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You likely have heard that vaping is safe, or at least safer than smoking traditional combustible cigarettes. This myth may be easily perpetuated by the lack of offensive odor associated with traditional cigarettes. Currently, e-cigarettes are the most popular nicotine products used in high school and middle school. Statistics reveal that since 2011, teenagers have been smoking less but vaping more. In early 2019 reports of lung damage linked to vaping began reaching experts. By August there were 193 recognized cases. This rose to 2,291 who were hospitalized and 48 who died by early December.1 The latest numbers do not include those who became sick but were not hospitalized. This is only one of several dangers now associated with vaping as researchers are identifying more toxins inhaled with each puff. Researchers have discovered that flavors in vape juice damage the cardiovascular system and deliver heavy metals. Additionally, the cartridges are testing positive for evidence of fungi. Exposure to fungi is associated with asthma and a reduction in lung function. Other scientists have found that those who vape suffer from impaired activity of macrophages in the lungs, damaging vital immune cells. Regarding the most recent reports of lung damage, 80% said they vaped THC (the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana).2 Diversity among the products reported by patients makes it highly unlikely one brand was responsible for the outbreak. Instead, federal and state scientists have discovered Vitamin E oil is a likely suspect. Regarding e-cigarettes and vaping, the CDC said,3 “Vitamin E acetate has been identified as a chemical of concern among people with e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI).” Insurance Companies Unwilling to Take Vaping Risk Insurance companies use underwriters to evaluate the anticipated risk of insuring an individual or item. Underwriters help determine whether the company will profit from providing insurance. They determine the risk, which is used to determine a premium. Reinsurance is a form of insurance purchased by insurance companies to mitigate their own risk.4 With the rising numbers of deaths and injuries related to vaping, reinsurers are warning life insurance companies to place pressure on the underwriters to charge higher rates for specific groups who vape; these rates may be higher than those for smokers. Companies may even deny insurance altogether. Reinsurance companies use a body of research to inform their client model risk. They offer broad-based advice to insurance companies regarding certain topic areas rather than specific policies. However, if the insurance company does not take the advice of their reinsurance company, the reinsurer may refuse to provide reinsurance or raise their own premiums to the insurance company. In the recent past, most insurance companies have looked at those who smoke and those who vaped as one and the same. Smokers and those who vape often could pay double the amount of premiums for life insurance policies as those who do not partake in either habit. Currently, three major reinsurance companies are warning their clients about covering those who vape, while others are considering a new approach. Hannover Re has asked their clients to be cautious about insuring young adults under age 25 due to the large number of lung injuries. Some Insurance Companies Consider Pulling Out Other companies are questioning whether or not coverage should even be offered for this high risk group. The French reinsurer SCOR recommends their clients exclude people who vape products that U.S. authorities believe will trigger lung conditions. They name these products as those containing THC, while ignoring the more likely suspect of lung damage — vitamin E acetate. Reuters contacted 13 life insurance companies in Europe, South Africa and the U.S.; 12 said premiums for those who vape are the same as those who smoke. To highlight the cost difference, Justin Harper, head of protection marketing of a British insurer, shared estimated premiums. For a 35-year-old, a 20-year policy that would pay out $128,300 (£100,000) for life insurance coverage and the same for critical illness, the individual would pay $15.62 (£11.89) per month if they don’t smoke or vape and $27.01 (£20.56) per month if they do. While lifestyle choices have always been associated with risk assessment for insurance companies, this current trend may start the industry down a slippery slope since it appears that choices may cause a company to begin to refuse coverage. As life insurance companies grapple with the risks of vaping, it may not be long before health insurance companies question the affordability of covering a rising number who spend weeks hospitalized in the ICU and months recovering. Juul Labs Purposefully Sold Contaminated Products Adding insult to injury, a recent lawsuit brought by Siddharth Breja, past senior vice president for global finance for Juul Labs, alleges that the company sold at least 1 million polluted mint flavored nicotine pods past the expiration date. The former employee claims Juul would not recall the defective products and he was told to charge the supplier $7 million to recover the cost of the contaminated batches. Breja alleges he was fired in retaliation for criticizing the sale. The lawsuit did not reveal the type of contamination within the nicotine pods but, according to The New York Times, “Mr. Breja detailed a culture of indifference to safety and quality-control issues among top executives at the company and quoted the then-chief executive Kevin Burns saying at a meeting in February: ‘Half our customers are drunk and vaping’ and wouldnʼt ‘notice the quality of our pods.'” Juul denied firing Breja in retaliation for his comments and said they regarded the product safety charges as meritless. However, these allegations are increasing the spotlight on a company named in at least 50 lawsuits and under investigation by the FDA, Federal Trade Commission, five state attorneys general and several congressional committees. The popularity of vaping has been attributed to slick marketing campaigns that appear to be aimed at those under 18 years. Unfortunately, young people are continuing to show up in emergency rooms with symptoms of EVALI; some require mechanical ventilation for weeks. Addiction Raises Risks of Other Addictive Behaviors As the number of teens who become addicted to vaping increase precipitously, the risk of using highly addictive JuulSalts becomes more apparent. The company has positioned itself as a “genuine alternative to cigarettes” delivering a “nicotine hit that is much more like smoking a cigarette than other e-cigs.” JuulSalts makes nicotine delivery less harsh to inhale and readily absorbed directly through the mucous membranes in your mouth. The nicotine is easier for the body to access and the cartridges contain up to twice the amount of nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. This combination increases the addictive nature of the product. Researchers have found high school seniors who had never smoked traditional cigarettes and who vape are four times more likely to pick up a cigarette in the following year. In animal studies, early addiction to nicotine has been associated with increased risks for future addictive behaviors. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found rats exposed to nicotine during adolescence grew up to drink more alcohol than those who were not exposed. It appeared to change the neurological circuitry in the brain within the reward center, which potentially explains how exposure at a younger age can increase the potential for addictive behavior later in life. Teen Vaping Rises Precipitously but No Treatment Available Unfortunately, teens have no place to turn for treatment options. Federal law prohibits the sale of devices to those under 18, yet many high school students report getting them from older students, purchasing them online or obtaining them from siblings. The rapid rise in addicted youth appears to have taken many by surprise; to date there has been little discussion about how to treat nicotine addiction in young children. The harshness of inhaling cigarette smoke has sometimes discouraged teenagers from the habit but this deterrent does not exist with vaping. The current medications on the market for nicotine withdrawal are not approved for use in children or young teens, which leaves them without a medical option to kick the habit. Until other options are available, it’s important that parents and teens recognize quitting a nicotine habit requires patience, discipline and a willingness to follow a treatment plan. These strategies are not easily accepted by teenagers who are not fully cognitively developed, which may make addiction treatment more difficult for teens and their parents. Dr. Susanne Tanski, a tobacco prevention expert with the American Academy of Pediatrics, commented:5 “Teenagers have their own ideas of what might work for them, and they’re going to do what they do. But we desperately need studies to figure out what’s going to work with this population. It’s frightening for me as a pediatrician because I really feel like there’s this uncontrolled experiment happening with our young people. They don’t perceive the harm, and we can’t show them what it’s going to be.” Recognize the Risk The industry claims vaping is a short-term solution to quitting traditional cigarettes but marketing campaigns have been squarely aimed at children and young adults, many of whom never smoked traditional cigarettes. Vaping delivers an appalling amount of heavy metals and toxic chemicals, including diacetyl, formaldehyde, diethylene glycol, tobacco-specific nitrosamines and highly reactive free radicals. In one study, scientists found e-cigarette flavors may induce early signs of cardiovascular disease leading to heart attack, stroke and death. Changes appear almost immediately at the cellular level and vapor from e-cigarettes boost production of inflammatory chemicals and impaired macrophages. This leads researchers to conclude it damages vital immune system cells. This type of damage increases the vulnerability of lung cells to dust, bacteria and allergens, which increases the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Dr. Deepa Camenga, who is board certified in pediatrics and addiction medicine, recommends you talk to your children early on about e-cigarettes: “When you are out and about with your children and see an advertisement, for example, take the opportunity to talk about it. It’s also important to give teens and young adults the space to ask questions.” Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, Ph.D., is co-leader of the Yale Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science. She recommends parents do not purchase e-cigs under the misconception they may prevent their children from smoking traditional cigarettes, and says: “I think the problem is that parents lose credibility if they say something to try and convince their child, who then finds out that it isn’t true. Parents should base their information on accurate facts and also encourage their children to read about and understand the science on this issue instead of relying on what their friends and peers tell them.”

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We kick off a series about cupping by exploring what the method is used for and the value of cupping at home. BY TANYA NANETTI SENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Cover photo by Tanya Nanetti Every coffee lover sooner or later stumbles upon a coffee cupping: Maybe they have just heard the term, maybe they’ve seen it advertised at a roaster and decide to attend, or maybe one of their barista friends introduces them to it. So What Is a Coffee Cupping? Coffee cupping is a method historically used by coffee professionals to evaluate a coffee. By cupping, one can determine a coffee’s strengths and weaknesses, check the quality of the roasting profile, and detect the presence of possible defects. Born as a standardized system to help recognize coffee consistency, cupping has existed since the late 19th century. But it was at the beginning of this millennium that SCA developed a cupping procedure that has become the industry standard for cupping. The main goal of cupping: to create an easy procedure, which requires only a coffee grinder, some bowls and spoons, some hot water, and coffee beans, and a common tasting language that can be used by everyone, all over the world. Professional cupping follows a rigorous procedure in which participants evaluate the coffee using a form that scores each attribute of the coffee from six to 10, both for intensity and for quality. This method can be intimidating for a novice. That’s why, even when coffee shops or roasters organize public cuppings, they usually don’t use the professional form, instead choosing a less formal approach. But is there a fun and easy way to familiarize yourself with coffee cupping? Enter cupping at home! This is the perfect way to start learning more about coffee, and probably the best way to do it is to use a less technical and more fun approach. The purpose of professional cupping is to analyze the various features of a coffee (bitterness, acidity, sweetness, etc.). When cupping at home, you can practice these characteristics, or focus on finding the coffee’s tasting notes. Moreover, organizing a home cupping, even just for yourself, can help you learn how to brew a better coffee. Thanks to its repeatability and easy procedure, cupping is almost foolproof, and it can be really helpful in highlighting the best and worst that every coffee has to offer, providing a better idea about how that coffee should taste when brewed. You can learn a lot from a simple cupping! Improve Your Palate Let’s say, for instance, that the coffee tasted in the cupping is too bitter. That could help you decide to brew that same coffee with colder water, or perhaps use a coarser ground, or lower your ratio of grounds to water. If, on the other hand, the coffee is missing some sweetness or lacking depth, you can try the brew doing exactly the opposite, and so on. And the best part? The more you cup, the more you’ll learn. You’ll soon be able to recognize different tasting notes and qualities more easily, preparing you for the next professional cupping. Stay tuned for part two later this week, where we’ll discuss cupping procedures to get you started! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tanya Nanetti (she/her) is a specialty-coffee barista, a traveler, and a dreamer. When she’s not behind the coffee machine (or visiting some hidden corner of the world), she’s busy writing for Coffee Insurrection, a website about specialty coffee that she’s creating along with her boyfriend.

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It may have come and gone from year to year, might barely have reached your ankles, and would have tasted like acid mine drainage. But a sea of sorts once covered a large region on the equator of ancient Mars. That's the word from the Mars Opportunity rover, which inspected an outcrop of salt-laden sediment on Meridiani Planum and found thin intersecting layers that must be sand ripples shaped by flowing water. "It is a profound discovery," NASA space science chief Edward Weiler said at a press conference this week in Washington, D.C. "Water is the key to life. As of today, Meridiani is the place we'd want to send our next rover on Mars." Scientists have long believed that water flowed across the martian surface billions of years ago, if only from melting snows. But did it pool in life-affirming lakes and oceans or just seep into the ground to stay? The rock outcrop that Opportunity had been analyzing is rich in sulfate salts with varying amounts of the element bromine, rover scientists reported early this month. That is just the sort of thing that a shallow, evaporating sea or lake would deposit on its floor (ScienceNOW, 2 March). The clincher came when Opportunity microscopically imaged large parts of rock outcrops dubbed Last Chance and the Dells. The images show fine layering not in the neat, parallel layers of dust sifting out of the air or sand settling quietly to a lake bottom but in layers curved upward in "smiles" that intersect one another. "We feel quite confident these 'smiles' add up to a story of ripples moving in water rather than wind," says geologist and rover science team member John Grotzinger of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Opportunity's salty, shallow sea was probably a sizable one. From orbit, the bit of light-toned rock analyzed by Opportunity appears to extend over an area at least the size of Oklahoma, Grotzinger notes. And the sea may have been there, at least intermittently, for quite a while. That light-toned layer is about 300 meters thick. Opportunity's next task is to rove to Endeavor crater to inspect what may be outcropping sea floor 100 times thicker than the one it just left. Mars rovers home page

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If you missed out on Friday's lunar eclipse, take a look at our gallery for some splendid photos of the "red moon". The total eclipse lasted one hour, 42 minutes, and 57 seconds. A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes completely behind Earth and into its shadow. It happens when the sun, the Earth and the moon are perfectly aligned with our planet in the middle, thus blocking sunlight from reaching the moon. The light then appears reddish, hence the “blood moon” name. Lunar eclipses also only take place when the moon is full. The eclipse was visible from Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. However, in some places (like in Lyon) clouds blocked out the moon.

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Coping with the Monkey Mind — a meditation term indicating an “unsettled; restless; capricious; whimsical; fanciful; inconstant; confused; indecisive; uncontrollable” mind — is one of the biggest obstacles to meditation and mindfulness practice in Buddhism. The monkey mind disturbs peaceful reflection and creates endless obstacles to mindfulness practice, and, although it sounds contradictory, mindfulness can be said to be the “cure” for the monkey mind. Coping with the monkey mind can be helped with different techniques: - active meditation: Tai chi, Chi Gong, walking - static meditations: standing, sitting, lying - sensory meditations: focus on just hearing or feeling - analytical meditation: analyze your anger or other feelings; or examine your body to find that which is “you” - visualization meditations: really incorrigible monkey minds can best be settled with active visualization methods - compassion meditation: meditating on metta and loving kindness - voice meditations: if you’re really unsettled, combine visualization with a mantra, a repetitive toneless sound. Meditation has numerous proven health benefits as well as mental and spiritual benefits. (There are at least ten health benefits to meditation, as proven in clinical studies. Refer to this article>>) To achieve any gains, regardless of goal, the mind must be able to focus, to settle. Meditation is one of the best options to help control the accumulated stress and other related problems, normally associated with this fast paced world. Spiritually, meditation is critical to mindfulness practice and reflections on the Dharma. Psychiatry has also long recognized the benefits of stillness meditation. But, what to do if you have the monkey mind, if you simply can’t still the mind or the body? Some well-tried and lesser known methods, which we’ve covered in detail before, also include: - the Mindfulness of Feelings (Venerable Zasep Rinpoche’s teachings on Mindfulness of Feelings here>>) - Analytical mindfulness: for example, “find your body.” (more below.) Concentration Versus Clarity One key to overcoming the monkey mind is to focus on clarity, not concentration. Don’t concentrate on the breath, simply experience it with clarity. Don’t concentrate on sounds, let yourself go and experience them, closing your eyes to remove visual distraction. Don’t try so hard to visualize the Buddha or Merit Field — let your mind go and simply trigger the visualization with a clear mind. In Mahayana Buddhist practice, Shunyata meditation, meditation on Emptiness, is an advanced method. Ultimately the goal is to find clear light, emptiness, the bliss of no-thinking. The clarity of any meditation, Shunyatta or Tai Chi, really comes from Clarity, not concentration. Analytical Method Destroys the Monkey Mind If you can’t settle on breath or sound or observation, the great teachers normally suggest Analytical Meditation. For example, in a previous feature (“Much More than Six Words of Advice”>>) Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche explained it this way: In explaining relative versus absolute truth, Rinpoche invited us to use analytical meditation. “I look at my body, and ask myself the question, what is my body? … You do a scanning meditation and try to find your body. When you scan your skin, you ask, is that my body? No, it’s skin, not body. Then you look at your bones, and likewise every part of your body.” If you scrutinize the body this way you’ll find body parts, but not body. Even those body parts have components if you scan those body parts. “To be body, it has to be the ‘whole’ body, all the parts. If you really look, you can’t find one thing that is your body. What we call body is just a ‘label’. A name. Imputing a label.” Therefore, “yes it’s a body” in relative truth, “but when you search for the absolute body, you can’t find it. We can call this the emptiness of our body.” It only exists by virtue of it’s label. “A good example is your car. If you take that car apart, and everything is just parts, there is no car. Just car parts. You put it back together, and then label it Hyundai, you have a Hyundai. But if you switch the labels [to Honda] is it now a Honda? It’s all labels. There is no independent existence. That’s only one way to look at emptiness.” “Emptiness and form co-exist,” he explained. The car relatively exists, but is, in absolute terms, only a label. It is made up of parts, and defined only by a relative label. Effort and Non-Effort No matter how unsettled your mind, experts consistently recommend continuing your effort for at least 15 minutes regardless of results. However, the word “effort” is wrong here. You really want to continue the “non-effort” for 15 minutes or longer. Don’t try hard. That makes you tense up. The mind becomes distracted. It’s downhill from there. Focus on non-focus. Try non-effort. True, it sounds a little silly Zen 1960s to put it that way, but ultimately that’s the goal: non-effort, non focus. (So down below, where we say “focus on…” we really mean “non focus on”) Mindfulness of Anything Normally, the first step in meditation is to achieve mindfulness. This can be mindfulness of “anything” — not necessarily mindfulness of breath. Mindfulness of breath is certainly the most common method, but it rarely works well for monkey minds. Instead, focus on your body parts. Try “scanning” meditation, scanning your body mentally (with your eyes closed) from your toes to your crown, moving upwards inch by inch. Simply be mindful. Don’t pause on your pot belly and start thinking of diets. Scan mindfully, observe, don’t judge. Mindfulness of Sounds If this is too difficult, try being mindful of sounds. Even if you are inside the house, try really “listening” to the house. You might hear the wind on the window. The muffled bark of the neighbours dog. If you are outside, all the better. Listen to the movement of branches, rustling in the wind. The birds singing. In the winter, sounds are even more magnified by cold air. Hear the cars on the highway. Hear the neighbors arguing. Simply hear, don’t think. Don’t start analyzing the neighbor’s fight — just experience. Mindfulness of sound, especially with eyes closed, is one of the most profound techniques. You will be surprised, after five minutes of mindful practice, what you can hear. You can even hear your children two floors down in the basement playing video games. You can hear the dog’s breathing. Active People Who Cannot Sit Still Most people make all types preparations for practicing meditation with increased determination and they sit down and close their eyes to get into a deep state of relaxation and focus. Whenever they attempt to practice a seated meditation, they will become restless and a jittery feeling will start creeping in. Due to different feelings like discomfort, distress, embarrassment and strain, you will start twisting and turning your body like a worm or snake. What happens next? Often, an abrupt end to your meditation session. How to overcome this situation? Varying your meditation, using the four postures can be helpful; they include sitting, lying down, standing and walking. Here are some guidelines: - If you sit for meditation but feel jittery, try standing meditation. - If you can’t settle peacefully while standing for several minutes, try very slow walking meditation. - If neither of these work, try prone meditation (lie down), but remain aware, and if you become sleepy, return to sitting. - Take up Tai Chi or other “slow” meditative actions, such as some forms of Chi Gong (Qigong) — the slower the better. If you are a person who cannot sit still at the best of times, you might find walking meditation is best until you settle your mind. However, it’s important to understand this is “mindfulness” walking, which means you must be conscious of everything: the pressure on the ball of your foot, your breathing, the sound of the birds, the wind on your skin — every little detail. If you are doing this properly, you’ll find a clarity of vision and hearing you never imagined before. But start with one foot very slightly in front of the other. Very close, not long strides. Very smooth, so that it appears your shoulders are not bobbing — level and without swaying. You should be walking slowly enough that you can feel the play of your muscles. You should be so deliberately focused that your movements become tortoise-like. While walking, you still watch the breath. If your breath is rising and falling too quickly — slow down even more. You should be able to even feel your heartbeat. Walking meditation is actually one of the most powerful mindfulness practices, because you can experience it outside, and genuinely start to notice literally everything around you. You start to feel your body. You even start to feel your body in tune with everything around you. If walking meditation doesn’t calm the mind, if you still have monkey mind, then try standing for awhile. You can practice this inside or outside. Outside, you can combine it with walking meditation. Ten minutes walking, ten minutes standing. Always mindful. Always clear. If you focus on your muscles, breathing, the sounds around you, you will find your mind settle. It is important to bend your knees slightly. If you are a martial artist, you can use a static kata — like the horse-riding stance, which bends the knees and keeps your centre of gravity very centred. If you are untrained in martial arts, simply try to sink down over your ankles, with your knees slightly bent. Feel your centre of gravity sink lower and lower. One reason Vajrayana Buddhism is considered an advanced path, aside from many other factors, is the extensive focus on advanced methods to settle the monkey mind: - visualization of a merit field: idealized imagery that really allows your “beta” mind to beat down that active alpha mind - mantras, either alone or with visualizations, to really release the mind: repeating sonerous, other-wordly sounds triggers an empty mind-space - complex sadhanas: combining a series of visualizations with mantras with actions — such as offerings, prostrations and music — to totally occupy the mind. The goal of complex Vajrayana meditations, combining visualization, mantra and action, is to take the mind where it normally can’t consciously go. Emptiness resides in the subconscious, rather than the conscious mind. If you are a Buddhist, particularly a Vajrayana Buddhist, you likely have a favourite mantra. Usually we focus on the mantra to achieve a goal. Another way to think of mantras is to sink into the repetitions as a “non-focus” of the meditation. Just let the repeating sound wash over you. You can chant it yourself, or play mantras on a soundbox, but either way sink into the vibrations. Combine “listening” meditation with sacred mantra. If you are not a Buddhist, you can still create a sound focus. Something like, “I am Empty, I am Empty, I am Empty….” over and over. Or just use the generic “OM” so popular in Yoga studios. If you don’t have a mantra in your daily practice, the compassionate mantra of the Buddha of Compassion is a wonderful focus: Om Mani Padme Hum Pronounced “Ohm mah nee pad me hum” Regardless of meditation style, it is a good idea to remove distractions. Turn off the phone. Wear comfortable clothes. Seek out quiet (unless you’re pursuing listening mindfulness). The next step is to identify an object for focus — focus, not concentration — it can be anything: your breath, your hearbeat, a painting on the wall in front of you, the texture of a piece of paper, a candle flame or any other object. If you can’t just absorb yourself mindfully in the focal point, try visualizing. Stare at the candle, painting or apple for a few minutes, settling, observing every detail, every minute texture and shading. Then close your eyes and continue to see it. Open, refresh. Close, visualize. Don’t try too hard. Concentration and over-trying makes it harder. This is why, in Vajrayana meditation, mantras are so powerful. Aside from their sacred meaning, the allow the mind to disengage. Repeating a mantra 10,000 times definitely brings the mind to an empty space. 10 Benefits of meditation It is definitely worthwhile. There are ten medical and mental health benefits to meditation — recognized by doctors and psychologists — and proven with peer reviewed studies. See this feature: Science of Meditation: Peer-reviewed studies prove there are at least 10 reasons to meditate daily, from boosting your immune system to increasing cognitive function to reduction of inflammation at the cellular level.

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by Petrus van der Let and Martin Luksan Cow horns, ceramic drums, bone flutes, mouth bows, and bullroarers are just a few of the instruments that were used to make music 7000 years ago. Whether this also occurred in the ring ditches created during that time can only be a matter of speculation. The ring ditches consisted of wooden posts that were arranged in a circle and had several gates. The whole structure was surrounded by trenches dug in the earth. Various interpretations exist with regard to their function: cult sites, arenas for games, calendar structures whose gates indicated the summer and winter solstice... Some ring ditches have been reconstructed, for instance at Heldenberg (Lower Austria) or Goseck (Sachsen-Anhalt). The exact measurement of the earth's magnetic rays means that virtual archeology can today also be visualized on the computer.

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All Theory Test Questions Refine Questions by Category View all Questions Alert Driving and Consideration for Other Road Users Characteristics of Various Types of Road Driver Behaviour and Anticipation Driving Risk Factors Related to Road Conditions as they Change with Weather and Day/Night Good Judgement and Perception Observance of Safe Distances and Driving in Various Weather/Road Conditions Observation/Field of View Road Signs, Markings and Traffic Regulations Safety Factors Relating to Vehicle Loading and Persons Carried Taking Corrective or Emergency Action Technical Matters with a Bearing on Road Safety Vulnerable Road Users Drinking and Driving What precaution should a driver take when getting out of their vehicle? On a busy road, how should a driver allow passengers out of a vehicle? What should a driver do if a tyre bursts on the vehicle they are driving? How should a driver use the brakes if the vehicle is fitted with anti-lock brakes (ABS)? What should a driver do if their vehicle gets into a front-wheel sideways skid? What should a driver do if their vehicle gets into a four-wheel sideways skid? What should a driver do if their vehicle gets into a rear-wheel sideways skid? How should a driver in a vehicle without anti-lock brakes (ABS) deal with a front-wheel straight-line skid? What effect could a front-tyre blow-out have on a vehicle? What effect could a rear-tyre blow-out have on a vehicle? What action should a driver take if the engine in their vehicle cuts out suddenly when they are driving along? How would hydraulic power steering be affected if an engine stalled in slow-moving traffic? What does a white line in the centre of the road mean? What does a continuous white line along the centre of the road mean? What should a driver do at an amber traffic light? Get in touch

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English | 2019 | ISBN: 1789802566 | 448 Pages | EPUB | 20 MB Solve real-world statistical problems using the most popular R packages and techniques R is a popular programming language for developing statistical software. This book will be a useful guide to solving common and not-so-common challenges in statistics. With this book, you’ll be equipped to confidently perform essential statistical procedures across your organization with the help of cutting-edge statistical tools. You’ll start by implementing data modeling, data analysis, and machine learning to solve real-world problems. You’ll then understand how to work with nonparametric methods, mixed effects models, and hidden Markov models. This book contains recipes that will guide you in performing univariate and multivariate hypothesis tests, several regression techniques, and using robust techniques to minimize the impact of outliers in data.You’ll also learn how to use the caret package for performing machine learning in R. Furthermore, this book will help you understand how to interpret charts and plots to get insights for better decision making. By the end of this book, you will be able to apply your skills to statistical computations using R 3.5. You will also become well-versed with a wide array of statistical techniques in R that are extensively used in the data science industry. What you will learn - Become well versed with recipes that will help you interpret plots with R - Formulate advanced statistical models in R to understand its concepts - Perform Bayesian regression to predict models and input missing data - Use time series analysis for modelling and forecasting temporal data - Implement a range of regression techniques for efficient data modelling - Get to grips with robust statistics and hidden Markov models - Explore ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) and perform hypothesis testing

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CC-MAIN-2019-22

https://forcoder.su/r-statistics-cookbook-performing-operations/

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A building constructed by a yet undefined culture and dating from 2,200 BC has been found in Rumbipapa Park, in the city of Quito, Ecuador. The building is ascribed to the so-called Formative period of Pre-Columbian Ecuador, when the region’s inhabitants passed from the hunter-gathering/primary farming phase to more sophisticated forms of culture(c. 4200-600 BC). The excavation of the site, situated at the foot of Pichincha Volcano,was started two years ago by archaeologist Angelo Constantine. The building’s floor came to light in a depth of 3m. Traces of human feces and urine were analysed to set teh site’s date to around 2200 BC. Scraps of human and animal bones also found there come from another period, presumably from a time after Pichincha Volcano erupted.

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How knowledgeable are you about the construction and operation of fire extinguishers? If you’re not too knowledgeable about fire extinguishers, don’t worry. Fireline is here to help you learn the basics. Today’s Modern portable fire extinguishers are stored pressure and cartridge operated. The most in demand fire extinguishers are the stored pressure fire extinguishers. But what materials form the construction of modern fire extinguishers? Modern fire extinguishers are constructed from steel, aluminum or aluminum alloy. These materials are used to create a durable exterior for fire extinguishers. The exteriors can withstand knocks, external temperatures and corrosion. The gas cartridge operated fire extinguishers are coated in plastic to provide the cartridge extra protection against the contents of the fire extinguisher. Gas cartridges can be piercing disc or frangible pip cartridges. The piercing disc gas cartridge features a pierced diaphragm. The frangible pip gas cartridge features a pip broken by a blunt spindle. Gas cartridge operated fire extinguishers only allow the cartridge to be pressurized. In a store pressure fire extinguisher, the entire fire extinguisher is pressurized. Here is how stored pressure fire extinguishers and gas cartridge operated fire extinguishers work: The Operation of The Stored Pressure Fire Extinguishers A stored pressure fire extinguisher is operated when it releases its pin. The pin is released when the tamper seal is broken or the operator presses down on the handle of the fire extinguisher. This allows the pressure stored at the top of the fire extinguisher, dry air or nitrogen, to be released. When this happens the pressure is forced down on the extinguishing agent of water, foam, powder or other substance. The agent is then forced up the fire extinguisher tube. The Operation Of The Gas Cartridge Fire Extinguishers Similar to the stored pressure fire extinguisher, the gas cartridge is operated by releasing the pin. The pin pierces the seal on the gas cartridge. The pressure of the fire extinguisher from the gas cartridge is then forced down on the extinguishant. Here are just a few fire extinguishers you can use to enhance your building fire safety: -Water Fire Extinguishers -Foam Fire Extinguishers -Powder Fire Extinguishers -Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguishers Fireline has provided fire extinguishers and portable extinguisher service for more than 60 years. Our salesmen are trained to access the building occupancy, the potential fire hazards and the anticipated class of fire before recommending the proper type and size of extinguishers required to meet the codes. Our technicians are routinely trained to provide the highest quality service for any type of extinguisher. We are a Maryland corporation founded in 1947 by John S. Waters. Fireline remains a pioneer in the fledgling fire equipment distribution business and we have grown to encompass all facets of fire protection. Our Totally Integrated Protection Solutions provide you with a wide variety of services. We can design, install, inspect, or service any type of fire protection system. From fire alarms to fire extinguisher, we do it all.

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