If you are traveling in a car, take a bike with you. A bike will help you get exercise after a long day in the car, and it can also help you learn a little about the place that you are in. You will also be able to see more local landmarks than you would have in the car. Try to fit the bike in your trunk if possible.
If you are traveling to a known destination with a responsible party on the other end, consider shipping your luggage ahead of time. With new luggage fees from virtually all major airlines, the cost will often be the same or less than checking it on the flight with you. In addition, you will have the luxury of traveling with comfort and ease, without the stress of standing in luggage lines, tipping porters, and the worry of lost luggage.
If you are traveling on a road trip with other drivers, make sure to switch up frequently. Many people drive until they get sleepy and then change, going to bed while the other driver continues the journey. You will be able to drive for longer periods if you change drivers on a schedule before anyone becomes overtired.
Health and safety are most important when traveling internationally. Contaminated food and water can make you very sick. Worst case scenario, you could end up in need of medical attention in a third-world country miles from a hospital or doctor.
Take out appropriate travel insurance before you leave for your vacation. Travel insurance is important as it can cover any medical help, hospital treatment or alternative transport you may need while you are away. Without travel insurance, if you take ill or have an accident, you could end up with a very large bill for medical treatment.
Buy a kit of toiletries and set them aside exclusively for travel. If you travel often, packing all your toiletries can be a pain. It is not at all difficult to forget something as simple as a toothbrush or a stick of deodorant. Save time by purchasing a set of these things that you keep on hand, just for taking with you on trips.
When going on a trip if you choose to take valuables along, it might be wise to choose a hotel that offers you an in room safe. This ensures that while you are out having fun something important to you doesn't get lost.
When planning an overseas trip or any kind of dangerous outing, check with your health insurer to see what you're covered for. Most health insurance companies will not cover injuries incurred during a wide variety of dangerous activities, and many will not cover health costs incurred overseas. You might need to purchase special traveler's insurance for your health.
If you are interested in traveling comfortably on your vacation, don't be afraid to upgrade your seat. Most airlines are combining traditional business class and coach seats by offering "premium economy" options. They have larger seats and better legroom, but they often do not cost as much. You can also try to upgrade your seat just before boarding, but you won't know about the availability of the upgrades if you check in to your flight online.
Traveling can be a very exciting experience and you can see and learn about new places. You may already have some knowledge on how to plan a trip, but you can always improve your travel plans. No matter your reasons, hopefully the tips above gave you some ideas on what you can do to enjoy your trip even more.
Mar. 26, 2013 ? Supernovae were always thought to occur in two main varieties. But a team of astronomers including Carnegie's Wendy Freedman, Mark Phillips and Eric Persson is reporting the discovery of a new type of supernova called Type Iax.
This research has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.
Previously, supernovae were divided into either core-collapse or Type Ia categories. Core-collapse supernovae are the explosion of a star about 10 to 100 times as massive as our sun. Type Ia supernovae are the complete disruption of a tiny white dwarf.
This new type, Iax, is fainter and less energetic than Type Ia. Although both types come from exploding white dwarfs, Type Iax supernovas may not completely destroy the white dwarf. "A Type Iax supernova is essentially a mini supernova," says lead author Ryan Foley, Clay Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). "It's the runt of the supernova litter."
The research team--which also included Max Stritzinger, formerly of Carnegie--identified 25 examples of the new type of supernova. None of them appeared in elliptical galaxies, which are filled with old stars. This suggests that Type Iax supernovas come from young star systems.
Based on a variety of observational data, the team concluded that a Type Iax supernova comes from a binary star system containing a white dwarf and a companion star that has lost its outer hydrogen, leaving it helium dominated. The white dwarf collects helium from the normal star.
Researchers aren't sure what triggers a Type Iax. It's possible that the outer helium layer ignites first, sending a shock wave into the white dwarf. Alternatively, the white dwarf might ignite first due to the influence of the overlying helium shell.
Either way, it appears that in many cases the white dwarf survives the explosion, unlike in a Type Ia supernova where the white dwarf is completely destroyed.
The team calculates that Type Iax supernovae are about a third as common as Type Ia supernovae. The reason so few have been detected is that the faintest are only one-hundredth as bright as a Type Ia supernova.
"The closer we look, the more ways we find for stars to explode," Phillips said.
The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope could discover thousands of Type Iax supernovas over its lifetime.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Carnegie Institution.
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Journal Reference:
Ryan J. Foley, P. J. Challis, R. Chornock, M. Ganeshalingam, W. Li, G. H. Marion, N. I. Morrell, G. Pignata, M. D. Stritzinger, J. M. Silverman, X. Wang, J. P. Anderson, A. V. Filippenko, W. L. Freedman, M. Hamuy, S. W. Jha, R. P. Kirshner, C. McCully, S. E. Persson, M. M. Phillips, D. E. Reichart, A. M. Soderberg. Type Iax Supernovae: A New Class of Stellar Explosion. The Astrophysical Journal, 2013; 767 (1): 57 DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/767/1/57
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Even if you've got no idea what the Havok engine is, you've probably seen it before. Name a best-selling video game, and the odds that it's using Havok in one way or another are pretty huge. This morning, Havok announced Project Anarchy, a 3D engine for mobile games that they plan to release this Spring. The twist? They don't want your money.
GameStick is here ... er, sort of. The development units are at least here at GDC 2013, quietly hanging out behind a nondescript computer monitor running a few Android games paired with a Nyko wireless controller. That's right, it wasn't running with the proprietary GameStick controller, but a third-party wireless -- we'll go hands-on with the company's internally built controller later this evening, and thusly we didn't want to offer a half-impression with the third-party units available on the show floor. Stay tuned for more, and take a gander at the gallery below for now.
The last time we saw UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, he was defending his belt against Nick Diaz at UFC 158. But now you'll get to see him outside the cage, as he was just cast in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." GSP will play Batroc the Leaper, a French mercenary and kickboxer with a penchant for kicking Captain America.
How can we prepare better for emergencies?Public release date: 25-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Pressoffice Pressoffice@esrc.ac.uk Economic & Social Research Council
Well designed and planned exercises are essential to ensure that the UK can respond effectively to emergencies of all kinds, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The emergencies may take the form of a terrorist attack, flooding, pandemic flu, rail or air disaster - or any major disruptive event requiring an emergency response.
The number of such exercises taking place across the UK each year within what the researchers call the 'resilience community' - including emergency services, local authorities, central government departments and agencies, and many large commercial organisations - is probably in the thousands, according to Dr Ben Anderson from Durham University and Dr Peter Adey of Royal Holloway. And each exercise varies in scale, duration and complexity depending on its design and purpose.
The aim of the research was to generate new knowledge about how exercises are planned, designed and undertaken, particularly following the 2004 Civil Contingencies Act, and to learn from practitioners about how the planning and design of exercises might be improved.
Researchers interviewed emergency services nationwide and observed exercises directly and have subsequently created white papers and user guides indicating good practice in exercise design. These underline the importance of pre-exercise briefing to communicate the purpose, activities, roles and responsibilities of an exercise. They explain the value of focusing on the role of the key responders and those in leading positions in a multi-agency scenario.
They also highlight how thought cards, task cards and aide memoirs for key individuals will instil confidence and knowledge. Equally, the research suggests the effectiveness of the surprise element by introducing a 'no notice' exercise to test capabilities and they stress the use of realism, plausibility and building up a sense of excitement.
The research demonstrates that exercises have a number of valuable functions. They develop, test and validate plans, protocols and procedures, such as those involved when an emergency situation moves from the immediate response to the recovery phase. They test organisational forms and systematic routines, such as how to set up strategic coordinating groups providing leadership. They check the workability of communications networks and practices. Not least, they develop staff competences to have the ability to use a tactical plan and to make judgements under pressure.
Says Dr Anderson: "The learning and capabilities deriving from all forms of exercise make a massive but largely hidden contribution to the ability of the UK to respond to emergencies and ensure public wellbeing."
The researchers have also emphasised the value of exercises in achieving familiarisation with other organisations. This demands multi-agency collaboration and co-ordination, enabling staff and participants to build new relationships and trust with different working cultures. Dr Anderson comments: "Organisations involved in emergency planning and responses have different working styles, hierarchies and structures so that exercises will be challenging in different ways to all involved."
Dr Anderson says: "The informal interaction between individuals and groups afforded by exercises is also central to their value. In our white papers and user guides we indicate how and why maximum learning can be gained and retained from the design, planning and prosecution of exercises. Improved exercising will help local authorities and other organisations be better prepared for the range of emergencies they face"
###
For further information contact:
Dr Ben Anderson
Email: ben.anderson@durham.ac.uk
Telephone: 0191 334 1897 or 07985 534039
ESRC Press Office:
Sarah Nichols
Email: sarah.nichols@esrc.ac.uk
Telephone: 01793 413122
1. This release is based on the findings from 'Staging and Performing Emergencies: The Role of Exercises in UK Preparedness'. The research project was funded by the ESRC and carried out by researchers from Durham University, Royal Holloway and Newcastle University. The project involved a major dissemination event attended by 40 practitioners including members of local authorities, Police, Red Cross, MoD, the Home Office, the Government Decontamination Service and numerous Local Resilience Forums.
2. The project approach was threefold: firstly, analysis of major documentation surrounding the 2004 Civil Contingencies Act. Secondly, in-depth interviews with emergency planners primarily from local authorities throughout the UK. The interviews focused on how exercises were designed, planned and undertaken and learnt from in the light of a range of threats and hazards facing the UK. Thirdly, observation of exercises and occasions of planning for exercises by the project team. This included focus on how multi-agency collaborations occur at various stages of an exercise, how exercises could be staged in a realistic way and the role of umpires, players and directors - plus the specific ways in which response in time-pressured complex situations is rehearsed.
3. The research is accredited to the RCUK Global Uncertainties programme. Global Uncertainties is examining the causes of insecurity and how security risks and threats can be predicted, prevented and managed. The programme is one of six RCUK priority themes and brings together the activities of all seven UK Research Councils to better integrate current research investments as well as support new multi-disciplinary research in security.
4. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's total budget for 2012/13 is 205 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes.
5. The ESRC confirms the quality of its funded research by evaluating research projects through a process of peer review. This research has been graded as very good.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
How can we prepare better for emergencies?Public release date: 25-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Pressoffice Pressoffice@esrc.ac.uk Economic & Social Research Council
Well designed and planned exercises are essential to ensure that the UK can respond effectively to emergencies of all kinds, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The emergencies may take the form of a terrorist attack, flooding, pandemic flu, rail or air disaster - or any major disruptive event requiring an emergency response.
The number of such exercises taking place across the UK each year within what the researchers call the 'resilience community' - including emergency services, local authorities, central government departments and agencies, and many large commercial organisations - is probably in the thousands, according to Dr Ben Anderson from Durham University and Dr Peter Adey of Royal Holloway. And each exercise varies in scale, duration and complexity depending on its design and purpose.
The aim of the research was to generate new knowledge about how exercises are planned, designed and undertaken, particularly following the 2004 Civil Contingencies Act, and to learn from practitioners about how the planning and design of exercises might be improved.
Researchers interviewed emergency services nationwide and observed exercises directly and have subsequently created white papers and user guides indicating good practice in exercise design. These underline the importance of pre-exercise briefing to communicate the purpose, activities, roles and responsibilities of an exercise. They explain the value of focusing on the role of the key responders and those in leading positions in a multi-agency scenario.
They also highlight how thought cards, task cards and aide memoirs for key individuals will instil confidence and knowledge. Equally, the research suggests the effectiveness of the surprise element by introducing a 'no notice' exercise to test capabilities and they stress the use of realism, plausibility and building up a sense of excitement.
The research demonstrates that exercises have a number of valuable functions. They develop, test and validate plans, protocols and procedures, such as those involved when an emergency situation moves from the immediate response to the recovery phase. They test organisational forms and systematic routines, such as how to set up strategic coordinating groups providing leadership. They check the workability of communications networks and practices. Not least, they develop staff competences to have the ability to use a tactical plan and to make judgements under pressure.
Says Dr Anderson: "The learning and capabilities deriving from all forms of exercise make a massive but largely hidden contribution to the ability of the UK to respond to emergencies and ensure public wellbeing."
The researchers have also emphasised the value of exercises in achieving familiarisation with other organisations. This demands multi-agency collaboration and co-ordination, enabling staff and participants to build new relationships and trust with different working cultures. Dr Anderson comments: "Organisations involved in emergency planning and responses have different working styles, hierarchies and structures so that exercises will be challenging in different ways to all involved."
Dr Anderson says: "The informal interaction between individuals and groups afforded by exercises is also central to their value. In our white papers and user guides we indicate how and why maximum learning can be gained and retained from the design, planning and prosecution of exercises. Improved exercising will help local authorities and other organisations be better prepared for the range of emergencies they face"
###
For further information contact:
Dr Ben Anderson
Email: ben.anderson@durham.ac.uk
Telephone: 0191 334 1897 or 07985 534039
ESRC Press Office:
Sarah Nichols
Email: sarah.nichols@esrc.ac.uk
Telephone: 01793 413122
1. This release is based on the findings from 'Staging and Performing Emergencies: The Role of Exercises in UK Preparedness'. The research project was funded by the ESRC and carried out by researchers from Durham University, Royal Holloway and Newcastle University. The project involved a major dissemination event attended by 40 practitioners including members of local authorities, Police, Red Cross, MoD, the Home Office, the Government Decontamination Service and numerous Local Resilience Forums.
2. The project approach was threefold: firstly, analysis of major documentation surrounding the 2004 Civil Contingencies Act. Secondly, in-depth interviews with emergency planners primarily from local authorities throughout the UK. The interviews focused on how exercises were designed, planned and undertaken and learnt from in the light of a range of threats and hazards facing the UK. Thirdly, observation of exercises and occasions of planning for exercises by the project team. This included focus on how multi-agency collaborations occur at various stages of an exercise, how exercises could be staged in a realistic way and the role of umpires, players and directors - plus the specific ways in which response in time-pressured complex situations is rehearsed.
3. The research is accredited to the RCUK Global Uncertainties programme. Global Uncertainties is examining the causes of insecurity and how security risks and threats can be predicted, prevented and managed. The programme is one of six RCUK priority themes and brings together the activities of all seven UK Research Councils to better integrate current research investments as well as support new multi-disciplinary research in security.
4. The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It supports independent high quality research which has an impact on business, the public sector and the third sector. The ESRC's total budget for 2012/13 is 205 million. At any one time the ESRC supports over 4,000 researchers and postgraduate students in academic institutions and independent research institutes.
5. The ESRC confirms the quality of its funded research by evaluating research projects through a process of peer review. This research has been graded as very good.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Xi'an is one the oldest cities in China that has a rich and culturally significant history. There are several historical sites in Xi'an that anyone who visits city should not miss. Army of Terra Cotta Warriors, also known as the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses, is generously dotted with sculptures of the armies from the first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang. This mausoleum is one of Xi'an city's greatest attractions which sprawl over an area of twenty hectares. The landscaping with much greenery, blossoming flowers and green grass surrounding the location attracts a large number of visitors throughout the year. Great Mosque of Xian, one if the best preserved and largest Islamic mosques in China was constructed during the Tang Dynasty. The unique and resplendent architecture in the mosque which combines traditional Muslim and Chinese styles, thereby creating a marvel of sorts is a must see for anyone who visits Xian. Famed for its long historical significance and the romantic love story between Emperor Xuanzon and Yang Guifei during the Tang Dynasty, the Huaqing hot spring is among the magnificent landscapes of the city of Xian. Visitors can not only enjoy the scenery but experience the joy of having a refreshing bath in this extraordinary ever-flowing water of the spring. Apart from these three sites there is so much more to see and do in Xi'an. As with most parts of China this is a city with a strong heritage and a bold and vibrant culture. Other historical attractions include the Xian City Wall, Bell and Drum Towers, Big Goose Pagoda among many others. When visiting the city check for Xian accommodation that is convenient and relaxing. There are several accommodation options in Xian whether you are travelling with friends and family for leisure or on a business trip. Without checking into a hotel you can book serviced apartments Xian, which are exclusive serviced residences that create a more luxurious feel than staying in a hotel. One of the best recommended apartments would be Citadines Central Xi'an, which is just minutes away from the main city with a short distance to several historical locations in Xian.
About the Author: Nelson Osborne is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.
Even if you've got no idea what the Havok engine is, you've probably seen it before. Name a best-selling video game, and the odds that it's using Havok in one way or another are pretty huge. This morning, Havok announced Project Anarchy, a 3D engine for mobile games that they plan to release this Spring. The twist? They don't want your money.
It doesn't look like he'll have to do much research to figure that part of the character out.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uckN0WO6sXartXnmcEUzg-ziPaCOeS0TrwSb2Ix5pwakXuNhlMwR6-hXI7_gn949JO2tueNJqtNhtRBAM_glkXB4Np7wNkVuhF6iSZlOk=s0-d){kind=small}
Public release date: 25-Mar-2013
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