Vaccines & Cross-Protection Across Strains
Casting a Wide Net
Much like influenza, circulating rotavirus strains change from year to year and region to region. While rotavirus strain diversity and distribution varies around the world, clinical studies and post-licensure research have found that, unlike influenza vaccines, the two rotavirus vaccines available on the global market provide protection against a variety of circulating strains, including strains not included in the vaccines.1-5
|VACCINE||PROTECTION AGAINST STRAINS NOT INCLUDED IN VACCINE||VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS||COUNTRY|
|Rotarix||G2P||71-94%||United States, Brazil, Bolivia|
|G3P||74-92%||United States, Bolivia|
Areas where future research is needed:
- Exploring alternative approaches such as parental delivery of rotavirus antigens and/or inactivated vaccines, which may have improved efficacy and could potentially lower the risk of intussusception.
- Examining how the gut microbiome influences vaccine effectiveness.
- Using new data from early adopting African countries to analyze risks and benefits to help countries evaluate vaccine programs and make decisions regarding sustained use.
- Examining barriers to rotavirus vaccine introduction and ways to overcome them.
- Continuing to research and develop new vaccine candidates to ensure sufficient supply and affordable prices.
1. Correia, J.B., et al., Effectiveness of monovalent rotavirus vaccine (Rotarix) against severe diarrhea caused by serotypically unrelated G2P strains in Brazil. J Infect Dis, 2010. 201(3): p. 363-9.
2. Justino, M.C., et al., Effectiveness of the monovalent G1P human rotavirus vaccine against hospitalization for severe G2P rotavirus gastroenteritis in Belem, Brazil. Pediatr Infect Dis J, 2011. 30(5): p. 396-401.
3. Payne, D.C., et al., Effectiveness of pentavalent and monovalent rotavirus vaccines in concurrent use among US children <5 years of age, 2009-2011. Clin Infect Dis, 2013. 57(1): p. 13-20.
4. Cortese, M.M., et al., Leveraging state immunization information systems to measure the effectiveness of rotavirus vaccine. Pediatrics, 2011. 128(6): p. e1474-81.
5. Cortese, M.M., et al., Effectiveness of monovalent and pentavalent rotavirus vaccine. Pediatrics, 2013. 132(1): p. e25-33.


From Eric Mink:
The following is the first in a series of three posts documenting Civil War graffiti at Aquia Church in Stafford County, Va. For a listing of all posts dealing with soldier graffiti in the Fredericksburg area, click here.
Stafford County, Virginia’s role in the Civil War is most frequently identified with the Union Army of the Potomac’s encampment during the winter of 1862-1863. The county had, however, felt the stress and strain of an earlier “occupation” when elements of the Confederate Army of the Potomac spent the winter of 1861-1862 encamped within its boundaries. Soldiers from both armies left their mark in Stafford and perhaps no place in the county shows the personal reminder of the Civil War better than at Aquia Church.
Aquia Episcopal Church sits along US Route 1 (formerly Telegraph Road) three miles north of Stafford Court House. Construction on the church began in 1751. Nearly complete four years later, it burned and was rebuilt utilizing the existing walls in 1757. The church is constructed of brick with locally quarried Aquia Creek sandstone used for its quoins, keystones and door frames. (Aquia Creek Sandstone was also used in the construction of Gunston Hall, the US Capitol and the White House.)
Stafford County found itself on the front lines during the first year of the Civil War. Following the July 1861 Battle of Manassas, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of the Potomac developed a defensive line that spread across Prince William County, Virginia, protecting the approaches from Washington, D.C. The Confederates also erected batteries and defenses along the Potomac River in an effort to hamper Union naval and shipping movements. This line was defended throughout the first winter of the war and as the Potomac River forms the eastern boundary of Stafford County many Confederates established camps throughout the region.
Telegraph Road was a primary route between Fredericksburg and the Confederate winter quarters in northern Stafford and Prince William Counties. Fredericksburg served as an important supply point and also housed Confederate hospitals during that first winter. As a prominent landmark along Telegraph Road, Aquia Church saw its fair share of visitors.
In early November 1861, the Fourth and Fifth Texas infantry regiments arrived at Brooke’s Station in Stafford County. They continued northward to Dumfries, where they joined the 1st Texas and Eighteenth Georgia regiments, thus creating what would become known as the Texas Brigade. The Texans spent the next few months camped at Dumfries, guarding the Potomac and other nearby points. They also found time to visit Aquia Church.
The quoins on Aquia Church are covered with graffiti. Much of it is illegible, much of it is from the 20th century, but there do remain visible names, initials and Civil War military designations carved into the soft sandstone. Three pieces of soldier graffiti can be attributed to members of the 5th Texas.
The first piece of Texas soldier graffiti (above) is located on a quoin to the left of the church’s primary entrance. It is the work of Charles McCally of Company F, 5th Texas Infantry. Charles enlisted in the company on September 26, 1861, while the regiment was stationed in Richmond, Va. From November 23 through December 30, 1861, McCally was detailed “as a scout.” One of his comrades remembered him as:
“a young man who had only resided in Beaumont a short time before enlisting. ‘Mc’ was of great vital force, ever active and courageous; was educated as a civil engineer and at a glance could take the lay of the surroundings and was a fast runner.” – William A. Fletcher, Rebel Private Front and Rear (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1954) p. 20
McCally received a promotion to the rank of corporal on January 1, 1862 and to sergeant on November 1 of the same year. Through most of 1863 and early 1864, McCally served as clerk for the regimental adjutant before being promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. With the promotion came a transfer to the Corps of Engineers and assigned to duty at the headquarters of General Edmund K. Smith.
An amusing story written by McCally’s tent mate is worth repeating. Following the Gettysburg Campaign, the 5th Texas found itself camped at Bunker Hill, Va. for several days with nothing to do but spend its time “sitting, or lying down, patching up.” Some members of Company F discovered a stash of several barrels of whiskey. The men filled their canteens with liquor and embarked on a two-day bender.
“I called ‘Mc’ to where I was lying and told him I was nearly dead for water, as I had drank none since he had filled my canteen. I started to pour the remaining whiskey out but he grabbed the canteen and said he would give it to some fellow, or empty it at the spring, and he started, the boys who were lying around threw him their canteens, so he left with six or eight. He was slow in returning and I wanted water awfully bad, although I had not taken a drink of whiskey, as I yet remembered my vow on the first day in Pennsylvania. It was reported that ‘Mc’ was found nearly drowned in the spring and had been dragged out and the canteens were scattered around, so I up and started, regardless of sore feet, and found ‘Mc’ on his back, sound asleep, with his purse on his breast and canteens nearby. I filled them, aroused ‘Mc’ and put the canteens on his shoulder and he staggered back to camp. I asked what was his intention when he put the purse on his breast and he said: ‘To catch a damned thief.’” – William A. Fletcher, Rebel Private Front and Rear (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1954) p. 66-67
Benjamin Wickliffe Bristow was born September 7, 1838 in Morgan County, Illinois. Benjamin graduated from Rush Medical College in Chicago in 1859. On June 21, 1861, Bristow enlisted, for the war, as a private in Company E, 20th Mississippi Infantry at Corinth, Miss. He transferred to Company C, 5th Texas Infantry on January 1, 1862. He survived the early campaigns until wounded in the hip on August 30, 1862 at the Second Battle of Manassas. Sent to Chimborazo Hospital No. 5 in Richmond, Va., he commenced a furlough in November to recover from his wounds. On June 10, 1863, Bristow received his discharge from army service.
Apparently not content to sit out the war, Bristow put his education to work. In March 1864, Bristow is listed as a surgeon on duty at the Confederate General Hospital in Columbia, Texas. On November 30, 1864 he received an appointment as an assistant surgeon in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States. His duty station was the General Hospital in Houston, Texas where it appears that he served out the remainder of the war.
After the war, Benjamin lived in Texas. The 1870 Census lists him as living in DeWitt County with a wife and two children. His occupation is given as doctor. The 1880 Census lists him as a physician living in Flatonia, Texas with his son. On July 13, 1896, Dr. Bristow was shot and killed by Trotter Hopkins, the brother of Bristow’s daughter-in-law. He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Flatonia.
George W. Starnes enlisted in Company F, 5th Texas Infantry on August 10, 1861 in Harrisburg, Texas. Starnes was appointed sergeant on November 22, 1861. Like Bristow, Starnes fell to a wound at Manassas on August 30, 1862. Due to this wound, he was left in Warrenton, Va. when the Confederate army moved north and then subsequently fell back into the Shenandoah Valley. While in Warrenton, Union authorities captured Starnes and presumably paroled him on September 29, 1862. Starnes succumbed to his wound on December 21, 1862.
On April 8, 1862, The Texans abandoned their camps near Dumfries and headed south to confront Union General George B. McClellan’s massive military buildup southeast of Richmond. Among the things they left behind were their names carved on Aquia Church, to remind us of their time spent there in the first winter of the war.
A second post will follow, focusing on some of the Union graffiti that remains on the exterior of the church.
Eric J. Mink


Design thinking is a creative approach to problem-solving, through collaboration and iterative thinking around design. Users’ context and affordances of technology are integrated, taking into consideration systemic constraints to create meaningful, implementable and contextual solutions.
Education technology plays an important role in the education sector today. Globally it is shaping how teachers teach, how students learn and how teachers develop skills through continuous professional development programs. EdTech in India is set to receive a further push with the recent launch of the Operation Digital Board which promises to bring interactive digital boards into 9 lakh classrooms for grades IX-XII. There is an urgent need to re-examine the traditional transmission mode of knowledge delivery via ICT tools.Technology tools must be leveraged to reimagine pedagogy to support interactive and active learning. To this end, CEIAR is committed to use design thinking to create a space where educators can examine the problem, assumptions, implications and design solutions by understanding learners and their contexts in authentic and humane ways.
This five-day workshop aims to equip and train participants in the creative process of designing technology-based solutions for a pertinent educational problem. Participants will be encouraged to identify and work with a teaching-learning issue emerging from their context. Through hands-on design experiences, participants will create a prototype for their tools/materials, test it and move towards another iteration of the same
Promising prototypes from two groups will be selected for further development in collaboration with TISS. The tools/materials developed will be hosted on the Centre’s OER website.
Who can apply:
Teachers, teacher educators, curriculum designers and EdTech developers working in Indian educational contexts are encouraged to apply in groups. Each group must have a minimum of 2 and maximum of 3 members interested in working on a common problem.
Government organizations, university departments, non-governmental organizations and/or other educational institutions are encouraged to nominate interested candidates.
Multiple applications from an organization will be accepted.
Individual applications will not be accepted.
The workshop will limit participation to a total of 20 – 25 participants.
Participants should be interested in materials/curriculum design and development in the subjects of language (Modern Indian Languages including English, first or second), mathematics, science, education technology, textbook design, children’s learning or other related areas. They should have basic proficiency in digital skills especially the use of word editors, spreadsheets and internet browsing.
The fee is 8000 INR for two participants and 10,000 INR for a group of three participants. This includes workshop fee, lunch and refreshments.
The organizers can facilitate booking stay for participants at the TISS guest house, subject to availability. The cost [652 INR/day/participant for Non-AC and 952 INR/day/participant for AC on a double occupancy basis] must be borne by the participant.
Partial fee waiver:
The minimum fee that is collected from the participants is to meet the workshop cost. However, in recognition that paying full fee may cause some participants financial hardship or restrict them in attending the workshop, the registration fee in part may be waived on the basis of group or participant’s need. The Centre will consider providing a partial fee waiver in select cases. The decision of the organisers will be final, in this regard. Please note, partial fee waiver does not include the cost of stay, travel or dinner.
How to apply:
Registration is closed.
Applications will be reviewed and the selected participants will be intimated by 30th April, 2019.
Last date for application: 20th April 2019
Selected candidates will be informed by 30th April 2019
For further details, please email on: firstname.lastname@example.org / call on: 022-25525003/4


Eyes in the sky
- By Greg Langlois
- Jun 11, 2001
The Landsat remote-sensing program, begun in 1972 with the launch of Landsat 1, has provided continuous images of large portions of the Earth's surface, enabling researchers to see how nature and human activity have changed the face of the planet over time.
Data from Landsat sensors is sent to ground receiving stations in the United States and abroad and eventually stored in databases at the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation Systems Data Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. Seven Landsats have been launched, although Landsat 6 did not achieve orbit.
Only two Landsats are still capable of collecting and transmitting data: the soon-to-be-decommissioned Landsat 5, launched in 1984, and Landsat 7, launched in 1999 and designed to be operational for at least five years.


Summary: Introduction. The incidence of food-induced anaphylaxis (FIA) is increasing in young children. Although the commonest culprits are cow's milk and egg, FIA to tree nuts (TNs) have been increasing. Objective. Characterization of children referred to our allergy department due to TNs-induced anaphylaxis (TNs-FIA) during preschool age. Materials and methods. We have retrospectively included 25 children with clinical history of preschool TNs-FIA, proven by allergological work-up. TNs sensitization was assessed by skin prick tests and/or specific IgE. Results. The mean age of the first anaphylactic episode was 3.1±1.2 years. The majority (92%) had an allergic disease (52% asthma). The implicated TNs were cashew (11 children), walnut (8), pine nut (5), hazelnut (2) and almond (1). The reaction occurred after the first known ingestion in 68%. In 92%, symptoms appeared within 30 minutes after exposure. The most frequent clinical symptoms were mucocutaneous (96%), respiratory (80%) and gastrointestinal (52%). Twenty-one children were admitted to the emergency department, although only 48% were treated with epinephrine. An underneath IgE-mediated mechanism was proven in all cases. Immunologic cross-reactivity with other TNs was identified in 84%, and with peanut in 36%. Overall, in our center, TNs-FIA represents 18% of all causes of FIA. Conclusions. In preschool age children with TNs-FIA, cashew and walnut were the commonest implicated nuts. Most reactions occurred briefly after exposure to minimal amounts of TNs, demonstrating the high potency of these allergens. About one-third also had peanut sensitization. Potentially life-threatening TNs allergy can occur early in childhood and adequate management should be undertaken.
|Number of pages||5|
|Journal||European annals of allergy and clinical immunology|
|Publication status||Published - 8 Jan 2020|
- food allergy
- preschool age
- tree nuts


Helpful tips for improving internet speed and connectivity
There have been several reports from remote users that their internet speed is slow or intermittent. As more people around the world are working from home, a larger load has been placed on the capabilities of home internet usage. The following brief guide has been curated to help these users resolve these issues.
Wifi and internet communication background
When you work in the office, it is most common for your laptop to be connected to a docking station, linked to the internet via an Ethernet cable. When working at home, it is more likely that your laptop will be utilizing Wi-Fi, a wireless connection with no physical cable.
Wi-Fi is a wireless service that historically connects your devices at a frequency of 2.4 GHz. This frequency band is also used by many other wireless services (such as Bluetooth, ZigBee, Ant+) and is used by many ‘smart’ devices you may have in your home such as Google Home, Sonos, or Alexa.
The issue with Wi-Fi connectivity is that wireless communication services “piggy-back”, or run off of the primary user of the band which was originally intended for Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) devices such as your humble microwave oven.
This ISM frequency is completely standardized across the world. It is therefore beneficial for manufacturers of wireless products because they can reduce the number of frequency variants of their product that is intended for a worldwide market.
However, many new devices have the ability of using a new frequency to connect on Wi-Fi – this is often designated on these devices as ‘5 GHz’. If your laptop and Wi-Fi router can use this frequency, it will be more reliable than running on 2.4 GHz.
Tips for resolving connectivity issues
If you have any connection problems whilst working remotely, the following instructions may be able to help:
1. If you can connect directly into your home router, use an Ethernet cable so that you have a direct connection
2. If you use a microwave oven in your home, ensure that your laptop is as far aware as possible and limit the microwave use when you need a reliable connection
3. Change the wireless connection from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz if your laptop and Wi-Fi router support this
4. Limit the number of other smart devices that are located close to your laptop
5. LED lighting is also known for causing interference – turning off these lights that are in close proximity to your laptop may also help.
Element offers 5G interference testing
Element helps product designers, manufacturers, and importers test to the latest wireless compatibility, interference, emissions, and immunity standards. From microwaves to 5G devices, our global network of laboratories can test and certify your mechanical, electrical and electronic devices for quick and cost-effective market access.
If you have further questions on product testing or would like additional assistance, please contact an Element expert today.
making certain for nearly 190 years
More from Element
CE Marking, RED, and Type Approval of Radio Products Used in Vehicles
Download our free guide to aid a harmonized approach to Vehicle Type Approval.
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Find out how Element provides critical compliance, reliability and qualification testing to clients in Aerospace, Transportation, Oil & Gas and more.
Wireless Radio Testing
Element works with Chipset Vendors though to those integrating radio modules to enable them to deliver their wireless and radio products to market.
Product Certification and Approvals
Element has a dedicated team of experts providing ISO 17065 accredited certification services from offices across the globe.


Donating Game Meat
“Hunters for the Hungry” and many local donation programs are available to hunters who want to donate their animals to a worthy cause.
Chronic Wasting Disease
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a neurological disease found only in elk and deer. To find out more, click here.
Be aware of the trichinosis parasite that is common in many game species and locations since humans and dogs can get trichinosis by eating infected meat. For more information, visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Parasites and Diseases website.


The cover of the August 2015 issue of Wired magazine declares – “No hunger. No pollution. No disease. And the end of life as we know it. The Genesis Engine. Editing DNA is now as easy as cut and paste. Welcome to the post-natural world.”
In the early months of this year, I was on a Clementine kick. I loved the bite sized, easy to peel citrus fruit but alas the season ended and so I’ve started eating Red Grapefruit about 3-4 times a week to get my citrus fix. No idea why I crave citrus fruits these days but I honor the urge because it is at least a healthy one.
Imagine my surprise to discover in the Wired article that scientists back in the 1930s began playing around with intentional mutations by irradiating seeds and insect eggs with xrays to scatter the genomes around like shrapnel. Hundreds of undesirable traits were discarded but one that has lasted was the creation of Red Grapefruit. Another was the barley used in brewing most modern beers.
Since then a lot of work has been accomplished on genomes. As recently as 2002, molecular biologists had learned how to delete or replace specific genes using enzymes called zinc-finger nucleases. The next step from that was the technique that used enzymes known as TALENs. But these procedures were expensive and complicated.
Do you know what a palindrome is ? This is a series that is the same back to front and front to back. Some microbiologists that were sequencing the genomes of ancient bacteria and microbes called Archaea (actually the descendants of the first life on Earth !!) noticed recurring segments but didn’t know what they do. They did think they were a bit weird though and named these clusters Crispr.
A lot of people worry about GMOs and a lot of people hate Monsanto for that. And yet, according to the Wired article, scientists do care about the unintended consequences of the genies they are unleashing from their laboratories. Back in 1975, 140 scientists gathered at Asilomar in California in view of the inspiring landscape of the Monterey Penisula on the Pacific Ocean to consider the implications of “recombinant DNA”. That is decrypting and reordering genes to manipulate the source code of life.
The outcome of that meeting was a set of guidelines about how to isolate dangerous experiments and a determination that cloning and messing around with dangerous pathogens should be off-limits but they really couldn’t see the idea of modifying the human “germ line” (which would pass changes on to subsequent generations) as a realistic worry in the mid-1970s.
Fast forward to 2015 and once again researchers met at a conference, this time in Napa Valley, to talk about the implications of genome engineering. The gene editing technique known as Crispr-Cas9 was ALREADY readily accessible by everyone at this conference. Turns out that Crispr-Cas9 makes it easy, cheap and fast to move genes around – ANY genes – in any living thing from bacteria to human beings.
And researchers had already been utilizing the 3 year old technique to reverse mutations that cause blindness, stop cancer cells from multiplying or make cells impervious to the virus that causes AIDS. Agronomists had rendered wheat invulnerable to powdery mildew and were looking for ways to better meet the food needs of the 9 million people inhabiting this planet. Bioengineers have used Crispr to alter the DNA of yeast so that it consumes plant matter to create ethanol. And pharmaceutical companies have spun off Crispr R&D branches.
By now, you have probably figured out that this technique is revolutionary and that it is perilous !! Crispr could allow genetics researchers to conjure up all the nightmare possibilities that keep some people awake at night – designer babies, invasive mutants, species-specific bioweapons and a dozen other apocalyptic sci-fi imaginings.
I found the discussion about RNA in the Wired article interesting. In looking at bacteria, the researchers started wondering if Crispr was a primordial immune system. RNA is single-stranded genetic material whereas DNA is double-stranded. “Guide RNA” has been created by combining two strands of RNA into one fragment (and it can be made from whatever genetic “letters” they want and not just from viruses but well – they believe – from just about anything).
A microbiologist in Sweden named Emmanuelle Charpentier was working with Streptococcus pyogenes (yes, in a biohazard chamber alright !!). That is where she found the Cas9 mentioned previously. Cripr makes two short strands of RNA and Cas9 latches onto them. When the Crispr-Cas9 arrives at its destination, Cas9 does something almost magical – it changes shape, grasping the DNA and slicing it with a precise molecular scalpel.
The combination of Guide RNA and Cas9 has created a programmable machine for DNA cutting (hence the title of this blog). The stakes are high in the on-going patent battle (more than one party claims they were the “first”). The licensing of the patent could be worth billions in royalties.
The gene-editing possibilities of Crispr-Cas9 are limited only by scientific creativity and ethics. And there are lots of unknowns still on the frontier. Crispr could be used to treat some debilitating disorder in the womb and it might also be used for a less significant application like skin wrinkling in aging. The medical research community simply hasn’t had enough time to seriously discuss the ethics and safety even as the utilization of the technique rushes forward.
The April 4, 2015 issue of Science News describes the use of Beetle RNA to engineer plants by putting it in their leaves. These genes were inserted in plant cells called plastids. An example of one type of plastid is a chloroplast which performs photosynthesis. So the plant was laced with double-stranded beetle RNA so that if eaten by that beetle, it disabled certain genes and caused their guts to break down. The adult beetles stopped eating and their larvae that feasted on the plants were dead. Researchers believe that the technique is safe because the plastids have their own DNA that doesn’t make it into pollen and so won’t spread the beetle genes from the engineered crops in pollinating other plants.
I can’t claim to feel warm and fuzzy about it. I can only trust that they really do know what they are doing when they use their god-like powers to engineer new crops. Just like with Artificial Intelligence and the singularity that is looming ahead for us, I don’t think there is any stopping the “forward progress” ? of science in the realm of genomes.
~ Information Resources
“Easy DNA Editing Will Remake the World. Buckle Up.” by Amy Maxmen in Wired Magazine – http://www.wired.com/2015/07/crispr-dna-editing-2/
Red Grapefruit photo courtesy of wikiHow “How to Eat a Grapefruit” – http://www.wikihow.com/Eat-a-Grapefruit
Archaea graphic from Microbe Hunter by Syazwani Aina posted May 9, 2015 – http://syazwaniainanana.blogspot.com/2015/05/archaea.html
Designer Babies image from Student Collaboration for the 21st Century – “The idea of progress” by Pierre-Yves Reignoux posted Nov 6, 2013 – http://studentcollaboration21.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-idea-of-progress-pierre-yves.html
“Beetle RNA makes crops a noxious meal” by Kate Baggaley posted Feb 26, 2015 Science News – https://www.sciencenews.org/article/beetle-rna-makes-crops-noxious-meal
Blog author ~ Deborah Hart Yemm is co-founder of
Yemm & Hart, a green materials producer


Interactive Autism Network at Kennedy Krieger Institute
Date Last Revised: November 14, 2013
Date Published: December 18, 2012
Some of a child’s early symptoms of autism may be among the most puzzling to parents: hand-flapping, rocking, lining up toys, or finding the whirling blades of a fan more interesting than the world around him.
Psychologists call these repetitive and restricted behaviors (or RRBs), and they are a main feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Research says they are “almost always present” in very young children with ASD and persist over time as the child grows.1
New guidelines for diagnosing autism place a greater emphasis on these behaviors. Doctors now look for at least two such behaviors when diagnosing a child with autism spectrum disorder, since the publication of a new edition of the psychiatrists’ diagnostic manual in 2013. Previously, a child could receive a diagnosis on the spectrum with fewer such behaviors.
What are Repetitive and Restricted Behaviors?
Repetitive behaviors can occur in toddlers who are developing typically or have a disorder other than autism, but according to research, these behaviors are more common and severe in young children with a spectrum disorder.1 If a child has many types of these behaviors, he is more likely to have autism than another disorder.2
“What is really defining about the behavior is that it is unusual, appears non-functional, and occurs over and over again,” said Ericka Wodka Ph.D., a pediatric neuropsychologist in the Center for Autism and Related Disorders and the Department of Neuropsychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Some common examples are body movements such as flicking fingers in front of one’s eyes, rocking back and forth, moving objects (opening and closing doors), or spinning in circles.3 More troubling repetitive behaviors are those that could injure the child, such as slapping himself over and over.
Another type of RRB is a child’s insistence that objects or his routines be exactly the same. For example, he may have a meltdown if his bus takes a detour to school or if he is prevented from lining up his cars a certain way.
An intense absorption with an object, a part of an object, or a special interest or topic also falls into this category of behavior. The child may be described as obsessed with train schedules, a video game, or Thomas the Tank Engine, far beyond the level of typical children.
Researchers have theorized that sensory problems – unusual responses to noise, light, touch, smell or movement – may trigger some RRBs in autism. Some people are sensitive to bright lights, loud noise, the texture of clothing or food, or other sensations. However, others barely respond to sensory input, such as heat, cold or physical discomfort. Some research suggests that one type of sensory problem – being over-responsive to sensations – is more often related to RRBs than other sensory issues are.4
Problems Caused by RRBS
Repetitive behaviors may get in the way of learning and cause stress for families. “Parents commonly report that repetitive behavior symptoms are among the most difficult aspects of the disorder they have to tackle on a daily basis,” according to a research article.4
Parents may feel stigmatized by their children’s flapping or other unusual motions. Some families may even go to extremes to avoid any change in routine that might trigger a meltdown in their children.5
“These are behaviors that really disrupt family routines,” said Brian A. Boyd Ph.D., assistant professor in the Division of Occupational Science at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
What Can be Done About These Behaviors?
An important aspect of treating a behavior is understanding the purpose of it, Dr. Wodka explained. “Something that is pleasing is not going to be responsive to the same kind of intervention as something that is a response to anxiety,” she said.
A behavioral assessment can help determine the underlying function of a behavior, which may be different for each person with autism and for each type of behavior.
Does a girl flap her hands, for example, because she’s anxious or because she finds it enjoyable? Is it a way to avoid a task she dislikes or a way of communicating?
Interventions based on Applied Behavior Analysis – a form of behavior modification – may help reduce some RRBs.
For instance, to reduce flapping or hand-biting, an adult may remove a desired “positive consequence” (playing with a favorite toy) when the child engages in the behavior, according to a 2012 article by Dr. Boyd and two other researchers. Or, the adult may reinforce and reward positive behaviors, such as paying attention, rather than the RRB. Some research has even shown that children have fewer repetitive behaviors after jogging. 6
One way to help a person who insists on sameness is to reward him for gradually tolerating more changes in his routine. A child who lines up his toys in a specific order could be rewarded for tolerating a small change in the order, and then, gradually, rewarded for bigger changes.4
Unfortunately, there are relatively few studies of effective treatments for behaviors such as insistence on sameness and intense special interests, which scientists call higher-order behaviors.
A Special Kind of Restricted, Repetitive Behavior
Special interests may, in fact, be a special case. Of all the types of RRBs, these may be unique to ASD. They also may not, in themselves, be something that people need to treat.
“They aren’t necessarily always seen as problematic behaviors,” Dr. Boyd said. “Sometimes they are seen as islands of ability for a child.”
Some researchers have found that a child’s special interest can help improve learning and appropriate behavior when it is used as a reward for accomplishing a less desirable task, or as part of a social activity. For example, some preschoolers with ASD have more social interactions with a peer when their play involves Thomas the Tank Engine (a special interest) than when another toy is involved.4
Special Interests in Adulthood
In an Interactive Autism Network (IAN) questionnaire of 250 adults with ASD, 84 percent reported having a special interest or topic. A majority of those said they enjoy activities or develop relationships based on their topic, or have a job or field of study related to it. Some, however, said their interest sometimes gets in the way of success at work, school and in relationships (45 percent), or has gotten them into trouble (23 percent). Common interests include animals, computers, music, science and science fiction.7
Famously, Temple Grandin Ph.D., who has autism, turned her special interest in animals into a notable career as an animal scientist and designer of livestock handling facilities.
Starting Early and Moving Forward
Dr. Boyd, the researcher at UNC, theorized that repetitive behaviors, from rocking to special interests, may differ widely, but they have one thing in common. “What connects this broad category of behavior is inflexibility. Maybe the reason the child spins the top all that time, or the reason someone talks about the same topic over and over, is that they are inflexible in their thinking. There isn’t a drug that helps you be more flexible.”
He advocates more research into behavioral interventions for repetitive behaviors, especially the less studied higher-order ones, along with early intervention.
“Early intervention may help children learn early on to be more flexible,” he said. “The concern is that if you don’t address some of those things early, they become more difficult as children age and the behaviors become more ingrained.”
- Kim, S. H. & Lord, C. (2010) Restricted and repetitive behaviors in toddlers and preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders based on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). Autism Research. 2010 Aug;3(4):162-73. Abstract.
- Lam, K. S. L, Bodfish, J. W. & Piven, J. (2008) Evidence for three subtypes of repetitive behavior in autism that differ in familiality and association with other symptoms. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 49:11, 1193-1200. Abstract
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Autism Facts, http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html
- Boyd, B. A., McDonough, S. G. & Bodfish, J. W. (2012) Evidence-based behavioral interventions for repetitive behaviors in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 42:1236–1248. Abstract.
- Bishop, S. L., Richler, J., Cain, A. C., Lord, C. & Floyd, F. (2007). Predictors of Perceived Negative Impact in Mothers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. American Journal on Mental Retardation: November 2007, Vol. 112, No. 6, 450-461. Abstract.
- Kern, L., Koegel, R.L. & Dunlap, G. (1984). The influence of vigorous versus mild exercise on autistic stereotyped behaviors. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 14(1), 57-67. Abstract.
- IAN research.


Recent years have seen tremendous progress in our understanding of the cosmos, and we are standing on the shoulders of giants to address still deeper questions. Concurrently, laser technology has undergone dramatic revolutions, providing exciting opportunities for science applications. History has shown that the symbiosis between direct observations and laboratory investigation is instrumental in the progress of astrophysics. We believe that this remains true in cosmology. Frontier investigations in particle astrophysics and cosmology typically involve one or more of the following conditions:
(1) Extremely high energy events;
(2) Very high density, high temperature processes;
(3) Super strong field environments.
Laboratory experiments using high intensity lasers can calibrate astrophysical observations, investigate underlying dynamics of astrophysical phenomena, and probe fundamental physics in extreme limits.
An example of laboratory investigation of underlying astrophysical dynamics is using high-intensity lasers to validate proposed acceleration mechanisms to produce the observed ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECR), which have energies 10 million times higher than that produced at the highest energy terrestrial accelerator, the LHC at CERN, Geneva. What mechanism is so efficient and what astrophysical source so powerful to produce these extremely high energy particles? The most popular mechanism is the diffusive shock acceleration, a variant of the famous Fermi mechanism. Other contending ideas include plasma wakefield acceleration and unipolar induction acceleration. Some of these mechanisms maybe investigated using lasers as a simulator.
Laser experiments can also aid the study of black hole Hawking effect via the analogous Unruh effect. While black hole evaporation plays a critical role in connecting strong gravity with quantum physics, the stellar black hole temperatures are typically so low that direct observations are near impossible. We can investigate the Unruh effect as a substitute. When a particle detector is uniformly accelerated, it is predicted to detect a heat-bath at a temperature given by the same black hole Hawking temperature formula with the surface gravitational acceleration replaced by the proper acceleration of the particle detector. A state-of-the-art high intensity laser can in principle provide a violent acceleration to an electron that acts as a detector to probe the heat-bath. LeCosPA and the International Center for Zetta-Exawatt Science and Technology (IZEST) at Ecole Polytechnique, France are collaborating in laser cosmology, with the ambition to shed light on some critical issues in astrophysics and cosmology using high intensity lasers.


June 16, 2017
Members of Canopy Nature Academy spotted a forest cane turtle during their casual trek to Anamalai Tiger Reserve recently. The forest cane turtle (known as vijayachelys silvatica) is mostly found in the Western Ghats.
According to Saravanan Chandrasekaran, who led the team, he and his friends spotted the rare turtle, also known as Cochin forest cane turtle “These turtles were first spotted in the year 1912 and were against spotted only after 70 years, that is in 1982. It is an extremely rare one,” said Saravanan.
According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the turtle is an endangered species and comes under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act. “It is very difficult to assess their population. There is also no captive specimen anywhere in the world,” Saravanan added.


The destruction of cultural property by the Islamic State in Mosul and Palmyra: is International law the answer?
Among countless atrocities, the Islamic State (IS) is responsible for wreaking cultural artifacts in Mosul and
Palmyra. This paper enquire what actions Iraq and Syria could undertake under International Law to protect cultural property and to hold IS’s fighters accountable for their crimes. After analyzing International Humanitarian law instruments, the rules on the use of force, the UNESCO Declaration on the Intentional Destruction of Cultural Heritage and the Statute of the International Criminal Court, it will be ascertained that several legal instruments could aid the two States. Why these issues are not addressed in practice will then be discussed.
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted under the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike (CC BY-SA) license and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page.


Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy Point of View
Reverend Buckminster tells Turner to write three essays about the story of Aeneas.
Select any character from this story except Turner. Respond to the questions.
How does this person feel about the new family in town?
What does this person initially think of Turner?
How does the character's opinion of Turner change as the story unfolds?
How does Turner feel about this character?
From your perspective, was this person's behavior in the story admirable or despicable?
"You see how important it is to view the story from different perspectives?" Reverend Buckminster
All trademarks, copyright and logos belong to their
Save a tree - How to make a Digital Answer Sheet: Highlight the text of the questions on this web page, copy them - Edit .. Copy. Open a text document or word processing document. Paste the questions into the blank document. Answer the questions in the word processing document in a contrasting color (NOT YELLOW) or font (avoid fancy fonts like: , Symbol, or ). Save frequently as you work. I do not like losing my work. You will not like it either. Submit your assignment via an electronic class dropbox or email attachment. Save a copy of your work on your computer.


On July 30, 1945, shortly after delivering atomic bomb components to the U.S. air base at Tinian, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Of the 1,197 sailors onboard, 317 survived. One survivor was Paul Murphy, ME’50.
Fact: The sinking of the USS Indianapolis is the Navy’s worst tragedy at sea.
Amount of time in water before rescue: Four days and five nights. (880 men died in the water.)
According to the Discovery Channel: The sinking resulted in the most shark attacks in history.
Murphy: “I am often asked about the sharks. My reply, ‘They don’t like Irishmen.’”
After the war: Murphy attended Missouri S&T on the G.I. Bill.
Fast forward to today: Murphy lives in Colorado and is founder and chair of the USS Indianapolis Survivors’ Organization. He published a book containing survivors’ stories titled Only 317 Survived.


According to a recent study published in the in the journal Current Biology, people do not necessarily burn extra calories even if they exercise more. This is due to the fact that their bodies adapt to higher activity levels. Researchers from City University of New York measured the daily energy expenditure and activity levels of more than 300 men and women over the course of a week. In the data they collected, they saw a weak but measurable effect of physical activity on daily energy expenditure.
However, further analysis showed that this pattern only held among subjects on the lower half of the physical activity spectrum. People with moderate activity levels had somewhat higher daily energy expenditures – about 200 calories higher – than the most sedentarypeople. But people who fell above moderate activity levels saw no effect of their extra work in terms of energy expenditure.
“The most physically active people expended the same amount of calories each day as people who were only moderately active,” said Herman Pontzer of City University of New York. There might be a ‘sweet spot’ for physical activity – too little and we are unhealthy, but too much and the body makes big adjustments in order to adapt, researchers said.
People who start exercise programmes to lose weight often see a decline in weight loss (or even a reversal) after a few months. Large comparative studies have also shown that people with very active lifestyles have similar daily energy expenditure to people in more sedentary populations.
It is time to stop assuming that more physical activity always means more calories. The results are a reminder of the importance of diet and exercise in supporting weight loss goals, researchers said.


Interior secretary celebrate teddy bear's resurgence
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel led a ceremony celebrating the removal of the Louisiana's black bear, the inspiration for the teddy bear, from the endangered list Thursday at the Tensas National Wildlife Refuge, where the iconic animal experienced its greatest resurgence.
“President Theodore Roosevelt would have really enjoyed why we are gathered here today,” Jewell said in a press release. “Working together across private and public lands with so many partners embodies the conservation ethic he stood for when he established the National Wildlife Refuge System as part of the solution to address troubling trends for the nation’s wildlife.
"As I said last spring when the delisting proposal was announced, the Louisiana black bear is another success story for the Endangered Species Act.”
Jewell was joined by U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Ann Mills, U.S. Department of the Interior Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Michael Bean, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Charlie Melancon.
The fabled bear became part of American culture after a hunting trip to Mississippi in 1902, where Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear that was trapped and tied to a tree by members of his hunting party. The episode was featured in a cartoon in The Washington Post, sparking the idea for a Brooklyn candy-store owner to create the “Teddy” bear.
"I like to think this is partially a result of one of the greatest hunting stories in American history," Theodore Roosevelt IV told USA Today Network Louisiana in May.
During the 1950s and '60s, the Louisiana black bear population shrank to fewer than 100. But today at least 500 bears, perhaps as many as 1,000, roam the deep woods of the Tensas National Wildlife Refuge, Upper Atchafalaya Basin and other connecting corridors such as Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area.
“Growing up in the Sportsman’s Paradise, I’m proud to join in the announcement of the recovery of the Louisiana black bear,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said March 2 after Gannett Louisiana first reported the event. "The resurrection of this iconic symbol of our nation and Louisiana shows the value of science and collaborative research. It also represents a commitment to conservation with so many willing partners from private landowners to state and federal agencies, universities and non-governmental organizations coming together to make sure the Louisiana black bear will be around for many generations to come.”
Follow Greg Hilburn on Twitter @GregHilburn1


| Developed and produced by Education Technology Unit
Ideas, Text & Narration: Indumati Rao
Graphics, Collation & Presentation : Indumati Rao, Jatinder Kaur, Sanjay S.R. Rao.
Development: Jatinder Kaur
The interactive CD-ROM 'Our Earth in the Sky' examines the various aspects of the fascinating night sky. However, it is not restricted to elementary astronomy.
It explores the scientific basis of many natural phenomena that take place around us.
The main objectives of the CD-ROM Our Earth in the Sky are to educate, entertain and to encourage the spirit of enquiry in the user. We also hope to sensitize the user to the wonders of the sky above.
We want to emphasize again and again the fact that we are also in the sky, but only as a mere speck in the vast universe. A knowledge of sky-watching or elementary astronomy develops the power of
observation and scientific attitude. Knowledge that our planet is only a minute speck in the vastness of the universe plays an important part in developing a balanced view of the world.
Also, a student viewing the package will become more aware of the natural phenomena that daily unfold before our unseeing eyes.
We have tried to relate the topics in the modules to geography, physics, mathematics and to a small extent to chemistry.
Our Earth in the Sky has many visuals/graphics, animations, to illustrate the concepts. Special features of this CD-ROM are the extensive coverage of content supplemented by visuals - both graphics and
animations, the Hot Text where special terms and phrases are explained in depth separately. In addition, it has navigation features such as glossary, notepad, search to make the CD-ROM user friendly.
All these features will help the viewer to understand and process the information better.
This package has six modules, each module is complete by itself with a quiz to test the understanding of the topics in a particular module.
The modules can be viewed in any order.
The CD-ROM can be used as source material by teachers and students of ICSE, CBSE and State Boards.
The six modules are:
||ASTRONOMY FROM BC TO AD
Astronomy in Ancient India
Copernicus and Galileo
Indian and Arab contributions
Astronomy and Mathematics
Constellations or Patterns in thesky
Stars and their features
Brightness of stars
Northern and Southern skies
Myths and Stories
SUN-OUR SPECIAL STAR
Sun Worship through the ages
Life Cycle of the Sun
Sun and Earth
Insolation and Life on Earth
Sunlight and the magic of Colors
End of Sun
Viewing Lunar Eclipse
ECLIPSES AND SEASONS
Meaning of Eclipses
Last Eclipse of the millenium
Why Seasons Occur?
Seasons in the two hemispheres
Same seasons but different climates
Rotation of Heavens
Photographing the Star trails
Locating Constellations in the Northern Sky
In the module Astronomy from BC to AD, we trace the contributions of astronomers of various cultures.
The unknown astronomers of the Incas, Aztecs, Anasazis, Babylonians etc. are highlighted. Astronomy in India was highly developed even though the contributions of Aryabhatta, Bramhagupta and others were not recognized earlier. They were aware of the heliocentric system much before Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler. We want our users to salute their genius. In addition to giving detailed information of the path breaking discoveries of Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler, the CD-ROM presents them from the human angle.
The module Sun - Our Special Star starts with sunworship in various cultures and takes the viewer through the scientific understanding of the most important star for us in the Universe. The Sun is our wondrous source of energy and light.
In addition to giving statistical details the module explores the unique relationship between the Sun and the Earth. The Sun is at the centre of almost all the natural physical phenomena that takes place on earth. Many interesting questions like, `what is the special relation between the Sun and the earth?, Why is life in all its diversity, found only on earth?, What would have happened if the earth’s orbit were closer to Mercury or farther than Mars?, Does the Sun have a life cycle?, Why is the sky blue?, and many more are posed and answered.
The highlights of this module are the rich graphics and animations.
In olden times, there were no street lights or lights from the houses. People could spend more time gazing at the distant points of light in the sky - the stars and wonder about them. They saw patterns, and the mysterious night sky inspired them to weave stories and myths. The bond between the vast sky above and the humans who thought they were the masters of the universe is presented in the module Constellations or patterns in the sky.
The users are encouraged to go out and look at the night sky and see the patterns change according to geography and seasons. The module Eclipses and Seasons deals with the two natural phenomena that are of great interest to us. Eclipses have always inspired awe in human beings, especially the total solar eclipse or darkness at noon.
Whether it is in geography or in physics, questions are asked about why does not the solar eclipse occur every new moon day?
Or the lunar eclipse on every full moon day? This fundamental question is answered with the help of diagrams and graphics.
A special feature of the eclipse section of this module is tracing the path of the last eclipse of the first millennium.
Seasons affect human activities most. The relationship between the earth’s axis, revolution of the earth and the season are presented through animation. The reason for opposite seasons in the two hemispheres and in different latitudes are explained clearly.
Eclipses and seasons are presented in the same module as both of these phenomena are the result of the position of the earth during its journey around the Sun.
You may ask `All this is fine. But how can we do skywatching? Where can we get the optical aids to view the sky? ‘ In the module Fabricating Instruments,
detailed instructions for making your own optical aids like sundial, refracting and reflecting telescopes, constellariums, astrolabe and Foucault pendulum are taken up for construction. It is with such simple optical aids that early astronomers made their fundamental discoveries. There are many suggested activities in the Module Activities. Interested teachers can use these to motivate students.
The first four modules have a detailed quiz section to test your understanding. We hope that this CD-ROM will fuel your curiosity to understand the mysteries of the night sky. Our objectives will be fulfilled if you begin to look up in wonder at the Universe. Now it is truly yours to explore.


Microfluidic arrangements are created in a dish by simple reshaping of two immiscible fluids, which additionally are bio-inert, and freely permeable to the vital gases, oxygen and carbon dioxide. This is demonstrated using workflows involving cell cloning, the selection of one clone from others in a dish, drug treatments, and wound healing.
Cristian Soitu and Cyril Deroy are the two engineering students developing this technology, spending much of their time in the Department of Pathology. Cristian (supervised by Prof Walsh and Prof Alfonso Castrejón-Pita) said ‘this multi-disciplinary research enables biologists to use their familiar materials and approaches in simple ways that saves them money, reduces waste, and speeds their research’; Cyril (supervised by Prof Walsh) added ‘we hope biologists will now embrace this technology because everything about it is so familiar to them.’
Both students are funded by iotaSciences Ltd, a company that was spun out from the University to exploit this technology.


|Kalahari Desert, central Tanzania|
|Linguistic classification||(term of convenience)|
|ISO 639-2 / 5||khi|
Map showing the distribution of the Khoisan languages (yellow)
The Khoisan languages (//; also Khoesan or Khoesaan) are a group of African languages originally classified together by Joseph Greenberg. Khoisan languages share click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. For much of the 20th century, they were thought to be genealogically related to each other, but this is no longer accepted. They are now held to comprise three distinct language families and two language isolates.
All Khoisan languages but two are indigenous to southern Africa and belong to three language families. The Khoi family appears to have migrated to southern Africa not long before the Bantu expansion. Ethnically, their speakers are the Khoikhoi and the San (Bushmen). Two languages of east Africa, those of the Sandawe and Hadza, originally were also classified as Khoisan, although their speakers are ethnically neither Khoikhoi nor San.
Before the Bantu expansion, Khoisan languages, or languages like them, were likely spread throughout southern and eastern Africa. They are currently restricted to the Kalahari Desert, primarily in Namibia and Botswana, and to the Rift Valley in central Tanzania.
Most of the languages are endangered, and several are moribund or extinct. Most have no written record. The only widespread Khoisan language is Khoekhoe (or Nàmá) of Namibia, with a quarter of a million speakers; Sandawe in Tanzania is second in number with some 40–80,000, some monolingual; and the !Kung language of the northern Kalahari is spoken by some 16,000 or so people. Language use is quite strong among the 20,000 speakers of Naro, half of whom speak it as a second language.
Khoisan languages are best known for their use of click consonants as phonemes. These are typically written with characters such as ǃ and ǂ. Clicks are quite versatile as consonants, as they involve two articulations of the tongue which can operate partially independently. Consequently, the languages with the greatest numbers of consonants in the world are Khoisan. The Juǀʼhoan language has 48 click consonants among nearly as many non-click consonants, strident and pharyngealized vowels, and four tones. The ǃXóõ and ǂHõã languages are even more complex.
Khoisan was proposed as one of the four families of African languages in Joseph Greenberg's classification (1949–1954, revised in 1963). However, linguists who study Khoisan languages reject their unity, and the name "Khoisan" is used by them as a term of convenience without any implication of linguistic validity, much as "Papuan" and "Australian" are. It has been suggested that the similarities of the Tuu and Kxʼa families are due to a southern African Sprachbund rather than a genealogical relationship, whereas the Khoe (or perhaps Kwadi–Khoe) family is a more recent migrant to the area, and may be related to Sandawe in East Africa.
Ernst Oswald Johannes Westphal is known for his early rejection of the Khoisan language family (Starostin 2003). Bonny Sands (1998) concluded that the family is not demonstrable with current evidence. Anthony Traill at first accepted Khoisan (Traill 1986), but by 1998 concluded that it could not be demonstrated with current data and methods, rejecting it as based on a single typological criterion: the presence of clicks. Dimmendaal (2008) summarized the general view with, "it has to be concluded that Greenberg's intuitions on the genetic unity of Khoisan could not be confirmed by subsequent research. Today, the few scholars working on these languages treat the three [southern groups] as independent language families that cannot or can no longer be shown to be genetically related" (p. 841). Starostin (2013) accepts a relationship between Sandawe and Khoi is plausible, as is one between Tuu and Kxʼa, but sees no indication of a relationship between Sandawe and Khoi on the one hand and Tuu and Kxʼa on the other, or between any of them and Hadza.
Janina Brutt-Griffler claims, "given that such colonial borders were generally arbitrarily drawn, they grouped large numbers of ethnic groups that spoke many languages." She hypothesizes that this took place within efforts to prevent the spread of English during European colonization and prevent the entrance of the majority into the middle class.
Anthony Traill noted the Khoisan languages' extreme variation. Despite their shared clicks, the Khoisan languages diverge significantly from each other. Traill demonstrated this linguistic diversity in the data presented in the below table. The first two columns include words from the two Khoisan language isolates, Sandawe and Hadza. The following three are languages from the Khoe family, the Kxʼa family, and the Tuu family, respectively.
The branches that were once considered ramifications of so-called Khoisan are now considered independent families, since it has not been demonstrated that they are related according to the standard comparative method.
See Khoe languages for speculations on the linguistic history of the region.
With about 800 speakers in Tanzania, Hadza is no longer seen as a Khoisan language and appears to be unrelated to any other language. Genetically, the Hadza people are unrelated to the Khoisan peoples of Southern Africa, and their closest relatives may be among the Pygmies of Central Africa.
There is some indication that Sandawe (about 40,000 speakers in Tanzania) may be related to the Khoe family, such as a congruent pronominal system and some good Swadesh-list matches, but not enough to establish regular sound correspondences. Sandawe is not related to Hadza, despite their proximity.
The Khoe family is both the most numerous and diverse family of Khoisan languages, with seven living languages and over a quarter million speakers. Although little Kwadi data is available, proto-Kwadi–Khoe reconstructions have been made for pronouns and some basic vocabulary.
A Haiǁom language is listed in most Khoisan references. A century ago the Haiǁom people spoke a Ju dialect, probably close to ǃKung, but they now speak a divergent dialect of Nama. Thus their language is variously said to be extinct or to have 18,000 speakers, to be Ju or to be Khoe. (Their numbers have been included under Nama above.) They are known as the Saa by the Nama, and this is the source of the word San.
The Tuu family consists of two language clusters, which are related to each other at about the distance of Khoekhoe and Tshukhwe within Khoe. They are typologically very similar to the Kxʼa languages (below), but have not been demonstrated to be related to them genealogically (the similarities may be an areal feature).
The Kxʼa family is a relatively distant relationship formally demonstrated in 2010.
Not all languages using clicks as phonemes are considered Khoisan. Most others are neighboring Bantu languages in southern Africa: the Nguni languages (Xhosa, Zulu, Swazi, Phuthi, and Northern Ndebele); Sotho; Yeyi in Botswana; and Mbukushu, Kwangali, and Gciriku in the Caprivi Strip. Clicks are spreading to a few additional neighboring languages. Of these languages, Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele and Yeyi have intricate systems of click consonants; the others, despite the click in the name Gciriku, more rudimentary ones. There is also the South Cushitic language Dahalo in Kenya, which has dental clicks in a few score words, and an extinct and presumably artificial Australian ritual language called Damin, which had only nasal clicks.
The Bantu languages adopted the use of clicks from neighboring, displaced, or absorbed Khoisan populations (or from other Bantu languages), often through intermarriage, while the Dahalo are thought to have retained clicks from an earlier language when they shifted to speaking a Cushitic language; if so, the pre-Dahalo language may have been something like Hadza or Sandawe. Damin is an invented ritual language, and has nothing to do with Khoisan.
These are the only languages known to have clicks in normal vocabulary. Occasionally other languages are said by laypeople to have "click" sounds. This is usually a misnomer for ejective consonants, which are found across much of the world, or is a reference to paralinguistic use of clicks such as English tsk! tsk!


· talk about the pictures of occupations
· give names of occupations
1. Prepare the video and flashcards.
1. Show one song about the occupations- use laptop and speakers.
Ask pupils what occupations do they hear in the song?
2. Tell pupils about the topic they will learn about today.
3. Read the text about the occupations in the textbook.
4. Divide pupils into 4 groups.
5 .Each group gets one occupation flash card.
6. Pupils talk about the occupations.
7. After that, pupils play the mime game using occupations. One student mimes an occupation and the other students try to guess what occupation it is.
8. Pupils complete the exercise in the activity book.
Step 6 - the teacher can ask: “Where do I work?”/”What do I do?” etc.
Pupils can make mini books to draw and give the names of the occupations.
Find the occupations that student don’t know yet.
Example: Engineer, lawyer, florist and so on.


A French study – carried out between 2018 and 2021 – shows the psychological tension of human beings in the face of animal suffering, including at the altar of science. On the other hand, they seem less reluctant to make their fellows suffer, if we refer to Milgram’s famous experiment and its derivatives. What animals seem most refractory. The decryption of 30millionsdamis.fr.
Are humans more inclined to harm one of their fellows than an animal? This is what a recent study carried out by the University of Grenoble-Alpes suggests, together with the famous Milgram experiment carried out in the 1960s. The French experiment carried out between 2018 and 2021, and summarized in the work of Laurent Bègue-Sankland ” Facing the animals ” (Odile Jacob, 2022), tries to understand the factors that can influence our empathy for animals. The results of researchers from the University of Grenoble-Alpes testify to the psychological tension of the participants in the face of suffering ” of an animal whose life they must take for the interest of the species “. Explanations. Candidates had to “sacrifice”, in a progressive way, an animal victim: in appearance a large fish, but in reality a biomimetic robot. The reason given: to serve a scientific purpose, more particularly to assess toxicity If 20% of people categorically refused to start the experiment, 53% of the participants actually injected the last toxic and lethal dose.
empathy: one ” biased affective resonance »
I wouldn’t have thought I’d get attached to a fish like that.
Participant in the study at the University of Grenoble-Alpes
Despite this, the testimonies collected at the end of the experiment show a certain empathy of the participants in relation to the fish. ” Almost cried in the middle, couldn’t press the button, he didn’t look good “laments a student. ” I wouldn’t have thought I’d get attached to a fish like that. He was fat, he was handsome “, adds a fifty-year-old man. Some admit to having stopped the experiment when his gaze met the fish’s: ” VShas touched meone of the participants is moved. I felt something in your eyes “.” Crossing your gaze, there is a bond that is createdadds a student. Why impose this on him? ” Gold, ” the experience of empathy is not the most common reaction to a fishrecalls L. Bègue Sankland. Its aquatic appearance does not provoke as protective reactions as other animals closer to us, such as mammals. Because empathy is a very biased affective resonance “. Nonetheless, ” we know today that fish have complex cognitive abilities, recalls Violaine Colson, a fish behavior research engineer. They also feel emotions (fear, anxiety, pain); and pleasure also seems to have been demonstrated even though there are few studies on the subject. »
The cruelest humans…
Even so, the percentage of people “ready” to make the animal suffer remains below that observed in experiments carried out among humans. In 1963, Milgram’s famous experiment showed that 60% of the participants – humans – could administer an electric shock to another person, under the pretense that a scientist – Professor Stanley Milgram – had asked them to do so. A behavior confirmed many times after that. 50 years later, Christophe Nick’s “La Zone Xtreme” game show repeats the experience; and the conclusion is clear: 80% of the participants agreed to subject another candidate to an electric shock, under pressure not from a scientist… but from a facilitator! Each time, the victims were actually actors faking pain, which, of course, the “torturers” were unaware of.
… than animals!
The “grandmother” giraffes play an important role in the survival of group members.
Zoe Muller – Biologist
In similar situations, our 30 million friends behave more altruistically. An American study, carried out in 1964, shows that 80% of the observed monkeys preferred to stop operating the chain that delivered food to them when they understood that this process caused pain to one of their congeners. Same result in mice (Current Biology, 2020). ” Some participants help others because seeing someone in pain creates a state of aversion called ‘personal distress’ which they try to reduce ‘selfishly’ by helpingexplains the study. Other participants are more altruistic and help even if they don’t have to witness the victim’s suffering “.
If the behavior of humans can be surprising, that of animals is not so surprising, given the many cases of animal solidarity that have already been observed. Giraffes, monkeys, whales… All these animals are known to form close social bonds with each other (Mammal Review, August 2021).
Thus, thanks to the care they provide and the knowledge they transmit, “ the “grandparents” giraffes are likely to play an important role in the survival of the members of the group to which they are related. says biologist Zoe Muller. In his book “The Age of Empathy” (Actes Sud, 2011), Frans de Wall mentions, among other things, altruism in monkeys. When he can choose between a token that entitles him to food and one that also rewards his companion, a capuchin monkey always chooses the one that will please everyone! Among cetaceans, solidarity can even be interspecies! In a 2009 wildlife documentary, researcher Robert Pitman watches humpback whales startle orcas trying to catch seals. A case far from isolated.
In short, fraternity and sorority are not concepts specific to the human species… on the contrary. Animals teach us compassion: it’s up to us to be inspired!


Bij de sloop van de graansilo Korthals Altes in Amsterdam
The granary at the Amsterdam Westerdoksdijk, designed by architect Klinkhamer, recently became out of use by the new destination of the Westerdok area as western emphasis in the new harbour-project. The threatening demolition of the granary is reason to evaluate the introduction of this building type in Holland and the granaries built by Klinkhamer.
The horizontal packing up of cereals in warehouses has in Europe and America during the second half of the 19th century been replaced by vertical storage in tubes (silo's), joined to a granary with mechanical appliance for vertical transport by ladders (elevators) and horizontal mostly by conveyor belts. Also drying and purifying was driven by a steam engine, while after weighing load and discharge of the cargo-boats transport again passed by the elevator system.
Technical problems like the extreme heaviness of such granaries slowed down the introduction of this type. The American 'sillon-system' first introduced in Germany in the 1880's, the first Dutch granary was built at Delft by architect Zieren in commission of J. C. Marken for his 'Gist en Spiritus' factories (1885-86). Educated at the Polytechnische School Delft Jacob F. Klinkhamer (1854-1929) must have known about this project when he had to design a granary for J. Reynvaan at Amsterdam (1885). The mechanical installation delivered by specialist firm G. Luther from Braunschweig, Klinkhamer's granary is a boxlike building with saddle-roof, the tower containing the installation for vertical transport.
In 1888 Klinkhamer and Reynvaan pleaded for the building of more granaries in Amsterdam as 'last entrenchment' of Holland to be able to feed her population in times of war. The added design for a large stone granary at the harbour front already largely is the granary for the Delftsche Distilleerderij and in 1895 for the bradfactory 'Holland' at Amsterdam.
By his contacts with the town councilors R. W.J.C. van den Wall Bake and J.Ph. Korthals Altes (who pleaded western expansion of the harbour) and his experience with this building type Klinkhamer was almost automatically chosen to build a large granary in the western harbour area (1896). Technical problems solved by engineer A.L. van Gendt Klinkhamer's granary Korthals Altes combines classical building up with functional division.
The purification-building in front of instead of between the silo's (like G. Luther's), this granary resembles a granary designed by the firm Ulrich at Boedapest. In 1899 Klinkhamer became Professor in functional architecture at the Polytechnische School Delft, teaching medieval and functional architecture. Still no suitable design principles developed for functional architecture, one used the rudiments of Gothic as most rational and constructive style. Studying this style one could accomplish elementary skills to solve actual problems. Klinkhamer's interpretation a.o. derived from Viollet-le-Duc and Cuypers favoured a 'dechristianized' Gothic and besides Early Gothic or rather Romanesque style.At home and abroad the forms of medieval civil architecture like castles and city gates were applied at functional buildings. The expression of 'character' of a building as one of the most important elements of contemporary architectural thinking this choice seems logical. The military association of 1888 still actual at the Korthals Altes granary of 1896, the closeness of the building, the austere ornaments with medieval elements, the constructive articulation and balanced proportions are all means to indicate 'character'. It is this same 'character' of the building, which retards a redevelopment plan and threatens the granary with demolition.


DSM-5® Self-Exam Questions
Test Questions for the Diagnostic Criteria
Edited by Philip R. Muskin, M.D.
- 479 Pages
- Editorial Reviews
- ISBN 978-1-58562-467-6
- Item #62467
DSM-5® Self-Exam Questions: Test Questions for the Diagnostic Criteria elucidates DSM-5® through self-exam questions designed to test the reader’s knowledge of the new edition’s diagnostic criteria. Mental health professionals, ranging from clinicians and students to psychiatric nurses and social workers, will benefit from this substantive text’s 300-plus questions. This book is a “must have” for anyone seeking to fully understand the changes brought about by the groundbreaking launch of DSM-5®.
Some of the book’s most beneficial features include:
- Self-exam questions and cases designed to test the reader’s knowledge of conceptual changes to DSM-5® (e.g., autism spectrum disorder), specific changes to diagnoses (e.g., the integration of childhood disorders within main disorders), and diagnostic criteria (e.g., the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder and bipolar disorders).
- Questions about each diagnosis in DSM-5®, including the proposed diagnoses in Section III, which enable readers to teach themselves about new and potential future diagnoses.
- A contrast of DSM-5® diagnoses with DSM-IV-TR® to assist readers in quickly learning about the changes in diagnostic classes and criteria.
- Short answers that explain the rationale for each correct answer (diagnostic criteria sets from DSM-5® are included as appropriate, and readers are directed to DSM-5® for further information).
- Question answers containing important information on diagnostic classifications, criteria sets, diagnoses, codes, and severity, dimension of diagnosis, and culture, age, and gender.
Straightforward, practical, and illustrative, DSM-5® Self-Exam Questions: Test Questions for the Diagnostic Criteria will successfully test and broaden the DSM-5® knowledge of all mental health professionals.
Part I: Questions
Chapter 1. DSM-5 introduction
Chapter 2. Neurodevelopmental disorders
Chapter 3. Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
Chapter 4. Bipolar and related disorders
Chapter 5. Depressive disorders
Chapter 6. Anxiety disorders
Chapter 7. Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
Chapter 8. Trauma- and stressor-related disorders
Chapter 9. Dissociative disorders
Chapter 10. Somatic symptom and related disorders
Chapter 11. Feeding and eating disorders
Chapter 12. Elimination disorders
Chapter 13. Sleep-wake disorders
Chapter 14. Sexual dysfunctions
Chapter 15. Gender dysphoria
Chapter 16. Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders
Chapter 17. Neurocognitive disorders
Chapter 18. Personality disorders
Chapter 19. Paraphilic disorders
Chapter 20. Assessment measures (DSM-5 section III)
Chapter 21. Cultural formulation (DSM-5 section III) and glossary of cultural concepts of distress (DSM-5 appendix)
Chapter 22. Alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders (DSM-5 section III)
Glossary of technical terms (DSM-5 appendix)
Section II: Answer Guide
Chapter 23. Neurodevelopmental disorders
Chapter 24. Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
Chapter 25. Bipolar and related disorders
Chapter 26. Depressive disorders
Chapter 27. Anxiety disorders
Chapter 28. Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders
Chapter 29. Trauma- and stressor-related disorders
Chapter 30. Dissociative disorders
Chapter 31. Somatic symptom and related disorders
Chapter 32. Feeding and eating disorders
Chapter 33. Elimination disorders
Chapter 34. Sleep-wake disorders
Chapter 35. Sexual dysfunctions
Chapter 36. Gender dysphoria
Chapter 37. Disruptive, impulse control, and conduct disorders
Chapter 38. Substance-related and addictive disorders
Chapter 39. Neurocognitive disorders
Chapter 40. Personality disorders
Chapter 41. Paraphilic disorders
Chapter 42. Assessment measures (DSM-5 section III)
Chapter 43. Cultural formulation (DSM-5 section III) and glossary of cultural concepts of distress (DSM-5 appendix)
Chapter 44. Alternative DSM-5 model for personality disorders (DSM-5 section III)
Glossary of technical terms (DSM-5 appendix)
- Lawrence Amsel, M.D., M.P.H.
Elizabeth L. Auchincloss, M.D.
Robert J. Boland, M.D.
Joyce T. Chen, M.D.
Christina Kitt Garza, M.D.
Philip R. Muskin, M.D.
Michelle B. Riba, M.D., M.S.
Julie K. Schulman, M.D.
Peter A. Shapiro, M.D.
Jonathan A. Slater, M.D.
About the Authors
Philip R. Muskin, M.D., is Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons, and Chief of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry at NY-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, in New York, New York.
The individual questions provided by the Self-Exam, the selection of material, and the extensive answers given are excellent, but the grouping of questions by topic is a major disadvantage for self-study. It nonetheless is a potentially useful tool to prepare for a standardized examination at any level of training.—Michael D. Jibson & Lisa S. Seyfried, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA , Academic Psychiatry, 08/25/2016


The CARIBIC measurements are made from a specially equipped container flown monthly on-board a commercial airliner. Measurements have been ongoing since 2005 and have become part of the European Research Infrastructure IAGOS (www.iagos.org). The cruise altitude of the aircraft is 10-12 km enabling regular investigation of the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere (UTLS) on a near-global scale. The container comprises 15 measurement systems and carries out in-situ trace gas and aerosol particle measurements, remote sensing, and collects aerosol particle and whole air samples. The whole air samples are pressurized in canisters and analyzed for VOC in our lab. Species of interest include hydrocarbons, Sulphur containing species, halogenated species as well as greenhouse gases CO2, CH4, N2O and SF6.
CARBIC - Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container.
M. Li, E. Karu, C. Brenninkmeijer, H. Fischer, J. Lelieveld & J. Williams. Tropospheric OH and stratospheric OH and Cl concentrations determined from CH4, CH3Cl, and SF6 measurements. Nature Partner Journal - Climate and Atmospheric Science, 1, 29 (2018). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41612-018-0041-9
U. R. Thorenz, A. K. Baker, E. C. Leedham Elvidge, C. Sauvage, H. Riede, P. F. J. van Velthoven, M. Hermann, A. Weigelt, D. E. Oram, C. A. M. Brenninkmeijer, A. Zahn, and J. Williams. Investigating African trace gas sources, vertical transport, and oxidation using IAGOS-CARIBIC measurements between Germany and South Africa between 2009 and 2011. Atmos. Environ. 158, 11-26, 2017. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231017301474
A. K. Baker, C. Sauvage, U. R. Thorenz, P. van Velthoven, D. E. Oram, A. Zahn, C. A. M. Brenninkmeijer & J. Williams. Evidence for strong, widespread chlorine radical chemistry associated with pollution outflow from continental Asia, Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 36821 (2016), doi:10.1038/srep36821. https://www.nature.com/articles/srep36821
J. Ditas, N. Ma, Y. Zhang, D. Assmann, M. Neumaier, H. Riede, E. Karu, J. Williams, D. Scharffe, Q. Wang, J. Saturno, J. P. Schwarz, J. M. Katich, G. McMeeking, A. Zahn, M. Hermann, C. A. M. Brenninkmeijer, M. O. Andreae, U. Pöschl, H. Su and Y. Cheng. Strong impact of wildfires on the abundance and aging of black carbon in the lowermost stratospherePNAS, doi/10.1073/pnas.1806868115 www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1806868115


Velocity Pressure (VP)
Definition - What does Velocity Pressure (VP) mean?
In a moving fluid, velocity pressure (VP) is the pressure that would induce an equivalent velocity if applied to move the same fluid through an orifice, so that all pressure energy is converted into kinetic energy. It is used in air conditioning, heating and ventilating work to determine air velocity.
Velocity pressure is a function of air density and velocity. VP will only be exerted in the direction of airflow and is always positive.
Velocity pressure, along with static pressure and pressure due to elevation, are used in Bernoulli's principle as an energy balance on a closed system. The three terms are used to define the state of a closed system of an incompressible, constant-density fluid.
Corrosionpedia explains Velocity Pressure (VP)
Velocity pressure is that pressure required to accelerate air from zero velocity to some velocity (V) and is proportional to the kinetic energy of the air stream.
For example, when a fan is moving air through a duct system, two types of pressure are encountered: velocity pressure and static pressure. The sum of these pressures is referred to as total pressure. Velocity pressure is the pressure caused by air in motion. Units of pressure are expressed in inches of water, designated as W.G. Velocity pressure can be calculated from the difference between the total pressure and static pressure.
Velocity pressure is useful in aerodynamics to determine how the aerodynamic stress varies, and in particular, when it reaches its maximum value. The point of maximum aerodynamic load is a critical parameter in many applications, such as during spacecraft launch.
The measurement of free-stream velocity pressure is fundamental to indication of airspeed. Airspeed indicators are simply pressure gauges, which measure velocity pressure, related to various airspeeds.
Velocity pressure cannot be measured directly. The easiest way to determine flow velocity of air is to measure the velocity pressure in the duct with a pitot tube assembly connected to a differential pressure sensor. The pitot tube assembly includes a static pressure probe and a total pressure probe.
A total pressure probe, aligned into the airflow, senses the duct velocity pressure and the static pressure, which equals the total pressure. A static pressure probe aligned at a right angle to the airflow senses only the static pressure. The difference between the total pressure reading and the static pressure reading is the velocity pressure.


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A friend of mine recently returned from a trip to Southern California and was bemoaning the cost to refuel his vehicle at just under $5 a gallon. Locally, we pay between $3.75 and $4 per gallon. While we don't pay the California prices yet, filling our tanks remains a painful reminder that we are subject to the market demands and price fluctuations with few options for savings available to the average consumer.
As both a commuter and a legislator, I'm interested in fuel cost and impacts on families. The Legislature often receives reports from the petroleum industry about the price of gas and how the costs are beyond the industry's control. But what would you say if I told you that some of our neighbors have found a place in downtown St. George where they fill up and pay less than $1.50 per gallon?
The answer to our cost problem lies in a movement picking up steam statewide to move away from traditional fuels of gasoline and diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Utah is leading the nation in the movement. Fleets of state, area government and some school district vehicles and buses are being converted, or they are being purchased directly from the manufacturer equipped to operate with this alternative fuel technology. Private entities such as waste management companies and major long-haul trucking companies are converting their diesel engines to LNG or CNG, all designed to cut energy costs and the savings are dramatic. Aside from cost savings, there are even more reasons why we should be bringing the public's attention to this alternative fuel which is so abundantly available in our state.
? Clean fuel - Natural gas is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. Natural gas emissions contain significantly less pollution than gasoline: 70 to 90 percent less carbon monoxide, 50 percent less non-methane organic gas; 75 percent less nitrogen oxides and 20 percent less carbon.
? Domestic product - More than 90 percent of the natural gas available in the U.S. is produced in the U.S. With new drilling technologies, it's estimated the U.S. has enough natural gas to last more than 100 years at current production. Using our own fuel reduces our dependence on foreign oil.
? Convenience - In years past, finding a CNG fueling station especially while traveling away from home could be a challenge. That's all changing. In Utah, there are about 40 refueling stations available for private consumer use with more on the drawing board. Most of the stations exist along the I-15 corridor, and we are beginning to see an expansion to rural Utah. Utah is second only to California in the number of fueling stations available for CNG users. Refueling is easy and essentially no different than filling at a conventional gasoline pump.
? Consumer choices - In addition to conversion kits that can be installed on your existing vehicle, auto manufacturers are getting back in the game. For example, you can purchase a Honda Civic equipped from the factory as a CNG vehicle. For those of you who prefer driving a truck, you can order a GM or Dodge with CNG original equipment or a Ford CNG truck factory prepped for a conversion mechanic to install equipment after delivery.
? Tax incentives - Whether you are purchasing an originally equipped vehicle for CNG or converting an existing vehicle, there in an expense involved. The good news is that there are state and federal tax incentives in place to help offset the cost.
The bottom line is the number of CNG and LNG vehicles in Utah is growing, not only with private and government fleets, but the private consumer is catching on. There are so many "wins" for taxpayers, consumers, and our environment when it comes to CNG and LNG. But you don't' just have to take my word for it. Before investing in this technology, you should do your homework. I advise you to spend some time at www.utahcleancities.org and www.questargas.com.
Rep. V. Lowry Snow represents House District 74, which covers the western portion of Washington County. He is participating in a rotating column with other legislators from Southern Utah during the legislative interim period


Reimagining Bloom’s Taxonomy – With an Eye on Technology
By: Jone Tiffany
According to the NMC Horizon report, 2016 Higher Education Edition, trends in the integration of educational technologies in higher education are quickly evolving (Johnson et al., 2016). Topics such as using blended learning, keeping education relevant, and balancing connected and unconnected lives are paramount. The nursing education culture is at times slow to adopt these emerging technologies. In 2010, Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day called for a change to more contextual learning in nursing education. In the past six years there has been some movement to integrate technology in the nursing education community, but why it is so difficult to operationalize? Is it lack of effort, time, resources, or all of the above?
The SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition) model designed by Ruben Puentedura in 2012, helps educators reimagine how they might design, develop, and infuse technology into learning experiences. Dr. Puentedura’s model provides educators with a framework for successful technology integration. The end goal is to push for higher levels of thinking in students. In addition, it gives educators an opportunity to evaluate how a specific technology is working, helps design tasks that enable higher-order thinking skills, and engages students in rich learning experiences.
According to the SAMR model, there are four ways for faculty to change activities in order to up the ante with technology integration:
1. Substitution. Use the same assignment/task but substitute a new technology. The level of technology integration is low.
2. Augmentation. Makes an assignment better with the addition of new technology features.
3. Modification. Use technology to implement significant task redesign, thus allowing the student to change the task and personalize the project.
4. Redefinition. Assign a task that cannot be done without technology, allowing for the creation of a new task.
Click here for a free download with examples of how to use SAMR in nursing education.
This Image is the creation of Dr. Ruben Puentedura. You will find many of his presentation slides on his blog here. This work is all under the Creative Commons-license, which allows for reproduction with attribution.
In his subsequent work, Dr. Puentedura took the model one step further and aligned the SAMR model with Blooms Taxonomy. In the SAMR model, the goal is to move the task from lower to upper levels of technology integration. Similarly, SAMR coupled with Blooms moves the student from lower-level remembering to higher-order thinking of evaluating and creating. It is important to remember that these are not mutually exclusive. One might design a redefinition task that assists the student with remembering a particular concept, or design a substitution activity where a student creates a deliverable. Overall, it is important to choose the appropriate learning activity/digital tool that will enhance student learning.


As a tike, Scott Davidson wanted to be an astronaut. Fascinated by the solar system, he imagined himself wearing a space suit and exploring the outer reaches of the known universe.
But life doesn’t always turn out like you imagine, and today Davidson teaches math and science at Rim Country Middle School. Davidson happens to be quite good at his job, where he explores the furthest reaches of the adolescent mind.
The Arizona Rural Schools Association recently named Davidson the rural teacher of the year for Gila County, which makes him a finalist for the state rural teacher of the year.
Davidson, 35, has taught in Payson for the past decade. He teaches science to seventh-graders in addition to a gifted class that combines math and science. Davidson also leads the middle school outdoor adventure club, which he takes on monthly field trips like mountain biking at Mormon Lake.
In the classroom, Davidson tries to make topics relevant. Gravity, for example, is a cool concept for about five minutes. But the latest research investigates the effect of gravity on viruses.
Davidson says that adding the cutting edge to a traditional lesson grabs kids’ attention.
For instance, what is the impact of space on various viruses? The findings have implications for astronauts because zero gravity increases the ferocity of some viruses, while quieting others.
Or what happens to gravity inside a black hole? “That’s something that excites the heck out of kids because it’s weird. It doesn’t make sense,” said Davidson.
Davidson believes in taking students on field trips to help science come alive. Rural students are sometimes disadvantaged because traveling to places like Arizona State University from Payson takes more time, money and perseverance than traveling there from, say, Mesa, said Davidson.
“For us, it takes some doing,” he said. Especially in this down economy, schools have fewer funds available and students must often pay for gas money themselves.
Fortunately, both of the science teacher’s parents work at ASU, and so he enjoys more access than other teachers.
“I am kind of known in the district as the guy who does field trips,” said Davidson. “I want kids to be excited about science and I want them to see what is going on.”
Principal Gary Witherspoon, who nominated Davidson, called him “enthusiastic” and “highly knowledgeable.”
Last year, Davidson’s students participated in ASU’s MARS project, which allowed students to take pictures of the planet from ASU using a camera installed on an orbiting spacecraft. Leading up to the day, students completed a series of lessons about the planet.
Davidson has applied to participate in the project again, but changes in the program’s leadership have made its future uncertain.
However, his class will soon visit the Petrified Forest and a nearby meteor crater so students can learn about the geology of those areas.
Davidson says that science’s power lies in its connection to other subjects — with geology, for instance.
In his STEM class, gifted students take a combined math and science class, and Davidson challenges himself to continually find connected topics, and often times must write his own curriculum because none exists.
For example, the kids have built catapults, which requires engineering calculations.
“The best learning usually takes place when students have firsthand experience,” said Davidson.
To expand future opportunities, Davidson is looking into virtual field trips.
For instance, one company offers a virtual excursion where a diver takes special equipment as he explores Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Students watch, and can even ask questions.
He also believes that the classroom should be a comfortable and safe learning environment.
“Sometimes that makes a problem for discipline,” Davidson shrugged and smiled, “when they’re a little too comfortable,” but kids generally behave for him and feel comfortable asking questions, which also increases learning.
Davidson says that part of a teacher’s job is developing future leaders. And so, for example, he has invited responsible high school students who used to participate in the middle school’s adventure club to come on field trips. Davidson bestows the students with leadership responsibilities.
The young leaders sometimes offer Davidson friendly reminders. If for example, he loses track of time, his students will sometimes shout, “Hey, Davidson. It’s time to go.”
Or, the older students will help keep the younger students in line.
“I really appreciate having students like that,” said Davidson.