Think about vitamin D when you're catching up on summer rays. It's sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” because it's produced in your skin in response to sunlight. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble (脂溶性的) vitamin in a family of compounds that includes vitamins D-1, D-2, and D-3. It can affect as many as 2,000 genes in the body.

    Vitamin D has several important functions. Perhaps the most vital are regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorous（磷）, and promoting normal immune system function. Getting enough vitamin D is important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improving resistance against certain diseases.

    In addition to its primary benefits, research suggests that vitamin D may also play a role in: reducing your risk of multiple sclerosis（多发性硬化）, according to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association decreasing your chance of developing heart disease, according to 2008 findings published in Circulation helping to reduce your possibility of developing the flu, according to 2010 research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition regulating mood and warding off depression losing weight or preventing heart disease.

    How do you get it? Your body produces vitamin D naturally when it is directly exposed to sunlight. A little can go a long way. All you need is 10 minutes a day of midday, pre-sunscreen sun exposure,especially if you have fair skin. Besides getting vitamin D through sunlight, you can also get it through certain foods and supplements to ensure adequate levels of the vitamin in your blood.

    Most damagingly, anger weakens a person's ability to think clearly and keep control over his behaviour. The angry person loses objectivity in evaluating the emotional significance of the person or situation that arouses his anger.

    Not everyone experiences anger in the same way; what angers one person may amuse another. The specific expression of anger also differs from person to person based on biological and cultural forces. In contemporary culture, physical expressions of anger are generally considered too socially harmful to be tolerated. We no longer regard duels(决斗) as an appropriate expression of anger resulting from one person's awareness of insulting behaviour on the part of another.

    Anger can be identified in the brain, where the electrical activity changes. Under most conditions EEG(脑电图) measures of electrical activity show balanced activity between the right and left prefrontal(额叶前部) areas. Behaviourally this corresponds to the general even­handed disposition(意向) that most of us possess most of the time. But when we are angry the EEG of the right and left prefrontal areas aren't balanced and, as a result of this, we're likely to react. And our behavioural response to anger is different from our response to other emotions, whether positive or negative.

    Most positive emotions are associated with approach behaviour: we move closer to people we like. Most negative emotions, in contrast, are associated with avoidance behaviour: we move away from people and things that we dislike or that make us anxious. But anger is an exception to this pattern. The angrier we are, the more likely we are to move towards the object of our anger. This corresponds to what psychologists refer to as offensiveanger: the angry person moves closer in order to influence and control the person or situation causing his anger. This approach­and­confront behaviour is accompanied by a leftward prefrontal asymmetry(不对称) of EEG activity. Interestingly, this asymmetry lessens if the angry person can experience empathy(同感) towards the individual who is bringing forth the angry response. In defensiveanger, in contrast, the EEG asymmetry is directed to the right and the angry person feels helpless in the face of the anger­inspiring situation.

A typical school day in the UK starts around 8:30 am. This is often even earlier elsewhere in the world, with students sitting down to their first lesson at 7:30 am in the US. The average teenager ideally needs eight to nine hours' sleep each night, but in reality a lot of teenagers struggle to get this much. A lot of the problems arise because our sleep patterns are not fixed, and they change as we grow.

So a later school start time could help to solve this problem, by ensuring to get their eight plus hours of sleep and react properly to their body's natural rhythms (规律). There has been a general shift over the past 25 years to shorten the school day. This is not at the cost of teaching time (which has remained constant) but at the cost of natural breaks, which has led to reduced lunch time and lesson breaks.

Later start times could help teens' grades and health. This is mainly because it makes the management of children easier. Supervising (监管) hundreds of children “playing” requires effective staffing (人员配备). And there is always the fear that behavior worsens during breaks. So the theory goes that having them in class and strictly supervised must be better.

    But this means that students barely have enough time to absorb what they were doing in maths before suddenly they are thrust into ancient history. And teaching staff also transit from one class to another, with hardly a rest or time to refocus.

    Clearly rethinking the school day could benefit everyone involved. Anyway, it could also lead to better achievement in teenagers and less of a struggle for parents in the mornings. For teachers, it could also mean a less stressful day all around and what could be better than that?

    Basketball Statistician Help Wanted

    The Athletic Department is looking for students to assist staff during the Fall 2016, Winter 2016-17 and Spring 2017 semesters. Students in this position will be keeping live statistics during basketball games. Students must meet all of the following requirements:

    Good computer skills

    Available evenings and weekends

    Knowing basketball rules and statistics

    Students interested in working for the Athletic Department should contact the Athletic Coordinator at their respective(各自的) campuses.

    TP/SS Athletic Coordinator, Michael Simone,240-567-1308

    Rockville Athletic Coordinator, Jorge Zuniga,240-567-7589

    Springfield Athletic coordinator, Gary Miller,240-567-2273

    Germantown Athletic Coordinator, GavriChavan, 240-567-6915

    Scholarship Application Tips in 2013 for college students

    Before you apply

    ⒈Work hard to get good grades. Don't sweat about one bad grade, but always strive(力求)to do your best.

    ⒉Get involved, and stay involved, in extracurricular(课外的)activities. Sports, clubs, drama, bands and orchestras－these often count toward a student's overall scholarship application evaluation. The same goes for paid (or unpaid) work experience.

    ⒊Begin your scholarship research early－by your sophomore(大学二年级)or junior year of high school, if possible. Make special note of application deadlines, as they can vary from late summer to late spring.

    ⒋Apply for as many scholarships as you are eligible(符合条件的)for－several smaller scholarships can add up to a lot of money.

    During the application process

    ⒈Read the supplementary materials that come with scholarship application forms to better understand the program's focus (community service, subject interest). Try to answer the questions with the focus area in mind.

    ⒉Answer questions as they are asked. Don't got off topic.

    ⒊If there is a financial component to the application, make sure you get accurate and complete information from all appropriate sources to ensure your eligibility.

    ⒋Take your time. Write down everything you can think of for each question, then set the application aside for a day so you can look everything over again before you send it off.

    ⒌Don't wait until the last minute to complete your application, especially if you are applying online. Computer systems can get clogged(阻塞的)with the large volume of applicants hoping to submit their qualifications during the last few days and hours before a deadline.

    ⒍If a third party has to complete part of your application, such as providing a letter of recommendation, make sure you ask them early on and remind them as often as necessary to ensure they provide you with the necessary materials.

    ⒎Last but not least, review your application with your parents to make sure you haven't left out any important details.

Good luck to the students applying for the 2013 scholarship programs!

    People generally like to pick out the best-looking fruits and vegetables when shopping for produce, but Canadian supermarket chain Loblaws is attracting customers with badly-shaped and imperfect produce at the price of 30% lower than normal-looking ones.

    A trial run of the ugly food line, named "Naturally Imperfect", began with only apples and tomatoes to choose from. Consumer(消费者) demand has been so huge that Loblaws is going to introduce more ugly vegetables and fruit like onions and mushrooms.

    All the produce that will be sold through Naturally Imperfect would otherwise have been used in juices, sauces, or soups, or have not been harvested at all. The director Dan Branson explained that this program benefited both food producers who would otherwise have to let abnormal produce go to waste, and consumers who could buy fresh produce at low prices. And he was right, considering how popular the line has become.

    "It really went well beyond our expectation," Branson said. "I think it really spoke to the fact that Canadians are out there really looking for some Choices."

    Of course, Canadians know that beauty is more than skin(外皮) deep, and they also recognize that they get the same flavor and nutritional (营养的) benefits in spite of appearances. The positive response to the offering of apples and potatoes showed the opportunity to expand the line and offer more choices at a greater price to Canadian families.

    "If you grow produce in your backyard, there will be a lot of produce that won't look as pretty as what you will see in a grocery store", said Branson. "And nature doesn't grow everything perfectly. I'd like to think if somebody were to take a NO Name Naturally Imperfect apple, put it right beside a No. 1 apple, close his eyes and eat them, there would be no difference."