View allAll Photos Tagged diagnostics
Diagnostic Wrybill, Ngutuparore, Anarhynchus frontalis, 20 - 21 cm. / 7.8 - 8.3 in. VULNERABLE ENDEMIC found along estuaries of the North Island. Unique bill that bends to the right. While feeding on mudflats as the tide was receding 350 - 400 meters distant.
Puketutu Island, Auckland Region, North Island, New Zealand.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Kittlitz's Plover, Charadrius pecuarius, 12 - 14 cm. / 4.7-5.5 in. LEAST CONCERN. Found on coastal and inland wetlands.
Seen enroute to Tulear from Ifaty, Madagascar.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Yellow-browed Sparrow, Ammodramus auriferons, 13 cm. / 5 in. COMMON and widespread in grassy areas of the eastern lowlands. Even though we only spotted this single.
Valladolid, Loja Province, Ecuador.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Nuthatch Vanga, Hypositta corallirostris, 13-14 cm 5-5.5 in. LEAST CONCERN. Very brief and distant glimpse and a rather poor shot. The only one we spotted.
Perinet-Analamazaotra Special Reserve, Madagascar.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Gray Tit-Flycatcher, Fraseria plumbeus orientalis, Myioparus plumbeus, 14 cm / 5.5 in. Locally COMMON resident in dense woodland and savanna thickets, riparian woodland and forest edge.
Sukuza Camp, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Wall Skink, Fence Skink, Snake-eyed Skink, Cryptoblepharus virgatus, 40 mm. / 1.6 in. Urban areas, woodlands and grasslands. Often on vertical surface such as trees, fences and walls.
Mareeba Wetlands, Mareeba, Queensland, Cairns Administrative Region, Australia.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Retz's Helmetshrike, Prionops retzii, 22 cm / 8.66 in. COMMON resident in woodland, including miombo, and riparian forest.
Limpopo Valley, South Africa.
©bryanjsmith.
Hi,
I'm looking for a diagnostic on this first attempted moonlight exposure.
Exposure ranges I have taken from the guidance published at mkaz.com/2004/07/05/exposures-for-moonlight-photography/
But where did the purple light leaks come from?
--
Please feel free to follow me on Flickr by adding me as a contact www.flickr.com/relationship.gne?id=24366212@N07 so I can follow all your new uploads.
Previews are on my instagram account at www.instagram.com/charlespuckle/
I also curate a photographic magazine on Flipboard. Do drop into Charles' Photographic Scrapbook at flip.it/Fo0Ng.
M
Alternatively follow me on Twitter @CharlesPuckle
(c) Charles Puckle
I recently added a grove of Ponderosa Pines near my sawmill. I am pleased with the results of each tree, but I label this as a diagnostic photo because it also revealed some flaws that needed to be corrected. The molded tree bases were glued to the painted plaster cloth and Styrofoam SubTerrain, but I failed to completely paint the tree bases. Ooops! I corrected this by painting the bases and covering them with ground foam that looked like ferns and underbrush that often grows around tree trunks.
Woodland Scenics makes several sizes of conifer tree kits that can be bent and trimmed into several tree shapes. The tree trunks are then painted the proper color before applying the adhesive that holds on the ground foam foliage. That also applies to their broad leaf tree kits. In this case, I painted the trunks a rust brown color characteristic of the Ponderosa Pines growing throughout the Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevadas, Cascades, and other western mountain ranges. This grove of pines are 70 to 80 scale feet tall. My highest ones in another grove are about 110 scale feet tall; however the real species have been measured at 268 feet. This particular species of pine are fairly drought resistant and often grow in fairly open groves with brush or grass underneath. They form the Transition Zone between the semi-desert Upper Sonoran Zone of pinyons, junipers, and scrub oaks below and the Canadian Zone of Douglas Firs. Aspens can grow in either zone after it as been disturbed by fire or landslide and provide shade for the pines, firs, and spruce to grow.
In the background you can see the millpond and sawmill.
Diagnostic Southern Cassowary, Casuarius casuarius, 170 - 175 cm. / 67 - 69 in. Quite a distance away, this adult male, with an immature bird following it, was strolling along a stream. You can not see their legs, but each has only two: ) Tropical rainforest, preferring stream banks and clearings.
Moresby Range National Park, Queensland, Australia.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Meyer's Parrot, Poicephalus meyeri saturatus, 23cm. / 9in. COMMON and widespread in woodlands, brush lands, scrub and cultivation.
Harambee Road, Kisumu, Western Region, Kenya.
©bryanjsmith.
Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon Portugal
Charles Correa Associates designed this research and diagnostic centre located in Lisbon. It is a state-of-the-art facility guided by some of the best scientist in the world. The site, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean, is steeped in history. It is the site where Henry the Navigator, Vasco de Gama and other great Portuguese left on their journeys into the unknown—a perfect metaphor for the discoveries of contemporary science today. The 3 units that constitute the project are:
•the largest for the doctors and scientist,
•the second for the theatre, the exhibition hall, the foundation offices, etc,
•the third is an open-air amphitheatre for the city.
They have been arranged to create a 125m long pathway leading diagonally across the site, towards the open seas. This pathway is ramped up at a gentle slope of 1:20, so as you ascend, you see only sky ahead of you. At the end of the ramp are two stone monoliths, straight from the quarry. When you reach the highest point, you begin to see a large body of water, which seemingly connects (i.e. without any visual break) to the ocean beyond. In the centre of this water body, just below the surface of the water, is an oval shaped object—made of stainless steel and slightly convex, so that it reflects the blue sky and passing clouds above.
Diagnostic Meyer's Parrot, Poicephalus meyeri saturatus, 23 cm. / 9 in. Widespread and sometimes COMMON in woodland, bushland, scrub and cultivation below 2200 m. / 7218 ft.
Maasai Mara, Kenya.
©bryansmith.
Diagnostic Pink-legged Graveteiro, Acrobata, Acrobatornis fonsecai, 14 cm. / 5.5 in. UNCOMMON. VULNERABLE ENDEMIC to the Atlantic Forest in cacao plantations shaded by taller trees.
Camacan, Bahia, Brazil.
©bryanjsmith
Diagnostic Grey-cheeked Thrush, Catharus minimus, 18.4 cm / 7.25 in. COMMON in breeding range in spruce woods. Can be difficult to see. Shot through the van window handheld in June 2007. .
Along Old Denali Highway, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, USA.
©bryanjsmith.
It's almost like they planned this sign to go with the perfectly framed view of Pikes Peak featuring turning aspen below.
Although sexual attitudes tracing back to Ancient Greece (8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity (ca. 600 AD)) have been termed homophobia by scholars, the term itself is relatively new,and an intolerance towards homosexuality and homosexuals grew during the Middle Ages, especially by adherents of Islam and Christianity.Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, may be based on irrational fear, and is often related to religious beliefs.Homophobia is observable in critical and hostile behavior such as discrimination and violence on the basis of sexual orientations that are non-heterosexual. Recognized types of homophobia include institutionalized homophobia, e.g. religious homophobia and state-sponsored homophobia, and internalized homophobia, experienced by people who have same-sex attractions, regardless of how they identify.Negative attitudes toward identifiable LGBT groups have similar yet specific names: lesbophobia is the intersection of homophobia and sexism directed against lesbians, biphobia targets bisexuality and bisexual people, and transphobia targets transgender and transsexual people and gender variance or gender role nonconformity.In the USA, according to the 2010 Hate Crimes Statistics released by the FBI National Press Office, 19.3 percent of hate crimes across the United States "were motivated by a sexual orientation bias."Moreover, in a Southern Poverty Law Center 2010 Intelligence Report extrapolating data from fourteen years (1995–2008), which had complete data available at the time, of the FBI's national hate crime statistics found that LGBT people were "far more likely than any other minority group in the United States to be victimized by violent hate crime."Coined by George Weinberg, a psychologist, in the 1960s,the term homophobia is a blend of the word homosexual, itself a mix of neo-classical morphemes, and phobia from the Greek φόβος, Phóbos, meaning "fear" or "morbid fear". Weinberg is credited as the first person to have used the term in speech.The word homophobia first appeared in print in an article written for the May 23, 1969, edition of the American pornographic magazine Screw, in which the word was used to refer to heterosexual men's fear that others might think they are gay.Conceptualizing anti-LGBT prejudice as a social problem worthy of scholarly attention was not new. A 1969 article in Time described examples of negative attitudes toward homosexuality as "homophobia", including "a mixture of revulsion and apprehension" which some called homosexual panic. In 1971, Kenneth Smith used homophobia as a personality profile to describe the psychological aversion to homosexuality.[16] Weinberg also used it this way in his 1972 book Society and the Healthy Homosexual,published one year before the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.Weinberg's term became an important tool for gay and lesbian activists, advocates, and their allies. He describes the concept as a medical phobia:[A] phobia about homosexuals.... It was a fear of homosexuals which seemed to be associated with a fear of contagion, a fear of reducing the things one fought for — home and family. It was a religious fear and it had led to great brutality as fear always does.Internalized homophobia refers to negative stereotypes, beliefs, stigma, and prejudice about homosexuality and LGBT people that a person with same-sex attraction turns inward on themselves, whether or not they identify as LGBT. The degree to which someone is affected by these ideas depends on how much and which ideas they have consciously and subconsciously internalized.These negative beliefs can be mitigated with education, life experience and therapy,especially with gay-friendly psychotherapy/analysis.Internalized homophobia also applies to conscious or unconscious behaviors which a person feels the need to promote or conform to cultural expectations of heteronormativity or heterosexism.This can include extreme repression and denial coupled with forced outward displays of heteronormative behavior for the purpose of appearing or attempting to feel "normal" or "accepted." Expressions of internalized homophobia can also be subtle. Some less overt behaviors may include making assumptions about the gender of a person's romantic partner, or about gender roles.[52] Some researchers also apply this label to LGBT people who support "compromise" policies, such as those that find civil unions acceptable in place of same-sex marriage.Some studies have shown that people who are homophobic are more likely to have repressed homosexual desires.[59] In 1996, a controlled study of 64 heterosexual men (half said they were homophobic by experience, with self-reported orientation) at the University of Georgia found that men who were found to be homophobic (as measured by the Index of Homophobia)[60] were considerably more likely to experience more erectile responses when exposed to homoerotic images than non-homophobic men.Another study in 2012 arrived at similar results when researchers found that students who came from "the most rigid anti-gay homes" were most likely to reveal repressed homosexual attraction.The researchers said that this explained why some religious leaders who denounce homosexuality are later revealed to have secret homosexual relations.They noted that "these people are at war with themselves and are turning this internal conflict outward."Researcher Iain R. Williamson, in his 1998 work "Internalized Homophobia and Health Issues Affecting Lesbians and Gay Men" finds the term homophobia to be "highly problematic" but for reasons of continuity and consistency with the majority of other publications on the issue retains its use rather than using more accurate but obscure terminology..The phrase internalized sexual stigma is sometimes used in place to represent internalized homophobia.An internalized stigma arises when a person believes negative stereotypes about themselves, regardless of where the stereotypes come from. It can also refer to many stereotypes beyond sexuality and gender roles. Internalized homophobia can cause discomfort with and disapproval of one's own sexual orientation. Ego-dystonic sexual orientation or egodystonic homophobia, for instance, is a condition characterized by having a sexual orientation or an attraction that is at odds with one's idealized self-image, causing anxiety and a desire to change one's orientation or become more comfortable with one's sexual orientation. Such a situation may cause extreme repression of homosexual desires.[60] In other cases, a conscious internal struggle may occur for some time, often pitting deeply held religious or social beliefs against strong sexual and emotional desires. This discordance can cause clinical depression, and a higher rate of suicide among LGBT youth (up to 30 percent of non-heterosexual youth attempt suicide) has been attributed to this phenomenon.Psychotherapy, such as gay affirmative psychotherapy, and participation in a sexual-minority affirming group can help resolve the internal conflicts, such as between religious beliefs and sexual identity.Even informal therapies that address understanding and accepting of non-heterosexual orientations can prove effective.Many diagnostic "Internalized Homophobia Scales" can be used to measure a person's discomfort with their sexuality and some can be used by people regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Critics of the scales note that they presume a discomfort with non-heterosexuality which in itself enforces heternormativity.
Diagnostic Mangrove Finch, Camarhynchus heliobates, Pinzón del Magyar, 14 cm. / 5.5 in. CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ENDEMIC and a VERY RARE species. We were fortunate to find two birds in a mangrove lagoon near the beach. Their population stands at 20 - 40 birds due to very limited habitat. Plus, there may be speciation between the two remaining fragments of habitat which increases the risk that one, or both populations may go extinct because of an inadequate gene pool. One of "Darwin's Finches".
West coast of Isla Isabela (Albemarle Island), Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Fischer's Starling, Lamprotornis fischeri, 19 cm. / 7.5 in. Locally COMMON in dry bush habitat.
Erte Arabico Sokoko State Forest, Tsavo East National Park, Kenya.
©bryanjsmith.
Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon Portugal
Charles Correa Associates designed this research and diagnostic centre located in Lisbon. It is a state-of-the-art facility guided by some of the best scientist in the world. The site, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean, is steeped in history. It is the site where Henry the Navigator, Vasco de Gama and other great Portuguese left on their journeys into the unknown—a perfect metaphor for the discoveries of contemporary science today. The 3 units that constitute the project are:
•the largest for the doctors and scientist,
•the second for the theatre, the exhibition hall, the foundation offices, etc,
•the third is an open-air amphitheatre for the city.
They have been arranged to create a 125m long pathway leading diagonally across the site, towards the open seas. This pathway is ramped up at a gentle slope of 1:20, so as you ascend, you see only sky ahead of you. At the end of the ramp are two stone monoliths, straight from the quarry. When you reach the highest point, you begin to see a large body of water, which seemingly connects (i.e. without any visual break) to the ocean beyond. In the centre of this water body, just below the surface of the water, is an oval shaped object—made of stainless steel and slightly convex, so that it reflects the blue sky and passing clouds above.
Beyond its scientific importance, the centre’s design has also caught the attention of architects around the world. The bid to design the site was won by Indian architect Charles Correa, who also designed the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The centre features a large interior rainforest connecting clinics and laboratories, chemotherapy suites with gardens, and many areas open for public use, including exhibition halls, an outdoor amphitheatre and landscaped walking areas. It is hoped that the location of the centre in the heart of Lisbon, as well as the openness of the site to the public, will encourage awareness of the centre and the Champalimaud Foundation, as well as the health and medical issues that their work is aiming to address.
20201022221012ZW4N41.927E12.481G2.900E1H3.000E1
[Metrionotus Moczar 1970: 16 (IT: 1) spp]
FLVOR of this genus in IT outside IT-82. Same specimen, sx profile. Cfr. notes¹ over the above image.
Metrionotus is not easily recognized among the other Mesitiinæ but some characters are helpful, such as foveolate body surface, dorsal pronotal area with median pronotal line, amsct without median mesonotal line, posterior propodeal projection present. This genus has some characters shared with Anaylax and Clytrovorus, and probably has some spp erroneously allocated to these gg; hence a revision is necessary both for sp level and genus limit diagnoses. Argaman redescribed Metrionotus in 2003 citing that it closely resembles Anaylax because both gg have black head, anterior ocellus crossing supraocular line and hypopygium wider than long. This emphasizes how difficult it is to understand Metrionotus and consequently its recognition.
NOTES
1. Specific diagnostic characters: foveolate body surface, dorsal pronotal area with median pronotal line, amsct without median mesonotal line, posterior propodeal projection present.
REFERENCES
D.N. Barbosa & al. 2021: Chrysidoidea sting morphology.
E.G.F. Regina 2020: Metrionotus IT FLVOR outside IT-82.
G.O. Lanes & al. 2020: Bethylidæ revisited morphology.
C. Jouault & al. 2020: Bethylidæ evolution.
C.O. Azevedo & al. 2018: Bethylidæ global guide, pp. 198-200.
Novartis, a Swiss-based company, is a global leader in the field of healthcare-related biotechnology.
They are also known for their interest in bold architecture.
This striking building, in Emeryville, California, is Novartis' headquarters for vaccines and diagnostic products.
Taken by a camera lofted by a helium balloon.
© All rights reserved
Later named Angela Merc, by Alison..
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel
Great features and condition for comfort, built and added to by two owners over a few years of travel!
Here are some details...
Mercedes sprinter MWB 413 CDI turbo. $ 28000
Year ... 2002
275555 klm
New windscreen
Duel rear wheels
2x 80 watt solar panels
2x 120 amp hour batteries
Gas hot water
Toilet/shower
3/4 fridge ..3 way domestic
Diesel heater
Microwave
90 ltr water tank--80ltr Gray water tank
Electrolux awning
Iron man rear awning
Rev camera
4burner stove oven and griller
413CDi Turbo diesel, MWB 276,000km good tyres, passed Rego inspection, and computer memory diagnostics, the EDC, or Electronic Diagnostic Computer, then had a P1234 error code that was the throttle sensor, reset by the local Mercedes dealer.
We have removed the two UHF CB aerials and replaced them with one on the nearside end of the roo bar, and fitted a new booster and better AM antenna on the roof!
specs on Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_Sprinter#Engines
2000–2006 (2002–2006 USA)[edit]
A model 308 D adapted for use as a postbus in Austria (2008)
modelsengine codeconfigurationdisplacementmax. powermax. torque
208 CDI
308 CDI
408 CDI OM 611 inline four 16v DOHC2,148 cc (131.1 cu in)82 PS (60 kW; 81 hp)200 N·m (148 lbf·ft)
211 CDI
311 CDI
411 CDIOM 611inline four 16v DOHC2,148 cc (131.1 cu in)109 PS (80 kW; 108 hp)270 N·m (199 lbf·ft)
213 CDI
313 CDI
413 CDI OM 611 inline four 16v DOHC2,148 cc (131.1 cu in)
129 PS (95 kW; 127 hp)300 N·m (221 lbf·ft)
216 CDI
316 CDI
416 CDI
616 CDIOM 612 /
OM 647inline five 20v DOHC2,685 cc (163.8 cu in)156 PS (115 kW; 154 hp)330 N·m (243 lbf·ft)
214
314
414M 111 inline four 16v DOHC2,295 cc (140.0 cu in)143 PS (105 kW; 141 hp)210 N·m (155 lbf·ft)
Vehicle Choices
The base vehicle choice offered by Winnebago for the 2104 is quite awesome! Full marks to Winnebago. All are four cylinder. It starts with the Ford Transit 4250 (90 KW), then the Mercedes 413 (95 KW), then the Mazda 4600 (78.6 KW) and finally the Isuzu NPR 300 (89 KW). Interestingly no petrol versions are available and, all offerings are turbo charged except the Mazda.
The Mercedes is the smallest motor, yet because it is so hi-tech, it easily develops the most power regardless of cubic capacity. Auto options are available on the Mercedes, and Isuzu only. We spoke to as many owners as we could find at the 2002 CMCA Rally at Barcaldine and the Mercedes easily seemed to be giving the most user satisfaction followed by Ford. Time and time again the excellent fuel economy was high on the list for reasons for purchasing.
The Mercedes is a VERY high tech machine using common rail diesel injection technology. This results in the exceptional power from such a tiny 2150 cc motor. We spoke to three owners who claimed between 500 to 700 kms range from the 75 litre fuel tank. Amazing stuff as with the little Freeway we filled up as soon as we hit 300/350. These figures are of course pie in the sky and the best one can hope to achieve is 13 litres/100 by travelling around 90 KPH.
Rather oddly Winnebago mention none of the fantastic features found on the Mercedes such as the Sprint Shift. This lets you drive in automatic mode (6 speeds) as a clutchless manual similar to how a motorbike works. There is NO red line on the tacho as engine management will not let you do anything that can vaguely damage the engine. It is also the only vehicle offering disc brakes on all wheels, a most desirable feature on any motorhome.
from www.around-oz.com/reviews_mh/leisure_seeker_2104_page_1.htm
Diagnostic Levaillant's Cisticola, Cisticola tinniens tinniens, 13 - 14 cm. / 5 - 5.5 in. COMMON and widespread in marshy vegetation and areas of long, rank grass in open grassland. Handheld.
Dicken's Pan, Elandsvlei, Gauteng Province, South Africa.
©bryanjsmith.
Erika returned to her bench with the diagnostic slate tucked under one arm, as if Eidolon’s presence, impossibly expensive and quietly strange, were simply another system awaiting attention.
Vivienne lingered on the hotdog couch. She pretended the coffee was better here than at the Ravenwood so no one would interpret her staying as protectiveness toward something others would have left to be repaired.
“Erika,” Eidolon said.
Erika looked up. “Yes?”
“I would like to initiate an unscheduled change,” Eidolon continued. “I require external confirmation of outcome.”
Erika’s eyebrows rose a fraction, but she simply nodded. “All right. Show me.”
Eidolon passed behind the partition.
There was a soft whisper of fabric.
Eidolon turned with careful efficiency and stepped out from behind the partition of the small fitting alcove.
The dress was metallic olive-gold, liquid in the light. It cut away with deliberate confidence: bare sides, an open front that framed her torso without apology, the halter rising cleanly to her throat before falling into a long, uninterrupted line to the floor.
Eidolon stopped in the center of the workshop and waited, motionless, as if she had entered a new configuration and was awaiting evaluation.
Erika exhaled slowly. Her expression softened.
“That’s… good,” Erika said. “That’s very good.”
Eidolon’s optics brightened a fraction. “Define ‘good.’”
Erika took a step closer. “It suits you.”
Eidolon processed. “Clarify: does it suit aesthetically?”
“Yes.” Erika’s voice stayed calm, but her eyes did not. They lingered, curious, interested, careful. “Aesthetically.”
Eidolon nodded once. “Confirmation received.”
Only then did Vivienne lift her knuckles briefly to her lips as she suppressed a chuckle.
Eidolon turned her head toward Vivienne. “Director. You are producing an unclassified vocalization.”
Vivienne straightened, executive composure snapping back into place. “I’m fine.”
With an amused, deeply fond smile, she added dryly, “Congratulations. You’ve just been assessed.”
Eidolon’s head tilted. “By whom.”
Vivienne’s brows lifted as she nodded toward Erika. “By the only person in this room whose opinion you asked for.”
Eidolon’s internal systems ran a quick check: Request initiated; response delivered by Erika; positive variance detected; Director amused; no threats present.
“Understood,” Eidolon said.
Then, in the calm tone she might use to request a replacement actuator, she asked Erika, “Would you like to see it in motion?”
Erika blinked. “Yes,” she said. “I would.”
Eidolon extended her hands, palms slightly open.
Erika laid her hands lightly on Eidolon’s, accepting as if they were delicate components.
Eidolon’s internal clock stuttered.
Not enough to register as a fault. Just enough to delay the next scheduled task by three milliseconds.
“Proceed?” Eidolon asked.
Erika’s eyes, blue behind the thin frames, registered with slightly higher contrast as they lifted to meet hers. “Proceed,” she said.
And somewhere deep in Eidolon’s architecture, a priority flag reindexed itself.
It was no longer grouped with maintenance or optimization.
It nested beside motion control and proximity thresholds.
It remained unnamed.
Filed as unscheduled.
And therefore far more dangerous than anything planned.
Diagnostic Plaintive Cuckoo, Cacomantis merulinus querulus, 23 cm / 9.1 in. Resident of forest and wooded country. Rainy evening in the park just prior to us being threatened by a bull elephant. Quickly moving along, loud clapping and shouting saved the evening! Handheld.
Nameri National Park, Assam Province, India.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Female Golden-winged Warbler, Vermivora chrysoptyera, 4.75 in. / 12.1 cm. NEAR THREATENED. UNCOMMON and declining population in brushy forest habitat with a few tall trees.
Boardwalk, Magee Marsh, Ottawa County, Ohio, United States.
©bryanjsmith.
9160 008 als "Rail diagnostic train" FMK 008 im degradierten Bahnhof Kolbnitz an der Tauern-Betonbahn.
Diagnostic Male Musk Duck, Biziura lobata, M: 66 cm / 25.9 in; F: 55 cm / 21.6 in. ENDEMIC duck. Not a great image because he kept his distance. Large lobe of skin hanging below the bill. Seen in permanent swamps, large open lakes, tidal inlets and bays.
Beaufort River, Western Australia, Australia.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Golden-crowned Flycatcher, Myiodynastes chrysocephalus, 20.5 cm. / 8 in. Borders of foothill and sub-tropical forest and woodland and adjacent clearings on both slopes.
Numbala Road, Valladolid, Zamora-Chinchipe Province, Ecuador.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Spot-winged Pigeon, Patagonienas maculosa, 32-33 cm.
Putre, Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Taita Falcon, Falco fasciinucha, 25 - 30 cm / 9.8 - 11.8 in. THREATENED in South Africa. RARE and localized resident closely associated with cliffs and gorges in woodlands. Way, way up there (above the large whitewash spot ~ 2 o'clock)!
Abel Erasmus Pass, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
©Bryan Jsmith.
Nigerian lab technicians undergo malaria microscopy mentoring with the U.S. Army Research Unit-Kenya’s Malaria Diagnostics and Control Center of Excellence speciailists recently at a Nigerian Air Force hospital near Lagos, Nigeria.
U.S. Army photo by Rick Scavetta
A team of medical experts from U.S. Army Medical Research Unit-Kenya recently visited Nigeria to offer their expertise in malaria microscopy.
The team from USAMRU-K, also known as the Walter Reed Project, departed the unit’s Malaria Diagnostics and Control Center of Excellence in Kisumu, Kenya – arriving in Lagos in late-September, said Maj. Eric Wagar, director of the center.
“Our team was invited to Nigeria to teach a malaria microscopy course and mentor Nigerian instructors who had previously undergone the course at our center in Kisumu,” Wagar said. “This effort in Nigeria is an example of USAMRU-K’s expanding role in Africa to support efforts that increase capabilities within African partner nations.”
The course is the first step in establishing a new malaria microscopy training center in Nigeria as part of the cooperative efforts between the U.S. Defense Department’s HIV program in Nigeria and the Nigerian Ministry of Defense, Wagar said.
One of five U.S. military research overseas labs, USAMRU-K was first established in 1969 at Kenya’s invitation to study trypanosomiasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by the tsetse fly. In 1973, the unit was permanently set up in Nairobi, working through an agreement with the Kenya Medical Research Institute. USAMRU-K has 10 U.S. Army Soldiers, two Army civilians and over 400 Kenyan contractors – a mix of doctors, nurses, scientists and laboratory technicians who work together to research, test and prevent disease.
Much of the USAMRU-K’s efforts are centered on malaria research, anti-malarial drug testing and studies to support malaria vaccines. Other research helps people facing HIV, diarrheal disease and tuberculosis.
In 2004, USAMRU-K began courses at Kisumu. Since then, the center hosted more than 500 students from 16 African countries in an outreach to improve the technicians’ ability to read blood samples for malaria diagnosis, said Col. David Jones, director of USAMRU-K’s Kisumu station.
In the past, research suffered because lab technicians were unable to correctly read blood slides during studies, Jones said.
“Training is pivotal to improve the quality of lab work,” Jones said.
In July 2009, two laboratory technicians from U.S. Defense Department’s HIV program in Nigeria completed the microscopy course in Kenya. The pair served as primary instructors for the first microscopy course in Nigeria - a two-week effort held at the 445th Nigerian Air Force Hospital, Wagar said. In addition to providing medical care for the Nigerian military, the hospital also provides care to a large number of civilian patients.
Upon the USAMRU-K team’s arrival, Nigerian Air Force Group Capt. Edward Abayomi Akinwale, who heads the hospital’s laboratory, offered Wagar and five Kenyan staff a tour of the Nigerian labs.
“The lab was recently renovated,” Wagar said. “This beautiful new facility has over two dozen microscopes and equipment necessary for preparing malaria blood films, plus computers and projectors - everything needed to teach a course in malaria microscopy.”
During the course, Nigerian and U.S. military officials with interest in improving medical research standards observed the class. Wagar also met with Air Commodore Harold Oyechi, the Nigerian medical officer in charge of the hospital, and Brigadier General (Dr.) T. O. Umar, the head of the Nigerian Emergency Plan Implementation Committee, which coordinates bilateral U.S.-Nigerian military efforts to fight HIV and AIDS.
The USAMRU-K team plans to return to Nigeria in March to mentor a second microscopy class and officially commission the new Nigerian malaria microscopy training center, Wagar said. The center has also offered courses in Ghana and is planning for coursework in Tanzania.
“Our goal is to increase Nigerian capabilities to support HIV care and treatment and medical research by mentoring Nigerian staff who, in turn, teach lab technicians among their own ranks,” Wagar said. “It’s a step forward that we were glad to assist in.”
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
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Diagnostic Tamarugo Conebill, Conirostrum tamarugense, 11 - 12 cm. / 4.5 - 5 in. VULNERABLE. Very locally COMMON in tamarugo forest ( Prosopis tamarugo is a member of the pea family) inland of Iquigue. Also oasis valleys closer to Arica. Tamarugo has been extensively harvested for firewood.
Azapa Valley, Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Mistletoe Tyrannulet, Zimmerius parvus, 9.5 cm. / 3.75 in. COMMON in humid areas where mistletoe is plentiful. Photographed with a Canon 10D with 35-105 mm IS USM in July 2003.
La Selva Biological Research Station, Puerto Viejo, Heredia Province, Costa Rica.
©bryanjsmith.
Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Lisbon Portugal
Charles Correa Associates designed this research and diagnostic centre located in Lisbon. It is a state-of-the-art facility guided by some of the best scientist in the world. The site, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean, is steeped in history. It is the site where Henry the Navigator, Vasco de Gama and other great Portuguese left on their journeys into the unknown—a perfect metaphor for the discoveries of contemporary science today. The 3 units that constitute the project are:
•the largest for the doctors and scientist,
•the second for the theatre, the exhibition hall, the foundation offices, etc,
•the third is an open-air amphitheatre for the city.
They have been arranged to create a 125m long pathway leading diagonally across the site, towards the open seas. This pathway is ramped up at a gentle slope of 1:20, so as you ascend, you see only sky ahead of you. At the end of the ramp are two stone monoliths, straight from the quarry. When you reach the highest point, you begin to see a large body of water, which seemingly connects (i.e. without any visual break) to the ocean beyond. In the centre of this water body, just below the surface of the water, is an oval shaped object—made of stainless steel and slightly convex, so that it reflects the blue sky and passing clouds above.
Beyond its scientific importance, the centre’s design has also caught the attention of architects around the world. The bid to design the site was won by Indian architect Charles Correa, who also designed the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Complex at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The centre features a large interior rainforest connecting clinics and laboratories, chemotherapy suites with gardens, and many areas open for public use, including exhibition halls, an outdoor amphitheatre and landscaped walking areas. It is hoped that the location of the centre in the heart of Lisbon, as well as the openness of the site to the public, will encourage awareness of the centre and the Champalimaud Foundation, as well as the health and medical issues that their work is aiming to address.
Diagnostic White-sided Hillstar, Oreotrochilus leucopleurus, 13 - 14 cm / 5 - 5.5 in. Central and southern Chile in dry, rocky valleys and ravines above tree-line. Just could not get close enough for a better image.
Farellones, Region Metropolitana De Santiago, Chile.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Horned Screamer, Anhima cornuta, 84 - 91.5 cm. / 33 - 36 in. RARE. Locally in more remote marshy areas, lake margins and on islands in rivers in eastern lowlands. Both sexes have a long, slender "horn" protruding forward from the forehead which can be seen in this image.
La Tembladera Wetlands, near Santa Rosa, El Oro Province, Ecuador.
©bryanjsmith.
Diagnostic Arrow-marked Babbler, Turdoides jardineii jardineii, 22-25 cm. / 8.66-9.84 cm. COMMON and widespread. Resident of thickets and bush clumps in wooded savanna.
Kruger National Park, South Africa
©bryanjsmith.
Rail track diagnostic car “DECART”, produced by TVEMA (JSC "Firma TVEMA", Moscow, Russia) since 2009, is made on the basis of carriage model 61-4179 produced by JSC TVZ
It is intersting the using of water as a contact liquid and its direct supply to the acoustic units through the fittings (tvema.com/637)