A Graph-Theoretic Model for a Generic Three Jug Puzzle

In a classic three jug puzzle we have three jugs $A$, $B$, and $C$ with some fixed capacities. The jug A is fully filled with wine to its capacity. The goal is to divide the wine into two equal halves by pouring it from one jug to another without using any other measuring devices. This particular puzzle has a known solution. However, we consider a generic three jug puzzle and present an independent graph theoretic model to determine whether the puzzle has a solution at first place. If it has a solution, then the same can be determined using this model.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figur

Water-loss dehydration and aging

This review defines water-loss and salt-loss dehydration. For older people serum osmolality appears the most appropriate gold standard for diagnosis of water-loss dehydration, but clear signs of early dehydration have not been developed. In older adults, lower muscle mass, reduced kidney function, physical and cognitive disabilities, blunted thirst, and polypharmacy all increase dehydration risk. Cross-sectional studies suggest a water-loss dehydration prevalence of 20-30% in this population. Water-loss dehydration is associated with higher mortality, morbidity and disability in older people, but evidence is still needed that this relationship is causal. There are a variety of ways we may be able to help older people reduce their risk of dehydration by recognising that they are not drinking enough, and being helped to drink more. Strategies to increase fluid intake in residential care homes include identifying and overcoming individual and institutional barriers to drinking, such as being worried about not reaching the toilet in time, physical inability to make or to reach drinks, and reduced social drinking and drinking pleasure. Research needs are discussed, some of which will be addressed by the FP7-funded NU-AGE (New dietary strategies addressing the specific needs of elderly population for a healthy ageing in Europe) trial

Comparison of Raised and Flat-Seam Baseballs

The difference in seam-height between raised and flat-seam baseballs leads to different different drag and spin forces when the balls are thrown by a pitcher. The goal of this experiment is to measure the difference in vertical deflection of curveball pitches, caused by the different seam-heights

Archaeology from A to Z: Abu Zarad, an ancient town in the heartland of Palestine

A new agreement on cooperation for the archaeological exploration, cultural and tourist valorization of Tell Sheikh Abu Zarad, in central Palestine, has been signed in April 2015 by Rome Sapienza University and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Palestine. In May-June 2015, the first season of archaeological investigation was carried out, putting on the map this ancient mound, one of the pre-classical cities in the heartland of the country. A GIS aided survey of the tell and its immediate environs, and a systematic collection of surface pottery allowed to reconstruct its ancient landscape, and to put forward a topographic analysis of the site, as well as a provisional timeline of its occupation from the Early Bronze Age until the Ottoman Period. At a preliminary examination, Tell Abu Zarad achieved the urban status in the Middle Bronze II-III, and in Iron I-II

A newly discovered late Punic-Roman rock-cut tomb at Limestone Heritage, Siggiewi (Malta)

At Siggiewi, in the area known as Ta' Zagi, situated at a short distance from and overlooking Wied Xkora is a recently discovered rock-cut tomb which was at some point in its history refashioned into a water cistern (GR 49738/67965) (Fig. 1). The tomb is located within the grounds of the Limestone Heritage park, and was recently integrated in the cultural itinerary of its visitors. A request for the study of the tomb was made by Mr Emanuel Baldacchino, the Managing Director of Limestone Heritage, to one of us (NCV). A survey of the tomb was carried out and a set of drawings were produced by the other one of us (MS) (Fig. 2). The aim of this short contribution is to present the results of the survey.peer-reviewe

Cooking the volumes

Cooking possesses a system of units of measurement, that includes measures of volumes based on pre-metric units. This paper discusses the cooking measures and compares their features with those of the ancient Roman measures of capacity.Comment: Roman measures of capacity, Layout after revision of misprint

Development and Transfer of Innovative Problem Solving Strategies and Related Confidence in Biomedical Engineering

Twenty-nine biomedical engineering (BME) undergraduates participated in a challenge-based instruction biotransport course, offered by the UT Austin BME Department in an accelerated format, at the University of Cambridge. Students’ attitudes toward, and aptitude for solving genuine and complex biomedical problems were assessed throughout the semester through surveys, interviews, observations, and in-class examinations. Students’ aptitude for problem solving improved throughout the semester, in a manner independent of content knowledge development. By the end of the semester, students readily transferred the problem-solving framework, learned within a biotransport context, to solve biomechanics problems. Additionally, we observed significant increases over time in students’ confidence in their ability to complete challenges within and outside of the biotransport domain. We believe that this illustrative case study provides significant quantitative evidence supporting the effectiveness of challenge-based pedagogies for engineering courses.Cockrell School of Engineerin

The ‘Lost’ Church of Bix Gibwyn: The Human Bone

Recent research for the Victoria County History (VCH) highlighted the presence of a ‘lost’ medieval church in Bix, a Chilterns parish north-west of Henley-on-Thames. The building, formerly the parish church of Bix Gibwyn, was abandoned in the late sixteenth or seventeenth century and has left no standing remains. Archaeological investigation by the South Oxfordshire Archaeological Group (SOAG) and Reading University has confirmed its location in a close called ‘Old Chapel’ in Bix Bottom, in the north of the parish. The rediscovery of the site – which contains the foundations of a hitherto unknown Romano-British stone building – sheds new light on long-term changes in local communications, settlement, and economic conditions. In the Middle Ages Bix Gibwyn church was a focus of religious and social life for a small rural community in the south Oxfordshire Chilterns. After the Reformation it was neglected, demolished, and finally all but forgotten. Its location has been a matter of speculation for over a hundred years,1 but in 2007–10 its churchyard was identified through a combination of historical research and archaeological fieldwork. Confirmation of the church’s location in the remote Bix Bottom valley provides important evidence about the medieval settlement pattern in Bix, which was very different from the modern one, and offers an opportunity to reassess the development of settlement in the southern Chilterns more generally. The archaeological findings also supply new evidence about Roman activity in the area

An Ancient Relation between Units of Length and Volume Based on a Sphere

The modern metric system defines units of volume based on the cube. We propose that the ancient Egyptian system of measuring capacity employed a similar concept, but used the sphere instead. When considered in ancient Egyptian units, the volume of a sphere, whose circumference is one royal cubit, equals half a hekat. Using the measurements of large sets of ancient containers as a database, the article demonstrates that this formula was characteristic of Egyptian and Egyptian-related pottery vessels but not of the ceramics of Mesopotamia, which had a different system of measuring length and volume units