In the search for Earth-like planets, astronomers zeroed two places that look awfully familiar to home. One is close to the right size and the other is in the right place.
European researchers said they not only found the smallest exoplanet ever, called Gliese581 e, but realized that a neighboring planet discovered earlier, Gliese581 d, was in the prime habitable zone for potential life.
“The Holy Grail of current exoplanet research is the detection of a rocky, Earth like planet in the ‘habitable zone,’ said Michael Mayor, an astrophysicist at Geneva University in Switzerland.
Gliese581e is only 1.9 times the size of Earth while previous planets found outside our solar system are closer to the size of massive Jupiter, which Nasa says could swallow more that 1,000 Earths. Gliese581e sits close to the nearest star, making it too hot to support life. Still, Mayor said its discovery in a solar system 201/2 light years away from Earth is a “good example that we are progressing in the detection of Earth-like planets.”
Scientist also discovered that the orbit of planet Gliese581d, which was found in 2007, was located within the “habitable zone” a region around a sun like star that would allow water to be liquid on the planet’s surface.
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Every time they played this song of Master Rapper, i wish that someday all this iniquities of life will all perish and let "Almighty God" reign and peace be with you all... forever... (Read more inside ..)
Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day and approximately 37 million times a year. By the time you reach the age of 70, your heart would have beaten more than 2.5 billion times.
The human heart is a highly efficient pump that combines muscles and electrical conduction to deliver life sustaining, oxygen rich blood throughout the body. Unfortunately, there are certain disease that can weaken or cause stiffening of the heart muscles. These include heart attack, disorders of the heart’s valves, and myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscles due to a viral infection). Chronic alcohol abuse can also weaken the heart muscles. Other diseases increase oxygen demand by the body tissues beyond the capability of the heart to deliver. These include longstanding high blood pressure and thyroid disorders.
When the heart is affected by any of these diseases, its pumping efficiency is compromised and a life threatening condition called congestive heart failure (CHF) develops. The symptoms of CHF vary depending on the particular organ systems involved and the degree to which the rest of the body has “compensated” for the heart muscle weakness. An early CHF symptom is fatigue. Because the heart is unable to efficiently pump blood, the body becomes overloaded with fluid and swelling (edema) of the ankles and legs or abdomen may occur. Fluid may accumulate in the lungs, causing shortness of breath, particularly during exercise and when lying flat. Some patients are weakened at night, gasping for air; others may be unable to sleep unless they sit upright. The extra fluid in the body may also cause frequent urination, particularly at night. Fluid build-up in the liver and intestines may cause nausea, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite.
A cardiologist diagnoses CHF through a thorough investigation of the patient’s medical history and physical examination, as well as ordering selected laboratory tests, such as chest x-ray, electrocardiogram (ECG), and echocardiogram (ECG), and echocardiogram. Upon confirmation of diagnosis, treatment is started immediately. One of the most important CHF treatments is lifestyle modification, particularly salt and fluid intake restriction, and weight management. A medically supervised aerobic exercise regimen is now recommended for CHF patients as this has been shown to help maintain overall functional capacity and quality of life.
Surgical procedures may be considered in patients whose CHF is caused by inadequate blood flow to the heart muscle. Heart valve surgery may be recommended for patients whose CHF is caused by severe valve disease. Aggressive blood pressure control will often alleviate the condition of patients whose heart failure is caused by uncontrolled hypertension. Likewise, abstinence from drinking can significantly improve the condition of patients with alcohol abuse-related CHF.
Several classes of blood pressure lowering medications are available to both improve CHF symptoms and prolong survival. These include angiotensim-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), beta blockers, and diuretics. With increasing medical knowledge and more effective surgical and pharmacologic treatments, CHF patients today have a better chance of recovering and living a relatively normal life.
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You have turned for me my mourning into dancing....
After receiving his second Academy Award, Danzel Washington said to his family, "I told you, if i lost tonight, I'd come home and we'd celebrate. And if I won tonight, I'd come home and we'd celebrate." Denzel, a professing Christian, was trusting God in blessing or disappointment.
A christian couple I know were inspired to follow Denzel's example. The woman was applying for a dream job that had just opened up where she worked. The interview went well, but she knew she might not get the position. Her husband suggested, "Let's make reservations at our favorite restaurant this Friday to celebrate no matter what the outcome."
Soon the news came that someone else was offered the job. But that Friday the disappointed couple still celebrated. While eating a delicious meal, they were able to count their blessings and renew their faith in the God who holds tomorrow's opportunities in His hand.
In time like this, we all suffering from global recession.. all we need is to seek God's help... for he alone will conquer waked things here on earth..
Thank God in your disappointment, Celebrate His grace and love; Know that He will leave you and will bless you from above.
The pain of disappointment is soothed by a heart of gratitude....
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It's not how high you build your dreams
that makes a difference,
but how high your faith can climb.
It's not how much you accomplish
but how many lives you touch.
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Dreams visit us when we are asleep,
but God is truly wise.
He wakes us up each day and gives us
every chance to make our dreams come true.
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The world of Human Resource management is fast changing. On one hand, there is an increasing demand for HR to be a strategic business partner. On the other, there is also a growing recognition that some basic HR functions are better devolved to line managers.
Things to do to strengthen the partnership between HR and the line:
Ensure people management competencies.
Some organizations make the mistake of selecting and promoting managers simply because they are good performers or deliver results. However, good performers do not necessarily make good managers. Thus, it would help to consider people management skills in selecting managers. Beyond selection, it is also essential that HR provide line managers with the training for them to perform HR related tasks. In other organizations, people management skills are part of their Management Development Program. Another strategy to getting managers to embrace their role in people management is to make their jobs easier by providing them job aids, software, manuals and information portals.
Make line managers accountable for people management.
Organization that are truly serious about devolving the HR function need to make line managers accountable for people management. People management is part of managers key result areas. Others even go a step further by pegging variable pay on people management metrics. It is also important to find champions in top management who can be models of a people oriented manager. One way of ensuring that HR systems and policies are understood and supported by managers is by involving them in the design process.
Build credibility of HR
However, if we want managers to partner with us, HR need to first build credibility by delivering basics flawlessly. Unclear policies will be open to misinterpretation or abuse. Users will likely circumvent systems when the do not see the logic behind them. In addition, delivering flawlessly often entails making systems as efficient as possible. More organizations are moving to automating HR systems and processes to ensure efficiency. Beyond delivering the basics, a key to becoming a strategic partner is the ability of HR to understand the business and its ability to align itself to the organization directions.
Reorient and re-educate HR group
Devolution can be threatening to HR practitioners because of the loss of control. On the other hand, some HR practitioners may not have the capability to evolve. Organizations need to addresses these sources of resistance by ensuring the HR staff are reoriented and provided the training needed for them to upgrade their competencies. Partnering for human resources will undoubtedly require much effort from both HR practitioners and line managers. Yet, there is no escaping this reality. Managers can no longer afford not to know how to properly manage their people. HR practitioners cannot take sole responsibility for people who are not under their direct supervision.
Great organization are those who are able to effectively harness their talents and it will take great partnership between HR and line to make this happen.
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In a crisis, productivity is the best policy
Not all motion is value-adding work
So you have downsized to cope with the recession. And you now think you have a lean and mean organization, with everybody productively working. Nothing could be farther from the truth unless you really know the meaning of productivity. Who is productive? Most confuse working hard with high productivity. In fact, to untrained eyes, any semblance of movement is misconstrued as value adding work. Our idea or “working hard” is actually “moving hard”, which has an acronym AIDS (As If Doing Something). All work is motion, but not all motion is work. So now what is “work,” if that’s what productivity is all about? The name of the profession determines its true function or work. For instance, salesmen must be “selling”, machine operators must be “operating” the machine, nurses should be “nursing,” surgeons must be doing “surgery,” bank tellers should be “tellering,” and managers should be “managing”.
If they do something other than their true function, then we say they are doing unproductive work. Back to our examples, this time when our worker is not really “working.” We shall load them with the usual administrative and logistical tasks and some inefficiencies that distract them from real work, thereby pulling down their productivity. A salesman is not selling when he is in the office, writing reports, attending meetings, or simply finding a place to park. Like the salesman, the bill collector is someone you don’t want to see in the office. He should be in the field collecting bills. A machine operator is not operating if he has to walk to search fro and get his tools, to follow up material requests and to call maintenance to have his equipment fixed.
Wasted time
Like the machine operator, the aircraft mechanic must be inside the aircraft holding a tool to be considered working. The moment he leaves the aircraft to get tools, materials, or data from the computer, he abandons work. One survey revealed that mechanics spend only 47 percent of the time working on the aircraft. The rest of the time is spent or wasted getting tools and waiting for parts. A nurse is not nursing if she is not beside the patient’s bed, answering patient’s call, or assisting a doctor. She is not nursing if she is filling out forms in the nurse station, walking great distances to get to pharmacy or the laboratory, grappling with an unreliable hospital IT system, or simply waiting in front of slow elevators. A major Asian hospital found out in a survey that 40 percent of patients’ calls where requests to nurses to bring housekeeping items such as pillows and linen. To free up the nurses time and make them more productive, the hospital added these frequently requested items when preparing a room for admission.
Continuous improvement
A surgeon is not working if he is outside the operating room waiting for the patient to be prepped. A doctor is not working if he is not attending to a patient, not using his equipment or not writing a prescription or order. He is not working if he is walking to look for the nurse or medical records. A manager is not managing if he is not planning, leading, organizing and controlling (PLOC). If he is busy firefighting or attending endless meetings, he stops “managing.” Most Japanese companies have stricter definition of “managing”: A manager should be in “gemba” or shop floor. If he is in any other place like in cozy office, then he is not managing. An even stricter definition is if he is not doing kaizen or continuous improvement, but simply solving day-to-day problems or doing PLOC to maintain status quo, then he is not working as a manager. The ideal manager should spend at least 30 percent of his time doing kaizen.
It is usually not the intention of any employee to perform unproductive work. If he does, it is often due to management, bad process design, or some re-tape regulation. Somebody working hard would honestly think he is working productively 100 percent of the time for the sake of the company, even though the reality is he may be producing mostly wastes.
To appreciate this principle, let us classify activities using value stream analysis into three: Value Added (VA) which we call “work”, nonvalue added (NVA) which we call “waste” due to inefficiencies and business non-value added (BNVA), which technically refers to “necessary waste”.
BNVAs are those that need to be done to comply with standards, regulation, laws, etc. NVA occurs if a machine operator has to walk and search for missing or misplaced tools. NVAs are reduced or eliminated by better housekeeping, process redesign, and sometimes by training. But if he has to write down manually or electronically the details of the batch he just produced for the purpose of tracking and traceability requirements, he is performing a BNVA task.
Constant measurement
In both cases, note that he is not “working.” i.e., not operating his machine. BNVAs cannot be eliminated; the most we can do is reduce their cycle time through simplification. BNVAs are part of the cost of doing business, which customers do not see. Therefore to enhance work content (VA) and productivity, we must eliminate NVAs and reduce processing times of BNVAs. As a guide, consider Vas as those activities that customers are willing to pay for and become part of product costs. Communicate to all their amount of value-adding work so they can start continuous improvement programs or projects. We cannot expect productive work to be 100 percent of total time, but from whatever baseline you start with, however low, make sure to increase it continuously. Then you are assured that your company’s productivity and chances of coping with the recession will constantly rise.
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People spend most of their waking hours working. Not surprisingly, organizations have begun to realize the importance of instituting systems to help employees in their career development.
The results show that career development systems do exist in local organizations. The most common interventions are training and development programs. These are followed by assessment and evaluation of employee potential and internal placement systems.
The good news is that career development programs appear to enhance employee attitudes. Employees who experience these interventions report greater career satisfaction and attachment to their organization. The bad news is that their career development systems are only “somewhat effective”. This is because that there are still areas to be improved on such as clarifying objectives, strengthening ownership of managers and supervisors, and ensuring that the system addresses career needs of employees.
I suggest looking at the following:
Disseminate information - Organization need to better explain career development objectives, interventions, tools and processes.
Link career development to other HR systems – People tend to confuse career development with performance management. Thus, it is important to show how career development is linked with the various HR systems.
Specify career development roles – It is good to note that career development is seen as shared responsibility of the employee, supervisor and the organization. Nevertheless, respondents say that managers, at times, lose sight of their responsibility in the process. This makes it important to make people accountable for their roles in career development.
Provide career development training and tools – The processes and tools for implementing career development and the necessary training should be given to groups who are responsible for implementing it. For example, if managers are expected to do career coaching, they must be provided the skills in doing so.
Evaluate career development systems – Constantly evaluating one’s career development system is important to ensure that it remain relevant and effective. Other that through feedback or questionnaires, specific indicators such as promotion or retention rates can be used to gauge the success of career development.
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Summer month is here again and the scorching heat is up and what we need to overcome such dehydrating day is to go to beaches or simply gobble some summer f ruits that are not only cheap but healthy and beneficial to our body….
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus Matsum & Nakai, family Cucurbitaceae) refers to both fruit and plant of a vine-like (climber and trailer) herb originally from southern Africa and one of the most common types of melon. This flowering plant produces a special type of fruit known by botanists as a pepo, which has a thick rind and fleshy center (mesocarp and endocarp); pepos are derived from an inferior ovary and are characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae. The watermelon fruit, loosely considered a type of melon (although not in the genus Cucumis), has a smooth exterior rind (green and yellow) and a juicy, sweet, usually red, but sometimes orange, yellow, or pink interior flesh.
Fresh watermelon may be eaten in a variety of ways and is also often used to flavor summer drinks and smoothies.
Watermelon contains about six percent sugar by weight, the rest being mostly water. As with many other fruits, it is a source of vitamin C. It is not a significant source of other vitamins and minerals unless one eats several kilograms per day.
The amino acid citrulline was first extracted from watermelon and analysed. Watermelons contain a significant amount of citrullin and after consumption of several kg an elevated concentration is measured in the blood plasma, this could be mistaken for citrullinaemia or other urea cycle disorder. 
Watermelon rinds are also edible, and sometimes used as a vegetable. In China, they are stir-fried, stewed, or more often pickled. When stir-fried, the de-skinned and de-fruited rind is cooked with olive oil, garlic, chili peppers, scallions, sugar and rum. Pickled watermelon rind is also commonly consumed in the Southern US, Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. In Balkans, specially Serbia, watermelon slatko is also popular.
Watermelon seeds are rich in fat and protein, and are widely eaten as a snack, added to other dishes, or used as an oilseed. Specialized varieties are grown which have little watery flesh but concentrate their energy into seed production. In China watermelon seeds are one of the most common snack foods, competing with sunflower seeds, and sold roasted and seasoned. In West Africa, they are pressed for oil, and are popular in egusi soup and other dishes. There can be some confusion between seed-specialized watermelon varieties and the colocynth, a closely-related species with which they share many characteristics, uses, and similar or identical names.
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In this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven
At least a dozen multimillionaires have left money to themselves in hope of being brought back to life. These immortality seekers ahve arranged to be cryogenically frozen after death. They've also put their wealth in "personal revival trusts." which they believe will be waiting for them when scientists resuscitate them in the future. Even if resuscitation were possible, to seek eternal life apart from the One who is immortal is to chase an elusive dream.
Paul affirmed that the Lord alone is the source of immortality. He is everlasting in His character and actions. For human beings, however, deaths is universal, inevitable, and ultimately leads to judgment.
You can make sure right now that you have eternal life. Confess to God that you're a sinner and you believe Jesus died in your place for forgiveness and eternal life.
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The foundation for a healthy adulthood starts during the childhood years. During this time, most of the crucial building blocks of the body are formed, and some of the nutrition that is neglected here my haunt in later years. That’s why the habit of drinking milk should be instilled in people early on. Milk is one of the most nutritionally complete foods available, containing a host of vitamins, minerals and macro-nutrients that are important for growing children. Take calcium, for instance, which people actually need as early as childhood to support their bones when they become grown-ups.
Study revealed that bone growth during the first few years of life could have a strong influence on the onset of osteoporosis, or weakening of the bones, later in life. Calcium needs are highest during the childhood and teen years because bones are growing fast then and calcium must be added into bones to make them strong. Milk, life other dairy products, is among the best sources of calcium in the diet. It also contains vitamins D, which aids in the absorption of calcium and enhances bone mineralization.
Moreover, several studies have linked adult osteoporosis fractures to low milk consumption during childhood. Children who avoid dairy products tend to have lower bone mass and higher risk of bone fracture. Aside from its function in bone growth, calcium has other roles in the body. Calcium from milk strengthens a child’s teeth and keeps gum tissue healthy, which can save from some of those dreaded trips to the dentist when they grow up. Calcium also helps maintain a regular heartbeat, blood pressure and neural impulse transmission. Much like antioxidants, it is involved in proper blood clotting mechanism and protects cells from radical damage.
But calcium is jus one of the many nutrients in milk. Being a great source of protein, promotes muscle growth. Good muscle growth is the early year helps lead to children to mature into fit and well built adults. Provides vitamin A, which helps maintain normal vision, supports the integrity of the immune system, and keeps the skin healthy as well.
In addition to its nutritional benefits, increased milk consumption has also been linked to the reduced risk of other adult health problems such type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and even cancer.
So instead of giving children sweet sodas that actually have little nutrition value, give them milk instead. The all around nourishment that milk provides during childhood builds that crucial foundation for them grow into healthier adults and by encouraging them drink milk, children start to learn the habit of making healthy food choices that they would carry over into their adult years.
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Membrane separation process: A sustainable technology for water purification, industrial waste water recycling and reuse.
The current population of slightly more that six billion consumes the resources (water) of one planet EARTH. By about 2050,when the population is expected to reach about nine billion, and if standards of living continue to rise, the amount consumed will be the resources of about three planet EARTHS.
In highly populated urban areas and where surface water is used for domestic water supply such as in Metro Manila, a more efficient waste water treatment must be employed. An environmentally sustainable technology for water treatment should be energy-efficient with minimal or no chemical consumption, and capable of water recycling and reuse that minimizes the direct disposal of wastewater to the aquatic environment. Membrane separation technology has the promise to dramatically improve the sustainability of our water resources.
Membrane separation processes are not new or even recent technology. The use of membrane separations started in 1960. In 1980, large membrane filtration plants were already installed worldwide, and micro filtration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and electrodialysis membrane processes were established.
What is a membrane?
A membrane is a highly engineered thin barrier that has the ability to reject various mineral salts, heavy metals, organic molecules, bacteria, parasites, and even viruses, while allowing the permeation or passage of water. Separation is based on the molecular size, shape or character of the species. Membranes may be as thin as a fraction of a micrometer or several millimeters thick. Most people may think that a membrane resembles that of a filter, like the filter paper we use for brewing our coffee. However, a membrane is much more complex in both structure and function. The ability of a membrane to reject dissolved particles depends on the multitude of pores, of incredibly small size, that penetrate its surface. The membrane pores can reject particles as small as 0.0005 micrometer or 0.5 nanometer (nm) and allow water permeation with size equivalent to 0.298nm [A micrometer (mm) is a metric unit of length equal to a millionth of a meter while a nanometer is a billionth of a meter. Human hair is approximately 75 mm in diameter. The naked eye can only see particles as small as 40mm. The smallest bacterium is about 0.22 mm while the size of a virus is even smaller at 0.01mm.] Membranes or synthetic membranes can produced from organic materials such as polymers and liquids, as well as inorganic materials. Most of commercially utilized synthetic membranes in separation industry are made of polymeric structures.
The growing interest in membrane technology for water and wastewater treatment is based on the following advantages.
Unlike conventional technology, membrane technology has better removal efficiencies.
Membrane separation processes can separate a wide range of contaminants ranging from suspended solids to microorganism. Membrane technology has the capability to address more stringent drinking water regulations, since it prevents the passage of Cryptosporidium, Giardia, bacteria, and virus. Membrane technology, therefore, avoids the risk of microbial outbreaks without any chemical pretreatment. In wastewater treatment, membranes produce a very high effluent quality that meets strict discharge regulations. Thus, effluents can be reused for industrial applications, irrigation, and even as a source of potable drinking water.
Membrane system has flexibility to handle changing feed water conditions and capacity increases. The operation is simple and automated which ensures that system integrity is met. The separation process can be batch wise or continuous.
The technology is suitable for small and distributed communities. A membrane filtration system requires a smaller footprint that conventional technologies. Membrane technology needs only half of the footprint of a conventional waste water treatment plant, thus saving space and money. The capacity of the existing plant can be increased without additional footprint whether for plant upgrade, expansion or for a new plant, thereby providing great capital savings. The membrane has a modular design which makes it possible for easy scale-up.
Low energy consumption, Membrane separation processes do not involve any phase change, which makes the process energy efficient.
Membrane separation provides the lowest cost of treated water, as compared to most conventional technologies over the life of the plant. With the increase in number of membrane manufactures, there is a steady reduction in membrane equipment costs which makes water and wastewater treatment cost much lower. Recycling wastewater from sewage is much cheaper that purifying seawater. Recycling will take care of wastewater disposal problems and water pollution. In Singapore, all over America, Italy, and other parts of the world, where there is water scarcity and water stress, recycling is done unobtrusively. In the recycling plants, the treated water is recharged into the ground and allowed to mix with fresh groundwater before use.
Membranes can process very bad water, for example, as bas as floodwater and sewage wastewater with every high concentrations of suspended particles and organic compounds. The use of membrane technology will increase the use of lower quality water, which can be an alternative source of potable and non-potable water supply.
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The Philippines has “the kind of diversity that most people associate with the Galapagos Islands,” according to Dr. Lawrence Heaney, the curator and head of mammals at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
Created by volcanoes and located some 972 kilometers west of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands vast number of endemic species, not found anywhere else on earth, inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution. Citing the fact that 25 previously unknown species of mammals were recently discovered in the country (Heaney) a renowned authority on island ecosystems. Since the early 1980s, Heaney has teamed up with Filipino biologists to conduct field studies on small mammals like bats, rats and mice throughout the Philippines. Based on this research, he concluded that the Philippines were one of the world’s premier natural laboratories for understanding biodiversity.
The island of this archipelago are 10 or even 100 times better for observing the kind of diversity that most people associate only with the Galapagos Island. Understanding a bit of geological history could help explain how the Philippines became such a wonderful laboratory. Traditionally, people were taught that the Philippines were connected by land bridges to Borneo, Taiwan and other nearby areas. It is now wide accepted that except for the Palawan group, which was very likely part of Borneo at one time, the rest of the Philippines was not attached to any major land mass.
The discovery of a “dwarf cloud rat” last year in the Mt. Pulag national park in Benguet was amazing; adding that the last time anyone saw such creature was in 1896. The dwarf cloud rat was a previously unknown relative of the “giant cloud rat.”
There were, however, many threats to maintaining this biodiversity such us rapid growth of population, illegal logging, climate changes, etc…
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