Lightning Sound of a thunderstorm High-speed, slow-motion lightning video captured with a Phantom v12.1 camera at 6,200 frames per second. Lightning is a massive electrostatic discharge between the electrically charged regions within clouds or between a cloud and the surface of a planet. The charged regions within the atmosphere temporarily equalize themselves through a lightning flash, commonly referred to as a strike if it hits an object on the ground. There are three primary types of lightning; from a cloud to itself (intra-cloud or IC); from one cloud to another cloud (CC) and between a cloud and the ground (CG). Although lightning is always accompanied by the sound of thunder, distant lightning may be seen but be too far away for the thunder to be heard. General considerations Many factors affect the frequency, distribution, strength and physical properties of a "typical" lightning flash in a particular region of the world. General properties Establishing conditions necessary for lightning Types
Opioid An opioid is any chemical that resembles morphine or other opiates in its pharmacological effects. Opioids work by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central and peripheral nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these organ systems mediate the beneficial effects as well as the psychoactive and the side effects of opioids. Although the term opiate is often used as a synonym for opioid, the term opiate is properly limited to the natural alkaloids found in the resin of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), while opioid refers to both opiates and synthetic substances, as well as to opioid peptides. Opioids are among the world's oldest known drugs; the therapeutic use of the opium poppy predates recorded history. The analgesic (painkiller) effects of opioids are due to decreased perception of pain, decreased reaction to pain as well as increased pain tolerance. Medical uses[edit] Acute pain[edit] Chronic non cancer pain[edit] Tolerance[edit]
Rudyard Kipling Kipling was one of the most popular writers in England, in both prose and verse, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[5] Henry James said: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known."[5] In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first English-language writer to receive the prize, and to date he remains its youngest recipient.[8] Among other honours, he was sounded out for the British Poet Laureateship and on several occasions for a knighthood, all of which he declined.[9] Early childhood life[edit] Rudyard Kipling was born on 30 December 1865 in Bombay, in the Bombay Presidency of British India, to Alice Kipling (née MacDonald) and (John) Lockwood Kipling.[16] Alice (one of four remarkable Victorian sisters)[17] was a vivacious woman[18] about whom a future Viceroy of India would say, "Dullness and Mrs. Kipling cannot exist in the same room Back to India[edit] London[edit]
Fire whirl A fire whirl with flames in the vortex Formation[edit] A fire tornado consists of a core—the part that is actually on fire—and an invisible pocket of rotating air that feeds fresh oxygen to the core. The core of a typical fire tornado is 1 to 3 feet (0.30 to 0.91 m) wide and 50 to 100 feet (15 to 30 m) tall. Under the right conditions, large fire tornadoes—several tens of feet wide and more than 1,000 feet (300 m) tall—can form. Combustible, carbon-rich gases released by burning vegetation on the ground are fuel for most fire tornadoes. Real-world fire whirls usually move fairly slowly. Fire tornadoes can last for an hour or more, and they cannot be extinguished directly.[1] Examples[edit] During the 2003 Canberra bushfires, a fire tornado with a diameter of nearly 500 metres (1,600 ft) with horizontal winds exceeding 250 kilometres per hour (160 mph) was documented. The Great Peshtigo Fire grew into a firestorm[citation needed] which probably made one or several true tornadoes.
Metacognition Metacognition is defined as "cognition about cognition", or "knowing about knowing". It comes from the root word "meta", meaning beyond.[1] It can take many forms; it includes knowledge about when and how to use particular strategies for learning or for problem solving.[1] There are generally two components of metacognition: knowledge about cognition, and regulation of cognition.[2] Metamemory, defined as knowing about memory and mnemonic strategies, is an especially important form of metacognition.[3] Differences in metacognitive processing across cultures have not been widely studied, but could provide better outcomes in cross-cultural learning between teachers and students.[4] Some evolutionary psychologists hypothesize that metacognition is used as a survival tool, which would make metacognition the same across cultures.[4] Writings on metacognition can be traced back at least as far as De Anima and the Parva Naturalia of the Greek philosopher Aristotle.[5] Definitions[edit] [edit]
Khan Academy Adsorption Brunauer, Emmett and Teller's model of multilayer adsorption is a random distribution of molecules on the material surface. Increase in the concentration of a substance at the interface of a condensed and a liquid or gaseous layer owing to the operation of surface forces. Note 1: Adsorption of proteins is of great importance when a material is in contact with blood or body fluids. In the case of blood, albumin, which is largely predominant, is generally adsorbed first, and then rearrangements occur in favor of other minor proteins according to surface affinity against mass law selection (Vroman effect). Note 2: Adsorbed molecules are those that are resistant to washing with the same solvent medium in the case of adsorption from solutions. Similar to surface tension, adsorption is a consequence of surface energy. The word "adsorption" was coined in 1881 by German physicist Heinrich Kayser (1853-1940).[5] Isotherms[edit] Linear[edit] Freundlich[edit] where is the quantity adsorbed, and or BET[edit]
Musicians' brainwaves synchronize during playing When people make music together their brain activity synchronizes - even when they aren't playing the same notes. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin used electrodes to trace the brain waves of guitarists playing in duets. And, they found, similarities in brain activity couldn't be put down to perceiving the same stimuli or performing the same movements. Instead, the two brains appeared to be synchronizing to support the coordination of their actions. The psychologists placed 32 experienced guitarists in pairs and attached 64 electrodes to each of their heads. Importantly, the two partners were given slightly different tasks. And they found that the difference between leader and follower was reflected in the electrical activity captured by the electrodes. "In the player taking the lead, synchronization of brain waves measured at a single electrode was stronger, and already present before to the duet started to play," says Johanna Sänger.
International Code of Signals How to say "Communicate with me!" in nine languages. The International Code of Signals (ICS) is an international system of signals and codes for use by vessels to communicate important messages regarding safety of navigation and related matters. Signals can be sent by flaghoist, signal lamp ("blinker"), flag semaphore, radiotelegraphy, and radiotelephony. The International Code is the most recent evolution of a wide variety of maritime flag signalling systems. Standards[edit] "The purpose of the International Code of Signals is to provide ways and means of communication in situations related essentially to safety of navigation and persons, especially when language difficulties arise Combinations of these alphanumeric characters are assigned as codes for various standardized messages. One of the elegant aspects of the ICS is that all of the standardized messages come in nine languages (English, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Spanish, Norwegian, and, since 1969, Russian and Greek). Notes
International maritime signal flags The system of international maritime signal flags is one system of flag signals representing individual letters of the alphabet in signals to or from ships. It is a component of the International Code of Signals (ICS).[1] Overview[edit] Signal flag rack on board the HMNZS Te Kaha - F77 There are various methods by which the flags can be used as signals: each flag spells an alphabetic message, letter by letter.individual flags have specific and standard meanings;[2] for example, diving support vessels raise the "A flag" indicating their inability to move from their current location because they have a diver underwater and (more importantly) to warn other vessels to keep clear to avoid chopping up the diver(s) with their propellers.one or more flags form a code word whose meaning can be looked up in a code book held by both parties. NATO uses the same flags, with a few unique to warships, alone or in short sets to communicate various unclassified messages. Notes Additional meanings[edit]
Asemic writing Asemic writing from Marco Giovenale Asemic writing is a wordless open semantic form of writing. The word asemic means "having no specific semantic content". Styles of asemic writing[edit] An example of Zhang Xu's calligraphy Some asemic writing includes pictograms or ideograms, the meanings of which are sometimes, but not always, suggested by their shapes. Asemic writing has no verbal sense, though it may have clear textual sense. True asemic writing occurs when the creator of the asemic piece cannot read their own asemic writing. Newsletter from Mirtha Dermisache[3] Specialized publications[edit] The continuum from text, to asemic writing, to abstract images 2013 saw the release of An Anthology of Asemic Handwriting (Uitgeverij), which has over a hundred artists represented from many corners of the world.[14] Asemic writing has also received mention and space in The Last Vispo Anthology: Visual Poetry 1998-2008 (Fantagraphics, 2012). Influences and predecessors[edit] Gallery[edit] Notes[edit]
Fullerene The discovery of fullerenes greatly expanded the number of known carbon allotropes, which until recently were limited to graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon such as soot and charcoal. Buckyballs and buckytubes have been the subject of intense research, both for their unique chemistry and for their technological applications, especially in materials science, electronics, and nanotechnology. History[edit] The icosahedral fullerene C540, another member of the family of fullerenes. Independently from Henson, in 1973 a group of scientists from the USSR, directed by Prof. Minute quantities of the fullerenes, in the form of C60, C70, C76, C82 and C84 molecules, are produced in nature, hidden in soot and formed by lightning discharges in the atmosphere.[15] In 1992, fullerenes were found in a family of minerals known as Shungites in Karelia, Russia.[3] In 2010, fullerenes (C60) have been discovered in a cloud of cosmic dust surrounding a distant star 6500 light years away. Naming[edit]