text:
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text:
Note: If you are seeing English words in the Transliteration, please turn off auto translate on your device.
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem
Verse by Verse
Side by Side View
Stacked View
Make PDF
Email This Surah
Translators: Ahmed Ali ● Amatul Rahman Omar ● Daryabadi ● Faridul Haque ● Hamid S. Aziz ● Maulana Mohammad Ali ● Pickthall ● Sarwar ● Shakir ● Yusuf Ali
Recitation by Mishary Al-Alfasy
The Surah is so designated after the word al buruj appearing in the first
Period of Revelation
The subject matter itself
indicates that this Surah was sent down at Makkah in the period when persecution
of the Muslims was at its climax and the disbelievers of Makkah were trying
their utmost by tyranny and coercion to turn away the new converts from Islam.
Theme and Subject Matter
Its theme is to warn the
disbelievers of the evil consequences of the persecution and tyranny that they
were perpetrating on the converts to Islam, and to console the believers, so as
to say: "If you remain firm and steadfast against tyranny and coercion, you will
be rewarded richly for it, and Allah will certainly avenge Himself on your
persecutors on your behalf."
In this connection, first of all the story
of the people of the ditch (ashab al-ukhdud) had been related, who had burnt the
believers to death by casting them into pits full of fire. By means of this
story the believers and the disbelievers have been taught a few lessons. First,
that just as the people of the ditch became worthy of Allah's curse and
punishment, so are the chiefs of Makkah also becoming worthy of it. Second, that
just as the believers at that time had willingly accepted to sacrifice their
lives by being burnt to death in the pits of fire instead of turning away from
the faith, so also the believers now should endure every persecution but should
never give up the faith. Third, that Gods acknowledging Whom displeases the
disbelievers and is urged on by the believers, is Dominant and Master of the
Kingdom of the earth and heavens; He is self-praiseworthy and is watching what
the two groups are striving for. Therefore, it is certain that the disbelievers
will not only be punished in Hell for their disbelief but, more than that, they
too will suffer punishment by fire as a fit recompense for their tyranny and
cruelties. Likewise, this also is certain that those, who believe and follow up
their belief with good deeds, should go to Paradise and this indeed is the
supreme success. Then the disbelievers have been warned, so as to say: "God's
grip is very severe. If you are proud of the strength of your hosts, you should
know that the hosts of Pharaoh and Thamud were even stronger and more numerous.
Therefore, you should learn a lesson from the fate they met. God's power has so
encompassed you that you cannot escape His encirclement, and the Qur'an that you
are bent upon belying, is unchangeable: it is inscribed in the Preserved Tablet,
which cannot be corrupted in any way."

subset: commoncrawl


text:
What is Worksite Setup?
The Worksite Setup tool provides information about the sites to which you currently belong or may join. If you have a role that allows it, you can use this tool to make changes to information about the site, tools available in the site, and access to the site. You can also publish the site using the Worksite Setup tool.
Many of the functions of the Worksite Setup tool mirror those of the Site Info tool; Worksite Setup is available through Home, whereas Site Info is available in each site.
If you don't have the appropriate permissions, you will only see the information about the site published by the site owner in Worksite Setup.


text:
Mobile Computing | News
Arkansas State University is in the second semester of its iPad Initiative, which provides iPads for experimentation in a number of courses and university departments. The uses are turning out to be diverse:
The program initially kicked off in 2011 when faculty and staff began meeting to figure out how to spend $100,000 it had received from a campus tech fee committee, which, according to coverage in student newspaper Arkansas State University Herald, wanted faculty to research how to use mobile technology in the classroom. An iPad committee was formed, and proposals solicited for research projects. Eventually 16 proposals were submitted, and the committee prioritized them and funded the first 10 top-ranked projects, with the bulk of the budget going to the purchase of the tablets themselves.
Where instructors issued iPads to students, they sometimes supplied the apps. For example, one of the iArt courses used art compilation Art Authority, curating game Master Pieces, image sharing program Instagram, and image gallery Instapad. An education classroom management experiment, however, called for students who were issued the devices to come up with one or two iPad apps early in the semester that they could recommend for use by their fellow students for instructional purposes.
Arkansas State's Interactive Teaching and Technology Center (ITTC) provided training and teaching support to instructors; technical support came from the Information and Technology Services organization.
This semester ITTC is continuing its instructional support with a couple of 90-minute faculty development courses on "exploring iPad apps across the curriculum."
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.


text:
Manufactured in the USA, our theft & vandalism prevention cages are setting a higher industry standard by featuring:
We have a full line of Gorilla Cages available for any asset that you may need to protect (BackFlow Valves, Pumps, Motors, Stand-by Generators).
All cages feature welded steel tubes enclosing the padlock and mounting hardware for superior lock protection.
All cages are sold with a pre-built concrete form and attaching hardware.
* NOTE: In order to reduce your shipping costs you may have been shipped a unit with a two piece concrete form (shown above). If so, accurately lay out the two pieces in their respective positions and use the supplied splice plates to hammer the halves together. The splice plates are best installed with a hammer while backed up by a hard concrete surface. Test fit the cage on the form before proceeding.
If you pick up in-store, your concrete form will not be cut in half and you will not have to splice back together.
GC-4 Tall Lift-Off Specifications
All cages feature welded steel tubes enclosing the padlock and mounting hardware for superior lock protection. Shown below. Padlocks NOT included.
Thieves are removing backflow prevention systems in as little as a few seconds from public and private property, selling the system parts at scrap recycling yards for cash.
Brand | Gorilla Cage |
Dimensions | 48 in. x 12 in. x 24 in. |
Type | Backflow Cage |
Purpose Or Function | Backflow Enclosure |
Color | Green |
Size | Standard |
Height | X-Large |
Enclosure Type | Theft Prevention |


text:
Stefan Radtke
Photograph: Stefan Radtke: First Light Number 19
Stefan Radtke's First Light Number 19 is a limited edition of 5 prints. Each being signed and numbered by the photographer.
Size: 40X 50 Inches ( 101.6 x 127 cm ) . Glicee prints on highest quality Hahnemuehle FineArt Paper. Unframed.
ABOUT THE COLLECTION: The FIRST LIGHT series developed from Stefan Radtke's previous works MOVED and SOUND PORTRAITS. It was created in 20014 and 2015 along the coast of the Long Island Sound in New York over period of weeks right around sunrise. The work produced during that time are abstract and almost painterly-like photographs of the Long Island Sound. Combining long exposure and a deliberately moving camera, the images literally blur the line between photography and abstract painting. The images are about letting go of conventions and aspire to be an inspiration for the audience to create their own story.
Using a long exposure technique combined with deliberate camera movement I am creating photographs of landscapes inspired by abstract expressionists, capturing an atmosphere rather than an explicit reality and opening for the viewer the possibility for interpretation.
The images of the FIRST LIGHT series were taken the few minutes around sunrise on the Long Island Sound in Rye, New York.
The photography will be shipped directly from the photographer. Delivery time ~ 2-3 weeks. Price includes shipping . Pls. email us at firstname.lastname@example.com in case you want it shipped outside Europe or US and we will give you an exact quote .
When you are buying a product on our site, you will receive a confirmation from us but also directly from the brands, who will then ship the products directly to you. We are trying to make the buying experience as seamless as possible within our limits. We believe in building close and personal relationships with each designer and brand in order to provide best possible customer service. Any communication in regards to shipping/ exchange and returns will be directly with the brand but you are of course welcome to contact us at email@example.com any times if any inquires or issues and we will do our best to help. Most brands will ship to anywhere in Europe and US. Some ship globally. Some brands will not ship outside these geographic areas but we will try to accommodate your requests if we can. The prices given at the site are including all shipping and are inclusive of any costs. Sometimes you may be asked to click the right option depending on your location, in order for us to give you accurate price including shipping to your destination. The brands that we are working with may have different policies in regards to exchange, shipping and returns. Make sure you read the brand/brands own T&C and policies. A Limitless World aims to give a good customer service but since we do not ship the products directly , unfortunately we cannot control or take responsibilities for any delays or direct communication that may be held between customer and the brand .
Most brands that we are working with will have at least 14 days exchange/ return policies. Any exchange and return enquiries should be directly with the brand that shipped the product to you. They should be able to answer any questions that you may have. You are of course welcome to contact us at A Limitless World at any times by emailing firstname.lastname@example.com You may have to pay the return shipping costs yourself and this cost cannot be refunded. A Limitless World will pay back the refund to your card as soon as we have received confirmation that the brand/ designer has received the product and confirmed ok . It may take up to 2 weeks for your refund to appear on your bank statement depending on bank and different transaction processes..


text:
Participating Organization(s) |
National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) |
Funding Opportunity Title |
Computational Analysis of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Data (U01) |
Activity Code |
U01 Research Project Cooperative Agreements |
Announcement Type |
New |
Related Notices |
Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Number |
Companion FOA |
RFA-HG-11-024, U54 Specialized Center- Cooperative Agreements |
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s) |
93.172 |
FOA Purpose |
The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) and modENCODE Projects have, since their inception, cataloged a significant fraction of the functional elements in the human and well-studied model organism genomes, respectively. These catalogs are increasingly being used by the research community to expand on basic biological knowledge and to interpret the results of disease-mapping studies. The purpose of this FOA is to solicit applications from researchers outside of the umbrella of the ENCODE Projects to support analysis activities on the ENCODE data. These activities might include developing new methods to improve on analysis and interpretation of ENCODE data, combining ENCODE data with related functional genomic data from other projects to derive new biological insights, or using the ENCODE data to improve on the analysis of disease mapping studies to identify causal variants. |
Posted Date |
October 4, 2011 |
Open Date (Earliest Submission Date) |
November 6, 2011 |
Letter of Intent Due Date |
November 6, 2011 |
Application Due Date(s) |
(New Date December 21, 2011 per NOT-HG-12-002), Original Date December 6, 2011, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization. |
AIDS Application Due Date(s) |
Not Applicable |
Scientific Merit Review |
March, 2012 |
Advisory Council Review |
May, 2012 |
Earliest Start Date(s) |
July, 2012 |
Expiration Date |
(New Expiration Date December 22, 2011 per NOT-HG-12-002), Original Date December 7, 2011 |
Due Dates for E.O. 12372 |
Not Applicable |
Required Application Instructions
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide except where instructed to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
Part 1. Overview Information
Part 2. Full Text of the Announcement
Section I. Funding Opportunity Description
Section II. Award Information
Section III. Eligibility Information
Section IV. Application and Submission
Section V. Application Review Information
Section VI. Award Administration Information
Section VII. Agency Contacts
Section VIII. Other Information
The Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) and modENCODE Projects have, since their inception, cataloged a significant fraction of the functional elements in the human and well-studied model organism genomes, respectively. These catalogs are increasingly being used by the research community to expand on basic biological knowledge and to interpret the results of disease-mapping studies. The purpose of this FOA is to solicit applications from researchers outside of the umbrella of the ENCODE Projects to support analysis activities on the ENCODE data. These activities might include developing new methods to improve on analysis and interpretation of ENCODE data, combining ENCODE data with related functional genomic data from other projects to derive new biological insights, or using the ENCODE data to improve on the analysis of disease mapping studies to identify causal variants.
This FOA will use the U01 Research Project Cooperative Agreement mechanism. It is being issued in conjunction with two other FOAs: RFA-HG-11-024, Expanding the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) in the Human and Model Organisms and RFA-HG-11-026, Data Analysis and Coordination Centers for the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project .
The long-term goal of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project has been to identify comprehensively all of the sequence-based functional elements in the human genome. The modENCODE Project is a parallel effort to annotate the genomes of worm (C. elegans) and fly (D. melanogaster) comprehensively. In addition, with funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, a small, two-year effort was supported to generate comparable data from the mouse (M. musculus) to facilitate the annotation of the human genome. For the purpose of this solicitation, these efforts will collectively be referred to as the ENCODE projects. These projects have been designated as community resource projects by NHGRI to accelerate access to and use of the data by the entire scientific community. Accordingly, pre-publication data is released rapidly to public databases. For more information about the ENCODE projects, see: http://www.genome.gov/ENCODE.
Functional elements that have been elucidated in the ENCODE projects include transcribed sequences, transcriptional control elements (including enhancers, promoters, and insulators), chromatin features, and regulatory elements acting at the RNA level post-transcriptionally (including those that may regulate splicing, translation, and stability). Using a variety of high-throughput methods, such as RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, RIP-seq, and DNase-seq, these functional elements have been identified by mapping different types of marks, including transcription factor binding sites, histone modifications, various measures of chromatin structure, sites where RNA-binding proteins bind, and different classes of transcribed sequences. These growing catalogs of functional elements are directly adding to our general understanding of genome structure and function, and also are enabling targeted research projects to examine the role of these elements in the regulation of genes of interest and in specific biological processes. As genetic and epigenetic variation at these elements is undoubtedly responsible for some observed phenotypes, comprehensive identification of functional elements is also expected to enhance our understanding of human health and disease.
Currently, several different levels of data analysis are being conducted within the ENCODE Projects. Each data production center has an analysis pipeline to process the primary data, to use particular data types to identify one or more specific classes of functional elements, and to identify any biological insights from these data. The data producers also process the data to prepare them for submission to a Data Coordination Center (DCC). There are two DCCs, one for ENCODE (http://www.encodeproject.org) and one for modENCODE (http://www.modencode.org), that are responsible for developing, housing, and maintaining databases to track, store, and provide access to the ENCODE and modENCODE data, respectively. Finally, each consortium has an Analysis Working Group (AWG) that is responsible for integrative analyses of all data sets from the respective projects. Supporting each AWG is a Data Analysis Center (DAC) that coordinates the high-level analytical activities and provides computational support for these analyses.
Each of the ENCODE Projects has functioned as a research consortium that brings the participants together in a highly collaborative and synergistic effort. For the last four years, the ENCODE Projects have focused on the comprehensive analysis of a limited set of common cell types, mainly cell lines, along with a survey of functional elements in other cell types. Analyses that have integrated the datasets within and across a variety of cell types for a given organism have amplified the amount of useful information that has been derived from the data (See: Nature 447:799-816, 2007; Science 330:1775-1787, 2010; Science 330:1787-1797, 2010; PLoS Biol 9:e1001046, 2011). The use of multiple cell types and multiple assays is, in fact, key to obtaining a comprehensive description of the functional elements in these genomes, as there is no one cell type or type of assay that can be used to identify all functional elements.
Despite these advances, current limitations in technology and available resources are barriers to the application of all assays to all cell types of interest. By the conclusion of the current ENCODE production period, these projects will have interrogated only a fraction of the cells and tissues needed for a comprehensive catalog of functional elements. Generation of truly comprehensive catalogs will require revolutionary new technologies to dramatically reduce the cost and increase the sensitivity of finding functional elements, and applications to develop such technologies were recently solicited through three FOAs: RFA-HG-11-013; RFA-HG-11-014 and RFA-HG-11-015.
The NHGRI plans to extend the ENCODE effort with a new set of FOAs. For data production, the companion FOA RFA-HG-11-024 solicits applications for focused projects to conduct high-throughput data-generation efforts that will significantly extend towards completion the current catalogs of sequence-based functional elements in the human, mouse (M. musculus), as well as possibly the fly (D. melanogaster) and worm (C. elegans) genomes. A second companion FOA, RFA-HG-11-026, solicits applications for projects to establish an ENCODE Data Coordination and Analysis Center (EDCAC). This EDCAC will support the activities currently being performed by the ENCODE and modENCODE DCCs and DACs. With this FOA, RFA-HG-11-025 Computational Analysis of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Data , NHGRI solicits applications to support additional analyses of the ENCODE data.
Applicants for this FOA should propose research projects to develop and apply innovative and advanced statistical, mathematical, and computational methods to analyze the data from the ENCODE Project with the goal of improving and interpreting the catalogs of functional elements in the human genome and the genomes of selected model organisms. The projects should focus on analysis activities that use the ENCODE data, either to improve the quality of the data, or to use them to gain additional insights into the biology of genomes and to inform studies of disease or other phenotypes. Applicants are encouraged to integrate the ENCODE data with other high-quality functional genomic datasets and with data from ongoing disease-mapping studies. However, any proposed disease-specific analyses must serve as models for other disease-related studies and should not be focused exclusively on the use of ENCODE data to study a particular disease.
Examples of research topics for this FOA include, but are not limited to:
A proposed research project should, if necessary, include the development of software needed for the analysis, and should include documentation that would allow others to use that software. For the same reason, software developed by awardees should be modular and robust, so that it can work as a stand-alone package. If appropriate, the EDCAC may incorporate any new software developed as a consequence of this FOA into a uniform analysis pipeline for use by the entire Consortium. To facilitate such incorporation into any analysis pipelines at the EDCAC, software development should, to the extent possible, use standard formats for data input and output. Such standard formats will preferably be ones that already are in use by the Consortium; if new standard formats are needed, they should be developed in close collaboration with the ENCODE AWG.
Applicants may propose experimental work to test predictions that are generated as a result of the proposed computational analyses. However, this experimental component is not required and should not be a major focus of the application.
This solicitation is open to all investigators, both those who are currently participating in the ENCODE and modENCODE Projects and those who are not. The awardees funded through this FOA and the concurrent FOAs, RFA-HG-11-024 Expanding the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) in the Human and Model Organisms (U54), and FOA RFA-HG-11-026, Data Analysis and Coordination Centers for the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE)(U41) Project, will be members of the ENCODE Consortium. However, the ENCODE Consortium will continue to be open to all academic, government and private sector scientists willing to participate in an open process to facilitate the comprehensive annotation of the human genome. Groups with funding from other sources will be able to participate in the ENCODE Project provided they meet the criteria for participation (see http://www.genome.gov/12513439). Therefore, funding through these ENCODE FOAs is not a prerequisite for participation in the ENCODE Consortium.
Awardees funded in response to this FOA are welcome to participate as members of the ENCODE AWG, which will be responsible for organizing the integrative analyses of the ENCODE data and other consortium-wide analysis activities such as developing and implementing a uniform analysis pipeline for different data types. In contrast to the EDCAC funded in response to the companion FOA RFA-HG-11-026, awardees will not be directly responsible for supporting the activities of the AWG. However, all members of the ENCODE AWG are expected to share information about analysis activities to leverage possible overlap with either the informatics activities of each production center or the other activities of the EDCAC.
The NHGRI has designated the ENCODE Project as a community resource project and ENCODE Consortium members, including awardees from this FOA, will be expected to abide by the ENCODE data policy (http://www.genome.gov/27528022). Currently, this policy addresses only the release and use of primary data and analyses used to discover functional elements in the genome. NHGRI will revisit the current data release policy with awardees of this FOA and update it to include integrative analyses to ensure that the goals of the ENCODE Project and the interests of NHGRI along with those of the data producers and analysts continue to be met (see Section IV.2.
Funding Instrument |
Cooperative Agreement |
Application Types Allowed |
New |
Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards |
NHGRI intends to commit $3 million in total costs in FY 2012 and to make 5-8 awards. |
Award Budget |
Application budgets are not limited, but need to reflect actual needs of the proposed project. |
Award Project Period |
The total project period for an application submitted in response to this RFA may not exceed three years. |
NIH grants policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement will apply to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.
Higher Education Institutions
The following types of Higher Education Institutions are always encouraged to apply for NIH support as Public or Private Institutions of Higher Education:
Nonprofits Other Than Institutions of Higher Education
For-Profit Organizations
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are allowed.
Applicant organizations must complete the following registrations
as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide to be eligible to apply
for or receive an award. Applicants must have a valid Dun and Bradstreet
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in order to begin each of the following
All Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s))
must also work with their institutional officials to register with the eRA
Commons or ensure their existing eRA Commons account is affiliated with the eRA
Commons account of the applicant organization.
All registrations must be completed by the application due date. Applicant
organizations are strongly encouraged to start the registration process at
least four (4) weeks prior to the application due date.
Any individual(s) with the skills, knowledge, and resources
necessary to carry out the proposed research as the Program Director(s)/Principal
Investigator(s) (PD(s)/PI(s)) is invited to work with his/her organization to
develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial
and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged
to apply for NIH support.
For institutions/organizations proposing multiple PD(s)/PI(s), visit the Multiple
Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) Policy and submission details in
the Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Component of the SF 424 (R&R)
Application Guide.
This FOA does not require cost sharing as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applicant organizations may submit more than one application, provided that each application is scientifically distinct.
NIH will not accept any application in response to this FOA that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial peer review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.
Applicants must download the SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity using the Apply for Grant Electronically button in this FOA or following the directions provided at Grants.gov.
It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, except where instructed in this funding opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to the requirements in the Application Guide is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.
For information on Application Submission and Receipt, visit Frequently Asked Questions Application Guide, Electronic Submission of Grant Applications.
Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows IC staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review.
By the date listed in Part 1. Overview Information, prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information:
The letter of intent should be sent to:
Peter Good, Ph.D.
Program Director, Genome Informatics
Division of Extramural Research
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
5635 Fishers Lane, Ste. 4076, MSC 9305
Bethesda, MD 20892-9305 (U.S Postal Service Express
or regular mail)
Rockville, MD 20852 (for express/courier service;
non-USPS service)
Telephone: 301-496-7531
E-mail: email@example.com
transmit Letter of Intent by to: email@example.com by email.
The forms package associated with this FOA includes all applicable components, mandatory and optional. Please note that some components marked optional in the application package are required for submission of applications for this FOA. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete all appropriate optional components.
All page limitations described in the SF424 Application Guide and the Table of Page Limits must be followed.
All instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide must be followed, with the following additional instructions:
Resource Sharing Plan
Individuals are required to comply with the instructions for the Resource Sharing Plans (Data Sharing Plan, Sharing Model Organisms, and Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS)) as provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide, with the following modifications:
Do not use the appendix to circumvent page limits. Follow all instructions for the Appendix as described in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Foreign (non-US) institutions must follow policies described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, and procedures for foreign institutions described throughout the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates. Applicants are encouraged to submit in advance of the deadline to ensure they have time to make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful submission.
Organizations must submit applications via Grants.gov, the online portal to find and apply for grants across all Federal agencies. Applicants must then complete the submission process by tracking the status of the application in the eRA Commons, NIH's electronic system for grants administration.
Applicants are responsible for viewing their application in the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.
Information on the submission process and a definition of on-time submission are provided in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
This initiative is not subject to intergovernmental review.
All NIH awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Pre-award costs are allowable only as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
Applications must be submitted electronically following the instructions described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide. Paper applications will not be accepted.
Applicants must complete all required registrations before the application due date. Section III. Eligibility Information contains information about registration.
For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission process, visit Applying Electronically.
All PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID in the
Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile Component of the SF
424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and
to include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the
successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.
The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS number it provides on the
application is the same number used in the organization's profile in the eRA
Commons and for the Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Additional
information may be found in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
See more
tips for avoiding common errors.
Upon receipt, applications will be evaluated for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review and responsiveness by NHGRI, NIH. Applications that are incomplete and/or nonresponsive will not be reviewed.
In order to expedite review, applicants are requested to notify the NHGRI Referral Office by email at {firstname.lastname@example.com} when the application has been submitted. Please include the FOA number and title, PD(s)/PI(s) name, and title of the application.
Applicant Information Session
An Information Session for this FOA and related FOAs RFA-HG-11-024 and RFA-HG-11-026 will be held on October 31, 2011, from 12 noon-3 PM Eastern Standard Time. The Information Session will be conducted as a teleconference. No provisions will be made for in-person attendance. During the Information Session, NHGRI staff will present an overview of these FOAs and answer questions from prospective applicants. The Information Session is open to all prospective applicants, but participation is not a prerequisite to applying.
Prospective applicants who plan to participate in the Information Session should send an e-mail expressing their interest as soon as possible to NHGRI at email@example.com in order to receive logistical information about the Information Session, including dial-in numbers, which will be provided no later than October 27, 2011. In the Subject line of the e-mail request, please write: Information Session . The email message should contain:
E-mail address,
Number of telephone lines that your group plans to use for the
Prospective applicants are encouraged to submit their questions about the FOAs to firstname.lastname@example.com before October 27, 2011. Prospective applicants may ask additional questions during the Information Session, and NHGRI staff will respond to those questions. Following the Information Session, by November 4, 2011, NHGRI will post a summary of questions and answers at http://www.genome.gov/ENCODE. Prospective applicants with inquiries concerning these FOAs who are unable to participate in the Information Session are encouraged to view the summary of questions and answers after they are posted. For any additional questions that are not addressed in the summary, please contact the program contacts listed in the FOAs for which you plan to apply.
Applicants are required to follow the instructions for post-submission materials, as described in NOT-OD-10-115.
Only the review criteria described below will be considered in the review process. As part of the NIH mission, all applications submitted to the NIH in support of biomedical and behavioral research are evaluated for scientific and technical merit through the NIH peer review system.
Reviewers will provide an overall impact/priority score to reflect their assessment of the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence on the research field(s) involved, in consideration of the following review criteria and additional review criteria (as applicable for the project proposed).
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text:
What with the weather deciding to skip autumn and go directly to winter without passing go, it's been a cold and soggy few days in Cambridgeshire (and in Kent, where I was to be found at the weekend). Not very inspiring…sigh.
I've had a stack of work to do for Proper Job A (I never have to do any 'homework' for Proper Job B – it's not that kind of gig, LOL). And this week is just as busy as last week – or perhaps a bit worse!
Never mind. I may have missed the deadline for 50 Stories For Pakistan because I wasn't paying attention (grr), nearly disowned Google (because, despite doing some things very well, their Google Sites set-up is RUBBISH and I am condemned to use it for 2 miserable years) , and lost three pieces of paperwork that I need for work…
But! on the plus side I have:
- done more work on the Proper Job website (eventually! See Above!!)
- attended my daughter's presentation ceremony – she won awards for Ancient History and Science, and was recognised for her achievement in getting her GCSE Media Studies 2 years early (after doing a two year course in one year) and for scoring highly overall in the core subjects. We were a very proud Mum and Dad 🙂
- sent two poems out for scrutiny (oh please be kind judges/editors!). One is called Colleagues and was submitted for the Writers' News 'Generation Gap' theme competition. The other, Dining Room, has been submitted to Prima because I thought it was right up their street; a poem about family and what brings us together. I wrote the original for the first part of my Diploma, but it underwent a fairly drastic rewrite before I sent it off.
Fingers crossed. Anyone know if and when Prima let you know if your poetry has been accepted? Is it like the Wise Words column – you only find out when you get the cheque and/or see your work in the magazine, LOL?
I've also just requested a writers' pack from Take A Break, because I'm keen to submit to TAB and Fiction Feast – I may also have a go at The Weekly News, too.
Off to the dental hygienist after work tomorrow. What a thrill…


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Let's talk about MySQL high availability (HA) and synchronous replication once more.
It's part of a longer series on some high availability reference architecture solutions over geographically distributed areas.
Part 1: Reference Architecture(s) for High Availability Solutions in Geographic Distributed Scenarios: Why Should I Care?
Part 2: MySQL High Availability On-Premises: A Geographically Distributed Scenario
The Problem
A question I often get from customers is: How do I achieve high availability in case if I need to spread my data in different, distant locations? Can I use Percona XtraDB Cluster? Percona XtraDB Cluster (PXC), mariadb-cluster or MySQL-Galera are very stable and well-known solutions to improve MySQL high availability using an approach based on multi-master data-centric synchronous data replication model. Which means that each data-node composing the cluster MUST see the same data, at a given moment in time. Information/transactions must be stored and visible synchronously on all the nodes at a given time. This is defined as a tightly coupled database cluster. This level of consistency comes with a price, which is that nodes must physically reside close to each other and cannot be geographically diverse. This is by design (in all synchronous replication mechanisms). This also has to be clarified over and over throughout the years. Despite that we still see installations that span across geographic locations, including AWS Regions. We still see some solutions breaking the golden rule of proximity, and trying to break the rules of physics as well. The problem/mistake is not different for solutions based on-premises or in the cloud (for whatever cloud provider). Recently I had to design a couple of customer solutions based on remote geographic locations. In both cases, the customer was misled by an incorrect understanding of how the synchronous solution works, and from a lack of understanding of the network layer. I decided I need to cover this topic again, as I have done previously in Galera geographic replication and Effective way to check network connection in a geographically distributed environment
What Happen When I Put Things on the Network?
Well, let's start with the basics. While light travels at 300 million meters per second, the propagation of the electric fields or electric signaling is slower than that. The real speed depends by the medium used to transmit it. But it can be said that the real speed normally spans from 0% to 99% of light-speed (depending on the transmission medium). This means that in optimal conditions the signal travels at approximately 299.72Km per millisecond, in good/mid condition about half that at 149.86Km per millisecond, and in bad conditions it could be 3Km per millisecond or less. To help you understand, the distance between Rome (Italy) and Mountain View (California) is about 10,062Km. At light-speed it will take 33.54ms. In good conditions (90% of light-speed) the signal will take 37.26ms to reach Mountain View, and in less optimal conditions it can easily double to 74.53 ms. Keep in mind this is the electric field propagation speed: optimal conditions with no interruption, re-routing and so on. Reality will bring all the kind of interruptions, repeaters and routing. All the physics above works as a baseline. On top of this, each human construct adds functionalities, flexibility and (unfortunately) overhead – leading to longer times and slower speeds. The final speed will be different than the simple propagation of the electric fields. It will include the transmission time of complex signaling using ICMP protocol, or even higher delays with the use of a very complex protocol like TCP/IP, which includes handshaking, package rerouting, re-sending and so on. On top of that, when sending things over the internet, we need to realize that it is very improbable we will be the only user sending data over that physical channel. As such, whatever we have "on the road" will need to face bandwidth limitation, traffic congestion and so on. I had described the difference between protocols (ICMP – TCP/IP) here, clarifying how the TCP/IP scenario is very different from using different protocols like ICMP, or the theoretical approach. What it all means is that we cannot trust the theoretical performance. We must move to a more empirical approach. But we must understand the right empirical approach or we will be misled.
An Example
I recently worked on a case where a customer had two data centers (DC) at a distance of approximately 400Km, connected with "fiber channel". Server1 and Server2 were hosted in the same DC, while Server3 was in the secondary DC. Their ping, with default dimension, to Server3 was ~3ms. Not bad at all, right? We decided to perform some serious tests, running multiple sets of tests with netperf for many days collecting data. We also used the data to perform additional fine tuning on the TCP/IP layer AND at the network provider. The results produced a common (for me) scenario (not so common for them):
The red line is the first set of tests BEFORE we optimized. The yellow line is the results after we optimized. The above graph reports the number of transactions/sec (AVG) we could run against the different dimension of the dataset and changing the destination server. The full roundtrip was calculated. It is interesting to note that while the absolute numbers were better in the second (yellow) tests, this was true only for a limited dataset dimension. The larger the dataset, the higher the impact. This makes sense if you understand how the TCP/IP stack works (the article I mentioned above explains it). But what surprised them were the numbers. Keeping aside the extreme cases and focusing instead on the intermediate case, we saw that shifting from a 48k dataset dimension to 512K hugely dropped the performance. The drop for executed transactions was from 2299 to 219 on Server2 (same dc) and from 1472 to 167 Server3 (different DC). Also, note that Server3 only managed ~35% fewer transactions comparing to Server2 from the start given the latency. Latency moved from a more than decent 2.61ms to 27.39ms for Server2 and 4.27ms to 37.25ms for Server3.
37ms latency is not very high. If that had been the top limit, it would have worked. But it was not. In the presence of the optimized channel, with fiber and so on, when the tests were hitting heavy traffic, the congestion was such to compromise the data transmitted. It hit a latency >200ms for Server3. Note those were spikes, but if you are in the presence of a tightly coupled database cluster, those events can become failures in applying the data and can create a lot of instability. Let me recap a second the situation for Server3: We had two datacenters.
- The connection between the two was with fiber
- Distance Km ~400, but now we MUST consider the distance to go and come back. This because in case of real communication, we have not only the send, but also the receive packages.
- Theoretical time at light-speed =2.66ms (2 ways)
- Ping = 3.10ms (signal traveling at ~80% of the light speed) as if the signal had traveled ~930Km (full roundtrip 800 Km)
- TCP/IP best at 48K = 4.27ms (~62% light speed) as if the signal had traveled ~1,281km
- TCP/IP best at 512K =37.25ms (~2.6% light speed) as if the signal had traveled ~11,175km
Given the above, we have from ~20%-~40% to ~97% loss from the theoretical transmission rate. Keep in mind that when moving from a simple signal to a more heavy and concurrent transmission, we also have to deal with the bandwidth limitation. This adds additional cost. All in only 400Km distance. This is not all. Within the 400km we were also dealing with data congestions, and in some cases the tests failed to provide the level of accuracy we required due to transmission failures and too many packages retry. For comparison, consider Server2 which is in the same DC of Server1. Let see:
- Ping = 0.027ms that is as if the signal had traveled ~11km light-speed
- TCP/IP best at 48K = 2.61ms as if traveled for ~783km
- TCP/IP best at 512K =27.39ms as if traveled for ~8,217km
- We had performance loss, but the congestion issue and accuracy failures did not happen.
You might say, "But this is just a single case, Marco, you cannot generalize from this behavior!" You would be right IF that were true (but is not).
The fact is, I have done this level of checks many times and in many different environments. On-premises or using the cloud. Actually, in the cloud (AWS), I had even more instability.
The behavior stays the same. Please test it yourself (it is not difficult to use netperf).
Just do the right tests with RTT and multiple requests (note at the end of the article).
Anyhow, what I know from the tests is that when working INSIDE a DC with some significant overhead due to the TCP/IP stack (and maybe wrong cabling), I do not encounter the same congestion or bandwidth limits I have when dealing with an external DC.
This allows me to have more predictable behavior and tune the cluster accordingly.
Tuning that I cannot do to cover the transmission to Server3 because of unpredictable packages behavior and spikes. >200ms is too high and can cause delivery failures.
If we apply the given knowledge to the virtually-synchronous replication we have with Galera (Percona XtraDB Cluster), we can identify that we are hitting the problems well-explained in Jay's article Is Synchronous Replication right for your app? There, he explains Callaghan's Law: [In a Galera cluster] a given row can't be modified more than once per RTT.
On top of that, when talking of geographical disperse solutions we have the TCP/IP magnifying the effect at writeset transmission/latency level.
This causes nodes NOT residing on the same physical contiguous network delay for all the certification-commit phases for an X amount of time. When X is predictable, it may range between 80% - 3% of the light speed for the given distance.
But you can't predict the transmission-time of a set of data split into several datagrams, then sent on the internet, when using TCP/IP.
So we cannot use the X range as a trustable measure. The effect is unpredictable delay, and this is read as a network issue from Galera.
The node can be evicted from the cluster. Which is exactly what happens, and what we experience when dealing with some "BAD" unspecified network issue.
This means that whenever we need to use a solution based on tightly coupled database cluster (like PXC), we cannot locate our nodes at a distance that is longer than the largest RTT time of our shortest desired period of commit.
If our application must apply the data in a maximum of 200ms in one of its functions, our min RTT is 2ms and our max RTT is 250ms.
We cannot use this solution, period. To be clear, locating a node on another geolocation, and as such use the internet to transmit/receive data, is by default a NO GO given the unpredictability of that network link.
I doubt that nowadays we have many applications that can wait an unpredictable period to commit their data.
The only case when having a node geographically distributed is acceptable is if you accept commits happening in undefined periods of time and with possible failures.
What Is the Right Thing To Do?
The right solution is easier than the wrong one, and there are already tools in place to make it work efficiently. Say you need to define your HA solution between the East and West Coast, or between Paris and Frankfurt. First of all, identify the real capacity of your network in each DC.
Then build a tightly coupled database cluster in location A and another tightly coupled database cluster in the other location B. Then link them using ASYNCHRONOUS replication.
Finally, use a tool like Replication Manager for Percona XtraDB Cluster to automatically manage asynchronous replication failover between nodes.
On top of all of that use a tool like ProxySQL to manage the application requests.
The full architecture is described here.
The myth of using ANY solution based on tightly coupled database cluster on distributed geographic locations is just that: a myth. It is conceptually wrong and practically dangerous.
It MIGHT work when you set it up, it MIGHT work when you test it, it MIGHT even work for some time in production.
By definition, it will break, and it will break when it is least convenient. It will break in an unpredictable moment, but because of a predictable reason.
You did the wrong thing by following a myth. Whenever you need to distribute your data over different geographic locations, and you cannot rely on a single physical channel (fiber) to connect the two locations, use asynchronous replication, period!
Sample test
#!/bin/bash test_log=/tmp/results_$(date +'%Y-%m-%d_%H_%M_%S').txt exec 9>>"$test_log" exec 2>&9 exec 1>&9 echo "$(date +'%Y-%m-%d_%H_%M_%S')" >&9 for ip in 11 12 13; do echo " ==== Processing server 10.0.0.$ip === " for size in 1 48 512 1024 4096;do echo " --- PING ---" ping -M do -c 5 10.0.0.$ip -s $size echo " ---- Record Size $size ---- " netperf -H 10.0.0.$ip -4 -p 3307 -I 95,10 -i 3,3 -j -a 4096 -A 4096 -P 1 -v 2 -l 20 -t TCP_RR -- -b 5 -r ${size}K,48K -s 1M -S 1M echo " ---- ================= ---- "; done echo " ==== ----------------- === "; done


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My girls love mixing custom paint colors for projects. Sometimes I think they like the color mixing more than the painting!
Lately, we've been experimenting with adding white to our basic colors, creating lighter color variations called tints. These tinted landscape paintings are a fun way for your school-age kids to experiment with mixing and painting with tints.
- heavy drawing paper or watercolor paper
- paints – basic colors plus white
- palette, cup, or paper plate for mixing
- paint brush
Start with just a small amount of your base color. You will continue adding white to this paint as you layer your painting. Paint your first layer with your base color.
Add a little white to your base color, mix well, and add another layer. Work carefully to make your layers touch and try not to leave any white paper showing.
Continue adding white, mixing well, and adding layers until your paper is filled.
Here is another finished example, painted with blue tints this time:
I love the simple beauty of these monochromatic landscapes. My girls have plans to make one in every color of the rainbow and display them in a row on the wall. Won't that be lovely?
When your paintings are dry, you could add some simple silhouettes on top, either drawn with a black crayon or marker, or with shapes cut from black paper. Trees, small houses, or a few flying birds would be great details to add.
If you have younger kids at home who want to paint along, consider giving them cups of paint (color + white) to mix, plus lots of paper for freestyle painting!
Happy creating!


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Don't pay extra for upgrading your internet plan – order WIFI XtraBoost instead and enjoy incredible WiFi speed boosts with FREE SHIPPING within Luxembourg!
WIFI XtraBoost is only available online – buying from the official website is the only guarantee you get the best possible deal.
All you have to do is complete the shipping information on the website, pay for your order and let us take care of the rest!
There are not that many things that are more annoying than a slow internet speed and WiFi "dead zones" around your house… It takes forever to load a single website, video buffering takes so long that you don't even want to watch it anymore, and constantly "breaking" video calls bring endless frustration instead of happiness. Sounds familiar? Then there's a perfect solution that solves all these irritating issues in seconds – and it's called WiFi XtraBoost!
This compact yet powerful device allows you to increase your WiFi's speed and range by "grabbing" a signal from your router and amplifying it to reach even the furthest corners of your house!
If you're experiencing a slow internet connection, you've probably already tried many different ways to fix it. Most of the solutions that might fix WiFi "dead zones", such as moving your router, switching to a different WiFi channel, or using a wired connection are not only inconvenient, but also complicated or even impossible for some. Calling your internet provider never helps, too, and they always want you to pay more to upgrade your already expensive service… and even then things don't get better!
WiFi XtraBoost is compact in size but mighty at work. There are usually multiple devices that are using WiFi under the same roof – even this is no longer a problem with this genius device. The best thing about WIFI XtraBoost is that you don't need any special knowledge or extra equipment to make it work – it connects and works together with your existing router after simply plugging it into the wall outlet. Your WiFi speed and coverage improves instantly across the entire house and you don't even have to pay more to your internet provider!
The signal of most router boxes nowadays is usually too weak to serve the needs of modern home. Not only it's not enough to use with more than one device, it usually doesn't even go through tougher walls, multiple floors, or various other obstacles…
You probably know what result that brings – long loading times, video buffering, poor overall connection… WIFI XtraBoost solves your connectivity problems in 3 simple steps:
- Plug the device into any outlet in your house (extra tip: works even better when plugged about halfway in between the "dead spot");
- Connect it to your router;
- Enjoy fast internet in every corner of your house!
But how exactly does this work, you'd ask? WIFI XtraBoost is a two cutting-edge WiFi router and powerful amplifier in one tiny box – it receives your already existing WiFi signal, doubles its range at higher frequencies than your router, and then distributes already stronger and faster signal around your house! It's that simple!
- Makes your WiFi signal stronger, faster, and more reliable
- Boosts download and upload speeds
- Could be connected anywhere around your house
- Eliminates WiFi "dead zones"
- Easy to install
- WPS Function
- Affordable to anyone!
WIFI XtraBoost brings the benefits that would be highly appreciated by anyone who needs faster and more reliable internet speed and a wider coverage area at their home or workspace. Whether you're a passionate gamer, lover of the movies, or a simple student who needs all the information to be available at all times – WiFi XtraBoost will help to meet everyone's needs.
Five reasons:
- Speed – immediately after connecting, you will be able to play online games, watch movies, YouTube, enjoy uninterrupted video calls and much more with your faster and stronger WiFi connection!
- Incredibly easy installation – just plug it in, connect, and enjoy!
- Universal – compatible with any WiFi router, phone, laptop, or tablet;
- Simple and self-contained – it's a mini plug-in device without external antennas;
- Cost-effective – significantly improves your WiFi connection without the need to pay more for your internet provider.
SPECIAL OFFER: for a limited time, WIFI XtraBoost is running a promo in Luxembourg that allows you to get this amazing WiFi speed booster 50% OFF, for only €99.98 €49.99 with FREE SHIPPING!
WiFi XtraBoost is only available online and can be found on the official website. Buying directly from the official store ensures that you get the combination of the best price and quality.


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Orange Production Leaves Heavy Carbon Footprint
Conventional Orange Production Leaves Hefty Carbon Footprint
March 12, 2009
KANSAS CITY (Dow Jones) — So you think a glass of orange juice is not only healthy but easy on the environment? Not so fast. Nutritious, yes, but that glass of Florida sunshine leaves an unmistakable carbon footprint.
Concerned consumers do have choices. They can turn to more expensive organic products that are equally healthy and claim to tread more softly on Mother Earth. Or they can seek out companies that are trying to reduce their environmental impact.
One company, Tropicana, owned by beverage giant PepsiCo (PEP), is making an effort to reduce its carbon footprint. Tropicana had its flagship Pure Premium Orange Juice certified by the Carbon Trust, becoming the first company to do so in North America. The lifecycle carbon output of a 64-ounce carton is 1.7 kilograms, or 3.74 pounds, the Carbon Trust found.
"A firm commitment to environmental sustainability is in our DNA, so this is a natural step for Tropicana," Neil Campbell, president of Tropicana Products North America, said in a press release.
People may be surprised at Tropicana's carbon footprint, however, considering it's nearly as much as the entire product weighs.
The verification process revealed that over 60% of Tropicana's carbon emissions are tied to agricultural and manufacturing activities such as grove maintenance, irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide applications. And, it includes crushing the fruit into juice. The remaining 40% is tied up in transportation, packaging, consumer use and disposal.
The foot-printing is part of a wider effort by PepsiCo to reduce its environmental impact by the year 2015, which includes goals of reducing water and energy use by 20% and fuel use by 25% compared to 2006 levels.
A verifiable carbon footprint measures the impact on the environment in the form of greenhouse gases released by an individual, a company or specific product. By identifying the elements, Pepsico can see where and how to make changes.
As for organic orange juice, those associated with its production claim its carbon footprint is much lighter since they use no synthetic herbicides or insecticides and limited amounts of nitrogen-based fertilizer. They have studies to back up the claims. But no organic product has yet been certified by the Carbon Trust.
"The (carbon) reduction is quite sizable," said Charles Benbrook, chief scientist with the Organic Center in Troy, Ore., of organic production.
Benbrook said about one-third of the total energy use (of conventional citrus) is tied up in fertilizer. "Under organic production, that would probably be cut at least in half," he said, referencing a 2006 study done by David Pimentel at Cornell University.
The process used to determine Tropicana's carbon footprint included mapping the production lifecycle from growing the oranges to harvesting and squeezing them, to putting the containers on grocery store shelves and finally disposing of, or recycling, the packaging.
Since Tropicana is the first consumer brand to be carbon-certified in the U.S., there is no comparable data on the market for consumers.
Organic orange juice offers consumers an immediate alternative for those concerned about conventional methods of growing oranges.
"I applaud the efforts of PepsiCo in their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint," said Matt McLean, a fourth-generation citrus grower and president of Uncle Matt's Organic Orange Juice in Clermont, Fla.
Citrus has many natural enemies, and growers are accustomed to controlling pests and diseases with synthetic products. Nitrogen fertilizer, made from natural gas and urea, is widely used in global agriculture practices and contributes to global carbon dioxide emissions.
But organic orange production reduces the fertilizer-related energy use by about one-half and the pesticide-related energy use by two-thirds, the Cornell University study showed.
Conventional orange production does return some energy to the environment as livestock feed. Processing plants take the leftover pulp and peel, dry it and turn it into pellets to use as a supplement for livestock rations.
McLean is investigating the possibility of having his organic juice carbon-mapped, but he speculates that his production methods leave a smaller print on the environment.
"I can't speak to the other growing methods versus ours from the standpoint of a carbon footprint, I can only tell you this: If their nitrogen fertilizer and pesticides are causing them (carbon emissions) to spike, then we have a chance to be lower," said McLean.
McLean uses only natural sources of nitrogen, such as compost, feather or fishmeal for fertilizer. Natural pesticides such as ladybugs, parasitic wasps, sulfur and oil from the fast-growing neem tree are used to keep harmful insect populations down and to fight disease.
A big advantage of organic orange production in Florida is reduced movement of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers into Lake Okeechobee, along with other surface and groundwater, said Benbrook.
Most of the land surrounding the lake is in agriculture. Whether it is ranching, citrus, vegetable or sugarcane production, the activity contributes to about 92% of the total phosphorus load in Okeechobee, according to information on www.LakeOkeechobee.org. <http://www.LakeOkeechobee.org>
Citrus growers of all stripes have been locked in a battle with industry-threatening diseases the past several years. Bacterial diseases like citrus canker and citrus greening are entrenched in Florida, and synthetic sprays are widely used to combat their spread.
Raymond Royce, a Sebring-based citrus grower and former executive director of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association, thinks organic production will hit a wall of disease.
"Given the disease challenges that are in Florida right now, I have a feeling that there are going to be fewer and fewer organic growers if for no other reason that…greening will just kill their trees deader than a doornail within several years," said Royce.
Citrus canker weakens trees ability to produce a crop and blemishes the fruit. Greening, however, spread by the Asian citrus psyllid insect, kills a tree within one to three years of infection.
It is extremely difficult for a commercial orange grower to produce the volume of oranges needed in organic production to remain viable, Royce explained.
Organic orange juice sales have grown to nearly $20 million a year, McLean estimates – a drop in the bucket compared to annual sales of $1.18 billion for conventional orange juice, data from industry tracker AC Nielsen show.
While conventional production may exact a higher environmental price, consumers must be willing to pay a much higher financial price for a glass of organic orange juice.
The average price of a half gallon of organic is about $5.99-$6.49, McLean said. That compares to just $6.68 for a gallon of conventionally grown not-from-concentrate orange juice.
In the midst of one of the worst recessions since the early 1980s and consumers cutting discretionary spending, that might be a tall order.


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David Brown - Overseas on Film (DVD 079)
David Brown exported tractors and farm machinery all over the world, from the frozen mountains of Scandinavia to the tropical forests of Africa, and the company's film crews followed the tractors wherever they went. Fortunately, many of those films were preserved, and their fascinating glimps es of international agriculture from half a century ago have been used for this third volume of the David Brown on Film series.
The material includes an 'International Rescue' operation to get a PTO case to a snow-bound farmer in Norway, a State Fair in the USA, fruit farming in the Lebanon, rice and scrub clearance in Ghana. Tractors and implements from the 1940s to the 1970s can be seen at work in everything from dusty desert roads to swampy paddy fields, and the crops grown include rice, sugar cane, maize, bananas, ground nuts and grapes.
David Brown was a major name in British machinery exports, and this video shows it all, and its products, at the height of their fame.
- Running time 56 minutes
- Colour, B/W. UK PAL DVD
- Aspect ratio 4:3
- Written and narrated by Alan Stennett
We Also Recommend


text: There are two ways to expose your business process as web service. One allows you to expose your orchestration within Biztalk as a web service and the other allows you to create new web service based on a schema file (xsd). Either way you will be converting a HTTP SOAP request to a biztalk message, do all your processing based on the message within the Biztalk world and then return a SOAP response. If you need to expose some of your existing business processes then you would likely be exposing an orchestration. If you starting off, exposing schemas could be a better option. My advice stick with the first option unless you really have good reasons not to. Once you read the rest of this How-To you will know why. What should have been a piece of cake, something that shouldn't have take more than few hours took forever. The web publishing wizard will gather some information from you about your schema and will auto generate c# code for you that will call your biztalk component responsible to send this SOAP request to a SOAP adapter. Bring up the web publishing wizard and select "Publish schemas as web services" option.


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Steam A Seam 2 Double Stick 1/4 inch tape x 40 Yards
Steam A Seam 2 Double Stick 1/4 inch tape x 40 Yards
Get Stuck on Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 and Steam-A-Seam 2 Fabric Fusing Tapes –
Perfect for Hems, Seams and Adding Lace, Ribbon and Trim!
Steam-A-Seam 2 and Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 are the most loved fusible webs on the market for many good reasons. The pressure sensitive adhesive gives the web an unmatched tacky, repositionable value. This allows for perfect placement every time. When hemming up pants for example – go ahead and tack the hem in place and try on the pants before making anything permanent. The light tack of the adhesive will hold allowing you to get your hem perfect and ready to iron for a permanent bond. No pins necessary! Simply finger press in place – no mistakes – the last step is to fuse when everything is perfect! Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 tapes and Steam-A-Seam 2 tapes work with all types of fabric. Add ribbon and trim to stretchy knits, use with sequins and beads and watch it disappear into lace with it's washable and dry-cleanable permanent bond! They're so easy to use with excellent results. See the tutorial image.
Use the 1/2″ and 1/4″ tapes for far more than hems and seams. The 1/2″ tape is ideal for getting zippers perfectly in place before sewing and that pocket is exactly where you want it before making it permanent. The 1/4″ tape is ideal for adding binding to quickly finish off quilts, placemats, wall hangings and so much more – no whip stitch needed! The 1/4″ tape makes sure your points are together when piecing your quilt top. Stick the points together and give them a quick fuse, then sew for perfect pinwheels everytime!
Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 is half the weight of Steam-A-Seam 2 and you will use them both in the same way. It is best to use Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 with more delicate fabrics like sheer lamé, laces and with clothing or even quilts. Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 is best for projects that will be close to the body for a flexible permanent bond. Heavy fabrics like denim and Ultra Suede work well with Steam-A-Seam 2 as do projects that will see a lot of wear like placemats, pot holders, towels.
Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 and Steam-A-Seam 2 tapes won't gum your needle if you decide to sew. If you ever feel any resistance when sewing, stop sewing. It hasn't been fused long enough. Remember how we talked about the pressure sensitive adhesive that gives Steam-A-Seam 2 and Lite Steam-a-Seam 2 it's temporary tackiness? Steam dissipates this tacky adhesive as it is not needed to fuse the fabrics together. The web itself is what permanently bonds the fabrics together. If there is resistance or gumming on your needle, using plenty of steam, go back over the project making sure to completely and thoroughly steam all areas. Don't worry about overheating – Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 and Steam-A-Seam 2 can take the heat! When working with multiple layers fusing from the front and from the back of the project works well. Always allow project to cool completely before sewing. If your needle got gummed up, a little rubbing alcohol will clean it right up.
Benefits of Using Steam-A-Seam®:
- Repositionable stick
- Bond is strong & permanent
- Leave edges unfinished – will not fray or lift
- Will not gum up your needle
- Machine wash and dry (See Product Care)
- So Easy to Use
Use Steam-A-Seam 2 with different materials & projects:
- Appliqué
- No-Sew hems & seams
- Add or repair zippers, pockets, etc.
- Apply lace, ribbon & embellishments
- Durable enough to use with paper, cardboard, wood, glass, etc!
Product Care
- Machine wash & dry finished projects without fabric softeners or dry clean.
- You may leave edges unfinished, but if you choose to sew through, make sure that the Steam-A-Seam 2® is fully fused with a steam iron – 30+ sec and let set before sewing.
- When laundering, avoid using fabric softener. Fabric softener chemicals erode the fusible web over time.
Tips for Using Steam-A-Seam 2 with Wool
To use Steam-A-Seam 2 or Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 with wool, or any dense and sensitive material, you need to iron press both the front and back of your design. If available, using a steam iron is recommended. Since the "wool" iron setting is a low temperature, you must iron press for a longer amount of time, until the Steam-A-Seam webbing is properly fused. Please use caution as it is possible to burn wool fibers – do not iron press in one area for too long. Press for 45+ seconds and let it set to cool.
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Information Possibly Outdated
The information presented on this page was originally released on May 12, 1995. It may not be outdated, but please search our site for more current information. If you plan to quote or reference this information in a publication, please check with the Extension specialist or author before proceeding.
Weather Hampers Early Plantings
MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Rains and cool temperatures have delayed plantings for some Mississippi crops. Soybean growers, who have turned to earlier planting in recent years, may not have the luxury to take full advantage of this opportunity if conditions continue.
"Growers are becoming more convinced each year that early planting has a place in Mississippi," said Dr. Alan Blaine, extension soybean specialist at Mississippi State University. "Last year, we had about 35 percent of the crop planted by this time, compared to 24 percent this year. We're still doing better than the five-year average of 12 percent."
Blaine said one of the major problems with the state soybean yield is that frequently growers plant 25 to 30 percent of the crop after the recommended cut-off date in mid-June.
"Once we move into May, growers need to plant maturity group V, VI and VII varieties," Blaine said. "We've still got opportunity to have Mississippi's soybeans in the ground on time."
The agronomist said if Mississippi's soybean growers could shift their plantings forward 30 days, it would have a tremendous impact on yields.
"The reduction in yield for later plantings is real; growers need to keep in mind the cut-off date recommendations," Blaine said.
"Earlier maturing varieties offer the opportunity to plant sooner, but as it gets later, their advantage is sometimes lessened," Blaine said. "The results all depend on the growing season."
Robert Martin, area soybean specialist in Issaquena County, said farmers have delayed soybean plantings by giving priority to other crops such as cotton and rice.
"We're not as far behind as some years, but we're further behind than we want to be," Martin said. "Heavy rains have not only delayed field work but also have caused 5,000 to 6,000 acres to be replanted in this area."
Blaine said supersaturated soils have been a bigger problem for soybeans than the cool temperatures.
"The exception to our earlier-is-better policy is in fields with irrigation, those with deep soils or where growers are planting behind flood water," Blaine said.
The soybean market also has not yielded much good news for growers in recent days. November futures reached their life-of- contract high of $6.19 per bushel on April 11. Since that date prices have fallen about 30 cents.
"Some of the factors hurting soybean prices include record crops in South America and a decline in soyoil and soymeal prices," said Dr. Bob Williams, extension agricultural economist at MSU. "Corn plantings have been delayed in the Midwest, which usually means increases in soybean plantings."
Williams said he expects a rally in soybean prices near the $6.25 level within the next couple of months.


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We develop and apply advanced analytical methods to detect molecular tracers of chemical processes, whether these occur during hydrothermal liquefaction of biomass to develop new biofuels or are involved in the formation and growth of atmospheric aerosols.
Our research addresses some of the major issues in society today, namely air pollution, climate change and the development of alternative fuels. We use our analytical expertise to investigate chemical processes from molecular to global scales. The analyses demand a suite of instruments to detect molecules with a wide range of volatility and polarity properties. We develop analyses using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with specialized injection methods, and ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-qTOF-MS) for analysis of polar compounds to provide information on the exact chemical composition. These analytical methods are also used for the study of other topics such as novel food ingredients.
Our projects are often carried out in national and international collaborations, e.g. when we study aerosols in Greenland and the Amazon, or develop sustainable high-value ingredients and biofuels together with industrial partners.


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Right now, we're running a competition to win loads of LEGO®!
It's to celebrate the launch of LEGO's #BuildToGive campaign which is hoping to bring some Christmas cheer to up to 20,000 children in the UK who will be spending their Christmas in hospital.
We've been getting your creations all week and love them so much that we thought we'd share our faves in this cool gallery.
Maybe it'll give you some inspiration for your own festive creations!
If you're feeling inspired, grab a handful of LEGO bricks and show us your Christmas decoration ideas
As always with LEGO, there are no rules when it comes to building, so anything goes. Do you always have a star on top of your tree? Why not build a LEGO Brussel Sprout this year!
Even the Fun Kids presenters have been getting involved! Take a look!
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