It is a tradition for ComSoc to conduct retreat every January discuss and create execution plans items that are of vital importance the society. This year we focus on three main strategic thrusts Society Technical Committee (TC) reform. We also invited President Photonics tell us about their Society's effort diversity President-Elect Signal Processing TC structure, which quite different from Co...

The European Space Agency said that a series of photographs taken through September showed an ice-free passage along northern Canada, Alaska and Greenland as ice was retreating to its lowest level since images were first taken in 1978. The search for a route from the Atlantic around the top of North America and into the Pacific occupied explorers for centuries. Now a growing band of sailing adv...

BACKGROUND Unhealthy lifestyles are a major factor in the development and exacerbation of many chronic diseases. Improving lifestyles though immersive residential experiences that promote healthy behaviours is a focus of the health retreat industry. This systematic review aims to identify and explore published studies on the health, wellbeing and economic impact of retreat experiences. METHOD...

Theoretical and empirical studies of habitat selection suggest that reptiles should use ‘‘fixed’’ structural features (perch diameter, vegetation) or light intensity (sun and shade) to select thermally suitable microhabitats. But how do nocturnal species select thermally suitable diurnal retreat sites at night in the absence of visual cues? To investigate this question, we studied habitat selec...

Why do some room and pillar retreat panels encounter abnormal conditions? What factors deserve the most consideration during the planning and execution phases of mining and what can be done to mitigate those abnormal conditions when they are encountered? To help answer these questions, and to determine some of the relevant factors influencing the conditions of room and pillar (R & P) retreat mi...