The 21 greatest graduation speeches of the last 60 years

Vox: The 21 greatest graduation speeches of the last 60 years
by German Lopez on May 11, 2016
"Graduation speeches are the last opportunity for a high school or college to educate its students. It's unsurprising, then, that these institutions often pull in some of the world's most powerful people to leave an equally powerful impression on their students. Here are the best of those speeches and some of the sections that resonate the most..." (May 11, 2016)
To read and watch the full article on the Vox website here.

Proposed Revisions to the Common Rule

Proposed Revisions to the Common Rule for the Protection of Human Subjects in the Behavioral and Social Sciences

It examines how to update human subjects protections regulations so that they effectively respond to current research contexts and methods. With a specific focus on social and behavioral sciences, this consensus report aims to address the dramatic alterations in the research landscapes that institutional review boards (IRBs) have come to inhabit during the past 40 years. The report aims to balance respect for the individual persons whose consent to participate makes research possible and respect for the social benefits that productive research communities make possible... (full text)

How to organizing a scientific meeting

How to organizing a scientific meeting

• Goldberg (2001). Another thing they never taught you in grad school: How to organize a scientific meeting
• Corpas (2008). Ten Simple Rules for Organizing a Scientific Meeting.
• IAPSS. How to organize a conference step by step manual (pdf)
• Rivlin (1995). Guide to organizing an international scientific conference (Google Book)
• Brett (2009). How to run a meeting
• What is the best way to start a meeting?
• Beare. Useful English phrases for participating in a business meeting. Phrases for performing well in busines meetings.
• EnglishClub. Meetings in English
• Reinhart (2013). Giving an introduction speech
• Reeves. How to close a meeting
• Robert (1876): Robert's Rules of Order for fair and orderly meetings & conventions
• The Robert's Rules Process for Handling a Main Motion
• Parliamentary Procedure for Meetings

11 Tips to Cut Your Cholesterol Fast

True

11 Tips to Cut Your Cholesterol Fast

Source: WebMD By Laura J. Martin, MD

 

1. Set a target.

2. Consider medication.

3. Get moving.

4. Avoid saturated fat.

5. Eat more fiber.

6. Go fish.

7. Drink up.

8. Drink green.

9. Eat nuts.

10. Switch spreads.

11. Don't smoke.

 

Full text here.

 

My favorite quotes of Magic School Bus

My favorite quotes of Magic School Bus (1994-1998)

It was my happy time watching Magic School Bus with my kids around 2000. The series is informative and educative, and the last but the best is a mindset of exploring and innovation. There are several quotes I don't want to forget.

• Ms. Frizzle, "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy."
• Ms. Frizzle, "Never say 'never.'"

These are also on the top of list of Wikiqote

Impact Factor Distortions

Impact Factor Distortions by Bruce Alberts
Source: Science

"This Editorial coincides with the release of the San Francisco declaration on research Assessment (DORA), the outcome of a gathering of concerned scientists at the December 2012 meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology. To correct distortions in the evaluation of scientific research, DORA aims to stop the use of the "journal impact factor" in judging an individual scientist's work. The Declaration states that the impact factor must not be used as "a surrogate measure of the quality of individual research articles, to assess an individual scientist's contributions, or in hiring, promotion, or funding decisions." DORA also provides a list of specific actions, targeted at improving the way scientific publications are assessed, to be taken by funding agencies, institutions, publishers, researchers, and the organizations that supply metrics. These recommendations have thus far been endorsed by more than 150 leading scientists and 75 scientific organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (the publisher of Science). Here are some reasons why: "

U.S. News Best Hospitals 2012-13: the Honor Roll - US News and World Report

U.S. News Best Hospitals 2012-13: the Honor Roll - US News and World Report
Source: USNews.com

A guide to U.S. hospitals, featuring extensive rankings, ....

Studies of Human Microbiome Yield New Insights

Studies of Human Microbiome Yield New Insights
Source: NYTimes.com by Carl Zimmer
"For a century, doctors have waged war against bacteria, using antibiotics as their weapons. But that relationship is changing as scientists become more familiar with the 100 trillion microbes that call us home - collectively known as the microbiome.
...". Read full article here.
There is also a story about Zhao Liping combines traditional Chinese medicine and studies of gut microbes to understand and fight obesity on the Nature: My Microbiome and Me.

Revolutions: The role of Statistics in the Higgs Boson discovery

The role of Statistics in the Higgs Boson discovery
Source: Revolution Analytics
News is starting to leak that the Large Hadron Collider may have accomplished its primary mission of confirming the existence of the hypothesised and heretofore elusive subatomic particle, the Higgs Boson. And sure, billions of Euros worth of state-of-the-art high-energy machinery and an army of experimental and theoretical physicists probably had something to do with the discovery. But did you know Statistics played a part as well? Check out this explainer video from PhD comics, below (an R chart even appears at the 00:27 mark):
Full text: here

What's in the world is a Higgs Boson? Source: NYTimes.com


The Higgs Boson Explained from PHD Comics on Vimeo.

How to Get Into Stanford with B’s on Your Transcript

How to Get Into Stanford with B's on Your Transcript
Source: Study Hacks by Cal Newport
"Let's try a simple experiment. Imagine that you're an admissions officer at a competitive college, and you're evaluating the following two applicants:
•David — He is captain of the track team and took Japanese calligraphy lessons throughout high school; he wrote his application essay on the challenge of leading the track team to the division championship meet.
•Steve — He does marketing for a sustainability-focused NGO; he wrote his application essay about lobbying delegates at the UN climate change conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Who impresses you more?
..."
This is an article recommended by my daughter. You can find the full text here: How to Get Into Stanford with B's on Your Transcript

"...

Lassiter’s Insight

What happened inside your brain when you read the descriptions of David and Steve? According to a clever series of experiments conducted by G. Daniel Lassiter, a psychology professor at the University of Ohio, your first response was to look into the proverbial mirror. Or, as Lassiter describes it, somewhat more formally,  in his 2002 paper on the subject: we have a “pervasive tendency…to use the self as a standard of comparison in [our] dispassionate judgments of others.”

Put another way, to evaluate a person’s accomplishments, we imagine ourselves attempting the same feat, allowing your own capabilities to provide a convenient benchmark for assessing others’.

(In Lassiter’s experiments, students took tests made up of difficult mathematical puzzles. He showed that when a student was asked to rate the intelligence of another student, this judging student used a self-assessment of his own intelligence, combined with how well he did on the test, to construct the rating.)

Let’s walk through the logic here. When you first encountered David and Steve, your brain began to compare them to yourself. In essence, your brain asked: “Could I do that? And if so, what would it require?”

...:

Social Rank Affects Monkey Immunity

Social Rank Affects Monkey Immunity
Source: The Scientist


"... the immune effects of rank were not permanent. Seven monkeys that changed rank showed a rapid change in gene expression to match their new status. The finding suggests that health depends on social status, and not vice versa...."


Full text: here
Original research article: here

Tools for Innovative Thinking in Epidemiology

Tools for Innovative Thinking in Epidemiology

By Roberta B. Ness

Source: American Journal of Epidemiology

“Innovation is the engine of scientific progress. Concern has been raised by the National Academies of Science about how well America is sustaining its ‘‘creative ecosystem.’’ In this commentary, the author argues that we can all improve our ability to think innovatively through instruction and practice. The author presents a series of tools that are currently being taught in a curriculum developed at the University of Texas, based on earlier evidence-based creativity training programs. The tools are these: 1) finding the right question; 2) enhancing observation; 3) using analogies; 4) juggling induction and deduction; 5) changing your point of view; 6) broadening the perspective; 7) dissecting the problem; 8) leveraging serendipity and reversal; 9) reorganization and combination of ideas; 10) getting the most out of groups; and 11) breaking out of habitual expectations and frames. Each tool is explained using examples from science and public health. It is likely that each of us will identify with and agree with the usefulness of one or two of the tools described. Broader mastery of many of these tools, particularly when used in combination, has provided our students with a powerful device for enhancing innovation.”

Read full text here

John Glenn's true hero - CNN.com

John Glenn's true hero
Source: CNN.com
"...For half a century, the world has applauded John Glenn as a heart-stirring American hero. He lifted the nation's spirits when, as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, he was blasted alone into orbit around the Earth; the enduring affection for him is so powerful that even now people find themselves misting up at the sight of his face or the sound of his voice.
But for all these years, Glenn has had a hero of his own, someone who he has seen display endless courage of a different kind:
Annie Glenn.
They have been married for 68 years.
He is 90; she turned 92 on Friday.
This weekend there has been news coverage of the 50th anniversary of Glenn's flight into orbit. We are being reminded that, half a century down the line, he remains America's unforgettable hero. ..."
The full text here.

Advanced Query Syntax

Advanced Query Syntax

…”The Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) is used by WDS to help users and programmers better define and narrow their searches. Using AQS is an easy way to narrow searches and deliver better result sets. Searches can be narrowed by the following parameters:

• File kinds: folders, documents, presentations, pictures and so on.
• File stores: specific databases and locations.
• File properties: size, date, title and so on.
• File contents: keywords like "project deliverables," "AQS," "blue suede shoes," and so on.

Furthermore, search parameters can be combined using search operators. The remainder of this section explains the query syntax, the parameters and operators, and how they can be combined to offer targeted search results. The tables describe the syntax to use with WDS, as well as the properties that can be queried for each file kind displayed in the Windows Desktop Search results window.”…

How to enable  Advanced Query Syntax search:

• Go to  Windows Explorer.
• Click menu “Organize”.
• Click “Folder And Search Options”.
• Click “Search” tab.
• Check “Use Natural Language Search”

Using Advanced Query Syntax To Find Files in Windows 7 

Thoughts: Education is The Key to Reduce Health Disparities

Thoughts: Education is The Key to Reduce Health Disparities

This is great. Even more, I would like to see teachers can team up to reduce disparities. My Mom’s experience tells me that the key to reduce the poverty is education, education, and still education. My Mom was a teach of elementary school in China. Sixty years ago, she went a remote poor countryside teaching not just kids but also the parents how to read. Now this area is one of the richest counties in China. My Mom is so proud of what she had done. By the way, my 80-year old Mom is still going to a senior college as a student to have fun and meet friends.

Subject: Lawyers, Doctors Team Up To Reduce Health Disparities

California Watch: Lawyers, Doctors Team Up To Reduce Health Disparities
On Kate Marr's first day practicing law at The Children's Clinic in Long Beach last week, she met with the mother of an asthmatic 7-year-old. ... The Long Beach program is the latest effort by community clinics and hospitals across the country to add lawyers to their medical teams as a way to resolve issues associated with the "social determinants of health," such as housing, domestic violence and poverty (Yeung, 11/10).

Why the Color of Moon will Turn into Red During the Lunar Eclipse?


Video

  

The info on Wikipedia

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the Sun's rays from striking the Moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a full moon. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon's location relative to its orbital nodes.

Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be viewed from a certain relatively small area of the world, a lunar eclipse may be viewed from anywhere on the night side of the Earth. A lunar eclipse lasts for a few hours, whereas a total solar eclipse lasts for only a few minutes at any given place, due to the smaller size of the moon's shadow.

China Week | Tavis Smiley | PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/features/china/

For five nights, July 11-15, 2011, Tavis brings you stories from the People's Republic of China. Taped in Beijing and Shanghai, the series examines the growing superpower's economic boom and its challenges, including the complexity of U.S.-China relations.

The art of scientific investigation (1957)

The art of scientific investigation (1957)

By: Beveridge, W. I. B. (William Ian Beardmore)

 

I read a Chinese version of this book (科学研究的艺术 or 科学之路) when I was a medical student. I cannot remember the exact content, but I thought it has affected my way of thinking so much in research. I'm always trying to find an English version to refresh my memory; it’s great to find it on the archive.org website for free.

“In The Art of Scientific Investigation, originally published in 1950, W.I.B. Beveridge explores the development of the intuitive side in scientists. The author's object is to show how the minds of humans can best be harnessed to the processes of scientific discovery. This book therefore centers on the "human factor"; the individual scientist. The book reveals the basic principles and mental techniques that are common to most types of investigation. Professor Beveridge discusses great discoveries and quotes the experiences of numerous scientists.” – Amazon.com

“The virtue of Mr. Breveridge’s book is that it is not dogmatic. A free and universal mind looks at scientific investigation as a creative art. This well written book deserves a wide audience. Manu of the author’s statements deserve to be quoted in every treatise on the psychology and practice of research.” –The New York Times

“It is altogether gratifying when a scientific researcher undertakes to raise the mysterious certain of science... exposing his research activities and those of his fellow-scientists. The book is well worth reading.” –The Scientific Monthly

“The author has a knack of putting into words what most experimenters sooner or later come to realize in a dim way, and it is extraordinarily interesting to see so much of the lore of research set down in print…The research worker - of whatever vintage - cannot do better than read this book, and, having read it, read it again.” – A. S. Parkes, F.R.S., in Nature

Thoughts

We have all of these skills to do these analyses. I know the mission of Division/Branch, but sometimes I really miss the short-range specific targets of the Division/Branch. We may divide our time into to a few sections such as some for the major object/target of Branch, some for the interesting groups, and some for the personal creativity, etc. These activities have to be the object-orientated not the data- or survey-orientated; we can explore the issue from different angles using different resources.

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous

• Biology
• Angela Belcher: Using nature to grow batteries
• David Bolinsky animates a cell
• Molecular Visualizations of DNA,  DNA Replication Process
• Science
• The Higgs Boson Explained
• Education
• Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education
• Carol Dweek: The power of believing that you can improve
• Coursra offers high quality courses from the top universities, for free to everyone. Here is the more story about Coursra by NPR.
• Khan Academy offers his free lessons in thousands of highly visual 10-minute chunks. Math and science dominate, and other topics for adult learners. It's been funded by Google and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• Art of Problem Soving, especially for the middle and high school level.
• Open Yale Courses
• MIT OpenCourseWare
• Harvard Open Courses
• Princeton University: WebMedia - Lectures
• Smarthistory focuses on art history, from cave paintings to Warhol
• R! Two-minute Tutorial.
• Supercourse - Epidemiology, the Internet and Global Health. Topics about Diabetes
• Thought, Inspiration, Differentiality
• TED is a set of annual conferences that brings together some of the world's best and brightest thinkers to deliver talks on their realms of expertise.
• TEDMED is a community of people who are passionate about imagining the future of health and medicine.
• Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed
• David Brooks: The social animal
• Patricia Ryan: Don't insist on English!
• RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms
• Travel
• The Roadtrippers road trip planner helps you discover, book, and create travel itineraries of the best places and experiences along the way. Also, there are apps for handhold devices.
• The airbnb helps you to rent unique places to stay from local hosts in 190+ countries.
• Hipmunk lets you search for flights across major airlines, giving you easy-to-scan results in a grid sorted by agony ("a combination of price, duration and number of stops").
• Money Saving
  • FatWallet: Save with coupons and deals - get cash back
  • Clark Howard: Advice You Can Trust. Money in Your Pocket
  • Caslist provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, personals, services, local community, and events.
  • Car shopping: if you are looking for a car, you might visit these websites to get a good price:
    • Truecar, a hassle-free car-buying experience from a nationwide network of certified dealers.
    • U.S. News Best Cars, a best car, truck and SUV rankings and reviews from U.S. News.
    • Kelley Blue Book.
    • Edmunds - New cars, used cards, car reviews and car prices.
• Health
• HealthGrades provides the rating grades of doctors, dentists and hospitals on a five-star scale for everything from communication skills to wait times.
• 身與心的平衡 (The balance of body and mind) and 中醫世界 (the world of Chinese medicine)
• 張釗漢疼痛醫療基金會 - 原始點吉林演講
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)  - Biomedical Research & Science Education
• File Utility
• Smallpdf is a fast and powerful online converter; it can convert in both ways between PDF and files of MS-Office, also can compress PDF, unlock, merge and split PDF. There is no limits to file size, no ad watermarks - just a free and simple online PDF converter.
• Any2DjVu Server is offered by DjVu Zone to convert pdf etc. into documents in DjVu format.
• Extractpdf.com can extract Images, Text or EVEN Fonts from a PDF File.
• Zamzar is an online format converter which allows to convert media between different formats. It can convert document, music, videos, images, and even archived files. The free service provides a file size up to 100 MB file size limit. It converts MOBI file quite well.
• TransferBigFiles is helpful to send and receive files that are too big for email attachments. The free account allows you to send files that are as big as 100 MB.
• SendThisFile can send a big file up to 2 GB for free, but you need create an account.
• Dropbox has much more features but also can be used for big file transfer.
• GPS
• GPS Visualizer is a free, easy-to-use online utility that creates maps and profiles from GPS data (tracks and waypoints, including GPX files), driving routes, street addresses, or simple coordinates. Use it to see where you've been, plan where you're going, or visualize geographic data.
• GPSFileDepot is a great source for GPS files including custom maps, custom points of interest, ximage hosting, articles, tutorials, and tools.
• Free routable maps for Garmin brand GPS devices using data of the OpenStreetMap (Mapquest, Public Transport)
• Online Maps: Google Map, 百度地图 (Baidu Map), Bing Map, OpenStreetMap
• Miscellaneous
  • Copy-and-paste the URL on SaveFrom.net to download files from Rapidshare, FileFactory, Youtube, Google, and Metacafe. For Youtube, you can simply add "ss" after "http://" to download the video.
  • Mr. Number controls who can call you and when with status, blocking, and caller ID for mobile phones.
  • Video conference/chat
  • AnyMeeting is an ad supported group video conference website.
  • FreeConference.com provides free unlimited conference calls.
  • Zendesk is a calming music source.
  • Grooveshark is a great place to listen to music
  • OpenDNS is the leading provider of Internet security and DNS services. It  protects kids from online violence, pornography, and other unsavory Web material.