text:
Favored Strategies for Facing Fiscal Constraint
A 2005 research study finds that, when higher education administrators at public colleges and universities face budget challenges, they prefer generating additional revenue and developing outside partnerships to taking across-the-board cost cuts. Position type also plays a part in determining strategy preferences.
By Mark Garrett
When economic times are tough, decisions about dealing with financial shortfalls vary greatly depending on who's doing the deciding. At least, that's what indicated by the study "The Influence of Financial Pressure on Academic Administrators' Selection of Management and Resource Allocation Strategies," which I conducted in 2005. The study used a survey to explore the type of management and resource allocation strategies that college and university administrators implement to handle fiscal constraint. The most preferred actions were activities that generated additional revenue or developed partnerships with outside entities. The least popular were those strategies that required any type of reduction in, for example, staffing, cost of instruction, or other forms of budget cuts.
While based on responses to earlier periods of economic difficulty, the study provides insight into the wide variety of management and resource allocation options available to higher education leaders and how a leader's position—chief business officer, provost, or academic dean—might affect the decision preference.
In Search of Preferred Strategies
The survey instrument presented 34 statements designed to address the issue of the ways higher education leaders at public institutions would prefer to deal with economic challenges. Each of the statements represented a specific resource allocation or management strategy that can be used to handle fiscal constraint. The survey queried administrators as to how likely they were to adopt a particular strategy, with choices based on a five-point Likert scale ranging from one (never) to five (always).
Examples of the type of resource allocation and management strategies that survey respondents could choose from included deferring maintenance, increasing the number of adjunct faculty, initiating a hiring freeze, and so forth. Use of the Factor Analysis statistical procedure reduced the 34 individual strategies to a total of 8 index variables:
1. Increase revenue generation and partnerships.
2. Increase technology.
3. Introduce innovation.
4. Reduce cost of instruction.
5. Reduce staff positions.
6. Reduce funding.
7. Reduce activities.
8. Adopt across-the-board funding reductions.
The attached table shows the resulting means for each of the 34 management and resource allocation strategies, based on the ranking preferences of provosts, chief financial officers, and academic deans. The higher the mean, the more likely the administrator was to implement the designated strategy. The table is organized by category and includes a miscellaneous category of strategies that did not factor into any of the other eight categories. The overall mean for each category was calculated by adding together the total means for each strategy in that particular category and then dividing by the number of strategies in the designated category. The table is organized such that the category with the highest overall mean is listed first, followed by the second-highest category, and so forth.
Overall, the most popular category of strategies chosen to be implemented by administrators was the one that could be defined as generating additional revenues for the institution and developing partnerships with outside entities. Other popular types of strategies among all administrators included increasing the use of technology, and implementing innovative strategies that focus on improving the overall operations of the institution through resource sharing and a greater emphasis on teamwork.
The categories of strategies not favored for implementation by administrators were those that result in any type of reduction, whether in positions, funding, or activities. It would appear that administrators do not want to implement resource allocation and management strategies that they perceive could potentially harm the institution. It should be noted that these are preferences—for example, most institution leaders "prefer" not to have to reduce staff or make other budget cuts. But, we have seen during this recession and others before it that, if necessary, institution leaders can and will make such cuts.
Analyzing the mean responses to specific strategies by category type indicates there are similarities as well as differences among administrators based on their staff positions, as to the likelihood they will implement certain responses to fiscal constraint. Analysis of the eight categories resulted in the following findings:
Increase revenue generation and partnerships. These options were quite popular among all three types of administrators, with the strategies of increasing fundraising and development and cultivating alternative funding sources being the most likely to be implemented of the 34 types presented in this study. Use of the ANOVA (analysis of variance) means tests found the mean difference in responses to the strategy of cultivating alternative funding sources to be statistically significant, with provosts and deans more likely than chief financial officers to prefer this way of dealing with fiscal challenge.
Increase technology. The actions that make up this category are generally favored by all three types of administrators, with provosts and CFOs more likely than deans to implement such initiatives. One only has to look around our campuses to see how much the use of technology has increased in our day-to-day operations and how technology solutions can increase productivity and efficiency.
Introduce innovation. Based on mean responses, it appears that all three categories of administrators were more in favor of implementing new and creative ideas as compared to some of the other types of strategies. CFOs were more likely than provosts and deans to implement reengineering work tasks. It makes sense that CFOs would spend time examining work-related tasks and seeking ways to improve them. However, CFOs indicated that they were less likely than provosts and deans to favor options that emphasize coordination and resource sharing among academic units, which is appropriate given the business officer's areas of focus.
Reduce costs of instruction. These are also popular among all three types of administrators. The cost of instruction can be significant for an institution of higher education, so seeking out methods to reduce this cost while not devaluing quality seems appropriate.
Reduce staff positions. Actions in this category are not overly popular, especially those that result in any reduction in the number of faculty. There is a significant mean difference among strategies that reduce the number of administrative positions, with deans being less likely than provosts and CFOs to opt for such human resources changes. It could be argued that deans are more closely aligned with the staffing needs of their departments and thus are not as willing as other administrators to reduce positions as a cost saver. At the same time, all three types of administrators favored reallocating positions when openings became available, with provosts exhibiting a significantly higher mean response than that of deans and CFOs. It should be noted that, during the current recession, a number of institutions have, in fact, cut positions (many in the adjunct area).
Reduce funding. The options in this category were not favored by those in any of the three surveyed positions. The strategy of deferring maintenance was found to have a statistically significant mean difference among administrators, with academic deans being less inclined toward deferring necessary renovations and upgrades than provosts and CFOs. Similar to the surmised reason why deans would be less willing to reduce positions, it could be argued that deans are also more in tune with the physical needs of their buildings, thus not as accepting as other administrators to deferring maintenance needs.
Reduce activities. Administrators were less likely to select the actions that make up this category. It is conceivable that administrators interpreted these strategies as resulting in a negative circumstance for their institution, and thus were less inclined to consider them.
Adopt across-the-board funding reductions. These options were not favored by administrators, as indicated by mean responses, although CFOs were more willing than provosts and deans to allocate funds based on equal increments across programs. It can be argued that provosts and deans realize the need to allocate additional funds to certain programs based on need, prestige, and other factors.
Miscellaneous strategies. Various resource allocation and management strategies that did not fit in one of the other eight categories were grouped in the miscellaneous section of the table. Although these options could not be categorized, they were still important to the study because of their popularity or lack thereof. For example, the idea of increasing student tuition and fees was favored by all administrators, especially provosts and CFOs. While not popular with the public or elected officials, raising tuition and fees is one sure way of generating additional income. Of course, in many states, the setting of tuition is controlled by the state legislature—so it is sometimes the case that CFOs and presidents might not want to raise tuition or have a preference for that strategy, but they have no other choice than to do so.
The strategies of encouraging the development of new programs, allocating funds based primarily on program needs, decentralizing and revamping administrative functions, and outsourcing services previously provided internally all exhibited significant mean differences in responses depending on administrator type. The strategy of limiting institutional enrollment is not one that is implemented by administrators to any great extent.
MARK GARRETT is graduate programs coordinator, Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.


text:
The performance implications of perceptual differences of dependence in marketing channels: The mediating role of trust
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address two essential questions: do perceptual differences regarding dependence matter in determining channel performance, and if so, how? Design/methodology/approach – The paper conducted an empirical study of 347 cellular telephone supplier-retailer dyads in China. A questionnaire survey was employed. Findings – The results reveal that a retailer's perceptual difference of dependence exerts a significant effect on its evaluation of supplier performance only. Retailer trust partially mediates the effect of the perceptual differences on supplier performance and retailer performance. Therefore, the particular side of a dyadic relationship that researchers choose to study matters in an unbalanced dependence relationship. Practical implications – Managers, depending on their side, should pay close attention to perceptual differences and their consequences and deliberately employ different strategies to ensure effective channel management. Originality/value – Do differences in parties' perceptions of dependence influence channel performance? If they do, how do these perceived differences exert direct and indirect impacts? By answering these questions, the authors contribute not only to an understanding of the unique nature of dyadic channel relationships but also to methodological notions about whether to study one side in a dyad.
|Keywords||B2B marketing, Channel relationships, Marketing in China|
|Journal||Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics|
Yang, Z. (Zhilin), Jia, F. (Fang), & Cai, S. (2014). The performance implications of perceptual differences of dependence in marketing channels: The mediating role of trust. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 26(3), 344–364. doi:10.1108/APJML-12-2013-0154

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


How an 18th-century farmer's advice can help you to lower your risk when investing
Posted on June 10, 2021 at 11am
If we told you that a farmer's advice can help you to protect your investment portfolio, you might wonder if we've been watching too much Countryfile lately. But as strange as this might sound, it's also true.
To best understand this, we're going to step back in time to the 18th century, when a growing British population meant agriculture needed to rapidly change.
Some of the key lessons that they learned in this period can also be applied to the modern day. Read on to find out what an 18th-century farmer can teach you about protecting your investments.
Farmers increasingly diversified their crops to protect them from harvest failures
In the 18th century, the UK underwent a population boom, growing from around eight million in 1700 to more than 10 million in 1800. This growth meant that there were a lot more mouths to feed and so farmers had to adapt their methods.
Not only did they need to increase their yields, but they also had to reduce the likelihood of harvest failures, which were a significant issue at the time. Unlike in the modern day, because travel was so slow, it often wasn't possible to simply ship in food from another country when blight or bad weather affected their produce.
One of the ways that farmers began to adapt was to grow a more diverse selection of crops. Prior to this, many people had typically only grown monocultures of grains, such as wheat.
The obvious problem with this is that while you may get a strong harvest when times are good, they were also putting all their eggs in one basket. If the weather was not ideal for wheat to grow, or the region was impacted by a blight, then they ran the risk of all their crops failing.
Gradually, more and more people began to experiment with their practices to make their farms more resistant to harvest failures.
Instead of growing only one type of grain, they switched to growing several at once – where they used to grow only wheat, they switched to a mix of wheat, rye, and barley.
By diversifying what they grew, farmers could significantly reduce the risk of harvest failure, as a blight would only impact part of their crops. While rye bread may not be as tasty as bread made from wheat, it was definitely better than an empty stomach.
Working with professional agriculturalists helped many farmers to modernise
Another way that farmers benefited in this period was from the increasing professionalisation of agriculture. This was a period when farming became a science, and this meant that many farmers could benefit from others' knowledge.
Agriculture became increasingly professionalised in this period, particularly by scientists such as Charles Townsend, Robert Bakewell, and Jethro Tull, the latter's name you may recognise as the inspiration for the 60s rock band.
While many farmers could individually experiment with their practices, the work of these agriculturalists helped to speed up the process by adding a touch of professionalism.
They championed the widespread adoption of new fertilisers and encouraged farmers to grow nitrogen-fixing plants, such as beans and legumes, to improve soil quality. These helped improve yields and maximised the returns that farmers could get from a piece of land.
The professional agriculturalists also helped farmers to avoid amateur mistakes that were affecting their harvests.
For example, many farmers used had previously sown seeds by throwing them over lightly tilled soil. While this may have seemed like a good method, many of those seeds were lost due to being eaten by birds while others were planted too close together or too shallowly.
Instead, the professionals recommended the use of new seed-planting drills, which involved using machines to distribute the seeds evenly and plant them at the correct depth. This helped to ensure that the sowing gave the maximum yield.
Working with a professional can be the most effective way to grow your investments
While there isn't typically much overlap between farmers and investors, except perhaps for a shared love of bull markets, there are still some useful lessons to be learned.
One of them is the importance of diversifying your assets in order to protect your portfolio from market shocks. By spreading out your investments across different sectors, and different geographical areas, you can lower the risk that an economic downturn wipes them out.
Another important lesson is that working with professionals can be very useful. Like the farmers who took the advice of expert agriculturalists, by working with an adviser you can invest in a more effective way, helping you to grow your wealth faster.
Furthermore, while amateur investors can sometimes see strong returns, they don't typically do it as reliably as people who work with a professional. According to research by the International Longevity Centre, clients who sought professional advice were better off by £47,000 over a period of 10 years, on average.
This is because advised clients had a greater understanding of investing and so felt more confident in their ability to take risks, which led to higher returns.
As we discussed in our previous blog about the risks of investing based on unsubstantiated advice, one of the most important ways that working with an adviser can help is by acting as a sounding board. This can help you to get useful feedback about your investments, allowing you to make properly informed decisions to grow your wealth.
Get in touch
If you want to invest more effectively but aren't sure of the best way to do so, we can help. Email or click here to request a callback from one of our advisers.
Please note:
Stay in touch
If you would like to keep up to date with current industry trends or receive details of our product developments, seminars, events and newsletters, just fill in your details below.
News Feed
Guide: Your guide to scams
Technology has made it easier than ever for scammers to target victims, and the tactics they use are becoming...
Guide: The history of investing and what you can learn from the past
Investing has been around for centuries and the basics haven't changed as much as you might think. Technology...
Everything your clients need to know about using their Business Asset Disposal Relief
If you have clients who are looking to sell their business in the near future, they may be expecting to have t...
5 easy ways to make your home more eco-friendly
In recent years, many ordinary Brits have taken an interest in what they can do to help reduce their carbon fo...
Common Covid scams and 5 practical ways you can stop fraudsters stealing your money
If you've been pestered by spam calls and messages in recent months, you aren't alone. According to figures re...
If we told you that a farmer's advice can help you to protect your investment portfolio, you might wonder if w...
3 key reasons why your clients should put a Lasting Power of Attorney in place now
While nobody likes to think about the possibility that there could be a time when they are no longer able to m...
Why you should be wary of social media trading tips
In recent months, there has been an explosion of videos on social media sites such as TikTok that purport to o...
Everything you need to know about financial planning as a couple
When you've found someone whom you love, and have settled down into a serious relationship, it's time to start...
3 strong reasons not to hold too much of your wealth in cash
When times are tough, it can be tempting to hold more of your wealth in cash, since this makes it much more ea...
Since Pension Freedoms were introduced in 2015, retirees have had more choice when they access their pension....
Why a pension could be the best way for your clients to extract profit from their business
When trying to extract money from a client's business, there are a variety of obstacles to overcome in the for...
7 of the best days out for National Walking Month
When your day-to-day life is stressful, sometimes there's nothing more enjoyable than getting out into the cou...
Everything to consider if you're thinking about overpaying your mortgage
At a time when record low interest rates make saving seem like an unattractive option, if you have spare cash...
5 important financial lessons the pandemic has taught us
The coronavirus pandemic has financially impacted millions of Brits in recent months, and many households have...


text:
The sweet pea flower is known for its attractive look and amazing scent. This makes it a popular flower in backyards and small gardens. As a fairly popular flower that's commonly used in decorations, the sweet pea flower is quite a symbolic one.
So what is the sweet pea flower meaning?
The legume flower comes in a wide range of colors as well as meanings. The most popular meaning of the sweet pea flower is bliss and happiness, but it can also represent friendships, good wishes, and new adventures. Also, the flower is considered a good omen in many regions around the world, especially in West Europe.
The sweet pea flower is as interesting as it is beautiful, and in today's guide, we'll take a closer look at the symbolism and significance of this amazing flower, so you can figure out the right time to use it as a decoration or a gift!
Sweet Pea Flower Origin and Etymology
As the name suggests, the sweet pea is a colorful flowering plant that belongs to the genus "Lathyrus" of the legume family "Fabaceae". This is actually one of the largest botanical families in the world, which explains the abundance of its flowers around the globe.
Sweet peas are originally native to coastal regions of the mediterranean sea, particularly the Aegean and Sicilian islands. However, the hardy plant quickly became popular due to its aesthetic look and pleasant scent.
In fact, the scientific name of the flower is "Lathyrus odoratus". Odoratus here comes from the sweet fragrance of the flower, which explains why it's called so. However, the sweet scent is associated with the annual varieties of the plant, not the perennial ones.
Although it is a legume and has the word "sweet" in it, the plant is not fully edible and is considered toxic to humans, especially when consumed in large quantities.
Despite that, the flower became a sweeping success in Europe after its discovery due to its beautiful and decorative flowers.
What Does the Sweet Pea Flower Symbolize?
When it comes to symbolism, the beauty of sweet peas is commonly associated with positive aspects of life.
In the following section, we'll take a closer look at the popular meanings of a sweet pea flower in today's world:
1. Joy and Bliss
Sweet pea flowers typically bloom anywhere between spring and summer. For that reason, the flower is typically associated with the vibrancy, joy, and bliss of the spring season.
The annual reminder blooms for a short period of time, so it's a reminder of enjoying the beautiful things in life.
2. Farewell and Gratitude for the Happy Times
Another meaning that is also associated with the short time that the flower spends blooming is farewells, goodbyes, and deep gratitude for the happy times that you've spent together.
This makes it an excellent departure gift when a friend or a colleague is ending a major chapter or adventure in their life.
Like many flowers that bloom in the spring and summer, the sweet pea flower is associated with the happy times that friends spend in the company of each other.
4. Good Wishes
Another popular symbolism that is deeply associated with the sweet pea flowers, regardless of their color, is good wishes.
Sweet peas are beautiful, fragrant, and vibrant colors, so they're used to represent optimism and hope for a better future.
In fact, Sweet Peas are usually planted on St Patrick's day in many countries, such as Australia, so it's associated with good luck!
5. Kindness and Peace
Like many other flowers that bloom with beautiful colors in spring and summer, especially the ones that give off a pleasant scent, sweet pea flowers are considered a symbol of tranquility, peace, and kindness among people.
This is common in the relatively pale varieties of the flower that are common during that time.
6. New Adventures
Beautiful flowers are usually a symbol of new adventures, especially the ones that are commonly associated with good luck. This includes varieties of daisies and daffodils as well as sweet pea flowers.
What Do Different Colors of Sweet Pea Flower Mean?
As previously mentioned, the flowers of sweet peas come in a wide range of cultivars that have various colors.
For that reason, different shades of the flower may have some unique interpretations, so let's check them out:
White Sweet Pea Meaning
White sweet peas, also known as "white frills" or "Dorothy Eckford", represent purity, peace, and chastity. They're also associated with femininity, positive energy, and the beauty of the moon. Thanks to some of these meanings, white sweet peas are commonly used in wedding decorations.
Red Sweet Pea Meaning
There are several varieties of red sweet peas out there, such as the America Sweet Pea. Like all red colored flowers, this one can be used as a symbol of passion, love, and romance. For that reason, it can be used to display friendship and joy but with a romantic twist!
Pink Sweet Pea Meaning
Pink sweet peas are quite similar to the red ones, and there are also many popular varieties, such as "Mrs. Bernard Jones", and "Promise Sweet Pea". The rosy-red hues in pink sweet peas represent youth and beauty.
Orange Sweet Pea Meaning
Orange sweet peas, such as "Mollie Rilstone" and "Prince of Orange" are symbols of excitement, blissful joy, and youthful energy. They're deeply associated with health and vitality too, especially the more vibrant hues of the color.
Purple (Lavender) Sweet Pea Meaning
There are several species of sweet pea that are characterized by their purple colors, such as the "Fire and Ice", "Lady Grisel Hamilton", Charlie's Angel, and the unique "Senator Sweet Pea". These ones are a symbol of pride and nobility.
What Is the Significance of Sweet Pea in Other Cultures?
Since the flower is incredibly colorful and attractive, it is no surprise that it has gained special recognition and significance in different cultures. Here are some of the most iconic uses of the flower:
It's Discovery and Study
The first time sweet peas were documented and studied was back in the 1600s when an Italian naturalist and monk, Francesco Cupani, discovered them while studying flowers in Sicily. He then decided to bring it back home to plant it in the monastery garden, which grabbed everyone's attention due to its beauty and scent. To this day, the original variety of the flower is known as Cupani's Sweet Pea as a tribute to him.
In Victorian Era
The sweet pea flower's success reached England a few years after its discovery. The flower's success crossed paths with the rise of floriography in Victorian England.
During that time, the Scottish horticulturist, Henry Eckford, developed a huge range of sweet pea varieties, which made the flower a resounding success to this day!
In French Culture
Sweet peas were also incredibly popular in France. In fact, the use of white sweet peas in weddings as a charm for good luck for the bride is common there to this day!
The flowers of sweet peas were also used as a perfume. People used to carry them in their pockets, and the scent of sweet peas is one of the reasons why France is fascinated with making perfumes.
What Are the Best Occasions to Use the Sweet Pea Flower?
The sweet pea flower is one of the most attractive flowers out there, so it can be a suitable gift for just about any occasion, especially if it's a happy one.
However, there are some situations where it would be perfect to incorporate some of these flowers, such as the following:
Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Weddings
The majority of sweet pea varieties will reach their full bloom in mid-spring, especially in April. In fact, the sweet pea is one of the official birth flowers of April, so it would be a perfect gift for anyone whose birthday is in this month.
You can also use the flower as a gift for anniversaries and other occasions as a symbol of joy, youthfulness, and gratitude.
As a Gesture of Friendship
As a popular symbol of friendship, you can use sweet peas as a lovely gift to a friend that you admire. This one represents your appreciation for their presence in your life!
In Departure Gift
If someone close to your heart is departing on a journey, gifting them with sweet peas is a great choice for a flower bouquet, as it means "good luck on your journey, and come back soon!"
Wrap Up On Sweet Pea Flower Meaning
With that said, you now have a brief guide that walks you through all the meanings and significance of the sweet pea flower as well as what each of its beautiful hues represents.
As you can notice, the sweet pea flower is commonly associated with happy and positive aspects of life, such as pleasure, happiness, friendship, kindness, and peace, so it's no surprise that it's also considered a good luck charm at weddings in many cultures!
For that reason, you can use the sweet pea as a beautiful flower gift for just about any happy occasion, especially birthdays of friends and loved ones!
Back to Petals And Hedges home page
Read more from our flower meanings category

source: m-a-p/FineFineWeb


From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
edit English
For those obsessed with experts, Uncyclopedia has an article about: Boring.
edit Adjective
Boring (plural Borings)
 1. A term usually reserved for someone aged 25 or over.
 2. It also describes anything requiring effort or commitment from Generation Y.
 3. Another word for Belgium.
edit Example
 - "The date with Shelia was Boring because she was 26, from Belgium and kept droning on about how she 'worked' and'studied' to 'achieve' something in her life. I was like... that's just totally lame and afterwards I went home to go play the video games my Mom and Daddy bought for me."
Personal tools


text:
Drawing Connections is owned by teacher Jenna Hyde and family. Jenna designs activity mats based on the classic "dot-to-dot" activity, but in larger form. The idea behind the mats is to help young learners (or anyone practicing their handwriting) to have a fun and accessible way to practice number and letter recognition by writing them and connecting them in succession without wasting paper. Each mat is reusable and works best with dry erase markers. A marker and eraser are included in each order!
Check out a video of the Activity Mats in action.


text:
New Species Of Metal-Eating Plant Has 'Great Potential' For Green Technology
A plant species that "eats" metal was recently discovered in the Philippines, and scientists who identified the iron-stomached plant say it could help clean up the environment.
According to scientists at the University of the Philippines, Los Baños, who published a report about the metal-eating plant in the journal PhytoKeys on Friday, Rinorea niccolifera absorbs and stores up to 18,000 parts per million of nickel in its leaves without being poisoned. That's about 1,000 times more metal than is present in most other plants.
"Hyperacccumulator plants have great potentials for the development of green technologies," Augustine Doronila of the University of Melbourne, a co-author of the report, said in a statement.
Doronila noted the value of Rinorea niccolifera for uses like phytoremediation (using plants to remove contaminants from the environment) and phytomining (employing plants in the recovery of valuable metals.)
Rinorea niccolifera was found on the western part of Luzon Island in an area known for its metal-rich soil.
Only about 0.5 to 1 percent of plants have the ability to absorb metal. According to National Geographic, there are around 350 known species of plants that accumulate metals such as nickel, zinc, copper and manganese in high concentrations.
Hyperaccumulating plants store the metal in vacuoles – microscopic structures in their cells. Vacuoles have membranes similar to those in the human liver that protect the rest of the cell from the toxic effects of the metal.
"[Metal-eating plants] have this extraordinary capacity to accumulate metals, and they do this in the wild without any interference from man," David E. Salt, associate professor of plant molecular physiology at Purdue University, told National Geographic in 2001. "They just do this for a living."
Salt led a team that cloned the genes that allow hyperaccumulator plants to store high concentrations of metals. Their findings could lead to new crop plants that can clean up industrial contamination and allow for improved crop nutrition.
Researchers have been experimenting with metal-eating plants for some time now. The goal is to see if crop plants could clean up soil by absorbing heavy metals.
Metal-absorbing plants also have implications for mining industries. The process works by first locating soils that contain high levels of a particular metal, and then growing plants that absorb that metal through their roots and store them in their leaves. The metal can then be recovered, or harvested, from the leaves by burning the plants and processing the ash in a smelter or refinery, according to Gizmodo.
The trick will be finding plants whose ability to take up metal is so strong as to be economically viable.
Scientists aren't sure exactly why some plants absorb much more metal, but they believe it could be a kind of defense mechanism to keep animals from eating them.
"Just as people hate to bite down on a piece of aluminum foil, insects tend to avoid eating plants that taste like metal," National Geographic noted.
Source | Ibtimes


Solving Equations with Julia-Defined Types
One of the nice things about DifferentialEquations.jl is that it is designed with Julia's type system in mind. What this means is, if you have properly defined a Number type, you can use this number type in DifferentialEquations.jl's algorithms! [Note that this is restricted to the native algorithms of OrdinaryDiffEq.jl. The other solvers such as ODE.jl, Sundials.jl, and ODEInterface.jl are not compatible with some number systems.]
DifferentialEquations.jl determines the numbers to use in its solvers via the types that are designated by Δt and the initial condition of the problem. It will keep the time values in the same type as Δt, and the solution values in the same type as the initial condition. [Note that adaptive timestepping requires that Δt be compaible with sqrt and ^ functions. Thus Δt cannot be Integer or numbers like that if adaptive timestepping is chosen].
Let's solve the linear ODE first define an easy way to get ODEProblems for the linear ODE:
In [1]:
using DifferentialEquations
f = (t,u) -> (1.01*u)
prob_ode_linear = ODEProblem(f,1/2,(0.0,1.0));
First let's solve it using Float64s. To do so, we just need to set u₀ to a Float64 (which is done by the default) and dt should be a float as well.
In [2]:
prob = prob_ode_linear
sol =solve(prob,RK4(),dt=1/2^(6))
println(sol)
Retcode: Success
Interpolation: 3rd order Hermite
t: 65-element Array{Float64,1}
 0.0 0.015625 0.03125 0.046875 … 0.953125 0.96875 0.984375 1.0
u: 65-element Array{Float64,1}
 0.5
 0.507953
 0.516033
 0.524241
 0.53258
 0.541051
 0.549658
 0.558401
 0.567283
 0.576306
 0.585473
 0.594786
 0.604247
 ⋮
 1.15403
 1.17239
 1.19103
 1.20998
 1.22923
 1.24878
 1.26864
 1.28882
 1.30932
 1.33015
 1.35131
 1.3728
Notice that both the times and the solutions were saved as Float64. Let's change the time to use rational values:
In [4]:
prob = ODEProblem(f,1/2,(0//1,1//1));
sol = solve(prob,RK4(),dt=1//2^(6))
println(sol)
Retcode: Success
Interpolation: 3rd order Hermite
t: 65-element Array{Rational{Int64},1}
 0//1 1//64 1//32 3//64 1//16 5//64 … 61//64 31//32 63//64 1//1
u: 65-element Array{Float64,1}
 0.5
 0.507953
 0.516033
 0.524241
 0.53258
 0.541051
 0.549658
 0.558401
 0.567283
 0.576306
 0.585473
 0.594786
 0.604247
 ⋮
 1.15403
 1.17239
 1.19103
 1.20998
 1.22923
 1.24878
 1.26864
 1.28882
 1.30932
 1.33015
 1.35131
 1.3728
Now let's do something fun. Let's change the solution to use Rational{BigInt} and print out the value at the end of the simulation. To do so, simply change the definition of the initial condition.
In [5]:
const rationalα = 101//100
f = (t,u) -> (rationalα*u)
prob = ODEProblem(f,BigInt(1)//BigInt(2),(0//1,1//1));
sol =solve(prob,RK4(),dt=1//2^(6))
println(sol[end])
4154032919386558883432944248380343483762044089219885824293861963690668280133800624271545564442460641100421478069957127705133139131053171319939289915624722195403241736871340745589519387833493153871994750550507166424767604170338332253959630697516305444248796250106488696552824425774652891031781638156634640665726706553562695794716367646798636566490125595141712720380867485868916531456648814528917577693417533965049279568879801863167212171389128029079788394889712773514836798543384276326561054294342851708282050876790968869065128360584151770000714515194551497614161342119347668187950856166437783338125107242946094385126468080818490755092469614835748767521966870937090173768929887202086899128132689201712566935821453568568851761907310360889009454819233203019261511646422045122043461427963067831419822632761257565485308244276118163333934078610669354885645888806741789229076806586507072844471249752898840782835318816592414922484506856439857852070928805249944302969170900303083044962139908567605824428891872081720287044135359380045755621121//3025955263570019164018502277869853398058543745963126397283707470775892712704232437030043920740033026198847216426264951289188498307633591122471111874163926157374989814610878574225506571713008520940845805558579429855707382314196875257835647882856218717417250856125102284683546912020709544155188247379716859572950811281937944702307676679453365814328593305957854274867553594143460475201489987084725797475032257007739929467758191052369579260681352907875927458926484892315482757871323905647524505025315981027903769053444125491200000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
That's one huge fraction!
Other Compatible Number Types
ArbFloats
Let's test a bunch of other number types. First I'm going to test Jeffrey Sarnoff's ArbFloats. These high precision numbers which are much faster than Bigs for less than 500-800 bits of accuracy. Having already installed Nemo and ArbFloats, I can use them in DifferentialEquations.jl via:
In [6]:
using ArbFloats
const arbalpha = ArbFloat(1.01)
f = (t,u) -> (arbalpha*u)
prob_ode_arbfloatlinear = ODEProblem(f,ArbFloat(1)/ArbFloat(2),(0//1,1//1))
sol =solve(prob_ode_arbfloatlinear,RK4(),dt=1//2^(6))
println(sol[end])
2.00341833848949843198821e-166..
WARNING: Method definition string(ArbFloats.ArbFloat{P}) in module ArbFloats at /home/crackauc/.julia/v0.6/ArbFloats/src/basics/string.jl:69 overwritten at /home/crackauc/.julia/v0.6/ArbFloats/src/basics/string.jl:220.
Bingo! ArbFloats work with DifferentialEquations.jl.
DecFP.jl
Next let's try DecFP. DecFP is a fixed-precision decimals library which is made to give both performance but known decimals of accuracy. Having already installed DecFP with Pkg.add("DecFP"), I can run the following:
In [4]:
using DecFP
const decalpha = Dec128(1.01) # Set the constant to a Dec128 as well
f = (t,u) -> (decalpha*u)
prob_ode_decfplinear = ODEProblem(f,Dec128(1)/Dec128(2),(0.0,1.0))
sol =solve(prob_ode_decfplinear,RK4(),dt=1//2^(6))
println(sol[end]); println(typeof(sol[end]))
+1372800506801159568896177661311276E-33
DecFP.Dec128
Bingo! DecFP works with DifferentialEquations.jl
Incompatible Number Systems
Decimals.jl
Install with Pkg.add("Decimals").
In [6]:
using Decimals
const decalpha2 = decimal(1.01) # Set the constant to a Dec128 as well
f = (t,u) -> (decalpha2*u)
prob_ode_decimallinear = ODEProblem(f,[decimal("1.0")]./[decimal("2.0")],(0//1,1//1))
sol =solve(prob_ode_decimallinear,RK4(),dt=1/2^(6)) #Fails
println(sol[end]); println(typeof(sol[end]))
WARNING: redefining constant decalpha2
MethodError: no method matching recursivecopy(::Array{Decimals.Decimal,1})
Closest candidates are:
 recursivecopy(::AbstractArray{T<:Number,N}) where {T<:Number, N} at /home/crackauc/.julia/v0.6/RecursiveArrayTools/src/utils.jl:2
 recursivecopy(::AbstractArray{T<:AbstractArray,N}) where {T<:AbstractArray, N} at /home/crackauc/.julia/v0.6/RecursiveArrayTools/src/utils.jl:6
Stacktrace:
 [1] #init#134(::Int64, ::Array{Rational{Int64},1}, ::Array{Rational{Int64},1}, ::Array{


Fruit Carving Exhibit
Many believe that fruit carving originated in China during the Tang Dynasty, which lasted from AD 618-906. Fruit carving in China usually features legendary creatures and animals and is used to tell stories. Not only is fruit carving used in cultural and traditional ceremonies, but also ordinary households are known for decorating plates with fruit carvings when they have guests over.
Artist Shirley Chiu is a self-taught creative carving artist, and her work has accumulated to over 200 distinct art pieces, including fruit carving, vegetable carving and soap carving. She has been invited to present her artwork at various social and community events throughout the Phoenix area.


text:
How Leaders Create Winning Streaks
Executive summary of a Harvard Business School Publishing Virtual Seminar presentation by Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter, on "Confidence: How Leaders Create Winning Streaks (and Avoid Losing Streaks)."
Presentation date: November 2, 2004
The following is a summary of the virtual seminar covering:
- The definition, levels, and cycles of confidence.
- How leaders prevent losing streaks and instill organizational confidence.
- The keys to building an organizational culture and foundation of confidence.
Confidence in an organization is more than just a spirit of "We can do it." It is the foundation, systems, and culture involving positive behaviors such as open communication, self-scrutiny, respect, teamwork, accountability, collaboration, and initiative that result in winning. In turn, winning breeds greater confidence and raises the company to an even higher level.
Building organizational confidence, especially in turnaround situations where organizations have been on losing streaks, is the work of leaders. Leaders must instill confidence by combining short-term "bold strokes" to quickly mobilize the organization, with initiating a "long march" that changes systems and habits. Leaders must start by building credibility and confidence in the organization through small wins. This can occur by fixing the work environment that people see every day and investing in people even prior to the achievement of results.
Using examples from sports and business, and responding to numerous listener questions, Professor Kanter discussed her research and conclusions from her most recent book, Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End, regarding the importance of confidence as a driver of business and organizational success.
1. Confidence, or lack of it, is not just a characteristic of individuals, but applies to organizations and their external stakeholders. Defining confidence is simple: positive expectations for success. But, achieving and maintaining confidence is not as simple. Confidence falls at the midpoint between despair, which results in feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, and arrogance, which triggers complacency and a sense of false entitlement. Confidence produces peak performance: a willingness to invest, commit, work hard, persist and persevere, making confidence a highly desirable trait.
There are four levels of confidence, with each level building on the prior one:
- Self-confidence: This is what most people associate with confidence. This is a personal attitude of high aspirations and expectations; it is the belief that "I can do it."
- Team confidence: This is having confidence in each other, counting on each other, giving and receiving respect and support, and giving and taking responsibility.
- System confidence: This entails organizations having confidence in the organizational structures and routines for accountability, collaboration, and initiative.
- External confidence: This is confidence that external stakeholders, based on their positive expectations produced by the previous three levels of confidence, will invest to provide resources (money, time, energy, etc.).
2. Confidence and winning is a cyclical process that feeds off of itself, as does lack of confidence and losing. These cycles involve both internal and external confidence. Internally, a good mood and positive work environment lead to positive behaviors such as open communication, self-scrutiny to continuously improve, respect, and cooperation. Positive behaviors lead to good problem-solving based on information and facts, teamwork and speed, and creativity and courage; in turn, good problem-solving leads to disciplines and practices that take organizations to a higher level of accountability, collaboration and initiative. Each of these factors lead to winning, and winning reinforces the actions and leads to greater confidence.
This holds for external confidence as well. Winning yields positive attention from the press and stockholders, which further increases the resources available to the company—this includes attracting the best people who like to work for winners. Winners get better deals and are left alone by others who don't want to disrupt the winning.
Losing is the exact opposite. The culture of losing is one of bad organizational mood; low energy, and self-doubt; dysfunctional behaviors with blame and infighting; lack of information and less teamwork that results in poor problem-solving; and disciplines and practices that are eroded. These losing behaviors in turn cause the organization to lose even more, which also translates into a decline in external confidence. Negative attention and bad press lead to fewer and less loyal fans and to declining external resources; losing teams get less favorable deals; and the effects of losing cause disruptions and distractions.
3. Maintaining a winning streak, and preventing a losing streak, does not entail having no troubles, but overcoming them. The secret of winning streaks is obvious—not to lose; avoiding losing streaks is just as obvious—not to lose twice in a row. Streaks are about confidence and momentum. No organization or situation is perfect; troubles are inevitable and include natural disasters, strategic threats, fumbles ("dropping the ball") and fatigue. The key to winning is recognizing that troubles will occur, and finding a way to win even when experiencing problems and making mistakes. This can occur by anticipating the troubles that are likely to occur, and by practicing harder and working harder. (The example was shared of the University of Connecticut's women's basketball team, which has its starters practice not against five other players, but against eight, to simulate the most difficult circumstances imaginable, and therefore making the actual game easier.)
Winning streaks end when organizations move away from and neglect the cornerstones and basics that led to winning. This includes denial in seeing apparent problems, lack of open communications, and panicking, which results in anxiety, abandoning the plan, and throwing the organization into chaos.
4. Building organizational confidence, and turning losing streaks into winning streaks, is the work of leaders. Great leaders build winning streaks, prevent losing streaks, and in turnaround situations, they focus on changing the momentum. Turnarounds are always worse than the new leader thinks because the organization is depressed and skeptical because previously promised changes have not come to fruition. And there are problems under the surface that haven't even been discussed.
Leaders have to combine "bold strokes" that have an immediate impact with initiation of a "long march." Bold strokes coming from the top of an organization can result in fast and specific changes, but the changes are likely to be short-term, and the organization's systems and habits will remain unchanged. The long march, which will be slower, fuzzier, and where the leader has less control, creates sustained long-term momentum by changing the systems and habits to build organizational confidence.
The work of leaders is to build confidence in others, even prior to achieving positive results; the confidence that is created will actually lead to the intended positive results. Two actions that leaders can take which have a positive symbolic value include:
- Fixing what people see every day. This is a small and simple step that creates a good mood and positive behaviors. It can include cleaning up the work environment and solving basic problems that workers find annoying. Also, it is a small win that builds the credibility of the leader. Confidence and winning streaks are built through small wins.
- Investing in people to show them that they are worth it. As opposed to holding out a reward for achievement of results, a strong sign can be an investment in people before results are achieved. By showing that the leader thinks that the organization merits the investment, it boosts organizational confidence. Just the slightest glimmers of confidence in losing organizations can get the ball rolling.
5. Leaders create a culture of accountability, collaboration, and inspiration.
- Assure accountability: Make information transparent and accessible, by fostering straight talk and communicating the facts, which builds trust and prevents denial.
- Cultivate collaboration: Create conversations across the organization; talking is required to solve problems and to reinforce respect and inclusion. Define goals that define success and that signal how each person contributes to achieving the overall goals.
- Inspire initiative: Encourage new ideas and treat people with respect as experts in their work. Encourage small wins that make a difference and build momentum.
The example was shared of Continental Airlines. Prior to 1994, Continental had been on a ten-year losing streak, having been through ten CEOs during this time. The culture was dysfunctional with secrecy and infighting. When Gordon Bethune became CEO, he set a goal of becoming one of the top four airline carriers based on on-time performance, and offered to share equally with all employees 50 percent of the cost savings achieved by better service. Employees were motivated to achieve this goal and showed initiative in taking actions that helped the company achieve it. Results were communicated through regular voicemail messages sent to all employees.
The result: Continental changed its culture, energized employees who felt, "We are all in this together," and achieved its goal within one month. The company then raised the bar on its goals year after year. During a difficult time for airlines, Continental consistently outperformed the industry. The company's culture was on display during the power grid failure of September 2003, when two of Continental's three hubs went dark and other airlines grounded their fleets. Continental's employees, displaying initiative and confidence, assured safety and kept flying, even adding flights for stranded passengers from other airlines. During the two-day blackout, Continental generated an extra $4 million, while all of the other airlines lost money.
Other Important Points
- Optimists versus pessimists. Winners tend to be optimists who seek out information, even if negative. Pessimists are often in denial and don't want to know the truth so they don't seek information.
- Practice. For athletes to practice is clear, but how do business people practice? By refining the technical skills that they use in their profession, and by tackling difficult problems that stretch them.
- Honesty. Companies need honest assessments of reality. These can be gained through anonymous surveys.
- Higher standards. For organizations on neither winning or losing streaks, but

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Map of flight path and driving directions from Learmonth to Badu Island.
Shortest flight path between RAAF Base Learmonth (LEA) and Badu Island Airport (BDD).
How far is Badu Island from Learmonth?
There are several ways to calculate distances between Learmonth and Badu Island. Here are two common methods:Vincenty's formula (applied above)
- 2037.394 miles
- 3278.868 kilometers
- 1770.447 nautical miles
Vincenty's formula calculates the distance between latitude/longitude points on the earth's surface, using an ellipsoidal model of the earth.Haversine formula
- 2036.672 miles
- 3277.705 kilometers
- 1769.819 nautical miles
The haversine formula calculates the distance between latitude/longitude points assuming a spherical earth (great-circle distance – the shortest distance between two points).
Time difference and current local times
The time difference between Learmonth and Badu Island is 2 hours. Badu Island is 2 hours ahead of Learmonth.
Carbon dioxide emissions
Estimated CO2 emissions per passenger is 222 kg (489 pounds).
Frequent Flyer Miles Calculator
Learmonth (LEA) → Badu Island (BDD).


text:
Committee ChairKemeny, John
MetadataShow full item record
PublisherThe University of Arizona.
RightsCopyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
AbstractA bentonite grouting technology has been developed to meet the requirements of fracture sealing for nuclear waste isolation and environmental engineering. The work reported presents an experimental evaluation of the performance of the bentonite fracture sealing in densely welded tuff. Included are the study of grout stability and resistance to erosion, theoretical and numerical analyses of the grout penetration process, pressure distribution in the fracture during grouting, grout delivery distance, breakthrough pressure and rheological characterization. Bentonite suspensions with solids content of 18, 20 and 22% by weight have been injected into single fractures in rock samples at 0.07 to 3.45 MPa pressure. Bentonite grouting reduces the fracture hydraulic conductivity by 7 to 9 orders in magnitude, to the level of 10⁻⁷ to 10⁻⁹ cm/s. Grout stability and erosion have been studied with long-term flow testing at up to 121 kPa hydraulic pressure. After 1,000 to 5,000 hours of flow testing, at pressure gradients of up to 91 cm/cm, the hydraulic conductivity of the grouted fracture does not increase with test time. The hydraulic conductivity of the grouted fracture decreases with increasing pressure gradient up to the wash-out pressure. Analytical solutions have been derived for pressure distribution during grouting in wedge shaped fractures and in fractures with constant aperture. Influence factors on pressure distribution in a fracture have been identified. They are yield stress, fracture shape, original aperture, deformation properties of the rock mass and the fracture, mixing of air in a grout and sample size. A mathematical solution of grout delivery distance under a given injection pressure has been developed. The breakthrough pressure has been studied, based on the mechanical deformation of the fracture applied by a normal stress across the fracture and by the grout pressure within the fracture during grouting. Results indicate that bentonite grouting is a promising fracture sealing technology. Bentonite grout has great hydraulic conductivity reduction and chemical physical stability. Some disadvantages of bentonite grout have been identified, such as the formation of hydraulic fractures in the grout and the washing away of grout particles when the applied pressure gradient is high enough.
Degree ProgramMining and Geological Engineering


Sign up ×
Let $S$ be a compact orientable 2-surface with $\chi(X)\leq -3$. Y.Minsky and H.Masur proved that the curve complex of $X$ is $\delta$-hyperbolic and infinite. E.Klarreich (see also U.Hamenstadt) proved the Gromov boundary of the curve complex of $S$ is bijective to the collection of ending laminations. Denote the collection of ending laminations by $B$.
Note: ending lamination implies that its complement in $S$ is a collection of (once-punctured) ideal polygons.
My question is: Given a number $N$, is there possible that there is a collection of essential simple closed curves $Y=\{c_{\eta} \mid \eta\in B\}$ such that $d_{\mathcal {C}(S)}(c_{\eta}, c_{\zeta})\geq N$, for any $\eta, \zeta \in B$ and $\eta \neq \zeta$?
share|cite|improve this question
What do you mean by "$Y=c_\eta, \eta\in B$"? What is $c_eta$? Do you mean that $c_\eta$ is a sequence of scc's $c_{\eta,n}$ representing the ideal point $\eta$? Then the answer is obviously yes: $$ \lim_{n\to\infty} d(c_{\eta,n}, c_{\zeta,n})=\infty, $$ and it holds for any $\delta$-hyperbolic geodesic space, simply by the definition of Gromov boundary. – Misha Nov 4 '12 at 14:06
Actually, you do not even need the space to be geodesic for this to hold, although the curve complex is geodesic. – Misha Nov 4 '12 at 14:52
To correct your reference, the theorem equating the Gromov boundary of the curve complex to the space of ''ending laminations'' is due not to Hamenstadt but to Klarreich – Lee Mosher Nov 4 '12 at 17:10
_USER_, $Y$ is defined to be a collection of essential closed curves. I want to write it as a collection, but I don't know how to do it. And the number $N$ depends only on the surface $S$. – yanqing Nov 4 '12 at 23:34
_USER_ Mosher, you are right. I just correct it. – yanqing Nov 4 '12 at 23:37
2 Answers 2
up vote 4 down vote accepted
Are you trying to index a countable collection of curves by the (uncountable!) space of ending laminations?
share|cite|improve this answer
Who knows what OP means by $c_\eta$: Could be a single vertex (then, of course, the map is not going to be 1-1), could be a sequence, could be something completely different... – Misha Nov 5 '12 at 23:15
$c_{\eta}$ is a single vertex. – yanqing Nov 6 '12 at 0:02
Then anonymous answered your question, since you cannot have an injective map from continuum to a countable set. – Misha Nov 6 '12 at 0:09
_USER_, I am not sure that the vertices of the curve complex is countable. – yanqing Nov 10 '12 at 0:10
The fundamental group of your surface is countable (it is finitely generated) and homotopy classes of closed curves correspond to conjugacy classes in this group. The vertices of the curve complex are homotopy classes of essential simple closed curves. – staylor Nov 10 '12 at 18:00
Just to summarize the above: the answer is "no" because the curve complex has countably many vertices while the boundary is uncountable. To give an easier example of this sort of thing, consider the regular four-valent tree, also known as the Cayley graph of the rank two free group. The tree is countable while its Gromov boundary is a Cantor set, and so uncountable.
share|cite|improve this answer
Great, thanks very much – yanqing Nov 21 '12 at 0:25
Your Answer


text:
Changes in rates of suicide by car exhaust asphyxiation in England and Wales
Background. Self-asphyxiation using car exhaust gas is a common method of suicide in England and Wales, particularly in young males. The introduction of catalytic converters has reduced the toxicity of car exhausts. The main aims of the study were: to seek evidence of a fall in car exhaust suicides in the general population and in age and gender groups; to relate any fall to changes in car exhaust systems, particularly since legislation on car exhaust emissions in 1993; and to examine rates of suicide by other methods for evidence of method substitution.
Methods. Population study in England and Wales using national suicide statistics for 1987 to 1998.
Results. There was a fall in suicide by car exhaust asphyxiation in all age and gender groups. This change was most marked after 1993. The overall population suicide rate (all methods) also fell but there was no overall change in suicides by young males or females. In these groups suicide by hanging increased.
Conclusions. Legislation on catalytic converters appears to have contributed to a fall in car exhaust suicides. However, the effect on overall suicide rates in young people has been reduced by method substitution.
c1 Address for correspondence: Professor Louis Appleby, School of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, University of Manchester, Withington Hospital, Manchester M20 8LR.


text:
Whether you see yourself as Sir David Attenborough or Dora the Explorer you can help map our local amazing native creatures and vegetation by taking part in the fun Australian Councils' BioQuest hunt.
Using the free QuestaGame mobile app, your challenge is to find and/or identify the most interesting animals, insects, plants and other living things you can, right here on the Coffs Coast.
The Coffs Harbour local government area is currently sitting in fourth place in this friendly competition between participating councils – behind Adelaide, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast – so we need more explorers to get out and about between now and the end of April!
Get your family, friends, school or community group together and join the BioQuest to explore, observe and photograph the amazing diversity of nature in our region. Upload your photos to the app and a waiting team of scientists will rank your discovery. Every discovery scores points for the explorer and the region!
Remember, no touching – just take photos in safe locations such as your backyard, local parks and gardens, at the beach, or on a bushwalk. This way you won't risk any harm to yourself, or to the amazing thing you have discovered.
So download the app and get involved. It's that easy! Together we can make a difference, explore nature, have fun and help Australia better understand and protect its precious biodiversity.
Go to the following link to learn more and download the app – _URL_ or _URL_ The BioQuest hunt is on throughout April 2021.


text:
My First Picture Dictionary is a book that challenges children in their first explorations of our world by using sophisticated imagery instead of the solid shapes and primary colors generally found in alphabet books. Designed to fortify children's formative years, the Dictionary expands their visual vocabulary and kickstarts their critical thinking skills.
The Dictionary introduces its imagery through an assortment of carefully curated vintage stamps and postcards. The avant-garde book is enclosed in an envelope that enhances its intrigue and experience, appealing to a child's sense of curiosity and adventure.
Graphis New Talent Annual 2020 Silver


text: In this paper, a new algorithm based on Meshless Local Petrov-Galerking (MLPG) method is presented for analyzing the crack dynamic propagation. A new modified Moving Least Squares approximation is proposed to simplify the treatment of essential boundary conditions. Explicit central difference with lumped mass matrix is adopted for the time integral. Visibility criterion with crack edge node adding technique and the maximum hoop stress criterion are used to describe the crack propagation and forecast the crack propagation direction. Based on this algorithm, three-point bend specimen for impact fracture test is investigated. Comparing the results with those obtained by the laser caustic method and high-speed photographs, the accuracy of the present algorithm is proved.


text:
GRASS GSoC 2012 Image Segmentation
(See also other GRASS GSoC 2012 projects)
|Student Name:||Eric Momsen|
|Organization:||OSGeo - Open Source Geospatial Foundation|
|Mentor Name:||Mentor: Markus Metz (backup mentors: M Lennert, P Roudier)|
GRASS GIS has many imagery related processing capabilities, but the field is rapidly developing and many techniques are not yet implemented. The goal of this GSoC project is to implement the region growing image segmentation algorithm.
Input: Raster map(s) to be segmented (plus optional vector map for a constraint)
Output: To include segmented regions with statistics. This information can be directly used or taken as input to existing image classification modules.
Image classification techniques already implemented in GRASS GIS include supervised and unsupervised classification. Classification of images based on pixels can often be very noisy. By first segmenting the image, later classification of 'objects' can be more effective. Noise is reduced, classification speed is increased, and most importantly the classification is performed on objects instead of pixels. The Image classification. Furthermore, the module in GRASS-addons uses internally the Mumford-Shah variational model for image segmentation.module does include a segmentation step (based on Gaussian mixture distribution), but there does not exist a module intended to segment the image and provide segment data for general use. A summary of the existing methods implemented in GRASS are at
- Boundary Based
- optimal edge detector +
- watershed +
- Region Based
- multilevel thresholding technique +
- region growing +
- Combined boundary/region (is this a correct category for these two?)
Carleer et.al. reviewed 4 methods (marked with + above). Boundary based methods are sensitive to noise and texture, and usually depend on good pre-processing. (Does GRASS already have this pre-processing/filtering?) Good results with urban zones, high contrast. Both region based methods had difficulty with transition zones. Region growing was less sensitive to texture (good for high resolution (1m) images). Multi-level techniques are the only way to get all objects without over-segmentation.
I don't recall the source, but I read in one place that mean-shift could be difficult to apply to very large images, and elsewhere it was mentioned watershed sees more use in greyscale images.
As additional algorithm's are added to the module, attention should be given to diversify so algorithms with different strengths are implemented first.
All(?) methods have some input parameter(s) that can be set. These parameters influence if the algorithm will over-segment (one expected region is divided into 2 or more segments) or under-segment (putting two expected regions into one segment). If the segments are used for later classification, over-segmentation should usually get preference to under-segmentation. With extensive over-segmentation, some of the advantages provided by segmentation can be lost, but at least the classification can combine the segments into the expected region. Under-segmentation is more critical, as the classification step will not divide the segment to recover the different regions. (Based on a summary of a number of papers from )
In order to respond to the issue of over/under-segmentation, a multiscalar approach would be interesting. This would mean either a top-down approach with a first coarse segmentation (under-segmentation) and the finer segmentation in selected segments, or a bottom-up approach with first a very fine-grained segmentation (over-segmentation) and the regrouping of segments to form higher levels. The first approach can be solved by doing a first segmentation, using certain segments as masks and then relaunching a second segmentation. The second approach requires an algorithm to decide which segments should be combined in a larger higher-level segments. A simple nearest neighbor or kmeans approach based on spectral mean can be used here. In terms of implementation in GRASS, this would probably call for several modules, one for the segmentation, and another for grouping of segments. The latter could be an all-purpose clustering module (and can also be emulated by simple data analysis in the attribute table +).
It can sometimes be interesting to do a first segmentation on one band (e.g. panchromatic with higher resolution) and then regroup segments based on multispectral data (possibly weighting bands).
Implement an image segmentation method to extend the available options for image processing in GRASS. The region growing method has been selected as a robust general purpose method. An important contribution of the new method will be to include vector maps (for example road networks) as a constraint in growing the segments. Output from the module will include Spectral (mean/variance/range/ect) and Spatial (area/shape/location/etc) data for each region.
- General considerations
- The general principle in GRASS is KISS, with each module doing one thing. It is to be seen if the result of this project is one single module or rather more than one module each specialised in one task in a segmentation workflow.
- As soon as code is to be (potentially) used in several modules, the use of a library should be envisaged.
- Be able to process large images while being considerate of system memory
- in the GRASS logic, input should be an image group, or even image subgroup, which can contain any number of raster maps, but generally satellite or areal images that are pre-processed and ready for analysis (i.e. no pre-processing in the module)
- optionally vector maps of existing features
- lines (be it linear features or boundary lines of polygons) should be used as constraints meaning that no segment boundary should cross such a line
- centroids/points to be used as initial seeds
- What segmentation algorithm to use
- Parameters for that algorithm
- Distance function to use. (RGB, HSI, L*u*v*, L*a*b*) Should this be input??
- Algorithm of segmentation
- in GSoC implementation of only one algorithm
- code should be structured to allow easy implementation of additional algorithms
- multi-scalar segmentation can significantly improve results and should thus be implemented if possible (see i.smap code for example)
- raster map of segments (i.e. each pixel value represents id of segment the pixel belongs to)
- one vector map of segments per hierarchy level with a series of attributes (not all of these attributes should probably be calculated directly be the segmentation module)
- spectral attributes:
- per spectral band: mean, min, max, skewness
- combination of bands: brightness, indices (i.e. results of multi-band calculations)
- textural attributes: stdev (per-band and/or multi-band), mean difference to neighbor, Haralick texture features cf
- geometric/morphological attributes: area, perimeter, length/width measures, see also
- context attributes: mean difference to all other regions in the same upper hierarchical level, relative localisation within upper hierarchical level, absolute localisation, number of objects in lower level
- spectral attributes:
- depending on segmentation algorithm: raster map indicating for each pixel the probability of belonging to the segment it was put into, i.e. some measure of reliability of results
Will the user want input for the color space (RGB, HSI, L*u*v*, L*a*b*)? (I saw one paper discussing pro/con of different systems, "best" answer is application dependent.)
The results of the implemented algorithm should be compared against the results of a similar algorithm implement in other software. The North Carolina GRASS sample location will be used for documentation and manuals.
Carleer used images with 1m resolution from Ikonos, panchromatic band from 08 June 2000, Brussels area.
Should check segmentation results on images from a few different resolutions and different numbers of bands against what is obtained in other software.
Is there a benchmark for processing speed that should be considered?
Preparation: Gather ideas from the community! Feature requests, image segmentation literature, and any other ideas and suggestions.
- May 21: Start coding, 8 weeks until Midterm Evaluation
- Week 1: Develop pseudocode to outline the work
- Week 2-4: Implement the main algorithm
- Week 5: Add vector maps as a constraint to the segmentation
- Week 6: Validation
- Week 7: Debugging
- Week 8: Contingency time for finishing the above, ensure a solid main program.
- July 9: Midterm Evaluation: Evaluate the existing program, determine the plan for the remaining 3-4 weeks. Options include:
- Improving the main algorithm
- Adding control for what scale the segmentation is performed at
- Providing updates to to ensure the segmentation output can be used as input for the existing classification functionality
- Adding a second image segmentation algorithm
Region Growing Algorithm
Here is (a start!) for the processing steps, based on SPRING
Region Growing, bottom up processing. Main improvement compared to simple algorithm is to slowly lower the similarity function, so only best matches are made first. This prevents the "first" segment from taking over any unclear areas between it and the next clear segment.
- Seeds: all pixels (Later addition can be alternate seeding methods)
- Comparison function T(t)... as t increases, threshold for similarity is lower. SPRING used:, where T(0) > ), t =0,1,2... and alpha <1
- Size of smallest allowed area
2. Loop for t
- initialize candidate regions, save mean value vector and neighboring regions (Not sure why this needs to be calculated/saved ahead of time??)
3. For each region i in candidate region set (first pass this equals


text:
Mayor Greg Nickels officially launched the Puget Reference Station Network (PRSN), a regional Global Positioning System (GPS) network, which covers 1,600 square miles and will provide significant benefits for Seattle and the surrounding regions.
Using technology developed by Trimble, the PRSN will supply centimeter-level, real-time GPS data to government agencies, emergency managers, research institutions, scientific agencies, and private surveying and mapping professionals for a variety of applications including surveying, field inventory, construction, disaster response and scientific research.
The 10-station network is an extension of a four-year pilot project undertaken by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU); the pilot network was a four-station Trimble VRSÃ (Virtual Reference Station) network. The VRS enables users to take precise readings over much greater distances with fewer reference stations. Due to the scalable nature of the technology, the network can continue to grow as needs and coverage area increases. There are plans to expand the network to 32 stations covering 12,000 square miles throughout western Washington and then to 80 stations statewide.
The City of Seattle has partnered with the City of Renton; Kitsap Public Utility District (PUD); Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT); Snohomish, King, Pierce, Thurston, Island and Skagit Counties; University of Washington (UW) and Central Washington University (CWU); the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and the National Geodetic Survey (NGS).
Source: Trimble, Aug. 4, 2004


Edit on GitHub
Custom Build Scripts
docker build is the common way to build container images, but there are others.
Tilt supports these other tools with the function custom_build instead of docker_build.
All custom_build calls require:
 - A name of the image to build (as a ref, e.g. frontend or '_URL_-name/frontend')
 - A command to run (e.g. bazel build //frontend:image or build_frontend.sh)
 - Files to watch (e.g. ['frontend'] or ['frontend', 'util', 'data.txt']). When a dependency changes, Tilt starts an update to build the image then apply the YAML.
There are a couple different image-building patterns.
The Easiest Way: Get Someone Else to Write it For You
Before you write your own custom builder, check out the Tilt Extensions repo to see if someone has already written a custom_build wrapper for your tool.
Tilt Extensions can be simple. Here's an example that uses Ko, the Go image builder.
Ko Tilt extension
Custom Docker Builds
Suppose you have a script that wraps docker build, but adds some application-specific abstractions.
Here's a simple example that invokes docker build to build an image named frontend from the directory frontend:
 'docker build -t $EXPECTED_REF frontend',
Tilt will run this command to build the image, verify that the image is in the Docker image store, then push the image to the appropriate image registry.
You can also use this pattern to use docker flags that the docker_build() function doesn't support.
Jib, Bazel, or any other builder that interoperates with Docker
Many tools can create Docker images, then write them to the local Docker image store.
For example, Jib has plugins that integrate with your existing Java tooling and create Java-based images.
The tilt-example-java repo has an example Tiltfile that uses custom_build to generate images with Gradle and Jib:
 './gradlew jibDockerBuild --image $EXPECTED_REF',
Bazel, the general-purpose build system, also takes this approach. Bazel's rules_docker extension assembles Docker images and writes them to the local Docker image store.
See the tutorial on how to use custom_build to build images with Bazel.
Buildah (or any image builder indepdendent of Docker)
Buildah is an independent Docker image builder.
Buildah has its own API and own image store. A custom_build() call needs to both build and push the image.
 'buildah bud -t $EXPECTED_REF frontend && buildah push $EXPECTED_REF $EXPECTED_REF',
The skips_local_docker parameter indicates that we don't expect the image to ever show up in the local Docker image store. Tilt shouldn't try to verify the image locally.
There are a couple of caveats you should be aware of with buildah (and similar builders):
 - They often require privileged access. You may need to run Tilt with sudo or inside an appropriate sandbox
 - If you're using Tilt to push to an insecure registry, you will need to configure your builder for that registry. For example, to use buildah with Microk8s, you need to add localhost:32000 to registries.insecure.
How to Write Your Own
We've looked at a couple simple recipes for how to write a custom build script.
To write more complex ones, we need to understand in more detail how they work.
All the commands above contain $EXPECTED_REF. What is that?
Tilt always pushes a content-based, immutable tag, not a bare ref. (Instead of _URL_-name/frontend, Tilt injects _URL_-name/frontend:tilt-ffd9c2013b5bf5d4, where the ffd9c2013b5bf5d4 part is based on the contents of your image). Before explaining why (see below), let's describe what this means for your Tiltfile and build script.
There are two ways for Tilt and your build script to coordinate image builds.
The Good Way
Most tools take a destination of the image as an argument (e.g. docker build).
 - Before running your build script, Tilt sets the environment variable $EXPECTED_REF with a randomized tag (e.g. EXPECTED_REF=_URL_-name/frontend:tilt-12345).
 - The custom build script builds the image and tags it with $EXPECTED_REF.
 - After the build script exits, Tilt reads the new image at $EXPECTED_REF, re-tags it with a content-based tag, and pushes it to the image registry.
The Hacky Way
Other tools have an image ref hard-coded in configuration. They'll build to the same tag each time.
Instead of writing a wrapper script around your tool, tell Tilt what tag the build image will have with custom_build(..., tag='_URL_-name/frontend:dev').
After Tilt runs your build command, it will find this image and retag and push it with a content-based tag.
This method is generally less robust, because the script is building to a mutable tag instead of an immutable tag.
An Improvement on the Hacky Way
If you're willing to invest more into your custom build script, you should use content-based tags!
custom_build(outputs_image_ref_to='ref.txt') will tell Tilt that your custom build script intends to write a tagged image reference to the file ref.txt.
Tilt will then inject that image into your deployments.
If Tilt has detected a local registry, it will populate the environment variable REGISTRY_HOST (e.g., REGISTRY_HOST=localhost:5000) before calling the build script.
Determining the Content-based Tag
In rare cases, another script in your build system may need to know what tag Tilt is going to deploy. This typically only comes up if your team has written their own artisanal image build system that's closely coupled with Kubernetes.
Tilt has a special command to help with this. After you build the image, run:
tilt dump image-deploy-ref $EXPECTED_REF
Tilt will read the image, determine the hash of the context, and print out the full name and content-based tag.
NOTE: This is not a common use-case. Usually, when teams ask about this, they're writing a workflow engine that creates its own pods (like Airflow), and need a way to get the deploy tag at runtime. So they hack custom_build to grab the deploy tag at build-time, and plumb it through to their runtime pods. There's a better way to do this. Use this guide instead.
Live Update and Other Features
Tilt's docker_build supports other options. The most impactful is Live Update, which lets you update code in Kubernetes without doing a full image build. custom_build supports this as well, using the same syntax.
custom_build supports most other options of docker_build, and a few specific to non-Docker container builders. If you find an option you think should exist but doesn't, let us know in the _TAG_ channel in Kubernetes Slack.
Adjust File Watching with ignore
While most of the points in our Debugging File Changes guide hold true for custom_build, the ignore parameter (which adjusts the set of files watched for a given build) works a bit differently, and is worth discussing briefly.
The ignore parameter takes a pattern or list of patterns (following.dockerignore syntax; files matching any of these patterns will not trigger a build.
Of note, these patterns are evaluated relative to each dep. E.g. given the following call:
 'docker build -t $EXPECTED_REF.',
 deps=['dep1', 'dep2'],
Tilt will ignore dep1/baz and dep2/baz.
Why Tilt uses Immutable Tags
Immutable tags have a long history in the Kubernetes community.
The Knative team has this presentation that gives a good overview: Why we resolve tags in Knative (join _EMAIL_ for access).
Mutable tags have good usability and security properties. For example, a registry:v2 image that has the latest, most secure minor version of the v2 major version.
Immutable tags have good reliability and caching properties. For example, if you're rolling out 3 pods of registry:v2, you want to be sure all pods have the exact same version. Deploying with a mutable reference creates a race condition. Pods created at different times from the same definition may end up running different code as the reference is overwritten.
Tilt only deploys immutable tags. Instead of pushing to _URL_-name/frontend, Tilt re-tags the image as _URL_-name/frontend:tilt-ffd9c2013b5bf5d4. The unique bit is a Nonce or a digest of the contents. (Technically the tag isn't write-protected in any way, but the improbability of collisions means we can pretend it's immutable.)
Tilt then injects the new tag into the container spec. This makes the Tilt experience faster and more reliable, because we can instruct Kubernetes to cache the tag aggressively as if it's immutable.
Knative uses a similar strategy, but the immutability is enforced by a Kuberentes operator, instead of by client-side tooling.
When You're Done
If you have a more complex build script that you're not sure how to integrate with Tilt, we'd love to hear about it. Come find us in the _TAG_ channel in Kubernetes Slack or file an issue on GitHub.
We'll love you even more if you share it with other Tilt users as an extension!
Was this doc helpful?


text:
To repaint garden statues, you will need a few basic materials and follow a step-by-step process. Here's a guide on how to repaint garden statues:
- Preparation: Start by selecting a well-ventilated area to work in, preferably outdoors. Lay down a protective covering like a drop cloth or old newspapers to prevent any paint from ruining the ground or surrounding areas.
- Clean the statue: Before repainting, it is essential to clean the statue thoroughly to remove any dirt, dust, or previous flaking paint. Use a soft brush or cloth to gently scrub the surface. If there are any stubborn stains, you can use mild soap or a mixture of water and vinegar to clean it off.
- Remove loose or peeling paint: Inspect the statue for any loose or peeling paint. If you find any, use a wire brush or sandpaper to remove it. This step ensures a smooth and even surface for the new paint to adhere to.
- Sand the surface: Lightly sand the entire statue using fine-grit sandpaper. This step helps to create a rough surface, improving paint adhesion and promoting durability. After sanding, wipe away any dust or debris with a clean cloth.
- Prime the statue: Applying a primer is essential for a long-lasting paint job. Choose a primer suitable for outdoor use and compatible with the material of the statue. Apply an even coat of primer to the entire surface of the statue, following the manufacturer's instructions. Allow it to dry completely before proceeding.
- Paint the statue: Once the primer is dry, you can start painting the statue. Select a high-quality acrylic paint suitable for outdoor use. Use a paintbrush or a small roller to apply the paint, ensuring smooth and even coverage. Start with broad strokes, covering larger areas, and then move to smaller details. Allow the first coat to dry completely before deciding if additional coats are necessary.
- Apply additional coats: Depending on the color and condition of the statue, you may need to apply multiple coats of paint to achieve the desired look. Allow each coat to dry thoroughly before applying the next one, usually following the manufacturer's recommendations for drying time.
- Seal the paint: Once you are satisfied with the color and coverage, it is advisable to apply a clear sealant or varnish to protect the paint from weather elements and prolong its lifespan. Ensure the sealant is compatible with the type of paint you have used. Apply the sealant evenly, following the manufacturer's instructions.
- Let it dry: Allow the statue to dry completely before moving it back to its original location or exposing it to any moisture or harsh elements.
By following these steps, you can repaint your garden statues, giving them a fresh and revitalized appearance that can enhance the overall beauty of your garden.
How do I properly clean the garden statues before repainting?
Cleaning garden statues before repainting is essential to ensure proper adhesion of the new paint and remove any dirt, debris, or old flaking paint. Here are some steps to properly clean your garden statues:
- Remove loose dirt: Use a soft brush or cloth to gently remove any loose dirt or cobwebs from the surface of the statue. Be careful not to scratch or damage the surface.
- Rinse with water: Use a hose or bucket of water to rinse off the statue thoroughly. This will help remove any remaining loose dirt or debris.
- Create a cleaning solution: In a bucket, mix a mild detergent or dishwashing liquid with warm water. Avoid using harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaners as they can damage the statue finish.
- Scrub gently: Dip a soft-bristled brush or sponge into the cleaning solution and gently scrub the entire surface of the statue. Pay particular attention to areas with stubborn stains or dirt buildup.
- Rinse thoroughly: After scrubbing, rinse off the statue with clean water to remove any soap residue. Make sure to rinse off all the cleaning solution.
- Remove stains or moss: If there are any stubborn stains or moss growth, consider using a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Apply the solution to the affected areas, allow it to sit for a few minutes, then scrub gently with a brush before rinsing thoroughly.
- Allow the statue to dry completely: After cleaning, allow the garden statue to air dry completely before proceeding with repainting. This is crucial to ensure proper adhesion and avoid any moisture-related issues.
Once the statue is dry, you can proceed with the repainting process using appropriate outdoor paint and following the manufacturer's instructions for application.
Can I use spray paint for repainting garden statues?
Yes, you can use spray paint to repaint garden statues. Spray paint is a convenient and efficient way to cover large surface areas and can provide a smooth, even finish. However, it is important to properly prepare the surface of the garden statue before painting and choose a spray paint that is suitable for outdoor use to ensure durability and weather resistance. Additionally, following the instructions on the spray paint can, such as applying multiple thin coats and allowing sufficient drying time, will help achieve the best results.
Should I use a primer before painting the statues?
Yes, using a primer before painting statues is generally recommended. Primers create a smooth and even surface that helps the paint adhere properly and provides better coverage. It also helps to seal the underlying material, which can prevent issues like bleed-through or staining. Additionally, primers can help to enhance the longevity and durability of the painted surface.
What tools and materials do I need to repaint garden statues?
The tools and materials you will need to repaint garden statues include:
- Mild soap or detergent: This is used for cleaning the statues before painting.
- Scrub brush or sponge: To remove dirt, debris, and loose paint from the statues.
- Sandpaper or sanding block: Helps to smooth out any rough or chipped areas on the statues.
- Primer: A coat of primer is essential for better paint adhesion and to create a smooth surface for the paint.
- Paint: Choose outdoor paint that is suitable for the material of your statues. Acrylic or latex paints work well for most statues, while oil-based paint may be required for certain materials.
- Paintbrushes: Different sizes of brushes are useful for painting large areas and smaller details.
- Painter's tape: Use it to mask off areas you don't want to paint or to create clean lines and patterns.
- Drop cloth or newspaper: To protect the surrounding area from paint splatters or drips.
- Clear coat or sealer: This is optional but can be applied to protect the paint from weathering and fading.
- Safety equipment: Gloves, goggles, and a mask should be worn to protect yourself while working with paints and chemicals.
Remember to follow the specific instructions provided by the manufacturer for each tool and material you use.
Should I repaint garden statues in direct sunlight or shade?
It is generally recommended to repaint garden statues in shade rather than direct sunlight. Painting in direct sunlight can cause the paint to dry too quickly, leading to a less smooth finish and potential for streaks or uneven coverage. Additionally, direct sunlight can cause the paint to become too hot and bubble or blister. Painting in the shade allows for a more controlled environment and better painting conditions.
How do I fix chipped or cracked areas before repainting garden statues?
Fixing chipped or cracked areas before repainting garden statues typically involves a few simple steps:
- Clean the statue: Use a soft brush or cloth to remove any dirt, dust, or grime from the surface of the statue. This will ensure that the paint adheres properly.
- Sand the damaged areas: Use fine-grit sandpaper to gently sand down the chipped or cracked areas. Smooth out any rough edges and create a more even surface for the paint to adhere to. Be careful not to sand too aggressively, as this can damage the surrounding areas or change the statue's texture.
- Remove loose debris: Wipe away any loose debris or dust from the sanded areas. Use a damp cloth or sponge to thoroughly clean the surface after sanding, ensuring there is no remaining residue.
- Fill the cracks or chips: Depending on the size and depth of the damage, you can use various materials to fill the cracks or chips. Epoxy putty, fiberglass filler, or a specialized statue repair product can be suitable options. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for application and drying time.
- Smooth the repaired areas: After the filling material has dried completely, use sandpaper or a sanding block to gently smooth and shape the repaired areas. Make sure the surface is level and blends well with the surrounding statue material.
- Prime the repaired areas: Apply a coat of primer to the repaired areas using a paintbrush or spray primer. This step helps the paint adhere better and ensures a consistent finish. Follow the drying time mentioned on the primer's label.
- Repaint the statue: Once the primer is dry, you can repaint the entire statue or just touch up the repaired areas using suitable outdoor paint. Choose paint specifically designed for outdoor use and follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding application and drying time. Apply multiple thin coats for a more even and durable finish, allowing each coat to dry completely before adding the next.
Remember to clean the brushes and tools properly after each step to maintain their longevity.


Australian WWI fiction
 Press/Media: Expert Comment
 Invited guest on Radio National's The Bookshelf on Friday 9 November to discuss war poetry and fiction.
 World War I and literary representations of war, including a reading of a poem by my mother, Dorothy Hewett, and another poem written by me that is published in an anthology of war poetry.
 Period9 Nov 2018
 Media contributions
 Media contributions
 - TitleAustralian WWI fiction
 Degree of recognitionNational
 Media name/outletRadio National, The Bookshelf
 Media typeRadio
 Duration/Length/Size30 mins+
 DescriptionAustralian writers and poets began writing about the First World War in 1914, and have never stopped. Historian Christina Spittel (ADFA/ UNSW) is tracking that century of fiction, noting the ways in which the story and emphasis has changed. She joined Kate Evans and poet and memoirist Rozanna Lilley to discuss those shifts in memory and the imagination.
 Rozanna Lilley's maternal grandfather fought in the First World War and her mother, the writer Dorothy Hewett, wrote a poem in 1960 that reflected on both his death and his war experience. The poem is called 'The Burial', and Rozanna read it for us.
 Poetry that responds to that war is still being written, and Lilley herself contributed to a very recent collection, To End All Wars (Puncher and Wattman), and read that piece for us.
 Producer/AuthorAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
 PersonsKate Evans, Rozanna Lilley


text:
Our blueberry farm is located next to Burns Bog, a wetland ecosystem with a diverse variety of plant, animal and insect species; more than 300 plants and animals as well as 175 bird species are found in these 8,600 acres of wetland. It is the largest raised peat bog on the West Coast of North America. Burns Bog is important because it regulates water preventing flooding and maintaining cool water temperatures and regulates climate, which helps preserve the health of nearby creeks, an essential ecosystem for salmon breeding.
Having Burns Bog next to our farm means that our land is very rich in soil matter and is adequate for producing high quality blueberries. Because of our location, we also receive considerable amounts of sunshine every year – much more than any other place in the Lower Mainland. This is not only nice, of course, but also a vital requisite for healthy plant growing. Burns Bog was officially designated as an Ecological Conservancy Area in 2005 and we are thrilled to have it as our neighbour.


text:
Annual flow is above 5,000 million cubic meters (MCM) on average, but varies substantially both within and across years, and includes two flood seasons each year. Between 1944 and 1978, average total flow (at Garissa) was 6,105 MCM, varying from only 1,789 MCM in 1949 to 13,342 MCM in 1968. During the _PHONE_ period, annual flow remained above 5,000 MCM as well. A series of hydroelectric dams have been constructed along the river, including the Kindaruma Dam in 1968, the Kamburu Dam in 1975, the Gitaru Dam in 1978, the Masinga Dam in 1981, and the Kiambere Dam in 1988. A 2003 study reported that two-thirds of Kenya's electrical needs were supplied by the series of dams along the Tana River.
^ abNakaegawa T., Wachana C. and KAKUSHIN Team-3 Modeling Group. (2012). "First impact assessment of hydrological cycle in the Tana River Basin, Kenya, under a changing climate in the late 21st Century," Hydrological Research Letters, 6, pp. 29-34.


text:
Animal Species:Cotton Harlequin Bug
The Cotton Harlequin Bug is a member of the Jewel Bug family named for their bright metallic colouration.
The males and females of the Cotton Harlequin Bug are different colours, with the females mostly orange and the males mostly blue-red.
The Cotton Harlequin Bug is found in eastern Australia.
The Cotton Harlequin Bug lives in urban, agricultural and coastal areas.
The Cotton Harlequin Bug is common during summer in Sydney gardens and among ornamental trees in parks.
Feeding and Diet
The Cotton Harlequin Bug feeds on many species belonging to the hibiscus plant family (Malvaceae), including ornamental hibiscus species and cotton. It feeds mostly on young shoots, piercing the stems and sucking the sugar-rich juices intended for shoot growth.
Cotton Harlequin Bugs are sometimes a minor pest of cotton and have been known to cause the introduction of a fungus, which rots the cotton boll. In gardens, they cause flower buds to drop prematurely.