Can You Stop Ground Frost From Going Deeper?

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Is it possible to stop ground frost from going deeper into the ground once it has already started? We have a footing on a farm building that has come up an inch. It's four feet deep. It is only late February and we have another month and a half of winter left at least. There is not a lot of snow

Printing body parts

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From the Economist:

The great hope of transplant surgeons is that they will, one day, be able to order replacement body parts on demand. At the moment, a patient may wait months, sometimes years, for an organ from a suitable donor. During that time his condition may worsen. He may even die. The ability to make organs as they are needed would not only relieve suffering but also save lives. And that possibility may be closer with the arrival of the first commercial 3D bio-printer for manufacturing human tissue and organs.

The new machine, which costs around $200,000, has been developed by Organovo, a company in San Diego that specialises in regenerative medicine, and Invetech, an engineering and automation firm in Melbourne, Australia. One of Organovo’s founders, Gabor Forgacs of the University of Missouri, developed the prototype on which the new 3D bio-printer is based. The first production models will soon be delivered to research groups which, like Dr Forgacs’s, are studying ways to produce tissue and organs for repair and replacement. At present much of this work is done by hand or by adapting existing instruments and devices.

To start with, only simple tissues, such as skin, muscle and short stretches of blood vessels, will be made, says Keith Murphy, Organovo’s chief executive, and these will be for research purposes. Mr Murphy says, however, that the company expects that within five years, once clinical trials are complete, the printers will produce blood vessels for use as grafts in bypass surgery. With more research it should be possible to produce bigger, more complex body parts. Because the machines have the ability to make branched tubes, the technology could, for example, be used to create the networks of blood vessels needed to sustain larger printed organs, like kidneys, livers and hearts.

More.


Putting an end to dolphin exploitation at aquatic theme parks

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A number of years ago I visited Sea World in Orlando, Florida. The experience proved to be a formative one, as it would mark the last time I would ever visit an aquatic theme park. What I saw there at the dolphin show that day shattered all illusions I had about the deplorable way in which dolphins are treated, while at the same time demonstrating to me the obvious ways in which they can express their individuality and intentions—and how this is conveniently ignored by us in ways that are completely self-serving.

The show got off to a rocky start. As the cheesy performance music blared through the loudspeakers, the trainers enthusiastically marched to the stage and assumed their positions. They blew their high-pitched whistles and waited for the dolphins to do their part.

But the dolphins ignored the cue. They swam nervously in their holding tank, circling and circling.

The trainers tried again, but the dolphins remained steadfast. They weren't going anywhere.

So, the trainers stopped the show and addressed the audience. We were told that, as a hierarchical species, the leaders of the troop were preventing the rest of the dolphins from partaking in the show. The reason, they suspected, was on account of a looming storm.

Indeed, hurricane Ernesto was slated to hit the region in the next 24 hours, and it's likely that the dolphins, sensing the low pressure system, were in a state of agitation. The last thing they wanted to do at that moment was to follow commands and perform tricks.

Unfazed, the trainers said they weren't about to let the dolphins have their way and that they were going to try and try again until they performed the show as expected.

Once again, the trainers marched to their stations and the cheesy music began anew. After another short delay, the dolphins finally decided to take part. But I have to say, it was the most half-assed effort I've ever seen put on by dolphins. They consistently missed their cues and went about their jumps and tricks as if they were just going through the motions.

What was happening was blatantly obvious to anyone paying attention: Their hearts were simply not into it.

As I sat there watching this spectacle, I started to feel ill, and I suddenly regretted coming to the park. I was hit hit with a glaringly obvious realization.

These dolphins are slaves.

Indeed, we are making these highly intelligent and emotional animals perform tricks against their will. They are confined to ridiculously small tanks and expected to perform on cue—and should they refuse, they're beaten back to submission by an unrelenting crew of trainers who simply won't take no for an answer—even if it's in front of a live audience.

Now, I realize that the dolphin show brings a lot of money to these parks—but the dolphin tank has got to go. It's cruelty through and through. As nonhuman persons, dolphins need to be protected from these kinds of abuses. They are not ours to play with.

We have no right to compel dolphins to entertain us. They deserve better than that. Moreover, we have no right to contain them in this way. Dolphins need to swim. In fact, in the wild, dolphins swim an average of 65 to 85 kilometers per day. The tanks at these theme parks must feel intensely claustrophobic to them. It's torturous.

And as I learned on that day at Sea World, dolphins are also capable of expressing their discontent. They can show us when they're not happy and they can express their will. We need to start paying attention and put aside our petty desire to watch dolphins jump through hoops.

It's time to stop this kind of animal exploitation.

Check out the IEET's Rights of Non-Human Persons program to learn more.


Offset Voltage Of Hall Effect Sensors

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We use Hall effect sensors to measure medium DC current without electrical connection, in the 20 amperes range. As the production of AsGa Hall effect sensors, which are the most sensitive in the 1 kiloohm impedance range, becomes obsolete in Europe, we use suppliers from other countries. I have ob

Media me | Gene Expression

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I’ve been rather busy this week, so few posts. But, I did a Bloggingheads.tv with Milford Wolpoff. We talk Out of Africa, Multiregionalism, and such. Second, The New York Times profiled Secular Right, where I’m a contributor. The quotes were accurate, though I do find it amusing that the reporter refers to me as an apostate, but not John Derbyshire (who until ~5 years ago was a confessing Christian). I suspect that in this day and age the term “apostate” only has strong valence in relation to Islam. For the record, several ex-Muslims have disputed my apostasy, since I barely ever believed in the Islamic religion.

Your Weekly Pause For Thought

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UPDATE:  SOLVED by Dwight at 12:05 CDT

Bonjour!  Are we all ready to play riddle today?  I have a nice, easy, relaxing one for you.  It’s been a long week for me, so I’m ready to relax and play a little.

Today’s riddle subject is in the real world.  It is an object.  That’s it for the preliminaries, now for the clues:

A beauty in black and white, found on PhotoBucket

We mostly think of this in the singular, although it is made of many parts.

Although today’s subject is a modern discovery, something else like it has been known for centuries.

While we think of this as a “thing”, it is really more of a system, or aggregate, of many things together.

A collection of cuties

Probably hundreds of millions of years ago, this thing was at least one companion to a giant.

This thing’s “parent” has a distinction of its own.

There is good reason to believe that although this thing is considered a modern discovery, it may have been seen long ago.

Ah, my favorite color; shiny

Not all parts of this thing are visible at all times.

Although we know of other, like systems, today’s riddle answer is unique.
Today’s answer may be fairly close to you, but it’s difficult to see… like a mirage.

Nation Portrait Gallery, London - You know this man

Okay, there you are.  Get ready, get set, get it solved!  You know where to find me…

Generator Voltage Problem

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hello,

i have Lester Peter generator 220-380 V- 14 kw , it works nice but whenever a load is connected the voltage drops nonetheless the frequency remains constant (no change in freq.) knowing that AVR is replaced and the load is not more than 5 kw.

note: the engine is running in i

Muslims rampage in Tunisian Capitol – Attempt to burn down Prostitution Houses

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"Women, wearing veils" participated in Protests

From the LA Times, "Babylon & Beyond - Observations from the Arab World" Feb. 18:

Islamists torched brothels in the capital earlier Friday, demanding their closure. The military deployed helicopters to disperse the angry crowd.

From Aracaisa.com "Tunisia government tries to calm discontent":

Tunisia's caretaker government.. moved to counter simmering discontent...

interim authorities faced a challenge from an entirely new quarter on Friday, when Islamists tried to set a street of brothels on fire in central Tunis, in a protest against prostitution.

From the (Sydney) Herald-Sun"Islamists attack Tunis red light district":

Islamists tried to get into Abdallah Guech Street to set it on fire," the official said. "Residents kept them out until the security forces arrived."

The street near the Medina contains one of Tunis's main brothels, well known to foreigners as well as locals.

"Police blocked off the street and succeeded in dispersing the demonstrators," the official said.

Dozens of Islamists calling for Tunisia's brothels to be closed rallied outside the interior ministry following Friday prayers before marching to Abdallah Guech Street.

"No to prostitution houses in a Muslim country!" they shouted.

Catholic Priest brutally murdered in Tunisia – "Terrorist Fascists" suspected in the Slaying

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Throat slashed; Multiple stab wounds

From the LA Times:

A Polish Catholic priest was found dead with his throat slit in a convent garage near Tunis, the Tunisian news agency TAP reported Friday.

The 34-year-old priest, Marek Marius Rybinski, was found dead from multiple stab wounds and slashes at the convent in Manouba where he served as an accountant, the news agency reported...

religious militancy has been on the rise since the Jan. 14 ouster of the North African nation's longtime leader, Zine el Abidine ben Ali.

From Reuters "Polish priest killed by Tunisian extremists":

"The Ministry of the Interior condemns this act and regrets the death. Based on results of the preliminary investigation, including the method of assassination, it believes a group of terrorist fascists with extremist tendencies was behind this crime," it said.

Protests against the authorities swelled into a popular revolt last month that created turmoil in Tunisia, forced President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee to Saudi Arabia and encouraged a similar revolution in Egypt.

"These extremists are taking advantage of an exceptional situation to disturb national security and plunge our country into violence," the ministry statement said.

Editor's note - The Tunisian Interior Ministry cautiously avoided the term "Muslim," but it's a safe bet that these "Terrorist Fascists," were not Mormons, Budhists or Wiccans. Photo - Catholic Church in Tunisia capitol.