solid materials, each of the mixed materials can be easily identified from one another.
Sand is a crystalline quartz that (if clean) Homogeneous.
answer:Sand ang Gravel is HETEROGENOUSExplanation:When substances do not mix thoroughly and evenly (like sand and gravel), the mixture is said to be heterogeneous. A heterogeneous mixture consists of visibly different substances. Another example of a mixture is salt dissolved in water.
Explanation: gravel only refers to the size of a rock
Sand ang gravel is a heterogenous mixture


text:
Definitions of stop:
- noun: a brief stay in the course of a journey
Example: "They made a stopover to visit their friends"
- noun: the act of stopping something
Example: "The third baseman made some remarkable stops"
- noun: (music) a knob on an organ that is pulled to change the sound quality from the organ pipes
Example: "The organist pulled out all the stops"
- noun: the event of something ending
Example: "It came to a stop at the bottom of the hill"
- noun: a spot where something halts or pauses
Example: "His next stop is Atlanta"
- noun: a restraint that checks the motion of something
Example: "He used a book as a stop to hold the door open"
- noun: a mechanical device in a camera that controls size of aperture of the lens
- noun: a consonant produced by stopping the flow of air at some point and suddenly releasing it
Example: "His stop consonants are too aspirated"
- noun: a punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations
Example: "In England they call a period a stop"
- noun: an obstruction in a pipe or tube
- noun: the state of inactivity following an interruption
Example: "He spent the entire stop in his seat"
- verb: stop from happening or developing
- verb: cause to stop
Example: "Stop a car"
- verb: come to a halt, stop moving
Example: "The car stopped"
- verb: interrupt a trip
Example: "We stopped at Aunt Mary's house"
- verb: have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical
Example: "Your rights stop where you infringe upon the rights of other"
- verb: put an end to a state or an activity
- verb: stop and wait, as if awaiting further instructions or developments
- verb: seize on its way
- verb: prevent completion
Example: "Stop the project"
- verb: hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of
- verb: render unsuitable for passage
Example: "Stop the busy road"
Search for stop at other dictionaries: OneLook, Answers.com, Merriam-Webster
"Works flawlessly!": RhymeZone apps for iPhone/iPad and Android!
Help, Feedback, Customize, Android app, iPhone/iPad app
Copyright © 2013 Datamuse


Religious Genius
Appreciating Inspiring Individuals Across Traditions
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Alon Goshen-Gottstein
 - London, England:
 Palgrave Macmillan
 , July
 196 pages.
 For other formats: Link to Publisher's Website.
This book sets forth a new area in the study of extraordinary individuals in religious traditions. It develops the category of "Religious Genius" as an alternative to existing categories, primarily "saint." It constructs a model by which to appreciate these individuals, suggesting key characteristics such as love, humility, and self-surrender. Religious geniuses transform their traditions and their legacies endure through these very transformations. They also inspire changes across religious boundaries and traditions. The study of religious geniuses in various faith traditions therefore advances interfaith engagement today. The book complements existing, primarily historical, studies of saints by offering a phenomenological approach that seeks to touch the subjectivity of these individuals, and how they have affected the unfolding of their religious traditions.
Alon Goshen-Gottstein is the Executive Director of the Elijah Interfaith Institute, Israel.


Kindle 3, quality, and time
Two things about the Kindle 3 have been trapezing through my head and this post is the only way to tie them together –
 1. Amazon spent 3 years before the release of the Kindle working on it and it's been 2.75 years since it was released. This is courtesy the Charlie Rose show with Amazon's CEO. That's nearly 6 years and Kindle 3 is the outcome of all that effort.
 2. Someone at Pixar mentioned in an article that 'Pixar movies don't get finished they just get released'.
Is there a relationship between time and thought put into a product and its quality? Is the Kindle 3 an example of that?
Let's start with the first.
Are Quality of a Product and Time taken to produce it interwoven?
Outliers and Talent is Overrated and other books talk a lot about how it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to master a skill and become an expert. They also say that this usually takes a period of 10 years. What about applying that expert skill set (perhaps along with dozens or even hundreds of other people's expert skill sets) to produce a masterpiece?
How long does it take to produce a masterpiece? Is it of the order of 10,000 hours or 10 years (just like mastering a skill)?
If we look around us we get a very interesting range of timelines –
 1. You could argue that a master shoemaker like Jimmy Choo is able to produce a masterpiece in a few days. However, which of those masterpieces is going to last for centuries and how long did that particular idea germinate in his mind?
 2. What about authors – How long does it take an author to create a masterpiece? Is thinking about the book included or do we just include the writing?
 3. Look at the Kindle 3 and you get the feeling the 10 year time-line seems about right – It does seem Kindle 3 is 60% of the way to perfection.
 4. If we believe Steve Jobs' claim that he conceived of the iPad and iPhone in 2000 (he says he thought of the iPad before the iPhone) we're looking at iPhone 4 as the 4th release and the culmination of 10 years of thought and work. The iPad, even in its first release, probably represents quite a few years of work – You could also argue that all the work on the iPhone transferred over.
 5. With the Internet there is a sense of it taking just a few years to create a great product. Is that true? If so, where are the great products? You could argue Google and Craigslist and Wikipedia are masterpieces – Well, they weren't exactly quick hits. They're amongst the few Internet productions that are near masterpiece quality in impact.
 6. How long does it take to make a great movie? Do we include the script? Do we include time taken to write the book if it's based on a book?
 7. What about sports? If we watch a performance and consider it one of the greatest ever (let's say Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile mark) do we count just those 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds or do we also count all the training put into it.
The one thing we notice is that, except for the shoe-making example, masterpieces seem to be taking multiple years to produce – usually 5 to 10. You could argue that even with shoemaking a truly innovative design or breakthrough probably takes multiple years to conceive and develop.
Are the Kindle and the Nook on their way to being masterpieces?
There are things about the Nook and Sony Reader that drive users mad – for the Nook it's the awkward LCD touchscreen and for the Sony it's the lack of thought into how the touchscreen is used. Perhaps these are just manifestations of less effort and time being put in.
It's quite likely that with time and effort Nook and Sony Reader will rival the level of polish of some of the products that you would consider masterpieces (and for the record don't think Kindle 3 is there yet).
Take the Nook – It's probably 1.5 years to 2 years worth of effort. There will obviously be far more bugs and usability issues than with the Kindle 3 which represents 6 years of effort. However, it's done a pretty good job of rivaling the Kindle. If B&N keeps pouring effort and time into it the Nook may very well be one of the two or three eReaders that survive the eReader wars.
That brings us to the Kindle and, in particular, to the Kindle 3.
How close is Kindle 3 to being a masterpiece?
There are a few things that make you feel it's really close –
 1. The improved eInk screen.
 2. The size and battery life.
 3. The price of the Kindle WiFi.
 4. The infrastructure. You could argue that WhisperNet is a year or two away from being something of undiluted beauty.
 5. The Kindle Store. The Store actually seems a little behind – perhaps halfway to where it needs to be. However, every other store is still learning to walk so the Kindle Store seems vastly better in comparison.
 6. The family sharing feature – You have to admit it's a super useful feature.
 7. The Text to speech feature and the Voice Guide.
There are definitely a lot of signs that Kindle 3 has a shot at achieving perfection and that it might do so in the next 2 to 5 years.
There are also some clear signs that it's not there yet –
 1. There's still no writing aspect. To make things worse Kindle 3 doesn't have a row of number keys. If we're going to replace paper with Kindle we need to be able to write on the Kindle.
 2. It's dependent on eInk (the company). Which means no color and no touch. Perhaps Qualcomm Mirasol will solve this problem.
 3. There's too much of a tendency to do bit releases. Whether its PDF support or accessibility you get the feeling Amazon prefers to release experimental features and then build on them. Not sure if this gets in the way of quality or whether it helps by providing quicker feedback.
There are lots of other small signs that we aren't there yet. You could argue that the price could be a little lower and while it's unfair given how recently we were at $299 it's valid from a long-term perspective.
What could stop Kindle from becoming a masterpiece? Could another eReader beat it and get there first?
In a way Kindle 3 illustrates both that the Kindle is likely to get to perfection first and that it isn't yet a done deal.
Kindle might not be the first eReader to reach this imaginary 'masterpiece' designation because it's dependent on eInk and copying takes far less time than conceiving and creating a completely new product. Look at the first Nook – It took almost every single Kindle pain point and incorporated it in. That along with the dual screen design allowed Nook to be a worthy challenger. At any given time a Kindle, for example the current Kindle 3, has only a 6-9 month window before all the best ideas are copied and replicated and a solid competitor shows up.
If the competitor is also using its own strengths i.e. library books, ePub, etc. then it becomes easier for it to make up for the additional time and effort put into the Kindle. Fundamentally, the need to keep Kindle ebook revenue intact slows down the Kindle's progress towards perfection. At some point of time the Kindle will have to let go of the ebook revenue stream if it really wants to create the absolutely perfect eReader (let go = let readers decide).
The two ways Kindle could miss
At the moment there isn't anything that could stop the Kindle from becoming a masterpiece except the death of dedicated eReaders. Since that's looking less and less likely we can look forward to seeing some truly exceptional eReaders in the future.
There's another risk – It is possible that the Kindle gets 90% of the way there and then another eReader copies most of the good, adds in the few missing features (that Amazon won't add since it wants to preserve its ebook revenue stream), and hits perfection before the Kindle does.
It'll be interesting to see what Amazon decides if it's faced with that decision – Would it give up the ebook revenue stream to ensure its the first perfect eReader? Would it hang on to ebook revenue and find another way to reach perfection? Would it value its two profitable revenue streams more than making the Kindle perfect?
You could look at the Kindle 3 and see it as a sign the Kindle is well on its way to being a masterpiece. However, the ending of the story hasn't yet been written.
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Creating a serene and captivating outdoor space is a goal for many homeowners. One way to achieve this is by incorporating water features into landscape design. Water features not only add an element of tranquility and beauty to your surroundings, but they also offer numerous benefits for both aesthetics and functionality. In this blog post, we will explore the various ways you can incorporate water features into your landscape design, turning your outdoor space into a captivating oasis.
1. The Soothing Power of Water:
Water has a remarkable ability to soothe our senses and create a calming ambiance. Incorporating water features such as ponds, waterfalls, or fountains in your landscape design can provide a refreshing and relaxing atmosphere. The sound of flowing water can drown out background noise, creating a peaceful environment where you can unwind and reconnect with nature.
2. Enhancing Aesthetics: Water features can serve as striking focal points in your landscape, adding visual interest and enhancing the overall aesthetics of your outdoor space. Whether you choose a sleek modern design or a more natural and organic look, water features can be customized to match your personal style and complement the existing elements in your landscape. They can be incorporated as standalone installations or seamlessly integrated into existing structures like patios or gardens. Bottom line...they just look beautiful!
3. Creating a Habitat for Wildlife: Water features not only benefit human occupants but also attract various forms of wildlife, including birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects. The sound and sight of water can entice these creatures to visit and make your garden their home. Thank of the beauty you'll bring to your outdoor living area by adding a water source for all the beautiful creatures near by! By incorporating water-loving plants and strategically placing rocks or logs, you can create a balanced ecosystem that supports local biodiversity.
4. Promoting Relaxation and Wellness: In today's fast-paced world, finding moments of relaxation and tranquility is crucial for our overall well-being. The presence of water features in your landscape design can help you achieve just that. The visual and auditory elements of water can reduce stress, promote mindfulness, and even improve air quality by increasing humidity levels. Enjoying a quiet evening by a pond or practicing yoga next to a babbling brook can be transformative experiences.
5. Eco-Friendly Solutions: Similar to our previous post about trending landscape designs, having an eco-friendly water feature is all the rage! Water features can be designed to be environmentally friendly by incorporating sustainable practices. By incorporating a rainwater collection system, you can use harvested water to sustain your water features, reducing your dependence on the municipal water supply. Additionally, water features can serve as natural cooling agents, reducing the need for energy-consuming air conditioning during warmer months.
6. Customization Options: Water features offer endless possibilities for customization. From cascading waterfalls to meandering streams, from reflective pools to elegant fountains, there is a design suitable for every taste and space. Whether you have a sprawling garden or a small urban patio, water features can be tailored to fit your available area and budget.
Incorporating water features into your landscape design brings a myriad of benefits, from enhancing aesthetics to promoting relaxation and supporting local wildlife. By incorporating these captivating elements, you can transform your outdoor space into a serene oasis, where you can find solace and reconnect with nature. Whether you choose a large-scale installation or a smaller, more intimate feature, water has the power to elevate your landscape design and create a sanctuary right at your doorstep. So, go ahead and explore the world of water features, and let your imagination flow as you design your personal outdoor oasis.


outage was longer than the outage in the original fault. Sometimes, a trade-off is made such that the impact of the unscheduled fault is minimized at the expense of the repair activity. This is usually a good trade-off because the repair activity is usually a scheduled event, so we can limit the impact via procedures and planning. If you have ever waited for an fsck to finish when booting a system, then you've felt the impact of such decisions and understand why modern file systems have attempted to minimize the performance costs of fsck, or eliminated the need for fsck altogether.
Modeling the system in this way means that we will consider both the unscheduled faults as well as the planned repair, though we usually make the simplifying assumption that there will be one repair action for each unscheduled fault.
If this sort of characterization sounds tedious, well it is. But it is the best way for us to measure the performance of a subsystem under faulted conditions. Trying to measure the performance of a more complex system with multiple servers, switches, and arrays under a comprehensive set of fault conditions would be untenable. We do gain some reduction of the test matrix because we know that some components have no impact on performance when they fail.
Next we build a RAScad model for the system. I usually use a heirarchial model built from components which hides much of the complexity from me, but for this simpler example, the Markov model looks like this:
Markov model
Where the states are explained by this table:
Transition Rate
No failures
rate (=1/MTTR)
1 UIC_Dn
1 UIC is down
UIC failure rate
System is down
Midplane failure rate
1 Ctlr_Dn
1 Controller is down
Controller failure rate
1 PCU is down
PCU failure rate
1 disk is under reconstruction
Disk reconstruction rate
1 disk is under reconstruction, 1 spare disk available
Disk failure rate
No spare disk
One parity group loses 1 disk, no
spare available, no disk reconstruction
Solving the Markov model will provide us with the average staying time per year in each of the states. Note that we must make some sort of assumptions about the service response time. We will usually use 4 hour service response time for enterprise-class operations. Is that assumption optimal? We don't always know, so that is another feature of a system I'll explore in a later blog.
So now we have the performance for each state, and the average staying time per year. These are two variables, so lets graph them on an X-Y plot. To make it easier to compare different systems, we sort by the performance (in the Y-axis). We call the resulting graph a performability graph or P-Graph for short. Here is an example of a performability graph showing the results for three different RAID array configurations.
simple performability graph
I usually label availability targets across the top as an alternate X-axis label because many people are more comfortable with availability targets represented as "nines" than seconds or minutes. In order to show the typically small staying time, we use a log scale on the X-axis. The Y-axis shows the performance metric. I refer to the system's performability curve as a performability envelope
because it represents the boundaries of performance and availability, where we can expect the actual use to fall below the curve for any interval.
Suppose you have a requirement for an array that delivers 1,500 iops with "four-nines" availability. You can see from the performability graph that Product A and C can deliver 1,500 iops, Product C can deliver "four-nines" availability, but only Product A can deliver both 1,500 iops and "four-nines" availability.
To help you understand the composition of the graph, I colored some of the states which have longer staying times.
composite fault performability graph
You can see that some of the failure states have little impact on performance, whereas others will have a significant impact on performance. For this array, when a power supply/battery unit fails, the write cache is placed in write through mode, which has a significant performance impact. Also, when a disk fails and is being reconstructed, the overall performance is impacted. Now we have a clearer picture of what performance we can expect from this array per year.
This composition view is particularly useful for product engineers, but is less useful to systems engineers. For complex systems, there are many products, many failure modes, and many more trade-offs to consider. More on that later...
Wednesday Oct 03, 2007
Adaptec webinar on disks and error handling
Adaptec has put together a nice webinar called Nearline Data Drives and Error Handling. If you work with disks or are contemplating building your own home data server, I recommend that you take 22 minutes to review the webinar. As a systems vendor, we are often asked why we made certain design decisions to favor data over costs, and I think this webinar does a good job of showing how some of the complexity of systems design covers a large number of decision points. Here in the RAS Engineering group we tend to gravitate towards the best reliability and availability of systems, which still requires a staggering number of design trade-offs. Rest assured that we do our best to make these decisions with your data in mind.
For the ZFSers in the world, this webinar also provides some insight into how RAID systems like ZFS are designed, and why end-to-end data protection is vitally important.
Enjoy! And if you don't want your Starbuck's gift card, send it to me :-)
Friday May 04, 2007
ZFS, copies, and data protection
OpenSolaris build 61 (or later) is now available for download. ZFS has added a new feature that will improve data protection: redundant copies for data (aka ditto blocks for data). Previously, ZFS stored redundant copies of metadata. Now this feature is available for data, too.
This represents a new feature which is unique to ZFS: you can set the data protection policy on a per-file system basis, beyond that offered by the underlying device or volume. For single-device systems, like my laptop with its single disk drive, this is very powerful. I can have a different data protection policy for the files that I really care about (my personal files) than the files that I really don't care about or that can be easily reloaded from the OS installation DVD. For systems with multiple disks assembled in a RAID configuration, the data protection is not quite so obvious. Let's explore this feature, look under the hood, and then analyze some possible configurations.
Using Copies
To change the numbers of data copies, set the copies property. For example, suppose I have a zpool named "zwimming." The default number of data copies is 1. But you can change that to 2 quite easily.
# zfs set copies=2 zwimming
The copies property works for all new writes, so I recommend that you set that policy when you create the file system or immediately after you create a zpool.
You can verify the copies setting by looking at the properties.
# zfs get copies zwimming
zwimming copies 2 local
ZFS will account for the space used. For example, suppose I create three new file systems and copy some data to them. You can then see that the space used reflects the number of copies. If you use quotas, then the copies will be charged against the quotas, too.
# zfs create -o copies=1 zwimming/single
# zfs create -o copies=2 zwimming/dual
# zfs create -o copies=3 zwimming/triple
# cp -rp /usr/share/man1 /zwimming/single
# cp -rp /usr/share/man1 /zwimming/dual
# cp -rp /usr/share/man1 /zwimming/triple
# zfs list -r zwimming
zwimming 48.2M 310M 33.5K /zwimming
zwimming/dual 16.0M 310M 16.0M /zwimming/dual
zwimming/single 8.09M 310M 8.09M /zwimming/single
zwimming/triple 23.8M 310M 23.8M /zwimming/triple
This makes sense. Each file system has one, two, or three copies of the data and will use correspondingly one, two, or three times as much space to store the data.
Under the Covers
ZFS will spread the ditto blocks across the vdev or vdevs to provide spatial diversity. Bill Moore has previously blogged about this, or you can see it in the code for yourself. From a RAS perspective, this is a good thing. We want to reduce the possibility that a single failure, such as a drive head impact with media, could disturb both copies of our data. If we have multiple disks, ZFS will try to spread the copies across multiple disks. This is different than mirroring, in subtle ways. The actual placement is ultimately based upon available space. Let's look at some simplified examples. First, for the default file system configuration settings on a single disk.
Default, simple config
Note that there are two copies of the metadata, by default. If we have two or more copies of the data, the number of metadata copies is three.
ZFS, 2 copies
Suppose you have a 2-disk stripe. In that case, ZFS will try to spread the copies across the disks.
ZFS, 2 copies


Example 3.17h: Determining the Mass of Solute in a Given Volume of Solution
How many grams of \(\ce{CaCl2}\) are contained in 250.0 mL of a 0.200 M solution of calcium chloride?
Attn: This is a demo of the virtual study group
The following illustrates a partial student answer where all the quantities mentioned in the question are written down, but the solution to the problem requires use of a molar mass for a compound with now chemical formula.
To enter this student answer, press go once. To see all the prompts from the virtual study group,
press go multiple times until the study group says goodbye
Think about it...


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Embracing the Perks of Homeownership: Building Equity, Investing, Personalizing, and Finding a Sense of Belonging
Owning a home is not just about having a roof over your head—it comes with a myriad of perks that make it a truly rewarding experience. From building equity and investing in your future to personalizing your living space and finding a deep sense of belonging, homeownership offers a host of advantages that go beyond the financial aspects. In this blog post, we'll delve into these perks and share quick facts to highlight the joys of owning a home.
Building equity is one of the significant perks of homeownership is building equity. Here are some quick facts to consider:
- Equity accumulation: With each mortgage payment, a portion goes towards paying down the principal balance, gradually increasing your equity in the property.
- Appreciation: Over time, your home's value has the potential to appreciate, further contributing to your equity. Real estate has historically shown a tendency to appreciate in the long run.
Investing in your future and owning a home is a valuable long-term investment. Explore these quick facts:
- Forced savings: Your mortgage payments serve as a form of forced savings, allowing you to build wealth over time.
- Potential for return: As your property's value increases, you have the potential to gain a significant return on investment if you decide to sell in the future.
- Home as a legacy: Owning a home can provide a sense of security and an opportunity to create a lasting legacy for future generations.
Personalizing Your Space: Unlike renting, homeownership allows you to personalize and customize your living space. Consider the following quick facts:
- Creative expression: You have the freedom to decorate, renovate, and make changes according to your personal taste and style preferences.
- Creating a sanctuary: Transform your home into a reflection of your personality and create a space that brings you comfort, joy, and a true sense of belonging.
Finding a Sense of Belonging: Owning a home often fosters a deep sense of belonging and community. Reflect on these quick facts:
- Stability and roots: Settling into a home provides a sense of stability and roots, allowing you to become an integral part of a neighborhood and build relationships with neighbors.
- Community engagement: Homeownership often encourages engagement in community activities, local events, and initiatives, fostering a sense of belonging and connection.
- Creating memories: Owning a home provides a backdrop for creating cherished memories with loved ones, making it a place of nostalgia and belonging.
Owning a home comes with a multitude of perks that extend beyond the financial benefits. From building equity and investing in your future to personalizing your space and finding a deep sense of belonging, homeownership offers a sense of pride and fulfillment. Embrace these quick facts and relish the joys of homeownership as you create a space that is truly your own and build a foundation for a bright future.


a list of all of the files is required to produce the MOVE paths.
In order to retrieve a list of the files dynamically she will execute her first restore operation, a restore of the backup's file list. The backup file path is used to instantiate a BackupDeviceItem and is added to the restore object. Then a variable will be populated with the ReadFileList method output.
Generate RelocateFile objects
There are three different file types that are targeted for relocation. Each of the files that are worked with will be identified by selecting the FileId attribute of the $dbFileList object. For the primary file it will be FileId 1, for the log file it will be FileId 2, and all other data files will have FileIds greater than 2.
For each file, a number of operations will take place. First, a RelocateFile object is instantiated and then the logical and physical file names are set. For the primary and log file, Karla will populate string variables derived from either the $server.DefaultFile and $server.DefaultLog paths, or the $server.MasterDBPath and $server.MasterDBLogPath. Finally, the RelocateFile object is added to the Restore object that has been maintained thus far.
Prepare server for restore
Given the defined process flow, each time this script executes there should only be system databases on the server. In case of a problem, though, the script will be self-healing. The dropDbDBeforeRestore switch is used to check for the existence of the database and, if exists, kill all connections to it and drop the database. With a T-SQL restore, this is normally accomplished by setting the SINGLE_USER mode but the SMO objects do not support this. SINGLE_USER mode could be set with T-SQL by using the Invoke-SqlCmd cmdlet, used early in the script, but the connection context would have to be maintained between it and the restore operation. The method seen above utilizes SMO and guarantees that the server is prepared for restore operations.
Restore and check integrity
NOTE: This is a simplified version of the restore command and integrity checks. In the second part of this series, there will be modifications to this section to support logging the results. For a preview of the differences refer to the complete script at the beginning of the article.
Up to this point everything that was executed was in preparation for the restore operation and integrity checks. Here is where it all happens. The $smoRestore object contains all of the configurations and is ready to execute with the SqlRestore method. Normally a Try-Catch block would not be required to handle exceptions thrown from SMO. In this case, one is used because of the CheckTables method which handles the integrity checking. If there is corruption detected in the restored database, the normal error is less than useful.
By using the Try-Catch and looping through the inner exceptions the corruption details that are desired can now be seen, such as the specific object_ids, object names, and column_ids.
Clean up
The final steps in the script will be to drop the database that was just restored so that disk space is available for further executions.
Scheduling script execution
With the Central Management Server setup, servers registered, and script complete, all that must be done is schedule its execution. In Karla's technical requirements, recorded at the beginning of the article, she has decided to use the SQL Server Agent for job scheduling. She will be using the PowerShell job step type because, in SQL Server 2012 and above, it uses the natively installed PowerShell components for execution.
Server setup
To prepare for this configuration, Karla will need to set her test server's execution policy to RemoteSigned with the Set-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet. This only has to occur once on the test server so the manual method is demonstrated here, however, setting execution policy with group policy is recommended because it saves DBA time.
With the above script, Karla is able to execute script files. The file should be loaded on the server locally, possibly in a Scripts folder located on the operating system drive. The command must be run "As Administrator" and the –Force switch is used to bypass the confirmation question.
Creating the job
Creating a SQL Agent job to run a PowerShell script is extremely similar to how you would create a job to execute T-SQL or even SSIS packages. The only difference is in the options selected for the job step.
 1. Open SSMS and verify that the SQL Agent is started.
 2. Drill into the SQL Server Agent in the object explorer and right-click on Jobs selecting New Job
 Creating New job in Object Explorer
 3. Give your job a name and make sure that the Enabled checkbox is checked. It is preferable to change the category to Database Maintenance as well but this is not required.
 The New job dialog
 4. Jump down to the Schedules page, listed on the left.
 5. Click New
 6. Name your schedule, set frequency as desired. In Karla's case, she will set the schedule to run daily, every hour, all day, with no end. This will keep the job running nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to maximize the amount of tests possible in a given quarter.
 The New job schedule dialog
 7. Click OK.
 8. Navigate to the Steps page, listed on the left. Click New
 9. Once in the New Job Step window, name your step and open up the Type drop-down box.
 New Job Step - The Type drop-down box
 NOTE: In versions of SQL Server equal to or greater than 2012, the PowerShell type will use the installed PowerShell executable and its execution policy, which was set in the last section. When running SQL Server 2008 or 2008 R2, the PowerShell type will run in a mini-shell called SQLPS.exe and use the execution policy RemoteSigned. The SQLPS.exe was created before the SQLPS PowerShell module was available and it was the best way of accessing the necessary assemblies. Unfortunately, it was compiled with limited cmdlets from PowerShell 2.0 and has not been updated. When using SQL Server 2008/R2 it is recommended to use the Operating Sytem (CmdExec) type instead because you can explicitly call the proper PowerShell.exe.
 10. Select PowerShell.
 11. Using the Run As drop-down, select SQL Server Agent Service Account.
 NOTE: This account is the one which will need file system access to the backup files. Karla's SQL Server Agent account has the required read access to the backup shares. If yours doesn't, then you will need to create a proxy which will then appear in this drop-down box.
 12. Paste the PowerShell command for calling your script into the Command textbox.
 REMINDER: The location passed into the Set-Location cmdlet is relative to the SQL Server. In this case, the Test-Backups.ps1 script must be located in the C:\Scripts folder and the SQL Server Agent account must have read and execute access to it.
 13. For ease of troubleshooting, navigate to the Advanced page and check the checkbox labeled Include step output in history.
 14. Click OK
 15. Click OK again on the New Job page.
Test it!
The SQL Server Agent job is created all that is left is to start it. Right-click on the job in the object explorer and click Start Job at Step
Clicking Start Job at Step
Start Jobs dialog
Wrap up
That was exciting! A lot has been covered.
 - A system plan and process flow was established.
 - A registered server list was added to the Central Management Server.
 - Backup files were retrieved and restored.
 - Databases were checked for data integrity.
 - The process was scheduled for automated execution via a SQL Server Agent job.
In part 2 of this series, Reporting Results, different methods of querying the data will be explored. In addition, tweaks to the existing script will be made for result logging and a SQL Server Reporting Services Report will be setup.
Next article in this series:
SPOOLER ALERT: The descriptive section of this article didn't include the logging mechanisms but the complete script referenced in the beginning did. Maybe there are hints of where part 2 will be heading in there.
Derik Hammer
Backup and restore, PowerShell, Testing
About Derik Hammer
Derik is a data professional focusing on Microsoft SQL Server. His passion focuses around high-availability, disaster recovery, continuous integration, and automated maintenance. His experience has spanned database administration, consulting, and entrepreneurial ventures. Derik thanks our #sqlfamily for plugging the gaps in his knowledge over the years and actively continues the cycle of learning by sharing his knowledge with all and volunteering as a PASS User Group leader. View all posts by Derik Hammer
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