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To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study to assess the effect of restaurant smoking regulations on smoking‐related attitudes and quitting behaviours among smokers. It provides new evidence that restaurant smoking regulations (1) encourage new quit attempts among smokers who have previously tried to quit and (2) seem to reinforce anti‐smoking social norms among smokers who already view smoking as socially unacceptable in bars. However, during this short period of time, there was no effect of a strong smoking regulation on smokers' actual likelihood of quitting over 2 years.
Completely smoke‐free restaurant regulations seemed to have an effect on perceived social unacceptability of smoking in bars over the 2‐year follow‐up only among smokers who reported it was socially unacceptable to smoke in bars at baseline. This finding was consistent with the overall adult sample (analyses not shown), which suggests that smokers are not impervious to larger trends in social norms related to smoking in restaurants and bars. More time may be needed to assess whether restaurant smoking bans discourage smoking—particularly among the subset of smokers who already view smoking as socially unacceptable in bars—by strengthening anti‐smoking community norms and, in turn, influencing quitting behaviours.
Because we did not find an effect of strong smoking restaurant regulations on perceptions of social acceptability of smoking in restaurants either among those who reported smoking as socially unacceptable or among those who reported it as acceptable at baseline, this effect may be seen as backsliding or no movement, in which clean indoor air laws seem to have reached their maximum potential in altering views on smoking in public places. From this perspective, we found less backsliding at follow‐up among those who live in towns with strong restaurant regulations. This finding is of critical importance because it shows the great need for strong smoking restaurant regulations to be in place to maintain and continually reinforce social norms around smoking in public places. Progress in this tobacco control measure may be accompanied by periods of no movement and backsliding, but without strong regulations in place, rapid erosion of their positive effects on anti‐smoking attitudes would probably follow.
Our findings also suggest that restaurant and bar smoking bans promote further cessation efforts among adult smokers who were already engaged in the process of quitting. These regulations may not affect smokers who are not already motivated to quit, or more time may be necessary to observe an effect of moving smokers along the continuum of stages of change towards smoking cessation. Given that there was a relatively short period of time between baseline and follow‐up, and particularly because quitting smoking is a lengthy process in which relapse is common, it is not surprising that strong restaurant regulations did not produce more smoking cessation over a 2‐year period. Again, it is likely that more time is needed between baseline and follow‐up to observe an effect on successful quitting.
We believe that these findings represent a true effect of restaurant smoking regulations, rather than an effect of bias or confounding. The observed associations are not explained by a wide range of potential individual‐, household‐, and town‐level confounding factors, including age, education, household income, workplace smoking bans, the percentage of town voters who voted for a 1992 cigarette tax initiative, a measure that controls for the baseline anti‐smoking sentiment in a town, and likely reflects baseline levels of education and smoking prevalence as well.19
This analysis also involves some important limitations. One limitation is that these smoking regulations were in effect for a short period of time; the majority were in effect for <2 years. A related limitation is the length of follow‐up and, as noted, more time may be needed to observe an effect on these outcomes, particularly with respect to quitting behaviours.
These findings have important public health implications. They suggest that adoption of local smoke‐free regulations, while primarily intended to protect non‐smokers from secondhand smoke exposure, may have the potential to encourage anti‐smoking social norms and adult cessation efforts, particularly among a subset of smokers who already view smoking as socially unacceptable in public places and among smokers who are engaged in the process of quitting smoking. This study provides further justification for state and local efforts to enact clean indoor air policies, and for state tobacco control programmes to include a substantial focus on supporting local secondhand smoke policy efforts.
What this paper adds
- Despite the proliferation of restaurant and bar smoking ordinances, very little is known about their specific effects on smokers' attitudes towards smoking in public places and actual quitting behaviours.
- The effect of clean indoor air ordinances on smokers is of particular interest given that these types of bans may discourage smoking by strengthening anti‐smoking community norms and in turn influence quitting behaviours.
- To our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study to assess the effect of restaurant smoking restrictions on smokers' attitudes towards smoking in restaurants and bars, quit attempts and actual quitting behaviour.
- As the study controlled for a wide range of potential individual‐and town level confounding factors, we believe it provides new evidence that restaurant smoking regulations encourage new quit attempts among smokers who have previously tried to quit, and reinforce anti‐smoking social norms among smokers who already view smoking as socially unacceptable in bars.
- It suggests that adoption of local smoke‐free regulations may have the potential to encourage anti‐smoking social norms and adult cessation efforts, particularly among a subset of smokers who already view smoking as socially unacceptable in public places and among smokers who are engaged in the process of quitting smoking.
- To protect patrons and employees from the health consequences of exposure to secondhand smoke, including cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness, many communities have adopted local regulations that require restaurants and bars to be completely smoke‐free.1,2,3
- Currently, more than 200 cities and 11 states have adopted laws that specifically prohibit smoking in restaurants.4,5

domain: literature


text:
The Daily Click ::. Downloads ::. Review
Review: Alex & Friends' Quest
The presentation of Alex & Friends' Quest is pretty good. It looks kind of close to presentation quality of an official game.
The gameplay is the worst part of Alex & Friends' Quest. First off to me the gameplay is boring. I don't know why but when playing it, I feel very bored. I don't know why but I did had a lot of criticisms for the gameplay. First I feel like the level lack variety. What I mean by that, is that to me the levels feel like the same. Like going up, down, left, and right. Why not have going right linear levels or things like that. Second, In my opinion, I don't like how slow the character moves. I wish you moved faster. Third, I don't like how many hit it takes to kill an enemy. Seriously why does it take so many hits to kill an enemy? It makes no sense. Fourth, the level layout is bad in that there's object over each other and it just looks ugly. And this was like this in Dracula. Fifth is that there are enemies in the levels that make no sense to be there. For example, why are Mumbo and Gruntilda enemies? It makes no sense because there's only one Mumbo and Gruntilda and I don't understand why they're enemies. And this is like this with the Kirby 64 level, why is King Dedede an enemy. And it's worst in the perfect dark level in where there no enemies related to perfect dark in the level. Seriously why is James bond, soldiers from Goldeneye 007, and soldiers in tanks in a perfect dark level? They don't even fit the game. And other enemies that don't fit. The sixth and final thing is just like in Dracula the enemies are put together which looks horrible and they have the same path movement, why isn't there a variety of path movements with the enemies?
The Graphics look good. It's an improvement on Dracula in that they're better background. But some of the backgrounds like in the Banjo Kazooie level, kind of look roughly drawn. But some the backgrounds in the Perfect Dark level look awesome. And the sprites look pretty good.
The sound/music is okay. It's all the awesome tune of games that based as levels in the game but to me, the music sounds very low-quality to me, or in short, they sound very muffled. But the sound effects are good and they fit the game.
The lastability is great, with eight worlds, with three levels each expect the last world that is one big level. And with three difficulty and other stuff makes the game pretty long and that's good.
Overall Alex & Friends' Quest is bad. The graphics, lastability, and presentation are good. The sound/music is okay. While the gameplay is very bad. I wished it was better but hey we make bad games sometimes. It's nothing to worry about just learn from your last one and try again! Good job BigAl0104!
Download This Game
Am Really Feeling it

domain: game


What is Data Reduction?
Data Reduction refers to the techniques and methods used to reduce the volume, size, and complexity of data, while preserving its meaningful information. It involves extracting the most relevant features or patterns from the data, eliminating redundancies, and compressing the data to make it more manageable and efficient for processing and analysis.
How Data Reduction Works
Data Reduction employs various approaches, such as:
- Feature Selection: Identifying and selecting the most informative and significant features from the dataset, discarding irrelevant or redundant variables.
- Dimensionality Reduction: Reducing the number of variables or dimensions in the dataset while minimizing information loss. This can be achieved through techniques like Principal Component Analysis (PCA) or Singular Value Decomposition (SVD).
- Data Compression: Using algorithms to compress the data, reducing its size while still representing the original information accurately. Techniques such as lossless and lossy compression can be employed.
- Data Sampling: Selecting a subset of the data for analysis, representing the characteristics of the entire dataset. This can be useful for large datasets to reduce computational requirements.
Why Data Reduction is Important
Data Reduction offers several benefits to businesses and organizations:
- Improved Efficiency: By reducing the volume and complexity of data, processing and analysis tasks become faster and more efficient.
- Cost Savings: Storing and processing large amounts of data can be expensive. Data Reduction helps reduce storage requirements and computational costs.
- Enhanced Data Quality: By eliminating noise, redundancies, and outliers, Data Reduction improves the quality and accuracy of the data, leading to more reliable insights and decision-making.
- Facilitates Data Analysis: With reduced data dimensions, it becomes easier to explore, visualize, and analyze the data, uncovering hidden patterns and relationships.
The Most Important Data Reduction Use Cases
Data Reduction techniques find applications in various domains, including:
- Big Data Analytics: Data Reduction is crucial in processing and analyzing large-scale datasets, enabling efficient storage, retrieval, and analysis.
- Machine Learning: Feature Selection and Dimensionality Reduction techniques are essential in preparing datasets for machine learning models, improving model performance and interpretability.
- Data Warehousing: Data Reduction helps optimize data storage and retrieval in data warehouse environments, improving query performance and reducing storage costs.
Data Reduction is closely related to other technologies and methodologies, including:
- Data Deduplication: Eliminating duplicate data entries to reduce storage requirements and improve data integrity.
- Data Compression: Techniques for reducing the size of data files, either losslessly or with some loss of information.
- Data Sampling: Selecting a representative subset of data for analysis and modeling.
- Data Mining: The process of extracting valuable insights and patterns from large datasets.
Why Dremio Users would be interested in Data Reduction
Dremio empowers users with self-service data access and analytics capabilities. Data Reduction techniques can greatly benefit Dremio users in the following ways:
- Faster Query Performance: By reducing the volume and complexity of data, Dremio users can experience improved query performance, enabling faster insights and exploration.
- Cost Optimization: Data Reduction helps reduce storage costs and minimizes computational requirements, making Dremio deployments more cost-effective.
- Improved Data Exploration: With reduced data dimensions, users can easily explore and analyze the data within Dremio, uncovering meaningful patterns and relationships.
- Enhanced Data Quality: Applying Data Reduction techniques within Dremio can improve the quality and accuracy of the data, enabling users to make more informed decisions.


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Getting enough quality sleep each night is vital for many reasons. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the average adult, but this can sometimes prove challenging. In addition to obvious factors, such as the comfort of your mattress or the consistency of your schedule, where you live, your median income, and even your health might play a role in determining your sleep habits.
Using the CDC’s 500 Cities Project and U.S. Census Bureau data, we reviewed and compared multiple factors, uncovering some intriguing findings. Does it surprise you to learn that the population density of your city might impact your sleep? How about your city’s level of poverty, household income, and even whether you have access to health insurance?
To obtain a feel for how location and socioeconomic factors affect the amount and quality of sleep people receive, we first looked at the 500 largest cities in America and then the 25 best and worst rested cities. One of the first things we noticed was that the 25 most well-rested cities had a higher median income than the 25 least well-rested cities.
Find a comfy spot and settle in as we uncover our findings. Hopefully, understanding the data will encourage you to find ways to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep, so you and your family are prepared to tackle anything life throws your way.
Sleep in the City
Why does someone in Rapid City, South Dakota, sleep better or worse than someone in Albany, Georgia? Attributing it to a high altitude or an area with lower humidity may be your first thought, but other factors play a much more significant role.
To give you a view from above, we layered three maps that highlight cities, states, and regions. The percentages shown reflect adults aged 18 and older who averaged less than the recommended minimum of seven hours of daily sleep.
Starting with an overview of regional differences, more than 30% of people residing in the Rocky Mountain region got less than seven hours of sleep. Those in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes major cities such as New York and Philadelphia, had a much higher percentage of people who averaged less than the recommended seven-hour minimum.
Scientists have studied what is known as “short sleep duration” (SSD), meaning less than six hours of sleep in 24 hours.focusing on young adults in their early 20s and living in China discovered that regional differences of affluence, home environments, and levels of unemployment were critical factors in how much young adults slept.
What’s also interesting is when two communities within proximity have drastic differences in sleep duration. For example, only 27.7% of adults in Santa Barbara, California, averaged less than seven hours of daily sleep, while in Bakersfield that number jumps to 36.9%.
Similar differences were found in Asheville, North Carolina, where slightly fewer than 31% slept less than the recommended daily amount, versus 40.3% in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The Rocky Mountain area, with its crisp cool air and sparse population stood above the other regions when it came to sleep. The region’s 30.9% poor sleep percentage stood alone, with the Southwest region a full 3 percentage points behind at second.
The Pacific Coast region that includes California, Oregon, and Washington was third at 34.7%, followed closely by the Midwest at 34.9%. The D.C. area was in the middle at 36.7%.
New England and the Southern region were close at 37.2% and 37.8%, respectively, with the Mid-Atlantic region trailing the bottom at 41.4%.
Cities With the Best and Worst Sleep
City life varies where sleep is concerned. There must be something unique in Colorado’s fresh mountain air because eight of the 25 best-rested cities were located in the Centennial State.
Capturing the top spot was Boulder, Colorado, where less than one-fourth of the adult population received less than seven hours of daily sleep. Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City, ranked a close second at 25.6%.
For those residing in the Rust Belt and the Upper Midwest region of Michigan, grabbing a good night’s sleep might be difficult since around half of Detroit residents slept less than seven hours.
A little later, we’ll touch on why sleep may evade more adults in certain cities, but right now, it’s useful to review a few things you can avoid that can make falling asleep more challenging.
For example, in prior studies, people who checked their social media accounts right before bed averaged 35 minutes to fall asleep, compared to only 31 minutes for those who relaxed or did nothing at all before drifting off. It’s also worth mentioning that keeping a consistent sleep schedule by going to bed and waking up around the same time helps improve the quality and quantity of sleep.
Can Population Density Impact Sleep?
When we looked at the population densities of the top and bottom 25 cities for sleep, we found some very interesting correlations. Our discovery: The cities that struggle the most with sleep were twice as crowded as the cities where people slept best.
Overall, the cities with the best sleeping areas averaged approximately 3,038 people per square mile, compared to 6,183 in the worst-rested cities.
While residents of Colorado cities tended to sleep well, adults in many areas of New Jersey fell on the opposite end of the spectrum. Three of the worst top 10 cities for sleep were located in New Jersey. They include Camden, Newark, and Trenton. Other New Jersey cities with high population densities and poor sleep were Paterson, Elizabeth, and Jersey City.
If street noise and unruly neighbors are keeping you from a good night’s sleep, then soundproofing your bedroom might help. Design changes that help with noise reduction include installing soundproof rug pads and using cotton and wool throw pillows on your furniture. Not only do they absorb noise, but also they will add flair to your sleeping space. For a finishing touch, you could even repaint your bedroom walls using products specifically designed to absorb midrange sounds. Use these for base coats and then complete the project with the paint color of your choice for a decorative touch.
Poverty and Sleep
One trend that stands out is that the 25 worst-rested cities had some of the highest levels of poverty in America. On average, the worst-rested cities had more than twice as many people living below the poverty line as the best-rested cities.
A majority of the cities where the largest number of people slept poorly were located in the upper Midwest.
Michigan, once home to a thriving automotive industry, had two of the worst-rested cities: Flint and Detroit. Their level of poverty was about 41% and 38%, respectively.
On the other end of the spectrum was Centennial, Colorado, whose poverty rate was only 4.3%. Compared to Flint, Michigan, that’s a difference of 10 times.
When looking at the top 20 cities with the highest poverty rates, 13 of those cities were in Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Indiana. The exception was Iowa City, Iowa, which had a poverty rate of 28%, almost 2 percentage points higher than the average poverty rate for the worst-rested cities. Nonetheless, Iowa City residents tended to sleep much better.
Income and Sleep
Money doesn’t solve every problem; however, it may play a role in how well we sleep in certain cities. Our analysis shows a clear correlation between higher income and better sleep.
One statistic that immediately stood out was people in the worst-rested cities earned about $30,000 less per household when compared to cities where sleep was more plentiful.
Those in the best-rested cities had a median household income of $67,882, compared to only $37,765 in the worst-rested cities. On the upper end of the spectrum was Newport Beach, California, with a median household income of $119,379, whereas a Camden, New Jersey household’s median was only $26,105.
On a related note, one researcherin racially and ethnically diverse areas of Boston with an emphasis on helping individuals improve their quality of sleep. Through in-person and telephone counseling sessions and by implementing a four-week exercise routine, residents found their sleep patterns improved.
Interestingly, when we looked at cities with a median household income of around $52,000 such as Lincoln, Nebraska, and Brockton, Massachusetts, Midwest residents slept better than their Northeastern counterparts, which is consistent with our survey findings.
Health Insurance and Peace of Mind
Often, insurance provides peace of mind, especially when it comes to our health. In the cities where people slept the worst, almost twice as many residents lacked health insurance compared to the cities where people slept better.
In the worst-rested cities, we discovered that almost 19% of people lacked health insurance, yet just over 10% were without health coverage in the best-rested cities.
Finding yourself not getting enough sleep may also increase your chances of getting sick.often notice patients who are sleep deprived are more likely to get sick after being exposed to viruses like the common cold.
Sleep helps your body’s immune system release proteins that assist with infection and inflammation, especially when a person is under stress. Plus, your body needs sleep to fight off issues that can lead to a higher risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart-related conditions.
New Jersey residents in Camden, Paterson, Elizabeth, Trenton, and Newark once again found themselves in cities where a higher percentage of people didn’t have health insurance. However, our friends in the Colorado and Iowa cities of Fort Collins, Boulder, Centennial, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City reside in areas where the percentage of people without health insurance was in the single-digit range.
Sleep and Physical Health
The amount of sleep you receive is directly correlated to your physical health. Our bodies tend to repair themselves the most when we’re sleeping. Plus, sleep helps maintain a healthy balance of hormones, including those that affect our hunger levels.
It should come as no surprise that the worst-rested cities also had the highest levels of people with poor physical health. Except for Honolulu, Hawaii, it was practically split down the middle between the 50 cities in our survey.
Once again, the industrial areas of the Northeast and upper Rust Belt showed a higher percentage of people struggling with physical health issues. Residents in the central Plains states, along with select cities in the Pacific Northwest and West Coast fared much better in terms of being physically healthier.
The good news is that it only takes a small investment of your time to make great strides toward improving your overall health. First, engage in daily exercise. You don’t need an expensive gym membership to strengthen your heart. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, or make it a point to find the parking spot farthest away from the front door.
It’s also important to stay hydrated, with many experts recommending adults drink at least eight glasses of water daily. Not only will you feel better, but also water helps you feel full, so you’re not as inclined to consume as many calories. And when it is time to eat, it’s always a great idea to include more vegetables on your plate.
Why Sleep Matters to Your Mental Well-Being
Many times, we place a lot of emphasis on our physical health, but it’s equally important to allocate enough time and energy to making sure we’re in top mental shape.
The quality and quantity of our sleep are so important to our mental health. Studies show people are 10 times more likely to experience clinical depression and 17 times as likely to have clinical anxiety if they aren’t sleeping enough. Sleep deprivation is a common symptom of many mental health conditions, especially anxiety and depression. That’s one reason why some people with insomnia tend to suffer more with these two conditions.
When we looked at the worst-rested cities, just over 16% of people struggled with mental health issues, compared to only about 10% in the best-rested cities. Flint, Michigan, and Reading, Pennsylvania, were the top cities with the highest percentage of mental health issues, while the folks in Plymouth, Minnesota, were mentally healthier, with only about 8% dealing with those challenges.
In addition to drowning out unwanted or unnecessary noise when you sleep, consider investing in a mattress that matches your sleep style. Whether you are looking for memory foam mattress or an innerspring mattress, today’s mattresses are specifically crafted with quality materials and superior technology, all designed to give you the best night’s rest possible.
Sleep Is Important, No Matter Your Situation or Location
You hear it time and time again, but it bears repeating: Adults need at least seven to nine hours of sleep every day.
Our survey has demonstrated that factors such as location, socioeconomic status, and health conditions play a significant role in how well and how much we sleep. Although some circumstances may be beyond your immediate control, taking a few initial steps to help you sleep better could improve your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
A significant issue that disrupts sleep is the occurrence of back pain. The best mattress for back pain can go a long way to helping you get a better night’s sleep.
At Amerisleep, we’re sleep experts. We put together a guide that helps you identify the best mattress for your sleep style. Plus, our retail and online associates can answer most any question about how to help you catch more zzz’s and feel well-rested.
To produce these findings, we compiled and analyzed data from two U.S. government sources: the CDC’s 500 Cities Project and the U.S. Census Bureau. For this study, we collected, collated, and fact-checked the data manually, and no automated software or “scraper” was used.
To learn more about the 500 Cities Project, you can visitor access their data portal at
U.S. Census Bureau data were accessed via the Community Facts section of their American FactFinder tool, available here: factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml, which aggregates data from a variety of Census Bureau sources. The sources that we used for this study are the 2010 demographic profile and the 2013-2017 American Community Survey Five-Year Estimates.
These data are intended to be used for entertainment purposes only, and statistical testing has not been performed on any of these findings. In some cases, questions and phrases have been rephrased for brevity or clarity.
Fair Use Statement
We believe your readers will enjoy learning about the results of our research study of America’s sleep patterns. If you agree, feel free to share all or part of this information with them as long as it’s for non-commercial purposes. All we ask is that you link back to this page so that they can digest as much of the information as they desire.
This article is for informational purposes and should not replace advice from your doctor or other medical professional.

domain: health


text:
your body can't handle sugar normally any more. The best
and most logical approach therefore is to
limit your carbs. Fats tend to
have no impact on blood sugar, and protein must less than carbs. Your carbs will mostly come from non-starchy vegetables. Grains and starchy vegetables will tend to raise your sugars very quickly. Same goes for sweet fruits.
3. If your Dr is not helping you and your medications are not working, then you need a second option.

domain: medical


new Delhi: The Delhi Police has made its preparations for the Delhi Assembly elections. According to Delhi Police, out of a complete of 2689 polling cubicles, 545 polling cubicles have been thought of delicate. Arrangements have been made for multi-layer safety of 21 counting middle scores. All preparations have additionally been made to stop any terrorist incident. For the primary time EVM machine has already been delivered to the polling sales space.
Strict checking on the border with Delhi
According to the police, checking on the border has additionally been made tighter in order that the legal parts coming on the time of elections may be caught. Also, unlawful liquor that involves distribute to voters on the time of elections may be stopped. After the election announcement, the police has to date recovered 96798 liters of illicit liquor in addition to 774 kg of medication. <! –
During this time, the police have recovered 494 unlawful weapons. In view of the sensitivity of the election, about 7397 licensed weapons have additionally been captured by the police.
Petrol may also be finished on Yamuna via boat
Preparation of police can also be full concerning Shaheen Bagh. All the polling preparations have been given right here to keep away from any form of drawback. Delhi Police says that if somebody sends an objectionable message in violation of the code of conduct or places a message on social media, then they’ll complain to the nodal officer's quantity 81300 99105 and fax 011-28031130. Delhiites may also mail their grievances to email@example.com.


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This past Saturday, February 9, 2019, the Silver Cheetahs competed in the 2nd Annual V12 Florida Season Opener Indoor Track and Field Challenge in Gainesville, Florida. This track and field event is the first start for the Cheetahs’ Outdoor Track and Field Season. Six athletes from the Savannah-Chatham Silver Cheetahs competed in Gainesville, Florida, against multiple track and field teams across Georgia and Florida.
As a result, the Savannah Chatham Silver Cheetahs brought home 1 gold medal, 2 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal from Gainesville, Florida.
The following athletes competed in the 2nd Annual V12 Florida Season Opener Indoor Track and Field Challenge in Gainesville, Florida: 1. Keyara Lovett – Gold in Long Jump (15ft 10in), 5th in 100 Meter Dash (13.67s) and 200 Meter Dash (28.26s) 2. Mariah Ogden – Silver in Shot Put (25ft 6in), 7th in 200 Meter Dash (31.40s) 3. Joshua Bradley – Silver in Long Jump (9ft 11in), 17th in 100 Meter Dash (17.26s) 4. Ivey Hall – Bronze in 400 Meter Dash (1:08.51s), 8th in 100 Meter Dash (14.72s), 11th in 200 Meter Dash (30.85s) 5. Honey Bradley – 5th in Shot Put (15ft 11in), 10th in Long Jump (7ft 9in) 6. Brian Hall, Jr. – 5th in Long Jump (3ft 8in), 11th in 100 Meter Dash (24.60s)

domain: sports


text:
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Gino Vanelli collects a dozen of his soft rock and pop hits from the late '70s and early '80s, including "People Gotta Move," "I Just Wanna Stop," "Living Inside Myself," and "Powerful People." The compilation does a good job of presenting the different sides to Vanelli's sound, from the slick, slightly jazzy sound of his biggest hits to soft, romantic ballads like "Wheels of Life" to the somewhat awkward funk edge on tracks such as "Appaloosa" and "Mama Coco." Overall, this collection provides a more complete look at Vanelli's output from this era than The Best of Gino Vanelli, though it's not quite as comprehensive as The Ultimate Collection, which also includes some fun singles from a few years later, like "Black Cars." Still, if it's just the soft rock hits that you're after, 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Gino Vanelli gets the job done.
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best of Gino Vannelli Review
by Heather Phares
|2||Gino Vannelli feat: Ross Vannelli||03:39||Amazon|

domain: artistic


Buhari On Private Visit To Britain To Rest, Says Garba ShehuFeatured, Latest News Friday, May 22nd, 2015
Ayodele Afolabi, Abuja – The President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on Friday left for Britain on a private visit, his first of such trip outside the country since winning the March 28th presidential election.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by Malam Garba Shehu, the head of the Media Team of the President-elect said General Muhammadu Buhari will use the opportunity of the visit to take a much-deserved rest ahead of his inauguration on May 29th.
”He is expected back in the country a few days before the inauguration, refreshed and ready to hit the ground running once he is sworn into office,” he said
Short URL: http://www.africanexaminer.com/?p=23663


text:
“… Buttars-Palooza, with its goal of throwing “a lively and fun celebration of our diversity and inclusion of all in a fair and just society” — a party instead of a protest — is the sort of new and innovative activism that many in California and New York could learn from, and the sort of activism I want to engage in. They are still holding Buttars accountible [sic], but by promoting a positive image rather than shaking an angry fist.”
– Former Salt Lake Metro (QSaltLake’s former incarnation) editor Jere Keys, blogging about the party held at the State Capitol in the wake of Sen. Chris Buttars’ anti-gay remarks.
“We need to come together. These are the people who work with you, who you employ, who you give housing to. We want people to see that we’re real. We don’t want to be compared to radical Muslims.”
– Pride in Your Community founder Elaine Ball, telling Salt Lake Tribune columnist Rebecca Walsh about her group’s dedication to public service.
“The kind of bone-deep, dehumanizing hatred Buttars spews is dangerous.”
– Salt Lake Tribune columnist Rebecca Walsh.
“Waddoups’ equivocation is a slap in the face to his own constituents. He’s indirectly told every American who holds a biblical view of sexual morality and who rightfully believes that radical homosexual activism poses a grave threat to our American culture, that they should be ashamed of these traditional beliefs – that they should keep these beliefs to themselves.”
– Matt Barber, Director of Cultural Affairs for conservative, nonprofit litigation group Liberty Council, scolding Sen. Michael Waddoups for removing Sen. Chris Buttars from chairing two committees after Buttars made anti-gay remarks.
“Most importantly, Buttars’s comments ruins the religious right’s schtick. Their entire image depends on being portrayed as innocent Christians being attacked by “rabid homosexual activists” simply because they are trying to uphold traditional values and morality. … Buttars reminds people of a crotchety old man who wildly waves his cane as he spews venom and tries to keep from soiling himself.”
– Blogger Pam Spaulding of Pam’s House Blend on why the religious right is unlikely to defend Buttars’ remarks.

domain: news


text: Acoma Pueblo artist Mary Antonio formed this eye-catching seed pot from coils of locally gathered clay. A one-of-a-kind work of art, she hand painted the contrasting geometric designs with naturally tinted clay slips. Finally, she fired the pot over an open pit kiln. Signed by the artist. Handcrafted in New Mexico.


Welcome to Dixon’s Dance and Fitness
Dixon’s Dance and Fitness Studio Heather Dixon’s Dance and Fitness Studio provides one of the highest standards of dance training in Grey & Bruce Counties. From beginner dance classes, to advanced and an adult Ballet Barre class and Fitness for Teens and Adults. Heather Dixon’s Dance Studio thrives on the energy of our Teachers and the enthusiasm of our Students that simply just makes Dance more fun.
A true local dance studio success story, Artistic Director Heather Dixon trained at the School of Dance in Ottawa, Co- founded by Celia Franka and Merrilee Hodgins. Today, she is proud to share her experience and expertise with all her dance and fitness Families. Dance disciplines include Cecchetti Classical Ballet, Contemporary, Modern/Lyrial, Hip Hop and Adult Ballet. Fitness Classes include Zumba, Zumba Strong, Boot Camp, Stretch & Strengthen and Target Toning. Dixon’s Dance is always offering Professional Workshops in all genres to our students.
Getting people of all ages and levels motivated and active to provide a healthier lifestyle is what the studio strives for. Dixon’s Dance & Fitness Studio Students enjoy training for dance competitions in a safe, warm & nurturing environment. Our students range from small children (3yrs), to teens and adults of all ages who appreciate the joy of dancing, creative movement and fitness.
Please Contact Us, Click either image below to email or call today!
HEATHER ANNE DIXON - OWNER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Owner/Artistic Director Heather Dixon’s Dance and Fitness Studio
Associate Diploma, C.S.C -CIBC, B.A.T.D. (Members), Highland Dancing, Anatomy of Movement and Physiology, Progressive Ballet Technique, Zumba Basic, Strong By Zumba.
Heather Anne Dixon is so proud to have been teaching and Choreographing for 28 years, in which 14 of those years in her own business for year end performances and the Signature Competitive group. Heather has also been a guest choreographer for several local productions and events.
Heather has an extensive background in dance training and education, including Early Childhood Education (related to dance) Music Theory, Creative Movement Studies, Anatomy and Physiology, Character and Pedagogy. Heather has studied Highland (B.A.T.D.), Classical Ballet (RAD), Modern, Contemporary, Jazz, Irish, Cape Breton Step dancing and Musical Theatre. Heather has had the opportunity to perform world-wide with the "Owen Sound Celtic Dance Company" and "Celtic Accent"
Heather is also a former Highland Dance Champion and Silver Medalist in the Junior World Championships held in Dunoon, Scotland.
Born and raised in Owen Sound, Heather began her dance training at 3.
Heather was a member of the B.A.T.D. at the age of 16 as an Associate Teacher of Highland Dancing. Beginning her choreography career, Heather successfully rose to become a Member Teacher with the B.A.T.D. In 2000 Heather moved to Ottawa, training at the School of Dance in a three year Ballet Teacher Training Program, completing her qualifications as a Teacher in the Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet (with Honors). She subsequently joined the artistic team at the School of Dance, training students at the professional level for exams and performances. During this time she had the rare opportunity to participate in Master Classes with Celia Franca, founder of the National Ballet of Canada. Heather was asked to provide choreography for the “School of Dance 25th Anniversary Gala,” and “Celia Franca’s 80th Birthday Gala,” at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
Heather is a very proud mother of a handsome 10-year-old son Nico and beautiful 7 year old twins, Arabella and Luca whom too will be proudly be performing in this years celebration
BONITA JOHNSON - DE MATTEIS
Bonita has enjoyed dancing and performing in the Owen Sound area since 1990.
During the past 8 years she has taken her joy of dance and performance to the gym floor with latin, afro-cuban and world grooves of Zumba®! She is also licensed to teach Zumba Kids® and Zumba Kids Jr. ®. This is exclusively taught at Dixon’s Dance and Fitness.
Bonita has also recently been licensed to teach “Strong by Zumba®”. This is a high intensity interval training driven by latin, afro-cuban and world grooves of Zumba®!
We will officially launch this format in September .. please come and try it!
These specialty trainings are an amazing addition to her already 25 years of her Can-Fit Pro training.
Bonita Johnson deMatteis is a Registered Psychotherapist and a Traumatic Incident Reduction Facilitator and LSR Facilitator. As co-founder and co-director of Nemesis Group she uses Narrative therapy and expressive art and play modalities that focus on the treatment of trauma. in practice for over twenty-nine years.
Willian Vaz was born just west of Sāo Paulo, Brazil. In his younger days he discovered a passion for dance and channeled this into Street Dance. For almost a decade Will was part of a national level Street Dancing troupe from his home state.
After taking some time to complete both a Bachelors and Masters degree in technology, from the University of Sāo Paulo at Sāo Carlos and the Rochester Institute of Technology respectively, Will began to connect with the dance community in Grey and Bruce Counties. He currently assists in teaching with the Heather Dixon Dance Studio.
Will brings a passion for teaching Street and Hip Hop Dance to youth. Dance is a way for kids to connect with their energy and body and express themselves through movement.
Anne Thomson is excited to be a part of Heather Dixon's Dance and Fitness. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Education degree in Elementary from Queen's University.
Anne is a Kindergarten Teacher at Holland Chatsworth Central School. She began her dance training at the age of 7, studying Ballet, Jazz, Modern and Highland at the Sheila Milne School of Dance. Additionally, she has trained in a variety of dance forms with Heather and was Team Captain of her Premier Signature Competitive and Performing group during this time. She has performed in many competitions, championships and choreography venues across North America. Her most notable championship titles include Ontario, Canadian and North American Champion. Anne is a member with the British Association of Teachers' of Dance (BATD) and has been teaching all ages and levels for over 10 years. Anne enjoys sharing her passion for Highland dance!
TEACHING STAFF & ASSISTANTS
Teachers and Assistants from left to right- Back row: Heather Anne Dixon-Palumbi, Charlotte Doyle, Jeanelle Ackroyd, Kerri Ward, Sage Locking, Ave Kirejew, Lauren Prescott, Bonita Johnson-De Matteis, Willan Vaz. Front Row: Emma Foulds, Nico Palumbi, Daniella Spencer
IN THE COMMUNITY
Dixon’s Dance held their 11th Annual Year End Performance and all the proceeds from the 50/50 draw and all raffle proceeds were donated.
748 2nd Avenue East, Unit 2 (basement), Owen Sound ON N4K 2G1
1- (519) 373 - 9075


|FSP(1)||CAO-VLSI Reference Manual||FSP(1)|
- - Formal proof between two FSM descriptions
This software belongs to the ALLIANCE CAD SYSTEM developed by the ASIM team at LIP6 laboratory of Université Pierre et Marie CURIE, in Paris, France.
Web : http://asim.lip6.fr/recherche/alliance/
E-mail : email@example.com
- fsp [-V] format1 format2 file1 file2
Made to run on FSM descriptions, fsp supports the same subset of VHDL as syf (for further informations about this subset see SYF(1) and FSM(5)). fsp uses a Reduced Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams representation and computes the product of the two FSM descriptions. After this step, it explores the resulting FSM product and proves formally the equivalence between the two initial FSM descriptions. Those two descriptions must have the same interface (VHDL entity).
MBK_WORK_LIB gives the path for the FSM descriptions.
The default value is the current directory.
MBK_CATA_LIB gives some auxiliary pathes for the FSM descriptions. The default value is the current directory.
-V Sets verbose mode on. Each step of the formal proof is displayed on the standard output.
fsp fsm fsm digi digi2
syf (1), fmi (1), fsm (5), xfsm (1).
This tool is under development at the ASIM department of
the LIP6 laboratory.
We need your feedback to improve documentation and tools.
|October 1, 1997||ASIM/LIP6|


text:
Metrologic Instruments Inc. will feature two new products, the MS7580 Genesis presentation area imager and the MS9590 VoyagerGS trigger-activated hand-held laser scanner, at the HIMSS 2008 Conference and Exhibition.
The MS9590 VoyagerGS is a hand-held, single-line laser scanner for various healthcare applications, including bedside medication verification.
The MS7580 Genesis is a presentation area imager engineered to decode all standard 1D and 2D codes associated with the healthcare community, such as GS1 DataBar, ISBT128, PDF417 and Data Matrix. It has automatic cable detection and configuration for its multiple on-board interfaces. This feature simplifies installation and integration for healthcare environments that execute a variety of applications, including document management, lab sample tracking and patient record management.


text:
Water Tank Renovation and Painting Project
Universal City, Texas
This project included renovating and painting the interior and exterior of both a 500,000-gallon potable water standpipe and a 500,000-gallon elevated potable water storage tank with sequencing to maintain water service requirements with installation of variable frequency drives on two existing 125 HP high service pumps.
Construction included removal of lighting, safety climbing, cathodic protection, and radio equipment; tank draining; installation and repair of standpipe appurtenances; elevated tank and standpipe surface preparation with containment; prime, intermediate, and top coating applications with logos and testing; replacement of lighting, safety climbing, cathodic protection, and radio equipment; and refilling and disinfection of the tanks prior to use. Standpipe appurtenances repaired and/or addressed by TCE included a roof hatch, manway, roof vent, drainpipe, puncture patch, ladders, safety cages, and roof railing.
These renovations and improvements to the standpipe and storage tank provided greater operational flexibility, system reliability, safety, and design life for Universal City.
Services Provided: Preliminary Engineering, Design Phase, Bid Phase, Construction Phase, Inspection, and Warranty Phase Services.

domain: design


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You might know Mark Singleton from his earlier book Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice, which caused quite a stir when it came out. I found it interesting, challenging, never a bad thing, he has a new project.
ABOUT THIS PROJECT
What is it?
We (Mark Singleton and James Mallinson) are putting together a new sourcebook of yoga texts from the Indian traditions. Entitled Roots of Yoga, the book will make available for the first time in a single volume many of the most important primary texts of yoga through the ages. All the translations will be our own and many will be from texts not previously translated. Roots of Yoga will be arranged thematically and highlight the major historical moments of yoga's evolution within the Indian subcontinent (from about 500BCE to 1750CE), showing the continuities, disjunctions and developments that have characterized its theory and practice across the centuries.
Here's the link to the project page, some nice pictures.
And a link to an interview with Mark by Carol Horton on Elephant.

domain: hobby


text:
Portal 2 is now available for download for PC and Mac.
Originally intended for release at 5pm GMT, the first-person puzzle title can now be downloaded from distribution service Steam for all users worldwide.
Valve has confirmed that it has concluded its Augmented Reality Game running up release, which recently saw users purchase and play indie titles to unlock Portal 2 faster.
Those who managed to play every game and unlock every bonus potato inside The Potato Pack received the Valve Complete Pack bundle, which included a free copy of Portal 2.
Last week, Steam functionality for the PlayStation 3 version was explained by Valve - it will offer cloud saving support and cross-platform multiplayer.
Portal 2 will be available later today at US retail and this Thursday, April 21 on consoles in Europe.


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Having run fetish parties in the UK, USA and Australia for quite a few years, including some events for over 3,000 people, Skin Two’s publisher Tim Woodward has been there, seen it, done it =, got the t-shirt – and the grey hair…. Now, he runs an intimate party group, just for fun. It’s called The Chardmore Society [Read more…]
Tempting Failure has grown to represent a showcase of the best live art, noise art & performance art from new to established artists with the support of key partners, including Bristol City Council, the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft, The Island & Arts Council England. [Read more…]
This is a small affair, just for fifteen or twenty couples, held at a pleasant club to the West of London, near Heathrow airport. It’s a safe and friendly space for submissive women and their dominant partners to play among like minded people.
Everyone must book in advance, so we know who they are. The doors are locked and no random strangers are admitted. Couples and single women are welcome, but no single men are allowed – submissive women are free from predatory gropers here!
There is a roomy dungeon and lots of equipment to try out. There’s a sybian, for instance – there are not many of those in the UK. Also a fucking machine, a TENS machine, whipping benches, a suspension frame, gynae examination chair, etc. You are welcome to have a go at these and, if you like, we can show you how to use them safely.
The Submissive Women’s Party is on a Sunday afternoon, starting at 3pm and going on until 8pm, so you can play for a few hours and then go home for dinner, or chill out at one of the lovely pubs in Richmond.
It’s only £15 admission and no alcohol is sold, so bring your own if you like. Bring snacks too, if playing makes you hungry. No cameras and no smoking inside the building, of course.
To book, go here – www.chardmoresociety.com/buy-tickets/
The Submissive Women’s Party is run by the Chardmore Society, which also holds several other intimate BDSM parties, including a posh dress-up fetish dinner, and a bisexual party. The organiser is Tim Woodward, publisher of Skin Two magazine and you can contact him with any queries at all via the website here – www.chardmoresociety.com


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This blue wound dressing can also be used as a plaster. It was developed especially for sensitive skin and is very well tolerated. The dressing does not stick to skin, hair or the wound itself. The material is self-adhesive, water-repellent and blood-repellent. The Dermaplast Quickaid dressing is the ideal companion for every first-aid kit or travel kit.
Simply wrap the elastic wound dressing around the wound and press on lightly for optimal adhesion. The dressing can also be used as a wound pad.
Since the material does not stick to the hair, this product is also ideal for pets.


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Is a) smarts or b) wisdom the more crucial "skill" or asset for personal - professional success in our era?
I define success as happiness and go for wisdom over smarts.
Because if information is power, then awareness is super-power. But of course, awareness is much more than mere accumulation of info.
Thus, IMO, the power to collect, have even process information may be a useful tool nowadays, and that applies to the ability to analyse it as well.
But it is in my opinion wisdom that is the "tool" that best makes use of all that in making decisions, be they corporate or personal, for profit, success or, what is most for persons, happiness.

domain: psychology


A mass-producible wearable sensor has been developed by U.S. researchers, that can monitor levels of metabolites and nutrients in one’s blood by analyzing sweat, according to the latest release of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
The new sweat sensor, developed by a team led by Wei Gao, assistant professor of medical engineering at Caltech, is more sensitive than previously developed sweat sensors.
The new sensor can detect sweat compounds of much lower concentrations, while the previous ones mostly target compounds that appear in high concentrations, such as electrolytes, glucose, and lactate, it said.
The development of such sensors would allow doctors to continuously monitor the condition of patients with illnesses like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or kidney disease, all of which result in abnormal levels of nutrients or metabolites in the bloodstream, it added.
“Such wearable sweat sensors have the potential to rapidly, continuously, and noninvasively capture changes in health at molecular levels,” Gao said. “They could enable personalized monitoring, early diagnosis, and timely intervention.”
To see how well the sensors perform, the researchers ran a series of tests with healthy individuals and patients.
Gao said the high sensitivity of the sensors, along with the ease with which they can be manufactured, means they could eventually be used by patients at home to monitor conditions like gout, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.


Campaign: #samefeelingBrand: Coca-ColaClient: The Coca-Cola CompanySubmitted by: McCann Worldgroup România
Background/objectives:Coca-Cola’s mission is to bridge divides and unite. People expect from big brands to take a stand against values in danger in nowadays diverse societies.
Strategy:One week ahead of the Referendum on redefining the family definition in the Romanian Constitution, the brand decided to act bravely and show an innovative unity message on the brand’s social media channels.
Results:Coca-Cola received an overwhelming number of positive reactions, travelled across media channels, inspired other brands to rally under #samefeeling movement, while the danger of a backlash for the brand was minimized.


text:
All these dead spaces hurt, and neighborhoods have a right to protect themselves.
NYS Entity Status
NYS Filing Date
SEPTEMBER 30, 2014
NYS DOS ID#
NYS Entity Type
DOMESTIC PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
2014 - IMSK MEDICINE P.C.
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- New York advances drone industry with testing corridor
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The detectives were indicted on Monday on charges that they sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman who was handcuffed inside a police van in Brooklyn.
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By Associated Press - Monday Oct 2, 2017
STOCKHOLM — The Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to three Americans on Monday for discoveries about the body’s daily rhythms. The laureates are Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michal W. Young. Rosbash is on the faculty at Brandeis University, Young at Rockefeller University and Hall is at the University of Maine. The citation...


text:
By Jenny Cromie
As my mom’s health began to decline and trips to the hospital became more frequent, I began to realize that the grieving process does not have a definite beginning or end. It often begins long before the final separation, and it is never easy. In the middle of pre-planning my mom’s funeral, moving her into a nursing home, and managing the financial and other details of her life, it became impossible to maintain anything like a normal schedule. I ultimately had to give up a part-time job with a local charity and cut back on my freelance editing and writing assignments to manage the various details of my mom’s life. I found myself battling don’t-want-to-get-out-of-bed depression.
As I struggled to go through the motions of daily life, it suddenly dawned on me one day that I was moving through a grief process—feeling intense sadness over the losses in my mom’s life and in my own, knowing that we had taken another sharp turn in the caregiving journey. While life has settled into a new normal, the emotional, financial, and physical strain of caregiving and dealing with long-term care issues remains overwhelming at times. Some days, it is difficult to stay in the present moment, thinking about when the next proverbial shoe might drop. During the past three years, I’ve also watched a close friend cope with a string of cancer diagnoses and family deaths. To say that my friend is shell-shocked would be an understatement. My friends and I now recognize that we’ve entered a new season of life. Illness and death are starting to show up more often, along with grief and how to cope with it.
Working your way through.
A common theme in our conversations is how to find peace in the present moment even when it is tinged with grief and fear about what the future might hold for us and our loved ones. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things that help me find peace and strength in the present moment more often than I used to, regardless of how difficult or overwhelming it feels at any given time. It is not always possible to find a place alone or stop in the middle of what I am doing and get completely still. But no matter where I am or what I am doing, I can find that peaceful, serene spot where the God of my understanding always lives—it simply takes a shift in focus.
When I struggle, it’s often because my focus is on something that happened in the past or something that might happen in the future. In those moments, I remember the words of Jesus: “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). It is also helpful to remember that I do not have the power to change what has already happened, and that God will provide the guidance I need in future moments if I simply stop and ask God for help. I hope that this CareNote will help you understand how you can faithfully be in the present moment and to find healing and comfort as you confront your loss.
Focus on one breath, one moment at a time.
When I am struggling, it helps to remember that moments are like the weather—they always pass. So if I don’t like how a moment feels, I ask God for help in accepting and getting through it. Taking time for prayer and meditation—not only at the start of the day but also during any troubling moment—is what gets me through. When a moment is particularly difficult, I look for a quiet place alone where I can close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I imagine myself breathing in God’s peace. I ask God to remove all thoughts that are not of Him and to replace my thoughts with His. A mantra based on Psalm 46:10 is particularly helpful to me: “Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I am. Be still and know. Be still. Be.”
Be where your hands are.
In difficult moments, it also is helpful to say things out loud to remind myself of where I am—right now, I am washing the dishes or right now, I am watering the garden. There is a Latin saying—Age quod agis or “Do what you are doing”—that carries the same idea. It always helps me to tune into the present moment by asking: What has God placed in front of me this second to appreciate, accept, or do? A long walk in the woods always helps me tune in—I listen to the birds, watch the wind rustling through the leaves, gaze at wildflowers, and breathe in all the scents of the forest. In surroundings that aren’t necessarily peaceful—like hospital waiting rooms—it is helpful to focus on what I am grateful for in that moment. I ask God to show me the spiritual gift He is allowing me to receive if I only accept the present moment as it is without trying to change or fight it. I find that reading the Bible also helps when I have problems tuning out distractions. Others may find that traditional prayers (like the rosary) help them to focus. Whatever I focus on grows, so I always have to remember that relief in difficult moments only comes when I shift my focus away from the problem and focus on how God is at work in this moment.
While I turn to God first, when I am having a difficult time, it also is helpful to seek guidance from friends, family, spiritual mentors, and others who are going through—or have gone through—similar life circumstances. Over the years, I’ve learned that God uses other people to deliver messages I need to hear. Sometimes the message comes from a stranger or a chance conversation overheard in a coffee shop. Other times, a trusted friend or family member delivers the message. When I ask God for guidance, I have to remember to stay open and alert so that I am able to recognize and receive help no matter how or when it shows up. Many have also found it helpful to talk to a therapist during their season of grief. I seek regular guidance from a spiritual adviser—my parish priest—with whom I meet every few weeks. He knows my various struggles, and always sends me away with some kind of assignment—ideas to write about or Scripture to read, pray, and meditate on—that will help me deal with my present difficulties from a spiritual standpoint. I also have friends and mentors whom I call regularly when I need to cut things in half or talk about how to apply spiritual tools to life on life’s terms.
Regardless of how difficult some moments feel, we never walk alone—even though it sometimes feels like it. And if we actively seek and ask for it, we can always find strength in any given moment. Our task is simply to stay in the present—the gift God continues to give us with each breath—and to find strength there by relying on God’s grace and the support of those around us. After all, as Scripture reminds us, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). If we remain open, we also see that God places people in our path who can guide us based on their own past or present experiences with illness and grief. Every moment of every day is a gift. Remember that no matter what any given moment brings, you can always know peace—like the peace in the eye of a hurricane—by simply trying to live and to love in this present moment.
Like what you read and want to share with others? Purchase this CareNote and brighten a loved one’s day.


text:
Medicine Overview of Lopipen Tablet
Lopipen 2mg Tablet is used in the treatment of diarrhoea
. It should not be used in patients with dysentery (diarrhea with blood).
Nausea, Headache, Constipation, Flatulence.
Take this medicine in the dose and duration as advised by your doctor. Swallow it as a whole. Do not chew, crush or break it. Lopipen 2mg Tablet may be taken with or without food, but it is better to take it at a fixed time.
Lopipen 2mg Tablet is an anti-diarrhoeal medication. It works by decreasing contraction of the intestines which makes stools more solid and less frequent.
In Depth Information on Lopipen Tablet
- Consult your doctor if you have diarrhea lasting for more than 48 hours.
- Don't use if you have blood in your stool or it's dark or black in color.
- The drug can make you dizzy or drowzy. Avoid driving or operating any heavy machinery when taking this drug.
- Try to drink plenty of fluids. Having diarrhea can make you dehydrated.
- Do not take loperamide if you are allergic to it.
- Do not take this drug if you have blood in your stools or if your stools are dark or black in colour.
- Do not take this drug if you are severly constipated.
Lopipen Tablet related warnings
Lopipen 2mg Tablet may cause excessive drowsiness and calmness with alcohol.
WEIGH RISKS VS BENEFITS
Lopipen 2mg Tablet may be unsafe to use during pregnancy.
Animal studies have shown adverse effects on the foetus, however, there are limited human studies. The benefits from use in pregnant women may be acceptable despite the risk. Please consult your doctor.
Lopipen 2mg Tablet is safe to use during lactation.
Human studies have shown that either the drug does not pass into the breastmilk in significant amount or is not expected to cause toxicity to the baby.
Lopipen 2mg Tablet may make you feel dizzy, sleepy, tired, or decrease alertness. If this happens, do not drive.
Lopipen 2mg Tablet is safe to use in patients with kidney disease. No dose adjustment of Lopipen 2mg Tablet is recommended.
However, inform your doctor if you have any underlying kidney disease.
Lopipen 2mg Tablet should be used with caution in patients with liver disease. Dose adjustment of Lopipen 2mg Tablet may be needed. Please consult your doctor.
User Submitted Feedback For Lopipen 2mg Tablet
What are you using Lopipen Tablet for?
Survey Participants: 3
“The following are the results of on-going survey on 1mg.com for Lopipen 2mg Tablet. These results only indicate the perceptions of the website users. Please base your medical decisions only on the advice of a doctor or a registered medical professional.”
Frequently asked questions about Lopipen Tablet
Lopipen is relatively safe if used as recommended. In case of any side effects, consult your doctor.
Q. What is Lopipen used for?
Lopipen is used for treating short-term or long-term diarrhea, with or without any associated disease.
Q. Can Lopipen be used for IBS?
Lopipen may be used in few cases of IBS but please consult your doctor before its use.
Q. Can I take Lopipen with antibiotics, paracetamol, ibuprofen, omeprazole, ciprofloxacin, desmopressin, ritonavir, quinidine or cotrimoxazole?
Lopipen may be taken simultaneously with antibiotics, paracetamol, ibuprofen, omiprazole or ciprofloxacin. Lopipen might interact with desmopressin, ritonavir, quinidine or cotrimoxazole. Please consult your doctor before use
Q. Does Lopipen help in opiate withdrawal?
Lopipen is used in higher doses as a part of opiate withdrawal process. However, do consult your doctor regarding the same.
No, Lopipen is a safe and non-addictive anti-diarrheal drug.
Q. Can Lopipen be used for stomach cramps, nausea, stomach flu, rota virus diarrhea and gas?
Lopipen may benefit few cases of stomach cramps or nausea associated with diarrhea. It is sometimes used for stomach flu, rota virus diarrhea. It is not used for gas. Please consult your doctor before taking the drug.
Q. Can I take Lopipen with cimetidine?
Cimetidine can decrease the metabolism of Lopipen, increase its blood levels and hence, increase its effects and side effects. Your dose of Lopipen may needs to be decreased. Consult your doctor prior to taking both the drugs together.
One of the following vendor pharmacies will deliver Lopipen 2mg Tablet: BDN, GBL, KHH, TFP, ZPR, ADT, HPC, OHM, PTI, QLF, DGN, NVL, CLT, BLE, RSS, PPR, WHL, MSD, SVH, RWP, INC, NDP, P2P, MDH, AYU, RPI, BIO, RHW, VDH, SBA, MAM, MLC, BHP, ANT, DHR, SHP, BBS, SHC, ZVP, SPD, SCH, EPS, WSI, IPL, MDO, JIV, ARD, DLP, SWP, SJP, BHM, BTM, ENP, 9T9, RJH, HEX, SAF, GPP, EVP, NNH, TNH, LHA, BAP, HSP, DPL, SDM, PWN, SWA, AYM, MAX, NXG, GTC, RPP, SYN, ESY, HAT, AMR, PEN, HTS, SGC, OIP, PNT, BAL, JVN, RDH, HBV, TRP, OWP, NSL, STA, QTM, THP, EQN, PLT, AAY, ATL, HGI, AGT, TOM, SLN, GHR, UMP, JSL, SSA, DPP, FGH, GTK, MAK, OLT, RDR, PRN, VNS, JVO, MPC, HZF, AAR, ZEL, GNC, RUS, DYG, BMJ, PMA, SVS, ABP, KHC, USF, PVP, BSN, RHL, SRG, HIP, DAO, ATP, GPT, DVH, CHP, KMC, NWP, NAS, MMS, IAD, DFP, SBL, NVY, EMB, HMP, RSA, VRS, SGH, RKS, LCC, HNP, NTB, SHD


text:
American Idol season 22 is officially here. The iconic singing competition returns to ABC for a sixth season, premiering on Sunday (February 18) at 8 pm EST. Judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie will join forces with the help of America to crown the next American Idol champion.
Videos by American Songwriter
Keep up with all the exciting action from the season premiere here with up-to-the-minute updates, reactions, recaps, and more.
(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Contestant Advances to Hollywood And Meets Birth Family In the Same Day
McKenna Breinholt, 25, of Gilbert, Arizona, impressed all three judges with her poignant rendition of “There Was Jesus,” Dolly Parton’s 2019 duet with Christian rock artist Zach Williams.
Breinholt, who was adopted as a baby, told the judges she connected with members of her birth family last summer. Although they had only spoken on FaceTime, Breinholt said they had plans to meet in person three weeks after her audition.
What Breinholt didn’t know, however, was that several members of her birth family waited to meet her on the opposite side of the door. And as soon as she opened that door, social media erupted.
Fans Outraged at "Idol" Spurn, But Crew Vote Sends Contestant to Hollywood
"American Idol" judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan infuriated viewers when they said no to indie artist Jack Blocker, of Dallas, Texas during the Season 22 premiere.
"They said NO to Jack?!!? Literally wtf.," one viewer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "He was the first person so far that I was like I would definitely listen to his album."
Blocker performed an original, "I Was Wrong," accompanying himself on guitar. He made some interesting facial expressions during the performance, for which he was criticized by Perry.
Fortunately, Bryan and the crew ultimately voted to save Blocker, sending a contestant to Hollywood via a crew vote for the first time in "Idol's" 22-year history.
Contestant Receives First Platinum Ticket of the Season
Austin's Odell Bunton Jr. has nabbed the first platinum ticket of the season.
Platinum tickets are awarded to "Idol" contestants who manage to stand out amid the thousands of auditions. Bunton did just take with his take on Sam Cooke.
Ryan Seacrest Responds to Fan, Pokes Fun at His Longevity
One "American Idol" viewer was shocked to see host Ryan Seacrest still at the helm. Fortunately, Seacrest is taking it all in stride.
The music competition reality show made Seacrest a household name when it premiered on Fox in 2022. He hosted the series until it ended in April 2016. Then, in 2017, Seacrest announced he would host an "American Idol" reboot after ABC came out on top in a multi-network bidding war for the rights to the show.
Micaela McCall Is Headed to Hollywood
Micaela McCall, the 28-year-old from Santa Barbara, is the next to punch her ticket to Hollywood on tonight's season 22 premiere of "American Idol."
Ex-NFL Player Brings "Idol" Fans to Tears With Audition
Ex-Minnesota Viking Blake Proehl is already capturing hearts with his "American Idol" audition.
Proehl advanced to Hollywood after performing Brett Young's "In Case You Didn't Know." The 24-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina native accompanied himself on piano with his proud "Nana" by his side.
"Blake was born to be an artist the NFL was just a stepping stone," one viewer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Proehl is the son of former NFL wide receiver Ricky Proehl, a member of the St. Louis Rams' high-flying offense dubbed "The Greatest Show on Turf."
"American Idol" Judges Tell One Contestant He Could Be a Top 10 Contender
Social media users are calling New Yorker Ajii's audition of Teddy Swims' "Lose Control" the best they've seen all night.
And indeed, the Brooklynite is headed to Hollywood, with the judges telling him he has the potential to be a top 10 contender.
"Ajii is bringing that diamond in the rough stuff to #AmericanIdol," host Ryan Seacrest wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "He's going to Hollywood!"
18-Year-Old Maggie Iyer Headed to Hollywood
An 18-year-old Carmel, Indiana native has punched her golden ticket to Hollywood after host Ryan Seacrest said on social media that she "brought the house down."
Meggie Iyer won the judges over with her rendition of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me."
"Meggie Iyer slipped right into this melody," one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Simple delivery with good energy and a little cry in her voice. Love her sound. That falsetto riff blew me away and then she belted. Great way to show many facets of her voice."
23-Year-Old Funeral Director Leaving 'An Impression' On "Idol" Judges
Kennedy Reid, the 23-year-old funeral director from New Albany, Indiana, is going to Hollywood.
Host Ryan Seacrest posted a picture to social media of him sporting Reid's memorable hot pink press-on nails.
Reid performed Tina Turner's "Deep Mountain Red" for the judges.
Late Singer Wendy Rene's Nephew Auditions for "American Idol"
One Season 22 hopeful has some strong Memphis blues ties. The daughter of late soul singer-songwriter Wendy Rene posted to social media that her nephew, Julian Cross, is one of the contestants vying for a golden ticket to Hollywood on "American Idol."
Wendy Rene, whose music has been sampled by the likes of Wu-Tang Clan and Alicia Keys, recorded for legendary soul label Stax Records in the mid-1960s. Stax won a pair of GRAMMYs during the Feb. 4 ceremony for its archival set "Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos." The seven-CD, 146-track collection showcased Stax's roster of songwriters, including Wendy Rene.
Wendy Rene (real name Mary Cross) died of a stroke in 2014 at age 67. We'll have to keep watching to see if her nephew follows in her footsteps.
"Idol" Fans Already Enamored of Teen Sensation Triston Harper
Fans got a sneak peek from 15-year-old Triston Harper when "American Idol" released the McIntosh, Alabama native's audition video earlier this month.
The teenager won judges over with his rendition of Jason Isbell's "Cover Me Up." And it looks like he's already won over some fans as well.
In the end, all three judges gave Harper a “Yes” and sent him to Hollywood. He will be one to watch in the coming weeks.
Judge Luke Bryan Reminds Viewers to Tune In Tonight
Country star and "American Idol" judge Luke Bryan, looking fresh off a day of winter activities, took to social media to remind viewers that Season 22 of "American Idol" premieres tonight.
A bundled-up Bryan declined to specify where he was (only "a wintry wonderland") as snow fell around him.
"Tune in," the "Knockin' Boots" singer said. "Love y'all."
"Idol" Contestant Mackenzie Sol Advances
"American Idol" Season 22 contestant Mackenzie Sol is headed to Hollywood after earning a "yes" from each judge.
The 23-year-old Sol, who hails from a small Northern England town, "has been making music, acting and dancing from a young age and first peaked the interest of music fans and executives in the U.S. when he appeared on X-Factor at the age of 5," according to his YouTube channel.


text:
Support and information on cot death
If your baby has died or you are supporting parents who have suffered the loss of their baby, contact the support service FirstLight.
Call 0872423777 (7 days a week) or email firstname.lastname@example.org
If you would like more information on cot death, contact:
National Paediatric Mortality Register
George’s Hall, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital
Contact them by phone on 01-8788455 or email email@example.com


A little more than a decade ago the editorial and business executives at Scientific American noticed a curious trend. Readers always snapped up issues that featured the brain. A German sister publication had picked up on this enthusiasm as well and had recently launched a magazine on the brain sciences, called Gehirn & Geist.
The team at Scientific American decided to release its own test issue on the mind and brain in early 2004. To everyone's astonishment, newsstands sold out of nearly every copy. The data suggested that people hungered to learn more about the way they think. By the end of the year Scientific American Mind had officially launched.
Ten years on, the magazine now has its own stable of seven international editions, as well as a tablet edition and a thriving Web presence. The issues still come out every two months, but new articles appear online daily. As we reflected recently on our own evolution, we decided to also look forward to what the next 10 years might bring. In this issue's special report,“The Future of the Brain,” we describe the trends that intrigued us most. The common theme in all of them is technology, which is opening up new frontiers in mental health and cognitive enhancement.
A key reason is that brains and computers communicate in dialects of the same language. They both transmit information using electricity. So it is only natural that emerging technologies are harnessing that shared lexicon to tease out the roots of disease, the building blocks of learning and the neural representations of thoughts. Scientists are also making use of the brain's electrical nature to tinker with it—to overcome illness and boost select abilities.
The power of technology is evident not only inside the brain but also outside it, in the ways we maintain relationships. For example, the impoverished social cues that often accompany interactions on social media are giving rise to new behaviors—some that bring us closer together and others that cause harm. Psychologists are just beginning to make sense of our partly digital psyches.
We believe that the themes highlighted in this special issue will resonate for years to come. What do you think? Drop us a note at the e-mail address below or reach out to us on Twitter (@sciammind) or through our Facebook page. Whatever your preferred technology, we'd love to stay connected.


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The book includes all the main types, from biplane fighters and carrier aircraft to tactical bombers, transport aircraft, multirole fighters, strategic strike aircraft, and stealth bombers. Featured aircraft include: the Fokker Dr.1 triplane, the legendary fighter flown by German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron," during World War I; the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Japan's highly maneuverable fighter that dominated air-to-air combat in the early part of the Pacific War; the tank-busting Il-2 Shturmovik, the most produced aircraft in World War II; the Harrier jump jet, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fighter that has been in service for more than 40 years; the B-2 Spirit bomber, an American precision strike aircraft used in recent conflicts in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan; and the F-22 Raptor, an air superiority fighter with state-of-the-art stealth technology that makes it almost invisible to radars. Each entry includes a brief description of the model's development and history, a profile view, key features, and specifications. Packed with more than 200 artworks and photographs, Military Aircraft is a colorful guide for the military aviation enthusiast.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to inertial navigation and
global position. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and
methods for improving the GPS counter-jamming performance of inertial navigation
Description of the Related Art:
Inertial navigation systems typically use gyroscopes and
accelerometers to provide precision vehicular navigation. Unfortunately, inertial
navigation accuracy degrades because of instrument calibration errors and other
errors. These navigation errors typically grow as a function of time. Independent
observations of the vehicle navigation information are needed to bind these navigation
errors. Therefore, sensors, other than INS, are needed in order to obtain independent
navigation information. Hence, a conventional approach for correcting these errors
involves the integration of a Global Position System (GPS) receiver with the inertial
navigation system. However, the GPS is vulnerable to jamming which can impede the
ability of the GPS system to correct the inertial navigation errors.
Typically, to counter the effects of GPS jamming, designers
have endeavored to: 1) improve the accuracy of the inertial navigation system and
2) make the GPS receiver resistant to jamming. However, these approaches are expensive
and limited in efficacy.
Hence, a need remains in the art for an effective yet inexpensive
system or method for improving the navigation accuracy of integrated inertial navigation
and Global Positioning Systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The need in the art is addressed by the position estimation
system of the present invention. In a most general implementation, the inventive
system includes a first arrangement for providing an image including a known target
in a known reference frame. A second arrangement correlates the image with a stored
image. The correlation is used to compute an error with respect to a position estimate.
In a specific embodiment, the error is referenced with
respect to first (x), second (y) and third (z) directions. A target location error
is computed with respect to a stored image provided by a target image catalog. The
target image catalog includes target geo-locations and digital terrain elevation
data. In an illustrative application, the image data is provided by synthetic aperture
radar or forward-looking infrared systems. An observation model and a measure noise
matrix are Kalman filtered to ascertain a position error in navigation data generated
by an integrated inertial navigation and Global Positioning system.
In the illustrative application, geo-registered SAR/FLIR
imagery is used to track targets and to determine a target location error (TLE).
This TLE information is a set of error equations that describe the relationship
between vehicle navigation information and target data. In accordance with the invention,
this relationship is used to form an observation model for vehicle navigation with
respect to target locations. Using Kalman filtering and the observation model, vehicle
navigation errors can be bound and the navigation accuracy of the vehicle can be
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
- Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an illustrative implementation of a position estimation
system in accordance with the present teachings.
- Fig. 2 is a simplified flow diagram showing an illustrative implementation of
a position estimation method in accordance with the present teachings.
- Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a geo-sighting error model in three dimensions in
accordance with an illustrative application of the present teachings.
Illustrative embodiments and exemplary applications will
now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to disclose the advantageous
teachings of the present invention.
While the present invention is described herein with reference
to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood
that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art
and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications,
applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in
which the present invention would be of significant utility.
In general, in accordance with the present teachings, geo-registered
SAR/FLIR imagery is used to track targets and to determine a target location error
(TLE). The TLE is generated by a set of error equations that describe the relationship
between the vehicle (sensor) navigation information and the target location. The
geo-registered images obtained from SAR/FLIR systems provide position estimates
for a known pixel on the ground or other reference frame through target recognition
methods. This position estimate serves as an independent observation to bind errors
in an inertial navigation system.
U. S. Patent No.
entitled ON-BOARD NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR AN AERIAL CRAFT INCLUDING A SYNTHETIC
APERTURE SIDEWAYS LOOKING RADAR issued January 16, 1996 to B. Falconnet (hereinafter
the "Falconnet" patent) the teachings of which are hereby incorporated herein by
reference appears to teach the use of SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) sensors to
obtain target imagery in the x and y horizontal plane. (See also U.
S. Patent No.
5,432,520 issued July 11, 1995 to Schneider et al.
and entitled SAR/GPS INERTIAL METHOD OF RANGE MEASUREMENT, the teachings
of which are herby incorporated herein by reference.) This imagery is then correlated
with maps of the geo-locations that are pre-stored in the database to obtain two
error equations in the x and y directions. These two error equations
serve as an observation model for the Kalman filter to bind the vehicle navigation
In accordance with the present invention, Falconnet's teachings
are extended by: 1) including a third dimensional axis, the altitude of a target
image location and 2) providing a specific teaching as to how the third dimension
can be used to improve the navigational accuracy of an integrated INS/GPS navigation
system. The geo-registered imagery is extended to sensors from SAR or FLIR (forward-looking
infrared) systems. A simple first order error model in the computed target geo-location
is used to illustrate the effectiveness of Kalman filter updating using geo-registration
imagery. Detailed x, y, and z observation equations are provided which involve the
vehicle's position, velocity, and attitude, as well as the angle between the horizontal
plane and the slant plane. The position error differences can be minimized through
optimal estimation techniques, such as Kalman filter, to bind INS navigation errors.
The equations form an observation matrix in a Kalman filter.
The method described in this invention can also be extended
to any sensor on the vehicle that produces target location errors (TLE) on the known
target image because the TLE equations can be reduced to a set of equations related
to the vehicle navigation errors and target image position errors.
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of an illustrative implementation
of a position estimation system in accordance with the present teachings. The inventive
system 10 includes an antenna array 12 which feeds a synthetic aperture radar (SAR)
sensor 14. The sensor 14 is also adapted to process FLIR images. In accordance with
the present teachings, the images provided by the SAR/FLIR sensor 14 are input to
an image processor 16. The image processor 16 uses data from a catalog of geo-registered
features 18 to identify a target in a known reference frame as discussed more fully
below. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the known reference frame may
be a surface other than the surface of the earth without departing from the scope
of the present invention. The output of the image processor 16 is input to an INS/GPS
integrator 20. The integrator 20 includes an INS processor 22, a GPS processor 26
and a Kalman filter 28. The INS processor 22 receives vehicle motion data from an
on-board inertial measurement unit 24. The GPS processor 26 receives a GPS signal
along with noise and, in some environments, a GPS jamming signal from a GPS receiver
25. The integrator 20 outputs vehicle position, velocity, and attitude errors to
a guidance processor 30. The guidance processor 30 outputs vehicle position, velocity
and attitude information, corrected in accordance with the present teachings, for
use in a conventional manner. The guidance processor 30 also feeds position, velocity,
and velocity errors and range from the sensor to the target, back to the SAR/FLIR
sensor 14 for generating TLE equations.
Fig. 2 is a simplified flow diagram showing an illustrative
implementation of a position estimation method in accordance with the present teachings.
In the best mode, the method 100 is implemented in software by the image processor
16 of Fig. 1. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the method 100 includes the step 102 of
providing a GPS signal from the GPS receiver 25 via the GPS processor 26 (Fig. 1)
and the step 104 of providing vehicle position, velocity, attitude and errors from
the IMU 24 via the INS processor 22 (Fig. 1). This data is analyzed by jamming logic
at step 106 to ascertain whether a jamming signal 'J' is present and whether the
jamming signal J exceeds a threshold 'T'.
If J < T, then the data from the INS and GPS processors
22 and 26 is input to the Kalman filter 28 (Fig. 1) directly at step 116.
If, however, J ≥ T, then at step 108 the system
10 generates target location error (TLE) equations drawing data from the catalog
of geo-registered features 18 (Fig. 1) at step 110. Next, at step 112, the coordinates
generated at step 108 are transformed. At step 114, an observation matrix (H) and
a measurement noise matrix (R) are generated. At step 116, this data is passed to
the Kalman filter to bind the navigation error as discussed above. At step 118,
the output of the Kalman filtering step 116 is used in a guidance process in a conventional
Returning to Fig. 1, the catalog 18 is defined as the image
and location of each target image. This catalog details geo-locations and DTED (Digital
Terrain Elevation Data). Based on the vehicle trajectory supplied by the INS/GPS
process, the image processor 16 determines which geo-target in the catalog 18 needs
to be sighted. The processor 16 then sends this information to the SAR/FLIR sensor
14 to locate and then to execute the geo-registered imagery. The SAR/FLIR sensor
14 determines the location of the geo-target and correlates this imagery with the
information in the catalog to determine the accuracy of the observation.
Errors in computed target geo-location can be primarily
attributed to three major sources: sensor position errors, sensor bearing errors
and DTED errors. In accordance with the present teachings, these errors are treated
as being statistically independent and zero mean Gaussian. For the sake of simplicity,
all other errors are assumed to be relatively small and are ignored. It is also
assumed that the image of the target can be acquired. The DTED noise is treated
herein as part of the measurement noise in the z-direction of an ECEF (Earth Center
Earth Fixed) coordinate frame.
Errors in the sensor are directly transformed into the
slant coordinate frame and then transformed to the platform coordinate frame. The
slant coordinate frame is defined as follows: xs is along the vehicle
, the zs is perpendicular to the slant plane which is the plane that
, and ys forms a right-hand coordinate system.
Therefore, errors due to the sensor position errors in
the slant coordinate frame are derived as follows:
are the vectors of the vehicle navigation position and velocity errors, respectively,
in the body coordinate frame.
is the velocity vector of the vehicle,
is the range vector from the vehicle position to the known geo-location, and &phgr;
is the angle between the vehicle flight path and line of sight between vehicle and
the target image.
The errors due to sensor bearing errors, in the slant coordinate
frame, are derived as follows:
Next, we combine the errors provided by equations  and
 to obtain the following errors dxs, dys, and dzs
that are in the slant coordinate frame.
Next, converting these errors, dxs, dys, and dzs
into the platform coordinate frame by the angle &psgr; (see Figure 3).
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a geo-sighting error model
in three dimensions in accordance with an illustrative application of the present
teachings. The platform coordinate frame (vehicle body coordinate frame) is defined
as follows: xp is vehicle velocity direction, yp is the vehicle right
wing, and zp forms a right hand coordinate system. The relationship between
the slant coordinate frame and the platform coordinate frame is as follows:
Inserting equation  into equation :
The classical Kalman filter is described as follows:
where &PHgr;k is the transition matrix.
In accordance with the present teachings, an observation
matrix Hk and the observation (measurement) noise Rk are generated
as follows. Assume that &Dgr;
are the first six Kalman filter error states defined as &Dgr;
= (&dgr;rx, &dgr;ry, &dgr;rz)T
= (&dgr;Vx, &dgr;Vy, &dgr;Vz)T
in the platform coordinate frame where superscript T denotes the transpose of the
vector. Note that if &Dgr;
are defined in the ECEF coordinate frame, then these error states need to be transformed
into the platform frame where the error equations  are defined. The Kalman filter
, observation matrix Hk, and measurement noise matrix Rk are
denote as below:
Assume that the vectors
= (Rx, Ry, Rz), V =|
), R =|
Therefore, equation  can be expressed in the following
Therefore, the elements in the observation matrix are as
and r00, r11, and r22 represent the observation
noise in the SAR/FLIR imager accuracy during the geo-target scan. The DTED noise
is included in r22 term.
In the illustrative embodiment, the sensor position and
attitude errors are converted into the slant coordinate frame and then into the
platform frame. Errors that may be due to the SAR signal processing and ranging
errors are ignored since these errors are assumed to be relatively small. If some
of those errors are large enough to be considered, the same method can be used to
transform these errors into the platform frame and obtain similar results as equation
The error states in the Kalman filter should include the
vehicle navigation errors such as
The error equations above can be converted to an observation matrix in the Kalman
filer as follows:
where hij are defined above.
In general, coordinate frames of the sensor errors and
navigation error states in the Kalman filter are different. They need to transform
into the same coordinate frame.
The error equations in Claim 1 are, in fact, a TLE in the
platform coordinate frame. Based on this invention, any TLE can be extracted and
converted into an observation matrix as described in equation (5).
If the sensor SAR/FLIR can only obtain two-dimensional
images (dxp, dyp), the observation matrix will be a two-dimensional
where the elements hij are defined as before.
Thus, the present invention has been described herein with
reference to a particular embodiment for a particular application. Those having
ordinary skill in the art and access to the present teachings will recognize additional
modifications applications and embodiments within the scope thereof.
It is therefore intended by the appended claims to cover
any and all such applications, modifications and embodiments within the scope of
the present invention.