« Back Astrophotographers are often willing to go to great lengths to get a memorable photo. For Dan Zafra of Capture the Atlas this meant traveling to the wilds of Alaska to capture a recent total lunar eclipse as he was rewarded with an exceptional photo of the eclipse surrounded by the glow of the Northern Lights The March 14 total lunar eclipse was a highly anticipated moment for photographers it was rare enough to make the journey to Alaska from his home in Nevada particularly when he learned that there might be an opportunity for the aurora on the same evening “I had originally planned this trip to Alaska around the spring equinox, a period often associated with heightened solar activity,” Zafra told PetaPixel I schedule my trips during a New Moon for optimal dark skies The rare opportunity to witness a total lunar eclipse alongside the aurora was too good to pass.” with the reddish hue of the Moon during totality contrasting with the glowing green sky Thanks to the photographer's smart planning he was able to document the event from several different angles One camera was used to get close-ups of the Moon another wide-angle view took in the Moon with the surrounding scenery clear view of the eclipse and Northern Lights This enchanting event is one that Zafra will not soon forget, with the photographer calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime moment.” Scroll down to see all of the images, as well as Zafra's timelapse of the event Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening Henderson County stands to take a $40-million-dollar hit from Helene as its applications for help covering storm-related expenses and lost revenue are being considered crews are about 25 percent through roadside debris cleanup efforts Several staff members gave Helene-related updates to county commissioners during their meeting Monday evening property tax collection and progress in Bat Cave and Gerton The board’s meeting began with a heart-wrenching request from resident Omar Zafra for help cleaning up the site where three of his neighbors died when their mobile homes were washed away in floodwaters on Balfour Road Zafra spoke during public comment and remembered the lives of Phyllis Matheson “beloved members of the community who should still be with us today.”  A surviving sister often places flowers on the land where the mobile home once stood but “Instead of a peaceful place to return to she is met with the wreckage - twisted metal shattered memories and a constant reminder of the horror that unfolded that day.” The land at 242 Balfour Road remains frozen in devastation in a floodplain where Mud Creek and Clear Creek come together that land should never have been used for housing … I can tell you from first-hand experience that those mobile homes didn’t have a chance,” Zafra said describing how the creeks rose 15 feet and moved the homes several hundred feet away “The site unfortunately has become a scar upon the community and it’s a daily wound that cannot start healing until the debris is cleaned up and we won’t have that constant reminder of what happened that day,” Zafra said the county had more than $10.1 million in Helene-related expenses with nearly $6 million going toward debris management and monitoring and nearly $2.9 million spent on personnel Financial Services Director Samantha Reynolds told the Board of Commissioners the county could take a hit of $40 million including nearly $3.2 million in lost revenue and $37 million in expenditures That estimate doesn’t include the cost of debris removal for personal property and waterways Commissioner Bill Lapsley said the county has submitted two applications for funding help one for more than $15 million and another for more than $1 million and I’m concerned about when we’re going to get reimbursed,” he said so I ask the (county) manager to continue to monitor that … if there’s anything we need to do to shake the tree and get those funds “The finance director is sitting behind me and he calls Washington every day,” County Manager John Mitchell said The county is roughly 1 percent off the collection rate for 2024 taxes although the amount paid so far is about $1.75 million more than the previous year due to higher values About 150 of the unpaid tax notices are for properties damaged by Helene based on FEMA initial visits and mostly involving downed trees About 27 of those property values are likely to decrease next year Taxes must by law be collected no matter the circumstances but they can offer property owners a payment schedule they can afford as long as they meet the obligation of the law Commissioner Bill Lapsley asked finance staff to continue to follow those properties affected by Helene and let the board know when action is due to be taken Zafra is one of many residents who have been asking the county about debris removal He asked the county to take steps to remove the debris and work to reduce future damages and return the land to its natural state He also asked the county to think about creating a memorial park or planting memorial trees for everyone who perished that day While a lot of the roadside debris has been picked up “We’re at the part of the disaster now that kind of the broad strokes have been done,” Mitchell said is private property interests… everyone in this county has the same rights and privileges with the Constitution that they had before the storm and so getting onto the private property and dealing with debris how to mitigate landslides - those individual property owners are going to have to work with the county and the state in order to satisfy those particular legal requirements for us The same thing is true with private roads and bridges.” staff have been working to locate heirs who can give permission for workers to go onto the private property about 6 million cubic yards of debris could be removed by the time the county completes its work He presented “really rough estimates” showing the county anticipates removing about 1.5 million cubic yards of roadside debris and private property debris each along with 3 million cubic yards of waterway debris the county has collected 399,100 cubic yards of roadside debris or about 25 percent of what the county estimates it will end up collecting in total but we have quite a bit remaining,” Jones said Property owners can make applications at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at 2111 Asheville Highway in Hendersonville for debris removal on their land Jones said his best guess for when the county would have all debris removed would be about 15 months for roadside debris based on a collection average of 100,000 cubic yards per month “We’re so far behind any precedent in North Carolina’s history Commissioner Jay Egolf said he and other officials get calls and emails from residents wanting to know when debris will be cleared We’re getting it as fast as we can,” he said adding that he still has debris in his yard … but I hope the public will continue their patience Commissioner Rebecca McCall asked what the county is doing to deter haulers or residents from unloading debris on the sides of roads now that the county landfill is back to charging fees and staff members “are usually successful at identifying illegal dumpers.” He encouraged residents to let the county know when they see illegal dumping and said there are consequences The county has contracted with Southern Debris Recovery Inc and all SDR trucks should have placards on them to be identifiable Regine Zafra-Florida’s switch from finance to beauty might seem drastic it speaks volumes about following one’s passion In her teen years, Regine Zafra-Florida was always the “go-to” person for beauty tips long before she contemplated entering the world of aesthetics “I usually point out to people kapag may nakikita ako Ito yung gamitin mo.’” Her natural flair for recognizing what suits people made her a staple in the beauty conversations amongst her peers particularly during her pageant days in high school and college (I usually point out to people when I see something Zafra-Florida looks back on her entrepreneurship journey: a story of an unexpected detour from finance and accounting The spark to create her own brand struck her during visits to various aesthetic clinics pondering thoughts like “‘What if I build a beauty brand?’ to ‘Maybe it’ll cost less for me since I truly love going to lounges to get pampered?’” It was also an unfortunate incident with a laser treatment that left her with a noticeable burn on her face that made her reflect on this She wanted to find a solution that would prioritize client safety and satisfaction “I didn’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else,” she relates Seeking a nudge from the universe, Zafra-Florida requested a sign, driven by her anxieties about transitioning from a corporate role to launching a beauty business She initially faced skepticism because of her age and lack of experience in the niche which was particularly evident when she faced obstacles leasing her first space That sign arrived when her aunt discovered a 200 sqm leading her to an extensive training journey in London and Korea from semi-permanent makeup to facial and body treatment courses and even café management to complement her vision of a holistic beauty lounge “I was excited to learn every service we can provide for the beauty lounge because I was also preparing myself when I eventually talk to clients and explain how certain procedures or treatments can benefit them.” promises a refreshing blend of aesthetic services and a cozy coffee shop It was also Santa Maria’s first high-end aesthetic clinic focused on non-invasive treatments such as Hydrafacial Elite Empowerment is a recurring theme when the founder discusses her vision for her clients and even for women in business she sees a future where entrepreneurs support and uplift each other “I believe all of us have a unique perspective that should be viewed as healthy competition,” she asserts Her mission extends beyond just beauty; it’s about cultivating an environment of mutual respect and encouragement Addressing fears is a personal subject for Zafra-Florida who confesses that the challenges of her journey were daunting but educational “Turning fear into a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block is crucial,” she says but also stresses the importance of “trust but verify” in business relations With Zionne Beauty Lounge celebrating its first anniversary the young entrepreneur looks back on her journey as not just a career change but a commitment to being a partner in enhancing beauty and confidence in others fostering a community where women are empowered to ascend to their highest peaks of potential Zionne Beauty is located at Unit 1, TYK Commercial Building, Brgy. Sta Clara, Bypass Road, Santa Maria, Bulacan. For more information, follow Zionne Beauty Lounge on Instagram and Facebook Styling by Jason Mago of Gee Jocson Studio Project Implemented by Ian Urmaza and Leahkim Orsolino '#' : location.hash;window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery = location.search === '' && location.href.slice(0 location.href.length - window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash.length).indexOf('?') !== -1 '?' : location.search;if (window.history && window.history.replaceState) {var ogU = location.pathname + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUQuery + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash;history.replaceState(null "\/can-science-diplomacy-open-the-door-to-middle-east-peace\/?__cf_chl_rt_tk=ifaKCSi8CxiZgU5CXn68e7vlzseD0GoDnm6Fg97ezAI-1746493004-1.0.1.1-3DoP3LPkcpGGuQCfvDaXnBEH8choYzK6AbJyHiRAfP0" + window._cf_chl_opt.cOgUHash);cpo.onload = function() {history.replaceState(null ogU);}}document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(cpo);}()); The 180km Zafra-Huelva railway line in Spain is being renovated under a €210m ($228.62m) programme The Zafra-Huelva railway line is a 180km standard gauge line connecting the provinces of Badajoz and Huelva in Spain It is undergoing renovation to enhance the reliability and speed of traffic between the provinces Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (Adif) the state-owned railway infrastructure manager is carrying out the renovation works with an estimated investment amounting to €210m ($228.62m) which is partially funded by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU programme The project involves adapting the superstructure and infrastructure as well as installing new telecommunications systems and electronic signals The enhancements will also improve connectivity between the towns of Jabugo and Calanas The project is divided into five sections for a comprehensive infrastructure and track overhaul Key actions include track renovation with ballast as well as enhancing the longitudinal and transverse drainage network the first section encompasses the Jabugo-Galaroza station This section includes replacing track switches at the Jabugo station safeguarding slopes in cuttings and embankments and repairing tunnels and the underpass over the HV-1111 road The second section spanning 33km near the Calanas station involves modifications to the station’s track yard including replacing track switches and demolishing the central platform Infrastructure improvements involve protecting slopes from excavations and embankments as well as repairing tunnels and structures On the Calanas – Peguerillas section a comprehensive renovation of the tracks is underway This includes the installation of sidings at the Calanas and Gibraleon stations where the traditional wooden sleepers are being substituted with concrete ones enhancements are being made to the drainage system along with the stabilisation of slopes against excavation and embankment damage four bridges are undergoing extensive repairs including drainage enhancements and the construction of underpasses The completion of work will eliminate up to 14 speed restrictions on the line The implementation of the Bloqueo de Liberacion Automatica (BLAU) an automatic release block on the single track is currently underway This system will operate with centralised traffic control (CTC) from the traffic regulation centre (CRC) in Seville mechanical interlocks are being replaced with the latest electronic technology electronic interlocks are being installed in stations along the line that currently do not have them New LED signals with automatic signal announcement and braking (ASFA) digital beacons are being installed along with new train detection equipment (axle counters) motors are being installed in turnouts to enable remote control from the interlocking system integrating new functionalities into the Seville CTC The uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is being updated and a new trunk fibre-optic cable layout is expected to enhance telecommunications Construction of cabins / technical buildings is also underway to house the interior equipment for the interlocks and blockings The automatic blocking system is being enhanced with the deployment of the Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway (GSM-R) mobile radiotelephony system This system will improve safety and reliability by enabling voice communications between trains and the CRC an international company specialising in engineering was appointed to conduct a feasibility study and detailed design project for the track renovation in the Jabugo-Calanas Section of the Zafra-Huelva line Azvi, a construction company, was engaged in the renovation of two sections of the track spanning over 30km each, focusing on upgrading the track superstructure was tasked with supplying sleepers for the renewal of two sections of the railway line a provider of digital and engineering services is offering technical assistance for the control and supervision of works related to the complete renovation of infrastructure and track in the section from 96+430 to Calanas on the Zafra-Huelva line in partnership with construction company Sistem is carrying out construction works to remove telephone blockages on the railway line The contract valued at €987,009 ($1.12m) to supply 39,000 tonnes of ballast for the project was awarded to a joint venture formed by Cantera Antonio Frade Aridos y Recuperaciones; Movimientos de Tierras y Aridos del Tinto Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network At the inaugural Esports World Cup in Riyadh pro-gamers highlight the industry's growth and predict even more expansion gives CNN a closer look at what’s shaping the future of esports '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" “Winter Milky Way and Orion over the Death Valley floor.” he ventured to Death Valley to capture his first images of the Milky Way core Zafra’s brilliant trio of images features a gradient night sky that transforms from a dark purplish-blue into a reddish-orange and yellow swirl while approaching the horizon line highly textured mud cracks in the gray desert “One of the things I love the most about Death Valley is how the landscape changes from year to year These mud cracks weren't there in the last two years and they look stunning as a foreground,” Zafra says and technical mastery to ensure you get the best shots possible who tracks the sky using his Benro Polaris star tracker and tweaks his settings accordingly “To create a more visually appealing foreground I set my tripod very low and closed my aperture to f/5 setting up a three-minute exposure at a high ISO,” he says I had to focus-stack two images since I was very close to the mud cracks.” The technical setup was worth it as Zafra's photos are spectacular from foreground to background Zafra was sure to capture Orion before the set of stars disappears until after next fall This resulted in his most stunning image of the three with varied colors above the mountains and a swirling star pattern punctuated with red orbs I use a Ha filter to enhance the hydrogen alpha nebulae,” Zafra explains the sky was so clear that my astromodified camera and a long exposure were enough to pull out the details in those Ha regions of the winter night sky.” “Milky Way over mud cracks at Death Valley.” “Milky Way panorama over the Death Valley floor.” “The characters worry about an impending war between two countries shitty politicos taking over the government and a city that remains increasingly unlivable Introduction to The Collected Stories of Jessica Zafra by Don Jaucian Characterized by punchy prose and an endlessly peculiar catalog of characters The Collected Stories of Jessica Zafra is an immensely enjoyable read and somewhat of a headache to ponder The 2019 publication serves up a toothsome t-bone steak of Filipino stories that manage a skillful balance between fiction as a reflection of reality taken primarily from Zafra’s 1992 collection Manananggal Terrorizes Manila and Other Stories and 2016 collection The Stories so Far treats readers to a platter of narratives and characters whose concerns seem to span the whole spectrum of things a person could possibly come to reckon with The experience is akin to a taste-tester of everyday human concerns including but not limited to: an unwanted pregnancy of undetermined filiation (“Portents”) the middle-class woes of a newly unemployed young woman-turned-manananggal (spoilers a man’s ugly transition from planning a proposal and falling head-first out of love (“What’s That in Your Glass?”) and the awkward teenage boredom of prom night (“Through a Time Warp all sung in a tune that is so recognizably Filipino What Zafra’s fiction offers Filipino readers—old and young first-timers and long-time enjoyers alike—is a diverse tapestry of stories and scenarios rendered in scenes so familiar we can almost locate ourselves in them queer Filipino writer Don Jaucian remarks on Zafra’s tendency towards observational realism drawing on scenes from her own life and the lives of people she knows and blurring the line between narrator That Zafra’s fiction teeters perpetually on the edge of autobiography is easily clocked—virtually all of her stories are brimming with profiles and places rendered in a way that is so colloquial to the contemporary Filipino consciousness this particular brand of fiction presents less of an escape and more of a mirror or an exacto-knife with which one might examine reality There are some instances where the stories take on a more overtly spec-fic tilt and Zafra appears to dip her toe a bit more judiciously into the pool of speculative fiction—commenting and satirizing fragments of society at the time of writing.  My favorite is “The Ouija Board of Thomas Edison” which paints in satirical detail a vision of capitalism towards the turn of the century the human desire to surpass its own achievements […] had been transmogrified into an unnatural craving for new products.” “The Prophets of Profit in their three-piece Italian suits heard the supplications of credit-worthy consumers and fired off memos to their research departments There began a race to produce recording technology new enough to placate the consumers and costly enough to keep the consumers in debt.” to realize that something written as a hyperbolic criticism of society in the 1990s now reads more like an accurate-to-life description of how a world (our world) operates in the throes of late-stage capitalism A similar resonance registers when a character’s inner monologue sneers at the deceit and greed that define local politics or when a queer city dweller finds themself worn out and angry after years of prejudice-fuelled derision One realizes how not much has changed at all Though Jessica Zafra may hardly be the first to wield fiction as a means of examining and appraising personal and universal truths her writing is distinguished by a style that is unmistakably Filipino stories that may have struck a chord of relatability in their readers like you could reach into a scene and grasp it You can get your copy in paperback: Website | Shopee and Lazada the Melbourne workshops where you can create the footwear of your dreams A week in work outfits with Brie Leon founder Bouquet Studios is the unisex Melbourne label inspired by the underground electronic music scene “Dressing is definitely a creative endeavour for me but dressing for pregnancy while retaining my personal style can be a real balancing act.” Working in a creative role, it can be difficult to know how to dress for the day. Instead of having a set uniform of crisp white shirts and tailored black pants (as much as I love both), an ever-changing schedule means every morning requires a set of questions Do I need to dress specifically for a project will I be in the background of someone’s TikTok This week, Janine Zafra, the Creative Director and founder of Sydney-based label Brie Leon the Brie Leon aesthetic reflects Janine’s personal style – considered and classic with playful colours and textural elements mixed in Janine’s work week is a balancing act of business admin meetings and working in Brie Leon’s recently opened Newtown store Janine’s nine-to-five wardrobe is all about clever layers and comfort particularly as she’s currently expecting her second child Janine’s closet is a combination of local labels vintage pieces and Brie Leon accessories – naturally she takes us through a week in her work wardrobe I believe in easing into the week, and today was no exception. We’re packing orders and catching up on admin, so comfort is key. A classic slow Monday calls for one of my favourite knit pieces. This sweater is from Bebe Moire an ethical knitwear label based in Federal but they also release very limited adult designs and I scored this sweater a few seasons ago I pull it out in both summer and winter and will never get over how well it’s crafted Today I paired it with a dress and chunky sandals plus a sneak preview of one of our SS24/25 handbags The mercury has well and truly been dropping in Sydney this week Dressing is definitely a creative endeavour for me but dressing for pregnancy while retaining my personal style can be a real balancing act I love getting experimental and mixing different kinds of knits and fibres so I’ve paired a midi dress with low-waist ribbed pants My go-tos for ethical knitwear are Baserange and Rus both of which nail the quality and sustainability of their pieces as it’s the first day our store opens for the week We’ve recently opened a retail space in Newtown which joins our office to what is easily one of Sydney’s most exciting and creative suburbs I love being able to interact and connect with our customers in person This particular day was filled with meetings in the morning and then an afternoon in the store doing some visual merchandising for the month ahead Dressing for both sides of the business is always a mission but oversized denim and a leather coat are my fail-safes I’ve paired the two essentials with a Paris Georgia top as well as our brand mascot/my miniature schnauzer This bag is also crafted from corn leather It’s made from a blend of corn husks and recycled PU so it has a suede-like finish and really finishes off the layered textures of today’s outfit This outfit was perfect for what turned out to be a more creative day in the office spent with our designer as we started mapping out our AW25 offering The silver accents provided fun inspiration especially against the backdrop of this vintage ’70s suede coat which we used in both of our AW24 shoots We’ve seen some grey weather in Sydney recently, so we’ve all been loving pops of colour to brighten up the office. This red skivvy is by Mimi Holvast, a conscious brand based in the Northern Rivers. When building my own wardrobe, I appreciate quality and transparency over everything and Mimi Holvast ticks all the boxes and then some Friday is usually my most unpredictable day where I could be running errands packing orders or conceptualising marketing we’re doing all of the above and this outfit is perfect for a day on the go I also adore boutique brands out of New Zealand so this coat has been a staple for the past few winters using sneakers to dress down the outfit while also upping the functionality To keep up with Janine, follow her on Instagram here A week in work outfits with a stylist and makeup artist in Melbourne 15 of the best Australian and New Zealand brands doing denim Agni’s Head of Design on the art of being assertive What staff at Mane are wearing and loving right now Your favourite Australian designers share their favourite designers Ageism in the fashion industry: Is the ‘invisible woman syndrome’ finally over Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Travel photographer Dan Zafra of Capture the Atlas has a knack for putting himself in a position to take exceptional images So it comes as no surprise that when given the chance to document a rare astronomical event Zafra traveled to a conservation area outside Las Vegas to capture Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS While Zafra often journeys to remote locations for astrophotography circumstances kept him closer to home this time he was able to drive to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation in Nevada's Mojave Desert but its lack of light pollution also allowed Zafra to capture the whole event Zafra even managed to sneak in the Milky Way which will soon fade from view until later in the winter Comet Tsuchinshan–ATLAS is nestled between rocky peaks has been closely followed by astronomers and stargazers but was visible to the naked eye since September actually show the comet somewhat faded as compared to earlier in the month it made its closest approach to Earth—44 million miles—and was at its peak brightness Given the clear view of Tsuchinshan–ATLAS in the photos one can imagine just how bright that must have been the opportunity was a good excuse to get his camera out and head outside And it was also a reminder that excellent photography can be made almost anywhere there are more impressive dark skies in many places around the Southwest and the world and that's usually where I like to go,” Zafra shares we tend to forget that we can also practice and capture beautiful and meaningful images in places close to home.” Now in its seventh edition, the Northern Lights Photographer of the Year brings together the best aurora images from around the world the Northern and Southern Lights were more active than ever in 2024 This makes the 25 selected photographers all the more extraordinary they highlight the incredible variety found in the natural phenomenon From a purple and green sky in Canada's Banff National Park to an unexpected While called the Northern Lights Photographer of the Year there are plenty of Southern Lights represented in this year's collection with is curated by Capture the Atlas editor Dan Zafra throughout the year chose each image for its exceptional quality balancing the list with well-known names and new talents He also looks for images where auroras are rarely photographed Scroll down to check out the full list and, if you're inspired to take out your own camera, check out Zafra's full guide on how to photograph the Northern Lights “Paddling Under the Aurora” by Herry Himanshu “Magic of the North” by Josh Beames “Celestial Reflection” by Max Trafford “Lake Toolondo Aurora” by Baillie Farley “A Historic Night: Northern Lights at Étretat” by Julien Looten “The Red Aurora Wall” by Vincenzo Mazza “When the Aurora Meets the Milky Way” by Jānis Paļulis- Location: Bauska “Devil’s Lights” by Forest Barkdoll-Weil “Carpe Diem” by Adrian Cormier “Canyon Lights” – Evan Watts “28° Aurora” by Efrén Yanes “Coronation” by Roksolyana Hilevych “Aurora Mill” by Tobias Thäle “Coronal Mass Eruption” by Matt Haynie “Looking North” by Lynsey Schroeder “African Savanna Under the Lights of Southern Aurora” by Egor Goryachev “High Trails” by Giulio Cobianchi “Aurora Australis” by Marc Adamus “In the Rays of the Solar Wind” by Sergey Korolev “Magical Night in Monegros” by Víctor Bolea “Auroras en el Infierno” by Edén Sánchez “Cosmic Explosion” by Uroš Fink a municipality of fewer than a hundred inhabitants in Cuenca province this new-build rises on a plot that is completely flat but for a slight slope toward the southeast which the design of the building takes advantage of Rosa Cano – opted for loadbearing walls of thermoclay blocks which the local masons have a lot of experience raising Next to the insulation and the indoor paneling walls more than 40 centimeters thick protect the residents against the harsh climate of the region 50 x 50 centimeter windows framing picture views of the fields the house unfolds in two volumes to ensure privacy in the rooms and an arrangement of low walls forms pleasant zones in which to linger and conceal the solar panels that supply electricity and water Water for the house is taken from a well nearby pumping is done by means of the photovoltaic solar installation The dwelling is heated with a biomass boiler there arent any match using your search terms Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Create your free account to receive personalised content alerts and Re:action our weekly newsletter of the top chemical science stories handpicked from a range of magazines journals and websites alongside insight and analysis from our expert editorial team Tell us what you think. Take part in our reader survey By Emma Pewsey2022-01-28T09:44:00+00:00 The influential science diplomat on teaching chemistry through the arts and doing almost impossible things Zafra Lerman is president of the Malta Conferences Foundation which brings together scientists from across the Middle East to foster collaboration and promote peace in the region she has won many international awards for her innovative methods for teaching science through the arts I knew I’d be a scientist from the age of two ‘What am I doing there?’ I didn’t know the word scientist but I knew that I would like to know more about things like that One of my discoveries on a temperature dependence of secondary isotope effects started other people working on it But the world started getting more and more complicated and I thought I could do more good by teaching minorities that would never take science teaching non-science majors so they would be able to understand scientific articles that appeared in the daily newspaper Mike Alexandroff had a vision for a university that would have open admission so that people in difficult economic situations could have higher education When he took over Columbia College in Chicago in the 1960s they did not have any science because the people there were very progressive why should we teach such a horrible subject But he wanted somebody that is a good scientist involved in disarmament and arms control and human rights and he gave me a completely free hand to do what I wanted therefore I taught chemistry in a completely different way One group of theatre students did a play to show their knowledge on chemical bonding They took Romeo and Juliet and changed everything to sodium and chlorine Years later I went to a real Shakespeare play and the actor said something with the intonation that in my head sounded like ‘I am sodium’ I went backstage and it was the same student but the periodic table and the ionic bond I cannot get out of my head because I acted it and I understood it so well’ It was funny when [former US vice-president] Al Gore produced his video on the environment [An Inconvenient Truth] and he got for that an Oscar and a Nobel peace prize My students got very angry: ‘Look at our videos that were superior to his Nobody gave us an Oscar.’ And they did it years before he did it I taught homeless kids at night in a dance studio One year the organisers of the Gordon conference on science visualisation asked me can you bring 20 of these kids to show us how they understand And they came and they presented the chemical bond through dance the depletion of the ozone layers through dance and the audience all stood up and shouted ‘Bravo Bravo!’ The audience sadly was lily white and these kids were all African American I was telling the kids for a very long time that they are going to spend five days with distinguished scientists they will eat with them and interact with them What I neglected to say is that Gordon conferences are in crammed dormitories somebody called me and said ‘there is a mutiny here’ So I came and I said ‘what happened?’ And they said ‘you said that we will stay with the scientists Why are we not with the scientists?’ So I said to them ‘yes the scientists will be in the rooms next to you You can learn from that – the type of the hotel is not important to these scientists to them it is more important what they do for the world.’ But the dormitories really were bad It was 100°F at night and there was no air conditioning Then I said to the kids there’s a room where there are soft drinks and snacks and you will be able to interact with all these scientists as I promised you and when I came in later I was very puzzled because there were at least three scientists around every one of these kids I see that the scientists are so nice to you’ They said ‘yes – when we came they saw 20-something African American teenagers and they said we didn’t belong here I told the scientists you just learned that you cannot judge anybody by the colour of their skin It was a very good experience both for the scientists and the students but a huge number of them went to university and two continued to a PhD But it was taught the way they could understand it I convinced my committee to do everything that was almost impossible to do I chaired the American Chemical Society’s subcommittee on scientific freedom and human rights for 25 years from its inception until it was dismantled I forced the American government to give us licences to go to Cuba and lecture and managed to get visas for Cubans to participate in the American Chemical Society meeting in 2002 in Florida September 11 happened and I told my subcommittee I think we should concentrate now on the Middle East the ACS said we would like to get a big idea from outside the box I suggested that we organise a conference where we bring scientists from all over the Middle East they will all stay in the same hotel and eat together The Cubans said they thought a bomb fell in the room when I said that You could hear people breathing – it was such a shock But the ACS really supported it from the beginning and we scheduled the first Malta conference for December 2003 and in the end he persuaded them to be co-sponsors So then we approached the executive director of the German Chemical Society UNESCO from the beginning was a big sponsor and supporter too We had our first Malta conference during the intifada Always our purpose was to get as much peace and stability in the Middle East because this will help to solve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict And I said it’s so complicated to get there that it would not be worthwhile for terrorists to come I have to admit we had security throughout the first conference My intention was to have one conference to prove that mission impossible can be mission possible So we took a vote and they unanimously voted to have a second one In December we were supposed to have Malta X with a huge celebration for the anniversary But Malta has very strict Covid regulations People from countries on Malta’s dark red list cannot even dream of entering Countries that had the other vaccines could not enter We had to make the horrible decision to postpone at the last minute But it’s not a conference you can do virtual and it’s not a conference you can do hybrid My husband and I always had season tickets to the opera I take with me students or former students because I don’t like to go anywhere alone Still trying to make the planet a better place for humankind Site powered by Webvision Cloud This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page 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Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Read the full obituary in New York Times Provence is to be the new home of Colombia’s Andrés Zafra The Pro D2 club has signed the South American from Top 14 side Brive The move comes ahead of the final rounds of the 2022-2023 Top 14 season with Brive in bottom spot and very likely to be relegated If relegated then Brive and Provence will be rivals in the Pro D2 Relegation would also mean other players would leave Brive The Argentine second-rower is to move to Castres At Brive he had 11 starts from 19 matches in his first season His second season has seen him making 13 appearances thus far Provence are seeking to earn promotion to the Top 14 The team is looking to recruit to form a more competitive team for next season The current roster is solid but the team is 6th With noteworthy recruitment the team will increase its prospects Zafra will be joining fellow South Americans The team is coached by former Pumas great Mauricio Reggiardo Argentina XV loose head Federico Wegryzn is on the roster as is hooker Leonel Oviedo The biggest name player though is Germán Kessler The Uruguayan hooker is set to play in a second World Cup later this year Provence will mark Zafra’s first experience of playing in the Pro D2 Zafra is weighs 115kg and stands at 1.97 meters tall He is a product of Los Carboneros club in Cúcuta Tags Pro D2 Top 14 Led by Sebastian Díaz, Mexico hosted and defeated Jamaica on Saturday. Las Serpientes were 37-22 … World Business Legal Markets Breakingviews More A map showing shake intensity of the quake A map showing shake intensity of the quake inexpensive FPV (first-person view) drone has proved to be one of the most potent weapons in this war where conventional warplanes are relatively rare because of a dense concentration of anti-aircraft systems near front lines FPVs - originally designed for civilian racers - are controlled by pilots on the ground and often crashed into targets including an explosive warhead secured with cable ties The FPV drones take off from improvised platforms several kilometres from the front line A soldier operates the drone using a remote controller and a headset that allows them to see the view from the camera another soldier looks at a tablet computer with maps and gives directions They will select one of its most vulnerable parts - an open hatch the engine or ammunition stored in the turret the target will already have been detected by a reconnaissance drone and the FPV would zip straight to its location and fly at high speed into the target drone units from both armies publish videos on social media demonstrating how drones as inexpensive as $500 can effectively destroy costly artillery pieces or tanks worth millions of dollars and showcasing their transformative role in modern warfare Drones have been used in warfare for decades – pilotless radio-controlled aircraft were tested as far back as World War One But the war in Ukraine has seen an explosion in the scale with which they're deployed They have transformed from performing specialized functions to becoming one of the most important and widely used weapons on the battlefield which was inconsistent at the beginning of the war with UAVs now integrated into Ukraine's armed forces structure Almost every fighting brigade has an assault drone company while most units have small reconnaissance drones Many brigades in both armies have specialized drone units for surveillance The Ukrainian government aims to make a million FPV drones in 2024 it's around double the number of artillery shells supplied by the entire European Union over the past year The process of deploying this technology on the battlefield begins with reconnaissance drones equipped with high-spec cameras that transmit real-time video back to their pilot's control screen allowing the operator to look for enemy targets from above Reconnaissance drone units locate enemy targets with surveillance drones of various types and ranges Commanders then determine the best method to strike a particular target Ukraine has more limited resources than its Russian adversary so tough decisions often have to be made to conserve scarce munitions Because FPV drones are guided to their target they are far more accurate than most artillery This allows them to chase and hit moving vehicles which would otherwise have been able to evade shells traditional shells can still deliver a much stronger explosive punch than drones' smaller warheads the commanders decide to use artillery or drones to hit the target Artillery can deliver a much bigger explosion but drones are better at hitting moving targets Soldiers have learned to fear the ominous buzz of the drone's propellers overhead as this often indicates they have either been spotted or are about to be attacked The increased use of drones in the war has forced heavy machinery such as tanks to move several kilometres further back from the front line cite FPVs and drones that drop munitions as their biggest threat and say there are now so many in the air that it's difficult to move to and from trenches or reinforce dugouts A 3d render graphic showing different types of munitions Drones are not just used on the battlefield: both Ukraine and Russia have hit targets hundreds of kilometres away from the front lines using long-range UAVs This map illustrates Ukrainian and Russian drone attacks within Ukraine and Russia contextualizing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine it depicts long-range drone attacks targeting Russian oil infrastructure These long-range drones often hit factories making weapons military bases or energy facilities deep inside enemy territory This graphic showcases a range of drones employed in attacks during the Ukrainian war The widespread use of long-range attack drones began in the autumn of 2022 when Russia bought hundreds of Shahed drones from Iran and began to fly them into Ukrainian targets They immediately proved to be extremely effective costing less even than the air defence missiles Ukraine initially used to down them That journey will often include as many twists and turns as possible to confuse and exhaust Ukraine's air defences which is one of the drone's primary functions for the Russians has been estimated to cost $100,000 or less and Russia has built its own facilities to produce it The delta-wing design of the Shahed-136 gives it a low radar signature Combined with its ability to travel at low-altitude Ukraine has developed long-range drones featuring aerodynamic designs with extended wings and propulsion systems allowing for increased range and endurance supported by larger fuel tanks for extended flight capabilities Ukraine has targeted energy infrastructure deep within Russian territory in strikes aimed at disrupting supply lines and logistics Ukraine has also developed the UJ-22 drone featuring a winged design that allows the aircraft to deliver precision bombing strikes on static targets within a range of 800 km Electronic warfare (EW) systems have proved to be the most effective way of stopping drones Both sides use EW systems to jam radio frequencies in certain areas the pilot loses the ability to control the craft or can no longer see the video signal depending on which frequency has been disrupted The most effective way to stop drones has proved to be Electronic Warfare (EW) smaller EW devices and "drone guns" are used to jam incoming UAVs a Ukrainian infantry platoon commander from the 59th Brigade fighting in the east of the country as well as their portable EW devices or "drone guns" had become less effective due to Russian UAVs changing frequencies He declined to give his full name as Ukrainian soldiers are told not to divulge their identities for their safety In response to the increasing challenges posed by EW systems both Ukraine and Russia are racing to develop drones guided by artificial intelligence These drones identify and lock onto their targets without the need for communication with their pilot This graphic explains how more advanced drones can use Artificial Intelligence to identify and lock onto targets The drone is able to identify and lock onto a target using an onboard AI system after which it can guide itself into its target without the pilot's input The videos have been verified by Eleanor Whalley They were sourced from Telegram channels or provided by various drone units of the Ukrainian Army (including the Azov Brigade in Kremina the 110th Mechanised Brigade in Lastochkyne and Avdiivka and the State Border Service of Ukraine in Vodyane and Hryanykivka) Videos of the drone unit and additional work by Royal United Services Institute (RUSI); ACLED: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Drone attacks from Feb 2024); Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project (Russian-occupied territory data as of 3 p.m March 12); Council on Foreign Relations; CSET: Center for Security and Emerging Technology Volume 9 - 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01481 This article is part of the Research TopicFruit Ripening: From Present Knowledge to Future DevelopmentView all 13 articles The production of olive oil is an important economic engine in the Mediterranean area olive oil is obtained mainly by mechanical processes by using the whole fruit as the primary raw material Although the mesocarp is the main source of lipids contributing to olive oil formation the seed also contributes to the olive oil composition and attributes The olive seed is also becoming an interesting emerging material itself when obtained after alternative processing of the olive fruit Such seed is used for the production of differential oil and a unique flour among other bioactive products with increasing uses and applications in cosmetics olive seed histology has been poorly studied to date A complete description of its anatomy is described for the first time in the present study by using the ‘Picual’ cultivar as a model to study the development of the different tissues of the olive seed from 60 to 210 days after anthesis endosperm storage tissue and the embryo during their development has been performed a panel of other olive cultivars has been used to compare the weight contribution of the different tissues to the seed seed weight variability and the number of seeds per fruit accumulation of seed storage proteins of the 7S-type (β-conglutins) in the seed tissues has been assessed by both biochemical and immunocytochemical methods These hallmarks will help to settle the basis for future studies related to the location of different metabolites along the olive seed and mesocarp development and therefore helping to assess the appropriate ripening stage for different commercial and industrial purposes differences between the seed have not been reported in detail to our knowledge Authors have also fixed their attention to describe the intracellular events occurring during the first hours of the in vitro germination process (Zienkiewicz et al., 2011; Jiménez-López and Hernández-Soriano, 2013), drawing their attention particularly to PBs. Zienkiewicz et al. (2011) also revealed that the cellular organization of the olive leaf is achieved after 26 days of germination Primary evidence of the presence of β-conglutins in the olive arise from transcriptomic analyses as the presence of 7S globulins transcript sequences have been detected in the olive seed (unpublished results) direct evidence of the presence and distribution of β-conglutins in the olive seed has not been provided to date an overall histological description of the olive seed is yet missing to date Here we perform a report of the different tissues of the olive seed throughout its development and we use a new molecular tool: the 7S SSPs (β-conglutins) recently described in the olive seed and a specific antibody developed to evidence the presence of these proteins and their changes as markers along tissue development The results shown here may serve as a hallmark for analyzing seed (and fruit) maturity and to monitor the presence of these proteins in future biotechnological and alimentary uses due to their increasing interest cell localization of these proteins is also reported Seeds used for microscopy analysis were collected from olive trees (Olea europaea L ‘Picual’) cultivated at the Estación Experimental del Zaidín (Granada) Four stages were considered: (0) small developing fruit and a scalpel to dissect the pulp (mesocarp + epicarp) Weight measurements were performed individually using 20 samples of the complete mature fruit (210 DAA) and each one of the dissected tissues [mesocarp + epicarp The number of seeds obtained from each fruit was also counted The plant materials were fixed with 4% (w/v) paraformaldehyde and 0.2% (v/v) glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer (pH 7.2) for 2 h at 4°C with points of vacuum treatment to improve penetration of the fixative Samples were dehydrated in ethanol series and embedded in Unicryl resin at −20°C using ultraviolet light Semithin sections were obtained with a Reichert-Jung Ultracut E microtome using a glass knife Sections were placed on Biobond-coated slides and used for cytochemical staining (A) Representation of the tissues of the olive seed in longitudinal- versus cross-sections Dotted lines/boxes show the orientation of the samples for microscopy analysis (B) Cross section of the complete seed at the radicle site (pointed out with “1” in A) at 60 DAA (C) Cross section of the complete seed at the cotyledon site (pointed out with “2” in A) at 60 DAA Dotted lines indicate the shortening of the space between endosperm-embryo (D) Detail of the cotyledon observed in panel (C) (E) Longitudinal section of the complete seed at 60 DAA sections were stained with a mixture of basic dyes [0.05% (w/v) methylene blue and 0.05% (w/v) toluidine blue] aimed to stain the carboxyl groups of proteins which reveal the presence of such components Most non-stained structures correspond to lipids Stained samples were observed in a LM Zeiss Axioplan (Carl Zeiss Photomicrographs were obtained with a ProgRes MF Cool Digital Camera by using the ProgRes CapturePro 2.6 software (Jenoptik Olive transcriptomic information together with sequence information of β-conglutins from different species was used to define potential cross-reactive epitopes of these proteins present in these species (Jimenez-Lopez et al., 2015) The peptide RLENLQNYRIVEFQS was selected as a cross-reactive component on this basis and was synthesized and used to immunize rabbits by Agrisera (Sweden) (Prod The resulting sera were affinity-purified with the synthetic peptide and their specificity assessed by Western blotting and ELISA (not shown) Plant material (as described) was used to prepare protein extracts by grinding with liquid nitrogen Proteins were extracted with 40 mM Tris–HCl pH: 7.0 60 mM DTT and 10 μl/sample of protease inhibitor cocktail (Sigma) Samples were denatured with Laemmli sample buffer at 95°C for 5 min and separated on 4–20% TGX precast SDS-PAGE mini-gels (Bio-Rad) Protein profiles were determined by means of Stain-free technology using a Gel DocTM EZ System (Bio-Rad) and normalized for total protein (30 μg/lane) Gels were blotted to supported nitrocellulose using a Trans-Blot Turbo (Bio-Rad) semi-dry device and blocked with 5% skimmed milk in TBS plus 0.05% Tween-20 for 1 h at room temperature (RT) with agitation Blot was incubated in the anti-β-conglutin primary antibody at a dilution of 1:1000 for 8 h at 4°C with agitation in TBS-T plus 5% skimmed milk The antibody solution was decanted and the blot was rinsed briefly twice then washed once for 15 min and 3 times for 5 min in TBS-T at RT with agitation Blot was incubated in secondary antibody [anti-rabbit IgG horseradish peroxidase conjugated from Sigma (A-0545)] diluted to 1:2000 in for 1h at RT with agitation The blot was washed as above and developed for 3 min with Clarity Western ECL substrate (Bio-Rad) Exposure time was 6–12 min in a C-Digit scanner (LI-COR Biotechnology The intensity of the reacting bands and their approximate Mw was determined with the Image StudioTM software (LI-COR Biotechnology United States) as the average ± SD of three experiments Ultrathin sections (70 nm) were obtained using a Reichert-Jung ultramicrotome and picked up using 200 mesh nickel grids coated with formvar The grids were then sequentially treated with a blocking solution [5% (w/v) bovine serum albumin 0.1% (v/v) Tween 20 in phosphate-buffered saline] a diluted (1:100) solution of the anti-7S antiserum in blocking solution a 1:1000 solution of the secondary antibody (goat anti-rabbit IgG: 30 nm gold and finally contrasted using a 5% (w/v) uranyl acetate alternative solution (Ted Pella Inc. United States) and observed in a JEM-1011 (Jeol) transmission electron microscope (TEM) Negative control sections were treated as above but using preimmune serum instead of the anti-conglutin antiserum Morphometric measurements were performed using the UTHSCSA ImageTool (version 3.00 for Windows) software The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to test the normality of all weight parameters The Pearson test was performed aimed to determine whether whole fruit and mesocarp weight were correlated For Western blotting and immunocytochemical analysis values expressed as mean ± SEM of individual experiments were assessed for statistical significance of the data by analysis of variance followed by Dunnett’s analysis P-values ≤0.001 were considered statistically significant All analyses were performed using IBM SPSS statistics v.24 software The complete seed was processed 60 DAA to visualize general structure at a very early stage of development. At this moment, dissection of the seed into its tissues was not achievable without tissue damage due to the small size of the seed and the high compaction of the tissues. In Figure 1A a schematic draw of the different tissues of the olive seed is displayed as well as the positions selected for longitudinal- and cross-sections performed in this study A cross section of the complete seed at the radicle level showed that the testa and the endosperm tissues were immature, without appreciable differentiation among these two tissues (Figure 1B). The cells appeared unstained, indicating no clear accumulation of storage material neither in the endosperm nor in the embryo, as previously described (Jiménez-López et al., 2015) After fertilization, the integuments of the ovule normally develop into the seed coat or testa. The histological analysis of this tissue along three stages of the seed development has revealed that three layers can be distinguished: (i) mucilage or cuticle, (ii) epidermis, (iii) integument (Figures 2–4) Anatomical structure of the coats and the endosperm of the olive seed 105 DAA (A) Cross section of the testa and the endosperm (B) Testa and adjacent cells corresponding to the endosperm (C) Cell of the endosperm corresponding to the part in contact with the embryo (D) Testa and endosperm cross section showing the differential content in lipids and proteins along it Orange dotted lines demarcate the different layers of the endosperm This prominence causes the typical ornamentation of the olive seed that can be macroscopically distinguished Anatomical structure of the coats and the endosperm of the olive seed 130 DAA which corresponds to the fruit at the veraison stage (A,B) Cross section of the testa and cells adjacent to the endosperm (C) Cells in the middle part of the endosperm (D) Cells corresponding to the part in contact to the embryo (E) Testa and endosperm showing differential protein/lipid content At fruit maturity (210 DAA), the seed coat was characterized by the structure disorganization of the different layers. The cuticle was irregularly disposed over the epidermal cells, with a significant loss of width in some areas. The epidermis cells appeared with a patent loss of the structured disposition described for the previous stages. The same phenomena occurred in the outer, the inner integument, and the transversal fibers (Figures 4A,B,D) Anatomical structure of the coats and the endosperm of the olive seed 210 DAA (A) Cross section of the testa and endosperm (B,C) Cell of the endosperm close to the testa (C) cells in the middle part of the endosperm In the present study we have observed that the endosperm was composed by isodiametric cells with uneven distribution of PBs/OBs (Figures 1E, 2D, 3D) The gradient of PBs/OBs accumulation followed a similar pattern during the three stages considered (from 105 to 210 DAA) The cells enriched in OBs were present predominantly near the testa with a gradual decrease of lipids in the area near the embryo The opposite tendency was observed in the PBs It was detected the presence of differentially stained PBs within the endosperm cells differential types of PB staining was noticed Cytokinesis phenomena occurred along the tree stages of development as phragmoplasts were detected The area named as endosperm 4 (E4) was highly enriched in PBs The area named as endosperm 3 (E3) was considered as a transition between E2 and E4 as regard to the size and quantity of PBs/OBs As described for the endosperm, the olive embryo also stocks two main kinds of storage material: lipids and proteins (Jiménez-López and Hernández-Soriano, 2013; Jiménez-López et al., 2015) that build up OBs and PBs A deep scrutiny on the embryo histology showed an uneven distribution of this storage material mainly in the cotyledon and the radicle Anatomical structure of the cotyledon of the olive seed 105 DAA (A) Low magnification picture of the cotyledon (B) Large magnification of the cotyledon revealing the precursors of the vascular system (pointed out with a red line) In between the UPM and the LPM cells, the presence of clusters of cells with irregular shape and size were distinguished, corresponding to the precambium. These cells appeared as densely packed, with nucleus, and without storage material within them (Figure 5) The analysis of the histology of the olive seed cotyledon at the veraison stage of the fruit revealed changes in the premesophyll, precambium, and epidermal cells, which were characterized by changes in the disorganization of the storage material. The nucleus was observed in the cells of all the tissues. At this stage, the presence of structures considered precursors of stoma was detected (Figure 6) Anatomical structure of the cotyledon of the olive seed 130 DAA (B,C) Large magnification of the cotyledon at the procambium (pointed out with a red line) and lower pro-epidermal cells (E) Cotyledon section showing the abaxial and adaxial sites and the cells encompassing them The upper pro-epidermis was formed at 130 DAA by a single layer of cubic cells with parallel disposition and with small and intensely stained PBs surrounded by OBs The layer of cells under the upper pro-epidermis had suffered transversal divisions giving rise to isodiametric cells similar to those of the rest of the UPM below The cells from the adaxial side appeared densely packed with a tendency toward homogeneity in the cell size the presence of subtle changes in the size and PBs/OBs disposition was detected leading to a homogenization of the internal organization from the UPM and LPM The two zones were not so clearly differentiated as in the previous stage with the exception of the presence of the precambium in the UPM cells there was noticed a combination of low- and highly stained PBs within the same cell This phenomenon also was evident in the LPM cells where the low-stained PBs were the most abundant ones in this case It was observed that the LPM possessed several distinctive attributes: the intracellular spaces cells slightly bigger than those from the UPM and PBs occupying most of the volume of the cell The cells forming the precambium were detected in the center of the cotyledon section Noticeable changes in the total area of the UPM and LPM were detected in comparison with the previous stage with an increment in the UPM and a drop in the LPM area Modifications in the lower pro-epidermis at the veraison stage were detected. Two layers were distinguished, both of them composed by cubic, parallelly arranged cells, and with small PBs intensely stained within them. However, the sizes of the PBs were smaller in the outermost layer than in the internal one. In both cases, PBs size, stain intensity and OBs quantity were clearly different from the cells from LPM (Figure 6) Precursors of stomata were observed at the abaxial side. The lower epidermis was interrupted by the guard and the subsidiary cells. Below the stoma, a mass of non-stained cells with intracellular spaces was identified. The structure was similar to that described in Zea mays (Mauseth, 1988; Figure 6D) The study of the anatomy of the olive cotyledon in the mature seed corresponding to 210 DAA showed a defined structure, with clear precursors of the spongy and palisade mesophyll. The imbalanced distribution of the storage material within the cells of the mesophyll was observed to be the main characteristic of this stage (Figure 7) Anatomical structure of the cotyledon of the olive seed 120 DAA (C) Detail of the upper pro-epidermis and UPM cells (D) Detail of the lower pro-epidermis and the LPM cells The upper pro-epidermis contained a monolayer of flattened cells disposed parallel in the plane to the surface. These cells were observed to be highly enriched in OBs and small PBs (Figure 7C) The UPM cells occupied half of the cross section of the cotyledon and they were filled by numerous OBs surrounding the PBs. There was a mixture of highly stained and low stained PBs within the cells, mainly dominated by the highly stained ones. The cells from the LPM had a lower OBs content that surrounds the large PBs. Poles apart, the low stained PBs were dominant over the high stained ones within the cells of the LPM (Figures 6B,D) The precambium appeared among the UPM as a group of long shaped cells without storage material within them (Figure 7B). At the mature stage the procambium did not show mature xylem or phloem elements. The lower epidermis was detected to be composed by two layers of cells with a non-arranged disposition, with highly stained PBs and elevated quantities of OBs (Figure 6D) The nucleus was observed in all the layers of cells across the cotyledon section (A–G) Longitudinal section of the embryo at the radicle part in a seed 105 and 130 DAA (A) Low magnification radicle showing the different kind of cells 105 DAA In light red appears the grown meristem at the apex; in green the protoderm; in gray the procambium (B) Large magnification of the radicle showing a detail of the protoderm and the meristem 105 DAA (C) Large magnification of the cell of the procambium and the meristem 105 DAA (D) Large magnification of the ground meristem at the very apex 105 DAA (E) Low magnification radicle showing the different kind of cells 130 DAA In light red appear the grown meristem at the apex; in green the protoderm; in gray the procambium (F) Cell of the procambium and the meristem 130 DAA (G) Cell of the procambium and the meristem 130 DAA (H–K) Longitudinal section of the embryo at the radicle in a seed 210 DAA (H) Low magnification radicle section showing the different types of cells In red appears the meristem; in green the protoderm; in blue the root apex Orange dotted line demarcates two different types of cells within the procambium; blue dotted line demarcates the columella (I) Detail of the radicle at the root apex and quiescent center (J) Large magnification picture of the meristem and the procambium (K) Cells of the protoderm and the meristem At the veraison stage, few changes in the histology of the radicle were observed (Figures 8E–G) These changes corresponded mainly to the meristem The cells at the apex of the meristem were an exception with a high degree of compaction among the cubic-shaped cells Relative amount of β-conglutins was higher in the embryo compared to the endosperm SDS-PAGE profiles of and Western blotting analysis of β-conglutins in samples of whole seeds isolated endosperm plus testa and embryo from olive fruits at different developmental stages (A) SDS-PAGE profiles showing conspicuous bands corresponding to 11S peptides under denaturing (B) Western blotting after using the anti β-conglutin antibody (C) Densitometry of the reactive bands to the antibody Light purple bars: veraison fruit (130 DAA) ∗p < 0.001 versus the corresponding endosperm sample at 105 DAA; ∗∗p < 0.001 versus the corresponding embryo sample at 105 DAA; ∗∗∗p < 0.001 versus the corresponding whole seed sample at 105 DAA; #p < 0.001 among all samples of the same band category (49 Transmission electron microscope (TEM) immunolocalization of β-conglutins in samples of endosperm plus testa (A–C) and embryo (A′–C′) from olive fruits at different developmental stages Gold particles (arrows) are specifically decorating protein bodies of different sizes and the nucleus are devoid of gold particles (D) Quantification of labeling density in the protein bodies of both tissues at the different stages analyzed ∗p < 0.001 versus the corresponding endosperm sample at 105 DAA; ∗∗p < 0.001 versus the corresponding embryo sample at 105 DAA; #p < 0.001 among all samples As regard to the number of seeds found within each endocarp whereas in the other six cultivars we managed to observe the presence of two seeds per endocarp in some of the fruits the protein complexity of the seed coat in the olive seed is still unrevealed The olive seed presents intracellular spaces and discontinuous in their structures putative involved in the need for the gas exchange water intake or metabolic activity mainly in the mature stage and prior to the germination process The presence of a well-defined aleurone layer in the olive seed has been described in the present study This structure changes form a well-structured disposition in the green stage to disorganization in the mature stage that could be involved in some way in the easy removal of the seed coat at the mature stage preliminary work (unpublished) indicates the presence of anti-inflammatory components in the flours derived from this material the direct involvement of β-conglutins in these effects is yet to be analyzed Lupin β-conglutins are located in the endosperm and cotyledonary PBs, as shown by immunocytochemical experiments carried out here, and as it is also the occurrence with olive 11S legumins. As showed by Duranti et al. (2008) the covalent integrity is not apparently a pre-requisite for β-conglutin to be correctly deposited in these cellular structures since the mature β-conglutin from lupin dry seeds appeared already proteolytically cleaved in a number of sites Immunolocalization of β-conglutins in the olive PBs likely reflects the localization of both the 45 and 49 kDa forms of the protein as they are both recognized by the antibody Quantification of the labeling in the PBs is consistent with the quantification of the signal of the 49+45 kDa bands in Western blotting experiments showing an incremental presence of these proteins through the maturation process which is concomitant with the increased presence of PBs in all the tissues analyzed here the higher presence of ß-conglutins in the embryo compared to the endosperm was verified in the immunocytochemical experiments Both the histological features and analytical characteristics and the localization of the olive seed β-conglutins were also determined at longer times after anthesis (240 DAA) Such parameters did not differ substantially from those displayed here for 210 DAA in the cultivar ‘Picual’ and therefore were not shown in the present work This may suggest that maturation of the seed ends before the maturation of the pulp in the olive fruit the analysis of the hardening dynamics of the endocarp and the final size of the endocarps might be used as a marker for biological studies and crop management as well as a marker for cultivar tolerance to water availability The described anatomy and histological distribution of the olive seed of the ‘Picual’ cultivar allows identifying the main features typical of dicots within a developmental time frame Cell storage structures (PBs and OBs) present a well-defined pattern of accumulation with complementary distribution in the olive seed tissues Seed storage proteins of the 7S-type (β-conglutins) are relevant components of all olive seed tissues displaying an accumulative pattern concurrent with the development of the seed and fruit These proteins are present in at least two peptide forms and are subcellularly associated to PBs in the different tissues analyzed AZ and JA designed the experimental structure of the work and redacted the manuscript whereas MM’-A performed TEM immunocytochemical detection and signal quantitation JJ-L was particularly involved in the work with the databases and tools on the web servers for prediction of synthetic peptide and the generation of the antibody EL was responsible for Western blotting experiments and analysis All authors read and approved the manuscript This work was supported by ERDF co-funded projects BFU2011-22779 P2011-CVI-7487 (Junta de Andalucía) The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest We thank Alicia Rodríguez-Sánchez’s support for microscopy and Diana Nicolás for technical assistance The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.01481/full#supplementary-material FIGURE S1 | (A) De-stoned seeds from 18 fruits cv (B) Dissection of the tissues from a ‘Picual’ seed (C–E) Representation of the different parameters in a total of 12 olive cultivars (F) Spearman correlation of several weights of the seed tissues form different olive cultivars (+/−) indicate positive/negative correlation (p < 0.01) Y/N (Yes/No) indicates whether some fruits of the cultivar contained more than 1 seed Biochemical characterization and cellular localization of 11S type storage proteins in olive (Olea europaea L.) seeds “Nutraceutical properties of white and narrowleaved lupin Lupins for health and wealth,” in Proceedings of the 12th International Lupin Conference Google Scholar Seed coat mucilage cells of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model for plant cell wall research Las Variedades de Olivo Cultivadas en Andalucía 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Google Scholar Mucilage secretion: an adaptive mechanism to reduce seed removal by soil erosion CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Simple sequence repeat identification and endocarp characterization of olive tree accessions in a Tunisian germplasm collection Google Scholar Evolution of endosperm developmental patterns among basal flowering plants PubMed Abstract | Google Scholar Cell and tissue dynamics of olive endocarp sclerification vary according to water availability Arabidopsis seed coat mucilage is a specialized cell wall that can be used as a model for genetic analysis of plant cell wall structure and function CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Characterization of narrow-leaf lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) recombinant major allergen IgE-binding proteins and the natural ß-conglutin counterparts in sweet lupin seed species Jiménez-López Protein bodies in cotyledon cells exhibit differential patterns of legumin-like proteins mobilization during seedling germinating states Lupin allergy: uncovering structural features and epitopes of ß-conglutin proteins in lupinus angustifolius l with a focus on cross-allergenic reactivity to peanut and other legumes Narrow leafed lupin b-conglutin proteins epitopes identification and molecular features analysis involved in cross-allergenicity to peanut andother legumes Jiménez-López Biogenesis of protein bodies during legumin accumulation in developing olive (Olea europaea L.) seed Seed morphology and histology of some Paronychia taxa (Caryophyllaceae) from Turkey Google Scholar Oil content of Arabidopsis seeds: the influence of seed anatomy Narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) β-conglutin proteins modulate the insulin signaling pathway as potential type 2 diabetes treatment and inflammatory-related disease amelioration “The function of conglutin proteins from the “sweet lupin” group in food allergies,” in Legumes for Global Food Security Google Scholar Ex vivo and in vitro assessment of anti-inflammatory activity of seed β-conglutin proteins from Lupinus angustifolius Role of olive seed in the biogenesis of virgin olive oil aroma Contribution of olive seed to the phenolic profile and related quality parameters of virgin olive oil Martínez Anatomy of sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.) seeds (Annonaceae) Olive stone as a renewable source of biopolyols CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Phytochemical analysis and histology of Strychnos potatorum L Google Scholar The unique biosynthetic route from Lupinus ß-conglutin gene to blad Morales-Sillero Olive seed germination and initial seedling vigor as influenced by stratification treatment and the female parent Google Scholar Olive stones flour as reinforcement in polypropylene composites: a step forward in the valorization of the solid waste from the olive oil industry Recovery and use of olive stones: commodity CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Google Scholar Reserve mobilization in the Arabidopsis endosperm fuels hypocotyl elongation in the dark and requires phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase1 “Quality assessments of untreated and washed Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) seeds based on histological and foaming capacity investigations,” in Microscopy: Science Díaz (Wageningen: Wageningen University and Research) Google Scholar Anatomy and histochemistry of the mexican cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) seed Rodríguez Olive stone an attractive source of bioactive and valuable compounds Differential presence of oleosins in oleogenic seed and mesocarp tissues in olive (Olea europaea) and avocado (Persea americana) Fast virtual histology using X-ray in-line phase tomography: application to the 3D anatomy of maize developing seeds Quantitative ultrastructure and protein composition of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) seeds: a comparative study of endoperm vs histological and ultrastructural changes in the olive pistil during flowering Identification and characterization of seed coat mucilage proteins A combined transcriptome analysis unravels novel questions on Medicago trunculata seed coat Characterization of seed storage proteins and their synthesis during seed development in Olea europaea The functions of the endosperm during seed germination Development of the cotyledon cells during olive (Olea europaea L.) in vitro seed germination and seedling growth Olive seed protein bodies store degrading enzymes involved in mobilization of oil bodies On the genetics and histology of the hull-less character of styrian oil-pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) Google Scholar Jimenez-Lopez JC and Alché JdD (2018) Histological Features of the Olive Seed and Presence of 7S-Type Seed Storage Proteins as Hallmarks of the Olive Fruit Development Copyright © 2018 Zafra, M’rani-Alaoui, Lima, Jimenez-Lopez and Alché. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Juan de Dios Alché, anVhbmRlZGlvcy5hbGNoZUBlZXouY3NpYy5lcw== Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Photographer Dan Zafra is an expert at traveling the world to capture stunning images, including exceptional shots of the Milky Way. Through his company, Capture the Atlas, Zafra and his partner Ascen share their love for adventure and photography by leading photo tours in some of the world's most scenic sites But if you can't make it on location with them you can still learn some of Zafra's tricks for photographing the Milky Way with his excellent tutorials where he captured a mesmerizing image of our galaxy arching over a glacier valley in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park titled Aoraki Starlight has a foreground made from seven vertical images and a sky formed from 10 tracked vertical images Zafra's planning to bring the image to life was extensive and began a year prior to touching down in New Zealand. He long dreamed of taking his astrophotography to the area, particularly as the park has the largest international dark sky reserve in the world Zafra began to scout locations where he might be able to view the Milky Way a popular walking track that affords breathtaking views Google Earth showed a potential composition that would allow Zafra to take a photo of the Milky Way arch with the Hooker River running below it He then turned to the popular Photopills app to verify what he'd seen in Google so all he had to do was wait until he was on location to see if his research was correct After hiking to the location just before sunset he used Photopills in augmented reality mode to verify where the Milky Way would sit He then hiked up a rock by the river to have the perfect vantage point and waited for the night sky to start its show Using long exposures and a star-tracker, he was able to capture the night sky even with total darkness. For equipment, he had his astromodified Sony A7III and his go-to lens for Milky Way photography—the Sony 20 mm f/1.8 Using a Sony A1 and the Sony 14 mm GM f/1.8 Now it was time to get to the computer and edit the photo together After adjusting the exposure and white balance he created two panoramas—one for the foreground and one for the background He then used Starnet+ in Pixinsight for specific star reduction before jumping into Photoshop he had the difficult task of seamlessly blending together the panoramas so that the end result would be one uniform photo Zafra takes care to apply special filters and adjustments to make the Milky Way pop while still maintaining the natural look and feel of the image He usually takes a day away from the photo and then Colombia’s Andrés Zafra has signed a new two-year deal with Agen The second-rower joined the French Top 14 side in June 2018 from rivals Lyon Thus far the 23-year-old has made 16 appearances including 13 starts and has scored three tries Zafra is the first Colombian to have played in France He was first spotted as a teenager playing in his home country Among those to have seen him play was former French international Cédric Desbrosse The result was a move to France at the age of 19 He initially trained with Givors in France’s 5th division His talent was quickly noted and he moved to play for neighboring club Lyon Zafra is from Los Carboneros club in Cúcuta He weighs 115kg and stands at 1.97 meters tall Tags Top 14 Video Mexico hosted and defeated Jamaica on Saturday Photographer Dan Zafra of Capture the Atlas is always up for a new adventure he couldn't pass up the chance to spend a week photographing and swimming with orcas in the Norwegian Arctic While these highly intelligent animals are found in all oceans and most seas it's only in the fjords of Northern Norway that encounters are commonplace enough for groups to organize trips to see these animals After spending a few days in Tromso, Norway, which is known for its incredible Northern Lights Zafra and a small group of travelers boarded a small buoy-laying vessel This boat brought the group on a three-hour voyage through the fjords where they would spend a whole week with the orcas Everything was planned carefully to coincide with the annual orca migration hundreds of orca move toward the fjords in search of food and create the largest gathering of whales in the world Zafra spent his days framing photos of the orcas emerging from the water and waiting for an opportunity to get into the water “When the guides considered that it was safe to get in the water with the orcas and whales we gently slipped off the side of the zodiac and got into an underwater world where we experienced one of the most privileged sightings on Earth,” Zafra writes “The encounters were always unpredictable; sometimes it was a quick look to see how the orcas were traveling underwater looking for food it was a longer encounter when they were curious and they approached us.” Zafra spent hours each day observing these incredible animals and studying their behavior This also included watching them hunt “bait balls,” which are densely packed schools of fish Watching orcas and whales hunt and fish together in groups was See some of his incredible visuals from this unique experience with the orcas by Nicole Kilian | Jun 17 Zafra Lerman discovered her lifelong passion for the sciences early on she eventually became a professor of chemistry but has taken a unique approach to getting her arts-oriented students excited about the sciences her impact goes far beyond research and teaching She believes that a shared passion can help promote peace in unstable regions around the world For Lerman, science diplomacy is vital to unify people with political, cultural, and religious differences. As president of the Malta Conferences Foundation she provides a platform where scientists from hostile countries can peacefully discuss their research and form collaborations greater than the scope of the conference Lerman’s outstanding humanitarian work has been awarded countless times and even put her on the shortlist for the Nobel Peace Prize We had the great honor of talking to Lerman about her unprecedented career in which she unifies people to help solve conflicts with science After doing research at Cornell and Northwestern University and then going to Switzerland I decided I wanted to make a change in the realm of teaching I was getting very tired of hearing about under-representation in science I told myself that I would show that underrepresented groups can be as good as anybody if you teach science the right way Columbia College in Chicago was a wonderful school back then and the president at the time was a visionary leader but because it was an accredited university he needed more of the sciences represented He sent a letter around to people involved in human rights and nuclear disarmament He said he had the perfect person and he recommended me Did you have mentors who supported you along the way The person that influenced my life the most was my postdoc professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science and then came to Cornell University in Ithaca to their chemistry department for my postdoc but he was also on a scientific advisory committee to [US] presidents since Eisenhower and Kennedy — he was involved in negotiating the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with the Soviets we were discussing the entropy of activation when suddenly a phone call came and the secretary said “Jerry Wisner (the president of MIT and the person who helped develop radar in the Second World War) is on the phone.” I was listening to this conversation and was fascinated because I had just come to the United States and I felt I was sitting on top of the world with such important people I have to give Frank Long credit for a career that did a lot of good for people and I got involved with him in issues of nuclear disarmament and human rights you have developed innovative methods to teach science by combining them with the arts Why did you go this non-traditional teaching route [When I joined Columbia College in Chicago] I had to build science classes for non-science majors from scratch and I remember the first class I wanted to offer was called “Chemistry in Daily Life” Nobody signed up for my class initially because the students did not think chemistry was useful I took a group of 20 students to a bar across the street from the university and I told them to order what they wanted and they would list off the ingredients and then say alcohol “What is alcohol?” They said it was something that made them feel good I said again “But what is alcohol?” I then took a napkin and I drew the molecular structure of ethanol and I told them this is what they were drinking They all started drawing it on their napkins and the whole bar was listening to my lecture Then I ordered a salad with oil and vinegar and I started drawing acetic acid and I told them this could be used for nail polish remover The students were concerned they were drinking nail polish remover and I told them it was fine because it needed a catalyst I explained to them what a catalyst is and I said this semester is 15 weeks long and they already had the first class so there were only 14 weeks to go if they registered I learned from that experience that you must teach something relevant to students’ lives I was teaching a certain chemical reaction and the students did not understand got up and assigned different chemicals to different students and they started dancing around each other like the chemicals would and they began to understand the reaction I got to this way of teaching because my teachers where my students They showed me how they understood and how they learned many educators are discovering again this way of teaching I then suggested to the heads of the chemistry departments at Princeton and Indiana Universities to write a proposal with me to the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop a class for non-science majors using my teaching methods and adopt it in our three institutions They agreed and the NSF funded the proposal and even called it their “flagship project” To prove that my underprivileged students could compete with the students at Princeton, I would take my class from Chicago to Princeton every year for a joint symposium. They showed the scientific material in creative ways, like dance and theater so they followed Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and they wrote a love story between sodium and chlorine where they kissed and transferred the electron to form an ionic bond for the table salt so then the water came and broke up the marriage There was also the “bond father” with a chemical bond like the Godfather and the depletion of the ozone layer using Star Wars The media came to the first meeting at Princeton and called it “the meeting of two cultures” How challenging is it to bring the arts and sciences together so it was fascinating for me to see this connection the students had to produce a final project using their creative majors I remember when Al Gore did his documentary on climate change my students said they made a much better video for their final project or a Nobel Peace Prize like Al Gore received The NSF gave me a lot of money to go into the inner cities and help minority students and work with their teachers to adopt this way of teaching where at night they came to a dance studio where the parents of one of my dance students would run lessons and we taught them chemistry through dance Many of them went on to college and to continue their Ph.D in biochemistry as a result of this school You are an advocate for using science as a platform to promote peace and further human rights Was there a specific event that inspired this work My human rights work started early with human rights abuses of scientists in the Soviet Union There were excellent scientists who wanted to leave the Soviet Union and were not allowed and then fired from their jobs They were in a terrible situation but there were other groups working on their behalf like The Committee of Concerned Scientists were arrested or exiled for speaking up for human rights We were sending many letters to the leaders of the Soviet Union expressing our concern for the wellbeing of dissidents I travelled several times to the Soviet Union to help them I met Andrei Sakharov in the 1980s in the United States when he received the Peace Prize from the Albert Einstein Peace Prize Foundation of which I was on the executive committee I met with him using a translator and he recommended I take a crash course in Russian before I return to the Soviet Union I usually went with a group of chemists in an organized tour where we interacted with the chemistry departments in the universities and gave lectures and symposia I would leave and go to dark alleys where a “Refusenik” would wait for me in a certain place that I could arrange and then we went and collected more.By two o’clock in the morning we had maybe 50 of them in a dark attic in some apartment I delivered a seminar and I brought scientific materials I took their CVs back to the United States to work on their behalf All these activities were illegal in the Soviet Union I would probably have ended up in some prison in the Soviet Union I would usually find a woman in our group who looked brave and I told her that if I was not there for breakfast the next morning Can you share with us some examples of human rights violations you focused on I went many times to China to work on human rights One of the people on whose behalf I worked was the father of the pro-democracy movement He was hiding in the American embassy for a whole year he gave the first speech in Chinese to the people in China through “Voice of America” [an international radio broadcast] I also worked in Cuba when I brought a delegation of chemists to participate in a chemistry conference and deliver lectures We needed a special license because the United States has an embargo against Cuba The Cuban Chemical Society made me an honorary member in a ceremony held in Havana I dedicated the lecture to the prisoners who were still in jail since the Tiananmen Square incident The Americans in the audience were very angry with me because they said I would cause all of them to be arrested I was interviewed after that lecture on national Chinese television and I also had the privilege to be interviewed on Cuban national television when the twin towers in New York were attacked I was sitting in Israel along the Mediterranean in a beautiful café I was on the phone with somebody from the defense ministry They told me over the phone that the first twin tower was attacked and while we continued the conversation but any contact was immediately impossible in a meeting of the Committee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights of the American Chemical Society I suggested it was time to turn our attention to the Middle East This is when the Malta Conferences were born Can you tell us about the “Malta Conferences” what does the organization aim to achieve and how did you first get involved we had the National American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting in Orlando and I managed to bring two scientists from Cuba that I met because I organized a symposium on the scientific relationship between the United States and Cuba to the International Activities Committee of ACS I suggested we organize a conference for scientists from all the 15 Middle East countries and bring them all together under the same roof for five days with six Nobel laureates to develop friendships and collaboration that can overcome the chasms of distrust and intolerance we could move a few centimeters towards peace in the Middle East “How would I get six Nobel laureates to meet in this kind of conference?” I said I would make six phone calls and I would stay on the phone until I got a “yes” I was asked how I would get participants and I said I have contracts in all these countries I know scientists who will help me find people and we will bring them together There was push back when I said there could be no one accompanying the participants [spouses and we needed a fast reaction — we could not dilute it Malta was chosen because this was taking place at the height of the Intifada and the terrible conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis I thought an island was safer than a mainland country there were not many countries where you could fly directly to Malta It took a very long time and you had to change flights We were so nervous at the first conference how this would work How can scientific exchange and collaboration promote peace in politically unstable regions The Subcommittee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights was dealing with helping Palestinian scientists who had trouble in getting to their conferences because of checkpoints and paperwork We had 10 Palestinians who were invited to Malta I was very worried that they would have problems arriving as a member of the Presidential Circle of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs I was attending a lecture where the speaker was the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel at the time I told him that for many years I hated his right-wing politics when he was the mayor of Jerusalem but that the lecture he gave was the best talk I ever heard I told him I had one request and I gave him a list of 10 Palestinians who must come to Malta with a smile on their faces and with no problems The conference started on a Sunday evening with a reception and dinner I was going crazy and then suddenly I saw them Then each of them said they got a call from Olmert’s office telling them they will get help to attend the Malta Conference with no obstacles but that they must come with a smile on their face They were so happy with how they were treated and that they could come I am always thankful to Olmert for making the first Malta Conference a success you would think it was a family reunion with people kissing I thought we would only hold the conference once but the participants voted to have another Organizing these conferences is very hard because we do not have any paid staff and we donate our own money and also raise money to pay for every participant’s expenses because equality is very important for the Middle East The conference has been held in several different places like Istanbul (Turkey) Visa issues started when Malta joined the European Union the visa problem is even bigger than raising the money but we succeeded with different methods and different connections it is very hard to find good volunteers to raise the funds The president of the Republic of Malta always opens the conference we immediately started building relationships with the authorities there and discussed the relationship with Israel They were very open to talking in 2015 and they wanted to start scientific exchanges How can people become active in human rights and social justice I think every scientist who lives in freedom should help scientists whose freedom is abused only for expressing an opinion the scientific societies now have human rights committees they should do what I did and fight to create one We started working on human rights issues and once we were established people started sending us letters requesting our help We fought for a Palestinian doctor and five Bulgarian nurses who were sentenced to death in Libya Once you have a group that is ready to work together they start having contacts with other groups the Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS) is based in the United States and is fully devoted to human rights I manage to take Tai Chi and yoga classes every week and I am very involved with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs which has lectures and activities on current political situations and graduate students and get them involved with my activities to prepare them to take over someday These students work with me on the Malta Conferences I have to pay them out of my own pocket because 100% of the money raised for the Malta Conferences goes towards the Middle East participants especially to countries where I can meet with our participants Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive the latest science news directly to your inbox Sign up for our weekly newsletter and receive the latest science news Recreating the material that surrounds cells Loebel aims to better understand cell memory and its role in disease development Haruka Sasaki is researching how melatonin impacts asthma to create new treatments for life-threatening nocturnal attacks Future 6G wireless networks will rely on quantum computers but developing the technology and making it sustainable is complex Rose Marks uses her climbing skills in remote regions of South Africa to study how water-deprived plants might help develop drought-tolerant crops Something unexpected happened when atoms of gallium were observed to spontaneously transition from solid to liquid and back again Study finds tactile learning in education helps kids engage multiple senses leading to a richer and more interactive learning experience The book cover of “Rites of Passing” by Verna Zafra-Kasala Verna Zafra-Kasala’s micro-chapbook of poetry has an intriguingly ambiguous title entirely live up to that title and leaves this reader wanting The micro-chapbook’s cover indicates the primary topic of passing; it shows an adult tricycle parked in front of numerous above-ground burials “The Arrival Song,” deals with birth and passing into this world and all the poems thereafter refer to aspects of human passing from this world This is not to say that the poems are depressing they are frank and remind us all of how we have dealt with or may deal with the loss of loved ones “To the Woman who Drowned Herself in the Merrimack 1952,” “What Sounds Carried You Off,” and “Mementos” all have a speaker addressing the deceased person Many of us continue to speak to those we love but have lost The remaining four poems (This is a micro-chapbook — a small paperback booklet — after all) address the funeral procession from the grave in “Spirit Path”; the return from the funeral in “Golgol or The Cleanse”; the recurring remembrance in “After the Night Gives Way”; and the offerings made to those remembered in “Atang “I wonder out loud if the dead / crave for sugar,” and the aunties reply that “the dead crave to be remembered.” Indeed “Rites of Passing” is a sober little book of 20 pages I hope the author sometime takes the challenge of addressing all of life’s passages and rites of passage and re-using this wonderfully ambiguous title Verna Zafra-Kasala’s “Rites of Passing,” Porkbelly Press, 2023, is available for purchase directly from the author via email at ritesmicrochap@gmail.com or online at porkbellypress.com Paulette M. Coulter is a former teacher and University of Guam instructor, still reading and writing. This book review was provided in partnership with the University of Guam Press. Learn more about them and their collection of Micronesian literature at uogpress.com health educator and nutrition counselor at TakeCare talks about the power of food to connect people health educator and nutrition counselor at TakeCare and PDN's Wellness Wednesday columnist invites readers to explore ways to create ideal conditions for restorative sleep that energizes both body and mind Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the bunker during the first days of the war Pedro Zafra dressed in black and wearing a Roman collar A short time ago the world marked the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine the Russian forces began the attack by land The bombardments destroyed entire buildings and and Aleteia spoke to him for the first time 10 months ago when asked about his decision to stay in the war-torn country God gives me the grace and strength to continue each day I pray constantly for the grace of loving the enemy To be able to talk to him again and have a conversation has not been easy The internet connection is unstable and the situation in Kyiv is now very tense But bearing witness to what is going on is part of his ministry He has been in Kyiv for more than 10 years, where he went to study as a seminarian at the seminary of the Neocatechumenal Way in Kyiv serving others and carrying out his mission of proclaiming Jesus Christ "Right from the beginning we opened the parish to the parishioners and to all those who needed help We distributed humanitarian aid that came to us from different countries," he says Many of those who go to the parish for help aren’t parishioners "All those nearby who couldn’t escape or who’ve decided to stay in the country have come to us." Even during the first chaotic days of the conflict they continued to celebrate their Masses and offer the sacraments to all those who requested them They did so in a bunker under the building They went there when the sirens sounded to protect themselves from the bombing The priests and parish team comforted all those who came and offered them not only material but also spiritual help "We continue to carry out our mission here God sees the suffering of the Ukrainian people "Throughout this year we’ve seen how people who were not from the Church but then they’ve been staying and they’ve found comfort." "Many of them now attend Mass and turn to God They see how he is present and hasn’t left them in the midst of this situation." Day-to-day life in the country is very hard Attacks continue and the fighting between Russians and Ukrainians is a daily reality Russia continues its offensive and Ukraine refuses to surrender It has stood up to Vladimir Putin's army for more than a year now in a conflict which has left more than 8,000 civilians dead and 300,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers wounded or killed The exodus of Ukrainian refugees is the largest in Europe since World War II There are six million internally displaced persons in the country and more than eight million refugees abroad "After these months of war people can see that God has not abandoned them We thank God every day for the gift of life." Pedro Zafra and the other priests at the parish are very grateful to the people who have been sending aid or helping in one way or another “the people who have shown solidarity with the cause and who have contributed their grain of sand." Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you Please make a tax-deductible donation today Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news asphalt and urban heat islands add to the misery of heat waves A graphic shows how different surfaces heat up during a typical hot summer day With a high temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or 100 degrees Fahrenheit It only takes just a fraction of a second to suffer a pretty serious burn Asphalt and concrete in direct sunlight can often reach surface temperatures as high as 82 Celsius (180 Fahrenheit) on the hottest days who directs the Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix Forecasters predict another heat wave in Phoenix this week after the U.S. National Weather Service declared the city had sweltered under high temperatures above 43°C (115°F) for 30 consecutive days in July. Across Europe, high temperature records have tumbled this summer and major heat waves in much of the world are expected to persist through August Due to the elevated temperatures in Phoenix doctors have treated numerous patients who suffered burns from falling on the ground or touching surfaces that were much hotter than the recorded air temperature Surface temperatures play a critical role in how hot the surrounding area gets and also present a health risk during extreme heat events a substantial amount of the sun's energy is absorbed and reflected by surfaces exposed to its rays leading to their temperatures increasing significantly These warm surfaces then transfer their heat to the surrounding air other construction materials like asphalt or concrete are capable of absorbing as much as 95% of the sun's energy which is then radiated back into the surrounding atmosphere During days when the thermometer shows 38°C (100°F) this temperature refers to air temperature which meteorologists usually measure over a metre (several feet) above the surface surfaces such as asphalt or cement can reach temperatures higher than 65°C (149°F) It's important to be aware of these surface temperatures and take precautions to avoid injuries The process of urban development profoundly changes the landscape Natural and permeable surfaces are replaced by impermeable structures like buildings and roads This creates what climatologists call “urban heat islands” areas within cities that experience significantly higher temperatures compared to nearby rural regions These are also areas with high concentrations of people. In Europe, nearly half of schools and hospitals in cities are located in urban heat islands exposing vulnerable populations to health-threatening temperatures as climate change impacts worsen according to the European Union's environment agency air temperatures in large cities might be 1 to 3°C (1.8 to 5.4°F) warmer than those of their rural surroundings According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million or more people can be 1 to 3°C (1.8 to 5.4°F) warmer than its surrounding areas this temperature difference can even reach as high as 12°C (22°F) compared to rural areas Urban heat islands are created through a combination of factors Green spaces and vegetation play a vital role in reducing surface temperatures through evapotranspiration where plants release water to the surrounding air urban surfaces absorb and store more heat compared to natural ground cover Understanding these factors helps us create cooler and more sustainable cities also influence urban heat island development as they determine how the sun’s energy is reflected transforming small plots once ridden with garbage and weeds giving quality of life and creating new reference points inside the city,” Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis said Thermal infrared images taken by NASA's Landsat-9 satellite revealing surface temperatures The temperatures presented in this report were collected in Madrid on July 17 using an industrial infrared digital thermometer specifically designed for measuring surface temperatures Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world’s largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. On any given day in Barcelona’s Ciutadella park passersby can find children playing excitedly and tourists taking in the sights: an old greenhouse not far from the grandiose fountain built around the time of the 1888 World’s Fair or even rebellious beer-drinking teens attempting to escape their parents’ gaze one that has been dubbed “Catalonia’s first hate crime.” Sonia Rescalvo Zafra was born in the Castillian town of Cuenca in 1956 as Spain began to leave the worst of the post-Civil War period behind it But transphobia and homophobia were still widespread — and Sonia decided to try her luck in the big city.  Sonia found some success as a showgirl on Paral·lel a Catalan capital boulevard then known for its El Molino and Teatre Arnau cabaret theaters she fell on hard times and ended up homeless and on drugs Sonia and her friend Doris were sleeping in the bandstand when they were brutally attacked by a group of young Boixos Nois skinheads the six 16- to 17-year-olds beat up a homeless man who lost an eye Not only was Sonia’s passing the first murder investigated by Catalonia’s then-newly deployed Mossos d’Esquadra police force but it was treated as a hate crime even though prejudice as a motivating factor was only introduced into Spain’s Criminal Code in 1995 The unrepentant teens were sentenced to a total of over 300 years behind bars in 1994 although their sentences were reduced by Spain's Supreme Court a few years later and none of them are currently in prison for this crime.  Sonia’s murder was a turning point for the LGBT rights movement in Catalonia and beyond an activist who founded the now-defunct Col·lectiu de Transexuals de Catalunya (CTC) After Franco’s death [in 1975] there was an explosive sense of freedom,” she told Catalan News “But it also led to a certain questioning of these freedoms and the prejudices that existed under Franco resurfaced.” a member of the Gay Rights Liberation Front of Catalonia (FACG) one of the private prosecutors in Sonia’s murder trial “We were emerging from the darkness of the dictatorship,” he says “Back then we had groups of skinheads roaming the streets who acted “The LGBTI movement was aware of what was happening also says Sonia’s death and the harassment of sex workers in the Camp Nou area later on due to the 1992 Olympics were what inspired her to mobilize and form the CTC. Although progress has been made in the past 30 years she believes there is much room for improvement even within the sometimes “paternalistic” social rights movements She also sees the rise of far-right Vox, and with it homophobic and transphobic incidents as worrisome: “The fact that the far-right is visible and has been legalized inevitably allows somewhat repressed prejudices to flourish.” a plaque was placed on the bandstand: “Sonia was murdered here at the hands of fascism on October 6 When it was officially renamed “Transsexual Sonia bandstand” in 2013 Barcelona became the first city in Europe to have a public space named after a trans person complete with a historical marker explaining her story.  Barcelona honored her memory by renaming the square in Ciutadella Plaça Sonia Rescalvo Zafra and holding a commemorative event with members of the LGBT community Get the day's biggest stories right to your phone For her outstanding leadership and achievements upholding human rights Zafra Lerman has been named the recipient of the 2016 Andrei Sakharov Prize was presented on April 17 at an APS meeting in Salt Lake City as well as the chair of the organizing committee for which takes place every two years and promotes international scientific cooperation and diplomacy as a bridge to peace in the Middle East The conference brings scientists from 15 Middle Eastern nations together with several Nobel Laureates to solve regional problems especially between Israelis and Palestinians Lerman is a fellow of the American Chemical Society the American Association for the Advancement of Science the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry ACS’s Basic Package keeps you connected with C&EN and ACS $80 Regular Members & Society Affiliates ACS’s Standard Package lets you stay up to date with C&EN ACS’s Premium Package gives you full access to C&EN and everything the ACS Community has to offer For her outstanding leadership and achievements upholding human rights, Zafra Lerman has been named the recipient of the 2016 Andrei Sakharov Prize She plans to donate the prize money to the Malta Conference Linda Wang compiles this section. Announcements of awards may be sent to l_wang@acs.org This article has been sent to the following recipient: Sign up for C&EN's must-read weekly newsletter Copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society Brive have signed Colombian lock Andrés Zafra. The second-rower will join the Top 14 from another; he makes the move from Agen who were relegated this season to the Pro D2 The move means Zafra departs Agen early; he signed a two-year contract with the club in January 2020 It will also see the Colombian adding to his already lengthily time playing professional rugby in France The 25-year-old is the first Colombian to play in France He initially trained with Givors in the Fédérale 3 in January 2016 He took little tie to impress and caught the eyes of big name teams Still in 2016 he moved to play for neighboring club He joined Agen in 2018 and will now move to Brive Zafra is expected to play for his country next month Colombia travel to Chile to play a one-off winner-takes-all Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifier The winning team will advance to the South American finals in Montevideo The tournament will involve three countries: Uruguay and the winners of Chile vs Colombia and Brazil vs Paraguay Tags Pro D2 Sudamérica Rugby Top 14 A photographer who dived into the water with a huge pod of killer whales only had a few minutes each day to capture a rare shot of an orca bathed in light rays Shot in a Norweigan fjord, Dan Zafra from Capture the Atlas says that getting the light rays with the orcas was very challenging “It’s only possible during the first days of November when the Sun still rises high enough to be over the mountains and to hit the water in the fjords,” Zafra tells PetaPixel “This happens for just a few minutes a day you need a close encounter with the orca and the animal in the right spot where the light rays are hitting This is a very coveted picture by any orca underwater photographer.” Zafra explains that encounters with orcas can be very brief but some individuals will get curious about the humans in their water world and investigate for a few minutes budding underwater photographers must find the fortitude to step into the orcas’ arena “The first time I jumped into the water to see the orcas It’s difficult to describe the feeling when you see a giant male dorsal fin coming to you and you have to jump in the water with that enormous apex predator,” says Zafra after you spend some time seeing the orcas and their behavior you can see that they are very intelligent animals and I have never felt nervous or scared even while being surrounded by them when they were feeding on herring.” Northern Norway sees the largest gathering of orcas in the world attracting more than 500 known individuals we didn’t know much about where these orcas are coming from as they only spend the months from November to January in the Northern Norwegian Fjords,” says Zafra “Thanks to the work of organizations like the Norwegian Orca Survey which does photo identification we know that some of these individuals spend the rest of the year in waters of the Atlantic Ocean like Iceland.” To capture the marvelous photos, Zafra used a Sony a7 III astromodified in an Ikelite housing case “I was glad I changed the lens and some encounters were so close that even a 14mm was too narrow to capture the animal in the scene,” he adds Zafra organizes photo tours that include swimming with orcas as well as capturing the northern lights, details here More of his work can be found on his website, Facebook, and Instagram, Become a PetaPixel Member and access our content ad-free. © 2025 PetaPixel Inc. All rights reserved. Document hears from the artists and activists who are engaging with the history and ideologies of the island to define the new cultural zeitgeist Island nations are often stereotyped as insular and homogeneous, yet the Dominican Republic has cemented its cultural legacy in breaking from old-world assumptions about what art represents, of how it’s made and who gets a voice within it. As we evolve past a uniform approach to fashion and art, audiences are increasingly expecting an amalgamation of cultures, styles and beliefs. The Dominican Republic, rich with a dense, multicultural history, embodies this shift. In recent years, the island has seen renewed interest from the larger art community, formed from both an influx of Dominicans born abroad and immigrants returning to the island to claim their cultural inheritance. For Document, photographer Mitch Zachary sat down with Edgar and Stephanie from Tiempo de Zafra, Acentoh, Heidy Brathiny, and Carolin Willams Morales to discuss the changing perception of art on the island and explore how they are each exporting and engaging with the history and ideologies of the island to define the cultural zeitgeist. Stephanie wears shirt, jewelry, and shoes her own. Trousers and hat by Tiempo de Zafra. Skirt by Marco Ribeiro. Edgar wears tank top by Calvin Klein. Jacket and trousers by Marni. Hat by Tiempo de Zafra. Boots Edgar’s own. Tiempo De Zafra; Art and design collective How does nurturing other local talent play into your studio? Tell me about how you started this project. When our families first arrived in New York, fashion was their way of assimilating [to] the culture. Fashion has always been part of our personal dialogue and how we move in life. For [me and] Stephanie, it was something that automatically connected us to where we were living, the group of kids we were hanging out with, and the music we were listening to. What does the name ‘Tiempo de Zafra’ mean? It means abundance. We thought about how foreign brands may have super hard to pronounce names, but if people subscribed to it, they [learned to] pronounce it [correctly]. So we thought, What if we have a name that’s from here? It was our way to bring focus to where we’re from and what we’re doing. The literal translation is ‘time of harvest,’ and working with your hands is something our ancestors did and is such a part of our history. Our hope is that someone in New York or Paris can see our name and associate it with our work, but also the deeper history of this island. Definitely Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne from Public School. I used to be their intern back in New York. They influenced my understanding of what a fashion business could be. For me, [Stephanie] Margiela and Yohji Yamamoto, [who are] two people I ended up working for later down the line, [influenced my work]. They were setting the trends and guiding what you should be wearing. I really miss that aspect of fashion. What kind of statement are you making by saying you’re independent? Left: Carolin wears shorts (worn as top) and jacket (worn as skirt) by Marni. Jewelry and shoes Carolin’s own. Right: Heidy wears top and shorts by Valentino. Sunglasses by Sunnei. Shoes by Marni. Carolin Williams Morales; Costume designer, artist, and environmental activist What does your relationship with art look like? Heidy Brathiny; Hairstylist and environmental activist Each part of this island is art—the colors, the accent of each province— [it has] a wealth of complexity that only its people can provide because of our history. It’s [driven by a desire] to express ourselves in a unique way that is identified wherever we are—our way of walking, talking and dressing. We have a rich language, we add our own twist everytime we refer to something, from the typography of a bank to the design of a delivery bike. Acentoh wears tank top by Calvin Klein. Jacket by Louis Vuitton. Necklace Acentoh’s own. What do you think about the current influence the Dominican Republic is having on music world wide? From my perspective, our art seeks first to rebel, then to impose itself, and break through in industries as difficult [to break into] as entertainment and art. I recently premiered a musical movie in which we push the boundaries on what talent in the Dominican Republic [looks like]. Dominican music is flourishing. It is at its zenith of growth, and very susceptible to change and innovation. Left: Darwin wears shirt and necktie by Commission. Jeans and boots by CELINE by Hedi Slimane. Right: Rey wears tank top by Calvin Klein. Shirt and trousers by Ermenegildo Zegna XXX. Left: Daniela wears bra by AMI. Trousers by Sunnei. Right: Ruth wears dress and skirt by Issey Miyake. Left: Jendri wears jeans by Y/Project. Boots by CELINE by Hedi Slimane. Right: Ashanty wears top by Loewe. Left: Lucas wears hat by Tiempo de Zafra. Right: Lucas wears shorts by Prada. © Miguel de GuzmánTheaters are supposed to be venues functionally designed to stimulate some sort of reverie. Therefore, they have traditionally restricted and moderated the effect of natural light, in favor of a sophisticated lighting control, which rarely is fed back by its typological or programmatic particularities. At the Theater of Zafra lighting participates of the general concepts underlying the project and acquires an active responsibility that reinforces the playful nature of the program guiding visitors through the less crowded areas and helping to create a calm and evocative atmosphere as an accomplice preparation for the drama representation that awaits Following and mirroring other reuse strategies deployed along the building (washing machines doors as windows satellite dishes have been coated with road reflecting paint which form some kind of cloud above the foyers You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email