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Trying to brush up on some geometric and algebraic topology, I got a little confused about the following:
Suppose we have the standard unit sphere $S^2$, but we remove its north and south poles. Is this topological space homeomorphic or homotopic to $S^1 \times \mathbb{R}$? I would think that they are not homotopic since I don't think both spaces are deformation retracts, are they? Now I do know that the stereographic projection is a map from $S^2$ to the plane, but that just involves the removal of either the north or the south pole, correct?
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If you know that $S^2$ minus one pole is homeomorphic to $\mathbb{R}^2$, then $S^2$ minus two poles is homeomorphic to...? – Qiaochu Yuan Mar 31 '12 at 18:04
$S^1 \times \mathbb{R}$ is a cylinder. Put the sphere inside the cylinder (north and south pole on the axis of the cylinder) and project from the center of the sphere minus north and south-pole onto that cylinder using straight lines. – t.b. Mar 31 '12 at 18:06
It makes it a straight line homeomorphism, if such a term exists :) A straight line homotopy is usually understood to be a homotopy $H$ between two functions $f,g: X \to \mathbb{R}^n$ of the form $H(x,t) = (1-t)f(x) + tg(x)$. See here for example. – t.b. Mar 31 '12 at 18:15
If $Y$ is homeomorphic to $X$ it's clearly also homotopy equivalent. Just use the homeomorphism and a constant homotopy. – user20266 Mar 31 '12 at 18:16
Linguistic nitpick: maps are homotopic. Spaces are homotopy equivalent. – Neal Mar 31 '12 at 18:57
1 Answer 1
up vote 4 down vote accepted
The two spaces are homeomorphic. $S^2$ minus one point is identified by stereographic projection with $\mathbb{R}^2$, so $S^2$ minus two points is homeomorphic with say $\mathbb{R}^2 \backslash \{0\}$. Identifying $\mathbb{R}^2$ with $\mathbb{C}$ and $S^1$ with $\mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}$, the homeomorphism
$\mathbb{R}\times \mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}\cong \mathbb{C} \backslash \{0\}$
is given by $(r,\theta)\mapsto e^re^{2\pi i\theta}$.
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The Endowed Progress Effect
How Artificial Advancement Increases Effort
Download a pdf version of this paper.
- Joseph C. Nunes
- Journal of Consumer Research
2006, 32 (4), 504-12
- This research documents a phenomenon we call the endowed progress effect whereby people provided with artificial advancement towards a goal exhibit greater persistence towards reaching the goal. By converting a task requiring eight steps into a task requiring 10 steps, but with two steps already complete, the task is reframed as one that has been undertaken and incomplete rather than not yet begun. This increases the likelihood of task completion and decreases completion time. The effect appears to depend on perceptions of task completion rather than a desire to avoid wasting the endowed progress. Moderators include the reason, if any, offered for the endowment, and the currency in which progress is recorded.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


Question: What Was The First Word Ever Made?
What is the oldest word in the world?
Mother, bark and spitMother, bark and spit are just three of 23 words that researchers believe date back 15,000 years, making them the oldest known words..
Why is bloody a bad word?
What is the oldest swear word in the English language?
Does bloody mean the F word?
Is Bloody a bad word in the UK?
Still, to Americans bloody remains the quintessential British swear word, and one of the only ones they have not adopted themselves (except when they're being pretentious or ironic). Both countries share a fascination with swear words' that reference the male anatomy.
What was the 1st word?
This earliest form of the language was Sumerian cuneiform, which consisted of "wedge-shaped" glyphs. We don't know which exact words came first in this language, but based on example charts showing the evolution of Sumerian cuneiform, it may have been symbols for god, earth, man or woman.
What was the first English word ever made?
Why do British say bloody?
Who created word?
Microsoft Word, word-processor software launched in 1983 by the Microsoft Corporation. Software developers Richard Brodie and Charles Simonyi joined the Microsoft team in 1981, and in 1983 they released Multi-Tool Word for computers that ran a version of the UNIX operating system (OS).
Is Frick a bad word?
Is the word "frick" considered a swear? My son used to say this word repeatedly. … So no, it is not "a swear." It is a similar-sounding word substituted for a vulgar term, when using the actual vulgar term would be inappropriate.


text:
As an administrator, you can reset the account password to default for individual Learners, which is 1234 by default, for all Learner accounts on Lobster Ink. The four steps below explain this action in more detail.
Step 1: On the administrator portal, select Manage Learners.
Having trouble accessing the administrator portal? Contact us directly at _EMAIL_.
Step 2: Search for the Learner of which you want to reset the password in the search bar under the Learner column of the student list. Then click on Edit to enter the Learner's individual profile.
Step 3: Click on the drop-down menu next to Reset Student Password and select Yes. When you are done updating, click on the Save button at the right bottom of the page to reset the password to default. You will then need to inform the Learner that the password is set to 1234.


text:
Goldenrod Gall Flies: Writing a Lab Report in the Form of a Scientific Paper
through its collaboration with the SERC Pedagogic Service.
In this biology lab, students investigate whether goldenrod gall fly larvae collected from restored prairie area are different from larvae collected from a small native prairie 10 km away. They look for biochemical differences in proteins using cellulose acetate electrophoresis. Students determine the genotype of each gall fly; students compare the combined class' genotypes for the two groups of gall flies statistically using chi-square analysis. Students read a related scientific paper and discuss it in a subsequent lab session. Students write a full lab report describing their results using standard scientific paper formatting. A detailed description of this format and the writing process is provided.
- Students learn to use the technique of cellulose acetate electrophoresis to separate proteins.
- Students work with real data and analyze the data using statistics. They gain an understanding of how p-values are used in scientific writing.
- Students understand the concepts of gene flow and genetic drift.
- Students learn to read scientific papers and write in this format; this helps them understand how science is communicated.
Context for Use
This laboratory activity is used in labs for an introductory college biology course at a small, liberal arts college. The lab allows students to address a legitimate scientific question by collecting local organisms in the field, looking at biochemical differences, analyzing numerical data with statistics, and synthesizing their results within the context of previously published papers. Lab size is limited by equipment; in our labs, 24 students, working in groups of 3, successfully share 4 gel-loading systems. Data collection can be accomplished in a 3 hour lab period, not including time for collecting material in the field.
The technique of cellulose acetate electrophoresis is extremely flexible, and can be used on any local organism. For more information on this technique, see the Association for Biology Laboratory Education Lab: "Measuring Genetic Variability in Natural Populations by Allozyme Electrophoresis" by James M. Bader.
The associated guide for writing lab reports is a general resource which could be useful in many contexts.
Description and Teaching Materials
Flow of the Lab Project:
- Students collect goldenrod galls one week in lab, which takes approximately 45 minutes (including a 15-minute walk each way to the collection site). They read the file Goldenrod Gall Collection (Microsoft Word 21kB Mar15 06) before the lab.
- The students perform cellulose acetate gel electrophoresis the subsequent week in lab, which takes approximately 2-3 hours. Students read the Lab Manual Chapter (Acrobat (PDF) 6.1MB Mar15 06) before the lab.
- As part of the process of learning to read and write scientific papers, students complete a Library Assignment (Microsoft Word 26kB Mar15 06) requiring them to find a scientific paper and do some cursory analysis of its structure. This assignment is discussed in lab the week following the data collection, so students can see how similar the format is across their lab section. A key for this assignment is available on request from the author.
- The file Sample Results (Excel 38kB Mar15 06) contains example data collected during one term.
- The Data Analysis Worksheet (Acrobat (PDF) 92kB Mar15 06) is given to students along with the compiled data from their lab; students use this to calculate a chi-square statistic.
- Students all read the same scientific paper and discuss it during a lab session. These Discussion Questions (Microsoft Word 40kB Mar15 06) are handed out in lab to guide discussion. A key to these questions is available on request from the author.
- Once data are compiled, students write a draft of the Materials and Methods and Results sections of their lab report, which is turned in for a grade (due one week after data collection). After they receive feedback on these sections, students meet individually with an undergraduate teaching assistant to discuss a draft of their Introduction and Discussion sections (usually 1-2 weeks later). They are given time to revise these drafts, and turn in a full lab report (this is due approximately 5 weeks after data collection). Throughout this process, they use the Lab Report Guide (Acrobat (PDF) 348kB Mar15 06) to help them write a lab report in the format of a scientific paper.
Teaching Notes and Tips
We chose to study goldenrod gall fly larvae because the live organisms can be collected in the field in the fall and winter in Minnesota. The technique is extremely flexible and can be used to compare populations of many organisms. Part of the beauty of the technique is the ability to take students into the field for organism collection, do biochemical analysis of the organisms, and answer evolutionary questions about them.
Cellulose acetate electrophoresis is simple, but the equipment and gels are expensive. One source is Helena Laboratories in Beaumont, Texas; they also have an excellent reference book on cellulose acetate electrophoresis.
One challenge is to convince students to make use of the Lab Report Guide as a resource. The Guide's format is designed to be student-friendly, with short summaries of what belongs in each section followed by lengthier FAQ-style information. Students often realize the benefits of using the Lab Report Guide after they receive grades on their drafts of Materials and Methods and Results sections.
References and Resources
- ABLE lab on Allozyme Electrophoresis
- Genetic Variability and Gene Flow in Metepira Ventura (Araneae, Araneidae). Ramirez and Fandino, Journal of Arachnology 24:1-8, 1996.


text:
Watch a HUJI Talk with lawyer and researcher Dr. Renana Keydar of the Hebrew University's Faculties of Humanities and Law. Today, as atrocities are committed across the globe, from widescale slavery in Africa to the decimation of the Syrian people to the persecution of the Uighers in Asia, the desire and need for justice is greater than ever. In this talk, Dr. Keydar explains her vision for how digital humanities can help us bring justice for the victims of mass atrocities.
Dr. Renana Keydar was driven to explore new paradigms of justice in our digital world after serving as the legal advisor in the High Court of Justice Department of the State Attorney's Office and seeing the limits of the law, and also partly from having three grandparents who were Holocaust survivors.
She takes us on a journey through several cases where atrocities were prosecuted, and how using digital tools can empower a new understanding of the victims' experiences and the outcomes of trials.


Steampunk: Quadcopter
Introduction: Steampunk: Quadcopter
Noah Baker, Jacob Steele, Luke Barrow, Stephen Podlogar
We were interested in creating a quadcopter from scratch, and potentially take it a step further to follow us via Bluetooth.
How it Works:
When the remote control is powered on and the throttle is pushed forward, it sends a radio signal to the receiver on the drone
When the battery is connected to the power distribution board it will light up two light, one signals it has at least 11 volts of power while the other signals it has at least 5 volts of power. Once the power distribution board has power it then sends power to each of the four speed controllers, which have built in resistors, and the speed controllers individually send power to each motor.
Parts List:
4x 2300kv Brushless Motors: _URL_
4x electornic speed controller: _URL_
Power Distribution Board: _URL_
4x Propellers: _URL_
UltraSonic Sensors: _URL_
Lipo Battery: _URL_
Motor Drive expansion: _URL_
RC Remote with Receiver: _URL_
Toolbox:
Hot Glue Gun
Hot Glue Sticks
Wires
Electrical Tape
Soldering Iron
Solder
Wrench
Wire Strippers
Teacher Notes
Teachers! Did you use this instructable in your classroom?
Add a Teacher Note to share how you incorporated it into your lesson.
Step 1: 3D Print Center Piece
Step 2: 3D Print 4 Legs
Step 3: Create Frame
Step 4: Attach the 4 Motors to Frame
Step 5: Solder 4 Electronic Speed Controllers (ESPs) to Power Distribution Board (PDB)
Step 6: Solder 4 ESPs to the 4 Motors
Step 7: Solder PDB to Flight Controller
Step 8: Solder Radio Receiver to Flight Controller
Step 9: Attach 4 Signal Wires From ESPs to Radio Receiver
Step 10: Setup RC to Work With the 4 Radio Channels You Connected
Step 11: Attach Battery to PDB
Do not cross wires!! Battery will run out very fast due to high current, so be sure to disconnect either positive or negative side after each test/use.
Step 12: Turn RC On
Motors should start to beep and fidget if everything is set up correctly
Step 13: Move Throttle Up
Step 14: Motors Should Begin Spinning!
Be the First to Share
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 - Backyard Contest
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 - Silly Hats Speed Challenge
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 - Finish It Already Speed Challenge
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 Discussions


Infectious Waste
All WSU personnel who generate infectious waste must notify the Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). Any infectious waste meeting the definition of hazardous waste due to its chemical properties or which is also radioactive must be managed differently than regular infectious waste.
Any WSU personnel who generates chemically hazardous or radioactive infectious waste must contact EHS to determine proper treatment and disposal procedures.
As a generator, you shall segregate infectious waste from other waste at the point of generation.
Please ensure that you are aware of the current infectious waste management procedures by reading the Infectious Waste Management Guide (PDF).
Do you need to have infectious waste picked up? Submit a Chemical and Hazardous Waste Pick-Up Form.
For more detailed information, or questions about the program, contact Bill Palmer at _PHONE_.


text:
All Verification Bodies under the Climate Action Reserve are required to submit the following documents for each verification period:
- NOTIFICATION OF VERIFICATION ACTIVITIES AND CONFLICT OF INTEREST (NOVA/COI) FORM (PRIVATE DOCUMENT) – This document details the relationship between the project developer and the Verification Body. Before signing a contract with an individual project developer, a Verification Body must outline the scope of the planned verification activities and evaluate the potential for a conflict of interest (COI) with the project developer by submitting this form 10 business days prior to the start of verification. For more information on COI, please review the Reserve's Verification Program Manual. If the risk for COI is determined to be medium or high, the verifier must submit a COI Mitigation Plan (Appendix B).
- VERIFICATION REPORT (PUBLIC DOCUMENT) – This report must contain a summary of verification activities, a list of the GHG emissions sources identified within the project boundary, a description of the sampling techniques, and a risk assessment of the processes and reported results. The risk assessment forms the basis of the verification statement.
- LIST OF FINDINGS (PRIVATE DOCUMENT) – This document accompanies the verification report and must contain all material and immaterial findings identified during verification activities, any recommended corrective actions, and resolutions to material issues. The List of Findings is shared only with the project developer and the Reserve.
- VERIFICATION STATEMENT (PUBLIC DOCUMENT) – This document officially confirms the reported GHG emission reductions/removals and the verification standard.
In addition, each Verification Body must annually submit a Verification Policies Acknowledgement and Agreement form to the Reserve Administrator at _EMAIL_. This form must be updated to reflect any substantial personnel changes. The Verification Policies Acknowledgement and Agreement form ensures that personnel performing verification activities are notified to the Climate Action Reserve and are aware of the roles and responsibilities under the program. All personnel undertaking verification activities must be listed on this form as designated staff and the form must be signed by a duly authorized representative of the Verification Body. To list additional staff, please use the Verification Staff Reporting Form Extra Tables.


text:
Embarking on an adventure to Thailand? Amidst the allure of its bustling cities and pristine islands, figuring out how to get around Thailand can seem challenging. In this comprehensive guide by Mihitravel, you'll discover various modes of transportation, from the chaotic streets of Bangkok to the breathtaking Thai islands. Navigate through the whirlwind of tuk-tuks, longtail boats, and colourful songthaews like a pro, and make your Thai adventure a breeze. So, buckle up and let's hit the road!
Modes of Transportation in Thailand
If you're looking to explore Thailand, you'll find that the modes of transportation available will take you on a journey through the country and into its rich cultural tapestry.
When it comes to navigating rural areas, several alternative modes of transportation can provide unique experiences. One popular option is taking a long-tail boat along the rivers and canals, allowing you to witness the picturesque landscapes and traditional villages that dot the countryside.
Another way to get around is by renting a motorbike or bicycle, which allows you to explore at your own pace and discover hidden gems off the beaten path.
In addition to these alternative modes, Thailand offers reliable public transportation options for travelling between cities and provinces. Trains are a great choice for longer distances, providing comfortable seating and scenic views as they pass through diverse landscapes. Buses are another affordable option, with extensive routes covering major tourist destinations and remote areas.
Public transportation is essential when navigating Bangkok, one of Asia's most vibrant cities. But don't worry; this bustling metropolis has an excellent network of trains, buses, and boats that efficiently connect every corner of the city. From iconic tuk-tuks zipping through traffic-clogged streets to modern strains soaring above skyscrapers, getting around Bangkok is an adventure.
In summary, whether you're exploring rural areas or navigating Bangkok's busy streets, Thailand offers many transportation options that cater to every traveller's needs.
To navigate Bangkok, you'll easily find your way with the help of detailed maps and reliable public transportation. The city has an extensive network of trains, buses, and boats that can take you to all the popular attractions.
The BTS Skytrain and MRT subway are efficient ways to get around the city, with air-conditioned cars and frequent stops near major tourist spots. If you prefer a more scenic route, hop on a boat along the Chao Phraya River or its canals, known as khlongs. These boats will give you a unique perspective of Bangkok and take you to famous landmarks like Wat Arun and the Grand Palace.
Finding your way on public transportation is made easier by English signs and announcements, making it accessible for tourists. Additionally, several mobile apps are available that provide detailed directions and real-time schedule updates. These apps also offer information on fares and connections, ensuring a smooth journey through the bustling city.
Now that you have mastered navigating Bangkok's public transportation system let's move on to getting to and from the airports seamlessly.
Getting to and from the Airports
When it comes to getting to and from the airports in Thailand, there are a few key points to keep in mind.
First, Suvarnabhumi Airport is Bangkok's main international airport, just 30 kilometres from the city centre.
Secondly, Don Mueang Airport is the hub for low-cost airlines and a popular choice for budget travellers.
And finally, Phuket International Airport is the gateway to the beautiful beaches of Phuket and provides easy access to some of Thailand's most stunning coastal destinations.
Suvarnabhumi Airport: Bangkok's Main International Airport
Upon arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport, travellers will be greeted with a bustling atmosphere and a myriad of transportation options to explore the vibrant city of Bangkok. Located about 30 kilometres from the city's heart, this airport is the main gateway for international flights to Thailand's capital.
From here, visitors can easily access all of Bangkok's cultural landmarks and popular tourist attractions. Whether you prefer taking a taxi, hopping on the efficient BTS Skytrain, or opting for the Airport Rail Link, getting to your desired destination is convenient and hassle-free.
As you make your way through the airport, you'll find numerous information counters to assist with any inquiries or directions you may need. Connecting flights and transportation services are readily available at Suvarnabhumi Airport for those looking to venture beyond Bangkok.
Transitioning into Don Mueang Airport: The hub for low-cost airlines…
Don Mueang Airport: The Hub for Low-Cost Airlines
Don Mueang Airport, located about 25 kilometers north of central Bangkok, is a bustling hub specifically catering to low-cost airlines. It offers affordable options for travelers looking to explore Thailand and beyond. As the country's second busiest airport, Don Mueang provides a wide range of flight options to both domestic and international destinations. Whether you're flying within Thailand or venturing further abroad, this airport has got you covered.
After touching down at Don Mueang, getting to your final destination is easy with various transportation options available. From taxis and public buses to private transfers and rental cars, there's something to suit every traveler's preference.
Now, let's move on to our next stop: Phuket International Airport – the gateway to the beautiful beaches of Thailand.
Phuket International Airport: Gateway to the Beautiful Beaches
As you step off the plane at Phuket International Airport, you'll be greeted by a warm tropical breeze and the enticing smell of salty ocean air. This bustling airport is the gateway to some of Thailand's most beautiful beaches and popular attractions.
The best time to visit Phuket International Airport is during the dry season from November to April when the weather is sunny and pleasant. Once you arrive, there are plenty of transportation options available to take you to your desired destination, whether it's Patong Beach, Kata Noi Beach, or any other stunning spot along the coast.
From vibrant nightlife to pristine white sands, Phuket has something for everyone. As we transition into exploring Thailand's islands, get ready for an adventure like no other in this tropical paradise.
Exploring Thailand's Islands
When it comes to exploring Thailand's islands, there are a few key points to keep in mind.
First, ferries and speedboats are the most common modes of transportation to get to the islands. They offer convenience and often breathtaking views of the surrounding waters.
Second, island-hopping is a popular way to discover multiple islands in one trip. It allows you to experience different beaches, landscapes, and cultures all in a single journey.
Lastly, renting motorbikes or bicycles on the islands is a great way to explore at your own pace. It gives you the freedom to discover hidden gems and remote beaches that may not be accessible by other means of transportation.
Ferries and Speedboats: Getting to the Islands
To fully immerse in the island experience, hop on a ferry or speedboat for easy access to Thailand's stunning islands.
Ferries and speedboats are the main modes of transportation when it comes to getting around the islands. Ferries are larger and slower, providing a more relaxed journey with ample space for passengers and their belongings.
On the other hand, speedboats offer a quicker way to reach your destination, perfect for those who want to maximize their time exploring multiple islands in one trip.
The best time to visit the islands is during the dry season from November to April when the weather is sunny and clear.
With plenty of options available, you can easily plan your island-hopping adventure and discover multiple islands in one trip seamlessly.
Island-Hopping: Discovering Multiple Islands in One Trip
Embark on an unforgettable island-hopping adventure, where you can effortlessly explore multiple islands in one trip.
Island hopping experiences in Thailand offer a unique opportunity to discover the beauty and diversity of this tropical paradise.
From the stunning beaches of Koh Phi Phi to the vibrant coral reefs of Koh Tao, there is something for everyone.
One of the highlights of island hopping is snorkeling in crystal clear waters, surrounded by colorful marine life.
Don't miss out on visiting Maya Bay, made famous by the movie 'The Beach,' or exploring the hidden coves and limestone cliffs of Railay Beach.
Renting motorbikes or bicycles to explore the islands is a convenient way to continue your adventure and discover even more hidden gems without missing a beat.
Renting Motorbikes or Bicycles to Explore the Islands
One exciting way to fully immerse yourself in the island-hopping experience is by renting motorbikes or bicycles. This allows you to effortlessly explore the hidden gems and stunning landscapes of Thailand's islands.
Renting scooters or bicycles gives you the freedom to venture off the beaten path and discover secluded beaches, lush jungles, and charming villages that are often inaccessible by other means of transportation.
As you ride along scenic coastal roads, you'll come across vibrant local markets where you can sample delicious street food, shop for unique souvenirs, and interact with friendly locals. It's a thrilling way to soak up the culture and embrace the laid-back island lifestyle.
Plus, traveling between major cities is seamless as well. Just hop on a ferry or take a short flight to your next destination.
Traveling between Major Cities
When traveling between major cities in Thailand, there are several options to consider.
One of the most enjoyable ways to journey across landscapes is by taking an overnight train. Not only do these trains promise comfort, but they also offer a front-row seat to stunning countryside vistas.
When covering shorter distances, buses present an affordable and convenient option. They offer a budget-friendly mode of transport

source: m-a-p/FineFineWeb


5 reasons why media outlets should invest in data journalism
The benefit of data journalism cannot necessarily be measured in clicks or likes. Its advantages are rather qualitative than quantitative – but investment will pay off, in the long run. Here's why.
 1. Create news instead of covering it
 By analyzing data for trends, patterns and outliers, data journalism allows you to find stories no one else has. And whereas all of your competitors source on the same news agencies as you do, data-driven stories are (at least for some time) unique to your media outlet. Data journalism can uncover story angles you didn't even know existed before and will make your company stand out from others – thereby helping you to (re)gain relevance.
 2. Add credibility in the age of fake news
 Being open and critical about the data you used and by making your methodology transparent so others can replicate what you did, will add to your credibility. If we want to win over Fake News we should provide our users with as much detail as possible on how our stories are formed.
 3. Hold the powerful accountable
 Three centuries back, the press was coined as the Forth Estate. If we want to live up to that term, data journalism can help hold the powerful accountable: Not only by following the money trail, but also by fact-checking whether policy goals are reached or whether politicians kept their promises, data can add factual arguments.
 4. Ask better informed questions
 Journalists too tend to believe in scientific studies or statistical reports. But data is never neutral. It's always gathered by someone (with a potential bias) for a certain purpose (with a potential intent) in a certain way (with the potential to not capture reality in its full extent). The means of data journalism allow you to find other data sources, gather your own data, re-run the analysis of others – comparing the results and challenge conclusions being made can help you make a more realistic assessment for your audience.
 5. FOMO: Many are doing it already
 This is a cheap argument, but if the above ones don't work, maybe we can count on your fear of missing out? Many media outlets do believe data journalism has a clear return on investment, so you need to join the game if you don't want to be left behind.
< Back to the tree
Views 2,264
Gianna Grün
Gianna-Carina Gruen is a freelance data journalist, currently building Deutsche Welle's data journalism unit. She also works for the interactive background magazine "Der Kontext", where she explores non-linear storytelling.
(Foto: C. Schmitt)
snow flake
© 2017 Journocode


Peas Galore Puzzle
The Puzzle:
Peas Galore
At a school fete people were asked to guess how many peas there were in a jar.
No one guessed correctly, but the nearest guesses were 163, 169, 178 and 182.
One of the numbers was one out, one was three out, one was ten out and the other sixteen out.
How many peas were there in the jar?
Do you have the answer? Check against our solution!


Documentation Center
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EVM Measurements for a 802.15.4 (ZigBee®) System
This example shows how to use the COMM.EVMCOMM.EVM System object to measure the error vector magnitude (EVM) of a simulated IEEE® 802.15.4 [ 1 ] transmitter. IEEE 802.15.4 is the basis for the ZigBee specifications.
Error Vector Magnitude (EVM)
The error vector magnitude (EVM) is a measure of the difference between a reference waveform, which is the error-free modulated signal, and the actual transmitted waveform. EVM is used to quantify the modulation accuracy of a transmitter. [ 1 ] requires that a 802.15.4 transmitter shall not have an RMS EVM value worse than 35%.
System Parameters
An 802.15.4 system for 868 MHz band employs direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) with binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) used for chip modulation and differential encoding used for data symbol encoding.
dataRate = 20e3; % Bit rate in Hz
M = 2; % Modulation order (BPSK)
chipValues = [1;1;1;1;0;1;0;1;1;0;0;1;0;0;0];
 % Chip values for bit 0.
 % Chip values for 1 is the opposite.
Section 6.7.3 of [ 1 ] specifies that the measurements are performed over 1000 samples of I and Q baseband outputs. To account for filter delays, we include 1 more bit in the simulation of the transmitted symbols. We chose to oversample the transmitted signal by four. We assume an SNR of 60 dB to account for transmitter and test hardware imperfections.
numSymbols = 1000; % Number of symbols required for one EVM value
numFrames = 100; % Number of frames
nSamps = 4; % Number of samples that represents a symbol
filtSpan = 8; % Filter span in symbols
gain = length(chipValues); % Spreading gain (number of chips per symbol)
chipRate = gain*dataRate; % Chip rate
sampleRate = nSamps*chipRate; % Final sampling rate
numBits = ceil((numSymbols)/gain)+1;
 % Number of bits required for one EVM value
SNR = 60; % Simulated signal-to-noise ratio in dB
We can obtain BPSK modulated symbols with a simple mapping of 0 to +1 and 1 to -1. If we also map the chip values, then we can modulate before bit-to-chip conversion and use matrix math to write efficient MATLAB® code. ZigBee specifications also define the pulse shaping filter as having a raised cosine pulse shape with rolloff factor of 1.
% Map chip values
chipValues = 1 - 2*chipValues;
% Design a raised cosine filter with rolloff factor 1
hTxFilter = comm.RaisedCosineTransmitFilter('RolloffFactor', 1,...
 'OutputSamplesPerSymbol', nSamps,...
 'FilterSpanInSymbols', filtSpan);
hRxFilter = comm.RaisedCosineReceiveFilter('RolloffFactor', 1,...
 'InputSamplesPerSymbol', nSamps,...
 'FilterSpanInSymbols', filtSpan,...
 'DecimationFactor', nSamps);
EVM Measurements
The Communications System Toolbox™ provides COMM.EVM to calculate RMS EVM, Maximum EVM, and Xth percentile EVM values. Section 6.7.3 of [ 1 ] defines the EVM calculation method, where the average error of measured I and Q samples are normalized by the power of a symbol. For a BPSK system, the power of both constellation symbols is the same. Therefore, we can use the 'Peak constellation power' normalization option. Other available normalization options, which can be used with other communications system standards, are average constellation power and average reference signal power.
hEVM = comm.EVM('Normalization', 'Peak constellation power')
hEVM =
 System: comm.EVM
 Normalization: 'Peak constellation power'
 PeakConstellationPower: 1
 MaximumEVMOutputPort: false
 XPercentileEVMOutputPort: false
We first generate random data bits, differentially encode these bits using a DifferentialEncoderDifferentialEncoder System object, and modulate using BPSK. We spread the modulated symbols by employing a matrix multiplication with the mapped chip values. The spread symbols are then passed through a pulse shaping filter. The EVM object assumes that received symbols, rd, and reference symbols, c, are synchronized, and sampled at the same rate. We downsample the received signal, r, and synchronize with the reference signal, c.
[ 1 ] requires that 1000 symbols be used in one RMS EVM calculation. To ensure we have enough averaging, we simulate 100 frames of 1000 symbols and use the maximum of these 100 RMS EVM measurements as the measurement result. We see that the simulated transmitter meets the criteria mentioned in Error Vector Magnitude section above.
% Tx and Rx filter delays are identical and equal to half the filter span.
% Total delay is equal to the sum of two filter delays, which is the filter
% span of one filter.
refSigDelay = hTxFilter.FilterSpanInSymbols;
% Simulated number of symbols in a frame
simNumSymbols = numBits*gain;
% Initialize peak RMS EVM
peakRMSEVM = -inf;
% Create a comm.DifferentialEncoder object to differentially encode data
hdiffenc = comm.DifferentialEncoder;
% Create an comm.AWGNChannel System object and set its NoiseMethod property
% to 'Signal to noise ratio (SNR)'
 'SNR', SNR);
% Loop over bursts
for p=1:numFrames
 % Generate random data
 b = randi([0 M-1], numBits, 1);
 % Differentially encode
 d = step(hdiffenc, b);
 % Modulate
 x = 1-2*d;
 % Convert symbols to chips (spread)
 c = reshape(chipValues*x', simNumSymbols, 1);
 % Pulse shape
 cUp = step(hTxFilter, c);
 % Calculate and set the 'SignalPower' property of the channel object
 hChan.SignalPower = sum(cUp.^2)/length(cUp);
 % Add noise
 r = step(hChan, cUp);
 % Downsample received signal. Account for the filter delay.
 rd = step(hRxFilter, r);
 % Measure using the EVM System object
 rmsEVM = step(hEVM,...
 complex(rd(refSigDelay+(1:numSymbols))),...
 % Update peak RMS EVM calculation
 if (peakRMSEVM < rmsEVM)
 peakRMSEVM = rmsEVM;
% Display results
fprintf(' Worst case RMS EVM (%%): %1.2f\n', peakRMSEVM)
 Worst case RMS EVM (%): 0.19
We showed how to utilize COMM.EVM to test if a ZigBee transmitter complies with the standard specified EVM values. We used a crude model that only introduces additive white Gaussian noise and showed that the measured EVM is less than the standard specified 35%.
Selected Bibliography
 1. IEEE Standard 802.15.4, Wireless Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications for Low-Rate Wireless Personal Area Networks, 2003.
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import old database in new schema with mysql and rails
posted by Matthias Frick in Ruby on Rails / 4 Comments
In this tutorial I will show you how you could import an old database into a new schema with mysql and rails. I will explain the process with an example scenario.
Imagine you have an old php project with an old database schema and you want to completely refactor this project. Firstly you want to use rails instead of php and create a new rails project with the standard rails conventions. Secondly you want to restructure the old database into a new scheme without losing data and make it more "railsish". You just have a mysql dump of your old database.
Old database:
You have a mysql database with a few tables:
 - "Person" with: pid (bigint 20), uid (varchar 8), firstname (varchar 40), lastname (varchar (50), mail (varchar 40), isfemale (tinyint 4)
 - "Work" with: wid (bigint 20), headline (varchar 250), text_facts (text), text_long_facts(text), pub_date (date), hyperlink (varchar 200)
Now you want to change this scheme to the following one:
New database:
Your new database contains the following tables:
 - "users" with: id (int 11), first_name ( varchar 255), last_name (varchar 255), email (varchar 255), isfemale (tinyint 1)
 - "projects" with: id (int 11), title (varchar 255), teaser (text), description (text), published_at (date), link (varchar 255)
Now you have good the background information, let us move one step further:
Model creation
You have to create migrations for your new models. Just open a terminal and generate them with the normal rails generators:
rails g model User first_name:string last_name:string email:string isfemale:boolean
rails g model Project title:string teaser:text description:text published_at:date, link:string
Do not forget to migrate your database:
rake db:migrate
Now you have generated your models and you can add some validations. In this scneario I add the "presence: true" validation to every model attribute.
Importer Structure
You have a mysql dump and want to import this dump into the new schema. I will now explain how you can do that through a Raketask.
You need a Importer class and a normal Raketask. For a better structure I will split up the Importer class into different modules. The structure of the whole importer looks like as follows:
 - /lib/tasks/project_name.rake: this file contains the Raketasks
 - /lib/tasks/importer/importer.rb: Importer class which includes the different sub-importer modules and all necessary extension files.
 - /lib/tasks/importer/users_importer.rb: sub-importer module which contains the users importer stuff.
 - /lib/tasks/importer/projects_importer.rb: sub-importer module which contains the projects importer code.
Subsequently I want explain each of this classes and modules. Let's start with the Raketask file
namespace :project_name do
 require Rails.root + "lib/tasks/importer"
 desc "Import old database, usage: rake project_name:import['old_database_name']"
 task :import, :oldDatabase, needs::environment do |t, args|
 args.with_defaults(oldDatabase: "import")
 oldDatabaseName = args.oldDatabse
 newDatabaseName = YAML::load("config/database.yml")))[Rails.env]["database"]
 importer = newDatabaseName, oldDatabaseName
This is the.rake-File and contains just one normal Raketask. This Raketask requires the name of the old database. For example you create a new database called "old_database" with phpmyadmin or a tool like that. After that you have to import the mysql dump from your old database in the currently new created one. The next step is to call the Raketask in your terminal: "rake project_name:import['old_database']. This will trigger the import. At this moment the import will fail, because you do not have neither the Importer class nor the instance method "execute" called at the end of the Raketask. So let's move further to the Importer class.
require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/users_importer"
require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/projects_importer"
class Importer
 # include sub-modules
 include UsersImporter
 include ProjectsImporter
 # initializer for a new importer
 def initialize new, old
 # feedback for the programmer
 puts "Importing from #{old} to {new}"
 _USER_ = new
 _USER_ = old
 # execute the import
 def execute
 # if you do not like to import data, if the new database
 # already contains data, just a security hint..
 if User.count > 0
 raise "Import aborted! There already are users in the database."
 if Project.count > 0
 ..and so on..
 # call sub-importer modules
 # later in the import process you have to switch beween
 # the old and the new database.
 # use new database (= switch to new database)
 def use_new_database
 ActiveRecord::Base.connection.execute("use #{_USER_}")
 # use old database (= switch to old database)
 def use_old_database
 ActiveRecord::Base.connection.execute("use #{_USER_}")
The importer.rb contains the Importer class with a normal initializer and an execute method. This method just calls all sub-module importer methods to completely start the import. At this moment it will not work, because the sub-modules do not exist yet. But in the end everthing will work together very good :-). Furthermore the Importer class has two helper methods to switch between the old and the new database.
Do not forget to include the different sub-modules in the Importer class, otherwise it will not work and you will get include errors and undefined methods.
For convenience you can write following mysql extensions and put them in the importer.rb File under the Importer class, but not in the Importer class.
# custom mysql row to facilite access
class Row
 def initialize fields, values
 _USER_ = fields
 _USER_ = values
 def get field
# Add get_row method to Mysql2::Result class
class Mysql2::Result
 def get_row index self.fields, self.to_a[index].to_a
Now let's start with the first import script:
module UsersImporter
 # import users
 def import_users
 puts "Importing users..."
 users = ActiveRecord::Base.connection.execute('
 SELECT pid, uid, firstname, lastname, mail, isfemale FROM Person
 for i in 0...users.count do
 row = users.get_row i
 user = User.where(first_name: row.get("firstname"),
 last_name: row.get("lastname"),
 email: row.get("mail"),
 isfemale: row.get("isfemale"))
 unless user
 user = row.get("firstname"),
 last_name: row.get("lastname"),
 email: row.get("mail"),
 isfemale: row.get("isfemale"))
 rescue Exception => e
 puts "Failed to save #{row.get("firstname")} #{row.get("lastname"): #{e.message}"
This sub-module contains the users importer. You can see that you have to use pure Mysql for the queries in the old database. That's because you do not have a model and cannot use the ActiveRecord ORM.
module ProjectsImporter
 # import projects
 def import_projects
 puts "Importing projects..."
 projects = ActiveRecord::Base.connection.execute('
 SELECT wid, headline, text_facts, text_long_facts, pub_date, hyperlink FROM work
 for i in 0...projects.count do
 row = projects.get_row i
 project = Project.where(title: row.get("headline"),
 teaser: row.get("text_facts"),
 published_at: row.get("pub_date"))
 unless project
 project = row.get("headline"),
 teaser: row.get("text_facts"),
 description: row.get("text_long_facts"),
 published_at: row.get("pub_date"),
 link: row.get("hyperlink"))
 rescue Exception => e
 puts "Failed to save #{row.get("title")} #{row.get("published_at"): #{e.message}"
The projects importer works exactly like the users importer. There is one method which handles the import.
Now everything should work and you are done. I know that my example import scripts are not really heavy to program, but I just wanted to explain how you could structure such an importer. If you have a database with a lot of joins and a tricky schema your import script will be much much more complicated. But with this importer-structure you just have to add a new module which handels the import part, call the method from the module in the Importer class and you are done.
You always should keep a very close eye on the topic "Testing". You should test your importer script before starting an import on your production system, that is very important! Otherwise you can destroy your production database and that never is funny ;-)
Feel free to comment on this blogpost, I will be happy about that! If you are interested in a more difficult importer script do not hestitate to ask me.
Simple mysql search with rails and jquery.highlight


A Split-Apply-Combine strategy to apply common R functions to a Filebacked Big Matrix.
big_apply(X, a.FUN, a.combine = NULL, ind = cols_along(X),
 ncores = 1, block.size = block_size(nrow(X), ncores), ...)
Arguments
X
A FBM.
a.FUN
The function to be applied to each subset matrix. It must take a Filebacked Big Matrix as first argument and ind, a vector of indices, which are used to split the data. For example, if you want to apply a function to X[ind.row, ind.col], you may use X[ind.row, ind.col[ind]] in a.FUN.
a.combine
Function to combine the results with do.call. This function should accept multiple arguments (...). For example, you can use c, cbind, rbind. This package also provides function plus to add multiple arguments together. The default is NULL, in which case the results are not combined and are returned as a list, each element being the result of a block.
ind
Initial vector of subsetting indices. Default is the vector of all column indices.
ncores
Number of cores used. Default doesn't use parallelism. You may use nb_cores.
block.size
Maximum number of columns (or rows, depending on how you use ind for subsetting) read at once. Default uses block_size.
...
Extra arguments to be passed to a.FUN.
Details
This function splits indices in parts, then apply a given function to each subset matrix and finally combine the results. If parallelization is used, this function splits indices in parts for parallelization, then split again them on each core, apply a given function to each part and finally combine the results (on each cluster and then from each cluster).
See also
Examples
X <- big_attachExtdata() # get the means of each column colMeans_sub <- function(X, ind) colMeans(X[, ind]) str(colmeans <- big_apply(X, a.FUN = colMeans_sub, a.combine = 'c'))
#> num [1:4542] 1.32 1.59 1.53 1.63 1.09 ...
# get the norms of each column colNorms_sub <- function(X, ind) sqrt(colSums(X[, ind]^2)) str(colnorms <- big_apply(X, colNorms_sub, a.combine = 'c'))
#> num [1:4542] 33.6 38.4 37.5 39.2 29.6 ...
# get the sums of each row # split along rows: need to change the "complete" 'ind' parameter str(rowsums <- big_apply(X, a.FUN = function(X, ind) rowSums(X[ind, ]), ind = rows_along(X), a.combine = 'c', block.size = 100))
#> num [1:517] 6243 6168 6242 6249 6212 ...
# it is usually preferred to split along columns # because matrices are stored by column. str(rowsums2 <- big_apply(X, a.FUN = function(X, ind) rowSums(X[, ind]), a.combine = 'plus'))
#> num [1:517] 6243 6168 6242 6249 6212 ...
## Every extra parameter to 'a.FUN' should be passed to 'big_apply' # get the crossproduct between X and a matrix A # note that we don't explicitly pass 'ind.col' to 'a.FUN' body(big_cprodMat)
#> { #> check_args() #> assert_lengths(ind.row, rows_along(A.row)) #> if (length(ind.row) > 0 && length(ind.col) > 0) { #> big_apply(X, a.FUN = function(X, ind, M, ind.row) { #> crossprod(X[ind.row, ind, drop = FALSE], M) #> }, a.combine = "rbind", ind = ind.col, ncores = ncores, #> block.size = block.size, M = A.row, ind.row = ind.row) #> } #> else { #> matrix(0, length(ind.col), ncol(A.row)) #> } #> }
# get the product between X and a matrix B # here, we must explicitly pass 'ind.col' to 'a.FUN' # because the right matrix also needs to be subsetted. body(big_prodMat)
#> { #> check_args() #> assert_lengths(ind.col, rows_along(A.col)) #> if (length(ind.row) > 0 && length(ind.col) > 0) { #> big_apply(X, a.FUN = function(X, ind, M, ind.row, ind.col) { #> X[ind.row, ind.col[ind], drop = FALSE] %*% M[ind, #> , drop = FALSE] #> }, a.combine = "plus", ind = seq_along(ind.col), ncores = ncores, #> block.size = block.size, M = A.col, ind.row = ind.row, #> ind.col = ind.col) #> } #> else { #> matrix(0, length(ind.row), ncol(A.col)) #> } #> }


Post-COVID Background Checks in Child Care Facilities
As a background check service provider, your responsibility is not just about offering data to organizations. It's about enabling them to reduce risks such as high insurance premiums, absenteeism, employee turnover, theft, accidents, and decreased productivity with the aim of protecting the company, its employees, and customers.
This is why it is crucial that your wholesale employment screening data provider takes note of emerging risks and collects the relevant data. At present, COVID-19 highlights the need to have an exemplary wholesale employee screening solutions partner with COVID-regulated data for child care.
As companies continue to resume operations and recalling staff, parents will need a safe environment to leave their children. Though there are child care facilities, they have been forced to operate below capacity due to social distancing regulations, resulting in limited options. This is especially so in urban areas where space was limited in the first place.
Also, amidst this pandemic, it's not just about finding a child care center for children but finding one where the necessary preventive and precautionary measures for COVID are implemented. This calls for child care facilities with responsible and reliable staff. As a result, there is a greater need to access reliable wholesale employment screening data to meet your clients' needs.
Why Demand for Child Care Facility Employment Screening Is Going Up
Based on present circumstances, it is highly likely that children will remain home beyond summer. In this case, the usual capacity within child care facilities will be unable to satisfy the demand. This has been highlighted in different states that had to pass special child care regulations for the COVID period.
One such regulation is the reservation of child care facilities for essential service providers. This includes law enforcement personnel and medical staff. As organizations recall staff back to work, they're being forced to address the challenges they face with childcare.
At first, employees reported to work in shifts to ensure that they can take care of their children. However, with this not being a desirable operation mode, companies are now creating in-facility child care centers for their staff.
To ensure the children's safety and resolve any concerns their employees may have, your wholesale employment screening partner should provide you with the relevant data.
Federal Law
Other than ensuring children's safety, new child care centers need to conduct background checks on employees in order to be compliant with the law. Under federal law, all state and federal criminal background checks must be implemented on child care providers by the state.
During screening, child care personnel are subjected to fingerprint checks on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) database. This is to ensure that staff do not have a criminal history and are not a danger to children's health and safety.
Information on final dispositions for arrests on a person's rap sheet is not included in the FBI database. Therefore, your wholesale employment screening partner should provide you with data for local misdemeanors and felonies as you run checks on prospective hires for child care centers. Other areas to assist child care facilities as a background screening company is checking whether potential employees have a history of child neglect, abuse, or sexual offenses.
Screening is not limited to staff alone but should also include all adults who may have unsupervised access to children, including part-time employees, guests, and volunteers.
Why a Reliable Wholesale Employment Screening Partner Is Especially Important During the Covid-19 Pandemic
As new child care centers begin operations, employees are not only required to be conversant with child care but also COVID regulations. They need to ensure all children are screened upon entry, social distancing is observed, masks are worn, and proper sanitation practices maintained. This requires highly competent and responsible employees.
Are you in need of a dependable wholesale employment screening data provider? File Finders is a wholesale employment screening service provider committed to conducting thorough public record research to ensure clients have access to all the data available. Contact us today for thorough wholesale employment screening solutions.


Definitions for "berry"
a juicy fruit with seeds immersed in pulp
Old province which has now become the department of Cher and the department of Indre. This region has an internationally renound status thanks to its wines: Sancerre, Ménetou-Salon, Quincy and Reuilly.
Berry is a region located in the center of France. It was a province of France until the provinces were replaced by dÃ©partements on March 4, 1790.
Keywords: hillock, mound
A mound; a hillock.
Keywords: went, summer, pick, gather
Keywords: nominative
Keywords: ova, eggs, fish, one
One of the ova or eggs of a fish.
Keywords: singer, born, rock, united
United States rock singer (born in 1931)
Keywords: bean, coffee
The coffee bean.
berry is a XML-based interpreted language for many purposes
Keywords: bear, produce
To bear or produce berries.


text:
No, this is not a new Nintendo Wii game. This is actually research project at the University of Southern Denmark. The project is called Casmobot (Computer Assisted Slope Mowing Robot). 'The Casmobot project is about making grass cutting more efficient,' said Kjeld Jensen, a robotics researcher at the University of Southern Denmark who developed the system. It uses a standard Wiimote that communicates via Bluetooth to a computer and robotics module built into the mower. Actions of the mower are matched to tilt actions of the remote. For example, if you tilt the remote down the mower moves forwards; tilt it up, and it moves backwards, and so on. The Wiimote can be used to control the mower manually or in computer-assisted mode, where the mower uses autonomous navgiation based on RTK GPS positioning to cut larger areas."
See video below.


How many RPMs does a CD spin at?
It depends. The old phonograph records spun at a constant speed (for example, 33 or 45 revolutions per minute).
That made it easy to make a turntable to handle them, but it meant that the music recorded near the outside of the record had better sound than the music recorded on the inner grooves.
A CD solves this by varying its speed as it plays, so that the speed of the bumps below the laser beam always stays constant.
That means that as the CD begins playing, the music on the inside groove (yes, the album starts on the inside and works its way toward the outside) sounds as good as the music near the outside.
On the inside grooves, a CD spins at a rate of 200 revolutions per minute and gets as fast as 500 rpm as the laser beam approaches the outside edge.
About Karen Hill
4 thoughts on "How many RPMs does a CD spin at?"
 1. No, Outside edge has farther to go, so must spin faster to cover that distance. Think of an 800m running Track, outside lane gets a head start.
 2. How could the outside spin faster than the inside..
 RPM = Revolutions per minutes..
 Yes the outside might travel faster but it does "EXACTLY" the same number of revolutions per minute otherwise it wouldnt be a solid disc.
 3. The device has variable speed. As the laser nears the outer portion of the cd the device increases rpm. The cd does not spin at two speeds simultaneously.
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text:
Often in English, I'll add an "er" or "ed" to the end of a noun to create an impromptu slang verb. How would you do the same in French?
For example, how would you say "He was water-bottle'ed out of a job!" (as in some off the cuff, clever remark where the made-up verb only makes sense in the moment)?
Maybe a more tangible but still relevant example is "I would like to Skype." Would that be "Je voudrais à Skype"?


text:
He is considered the liberator of France from the occupying Germans force in Normandy in 1944. Born in Port-au-Prince (Haiti) on October 24, 1899 and died in Cormeilles-Parisis November 20, 1962, is an officer of the French Navy and Companion of the Liberation.
During World War II, he created and directed the first French navy commandos, known as Commando Kieffer; one of the first units – and the only French unit formed — who landed on the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944. He participated in the capture of Colleville before its junction with the British paratroopers at Pegasus Bridge. After the Normandy campaign , he fought in Belgium and the Netherlands, for the liberation of Europe . He is considered the founder of the French "Green Berets." The sixth French navy commando, founded in 2008 , bears his name.
Philippe Kieffer a son of Haiti , where he was married and had two children. He was the Director of the National Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BNRH) and one of the first secretaries of the Chamber of Commerce and Franco- Haitian industry for several years and an advisor to ministry of foreign affairs.
His son Claude , born in Petion-ville , who had joined the Resistance in Paris died at age 21, shot by the Gestapo. His father learned of his death three days before marching at the head of his troops in the streets of liberated Paris.
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text:
Market structure and disempowering regulatory intermediaries: Insights from U.S. trade surveillance
Miles Kellerman, DPhil student, has published a new article presenting the 'Marketing Structure Hypothesis'.
Public agencies outsource a wide variety of tasks to nonstate actors, or what can be referred to as regulatory intermediaries. In certain circumstances, these agencies may seek to disempower those regulatory intermediaries by reclaiming, duplicating, or transferring the outsourced task. When will these disempowerment attempts be successful? This article presents the Market Structure Hypothesis, which contends that the level of competition between regulatory intermediaries will, all things equal, determine whether disempowerment attempts succeed. To test this hypothesis, this article examines the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's attempts to acquire the independent capacity to conduct nationwide trade surveillance in the 1980s (Market Oversight Surveillance System) and 2010s (Consolidated Audit Trail). Evidence derives from archival materials, a Freedom of Information Act Request, and 60 interviews in Oxford, London, Toronto, New York City, and Washington, DC. The empirical results corroborate the hypothesis' expectations, contributing to our understanding of public‐private partnerships and shedding new empirical light on an understudied topic of securities regulation.


text:
A Fundamental Examination of Recognition of Manual Alphabets on Color Image
Yuji Nagashima, Masanori Fujii, Kazuyuki Kanda*,
Mina Terauchi**, Hideyo Nagashima
Kogakuin University, 2665-1, Nakano-machi, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo, 192 Japan
* Chukyo University, 101, Tokodate, Kaizu-cho, Toyota-shi, 470-03 Japan
** The Polytechnic University, 4-1-1, Hashimoto-dai, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa, 229 Japan
Recognition of the handshape is the indispensable step to recognize the JSL (Japanese Sign Language) which uses hands as a part of articulators. We start from recognition of Manual Alphabets (MA below) as a basis to understand the handshape of a sign. In our method considering its application to sign recognition at bust shot size image, we succeeded in obtaining a hand region of the bust shot color image (512 x 512 pixels) by transforming RGB system into HVC (Hue, Value and Chroma) system, and by cutting out automatically a region of a hand out of a region in skin color. The finger region was extracted out by the Erosion-Dilation method from the hand region and the features such as finger vector were obtained. We detected a direction of gradient direction and a figure of a contacted extended finger and used them as the features, which constructed a decision tree and made the MA recognized.
This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationa License.


text:
「もしも」の語り合いが開く子ども理解の可能性 : 複線径路・等至性モデル（TEM）を応用した園内研修の試み
Development of Understanding Children by Discussing the "ifs" : The trial of Early Childhood Education and Care Conference using Trajectory Equifinality Model (TEM)
Understanding children is important in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) practice. The ECEC conference is an opportunity for practitioners to deepen their understanding of children. This research focuses on the Trajectory Equifinality Model (TEM), which is the methodology of qualitative research as a tool promoting a practitioner's understanding of children in the ECEC conference. The features of the TEM are modeling the process of a research participant's experience and imagining and considering the possibilities ("ifs") of a different experience from just the facts. This research clarifies the meaning of these features of the TEM for the practitioner's understanding of children. The ECEC conference use of the TEM was tried, and the conversation of the practitioners there was analyzed. As a result, it was revealed that two developments of understanding children was brought to the practitioners by discussing the experience and the "ifs" of the target child. First, the practitioners can obtain a reasonable understanding of the cases and the children by comparing the facts and the "ifs." Second, the practitioners can discover a child's potential capabilities and demands by imagining the figure of a child's "ifs." Therefore, the ECEC conference using the TEM supports the practitioners catching a child's state and intentionality and planning a suitable assistance.
広島大学大学院教育学研究科紀要. 第三部, 教育人間科学関連領域


text:
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is a ministry of the Nigerian government that regulates agricultural research, agriculture and natural resources, forestry and veterinary research throughout Nigeria. Audu Innocent Ogbeh is the current Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. He was appointed to head the ministry by president Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015.
Akinwumi Adesina was appointed Federal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development by President Goodluck Jonathan in June 2011. The ministry was previously headed by Adamu Bello, Abba Sayyadi Ruma and Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah.
The ministry is responsible for various parastatals. It supervises and provides funding for research institutes such as the National Root Crops Research Institute and colleges of agriculture and forestry.
- "Ministry of Agriculture & Water Resources". AfDevInfo. Retrieved 2010-03-27.
- "BREAKING:Audu Ogbeh appointed Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development". November 11, 2015.
- "Welcome". Abba Sayyadi Ruma. Archived from the original on 2010-03-26. Retrieved 2009-12-15.
- George Oji (7 April 2010). "Jonathan Takes Over Ministry of Power". ThisDay. Retrieved 2011-02-27.
- Ibukun Odusote Archived 2 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine., Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Retrieved 23 January 2016


text: Variation in speech is often quantified by comparing phonetic transcriptions of the same utterance. However, manually transcribing speech is time-consuming and error prone. As an alternative, therefore, we investigate the extraction of acoustic embeddings from several self-supervised neural models. We use these representations to compute word-based pronunciation differences between non-native and native speakers of English, and between Norwegian dialect speakers. For comparison with several earlier studies, we evaluate how well these differences match human perception by comparing them with available human judgements of similarity. We show that speech representations extracted from a specific type of neural model (i.e. Transformers) lead to a better match with human perception than two earlier approaches on the basis of phonetic transcriptions and MFCC-based acoustic features. We furthermore find that features from the neural models can generally best be extracted from one of the middle hidden layers than from the final layer. We also demonstrate that neural speech representations not only capture segmental differences, but also intonational and durational differences that cannot adequately be represented by a set of discrete symbols used in phonetic transcriptions.


(session_info)
Registering Strategies
Intended for plugin developers as a way to make it easy to use
strategies there is the possibility to register a strategy without loading it.
 Authentication.register(:my_strategy, "/absolute/path/to/strategy.rb")
This then allows developers to use
Providing feedback to users (Error Messages)
There's at least 4 ways to provide feedback to users for failed logins.
 - Overwrite Merb::Authentication#error_message The return of this method is
 the default message that is passed to the Unauthenticated exception. Overwrite
 this to provide a very basic catch all message.
 - Provide a default message when you declare your before filter.
 before :ensure_authenticated, :with => [Openid, :message => "Could not log you in with open ID"]
 - OR
 before :ensure_authentication, :with => {:message => "Sorry Buddy… You Lose"}
 When you pass a message, it will replace the Merb::Authentication#error_message default for this
 - Use an after filter for your login action. This can be used to set your messaging system. For example:
 after :set_login_message, :only => [:create]
private def set_login_message if session.authenticated? flash[:message] = "Welcome" else flash[:error] = "Bad.. You Fail" end end
 - Use the authentications error messaging inside your strategies to set error messages there.
 You can add to these errors just like adding to DataMappers validation errors.
session.authentication.errors.add("Label", "You Fail")
Add as many as you like, ask session.authentication.errors.on(:label) to get specific errors etc Really… They're just like the DataMapper validation errors. The bonus of using this system is that you can add messages inside your Strategies, and then in your views you can do this:
<%= error_messages_for sessions.authentication %>
Additional checks / actions to perform after the user is found
Sometimes you may need to perform additional operations on the user object
after you have found a valid user in the strategy. There is a hook method
Merb::Authentication.after_authentication which is designed for this.
Here's an example of checking that a user object is active after it's been
Merb::Authentication.after_authentication do |user, request, params|? user : nil end
Pass the user model on if everything is still ok. Return nil if you decide in the
after_authentication hook that the user should in fact not be allowed to be authenticated.
By default this plugin doesn't actually
authenticate anything ;) It's up to you to get your model going, and add an
authentication strategy.
To logout use
session.abandon! and to force a login at any time use
raise Unauthenticated, "You Aren't Cool Enough"
 1. Adam French –
 2. Daniel Neighman –
 3. Ben Burket –
Something went wrong with that request. Please try again.


Heavy rain and hailstorms hit parts of the UAE
Warning issued as water floods wadis in eastern areas of the country
A screengrab from Thursday afternoon shows a band of rain sweeping across the UAE from the East. Courtesy Windy.com
Thundershowers accompanied by hailstorms lashed the northern and eastern regions of the UAE on Thursday evening flooding stretches of roads and filling up wadis.
The National Centre of Meteorology issued an alert cautioning people to be aware of bad weather conditions through the evening.
The rain caused flooding on motorways leading to towns including Hatta and Khorfakkan and created mini waterfalls on nearby rocky hills. Residents posted videos of themselves scooping pebble-sized hailstones from the side of the road, on social media.
The bureau shared videos of water gushing through the wadis near Masafi, Khorfakkan and Ras Al Khaimah, warning that heavy rains were expected to continue.
Hail and heavy rain was even reported in Al Ain and downpours are expected to continue throughout the weekend.
Authorities routinely caution residents against driving to valleys to watch the rain, for fear they get swept away by flash flooding.
The winds of up to 40kph whipped up dust and reduced visibility in coastal and hilly areas of the country.
This week, a sudden storm caused flooding across Dubai. Drivers were forced to contend with low visibility and hazardous road conditions as pools of water formed on highways throughout the emirate.
How does hail form in the summer?
It may seem like an unlikely pairing, but hail can be common to countries that fall between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn during the summer.
This is because surface temperatures are warm enough to promote the instability associated with strong thunderstorms but the upper atmosphere is still cold enough to support ice.
Hail forms when strong currents of rising air, known as updrafts, carry water droplets high enough that they freeze.
A particularly strong updraft can allow the hailstones to grow large enough that they do not melt by the time they fall back and reach the ground.
Once they grow large enough to begin falling, the can drop as fast as 140kph, causing some damage when they land.
Published: October 10, 2019 05:52 PM
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text:
When your investigation is complete, it is sent to a Central Adjudications Facility (CAF). An adjudicator at a CAF will review all of the information, both "good" and "bad" (remember, the "whole person") and assess it the information against the Federal Adjudicative Guidelines to decide if you're eligible for a clearance or position of trust.
- If no significant adverse information turns up, you'll be granted a clearance eligibility at the level requested by your agency.
- If significant, adverse material develops, it could mean that your case will be delayed until additional information is gathered and facts are verified. Ultimately, you may be denied a clearance.
Adjudication is the decision whether to grant or deny/revoke either a clearance or the eligibility to perform sensitive duties based upon the investigative evidence.
During the adjudication process, adjudicators use a "whole person" concept in determining whether a clearance or eligibility is to be granted. They carefully weigh the information that has been gathered during investigation, favorable and unfavorable, past and present. The employee's strengths are evaluated to determine whether these strengths outweigh any weaknesses. Each case is judged on its own merit.


text: Supervisory control strategy of a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) provides target powers and operating points of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. To promise efficient driving of the HEV, it is needed to find the proper values of control parameters which are used in the strategy. However, it is very difficult to find the optimal values of the parameters by doing experimental tests, since there are plural parameters which have dependent relationship between each other. Furthermore variation of the test results makes it difficult to extract the effect of a specific parameter change. In this study, a model based parameter optimization method is introduced. A vehicle simulation model having the most of dynamics related to fuel consumption was developed and validated with various experimental data from real vehicles. And then, the supervisory control logic including the control parameters was connected to the vehicle model. This simulation environment was used as an evaluation function in genetic algorithm to find the optimal parameter values. Additionally, a distributed computing technology was used to reduce the calculation time of the optimization process. The optimized values of the parameters are expected to be a good start point of parameter tuning on real vehicles.


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Dynamic RecordSets in Qlikview
19 September, 2018
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Dynamic RecordSets in Qlikview Introduction
Point in Time reporting is easily achieved using set analysis. If you wanted to obtain the years sales for 2010 the following set analysis would be used:-
Sum({$<Year = {2010}>}Sales)
If you wanted to return Sales for the immediate previous year to whatever the user selects, you can use the aggregation function.
First determine the function that will return the required value, Max(Year) – 1. In this example if the user selects 2010, the function will return 2009, if the user makes multiple selections or no selections at all; you will still get the value of the previous year based on the last possible year.
Next you use this function as a set modifier in the final expression, as follows:-
$(=Function()) (NB equal sign)
The final expression would look as follows:-
Sum({$<Year = {$(=Max(Year) – 1))}Sales)
This approach works equally well for Quarters, Months, Days etc. however its' limitation is demonstrated when working with months for example, if a user selects Month 1 (January) and uses the function Max(Month)a zero will be returned and this is not what is required.
Adding and Removing the Values to Selections:
The following operators can be used to modify the selections that have been made by the user
= Redefines the selection made for a given field
+= Defines a union between the selected field value and the next specified:-
Sum({$<Year += {2009, 2010}>}Sales)
This expression will return the sales for the years that the user has selected AND the years 2009 and 2010.
-= Defines an exclusion of the value specified from the value that the user has selected:-
Sum({$<Product -= {'Product X'}>}Sales)
This expression will return the sales for the products the user has selected excluding Product X.
*= Defines the values that occur in both the users selections and the values specified in the set expression:-
Sum({$<Product *= {'Product X'}>}Sales)
This expression will return sales for the current selection but only for the intersection of currently selected products and Product X.
/= this defines an XOR, the resulting record set will contain the values present in either one set but not in the other
Sum({$<ProductNumber*= {"33*"}>}Sales)
This expression will return sales for the current selection but only for the intersection of currently selected products and all the products with numbers starting with 33.
More Examples:
Sum of Sales and ignore specific selections for Customer Country and Policy Status
SUM( {$<[Customer Country] = , [Policy Status] = >}Sales )
Sum of Sales where Policy Created Year equals variable vMaxCreatedYear
SUM({$<[Policy Created Year] = {$(#vMaxCreatedYear)}>}Sales )
Sum of Sales where Policy Created Year greater than or equal to variable v2002
SUM({$<[Policy Created Year] = {">=$(#v2002)"}>}Sales )
Sum of Sales where Policy Created Year less than variable v2002
SUM({$<[Policy Created Year] = {"<$(#v2002)"}>}Sales )
Sum of Sales where Policy Created Year greater than or equal to v2002 and less than or equal to v2004
SUM({$<[Policy Created Year] = {">=$(#v2002) <=$(#v2004)"} >}Sales )
Sum of Sales where Product not equal to Life Plan
SUM({$<Product -= {"Life Plan"} >}Sales )
Sum of Sales where Policy Created Year is greater than1999 but less than 2004
SUM({$<[Policy Created Year] = {">1999<2004"}>}Sales)
Sum of Sales for policies created in the Years beginning "200*"
SUM({$<[Policy Created Year] = {"200*"}>}Sales)
Sum of Sales excluding where Product equals *Plan*
SUM({$<~Product = {"*Plan*"}>}Sales)
Sum of Sales to include all current selections and the union of the 2 products, Life Plan and Fleet Secure
SUM({$<Product += {"Life Plan", "Fleet Secure"} >}Sales )
Sum of Sales to include all current selections and Years 20* and 1997 minus the year 2000
SUM({$<[Policy Created Year] += {"20*",1997} – {2000} >} Sales )
Sum of Sales to include all current selections, and intersect of product Fleet Secure
SUM({$<Product *= {"Fleet Secure"} >}Sales )
Below expression returns the sum of sales for the previous year in relation to the current selection. A dollar-sign expansion is used to calculate the previous year:-
SUM({$<[Policy Created Year] = {$(#=Only([Policy Created Year])-1)}>}Sales )
Below expression returns the sum of Sales for all current selections excluding the products with Plan and Secure in their title
SUM({$-1<Product = {"*Plan*", "*Secure*"}>}Sales )
Below expression return the sum of sales for all current selections, with a new selection in the "Customer" field. Only include customers who during 2007 had total sales of more than _PHONE_
SUM({$<Customer = {"=Sum({1<Year = {2007}>} Sales ) > _PHONE_"}>}Sales )
YTD, QTD, MTD and WTD
Year, Quarter, Month and Week To Date are the common analysis that we have seen many applications.
First to do this your data model should have the DateField in number format by applying floor
Similar to this
Floor(DateField) AS DateNum //it will gives you one whole number to represent date
YTD - Year To Date
A date should be selected and it will look for the Starting date of the year to the selected date.
Ex: date selected is 21-03-2014 then YTD is 01-01-2014 to 21-03-2014 Expression would be
Sum({<Year=, Month=, Quarter=, Week=, DateField=,DateNum={">=$(=Num(YearStart(Max(DateNum))))<=$(=Max(DateNum))"}>} Sales)
QTD- Quarter to Date
In the place of year use Quarter
Sum({<Year=, Month=, Quarter=, Week=, DateField=,
DateNum={">=$(=Num(QuarterStart(Max(DateNum))))<=$(=Max(DateNum))"}>} Sales)
MTD- Month to Date
Sum({<Year=, Month=, Quarter=, Week=, DateField=,
DateNum={">=$(=Num(MonthStart(Max(DateNum))))<=$(=Max(DateNum))"}>} Sales)
WTD- Month to Date
Sum({<Year=, Month=, Quarter=, Week=, DateField=,
DateNum={">=$(=Num(WeekStart(Max(DateNum))))<=$(=Max(DateNum))"}>} Sales)
if you want you can set a variable value as 'Year', 'Month', 'Quarter', 'Week', lets say vTo Date and go with single chart and single expression
Sum({<Year=, Month=, Quarter=, Week=, DateField=,
DateNum={">=$(=Num($(=vToDate&'Start(Max(DateNum))')))<=$(=Max(DateNum))"}>} Sales)
What – IF Analysis:
What if analysis 'is a technique that lets you assess changes before they happen. It greatly helps the business to predict their outcome of their decisions, lowering the risk. It also helps to quickly test a wide variety of scenarios using real-time data pulled straight from the database.
What-if scenarios can be useful in many cases. The sales driven organization for example, can take advantage of understanding the impact of rising costs, decreasing quantities of sold goods, changes in selling prices and how all of this affects the margin, just in a few simple clicks. It's quite simple to create such a what-if scenario in Qlikview.
The first thing to do is declaring variables for sliders to increase or decrease the values in percentage (%) for Sales, Cost or Quantity. Navigate to settings and choose Variable Overview.
Capture.614
In the variable overview, add the three new variables: vQty2, vCost2 and vSales2.
Capture.615
Now create three independent sliders with the following settings:
Capture.616
The cost, sales and Qty percentage (see picture below) text can be created by adding a text object with:
='Cost: '&chr(10)&num($(vCost2)/100,'


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Linear Substrate Transfer System with UHV Buffer
The DCA linear substrate transfer mechanism has been designed to provide easy and reliable substrate transfer between the load lock and any of the process chambers. The substrate transfer is through a UHV buffer chamber which acts as a UHV interface between the load lock and process chambers.
The transfer system includes a movable trolley which can hold up to twelve substrates depending on the substrate size.. The trolley runs on a stainless steel track which extends through the whole load lock/buffer chamber system. The trolley movement is achieved using magnetically coupled rotary drives housed on regular intervals on the sides of the load lock/buffer chamber modules. The trolley has a rack and pinion assembly on the bottom of the trolley which couples with these rotary drives. The DCA transfer system does not use wires or chains inside the vacuum.
The linear transfer system can be extended without limitations. The buffer module can also house pre-heating, analysis and various deposition sources.
Typical linear substrate transfer system with cassette load lock chamber and a UHV buffer chamber.
UHV Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) connected with two UHV sputtering chambers.
Multi chamber deposition system with three MBE growth chambers, UHV sputtering chamber and an analysis chamber connected with linear buffer line.


- This question is specifically about stationary or vehicle mounted crossbows, not man-portable ones
 - The projectile size would measure about 1.8 - 2 meters in length, so the crossbow would have corresponding proportions
 - The materials would be wood and metal/metal compounds, no plastics
 - The goal is to have a siege engine capable of cocking itslef, like a recoil operated firearm would
The easiest concept I have in my head for this would be as follows:
 1. There's a carriage riding on two rails that carries the projectile
 2. The carriage has two holes on the sides
 3. A wire is threaded through these holes
 4. At the front of the crossbow two springs are placed around the wire
 5. When the carriage gets released and propells the projectile it hits the springs and gets pushed back into it's resting position
Recoil operated crossbow (simple sketch of it)
 1. Could the cocking springs provide enough energy to push against the limbs and get the carriage back into it's resting position?
 2. Are there any pitfalls with a system like this?
 3. Is there a more efficient way to build a recoil operated crossbow?
 - 1
 $\begingroup$ Even if you neglect any losses, the potential energy stored in the limbs under tension is just exactly enough to "bounce back" from the spring and reload itself, but then there is nothing left to accelerate the projectile $\endgroup$ – OpticalResonator Apr 14 '20 at 20:15
To make my comment into an actual answer, this design is not feasible because the energy balance doesn't add up. All the energy that you have available is stored in the limbs being pulled back. Now you need to do three things with it:
 1. Accelerate the projectile
 2. Reload the crossbow
 3. Overcome friction in the system
The problem is, that the energy required for reloading is exactly the same as you started out with, but you still want to accelerate your projectile, so both together doesn't work. Not to mention friction losses of the sliding action and in the springs, so even without projectile it would probably not work.
The reason automatic firearms can do this, is that they tap the high pressure gas in the barrel, basically using some of the chemical energy in the gunpowder.
 - $\begingroup$ So if I understand this correctly, the stiffness of the springs doesn't matter. This contraption would use part of it's initial energy on propelling the projectile (to a high enough velocity) and part of it on trying to reload, but ultimately fail at both. $\endgroup$ – JED Apr 14 '20 at 20:45
 - $\begingroup$ Yes, basically that, whether it fails at shooting the projectile of course depends on how far you want to shoot. The stiffness of the springs only influences how much energy per length is stored, you cannot create more than you put in. This crossbow design is kinda just another attempt at a perpetuum mobile. $\endgroup$ – OpticalResonator Apr 14 '20 at 20:48
 - 1
 $\begingroup$ I realized that I was trying to add more energy to the system from nowhere when I read your answer. I thought about the recocking, but not the fact that propelling the bolt actually requires more energy than just releasing the limb without any load. Thanks for the answer. $\endgroup$ – JED Apr 14 '20 at 20:53
 - $\begingroup$ Glad I could help :) it's a creative design nonetheless $\endgroup$ – OpticalResonator Apr 14 '20 at 20:54
Your Answer


text:
Bag-in-box wines are more likely than their bottled counterparts to develop unpleasant flavors, aromas and colors when stored at warm temperatures, a new study has found. Published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, it emphasizes the importance of storing these popular, economical vintages at cool temperatures.
Helene Hopfer and colleagues explain that compounds in wine react with oxygen in the air to change the way wine looks, tastes and smells. These reactions speed up with increasing temperature. Many winemakers are moving away from the traditional packaging for wine — glass bottles sealed with a natural cork stopper — and trying synthetic corks, screw caps or wine in a plastic bag inside a cardboard box. The scientists wanted to find out how this transition might affect the taste and aroma of wine under different storage conditions.
Using chemical analysis and a panel of trained tasters, the authors studied how storage at various temperatures affected unoaked California Chardonnay stored for three months in different wine packaging types: natural and synthetic corks, screw caps and two kinds of bag-in-box containers. Storage temperature had the biggest impact on all of the wines. Bag wine stored at 68 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit aged significantly faster than the bottled counterparts, becoming darker and developing vinegar notes. All the wines they tested aged better when stored at 50 degrees F.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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Using your AC to make distilled water
Your AC produces distilled water for free
There are a number of special applications where one needs distilled water such as keeping the sponge for your soldering iron wet, ironing shirts or re-filling car batteries (non sealed car batteries without a platinum sponge).
Many people buy distilled water and don't realize that they could have it for free.
If you have an air conditioning in your house then you have distilled water. The AC has a drain pipe somewhere and therefore we are not really aware of the distilled water that is beeing produced but it's a lot of water.
A central air conditioning for a 3 to 4 bedroom house produces on a warm summer day about 20 Liter (5 Gallon) of distilled water. That's a lot of distilled water every day.
So here is how to harvest the distilled water. It works best with ceneral air conditioning systems. Compact window mounted units are often constructed such that the water accumulated in condenser flows onto the hot outside parts of the AC where it evaporates. You don't get a lot of water from those units unless you open them. It's high quality distilled water and it's really distilled (that is: made by condensing water vapor). Most distilled water sold in the shops is not actually distilled. It is generated by running tap water through an ion exchanger.
Back to: "No preservatives added"
© 2004-2023 Guido Socher


text:
The field of Feminist Ethics can be applied to pain management to understand the perspective of both the patient and nurse. Three concepts derived from Feminist Ethics are applied to the care of people in pain including relationship, compassion, and respect. Through narratives of patients, nurses, and family caregivers this paper explores the experience of pain.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Advanced and Specialized Nursing


text:
A conversation about the upcoming Rakia mission.
Ran has been the director-general of the Ramon Foundation since June 2015. The foundation has 101 employees and is one of Israel's most prominent non-profits. In recent years, the foundation's educational activities, established by Rona Ramon, have spread to all parts of Israel (80 local municipalities) and became global- with operations in Singapore, Ghana, Chile, and Slovenia. At the same time, the foundation became a key player in the Spacetech scene in Israel as it facilitates the Israeli space agency's innovation workshops, international conferences, meetups, and accelerators.
Before the Ramon Foundation, Ran served for four years as head of business development at the strategic consulting firm TARA. He consulted leading public bodies in Israel: local authorities, higher education institutions, hospitals, and nonprofit organizations. Livne was also the chairman of the biggest student bodyboard in Israel (Tel Aviv University). Ran is a graduate of the International Space University. He holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and literature from Tel Aviv University and an MBA from the global strategy track at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya.
In this webtalk, we will discuss the upcoming Rakia mission. In 2020, the Ramon Foundation became the first nonprofit in the world to manage a human-crewed space mission. The foundation facilitated all science, education, and outreach activities of Mr. Eytan Stibbe, the second Israeli in space who takes part in the Axiom1 mission. The Rakia mission (The Israeli part of Ax1) consists of over 30 experiments and technology demonstrations from various fields of the Israeli startup scene. Its education program plans to touch over 1,200,000 children across the country.
The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions in dialogue with Ran Livne.
SpaceWatch.Global is a Switzerland-based digital magazine and portal for those interested in space and the far-reaching impact of the space sector.
This Space Café WebTalk will be conducted in English on 15 February 2022 at 4 pm CET.
Reserve your place today.


Publication: Improving Digital Handoff Using the Space Above the Table
Object handoff - that is, passing an object or tool to another person - is an extremely common activity in collaborative tabletop work. On digital tables, object handoff is typically accomplished by sliding them on the table surface - but surface-only interactions can be slow and error-prone, particularly when there are multiple people carrying out multiple handoffs. An alternative approach is to use the space above the table for object handoff; this provides more room to move, but requires above-surface tracking. We have developed two above-the-surface handoff techniques that use simple and inexpensive tracking: a force-field technique that uses a depth camera to determine hand proximity, and an electromagnetic-field technique called ElectroTouch that provides positive indication when people touch hands over the table. We compared the new techniques to three kinds of surface-only handoff (sliding, flicking, and surface-only Force-Fields). The study showed that the above-surface techniques significantly improved both speed and accuracy, and that ElectroTouch was the best technique overall. This work provides designers with practical new techniques for substantially increasing performance and interaction richness on digital tables.
Downloads
PDF
Video
Participants
Steve Sutcliffe
University of Saskatchewan
Zenja Ivkovic
University of Saskatchewan
David Flatla
University of Dundee
Andriy Pavlovych
University of Saskatchewan
Ian Stavness
University of Saskatchewan
Carl Gutwin
University of Saskatchewan
Citation
Sutcliffe, S.W.T., Ivkovic, Z., Flatla, D.R., Pavlovych, A., Stavness, I., Gutwin, C. 2013. Improving Digital Handoff Using the Space Above the Table. In CHI 2013: Proceedings of the 31st international conference on Human factors in computing systems, Paris, France. 735-744. DOI=10.1145/_PHONE_._PHONE_.
BibTeX
@inproceedings {289-paper179,
author= {Steve Sutcliffe and Zenja Ivkovic and David Flatla and Andriy Pavlovych and Ian Stavness and Carl Gutwin},
title= {Improving Digital Handoff Using the Space Above the Table},
booktitle= {CHI 2013: Proceedings of the 31st international conference on Human factors in computing systems},
year= {2013},
address= {Paris, France},
pages= {735-744}
}


text:
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Advance Trac with Roll Stabilty Control from Ford
Presenting Advance Trac with Roll Stability Control from Ford Motor Company.
- The system combines information from several sensors, including the steering wheel angle, lateral acceleration and yaw rate, to determine when the vehicle begins to lose directional control. So when you are a little overly zealous through the curves your vehicle will help save you from flipping. When the system senses wheel-slip or the loss of traction, it applies braking where needed to keep the vehicle tracking safely on its intended path. It is constantly checking your wheels something crazy like 60 times a second.
- Unlike competitor's systems, the Ford-exclusive RSC system uses a second gyroscopic roll-rate sensor to accurately measure the vehicle's roll rate. Using the roll-rate sensor, RSC can adapt the level of control to the loading conditions of the vehicle. If an unstable condition is anticipated, the system selectively applies individual brakes and modifies engine power to enhance vehicle roll resistance. Additionally, RSC uses the information from the roll-rate sensor to provide not only roll control, but enhanced side-slip control over competitors without a roll-rate sensor. This technology was launched nearly ten years ago. Ford is truly leading the way in safe SUV's. These three technologies are working together to address safe driving.
If you visit Gresham Ford on 242nd and Powell Blvd in Gresham you can see how the AdvanceTrac button on the instrument panel and how it provides the following electronic stability enhancement features for certain driving situations:
– Traction Control (TCS), which functions to help avoid drive-wheel spin and loss of traction
– Electronic Stability Control (ESC), which functions to help avoid skids or lateral slides
– Roll Stability Control (RSC), which functions to help avoid a vehicle rollover
With all this technology remember, you can't deny physics so drive safe.
Click Here to see a YouTube Video that details this fascinating technology.
Gresham Ford, New Ford vehicles, Ford Dealership, Ford Edge, Ford F-150, Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, Ford Focus, Ford Fusion, Ford Mustang, Ford Flex, Ford Taurus, Ford Escape, Ford Escape Hybrid, Ford Ranger, Ford F-250, Ford F-350, Ford F-450, Ford Taurus X, Ford Econoline Vans, and Ford Low Cab Forward Trucks. Service, Parts, Fleet Sales, Rentals, Used Cars, Used Trucks, Community, Used SUV, Used Commercial Trucks.


text:
Sea-eagle nests sighted in Orissa
At least 10 nests of the endangered birds have been sighted in Orissa.india Updated: Aug 11, 2006 21:21 IST
At least 10 nests of the highly endangered white-bellied sea eagles have been sighted in Orissa's Bhitarkanika National Park.
While four nests were sighted in the Bagagahana area of the park, about 170 km from the capital Bhubaneswar, the others were spotted in the Eakakula and Barahamundia areas, divisional forest officer Ajay Kumar Jena said.
"Although in previous years we had sighted the nests of white-bellied sea eagles in the park, they were restricted to four. This is the first time that such a large number of nests have been spotted," Jena told IANS.
Last year, forest officials had rescued an injured fledgling of the species from a nest at Eakakula, treated its wounds and then released it.
Each female white-bellied sea eagle lays two eggs at a time and fledglings take about a month to emerge from the eggs. The bird can spread its wings up to a distance of seven feet and local people call it 'Kurabala', or the king of birds.
Other rare and endangered birds like the brahminy kite also nest on tall trees near riverbanks and creeks within Bhitarkanika. "Spoonbills and black-necked storks have also been sighted on a few occasions in the Gahiramatha coast and the Habalapatia areas of the sanctuary."
Orissa has three prominent bird habitats - Bhitarkanika, Nalabana Island in the Chilika Lake, about 100 km from here, and the Nandankanan botanical garden on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar.
Migratory birds rush to these locations during winter but they never nest. However, local birds gather in the first week of July and stay up to September every year if the weather is conducive.
The Bhitarkanika sanctuary is also known for its estuarine crocodiles and as a rookery of Olive Ridley sea turtles.
First Published: Aug 11, 2006 21:21 IST


How to Safely Increase the Replication Factor
Topic: What can happen when you increase RF
Audience: Scylla administrators
When a Replication Factor (RF) is increased the data consistency is effectively dropped by the difference of the RF_new value and the RF_old value for all pre-existing data. Consistency will only be restored after running a repair.
When one increases an RF, one should consider that the pre-existing data will not be streamed to new replicas (a common misconception).
As a result, in order to make sure that you can keep on reading the old data with the same level of consistency, increase the read Consistency Level (CL) according to the following formula:
CL_new = CL_old + RF_new - RF_old
After you run a repair, you can decrease the CL. If RF has only been changed in a particular Data Center (DC) only the nodes in that DC have to be repaired.
In this example your five node cluster RF is 3 and your CL is TWO. You want to increase your RF from 3 to 5.
 1. Increase the read CL by a RF_new - RF_old value. Following the example the RF_new is 5 and the RF_old is 3 so, 5-3 =2. You need to increase the CL by 2. As the CL is currently TWO, increasing it more would be QUORUM, but QUORUM would not be high enough. For now, increase it to ALL.
 2. Change the RF to RF_new. In this example, you would increase the RF to 5.
 3. Repair all tables of the corresponding keyspace. If RF has only been changed in a particular Data Center (DC), only the DC nodes have to be repaired.
 4. Restore the reads CL to the originally intended value. For this example, QUORUM.
If you do not follow the procedure above you may start reading stale or null data after increasing the RF.