text:
UnionsNSW are campaigning strongly on OHS issues during an inquiry by Joint Select Committee on the NSW Workers' Compensation Scheme into workers compensation. They make the point that a focus on the reduction of injury is the most effective way of rendering a workers compensation scheme "profitable". By neglecting worker safety, injuries increase and there is a higher demand on compensation and rehabilitation resources.
A major concern in the campaign is that the government is focussing on reducing costs and, in workers' compensation schemes, that often results in fewer resources for injured workers and their families.
Tim Ayres, Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, was quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald:
"If NSW employers want to save money on workers' comp premiums, they should focus on reducing their premiums by providing safer workplaces where workers don't get injured and killed."
But a draft submission, seen by SafetyAtWorkBlog, by the International Governance and Performance Research Centre (IGPRC) of Macquarie University provides some balance into the rhetoric.
The NSW Workcover issues paper for this inquiry outlines seven "solutions" that they want considered for reform. Improving safety is the first.
- "enhance NSW workplace safety by preventing and reducing incidents and fatalities;
- contribute to the economic and jobs growth, including for small businesses, by ensuring that premiums are comparable with other states and there are optimal insurance arrangements;
- promote recovery and the health benefits of returning to work;
- guarantee quality long term medical and financial support for seriously injured workers;
- support less seriously injured workers to recover and regain their financial independence;
- reduce the high regulatory burden and make it simple for injured workers, employers and service providers to navigate the system; and
- strongly discourage payments, treatments and services that do not contribute to recovery and return to work."
The draft of that submission of the International Governance and Performance Research Centre (IGPRC) of Macquarie University points out that the issues paper above seems to focus on the reduction of benefits but that
"…improved WHS [Work Health and Safety] performance at an enterprise level translates to less compensation claims and increased financial stability of the Scheme". (page 2)
Some of the current debate seems to be on a report from PricewaterhouseCoopers (only the Executive Summary is currently available online) which states
"the Independent Scheme actuary projects that an increase of 28% in premium rates would be required if no changes are made to the scheme".
This is an estimate for a 5 year turnaround but the PwC report also notes that if the timeframe was 10 years, the premium rate rise would only be 8%. The cost impost over the long term sounds much more reasonable, even if it does not fit the political election cycle.
But the IGPRC submission emphasises that these estimates are "if no changes are made to the scheme". Imagine what could be achieved in cost reduction and control if there was a concerted effort in reducing worker injury and illness!
The submission also questions the push for comparing scheme performance to other Australian States. It states that
"Direct comparisons across jurisdictions are not possible for a range of factors including differences in:
- Number of workplaces and workers,
- Level of coverage and entitlements,
- Scheme management structure (eg central management, use of agents or hybrid models),
- Scheme governance structures, policies and procedures,
- Underlying differences in health & safety regulation, education, training and enforcement."
The Federal Government has indicated an attempt at harmonising workers' compensation schemes after it has completed it OHS harmonisation strategy. Although this seems increasingly unlikely, the debate in New South Wales strengthens the argument for reform in the sector.
SafetyAtWorkBlog has discussed the recent figures released by Safe Work Australia on injury and illness costs as a counterpoint to business sector claims of the "burden" of safety but IGPRC submission provides an enlightening comparison with Safe Work Australia's 2009 data with the earlier 2001 data.
The increase in costs to employers is dwarfed by the increased cost burden to the worker. IGPRC points out that
"Between 2001 and 2009 (latest available data) the total cost burden on community stakeholders, such as taxpayers and compensation scheme participants, has reduced by 32% (from 52% to 21%)
- 6% of this decrease shifted to those employers responsible for the workplaces in which these injuries/illnesses occurred
- 94% shifted to the injured workers and their families…." (page 7)
Reducing workplace injuries and illnesses also reduces the need for workers' compensation so the focus of any review into the economic viability of workers' compensation schemes must also include strategies for the reduction of illness and injury.
Business concerns about the increased costs to them of injuries and illnesses may be voiced at high volume but there is evidence that the cost burden of poor safety management is increasingly being borne by the worker and their families.
The Joint Select Committee on the NSW Workers' Compensation Scheme may believe its inquiry has a clear focus on workers' compensation and economics but the control measures for change may come from well outside its expected area. Sustainable change in the quality of life of workers will come when the political parties and governments plan for change over the long term and not expect quick fixes that fit the political election cycle.
This change is most likely to come from an analysis of work and occupational safety and health in the broader social context and not just in the context of industrial relations. There is no doubt that this path is the harder to travel for society, business and government but it is the most rewarding and the one that supports our international moral obligations.
4 thoughts on "NSW inquiry into workers' compensation illustrates short-termism"
Its all about control. Its easy to say "if there were no injuries there would be no cost" but the government is unable to enforce everyone to be safe. What they can control is the scheme and how benefits are paid, so they are aiming to do that. Which is great. On the prevention side WorkCover should break its internal silo's and work with the scheme agents to improve safety.
As for the "less benefits for workers" one of the issues paper's points was to pay increased benefits and care for seriously injured workers. They want to look after these workers more thoroughly, and stop paying the bludgers, rorters, and lazy people.
The unions have both copped a grilling and spouted some rhetoric in the inquiry so far. Favourite grilling was a union boss telling them the deficit was invented and not real, then getting trapped as he is on the board of WorkCover and signed off on subsequent budgets and actuarial reports saying there is a deficit. Favourite rhetoric was a union boss when asked if they support commutations saying "yes we support commutations, there needs to be an avenue for workers to escape the tyranny of the insurers". Tyranny is such a great word.
I'm behind the issues paper, nearly all of their points were spot on. I just hope the politicians are serious about reform, and ask the right questions that are central to the issue (and from what I hear they are missing the mark on that one).
What I have observed in various workplaces is an ignorance of what unsafe workpractices are , these then are not monitored until to late and then the blame game starts , I have seen both employer and employee ignore safe workplace practices because of the culture that has been alllowed to develop ,to often people are ony aware of how to do their job but not how to do it safely or dont care ,it may also be that individuals who are not ohs reps should also be encouraged to report to a worksafe any concerns over safety as they may not have ohs reps or the rep is not up to the job .Something that does not get measured in workplace statistics is high employee turnover sometimes over 100 percent because of workplace practices ,Kevin if you can find out what the statistics are for employees able to work till retirement age uninjured, it might make sad reading and that could be a measurement of what our safety culture has achieved.
Talk about stating the "bleeding" obvious, Legislation is in place to facilitate compliance in the work place, but it would seem the resources and political will to police that legislation in any meaningful way will never be in place.
While employers continue to flout the rules with impunity there will not be a change. Once again I say, on the spot fines for any breach with an adequate "Police" force will certainly focus minds on compliance with an immediate benefit via reduction in injury rates and consequent costs.
The enforcement fines will more than cover any inspectorate cost so it is a "WIN – WIN" situation all round.
Tony, I am not sure that on-the-spot fines are necessarily effective. I seem to remember that NSW Workcover has used these measures in the past will dubious effect. I know there has been research into this area, perhaps, by Richard Johnstone.
I beleive that WorkSafe Victoria has had this option for years but has chosen not to apply it. I will see if I can find out why?


DataServer.RLOCK Method
Click or drag to resize
DataServer.RLOCK Method
Lock a specific record in this data server for exclusive write access; other users can still make read-only reference to the record.
Namespace: VO
Assembly: VOSystemClasses (in VOSystemClasses.dll) Version: 2.7
 nRecord AS USUAL := NIL
Request Example View Source
nRecord (Optional)
Type: Usual
The ID (usually a record number) of the record to be locked. If specified, record locks held by the current process are retained. If not specified, all locks held by the current process are released and the current record is assumed.
Return Value
Type: Usual
TRUE if successful; otherwise, FALSE. Note that FALSE is returned even if the record was successfully locked but other record locks cannot be maintained.
When specified with an argument, RLock() does not release records locks held by the current process. Instead, it adds the newly locked record to the lock list.
Tip Tip
Some data servers cannot support the maintenance of multiple record locks or even the lock of a record other than the current one based on a record number.
See Also


text:
Archaeologists discover slave artifacts where Ga. highway project will cross plantation siteBreaking News
tags: slavery, archaeology, Georgia
SAVANNAH, Georgia — A Mexican coin punctured with a small hole, nails from long-decayed wooden dwellings, and broken bits of plates and bottles are among thousands of artifacts unearthed from what archaeologists suspect were once slave quarters at the site of a planned highway project in Savannah.
A team hired to survey the site by the Georgia Department of Transportation spent three months excavating 20 acres of undeveloped woods tucked between a convenience store and apartments off busy Abercorn Extension on Savannah's suburban south side. Archaeologist Rita Elliott said the project yielded a staggering 33,858 artifacts believed to date from about 1750 until after the Civil War.
Historical records show that a wealthy Savannah attorney named William Miller owned a large plantation at the site and at one time had 87 slaves, Elliott said. Archaeologists didn't find the main plantation house but believe many of the artifacts they found are consistent with slave dwellings....
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- Did Salmonella Kill Off the Aztecs?
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- McMaster knows how national security policy can go wrong. Will that help him?
- Historian and Antiwar Activist Marilyn Young Dies at 79
- Trump Chooses Historian H.R. McMaster as National Security Adviser
- Holocaust Historian Deborah Lipstadt Explains Why People Believe Trump's Lies
- Princeton's Harold James warns World War Three is now a "serious threat"

source: m-a-p/FineFineWeb


text:
We're not just talking about NaCl.
A configuration management system. Salt is capable of maintaining remote nodes in defined states. For example, it can ensure that specific packages are installed and that specific services are running.
A distributed remote execution system used to execute commands and query data on remote nodes. Salt can query and execute commands either on individual nodes or by using an arbitrary selection criteria.
It was developed in order to bring the best solutions found in the world of remote execution together and make them better, faster, and more malleable. Salt accomplishes this through its ability to handle large loads of information, and not just dozens but hundreds and even thousands of individual servers quickly through a simple and manageable interface.
Providing versatility between massive scale deployments and smaller systems may seem daunting, but Salt is very simple to set up and maintain, regardless of the size of the project. The architecture of Salt is designed to work with any number of servers, from a handful of local network systems to international deployments across different data centers. The topology is a simple server/client model with the needed functionality built into a single set of daemons. While the default configuration will work with little to no modification, Salt can be fine tuned to meet specific needs.
The core functions of Salt:
enable commands to remote systems to be called in parallel rather than serially
use a secure and encrypted protocol
use the smallest and fastest network payloads possible
provide a simple programming interface
Salt also introduces more granular controls to the realm of remote execution, allowing systems to be targeted not just by hostname, but also by system properties.
Salt takes advantage of a number of technologies and techniques. The networking layer is built with the excellent ZeroMQ networking library, so the Salt daemon includes a viable and transparent AMQ broker. Salt uses public keys for authentication with the master daemon, then uses faster AES encryption for payload communication; authentication and encryption are integral to Salt. Salt takes advantage of communication via msgpack, enabling fast and light network traffic.
In order to allow for simple expansion, Salt execution routines can be written as plain Python modules. The data collected from Salt executions can be sent back to the master server, or to any arbitrary program. Salt can be called from a simple Python API, or from the command line, so that Salt can be used to execute one-off commands as well as operate as an integral part of a larger application.
The result is a system that can execute commands at high speed on target server groups ranging from one to very many servers. Salt is very fast, easy to set up, amazingly malleable and provides a single remote execution architecture that can manage the diverse requirements of any number of servers. The Salt infrastructure brings together the best of the remote execution world, amplifies its capabilities and expands its range, resulting in a system that is as versatile as it is practical, suitable for any network.
Salt is developed under the Apache 2.0 license, and can be used for open and proprietary projects. Please submit your expansions back to the Salt project so that we can all benefit together as Salt grows. Please feel free to sprinkle Salt around your systems and let the deliciousness come forth.


text:
Benefits of Tannic Acid Glycerin Gum paint:
- Treats Gingivitis:
- The astringent and antiseptic properties of Tannic Acid Glycerin Gum Paint treat gingivitis. It is a hemostatic (stops bleeding) that prevent gum bleeding and helps in strengthening gums. It reduces gum inflammation, heals wounds, refreshes breath and kills bacteria in the oral cavity.
- Treats mouth ulceration:
- Tannic Acid Glycerin Gum Paint treats a mouth ulcer that occurs on the mucous membrane of the oral cavity.
- Treats Tooth ache :
- Tannic Acid Glycerin Gum Paint treats toothache. A toothache is pain that occurs within a tooth or the surrounding gum.
- Treats Dental plaque:
- Tannic Acid Glycerin Gum Paint is killmicroorganisms in the bio film. It kills the harmful bacteria can reduce the degree of
- Tannic Acid Glycerin Gum Paint is a mild antiseptic used in the mouth to help relieve minor mouth irritation (like due to canker/cold sores, dentures, orthodontic appliances).

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


We're happy to help 01909 475330
Do marble fireplace stain when used with gas fires?
December 15, 2010
Marble fireplaces will not typically stain when they are used with any gas fire. Marble is a popous material, however it has been used in fireplaces for many centuries.
What would make a marble fireplace stain?
1. If a gas fire causes the marble to change colour then there is usually excessive heat behind the back panel that is burning the marble. This is typically caused by an over sized builders opening. The cut out in a marble back panel is usually 16.25 inches (wide) x 22.25 inches (high). If the builders opening (opening in chimney) is much larger and has not been correctly installed then the heat behind the back panel can cause an air pocket and cause the marble to stain or change colour.
2. Marble will stain if any bleach products are applied to the surface of the stone. The polish of a marble fireplace is affected by bleach which causes irreversable staining.
3. Some harsh household multi cleaners can cause the surface of the marble to change colour as they contain strong detergents and colours. Similar discolouration would also occur on natural wood furniture.


Ensembles apply to trajectories, not frames
It is common to initially think of ensembles as applying on a frame-by-frame basis. However, ensembles are only valid on trajectories, not individual frames. To explain this, let's consider a couple simple common misconceptions.
Combining volume ensembles doesn't combine volumes
It might seem like Ensemble(volume_A) & Ensemble(volume_B) should be the same as Ensemble(volume_A & volume_B). But this is absolutely not the case. We can see this easily by using PartOutXEnsemble as the example ensemble. PartOutXEnsemble(volume) creates an ensemble in which at least one frame must be outside of volume. So the difference between and-ing together the two ensembles vs. and-ing together the two volumes can be described like this:
 - PartOutXEnsemble(volume_A) & PartOutXEnsemble(volume_B): there is at least one frame in the trajectory outside of volume_A, and at least one frame outside of volume_B. These two frames do not need to be the same frame.
 - PartOutXEnsemble(volume_A & volume_B): there is at least one frame which is outside of volume_A & volume_B, which is the intersection of volume_A and volume_B.
Note that the second case does NOT mean that a single frame is simultaneously outside of both volume_A and volume_B: it is outside the intersection, not the union. If what you want is a ensemble of trajectories which contain at least one frame that is simultaneously outside of volume_A and outside of volume_B, you can write that as PartOutXEnsemble(volume_A | volume_B).
A trajectory in 'PartOutXEnsemble(volumeA & volumeB)' but not in 'PartOutXEnsemble(volumeA) & PartOutXEnsemble(volumeB)'
The above trajectory is in PartOutXEnsemble(volume_A & volume_B) but not in PartOutXEnsemble(volume_A) & PartOutXEnsemble(volume_B). To be in that ensemble, it would need to have a frame in the red area, or the outside both volumes in the white area. The volume given by volume_A & volume_B is the purple area, and some frames are outside of that.
Complementary frames do not generate the logical inverse ensemble
Another case where your intuition can lead you astray is when thinking about complementary and inverse ensembles. For example, since InXEnsemble(volume) consists of frames inside of volume and OutXEnsemble(volume) consists of frames outside of volume, you might mistakenly think that InXEnsemble(volume) | OutXEnsemble(volume) allows all trajectories.
However, if you think about the whole trajectory, you'll see this is not the case. InXEnsemble requires that all frames be in the given volume; OutXEnsemble requires that all frames be outside the given volume. A trajectory tested with InXEnsemble(volume) | OutXEnsemble(volume) must satisfy one of the two ensembles: either all frames inside or all frames outside. It can not include a transition across edge of the volume.
OutXEnsemble is complementary to InXEnsemble in the sense that OutXEnsemble(volume) == InXEnsemble(~volume), but OutXEnsemble(volume)!= ~InXEnsemble(volume). This again comes back to the statement in the previous section that combining volume ensembles does not combine volumes, because InXEnsemble(volume) | InXEnsemble(~volume)!= InXEnsemble(volume | ~volume).
To find the actual logical inverse of an ensemble, we should return to its set-theoretic definition. For InXEnsemble, this is:
\[\forall t; x[t] \in V_x\]
where \(t\) is the time (frame number), \(x\) is the order parameter function which defines the volume, and \(V_x\) is the extent of the volume. To take the logical not of that, we apply the standard rules that \(\forall\) becomes \(\exists\) and \(\in\) becomes \(\notin\), giving us:
\[\exists t\ | \ x[t] \notin V_x\]
This is, of course, the definition for a PartOutXEnsemble. And if we think about this in words, it makes perfect sense: if the ensemble requires that all frames be in some volume, then the set of all trajectories which do not satisfy that ensemble would have at least one frame outside that volume.


text:
Earnings and labour market volatility in Britain, with a transatlantic comparison
We contribute new evidence about earnings and labour market volatility in Britain over the period 1992–2008, for women as well as men, and provide transatlantic comparisons. (Most research about volatility refers to earnings volatility for US men.) Earnings volatility declined slightly for both men and women over the period but the changes are not statistically significant. When we look at labour market volatility, i.e. also including individuals with zero earnings in the calculations, there is a statistically significant decline in volatility for both women and men, with the fall greater for men. Using variance decompositions, we demonstrate that the fall in labour market volatility is largely accounted for by changes in employment attachment rates. We show that volatility trends in Britain, and what contributes to them, differ from their US counterparts in several respects.
Volume and page numbers
30 , 201 -211
Albert Sloman Library Periodicals *restricted to Univ. Essex registered users*; Appears in Special Section articles on "What determined the dynamics of labour economics research in the past 25 years? edited by Joop Hartog and and European Association of Labour Economists 25th Annual Conference, Turin, Italy, 19-21 September 2013 Edited by Michele Pellizzari


IT Stuff
My updates to rawNumbers.php for Nagvis
At work I utilize Nagios to monitor our systems and Nagvis to display things in a visual way on a large screen monitor so we can see whats it going on at a glance. One of the gadgets we use quite a bit is the rawNumbers.php by Sascha Runschke. Now while it works well at what it does, which is displaying data as a number in image format, it is very limited with customizations. Nagvis gives you the ability to pass options in the gadget_opts field so that you can choose what you want to display. What I have done is to add some extra functionality to the gadget to allow you to modify the following
* divide = divides the perfdata by this number.
This allow you to set the divisor for traffic data which is in bps to show as MB/s. As an example, your perfdata is _PHONE_,4Bits/s and you use divide=_PHONE_, then rawNumbers will display 3.5 as the output
* datauom = shows this as the uom instead of the perfdata, showuom must not be set to 0.
This is a fairly simple change that allows you to change what displays after the value. For example, you might want to show Hz for Hertz or C for Celsius after your values. Note that showuom must not be set to '0' or whatever you set here will not display.
* showuom = <0|1> default = 1 shows the unit of measure.
This allows you to turn off the display of the unit of measure so it does not display.
* string = s s is a string the perfdata label has to contain
This allows you to choose what to display if you have multiple perfdata in the array. It is handy when displaying traffic counters. You would set string=traffic_in and string=traffic_out to get both in the inbound and outbound traffic data to show. Replace traffic_in / traffic_out with your own perfdata names of course.
This example uses gadget_opts of:
In: showuom=1 divide=_PHONE_ datauom=Mb string=traffic_in
Out: showuom=1 divide=_PHONE_ datauom=Mb string=traffic_out
Here is another example from a UPS. These use divide=10 to format them correctly.
Download the below file and extract the contents into your nagvis gadgets directory. (likely something like /usr/share/nagvis/share/userfiles/gadgets) Be sure to back up the original files first in case something goes wrong.
Hopefully these changes will come in handy for someone else.


common import *
import sqlite3
# Connect to database
conn = sqlite3.connect("Sales Data.db")
cursor = conn.cursor()
# Get all the table names in the database
cursor.execute("SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table';")
tableNames = [name[0] for name in cursor.fetchall()]
# Create an Excel file
workbook = Workbook()
workbook.Worksheets.Clear()
# Iterate through each table in the database
for tableName in tableNames:
 # Get the column names of the table
 cursor.execute(f"PRAGMA table_info('{tableName}')")
 columnsInfo = cursor.fetchall()
 columnNames = [columnInfo[1] for columnInfo in columnsInfo]
 # Get the data of the table
 cursor.execute(f"SELECT * FROM {tableName}")
 rows = cursor.fetchall()

 # Create a worksheet
 sheet = workbook.Worksheets.Add(tableName)

 # Write the header to the worksheet
 for i in range(len(columnNames)):
 sheet.Range[1, i + 1].Value = columnNames[i]

 # Write the data to the worksheet
 for j in range(1, len(rows)):
 column = rows[j]
 for k in range(len(column)):
 sheet.Range[j + 1, k + 1].Value = column[k]

 # Format the worksheet
 sheet.AllocatedRange.Style.Font.FontName = "Times New Roman"
 sheet.AllocatedRange.Style.Font.Size = 12.0
 sheet.AllocatedRange.AutoFitRows()
 sheet.AllocatedRange.AutoFitColumns()
# Save the Excel file
workbook.SaveToFile("output/DataBaseToExcel.xlsx", FileFormat.Version2016)
workbook.Dispose()
conn.close()
Python: Export and Import Data Between Excel Files and Databases
Export Data from an Excel Worksheet to a Database with Python
Spire.XLS for Python can also assist developers in reading various types of data from Excel files, and then developers can use sqlite3 to write the data to a database. Below are the detailed steps:
 - Create an instance of Workbook class.
 - Load an Excel workbook using Workbook.LoadFromFile() method.
 - Connect to a database.
 - Iterate through the worksheets in the workbook.
 - Get a worksheet using Workbook.Worksheets.get_Item() method and get the name of the worksheet using Worksheet.Name property.
 - Get the data in the header row through Worksheet.Range[].Value property.
 - Create a table in the database with the worksheet name as the table name and create columns in the table with the header row data as the column names.
 - Get the values from the worksheet cells through Worksheet.Range[].Value property and write them to the corresponding position in the database table.
 - Commit the changes and close the connection.
 - Python
from spire.xls import *
from spire.xls.common import *
import sqlite3
# Create an instance of Workbook
workbook = Workbook()
# Load an Excel file
workbook.LoadFromFile("Sample.xlsx")
# Connect to database
conn = sqlite3.connect("output/Report.db")
cursor = conn.cursor()
for s in range(workbook.Worksheets.Count):
 # Get a worksheet
 sheet = workbook.Worksheets.get_Item(s)
 # Get the sheet name
 sheetName = sheet.Name
 sheetName = sheetName.replace(" ", "")
 # Get the data in the header row
 header = []
 for i in range(sheet.AllocatedRange.ColumnCount):
 headerValue = sheet.Range[1, i + 1].Value
 headerValue = headerValue.replace(" ", "")
 header.append(headerValue)
 # Create a database table
 createTableSql = f"CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS {sheetName} ({', '.join([f'{header[i]} TEXT' for i in range(len(header))])})"
 cursor.execute(createTableSql)
 # Insert data into the database table
 for row in range(1, sheet.AllocatedRange.RowCount):
 data = []
 for col in range(sheet.AllocatedRange.ColumnCount):
 # Get the cell value
 value = sheet.Range[row + 1, col + 1].Value
 data.append(value)
 # Insert the cell values into the database table
 insertSql = f"INSERT INTO {sheetName} ({', '.join(header)}) VALUES ({', '.join(['?' for _ in data])})"
 cursor.execute(insertSql, data)

# Commit the changes and close the connection
conn.commit()
conn.close()
workbook.Dispose()
Python: Export and Import Data Between Excel Files and Databases
Apply for a Temporary License
If you'd like to remove the evaluation message from the generated documents, or to get rid of the function limitations, please request a 30-day trial license for yourself.
Thursday, 27 June 2024 06:55
Spire.Office 9.6.0 is released
We're pleased to announce the release of Spire.Office 9.6.0. This version adds many new features, for example, Spire.Doc supports AI features and saving the XML of the document's default font replacement rules; Spire.XLS supports converting Excel to Markdown format, Spire.PDF supports converting PDF to Markdown format. Meanwhile, a series of issues occurred when converting, manipulating and printing Word, Excel and PDF files have been successfully fixed. More details are given below.
In this version, the most recent versions of Spire.Doc, Spire.PDF, Spire.XLS, Spire.Presentation, Spire.Email, Spire.DocViewer, Spire.PDFViewer, Spire.Spreadsheet, Spire.OfficeViewer, Spire.DataExport, Spire.Barcode are included.
DLL Versions:
 - Spire.Doc.dll v12.6.10.0
 - Spire.Pdf.dll v10.6.25.0
 - Spire.XLS.dll v14.6.6.0
 - Spire.Presentation.dll v9.5.3.0
 - Spire.Barcode.dll v7.2.9.0
 - Spire.Email.dll v6.5.10.0
 - Spire.DocViewer.Forms.dll v8.7.10.0
 - Spire.PdfViewer.Asp.dll v7.12.14.0
 - Spire.PdfViewer.Forms.dll v7.12.14.0
 - Spire.Spreadsheet v7.4.6.0
 - Spire.OfficeViewer.Forms.dll v8.7.12.0
 - Spire.DataExport.dll v4.9.0.0
 - Spire.DataExport.ResourceMgr.dll v2.1.0
Click the link to get the version Spire.Office 9.6.0:
More information of Spire.Office new release or hotfix:
Here is a list of changes made in this release
Spire.Doc
Category ID Description
New feature - Adds the Document.SaveFontFallbackRuleSettings() method to save the XML of the document's default font replacement rules.
Document document = new Document();
document.LoadFromFile(inputFile);
document.SaveFontFallbackRuleSettings("FontReplacementRuleSettings.xml");
New feature - Adds the Document.LoadFontFallbackRuleSettings() method to load custom font replacement rules in XML format for conversion.
Document document = new Document();
document.LoadFromFile(inputFile);
document.LoadFontFallbackRuleSettings("CustomFontReplacementRuleSettings.xml");
document.SaveToFile(outputFile, FileFormat.PDF);
New feature - Supports AI features: document generation, document polishing, document translation, abstract generation, summary creation, spelling check, object recognition, article continuation, as well as questions and answers.
Bug SPIREDOC-10196 Fixes the issue that the layout was incorrect when printing Word documents.
Bug SPIREDOC-10211 Fixes the issue that the fonts were incorrect after converting Word to HTML.
Bug SPIREDOC-10221 Fixes the issue that the contents were incorrect after converting Word to OFD.
Bug SPIREDOC-10353 Fixes the issue that the program threw a "System.NullReferenceException" when loading a Word document.
Bug SPIREDOC-10515 Fixes the issue that the program threw a "System


Dear Dracula Movie Poster Image
Dear Dracula
Sweet, funny story of friendship is a treat for the family.
 - Rated: NR
 - Genre: Family and Kids
 - Release Year: 2012
 - Running Time: 60 minutes
What parents need to know
Educational value
Kids are exposed to aspects of Dracula lore. Positive messages about friendship and self-identity.
Positive messages
Kids see Sam and Dracula bond over their common insecurities and pledge to help each other work through them, which illustrates themes of friendship and reminds kids that you're never too little to help someone in need. Sam feels like a social outsider because of his unique interests, but when he opens himself to the possibility of friendship, he discovers that he's not as different as he thought.
Positive role models
Sam's grandma cares a lot about him and encourages his interaction with kids. Even though legends cast him as a fearful predator, Dracula is funny, kind, and immediately engaged with Sam, whose well-being is his top priority. It's through the guidance of these two adults in his life that Sam is able to step out of his shell and seek out friendship with his peers.
Violence & scariness
A few surprises when Dracula appears out of nowhere or transforms from his bat form into his full-size one. A friendly spider clicks his pincers in the face of a girl and scares her away.
Sexy stuff
Not applicable
Not applicable
The movie is based on a graphic novel of the same name.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Dear Dracula is a family-friendly movie based on a graphic novel of the same name. It centers on a friendship between a shy boy and kindly Count Dracula, who fears he's lost his touch when it comes to being scary and needs someone to remind him how it's done. For a Halloween movie about such an iconic monster, there's no scariness to fear; in fact, the story is more funny and heartwarming than it is frightful. Themes of self-confidence and kindness are strong throughout, and there are brief instances of bullying and teasing you can use to start conversations with your kids about those and other social issues.
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What's the story?
DEAR DRACULA tells the story of Sam (voiced by Nathan Gamble), an introverted boy with an affinity for monsters who decides to write to Count Dracula (Ray Liotta) to ask for a vampire action figure he wants. His request is granted (sort of) when the Count himself shows up on his doorstep, accompanied by his sidekick, Myro (Emilio Estevez), just in time for the Halloween festivities on Sam's street. But try as he might, the Count just can't seem to scare up any fright in neighborhood trick-or-treaters, leading him to question his abilities. Meanwhile, Sam is pining for a friendship beyond that he shares with his pet spider, Webber, but can't seem to get up the nerve to talk to his neighbor, Emma (Ariel Winter). When these two unlikely pals pledge to solve each other's problems, it's anybody's guess as to how things will turn out.
Is it any good?
Halloween specials tend to be as fleeting as the buckets of candy that disappear in a matter of days, but Dear Dracula is a delightful addition to TV's holiday repertoire. It deserves a place in your family's Halloween viewing traditions. Based on a graphic novel by Joshua Williamson and Vincente Navarrate, the story is light on fright and heavy on comedy, cleverness, and fantastic messages about the value of friendship and the satisfaction of self-esteem. Sam and the Count discover that they may not be able to solve their own problems alone, but that each one has some expertise to offer the other in his quest for happiness.
What starts as a cute premise for a story quickly blossoms into a full-blown treat for the whole family, thanks to visually pleasing animation and exceptional voice artists who capture the essence of the characters. From Marion Ross as Sam's spunky grandma to Liotta as the curmudgeonly Count, there's a delightful surprise around every corner of this funny, sweet Halloween story.
Families can talk about...
 - Families can talk about self-confidence. How do the Count and Sam regain their confidence? What causes them to lose confidence? How does having a good friend change their outlook?
 - Kids: What kinds of things scare you? How does familiarity with them help you conquer that fear? How does Sam deal with his fear of being around other kids?
 - If you had the chance to meet a book or movie character, who would it be? What would you like to know about him or her? Do you think you'd be friends? What do you have in common?
Movie details
DVD/Streaming release date:October 9, 2012
Cast:Emilio Estevez, Nathan Gamble, Ray Liotta
Director:Chad Van De Keere
Studio:Arc Entertainment
Genre:Family and Kids
Topics:Book characters, Friendship, Great boy role models, Misfits and underdogs, Monsters, ghosts, and vampires
Run time:60 minutes
MPAA rating:NR
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Teen, 13 years old Written byderpcakes45 December 29, 2012
Really cute halloween special!
Teen, 16 years old Written byAteenagerfilmdreamer January 13, 2017
A Cute Movie
This movie is cute and fun, a perfect Halloween movie for kids


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Double Rainbow Over Salisbury Cove, Maine
June 27, 2008
Provided by: Dong-Eog Kim, Dep't of Neurology, Dongguk University International Hospital, Korea
Summary authors & editors: Dong-Eog Kim, Jim Foster
This well defined double rainbow was observed over Salisbury Cove, Maine, late in the day on August 11, 2004. Since the primary and secondary bows are so arched, and because the strongest colors are red and orange, it's evident that these bows formed near sunset. Note that the color scheme for the inner bow (primary) and the outer bow (secondary) are the reverse of one another. The darkened strip of sky between the bows is referred to as Alexander's band --named after Alexander of Aphrodisias, who first described it over 2,000 years ago.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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InfraSafe® Sediment Control Barrier
Available from Royal Environmental Systems, Inc.
Temporary and reusable, the InfraSafe® Sediment Control Barrier (SCB) is designed for use during construction projects. The SCB's filtration process prevents sediment and debris from entering the manhole and clogging the sewer system following rainfall events.
Reusable, easy-to-transport and built to last (100% polyethylene construction).
Reduces the time and costs involved with debris/sediment removal from the sewer system.
Boosts productive time, since set-up is much faster than traditional sediment control systems.
Filtration process combined with emergency overflow prevents ponding and flooding that can occur with common filter systems.
Improves the water quality of site runoff to save water-treatment expenses.
Ensures passable roadways and increases job site safety by limiting the depth of roadway flooding.
Available in circular or rectangular designs to fit applicable structure access openings.


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AgriTrace is an innovative agro traceability software designed to revolutionise the agriculture industry in Bangladesh. Our comprehensive software suite provides end-to-end traceability solutions for aquaculture, livestock, poultry, and crop management. With advanced features and a user-friendly interface, AgriTrace empowers farmers to streamline their operations, optimise resource utilisation, and ensure food safety and transparency throughout the value chain.
- Water quality monitoring: Track and analyse water quality parameters to ensure optimal conditions for aquaculture.
- Feed management: Manage and optimise feeding schedules and quantities for improve health and growth.
- Disease control: Monitor and prevent diseases through early detection and effective disease management protocols.
- Harvest planning: Plan and schedule harvests to maximise efficiency and meet market demands.
- End-to-end traceability: Track the journey of seafood products from hatchery to market, ensuring transparency and quality assurance.
- Animal health monitoring: Keep a close eye on livestock health, detect early signs of diseases, and facilitate prompt treatment.
- Nutrition management: Optimize feed formulations and monitor feed consumption to enhance animal productivity.
- Breeding management: Efficiently manage breeding cycles, track genetic data, and improve breeding outcomes.
- Vaccination tracking: Record and track vaccinations to ensure herd immunity and prevent disease outbreaks.
- Productivity analytics: Gain insights into livestock performance and make data-driven decisions to maximise productivity.
- Flock health monitoring: Monitor poultry health indicators, detect potential diseases, and implement preventive measures.
- Feed management: optimise feed formulations and monitor feed consumption for optimal poultry growth and nutrition.
- Production planning: efficiently plan and manage production cycles, ensuring consistent supply to meet market demands.
- Biosecurity protocols: Implement and track biosecurity measures to minimise the risk of disease transmission.
- Traceability and quality control: Track poultry products from farm to market, ensuring traceability and adherence to quality standards.
- Real-time crop monitoring: Monitor crop growth, detect pest and disease infestations, and implement timely interventions.
- Irrigation scheduling: Optimize water usage through intelligent irrigation scheduling based on crop needs and weather conditions.
- Harvest planning: Plan and schedule harvests to ensure optimum yield and minimise post-harvest losses.
- Sustainable farming practices: Promote sustainable agriculture through data-driven insights and recommendations.
- Yield forecasting: Predict crop yields based on historical data and current conditions, facilitating better market planning.
AgriTrace's software solutions empower farmers to make informed decisions, optimise resource management, and ensure compliance with industry standards. By embracing digital transformation and implementing AgriTrace, farmers can enhance productivity, improve food safety, and contribute to a sustainable and transparent agricultural ecosystem.


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Effects of the Mono Winds
August 30, 2012
Tioga Road near Mono Pass Trailhead
Dramatic evidence of the regional phenomenon known as the Mono Winds can be seen just off the Tioga road near the Mono Pass Trailhead. Numerous trees are down in this area, having been blown down last winter. When a high pressure system is over the Great Basin, the clockwise movement of air pushes up and over the Sierra and picks up speed as it rushes down the western slopes. The rugged topography funnels some of that air, further increasing the speed and intensifying localized effects. The Mono Winds can easily reach 50 mph and in extreme cases exceed 100 mph. It is likely that the wind that knocked these trees down was funneled by the Tioga pass and continued down the Tioga road. Most of the downed trees are near the road and lying parallel with the road. The weather patterns that cause the Mono Winds occur from October to April but are most common in December and January.


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This article is a work-in-progress. Is it not currently approved.
The Ushobrakflug train system is a small train track system on Ushobrakflug, first created in YE 35 to connect the various locations on the planet for use in rapid transportation. The track utilises Type 32 rail trains on the track, both for cargo and passenger transport. The tracks are still being expanded as the planet becomes more urbanised and new demands for connections arise. It is officially controlled by the National Infrastructure and Utilities Service, and the Yamatai Department Of Colonization.
There are several train stations that allow passengers to embark and travel to the various places on the planet. Most of these are used both for passengers and cargo. These stations are currently all connected by one continuous track line.
Yoerik created this article on 2017/10/16 02:53.


What's This Research About?
The scientific field of exercise science has extensively examined the effect of aerobic exercise on cognition and decision making, but far fewer studies have been conducted looking at the effects of yoga on the brain. This is the first study to investigate the anatomical and functional brain differences between yoga practitioners and a control group based on a working memory test.
Previous research suggests that regularly practicing yoga improves memory. Thus, the scientists hypothesized that the brain region involved in memory, the hippocampus, would be larger in yoga practitioners than the control group.
About The Author
Brittany Fair
TITLE: Differences in Brain Structure and Function Among Yoga Practitioners and Controls
PUBLICATION: Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
DATE: June 2018
AUTHORS : Gothe NP, Hayes JM, Temali C and Damoiseaux J
Anatomical MRI: This imaging technique is used to measure the shape and volume of different brain regions.
Functional MRI: This is a method that allows researchers to measure brain activity associated with changes in blood flow to different brain regions during a task. It is thought that blood flow to a region is increased when that region of the brain is in use.
Hippocampus: A pair of small, seahorse shaped regions located deep within the brain. The hippocampus plays a role in the formation of memories as well as learning and emotions.
Prefrontal cortex: A region of the brain involved in decision making, complex behavior and encoding memories.
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The purpose of this post is to share and describe a Power BI-based solution for analyzing SQL Server Agent job history data. SQL Server Agent has been around for many years and though increasingly my projects involve other scheduling and orchestration tools like Azure Automation, SQL Agent remains relevant both for on-premises BI/DW processes and in Azure via SQL Managed Instance.
In fact, dependencies on SQL Agent for scheduled jobs is one of the main reasons SQL Managed Instance was created as this reduces the friction in migrating on-premises workloads to Azure.
You can download the Power BI template (.PBIT) described in this blog from GitHub:
I'd strongly recommend you read through this blog post to better understand the context and details of this solution before you attempt to execute the template. At a minimum, you should check that you have the SQL Agent service running, note the name of the server its running on (the one required parameter per the above image), and confirm that you can query the SQL Agent tables in the MSDB database such as dbo.sysjobs.
This template uses native T-SQL queries so in Power BI Desktop you might also disable the user approval requirements for new native queries prior to running the template:
SQL Server Agent Background
I assume many readers of this blog are familiar with SQL Agent and thus can skip ahead to later sections. For others, the SQL Agent service allows for the creation and scheduling of 'jobs' with each 'job' comprised of a sequence of one more 'steps'. For example, a job could first execute a T-SQL stored procedure, then run an SSIS package, and maybe finally process/refresh an SSAS database or execute a PowerShell script. SQL Agent logs the duration of each step, each instance/execution of the overall job, any retries attempted, error messages, and other useful information.
In a common use case, a BI and data warehouse team will link together multiple steps (or multiple jobs) to support a nightly data warehouse and data model update process. If the nightly SQL Agent job fails, the team/user closest to the technology involved in the given step will review the agent log and apply changes necessary to successfully complete the process from the point of failure and in future instances of the job.
The following image from SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) is from a four-step SQL Agent job scheduled to occur nightly:
In the above example, Power BI and Azure AD data is retrieved via PowerShell scripts in steps 1 and 2, then an SSIS package is used to load this data to a SQL Server database in step 3, and finally a Power BI dataset used for administering Power BI is triggered to refresh. This entire process executed in about 2.5 hours with the Azure AD data retrieval step requiring 1.5 hours itself.
As an aside, some of the PowerShell scripts I've featured in recent blog posts containing loops over Power BI app workspaces require time (e.g. 52 minutes per image) and of course loops are suboptimal from a performance standpoint. There's a recent blog post on avoiding workspace loops you may consider. However, if you filter down your workspaces to exclude personal/my workspaces prior to executing the loops, a nightly 50+ minute process such as this example for a large Power BI environment might be acceptable.
What problem are we solving?
When you're getting started with SQL Agent just viewing the job history and error log files via the graphical interfaces in SSMS might be sufficient. If you want to become more productive and proactive in your analysis, you'll look for a programmatic solution such as writing T-SQL queries against the SQL Agent tables in the MSDB system database including dbo.sysjobs, dbo.sysjobhistory, dbo.sysjobsteps, and others. Over the years several blog posts have been written containing T-SQL example approaches to querying this data and MS Docs itself provides an example T-SQL query for the job history table.
The Power BI-based solution starts with T-SQL queries but builds on top of this layer to leverage several of Power BI's rich and integrated features including Power Query functions, DAX expressions, reporting visualizations, and more. The core idea of this solution is to have a data model in place (a Power BI 'dataset'), including fact to dimension relationships and measures with built-in calculation logic to make it relatively easy to build SQL Agent reports and dashboards and to browse/analyze SQL agent history data.
Since the data model already includes the SQL Agent data stored in the MSDB database and can be refreshed on a schedule, users (typically DBAs and other IT admins) don't have to write new or modified SQL queries on an ad hoc basis to answer different questions. Within the PBIX file containing the data model itself or a separate file or tool connected to the published dataset users can drag-and-drop and filter to find what they need.
Its outside the scope of this blog post but you could leverage any number of tools to analyze the SQL Agent History Power BI dataset beyond Power BI itself. Given XMLA endpoint connectivity, you could use Excel, Paginated/SSRS reports, and other 3rd Party BI tools just like an Analysis Services database.
Report Pages (Visual Layer)
In describing any Power BI solution I'd prefer to start from the source systems and data and walk through the logic and components of the Power Query Editor and then the Modeling View before saying anything about any reports or dashboards. However, experience suggests that introducing the report/visual layer, at least a representative sample, further addresses the 'Why does this exist?' question and will help maintain attention to these two more fundamental layers.
With that being said, the following short slideshow displays the three report pages and highlights two tooltip pages included in this initial version of the template:
The two main report pages of the PBIX file that's generated from the template are the Job Level and Job Step Level pages. As mentioned earlier, SQL Agent is comprised of 'jobs' and 'jobs' contain one or many 'steps' which will execute on a schedule. Therefore, these two pages help address the most basic questions such as "Do I have any job failures?", "How long are my jobs taking to complete?", "Which steps within my jobs are taking the longest to complete or are failing?", etc.
There's a report-level filter (impacting all report pages) that's set for the trailing last 30 days and you can also use the Date slider at the top to modify the date range of the report based on the run date of the job. You can also use the slicer at the top right to filter for one or multiple 'jobs' of interest and the slicers are synchronized across the pages such that these selections will be carried over.
The tooltip pages are intended to provide additional context as you hover over a specific agent job or a specific agent job step. The bar charts on the Job Level and Job Step Level pages will render these tooltip pages to give additional details relevant to these specific items (or 'dimension members' if you prefer) including a line chart of the duration for the given job or step over time.
Many additional and more visually impressive and analytically powerful reports could be developed. Depending on the extent of SQL Agent usage these additional reports could make sense but for common use cases such as routine monitoring and troubleshooting these reports or slight variations might be sufficient and represent quite an improvement from ad hoc SQL queries).
The Data Model (Sematic Layer)
At the center of the solution are two star schema models – one for job history at the job level and one at the job step level. You might think of this as the header or order level of a sales or purchase order versus the line level of these transactions which includes the individual products.
The following two images from Modeling view expose the fact to dimension (many to one) relationships.
Both the SQL Agent Job Step History and the SQL Agent Job History fact tables have many-to-one relationships with the Date and the SQL Agent Jobs dimension tables. The SQL Agent Job Step History fact table also has an active many-to-one relationship to the SQL Agent Job Steps dimension table.
Each row of the SQL Agent Job History table reflects one instance of a job being executed from start to finish inclusive of all steps. Each row of the SQL Agent Job Step History table reflects the execution of one step of a job. The source table in the MSDB database for both the aggregate/job level fact table and the step-level fact table is dbo.sysjobhistory. Every row of a fact table should have the same meaning and therefore there's filtering logic in the solution to separate the rows representing the overall job from those representing an individual step of a job.
In addition to the relationships, there are display folders of basic DAX measures in each fact table per the following image:
As their names indicate, these measures either count the number of jobs or steps that succeeded or failed or apply an aggregation to a duration fact column (in minutes). The presence of the DAX measures and the relationships makes development of the report pages relatively straight forward.
Power Query (M) Data (ETL Layer)
The fact and dimension tables of the data model are the product of a data transformation process executed via T-SQL statements against the Agent tables in the MSDB system database and Power Query (M) expressions. The T-SQL statements contain logic to prep and stage the Agent tables in MSDB such as adjusting date and time columns into data types and structures more suitable for reporting. The results of these SQL queries are further enhanced and modified with Power Query (M) expressions.
Here's a look at the Power Query Editor:
Like normal, I like to use query groups to isolate queries into those that are being loaded to the data model (dimension and fact tables) from those that are not but are required for staging/prepping processes.
One item you might find a bit novel or interesting in this design is that I


The tooltip of the Mint says
0,007 mintEffect
But what does that mean?
Per Brilliand's answer in this question, Mints give a certain amount of furs and ivory per tick in exchange for a cost in gold and catpower.
The reason it doesn't just say "x.xx furs per second" or something like that is because the amount of furs and ivory gained is based on your maximum catpower, rather than being a particular amount. Thus, you get a certain amount of "mintEffect" which then translates through your maximum catpower and becomes ivory and furs. The linked question includes the exact amounts (and the points that mints become a more effective use of catpower than manual hunting, although you'll likely still be best served doing both).
Your Answer


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Form and Size:
The leafy stems of sweet William are 18 – 28 inches long. The flower head is daisy-like with fringed petals protruding out from a center disc. There are many blooms that cluster tightly together on one stem.
5 – 10 days
Remove any leaves from the bottom of the stem that will fall below the water line, cut stems under water and place in fresh water with flower food.
History and Usage:
A member of the Caryophyllaceae (pink) family, sweet William originated in southern Europe. Its botanical name comes from the word "di" which is Greek for of Zeus or Jove and "anthos" which is Greek for flower. There are various stories that attempt to explain how it got its popular name. One story states that the name came from the word "oeillet" which is French for eye. This is in reference to the eye of the flower, which is often a different color than the petals. It was then shortened to "Willy" and then in English, William. Another explanation states that it is named that in honor of St. William or William Shakespeare.
Points of Interest:
Relatives of sweet William include carnation, babies breath, silene, chickweed and snow-in-summer. To Victorians, sweet william represents childhood, memory, gallantry, finesse and dexterity.


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We the Artists India Conducted you all to its unique "Petal Art" Workshop.
Petal art- also popularly known as Oshibana in Japan. Its an art of treasuring flowers in a most artistic way! We the Artists - featured Pune-based artist – Dr. Anagha Shinde, whose artwork has been recorded in India Book of Records and currently a member of Worldwide Pressed flower Guild. At the workshop participants learned how to press flowers and create art from pressed flowers, flower pressing methods and techniques along with some creative ideas for creating more beautiful pressed flower artwork were also taught. The artists shared her inherited pressed flowers expertise with the participants.


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Grade Range: 5-12
Resource Type(s): Interactives & Media, Reference Materials
Date Posted: 7/10/2012
In this post, students will learn about the oldest sound recordings preserved toda, found at the Museum. These experimental phonograms were made starting in 1881 by the Volta Laboratory Association, which consisted of telephone pioneer Alexander Graham Bell, scientific instrument maker Charles Sumner Tainter, and chemist Chichester A. Bell. Written by Dr. Patrick Feaster, an instructor in Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University and a Lemelson Center Fellow, this post is published on the Museum's "O Say Can You See?" blog.
Historical Thinking Standards (Grades K-4)
Historical Thinking Standards (Grades 5-12)
Standards in History (Grades K-4)
World History Standards (Grades 5-12)


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Although students are socially distanced, they can continue to improve personal physical wellbeing. In fact, now is a time to prioritize health, wellness and fitness more than ever before. With initiatives like the Spring 2020 National Recreation Movement and Campus Recreation's virtual group fitness classes, personal training packages and fitness tips, there are ample ways for students to remain physically active even while isolated at home.
The Spring 2020 National Recreation Movement is a virtual fitness program for college students across the country. The movement's motto is "staying active together, even when we're apart." It provides daily fitness challenges and workout classes for its participants, who come from more than 75 colleges and universities across the country.
Connor Touhy, the coordinator of Corporate Sponsorship and Donor Relations at Campus Recreation, helped Wake Forest become involved with the movement.
"We got involved through NIRSA [National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association] — the national governing body for Campus Rec[reation] departments," Touhy said. "We decided to participate [because] it was a great opportunity to stay connected with the Wake Forest community during this unprecedented time, as well as provide an additional resource to find various workout classes."
To join the movement, students can simply create an account using their university email address. From there, students can then access different types of workout classes, such as kickboxing, strength circuits and total body toning.
There is also a competitive component to this movement. Students can log their workout minutes on their individual accounts, which will be added to their school's total minutes. The greater a school's total minutes, the higher its ranking on the leaderboard.
Wake Forest was previously in first place, but has since dropped to fourth place. The top five schools are currently the University of Maryland, the University of Baltimore, Stanford University, Plymouth State University, Wake Forest University and University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, respectively. The challenge will end on May 31.
"We are encouraging our participants to keep logging so we can get back to first place," Touhy said.
As an additional effort to boost participation, the Spring 2020 National Recreation Movement has partnered with TikTok. Participants can make TikToks as they complete daily challenges, allowing them to share with other participants how they #RecAtHome. Daily challenges include push-up variations and timed circuits.
To learn more about the Spring 2020 National Recreation Movement, visit the website here.
Furthermore, Campus Recreation is continuing to provide its own virtual group classes, according to DeDe Cox, the fitness department manager at Campus Recreation.
"We are actually providing some of the things that had high interest and participation," Cox said.
Current virtual classes include vinyasa power yoga, cardio dance and pilates. The workout classes take place over Zoom. The current class schedule can be found here, which also includes the Zoom links to enter each class.
On May 11, the schedule will be updated to reflect new virtual class offerings. This schedule will remain in place throughout the summer. .
Also, Deacs on Demand, a program which allows students to work with a trainer virtually, was rolled out in the fall and has attracted increased interest during this time. To participate, students first consult with a trainer with whom they discuss their needs and goals. After the consultation, trainers will either send students personalized workouts to complete independently or connect with students virtually while they complete their workouts.
Even when students do not have access to a gym or equipment, trainers can help them create effective workouts.
"At the end of the day, it comes down to good technique, good range of motion and opportunities to know how to create challenges," Cox said. "Without a doubt, Deacs on Demand can happen without equipment."
Cox is also working with Lori Tyson, the Fitness Coordinator at Campus Rec, to create an "Ask The Trainer" panel for the Wake Forest community.
"You could ask us questions about what you're going through or concerns you have, and we'll provide some open conversation," Cox said.
More information about upcoming Campus Recreation initiatives will be shared through their social media page.
Finally, students struggling to find workout motivation while quarantined at home should first focus on what they enjoy doing.
"If you don't like running, you shouldn't go running," Cox said. "You should first start with 'What do I like to do?' [or] 'What brings me joy?'"
It is more important to find happiness in movement, rather than worry about the duration or intensity of your workout
Cox said Campus Recreation will continue to provide students with new, engaging ways to remain physically active while working remotely to meet the individual needs of each and every Deac.
"We want everyone in our Wake [Forest] community to know that we are more than just a gym," Cox said.


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The Rotoclear Camera was specially developed for use in machines, processing centres and test beds where soiled glass interferes with the constant monitoring of work processes. The striking feature of this camera is a rotating window which ejects oil, cooling lubricant or chips, among other materials, to the outside so as to ensure a permanently clear view of the machining area. The system can be equipped with two camera heads (e.g., spindle and work area monitoring), each camera head can be fitted with two different focus modules or lenses.
Statement by the Jury
With its rotating window, this precision-made camera is a clever solution for capturing detailed images from the inside of tool machines.


Latest News
Lines are open
Mon/Fri: 8.30am - 6pm
0800 _PHONE_
Warning after dog chews disinfectant bottle
Tuesday May 10th 2016
Pet owners have been urged to keep dangerous chemicals out of the reach of animals after a dog chewed a bottle of disinfectant. Vets managed to save Ruby the Jack Russell after tiny quantities of a household detergent came into contact with her face.
Luckily, Ruby's Poole-based owner Gary James saw the incident and washed her face in water straight away. The 11-year-old pooch seemed OK until the next morning, when she had to be taken to Bournemouth's PDSA Pet Hospital for urgent attention.
Ruby was experiencing breathing difficulties, a swollen tongue, bad dehydration and foaming at the mouth. Vets put her on pain relief medication and a drip, with the total cost of the treatment coming in at more than £500.
Half a day later evidence of chemical burns appeared and Ruby started producing a discharge from her mouth and nose and began to suffer from ulcerated eyes. Her mouth and nose became inflamed and she grew weaker as each day went by.
Vets considered putting her to sleep. Emily Sharp, a PDSA vet, called the dog's five-day ordeal horrific. She is urging pet owners to make sure that dangerous chemicals are well out of the reach of their animals.
Copyright Press Association 2016


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International Association of Engineering and Management Education (IAEME)
Dealing with a huge amount of data puts the requirement for efficient data access more critical in data grids. Improving data access time is a one way of reducing the job execution time i.e. improving performance. To speed up the data access and reduce bandwidth consumption, data grids replicate data in multiple locations. This paper studies a new data replication strategy in data grid, which takes into account two important issues concerning replication: storage capability of different nodes and bandwidth consumption between nodes. It also considers the popularity of the file for replacement. Lesser popular files get less priority then the higher popular file. The authors also need to consider the limitation on storage.


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Editor's note: MainSail is CNN's monthly sailing show, exploring the sport of sailing, luxury travel and the latest in design and technology.
(CNN) -- One of the world's largest private superyachts is the latest to set sail on an expedition to uncover the secrets of a British battle cruiser lost during World War II.
Octopus -- a 414 foot megayacht -- was donated to the British Navy by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. Allen will fund the recovery and research expedition, sparing the British government any cost.
This week the recovery team will return to the wreck site with a two-fold mission: Retrieve the ship's bell and document the remains of the battle cruiser in the hopes of later determining what happened in the Hood's final moments.
David Mearns, director of Blue Water Recoveries, said the ship's bell was "lovingly looked after" by the crew. Its recovery is seen by those who lost loved ones as a way to commemorate those who died.
The HMS Hood was sunk during a battle in the North Atlantic with German battleship Bismarck in 1941. The Hood remains the largest Royal Navy vessel to have gone down, and resulted in the largest loss of life suffered by any single warship in British history.
The wreck of HMS Hood is designated under the Protection of the Military Remains Act, meaning the recovery team had to seek permission from the British Navy in order to retrieve the bell.
The mission was agreed to by the British Government, and the Ministry of Defence say the bell -- if recovered -- will form a tangible and fitting memorial to the ship and the 1,415 men who died when she sunk in the North Atlantic.
Mearns recalls the astonishment of the team when they located the ship's bell, on their first dive, in 2001.
"There was just a miscellaneous pile of twisted and torn metal... most of it was very angled steel but there was this curved shape," Mearns remembers. "We pushed in on the camera and, lo and behold, there was the bell sitting basically unattached, not connected to the ship [and] all by itself on its side."
The team, Mearns recalls, "were just stunned by it."
The 40,000 ton wreck is strewn over two and half kilometers of seabed, and uncovering the bell was a stroke of luck for the recovery team.
"It's a really iconic item and personal symbol of the ship, but we were there conducting this investigation on a 'don't touch' basis. It never occurred to us, even for a second, 'What if we recovered the bell? Should we attempt to?'" Mearns tells CNN.
By the time Mearns and his team had returned to land, news of the bell's discovery had broken. A public debate had erupted over the ethics of disturbing a wreck where so many lives had been lost.
Mearns gained the support of the HMS Hood Association -- whose members include veterans and relatives of those who died -- before seeking financial support to return and recover the bell.
The association's president, rear admiral Philip Wilcocks, said in statement on the mission: "There is no headstone among the flowers for those who perish at sea."
Wilcocks added, "future generations will be able to gaze upon [the Hood's] bell and remember with gratitude and thanks the heroism, courage and personal sacrifice of Hood's ship's company who died in the service of their country."
If recovered, the bell will go on display in 2014, at an exhibition at the Royal Navy Museum in the southern English port of Portsmouth -- where the Hood was based.
Mearns says: "It's been out there as a wish of the association to do this and I've just been looking for the right sponsor to do it in the right way and to get the permission to do it.
"I'd been working with Vulcan, Paul Allen's company, and it just so happened we could combine the availability of Octopus in the region at the right time, because you can only really work in this area two months of the year."
The Octopus, the world's 13th largest megayacht, is a "fantastically capable vessel," Mearns says.
Despite being classified as a yacht, the Octopus carries equipment including a deepwater diving ROV [remotely operated vehicle] and survey and navigation equipment. The Octopus, says Mearns, "is very qualified" for the job.
The British Royal Navy has asked the team to place an ensign on the site of the wreck, Mearns added.
The mission also hopes to shed light on the final moments of the battle cruiser, which broke in two during the attack. It was under sustained fire from the Bismarck, but its own ammunition also exploded. The cause of its sinking has never been clarified.
"I think we are going to make a real improvement in the imagery and information that we bring back from the wreck to allow naval architects to look at and come to some firm conclusions about the damage," Mearns added.
"This isn't just a trophy hunt to go get the bell."


text:
Medical Wooden Finger Correction Board
Wooden Finger correction board Medical Occupational therapy equipment exercise
Size: Large 22.2×22.2×3cm
The distance between finger: Large 2.6 Medium 2.25 Small 1.6
It is used to prevent and correct the flexor spasticity, deformation, contracture, and malformation of fingers.
1. Stretch your fingers apart, keeping your fingers in the correct extension position.
2. Patients with severe finger flexion can be helped by others, and patients with moderate to slight flexion can be taught how to complete their own wear.
3. After wearing it, but the upper limb on the side of the body, do abduction and external rotation, elbow extension, wrist extension, and put it on the bed for weight training.
4. It is best not to wear the fingerboard for more than 20 minutes. After removing it, observe whether there are any signs of indentation at the finger squeeze.


text:
Bob's Red Mill worked with PCFWC and TripleWin to develop an employee engagement campaign to reduce food waste at its whole grain milling and packaging facility in Milwaukee. The company hosted a pilot program to present employees with ideas for reducing food waste, from milling to packaging, innovation, receiving and quality.
According to Bob's Red Mill, employees submitted a total of 176 food waste reduction ideas. He picked one idea and tested it for the company, which was an immediate win (minimal effort, zero to low cost).
The company said the test required changes to its whole grain packaging line, resulting in more than 70% less food waste per pound of food produced.
"The results have exceeded Bob's Red Mill's expectations, and this is just the beginning of their food waste reduction efforts," the company said. Based on the results of his pilot program, Bob's Red Mill said it formed a food waste reduction team to sort out the ideas of the remaining employees for possible future implementation.
"Already, early returns from the pilot show how one employee idea can make a big difference in reducing food waste on the manufacturing floor," the company said.
According to Bob's Red Mill, the pilot will involve employees on food waste issues while developing zero-cost, low-cost measures to prevent food waste in the company's manufacturing facilities in the short and long term. I tried to identify
The term food waste was applied to leftovers and inedible parts that ended up in landfills, incineration, disposal into sewers, dumping, or spreading on land.
"In short, it's food grown for people but not used for its intended purpose," the company said.


Characterization and calibration of solar radiation sensors (B)
Introduction
There are two principal types of instruments that measure the incident solar radiation, the pyrheliometer to measure the direct normal irradiance (DNI) and the pyranometer to measure the global horizontal irradiance (GHI) and the diffuse horizontal irradiance (DfHI). There are many manufacturers of each type of instrument and there are several novel instruments that measure all three components at once. In addition, there are instruments that measure the circumsolar irradiance (scattered light surrounding the solar disk) and spectroradiometers that measure the spectral distribution of incident DNI, GHI, DfHI, and ground reflected irradiance. Spectroradiometers and other specialized instruments such as ultraviolet sensors and pyrgeometers that measure long-wavelength radiation will not be discussed here. For a more thorough treatment of instruments that measure solar radiation see (Vignola et al., 2019).
Discussion will start with pyrheliometers that measure DNI irradiance, followed by a discussion of instruments being tested that measure the circumsolar irradiance and then pyranometers are reviewed. Multifaceted pyranometers that produce all three irradiance values will then be covered. Not covered are spectroradiometers that monitor the spectral distribution on the incident radiation. Instead of measuring the total or broadband incident solar radiation, spectroradiometers measure the spectral composition of the incident solar radiation.
In the case of measurements characterization, the relevant features for calibration sensors are defined at each calibration standard. Thus, in this case the relevant features for the characterization and calibration of solar radiation sensors at each project stage are the need of one specific type of characterization service.
(B) Feasibility
Ground-based measurements augment satellite-derived values in feasibility studies and are useful in assuring that the values fully characterize the solar resource. Therefore, the instruments should be calibrated to ensure the data accurately reflects the solar resource. In addition, the calibration helps identify biases in the ground-based measurements.
 - Calibration of pyrheliometer: yes.
 - Calibration of pyranometers: yes.
 - Calibration of RSI: yes
 - Maintenance: frequent cleaning; alignment checking (frequency depending on site-specific factors)
TABLE 1. LOOK UP TABLE OF CATEGORIE AND USESGrey cells in Table 1 are later described. Cells width N.A. legend, means that no relevant applications are showed later.
Users
Proyect developers needs at diferent plant stages Other users
Category of product service (A) Pre-feasibility (B) Feasibility & Design (C) Due Diligence Financing (D) Plant Accep-tance Test (E) Systems or Plant Operations (F) Grid operators (G) Policy makers (H) Education / Outreach
CHARACTERIZATION AND CALIBRATION OF SOLAR RADIATION SENSORS
Calibration of pyrheliometer
Pyrheliometers consist of a tube with an aperture at one end of the tube and the sensor is at the other end of the tube. They have baffles to limit the field of view to the solar disk and a small area around the disk and are similar in appearance to small telescopes. Common pyrheliometers have a field of view that range from about 5.0° to 5.7° degrees with a 5.0° field of view now becoming standard.
There are three types of pyrheliometers, and their performance will be compared and contrasted.
 - Absolute Cavity Radiometers:
 - Thermopile-based pyrheliometers:
 - Photodiode-based pyrheliometer:
Calibration of a pyrheliometer is done by comparing the output of the instrument under clear stable atmospheric conditions against the output of an absolute cavity radiometer that has its calibration traceable to the World Radiometric Reference (WRR). Alternatively, the instrument can be calibrated against another pyrheliometer of the same type that has its calibration traceable to the WRR (ASTM E816-05, 2015; ISO 9847:1992, 1992).
_______________________
² The term beam normal irradiance (BNI) is being used more frequently to avoid confusion with direct and diffuse, especially when the components are on horizontal or tilted surface
The uncertainties determined for the instruments in this section are obtained using the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurements (JCGM, 2008). Pyrheliometers are classified into types to help differentiate the uncertainties in irradiance measurements from these instruments.
Calibration of field pyranometers
There are three distinct methods for calibrating pyranometers:
 - Shade/unshade calibration: The most accurate method is the shade/unshade method. The DNI irradiance is calculated by subtracting the unshaded measurement from the shaded measurement and projecting this difference equal to the angle of incidence.
 - Summation method: The second method is to calculate the reference GHI from the combination of DNI projected onto a horizontal surface plus the measured DfHI irradiance (ASTM, 2015; ISO 9847:1992, 1992).
 - Side by side calibration: The third method is method is a side by side comparison with a reference pyranometer that has its calibration traceable to the WRR (ISO 9847:1992, 1992).
The percent uncertainties given for pyranometer are for a limited range of incident angles, typically from 30° to 60°. Therefore, under clear skies when the solar zenith angle is greater than 60° or less than 30° systematic biases in the data can be greater than the stated uncertainty. This is particularly true during the winter months when the latitude is 40° or more from the equator (Wilcox & Myers, 2008). During the middle of winter at these high latitudes, the SZA is always larger than 63° and this is outside the range specified for the pyranometer uncertainty (see Figures 6.a and 6.b).
Calibration of RSBR
Rotating Shadowband Irradiometer (RSI) and SPN1 Sunshine Pyranometers are two instruments that determine all three irradiance component, GHI, DfHI, and DNI irradiance, simultaneously and are often used in regions with where little maintenance is available. The generic name for these instruments is a rotating shadowband irradiometer (RSI), however some use the term Rotating Shadow Band Radiometer (RSBR) because irradiometers typically refer to instruments measuring infrared radiation. A brief description of these instruments is given along with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of each type.
There are two types of RSI instruments. One uses a thermopile-based pyranometer and the other uses a photodiode-based pyranometer. In general, the RSBR measures GHI and then periodically a shadow band rotates in front of the pyranometer to measure the DfHI irradiance. The direct horizontal irradiance (DrHI) is calculated by subtracting the DfHI from the GHI and the DNI is determined by projecting the DrHI onto the normal surface.
Both instruments require adjustment algorithms to remove systematic effects associated with the problems of the pyranometer used to measure the irradiance (Vignola et al., 2016; Vuilleumier et al., 2017).
Several methods have been used to calibrate RSI instruments. Calibration methods have to consider the adjustment methodology used to remove the systematic biases associated with the instrument. A detailed description on the different methodologies can be found in (Jessen et al., 2016).
The algorithms used to remove the bias from the RSI measurements are different for each calibration methodology. The RSBR instruments are evolving as are the algorithms used to remove the systematic biases.
 1. Deviation from true cosine response, also called Lambertian response. The flux of energy incident on a surface is proportional to the intensity of the energy from a given direction multiplied by the cosine of the angle of incidence. This is called Lambert Law. In practice when one measures the intensity of light on the thermopile, the measurement intensity closely follows Lambert's Law, but the match is not perfect. There can be many causes for this deviation from a true cosine response. These sources of deviation can range from the level of the sensor to the effects of the light passing through the glass dome(s). All pyranometers exhibit some deviation from the Lambert Law, especially at large incident angles.
 1. Thermal offsets
Thermal offsets are caused by radiative losses from the black disc to the sky with the radiation first heating the glass dome(s) before being radiated to the sky. The amount of thermal offset is dependent on the difference between the black disc and the sky temperature. When the sky is cloudy, the sky temperature is close to ambient temperature and the radiative offset is small. When the sky is clear, the sky temperature is typically much less than ambient temperature and the thermal offset can range from a few watt hours/m2 per hour to 10 or even 20 Whr/m2 per hour. Pyranometers that are on tilted surfaces exhibit smaller thermal offsets because the instrument 'sees'


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Electromyographic analysis of selected shoulder muscles during a rugby football tackle
Abstract
Background
Epidemiological studies have shown that the incidence of shoulder injuries is increasing in rugby and the majority are related to the contact/tackle phase of play. However, no data currently exists that describes preparatory muscle activity during tackle. This information could aid in guiding training and rehabilitation, if available. The purpose of the study was to assess the sequence of onset of EMG activity of selected scapulohumeral muscles during rugby tackle. 15 healthy professional rugby players participated in the study. Surface EMG activity was assessed for timing of onset relative to time of impact during a modified tackle activity in pectorialis major, biceps brachii, latissimus dorsi, serratus anterior and infraspinatus muscles.
Results
Onset of activity occurred in all muscles prior to impact. Factorial ANOVA showed significant differences between muscles in activation timing (p = 0.0001), paired t-tests revealed that serratus anterior was activated prior to all other muscles tested (p < 0.04, for all comparisons), with comparison between all other muscles showing no significant differences (p > 0.05), except pectorialis major on all comparisons showed significantly later activation timing than all other muscles (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Muscle activation timing may if not properly balanced around the shoulder girdle expose the glenohumeral joint to excessive load and stress. This paper demonstrates a simple method which sets out some preliminary normative data in healthy players. Further studies relating these data to injured players are required.
Peer Review reports
Background
Several authors have highlighted that shoulder injuries are becoming more severe within professional rugby [1, 2] and tackling or being tackled being responsible for a majority of these reported shoulder injuries [13]. Despite the weight of evidence linking tackling within rugby to shoulder injury, there are no studies with reporting muscle activity around the shoulder girdle during the tackle within rugby football.
Electromyography (EMG) has been utilised as a tool for analysing the function of muscles for a number of decades, in both normal and injured subjects. Several authors have analysed muscle recruitment activity around the lumbar spine and abdomen in patients with and without low back pain [4], cervical muscle function [5] knee and patellofemoral joint [6, 7] and there are a few studies related to the shoulder girdle [8, 9]. In many sports precise motor acquisition and rapid reaction time are important in preventing injury to the joint. An altered interaction between the dynamic and passive stabilizers may predispose a sportsman to an increased incidence of joint disruption [10]. Increased muscle stiffness is likely to augment joint stiffness and so enhance the functional stability of the joint [11]. Both direct contraction of agonist and co contraction of antagonist muscles groups have been shown to increase joint stiffness [12], it would follow then that appropriate (and early) activation of muscles is likely to increase joint stability.
Altered dynamic control (muscle contraction) around the shoulder complex has been shown to be a significant factor in shoulder dysfunction [9]. The balance of muscle force couples around the shoulder complex has been shown to be more important than muscle strength to establish normal joint function [13]. The role of proprioception in allowing a feedback mechanism to work, which in turn allows a synergistic contraction of muscle groups, may be vital both for normal functioning of the muscle groups of the shoulder joint and in protecting the shoulder against potential instability [14]. Coactivation of the dynamic stabilizing force couples around the glenohumeral joint is necessary to afford joint stability with active movement by producing joint compression and maximal joint congruency [14], and thus preventing excessive humeral head translation on the glenoid.
During the tackle, the shoulder is part of a kinetic chain of energy, in which the body is considered as a linked system of articulated segments [15]. The force is transmitted through the kinetic chain, form the legs, hips and trunk, to the shoulder girdle at the point of impact within the tackle, whereby rapidly developing deceleration forces will be developed within the shoulder girdle that should be attenuated by a coordinated recruitment of the muscles.
The purpose of this study is to define the sequence of muscular activation patterns in selected shoulder girdle muscles during a "front on" tackle in an asymptomatic
Methods
Subjects
Following Ethical approval by the University of Sheffield 15 full time professional rugby union players (mean age 22+/-1.4 years range 19–35) were recruited to participate in the study after informed consent was taken. All these individuals had no history of injury to the shoulder, cervical or thoracic spine in the previous 12 months.
Electrode placement
Electrodes were placed in line with the recommendations of Cram and Kashman [16]. The electrodes were placed at specific sites where the muscle was superficial and the electrodes were placed parallel to the muscle fibres, in the mid-line of the muscle belly. The muscles which were selected were the ones which allowed for easy access for surface EMG (sEMG), and which have been regarded as responsible for stabilization (serratus anterior, infraspinatus and biceps) or mobilization (pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi) of the shoulder complex (see figure 1). Although the upper fibres of trapezius were accessible, it was decided not to evaluate its activity, as it is also recruited in maintaining the cervical spine position and the alteration in head and neck position during tackling would potential have an effect on the sEMG activity which was recorded at the shoulder during the tackle.
Figure 1
figure 1
Electrode Placement.
Serratus Anterior
Two active electrodes were placed 1 cm apart, just below the axillary area, at the level of the inferior angle of the scapula, just medial to the latissimus dorsi. Correct electrode placement was carried out by noting sEMG activity during resisted protraction of the arm at 90 degrees flexion.
Biceps Brachii
Two active electrodes were placed 1 cm apart, and 3 cm above the myotendinous junction. Correct electrode placement was carried out by noting the sEMG activity during resisted elbow flexion with the elbow flexed to 90°.
Infraspinatus
Following identification of the spine of the scapula, two electrodes were placed 1 cm apart parallel to and approximately 4 cm below the scapular spine on the lateral aspect of the infraspinous fossa. Correct electrode placement was carried out by noting the sEMG activity during resisted lateral rotation of the arm whilst at 90 degrees abduction and with 90 degrees elbow flexion.
Pectoralis Major
(Clavicular fibres). Two active electrodes were placed 2 cm below the clavicle and medial to te axillary fold at an oblique angle 1 cm apart. Correct electrode placement was confirmed by noting the sEMG signal during resisted humeral adduction at 90 degrees of forward flexion.
Latissimus Dorsi
Two active electrodes were placed 1 cm apart, approximately 4 cm distal to the inferior angle of the scapula, at an oblique angle of approximately 25 degrees. Correct electrode placement was confirmed by noting sEMG signal activity during resisted humeral extension from 120 degrees forward flexion.
Electromyography technique
Simultaneous recordings of the sEMG activity from the Pectorialis Major, Biceps Brachii, Latissimus Dorsi, Serratus Anterior and Infraspinatus muscles were made during the procedures outlined below. Prior to mounting the recording electrodes, the skin surface was prepared by light abrasion (Nuprep, SLE Ltd) and cleaning with alcohol swabs. Two silver/silver chloride bipolar electrodes (Medicotest UK, type N10A), with a 1 cm inter-electrode distance (centre to centre) were placed midline on one of the prepared muscle site locations outlined below. A ground electrode (Medicotest, UK, type Q10A), was placed at an electrical neutral site; the sternum. The sEMG was high and low pass filtered between 10 and 500 Hz respectively (Neurolog filters NL 144 and NL 134, Digitimer, UK), preamplified (×1000), (Neurolog remote AC preamplifier NL 824, Digitimer, UK), amplified (×2) (Neurolog isolation amplifier, NL 820, Digitimer, UK) and A/D converted at a rate of 2000 Hz (KPCI 3101, Keithley instruments, UK). To determine the sEMG signal on/off, a computer aided algorithm was used (Testpoint, Keithley instruments, UK) to allow a threshold value to be calculated from 3 standard deviations above baseline [11]. To ensure the validity of the computer derived sEMG onsets each trace was also visually inspected in order to ensure that movement artefact or other interference was not incorrectly identified as a muscle onset [17]. The impact of the tackle was determined from a pressure change detected in a pressure switch placed on the anterior aspect of the shoulder and visual inspection of the sEMG traces.
Procedure
Each subject aligned the contra-lateral foot to the tackling shoulder alongside the tackle bag, the trunk was flexed to approximately a 90° angle between the trunk and thigh, knees flexed to 45° and shoulder abducted to about 60° (figure 2), this was the "set" position. Upon a command from the investigator, the subject prepared on the word "set" and then on the command "hit", the player pushed forwards through