How Does 3D Printing Work?

In the past few years we’ve heard much about “3D printing” and the many uses of this emerging technology. But how does 3D printing work? How is it different from other manufacturing processes? In this post, I'm trying to explain these things. Don't forget to add your points via comment section.

ADDITIVE vs SUBTRACTIVE MANUFACTURING:

Making things usually involves a subtractive process: you start with a block of material — aluminium for instance — which you then machine (that is, remove material) until you get the shape and size you’re after.

But 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, does the process in reverse. Instead of removing material, the “printer” dispenses it. The technology gradually deposits the material via a controlled nozzle, layer by layer, building up to a fully formed product. The material used can either be plastic (usually ABS ), or a metal. The process is typically based on a computer-designed model of the object or machine part in question, and can produce relatively complex shapes.

Steps of 3D printing are shown in the picture below.

Does the Human Mind Possess Any “Super Powers”?

You might have read lot about "Mind Power" - the miraculous and amazing power of your mind. There are lot of stories and incidents about the phenomena called - mind over matter. They say if you concentrate and focus your mind, you can perform many fantastic things - miracles.

Really? Do you want to live in fool’s paradise? If not, let's analyze the facts and truths.

Let's make it simple. You have a stand-alone personal computer, laptop, tablets or at least a mobile handset. Every device has two segments - hardware and software. The basic hardware consists of processor, hard-disk (storage), memory and wiring. The software has operating system and programs in it. The power of the device depends upon the speed of processor and size of the memory and storage. Of course, it needs energy (electricity) to operate.

Any stand-alone device has a limited power within this stipulated, predefined system. But when it gets connected to Internet (wired or wireless) - you can unleash unlimited powers. You can do zillions of things using the same device.

Our mind (aka brain) is similar to such a device. It is hardware plus software. Before going deep in to that, let's see the limitations of the mind

Limitations of the stand-alone Mind:-

The mind can NEVER live in the intense present. It thrives on past and future. The moment you come to HERE and NOW, the mind ceases to exist. The mind cannot comprehend the absolute or abstract truth. It needs fact, figures and images. Any belief is Okay with the mind, but NO truth please. Mind cannot KNOW anything beyond the five senses. Mind itself can be called sixth sense, but it cannot understand that.

The stand alone mind cannot experience the divine presence. The mind can understand the concepts, perception or belief about god. But it can never experience the GOD. (I have discussed these points in many articles (See http://udaypai.in/) - hence not repeating here.) So the mind has no powers of its own as fantasized by the fiction-writers.

The mind survives only with the ego. Ego means the feeling of "I” or the memory of "I". This ego makes the stand-alone mind insecure. So it always seeks psychological security. That’s why we clinch to so-many beliefs, faiths and superstitions.

The hardware part of mind:-

The hardware is the content of mind or the material that mind is made up of. "Mind is a material? It has physical form?" You might ask. Yes it has.
Our ancient scientists (ancestors, sages) say it is material. Incidentally, our ancestors used mantra sakthi (virtual, dhyana, enlightment etc) to discover many things in human and cosmos. The Western science use Yantra Sakthi (machines, equipments, computers etc).

In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, mind is looked upon as material. The Chhandogya Upanishad says" anna mayam hi somya mana “means “The mind is verily composed from food.” Food is churned inside by the energies of our body and takes three different forms: the heaviest becomes excrement, the medium quality becomes flesh, and the subtlest part becomes mind, just as the churning of curds gives the subtlest which is butter.

The Upanishad explains how they conducted the research that we can repeat in modern times too. It mentions an experiment in which a boy was asked to go on fast for 15 days. "Do not eat any food for fifteen days. Just drink water." On fifteenth day, the boy was asked to recite the Vedas that he memorized. "I cannot remember even one verse of the Vedas. Memory has gone. The mind is not functioning." The boy said.

Your mind has been inflamed into action by the food that you have taken. Your mind would perish if you had not eaten well. So the content of the mind is made up of food you eat. You cannot see, feel or taste your mind - it is subtle material and not gross like your body.

The software part of the mind:-

When we are born, our mind has a biological operating system (BIOS) which has some basic minimum commands - like crying, sucking mother's milk etc. Later, we add inputs to it - from parents, relatives, friends, teachers, community, religions, beliefs, reading, learning etc. Those inputs altogether form a huge operating system along with programs fed by your belief system.

That's how mind is been developed. No wonder learned people say God created everything, except your mind. Mind is your creation. And it is the limit of the mind.

A game developed for Windows operating system cannot run in Apple iMac. Similarly, things beyond your inputs have no compatibility to your mind. Your mind cannot understand anything that is not in the inputs.

The fully-loaded (pre-loaded software) mind is known as CONDITIONED MIND. If you have malicious infection (virus or malware) the mind will go wrong. That creates diseases like anger, stress, depression and schizophrenia.

When you realize these basic facts you will know that all those tall stories related to the power of the mind is cinematic or dramatic fiction.

Then, how did our ancestors used the Mantra Sakthi? Good question.

The connected mind is powerful and divine: -

Our ancestors were connected to the cosmic system. The cosmic wisdom stored in the universe (the collective consciousness) is the data center in the cloud computing. Dhyana (meditation is not the apt translation) provided the wireless connection to the servers in the data center.

How to make your mind powerful?

1. Check-up hardware part - Sattvik food will make your hardware strong and powerful.

Provide two plates of food to a modern teen-ager. In one plate keep typical traditional South Indian Idly Sambar and another plate keep a Chicken Burger. What would he/she prefer - irrespective of caste and religion? Of course, Burger!

In my childhood I remember old generation were reciting "Vishnusahasranamam" and "Lalitha Sahasranamam" by-heart. Most of them kept everything in their memory. In today's world, the memory is short term affair. Why? You may attribute this to hi-fi gadget. But truth is that, the older generations were having "sattvik" food and modern generation goes by fast food. The fact is "fast food = short term memory..."

So food is important for brain and mind. Based on this concepts our Ayruveda scholars developed some medicines (Grita - is ghee medicated with ayurvedic herbs and kashaya) that cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) that can change the mind-set. That’s how they rectified mental diseases in olden days.

2. Check-up software part - The only way to cross-over the limitations of mind is the de-condition it. Run an anti-virus program. It is freely available. It is known as Awareness. It can be achieved only through observing.

3. Get connected to the cosmic network - Use the "I" as a login password. Once you log-on to the Net, you don't even need the password. You are IN. The vastness of the cosmic is waiting for you. This connectedness will make you strong and powerful. You won't have any fear of the stand-alone mind. Because you are connected to the GOD. You become god.

They knew that standalone mind is dangerously weak. They knew that the separation causes ego and fear. Once you are connected, you become fearless. You become one with the vastness. It has programs to correct your system and any aberrations of the mind.

We are all human, we all share the same range of emotions we are capable of feeling. What makes us different is how we react to these emotions. Nobody can perform any power that you cannot.

Miracles of mind or amazing powers are just magic. It is not the true way. If you are attracted to the miracle of mind, you won't learn the true way. The biggest power or miracle is about becoming more fully human. It is the end of ignorance. That's why the greatest Zen master once said: "My miracle is that when I'm hungry, I eat, and when I am tired, I sleep." 

Differences Between Male and Female Depression

Both men and women get depression. But men experience depression very differently. The following grid outlines some of the differences!

Differences Between Male and Female Depression

Women with depression:

Blame themselves

Feel sad, apathetic and worthless

Feel anxious and scared

Avoid conflicts at all costs

Always try to be “nice”

Withdraw when feeling hurt

Have trouble with self-respect

Feel they were born to fail

Feel lethargic

Can be a chronic procrastinator

Sleep too much

Have trouble setting boundaries

Feel guilty for what they do

Feel uncomfortable receiving praise

Find it easy to talk about weaknesses and doubts

Have a strong fear of success

Need to "blend in" to feel safe

Use food, friends and "love" to self-medicate

Believe problems could be solved only if they could be a better spouse, co-worker, parent, friend

Constantly wondering, "Am I lovable enough?"

Men with depression:

Feel others are to blame

Feel angry, irritable and ego-inflated

Feel suspicious and guarded

Create conflicts

May act overtly or covertly hostile

Attack when feeling hurt

Demand respect from others

Feel the world set them up to fail

Feel restless and agitated

Can be a compulsive time-keeper

Sleep too little

Must be in control at all costs

Feel ashamed for who they are

Feel frustrated if not praised enough

Feel terrified to talk about weaknesses and doubts

Have a strong fear of failure

Need to be "top dog" to feel safe

Use alcohol, TV, sports and sex to self-medicate

Believe problems could be solved only if their spouse, co-worker, parent, a friend would treat them better

Constantly wondering, "Am I being loved enough?"

இன்று சங்கடஹர சதுர்த்தி

The River of 1000 Sivalinga in Kbal Speam, Cambodia- 1000 சிவ லிங்கங்கள் உள்ள ஆறு-

கம்போடியாவில் உள்ள கபல் ஸ்பீம் எனும் ஆற்றின் நடுவில் 1000 லிங்கங்கள் காணப்படுகின்றன.

இவை 900 வருடங்களுக்கு முன்பு சூரியவர்மன், உதயாதித்யவர்மன் எனும் பல்லவ மன்னர்களின் மந்திரிகளால் அமைக்கப்பட்ட சிவ லிங்கங்களாகும்.
ஆற்றின் கரைகளில் உள்ள பாறைகளில் சிவன், பார்வதி, நந்தி, விஷ்ணு, லக்ஷ்மி, பிரம்மா, இராமன், அனுமன் ஆகியோரின் சிற்பங்களும் செதுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன.

The End of Psychology?

As Neuroscience dominates discussion of the mind, what does the future hold for Psychology? The end of it? Perhaps not quite yet, but there is a serious message coming from the American Psychology Association (APA). Over the past decades, psychology has been increasingly overtaken by neuroscience. Two multi-billion euro/dollar initiatives – one European, one American – were launched in 2012 with the avowed objectives of “solving the brain” and, in the EU’s case, incorporating the solution into novel “neuromorphic” computers.

Hard-line reductionists speak of “molecular and cellular cognition” and dismiss the mind as an epiphenomenal product of neural processes, a “user illusion,” or, as zoologist Thomas Huxley put it a century and a half ago, merely the whistle to the steam train. Most neuroscientists concur; as Francis Crick put it: “You are nothing but a bunch of neurons.” Neurophilosophers, a world away from Descartes famous Cogito ergo sum speak contemptuously of “folk psychology”, to be replaced as neuroscience progresses by an objective, rigorously defined brain language.

No more love and hate, but merely the firing of neurons in the amygdala. And/or possibly the fronto-orbital cortex. Pace Onion, even if minds cannot study themselves, they can apparently study brains. Under these circumstances, the options might indeed be either for the APA to dissolve itself, or to rebrand as Cognitive Neuroscience.

It is the other APA, however, the American Psychiatry Association, which is in more trouble, having tried, and conspicuously failed, to abolish – or at least shackle, the mind. Dominated by biological psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry for the past half-century, it now finds its diagnostic criteria for mental conditions in disrepute and the drug companies in retreat. The APA’s bible – the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), which provides a tick-box list of symptoms on the basis of which the psychiatrist can classify and prescribe for anything from Oppositional Defiance Disorder to Autism Spectrum Disorder – has undergone its fifth revision to widespread criticism, even from within the profession. Biological psychiatry’s premise, that for each condition specified in the DSM it will be possible to identify a specific brain disorder – some faulty molecule or wiring failure – has failed despite fifty years of research.

Today’s drugs for treating depression or schizophrenia work no better than those of the 1960s, and there is nothing on the horizon to replace them. The giant US funding agency, the National Institutes of Health, has decided that enough is enough and from now on it will only fund projects that have clear biological targets. Many drug companies have pulled out of central nervous system research in favour of easier targets like cancer. For its critics, the days of biological psychiatry are over, as its basic premise, that mental and psychic distress can be reduced to mere faulty brain processes, is plain wrong. For psychiatry, minds have no options but to study minds, and the bodily, social and cultural contexts in which they are embedded.

Excerpt 1) "...there is a serious message coming from the American Psychology Association (APA). Over the past decades, psychology has been increasingly overtaken by neuroscience."

Excerpt 2) "Biological psychiatry’s premise, that for each condition specified in the DSM it will be possible to identify a specific brain disorder – some faulty molecule or wiring failure – has failed despite fifty years of research."

Excerpt 3) "...the days of biological psychiatry are over, as its basic premise, that mental and psychic distress can be reduced to mere faulty brain processes, is plain wrong. For psychiatry, minds have no options but to study minds, and the bodily, social and cultural contexts in which they are embedded."

 What this means is an end to the pseudoscientific nonsense touted by evolutionary theorists who think that morphological diversity is the only aspect of biodiversity that need be examined to make foolish claims that behaviour also evolved via mutations. Links from ridiculous theories to behaviour have remained unsupported by any experimental of biologically-based cause and effect. At the same time, cause and effect have repeatedly been established in reports like this one that links ecological variation to ecological adaptations during life history transitions. Oppositional COMT Val158Met effects on resting-state functional connectivity in adolescents and adults

Drugs That Cause The Most Harm

Why fighting corruption is key to improving healthcare

In a sector that is scarce and expensive, to begin with, corruption can mean the difference between life and death.

I recently attended the World Bank Group’s second annual Youth Summit, developed in partnership with the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth. The event, hosted thanks to the leadership and initiative of young World Bank Group employees, focused on increasing youth engagement to end corruption and promote open and responsive governments. In the wake of the Ebola crisis, and amidst some very eager, idealist, and passionate conversations, I couldn’t help but think about the price of corruption in health.

Many have argued that decades of corruption and distrust of government left African nations prey to Ebola. Whether in Africa or any other continent, it should come as no surprise that complex, variable, and dangerously fragmented health systems can breed dishonest practices. The mysterious dance between regulators, insurers, health care providers, suppliers, and consumers obscures transparency and accountability-based imperatives. As the recent allegations about Ebola-stricken families paying bribes for falsified death certificates illustrate, when it comes to health, local corruption can have serious consequences internationally.

This is an eye-opening reality for anyone working in the health sector, where the stakes are high and the resources precious. Corruption starves valuable resources available to the health system, quietly reduces the effectiveness of health services and activities, and cripples civic trust in health institutions. In effect, corruption corrodes efforts to combat disease and improve population health status. On a very basic level, corruption in the health sector is about patient or “consumer” vulnerability: Most people can’t find a place where the appropriate care is offered at a reasonable price, let alone understand what is being done to them or evaluate whether the care they received was warranted and of quality. In the midst of such “information asymmetry,” both the “supply” and “demand” sides offer lucrative opportunities for abuse and illicit gain.

​Corruption is a worldwide problem, rife in high and low-income countries alike. The nature and impact of corrupt practices in the healthcare sector are equally widespread. According to Transparency International, a global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption, common corrupt practices in health include worker absenteeism; theft of medical supplies; bribery in medical service delivery; fraud and embezzlement of medicines, medical devices, and health care funds; improper marketing relations; weak regulatory procedures; opaque and improperly designed procurement procedures; and diversion of supplies in the distribution system for private gains. Relationships, responsibilities, and payment mechanisms vary from system to system, country to country, and there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution.

So, what are the impacts anti-corruption strategies can have on health outcomes? Which actors need to be involved in the process? Which conditions are most likely to achieve successes, and how can we encourage and sustain positive results?

A prominent theme at the Youth Summit was the role of data and technology in promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen collaboration. Although by no means a panacea or replacement for structural change, data-crunching technologies and online social networks can play a large part in combating corruption – the same way user-generated communities are personalising platforms for disease management and surveillance – by offering real-time user-generated feedback. Indeed, as I learned at the Youth Summit, a great deal can be done to reduce corruption – but it cannot be done alone. The health field would benefit from best practices and existing platforms for fighting corruption in other critical sectors, such as aid and development, infrastructure, elections monitoring, and finance. Doing so would not only ensure that civil society and citizens have access to critical information but also empower them to hold governments and health service providers accountable. Tackling corruption is essential for achieving better health outcomes globally.

Silence kills. And, corruption, like Ebola, is a deadly virus feeding on global inaction.

Published in collaboration with The World Bank

Author: Viva Dadwal is a Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she is investigating the transfer of health innovations from low to high-income countries.

All opinions expressed are those of the author. The World Economic Forum Blog is an independent and neutral platform dedicated to generating debate around the key topics that shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Thanks In a sector that is scarce and expensive to begin with, corruption can mean the difference between life and death.

I recently attended the World Bank Group’s second annual Youth Summit, developed in partnership with the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth. The event, hosted thanks to the leadership and initiative of young World Bank Group employees, focused on increasing youth engagement to end corruption and promote open and responsive governments. In the wake of the Ebola crisis, and amidst some very eager, idealist, and passionate conversations, I couldn’t help but think about the price of corruption in health.

Many have argued that decades of corruption and distrust of government left African nations prey to Ebola. Whether in Africa or any other continent, it should come as no surprise that complex, variable, and dangerously fragmented health systems can breed dishonest practices. The mysterious dance between regulators, insurers, health care providers, suppliers, and consumers obscures transparency and accountability-based imperatives. As the recent allegations about Ebola-stricken families paying bribes for falsified death certificates illustrate, when it comes to health, local corruption can have serious consequences internationally.

This is an eye-opening reality for anyone working in the health sector, where the stakes are high and the resources precious. Corruption starves valuable resources available to the health system, quietly reduces the effectiveness of health services and activities, and cripples civic trust in health institutions. In effect, corruption corrodes efforts to combat disease and improve population health status. On a very basic level, corruption in the health sector is about patient or “consumer” vulnerability: Most people can’t find a place where the appropriate care is offered at a reasonable price, let alone understand what is being done to them or evaluate whether the care they received was warranted and of quality. In the midst of such “information asymmetry,” both the “supply” and “demand” sides offer lucrative opportunities for abuse and illicit gain.

​Corruption is a worldwide problem, rife in high and low-income countries alike. The nature and impact of corrupt practices in the healthcare sector are equally widespread. According to Transparency International, a global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption, common corrupt practices in health include worker absenteeism; theft of medical supplies; bribery in medical service delivery; fraud and embezzlement of medicines, medical devices, and health care funds; improper marketing relations; weak regulatory procedures; opaque and improperly designed procurement procedures; and diversion of supplies in the distribution system for private gains. Relationships, responsibilities, and payment mechanisms vary from system to system, country to country, and there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution.

So, what are the impacts anti-corruption strategies can have on health outcomes? Which actors need to be involved in the process? Which conditions are most likely to achieve successes, and how can we encourage and sustain positive results?

A prominent theme at the Youth Summit was the role of data and technology in promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen collaboration. Although by no means a panacea or replacement for structural change, data-crunching technologies and online social networks can play a large part in combating corruption – the same way user-generated communities are personalising platforms for disease management and surveillance – by offering real-time user-generated feedback. Indeed, as I learned at the Youth Summit, a great deal can be done to reduce corruption – but it cannot be done alone. The health field would benefit from best practices and existing platforms for fighting corruption in other critical sectors, such as aid and development, infrastructure, elections monitoring, and finance. Doing so would not only ensure that civil society and citizens have access to critical information but also empower them to hold governments and health service providers accountable. Tackling corruption is essential for achieving better health outcomes globally.

Silence kills. And, corruption, like Ebola, is a deadly virus feeding on global inaction.

Published in collaboration with The World Bank

Author: Viva Dadwal is a Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she is investigating the transfer of health innovations from low to high-income countries.

Posted by Viva Dadwal - 10:56

All opinions expressed are those of the author. The World Economic Forum Blog is an independent and neutral platform dedicated to generating debate around the key topics that shape global, regional and industry agendas.

The Top Twenty Five Companies For Work-From-Home Jobs

Are you looking for a more flexible work schedule? Are you constantly distracted in the office? Do you despise your daily commute?

If so, it might be time to start working from home.

But while 50% of the workforce currently has jobs that can be done remotely, according to Global Workplace Analytics, not all employers are open to the idea.

"If your boss isn't willing to offer you a more flexible schedule, it may be time for you to find a new job at a more telecommute-friendly company," says Sara Sutton Fell, CEO of FlexJobs, an online service for professionals seeking telecommuting, flexible schedule, part-time, and freelance jobs.

FlexJobs has identified the 25 employers with the greatest number of work-from-home job opportunities right now. To compile the list, it looked at job listings between from over 25,000 companies between June 5 and July 5.

Major companies including IBM, Xerox, and Apple make the list, proving that working from home is no longer a fantasy but an increasing reality for many workers, says Sutton Fell. "But the really interesting thing is that there are so many small and mid-sized companies offering work-from-home jobs," she says. "Job seekers who need more work flexibility, or whose commutes are too long, or who want better work-life balance should see a list like this and think about their expanding possibilities."

Together, these 25 companies had an estimated 4,000 job listings between June 5 and July 5 that allow you to work from home all or some of the time:

1. Kaplan 
Open jobs include: student services coordinator, operations assistant, and SAT instructor

2. IBM Open jobs include: technical sales specialist, software developer, and solution representative

3. US-Reports Open jobs include: insurance loss control surveyor and insurance premium auditor 

4. First Data Open jobs include: sales director, business consultant, and account executive

5. About.com Open jobs include: financial planning guide, child care guide, and theater guide

6. Connections Academy Open jobs include: middle school art curriculum writer, manager of school leadership, and parent mentor

7. SAP Open jobs include: principal retail solution architect, account executive, and partner sales senior manager

8. Xerox Open jobs include: project manager, customer service representative, and transaction processor

9. Dell Open jobs include: project program management consultant, partner systems integration consultant, and storage services advisor

10. Apple Open jobs include: at-home team manager, quality program manager, and technical support advisor

11. PAREXEL Open jobs include: associate medical writer, patient education advocate, and senior medical writer

12. Forest Laboratories Open jobs include: pharmaceutical sales representative, regional account manager, and institutional sales representative

13. UnitedHealth Group Open jobs include: case advocate, registered nurse case manager, and revenue integrity director

14. VMware Open jobs include: associate systems engineer, solutions consultant, and business solution strategist

15. K12 Open jobs include: high school music teacher, high school science teacher, and high school culinary arts teacher

16. Aetna Open jobs include: senior director of pharmacy operations, business intelligence manager, and senior actuarial consultant

17. Overland Solutions, Inc. Open jobs include: insurance inspector, premium auditor, and high value insurance appraiser

18. Salesforce.com Open jobs include: program architect, platform solution engineer, and systems engineer

19. Infor Open jobs include: senior account executive, project manager, and solution consultant

20. ADP Open jobs include: HR subject matter expert, lead payroll specialist, and sales learning consultant

21. Red Hat   Open jobs include: technical writer, partner solutions architect, and software engineer

22. BroadSpire  Open jobs include: medical case manager and nurse case manager

23. U.S. Department of the Interior   Open jobs include: ecologist, civil engineer, and research geographer

24. Covance       
Open jobs include: project manager, medical writer, and start-up specialist

25. Aon Open jobs include: candidate solution associate, program test manager, and workday optimization consultant

"People want to work from home because it changes them from simply being busy into actually being productive," says Sutton Fell. "Fewer distractions and interruptions during the workday, more control over your work environment, zero time wasted commuting to and from work, fewer sick days taken, and more satisfaction with your job — that's why people want the option to work from home."

According to a new survey organized by London Business School and Deloitte, a global audience of executives, entrepreneurs and business academics believe that at least half the workforce will work remotely by 2020. 

"As more people work this way, even for part of their workweeks, more people are exposed to the idea that working from home is a possibility for all professionals, not just for the self-employed or the technology industry," Sutton Fell adds.

And employers are starting to recognize the benefits of working from home, including cost savings, reduced turnover, and increased productivity and employee satisfaction. "Instead of worrying that people who work from home will slack off, they're seeing other companies who have successful at-home teams and giving it a try in their own companies," she concludes. 

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/top-hiring-companies-work-from-home-jobs-2014-7#ixzz3O7Jxs09d

Don't underestimate your child

How the skills gap can limit an economy

During my visits to the Kyrgyz Republic I am always surprised to talk with people who fondly reminisce about the economy during Soviet times.  Taxi drivers nostalgically describe traffic coming to a stop as factories changed shifts.  I guess I should be less surprised, given that, prior to 1991, the Kyrgyz Republic produced almost exclusively for the Soviet Union.

With the fall of the Soviet Union, much of Russia’s demand disappeared and many firms in the country closed during the 1990s. Although the industrial sector has begun a revival over the last few years – with garment shops and private enterprises expanding – the service sector now dominates in the country – accounting for approximately 54% of GDP and 64% of jobs.

Today, the Kyrgyz Republic remains a poor country with a per capita GDP in 2012 of about $1,200. More than 10% of the population has migrated abroad (mostly to Russia), and among those with jobs in the Kyrgyz Republic, almost two thirds holds an informal sector job. Output per worker is very low.

Furthermore, the last two times the country participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), more than 80% of students tested at or below the threshold for functional literacy and similar proportions were unable to understand and process mathematics. Once the PISA test results were disseminated, the government became concerned about skills more broadly and how those skills might affect employment outcomes.

But, little was known about skills in the country!

So, in order to address this situation, we carried out a detailed, nationally representative labor market and skills survey in 2013 – interviewing 1,500 households and 7,706 individuals. This survey (a joint effort between the World Bank and GIZ) assessed cognitive and non-cognitive skills of the working age population. Cognitive skills captured the ability to use logical, intuitive and critical thinking as well as skills such as problem solving, verbal ability, and numeracy. Non-cognitive skills represented personality traits that are relevant in the labor market – including extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, agreeability, and emotional stability.

So, do skills really matter? The answer is unequivocally yes. They matter in three distinct ways.

First, cognitive and non-cognitive skills correlate positively with the quality of employment: employed youth have systematically higher memory skills and non-cognitive skills than inactive or discouraged youth.  And, yes, even when other worker characteristics are constant, the effect of skills on employment outcomes holds.

Second, cognitive and non-cognitive skills correlate positively with the quality of employment. That is, individuals with higher skills are more likely to work under conditions that include an employment contract, in jobs that require less physically demanding work – the difference in physical activity is particularly apparent for women (50% of the women with low cognitive ability perform physical activities, compared with 30% among women with higher cognitive ability) – and are more likely to engage in tasks requiring higher numeracy skills, meaning that the skills are used on the job.

Third, workers with higher non-cognitive skills are also more likely to supervise other workers. Individuals with high workplace attitude (a compilation of traits including having ideas others have not previously thought of; working very hard; and enjoying working on things that take a long time to complete) are more likely to supervise the work of others. This is particularly apparent in rural areas and for men. Being more open and sociable also increases the likelihood of having contact with people beyond one’s colleagues, such as clients, customers, or students, allowing workers to increase their professional network.

The above findings led to three recommendations, which are elaborated in a recent World Bank report The Skills Road: Skills for Employability in the Kyrgyz Republic. The report argues that the government could shift some of its focus from providing access to educational institutions and instead focus on providing the skills students need to succeed as adults. The government can also do more to get children off to the right start by investing in early childhood development programs, where rates of return to investment are generally very high and important soft skills are learned.

Finally, more can be done to match the supply of skills with employer demand by improving the use of information in matching skills to jobs in the labor market.

While elements of these recommendations appear in the government’s National Sustainable Development Strategy, a long-term strategy is needed to endow its current and future workers with the kinds of skills they will need for quality 21st century jobs.

Maybe then we can worry about the traffic resulting from factory workers changing shifts.

This post was first published in collaboration with The Wold Bank’s Voices Blog. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

To keep up with Forum:Agenda subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Author: Mohamed Ihsan Ajwad is a Senior Economist in the World Bank’s Social Protection and Labor Global Practice.

Image: Workers on the assembly line replace the back covers of 32-inch television sets at Element Electronics in Winnsboro, South Carolina May 29, 2014. REUTERS/Chris Keane.

Thanks https://agenda.weforum.org

Palace where the trial of Jesus took place before his crucifixion,

When archaeologists were excavating under an abandoned building next to the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem’s Old City, they eventually hit what could very well be the palace where the trial of Jesus took place before his crucifixion

CARDIAC CYCLE ::

Thermoelectric power plants could offer economically competitive renewable energy

A new study predicts that large-scale power plants based on thermoelectric effects, such as small temperature differences in ocean water, could generate electricity at a lower cost than photovoltaic power plants.

Liping Liu, Associate Professor at Rutgers University, envisions that thermoelectric power plants would look like giant barges sitting in the tropical ocean, where electricity is generated by heating cold, deep water with warm, shallow water heated by the sun. Liu has published a paper in the New Journal of Physics in which he analyzes the feasibility of such power plants.

"This work is about the new idea of large-scale green power plants that make economic use of the largest accessible and sustainable energy reservoir on the earth," Liu told Phys.org , speaking of the oceans. This is because the sun heats the surface water to a temperature that, in tropical regions, is about 20 K higher than water 600 m deep. Essentially, the surface water acts as a giant storage tank of solar energy.

As Liu explains, thermoelectric power plants would work by harvesting the energy of ocean waves to pump cold water from a few hundred meters deep up through a long channel. As the cold water nears the surface, it enters a heat exchanger where it is heated by surface water on the outside. The heat exchanger acts as an electric generator, as its tubes are made of thermoelectric materials that can transfer heat through their walls and directly convert temperature differences into electricity.

Large-scale, ocean-based thermoelectric power plants would have many advantages. For one, the "fuel" or temperature differences are free, unlimited, and easily accessible. Also, the plants do not take up space on land. Because they have no moving solid parts, they would have low maintenance costs. In addition, the power output does not depend on the time of day or season. And finally, the method is green, as it does not release emissions.

Small-scale thermoelectric generators are already used commercially in applications such as microelectronics, automobiles, and power generation in remote areas. In these designs, the conversion efficiency is the most important factor because the fuel accounts for the largest portion of the cost.

Most commercial devices have a conversion efficiency of around 5% to 10% of the ideal Carnot efficiency, with state-of-the-art devices achieving efficiencies of up to 20%. Although research is currently being done to further improve the efficiency, there are still limits to how high it can go.

In the new paper, Liu shows that large-scale thermoelectric power plants wouldn't need to operate at extremely high efficiencies to be economically competitive; instead, the key would lie in engineering simple structures such as laminated composites in order to support mass production. These improvements focus on the conversion capacity, which, unlike efficiency, can be improved by orders of magnitude. In other words, because the fuel is free and in limitless supply, large-scale thermoelectric power plants could make up with their sheer size what they lack in efficiency.

Source: Phys Org
Posted by: Er_sanch.

இந்த அழகான பொண்ணு கருணை உள்ளம் அன்னை தெரசா..!!!!!!!!!!

72 Uses For Simple Household Products To Save Money & Avoid Toxins

Lemon Juice: Great for detox, digestion, sore throats, immunity, whitens clothes, cleans glass, highlights hair, can reduce wrinkles, skinks pores and can disinfect!

Coconut Oil: Can polish wood, used as wd-40, lip gloss, deodorant, prevents wrinkles, improves thyroid function and can reduce migraines, just to mention a few.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Repels fleas, deodorizes laundry, can soothe a sunburn, washes hair, treats acne, great for detox, can help control blood pressure, can cure yeast infections, prevent colds and much much more!

White Vinegar: Can polish silver, clean windows, unclog drains, cure an upset stomach, soothe a bee sting, used as a natural conditioner etc…

Baking Soda: Puts out fires, helpful for cleaning toilets or ovens, can be used in deodorants and toothpaste, heals diaper rash, treats heartburn just to name a few.

Castile Soap: All-purpose cleaner, dish soap, can mop floors with it, body wash, pet shampoo, toothpaste, treats eczema, psoriasis, acne and other skin problems.

Castor Oil: Keeps away rodents, helps plant health, strengthen eyelashes, heals cracked heels, softens cuticles, treats dry/itchy skin, can be used as a laxative, helps induce labor and can even reduce menstrual cramping.

மாயன் இனம்

பல்லாயிரக்கணக்கான ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் தோன்றி மறைந்த ஒரு சமூகத்தின் வாழ்க்கைத்தடங்கள் காட்டுக்கொடிகளோடு கதை பேசியவாறே காலத்தின் சரித்திரப் பதிவுகளில் இருந்து காணாமல்போய்விட்டன. அந்த இனம் ஒன்றும் சமான்யப்பட்டதல்ல என்று தொடர்ந்த அகழ்வாராய்வுகள் கட்டியம் கூறின. பல நூற்றாண்டுகளுக்கு முன் அறிவியலிலும் கட்டுமானத்திலும் உச்சத்தில் இருந்த ஒரு சமுகம் உலகிலிருந்து அடியோடு மறைந்து விட்டது. அவர்கள் நிர்மாணித்துக்கொண்டிருந்த சில கட்டுமானங்கள் பாதியிலேயே பாழடைந்து கொண்டிருக்கின்றன. அவர்கள் எங்கே போனார்கள் என்ற காரணம் யாருக்கும் தெரியவில்லை.
அந்த இனம்தான் மாயன் இனம். மனித வரலாற்றில் நாகரிகம் தோன்றிவளர்ந்து விண்ணை முட்டிய வரலாற்றுக்காவியம் அவர்களது வாழ்க்கை முறை. ஆனால் அந்த வரலாற்றை காலத்தின் வேகம் காற்றில் கரைத்து விட்டது.
மாயன் இனத்தவர்கள், அவர்களின் பொற்காலத்தின் போது பல துறைகளின் நுணுக்கங்களை ஆராய்ந்திருக்கிறார்கள், கலைத்திறனும் புத்திக் கூர்மையும் பெற்று விளங்கினார்கள். 16-ம் நூற்றாண்டின் போது தென் அமேரிக்கப் பகுதியை ஆட்சி செய்த ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டினரின் கடுமையான தாக்குதலால் இப்பகுதி அடியோடு அழிந்து போனது. அவர்களின் கண்டுபிடிப்பும் எழுதிய நூல்களும் அச்சமயம் அக்னிபகவானுக்கு இரையாக்கப்பட்டன.
மாயன்
இன்று எத்தனையோ அறிவியல் வளர்ச்சியை கண்டுவிட்டதாக பெருமைப்பட்டுக்கொள்ளும் எங்களது கட்டுமானங்களை விட அவர்களது கட்டுமானங்கள் காலத்தைவென்று கம்பீரமாக இன்றும் உள்ளன. பெரிய அளவிலான நகர வடிவமைப்பு, எழுத்துக்கள், மற்றும் அறிவு நுணுக்கங்கள் மாயா இனத்தவரின் போற்றத்தக்க கலைத்திறன்களாகும்.
தொல்லியல் மற்றும் சமூகவியல் ஆராய்ச்சியாளர்களுக்கு மாயன் கலாச்சாரத்தில் ஆர்வம் ஏற்பட்டதில் சிதிலமடைந்த மாயன் நகரங்களும் கட்டிடங்களும் பெரும் பங்காற்றியிருக்கின்றன. மற்ற தொல் நாகரிகங்களைப் போல் அல்லாமல், மாயன்கள் இரும்பு போன்ற உலோகங்கள் மற்றும் சக்கரங்களைப் பயன் படுத்தாமலயே மிகப் பெரிய மத சடங்குகளுக்கான இடங்களையும், பிரமிடுகளையும் இருப்பிடங்களையும் கட்டியுள்ளனர்.
எகிப்தியப் பிரமிடுகளை அடுத்து இந்நகரில் காணப்படும் பிரமிடுகளே பிரசித்தி பெற்று விளங்குகிறன. இப்பிரமிடுகளை சுற்றிலும் 4 பெரிய படிகட்டுகளும் அவற்றுள் அடங்கிய 365 படிக்கட்டுகளும் காணபடுகிறது. இவையாவும் ஒரு ஆண்டிற்கான 4 காலங்களையும் 365 நாட்களையும் குறிப்பதாக கூறப்படுகிறது. அவர்கள் சூரியன், சந்திரன், புதன், சுக்கிரன் போன்றவற்றின் சுழற்சி முறைகளை வெகுவாக அவதானித்து ஆவணப்படுத்தியிருந்தனர். சந்திர மற்றும் சூரிய கிரகணங்களை முன்கூட்டியே கணக்கீட்டுத் தீர்மனிக்கும் அளவிற்கு திறன் பெற்றிருந்தனர். சடங்குகளில் அதீத நம்பிக்கை பெற்றிருந்த மாயன்கள் வானியல் நிகழ்ச்சிகளை அடியோட்டியே சடங்குகளை நடத்தினர்.ட்ரெடெக்ஸ் எனப்படும் மாயன் பஞ்சாங்கக் குறிப்பேட்டிலிருந்து இதற்கான ஆதாரங்கள் பெறப்பட்டுள்ளன.
மாயன்
மாயன் நகர பகுதியில் காணப்படும் Stelae எனப்படும் கல் வகையில் இவர்களின் ஆட்சிமுறை, போர்களில் பெற்ற வெற்றி மற்றும் பல முக்கிய தகவல்கள் Heiroglyphik எழுத்துவடிவில் செதுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. மாயன்கள் தூர தேச வியாபாரத்திலும் ஈடுபட்டிருக்கிறார்கள் என்பதும் ஆராய்ச்சியில் கண்டுபிடிக்கபட்ட உண்மை.
Bonamak என்ற இடத்தில் அமைந்த மாயன்களின் சிற்ப கலைகள் எவ்விதப் பாதிப்பும் இன்றி கிடைக்கப் பெற்றதால் ஆராய்ச்சியாளர்கள் இவற்றை முறையாகத் தங்களது ஆய்விற்குப் பயன்படுத்திக் கொள்ள முடிந்தது. இச்சிற்பங்கள் மாயன்களின் நாகரிக வளர்ச்சியைச் சிறப்பாக எடுத்துக் காட்டுகின்றன.
மாயாக்கள் பிரமிடுகளின் மேல் கோவிலை அமைத்துள்ளார்கள். பிரமிடுகள் உயரமான மலை பாங்கான இடத்தில் அமைந்திருக்கும் பிரமிடுகளின் மேல் கோவிலை அமைப்பதால் இறைவன் இருக்கும் சொர்க வாசலை அவர்கள் சுலபமாக நெருங்க முடிவதாக நம்பிக்கை கொண்டுள்ளனர் .
மாயன்கள் இவ்வுலக ஆரம்பத்தில் Itzam Na எனப்பட்ட கடவுளும் கடலும் ஆகாயமும் மட்டுமே இருந்ததாக நம்பினார்கள். Itzam Na மனிதர்களை களிமண்ணிலிருந்து தயாரிக்க முயன்றார் ஆனால் அது கைகூடாததால் மரத்திலிருந்து மனித படைத்தார்.ஆனால் மரத்திலிருந்து தயாரிக்கப்பட்டதால் மனிதனுக்கு சிந்திக்கவோ கதைக்கவோ முடியாதிருந்தது. நீண்ட முயற்சியின் பின் Itzam Na நீரையும் சோளத்தையும் பயன்படுத்தி இன்றைய மனிதர்களை படைத்தார் என நம்பினார்கள். மாயர்கள் உலகை வடக்கு, கிழக்கு, தெற்கு, மேற்கு என பிரித்திருந்தனர். மாயர்களின் வானியல் ஒரு மரமாக அடையாளப்படுத்தப்பட்டிருந்தது. மரத்தின் மேற்பகுதி சொர்க்கமாகும். அது இறைவனின் வசிப்பிடமாகும். மரத்தின் வேர்ப்பகுதி பாதாள உலகமாகும். சூரியன் இரவில் பாதாள உலகிற்கு சென்று ஓய்வெடுக்கிறான். (மாயர்களின் மொழியில் Xibalba -பாதாள உலகம் , Cab -சொர்க்கம் , Caan - புவி, Yakche – அண்டத்தை குறிக்கும் மரம்.)
ஒவ்வொரு ஆண்டும் ஒரு முறை சிற்றரசர்கள் அவர்களுடைய கடவுளிடம் பேசி ஆலோசனை பெறும் ஒரு சடங்கை நடத்தினார்கள். அவர்களது ஆலயங்களுள் சுவரில் தேவதைகளின் ஓவியங்கள் வரையப்பட்டுள்ளன.. Guatemala பகுதியில் சூரிய சந்திர்யளுக்கான கோயில்கள் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. Chichen Itza, Tikal கோயில் , Inscription கோயில் என்பனவும் பிரசித்தமானவை.

மாயன்களின் எழுத்து வகைகள் நீண்ட நாட்கள் ஆராய்ச்சியாளர்களின் பார்வையில் இருந்தவையாகும். 19-ஆம் நூற்றாண்டில் மாயா நகர பகுதி கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது 20-ஆம் நூற்றாண்டின் ஆரம்பம் வரை அவையாவும் புரியாத புதிராகவே இருந்தது.
1960 முதல் 1970 வரையில் அனைத்து எழுத்துக்களுக்கும் அர்தங்கள் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டு படிக்கப்பட்டன. இதன் வழி ‘ஸ்பெயின்’ நாட்டினரின் படையெடுப்பும், பல்லாயிர காணக்கான புத்தகங்கள் எரிக்கப்பட்டதும் வருத்தத்துடன் தெரிந்து கொள்ள முடிந்தது. அவர்களின் 4 புனித நூல்களில் மூன்றும் நான்காம் நூலின் சில பக்கங்களும் மட்டுமே கிடைத்துள்ளது.
மாயர்கள் 20 அடிமான (base-20) எண் முறையை மாயன்கள் பயன்படுத்தினர். மாயன்களின் கணிதத் திறமைக்கு சான்று அவர்களின் பூஜ்ஜியம் பயன்பாட்டு முறையாகும். மாயன்கள் எண்களை குறிப்பிட மிக எளிமையான அதே சமயத்தில் மிகப் பெரிய எண்களைக் கூட எழுதவல்ல ஒரு குறியீட்டு முறையைக் கையாண்டார்கள். இக்குறியீட்டு முறை ஒரு "_" மாதிரியான கோடு ஒரு புள்ளி ஒரு நீள்வட்டக் குறி ஆகியவற்றை மட்டுமே உள்ளடக்கியது.
மாயன்
ஆராய்ச்சியாளர்கள் மாயாக்களின் நாகரிகம் கி.மு. 2000-ஆம் ஆண்டில் தொடங்கி சிறுகச் சிறுக வளர்ச்சியடைந்துள்ளதாக குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார்கள். கி.மு 2000 முதல் 250 வரை வளர்ச்சிக் காலமாகவும், 250 தொடங்கி 900 வரை மாயன்களின் பொற்காலமாகவும் கருதப்படுகிறது. 7 மற்றும் 8-ம் நூற்றாண்டுகள் மாயன்களின் உச்சகட்டப் பொற்காலம் எனவும் கூறுகிறார்கள்.
900-ஆம் ஆண்டில், நாகரிக உச்சத்தை அடைந்த பின் மாயாக்களின் ஆதிக்கம் மர்மமாய் மறைந்ததாய் கூறுகிறார்கள். அனாலும் இது முற்றிலும் உண்மையாகாது. ஆரம்ப காலத்தில் மாயன்கள் மறைந்து போன மர்மத்தை மக்கள் ஏற்றுக் கொண்டார்கள். இதற்குக் காரணம் மாயன் நகரப் பகுதி குடிகள் இல்லாமல் நாதியற்றுக் கிடந்தது தான்.
இதன் பின் ஆராய்ச்சியாளர்கள், மாயன்களின் வம்சாவழியினர் மெக்ஸிகோ, குவதிமாலா பகுதிகளில் இன்றளவும் வாழ்கிறார்கள் என கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. ஒரு சில ஆராய்ச்சியாளர்கள் மாயன்களில் பல பிரிவினர் இருந்ததாகவும் அவர்களில் ஒரு பிரிவினர் மட்டுமே இவர்கள் எனவும் குறிப்பிடுகிறார்கள்.
மாயன்களின் மறைவிற்கு இயற்கை சீற்றங்களே முக்கியக் காரணம் என கூறுகிறார்கள். ஆனால் ஸ்பானியர்களின் படையெடுப்பும் மாயர்களின் அழிவுக்கு முக்கிய காரணமாக அமைந்தது. மண்ணோடு மறைந்த மாயன்களின் வாழ்க்கைமுறை இன்றும் புதிராகவே உள்ளது. அந்த புதிரின் விடை இன்னமும் ஆராய்ச்சியாளர்களால் தேடப்பட்டுக்கொண்டிருக்கிறது.