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44,307,965 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%20Birth%20of%20Biopolitics | The Birth of Biopolitics is a part of a lecture series by French philosopher Michel Foucault at the Collège de France between 1978 and 1979 and published posthumously. In it, Foucault develops further the notion of biopolitics introduced in a previous lecture series, Security, Territory, Population.
See also
Foucault's lectures at the Collège de France
References
External links
The Birth of Biopolitics (1978–1979). Video. Lecture-Seminar. Columbia University. January 28, 2016.
Michel Foucault Audio Archive Home
Works by Michel Foucault
Biopolitics
Political philosophy literature
Political science
Books of lectures | The Birth of Biopolitics | [
"Engineering",
"Biology"
] | 137 | [
"Biopolitics",
"Genetic engineering"
] |
44,308,184 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricholoma%20sejunctum | Tricholoma sejunctum (colloquially yellow blusher in the eastern regions of North America) is a mushroom that appears across much of the Northern Hemisphere and is associated with pine forests.
Description
The cap is greenish-brownish yellow, slightly moist, and has dark fibrils near the center. The gills and stipe are whitish-yellow. The odor is mild to mealy and the taste mild to unpleasant.
Edibility
There is some confusion as to the certain identification of the species, so it is considered unsafe for eating. While classified as inedible by some field guides, it seems to have been traditionally consumed in much of world without noted ill effects. More recently, in Europe it has been identified as responsible for poisonings.
The species is reportedly consumed in China's Yunnan province, where it is generally known as 荞面菌 (Pinyin: qiao mian jun; lit. 'Buckwheat Noodle Mushroom') on account of this property, despite the fact that its proper name is 黄绿口蘑 (lit. 'Yellow Green Mouth Mushroom').
Similar species
Tricholoma flavovirens is usually larger and fleshier, with more solid yellow gills and stipe and a less fibrillose cap. Other similar species include Tricholoma arvernense, and T. viridilutescens.
See also
List of North American Tricholoma
List of Tricholoma species
References
sejunctum
Fungi described in 1799
Fungi of Asia
Fungi of Europe
Taxa named by James Sowerby
Fungus species | Tricholoma sejunctum | [
"Biology"
] | 319 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
44,308,640 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipedal%20gait%20cycle | A (bipedal) gait cycle is the time period or sequence of events or movements during locomotion in which one foot contacts the ground to when that same foot again contacts the ground, and involves propulsion of the centre of gravity in the direction of motion. A gait cycle usually involves co-operative movements of both the left and right legs and feet. A single gait cycle is also known as a stride.
Each gait cycle or stride has two major phases:
Stance Phase, the phase during which the foot remains in contact with the ground, and the
Swing Phase, the phase during which the foot is not in contact with the ground.
Components of gait cycle
A gait cycle consists of stance phase and swing phase. Considering the number of limb supports, the stance phase spans from initial double-limb stance to single-limb stance and terminal double-limb stance. The swing phase corresponds to the single-limb stance of the opposite leg. The stance and swing phases can further be divided by seven events into seven smaller phases in which the body postures are specific. For analyzing gait cycle one foot is taken as reference and the movements of the reference foot are studied.
Phases and events
Stance Phase: Stance phase is that part of a gait cycle during which the foot remains in contact with the ground. It constitutes 60% of the gait cycle (10% for initial double-limb stance, 40% for single-limb stance and 10% for terminal double-limb stance). Stance phase consists of four events and four phases:
Initial Contact (Heel Strike): The heel of the reference foot touches the ground in front of the body. The respective knee is extended while the hip is extending from flexed position, bringing the torso to the lowest vertical position. This event marks the initiation of stance phase.
Loading Response (Foot Flat) Phase: Loading response phase begins immediately after the heel strikes the ground. In loading response phase, the weight is transferred onto the referenced leg. It is important for weight-bearing, shock-absorption and forward progression.
Opposite Toe-off: The toes of the opposite foot are raised above the ground as the foot begins to hover forward. This event terminates the period of double-limb support.
Mid-stance Phase: It involves alignment and balancing of body weight on the reference foot regarding single-limb support. The respective knee flexes while the hip is extending, bringing the torso to the highest vertical position. The center of gravity moves laterally to the supporting-limb side. During mid-stance phase the reference foot contact the ground flat-footed.
Heel Rise: The heel of the reference foot rises while the toes are still in contact with the ground. This event marks the end of mid-stance phase and the beginning of terminal stance phase.
Terminal Stance Phase: In this phase the heel of reference foot continues to rise while its toes are still in contact with the ground. The center of gravity is in front of the foot.
Opposite Initial Contact: The heel of the opposite foot makes contact with the ground while the toes of the reference foot still touch the ground, providing double support. The knee and hip on the reference side are extended. The torso moves to the lowest vertical position.
Pre-swing Phase: This phase corresponds to the loading response phase of the opposite foot. The center of gravity moves to the opposite side.
Swing Phase: Swing phase is that part of the gait cycle during which the reference foot is not in contact with the ground and swings in the air. It constitutes about 40% of gait cycle. It can be separated by three events into three phases:
Toe-off: The toes of reference foot rise above the ground. Flexion of the respective knee and hip is initiated as the foot prepares to swing in air. This event is the beginning of the swing phase of the gait cycle. The body weight is single-supported by the opposite foot.
Initial Swing Phase: The reference foot moves forward towards the opposite foot, while the knee and the hip are flexing. The body trunk moves laterally to the supporting side.
Feet adjacent: The reference foot hovers above the ground adjacent to the opposite foot. The knee is most flexed while the torso moves to the highest vertical position.
Mid-swing Phase: This phase is marked by feet adjacent event. The reference foot moves forward and eventually surpasses the supporting foot while the respective hip continues flexion.
Tibial Vertical: The hip on the reference side is at its most flexed position in the gait. The orientation of respective tibia is approximately perpendicular to the ground. The event is regarded as the end of mid-swing phase.
Terminal Swing Phase: During terminal swing phase, the reference foot begins landing to the ground as the respective knee and hip begin extension. The torso surpasses the supporting foot and moves downward.
Support
Single support: In single support only one foot is in contact with the ground.
Double support: In double support both feet are in contact with the ground. Double support occurs from heel strike, continues during loading response phase, until the toes of the opposite foot rise off the ground.
Terminology
Step Length: It is defined as the distance between corresponding successive points of heel contact of the opposite feet. In a normal gait, the right step length is equal to left step length.
Stride Length: It is defined as the distance between any two successive points of heel contact of the same foot. In a normal gait, the stride length is double the step length.
Walking Base or Stride Width: It is defined as the side-to-side distance between the line of step of the two feet.
Cadence: It is defined as the number of steps per unit time. In normal gait, cadence is about 100–115 steps per minute. Cadence of a person is subject to various factors.
Comfortable Walking Speed: It is a characteristic speed at which there is least energy consumption per unit distance. It is about 80 meters per minute in a normal gait.
References
External links
Medschool.lsuhsc.edu
Kau.edu.sa
Walking
Biomechanics | Bipedal gait cycle | [
"Physics"
] | 1,237 | [
"Biomechanics",
"Mechanics"
] |
44,308,703 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flajolet%E2%80%93Martin%20algorithm | The Flajolet–Martin algorithm is an algorithm for approximating the number of distinct elements in a stream with a single pass and space-consumption logarithmic in the maximal number of possible distinct elements in the stream (the count-distinct problem). The algorithm was introduced by Philippe Flajolet and G. Nigel Martin in their 1984 article "Probabilistic Counting Algorithms for Data Base Applications". Later it has been refined in "LogLog counting of large cardinalities" by Marianne Durand and Philippe Flajolet, and "HyperLogLog: The analysis of a near-optimal cardinality estimation algorithm" by Philippe Flajolet et al.
In their 2010 article "An optimal algorithm for the distinct elements problem", Daniel M. Kane, Jelani Nelson and David P. Woodruff give an improved algorithm, which uses nearly optimal space and has optimal O(1) update and reporting times.
The algorithm
Assume that we are given a hash function that maps input to integers in the range , and where the outputs are sufficiently uniformly distributed. Note that the set of integers from 0 to corresponds to the set of binary strings of length . For any non-negative integer , define to be the -th bit in the binary representation of , such that:
We then define a function that outputs the position of the least-significant set bit in the binary representation of , and if no such set bit can be found as all bits are zero:
Note that with the above definition we are using 0-indexing for the positions, starting from the least significant bit. For example, , since the least significant bit is a 1 (0th position), and , since the least significant set bit is at the 3rd position. At this point, note that under the assumption that the output of our hash function is uniformly distributed, then the probability of observing a hash output ending with (a one, followed by zeroes) is , since this corresponds to flipping heads and then a tail with a fair coin.
Now the Flajolet–Martin algorithm for estimating the cardinality of a multiset is as follows:
Initialize a bit-vector BITMAP to be of length and contain all 0s.
For each element in :
Calculate the index .
Set .
Let denote the smallest index such that .
Estimate the cardinality of as , where .
The idea is that if is the number of distinct elements in the multiset , then is accessed approximately times, is accessed approximately times and so on. Consequently, if , then is almost certainly 0, and if , then is almost certainly 1. If , then can be expected to be either 1 or 0.
The correction factor is found by calculations, which can be found in the original article.
Improving accuracy
A problem with the Flajolet–Martin algorithm in the above form is that the results vary significantly. A common solution has been to run the algorithm multiple times with different hash functions and combine the results from the different runs. One idea is to take the mean of the results together from each hash function, obtaining a single estimate of the cardinality. The problem with this is that averaging is very susceptible to outliers (which are likely here). A different idea is to use the median, which is less prone to be influences by outliers. The problem with this is that the results can only take form , where is integer. A common solution is to combine both the mean and the median: Create hash functions and split them into distinct groups (each of size ). Within each group use the mean for aggregating together the results, and finally take the median of the group estimates as the final estimate.
The 2007 HyperLogLog algorithm splits the multiset into subsets and estimates their cardinalities, then it uses the harmonic mean to combine them into an estimate for the original cardinality.
See also
Streaming algorithm
HyperLogLog
References
Additional sources
Algorithms | Flajolet–Martin algorithm | [
"Mathematics"
] | 795 | [
"Applied mathematics",
"Algorithms",
"Mathematical logic"
] |
44,309,225 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayoxxa%20Biosystems | Ayoxxa Biosystems (stylized in its logo as AYOXXA) is a biotechnology company founded in 2010 in Singapore, and headquartered in Germany.
The company is known for developing protein chip capable of detecting at once multiple biomarkers, biomarker signatures (including markers for cancer, allergies, age related macular degeneration AMD, or infectious diseases) from a small biological sample. The protein chip yields large amounts of data, being primarily aimed for use in biomedical research in academia, clinic and industry.
History
In 2006 the basic technology of the position-encoded bead-based Arrays multiplex protein chip began to be developed in the research labs of the Department of Bioengineering, at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The project was led by Dieter Trau, Assistant Professor at NUS' Department of Bioengineering and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
As a result, and with the continued support of NUS, the start-up Ayoxxa Living Health Technologies Pte. Ltd was founded in 2010. The rights to the intellectual property developed at NUS were exclusively licensed to Ayoxxa, for the company to further develop.
In 2012 the company expanded operations to Europe, establishing its headquarters in Cologne, Germany, as Ayoxxa Biosystems GmbH. From there the company develops partnerships, services, commercialization and conducts further research.
Between 2010 and 2021 there were multiple rounds of financing, with shareholders including Andreas Schmidt, Dieter Trau, Wellington Partners, NRW.Bank, High-Tech Gründerfonds, Rainer Christine, Gregor Siebenkotten, KfW, b-to-v Partners, Creathor Venture, and HR Ventures.
In 2016 Andreas Schmidt stepped down from the CEO position, later becoming the CEO of Proteona, a single cell analysis and artificial intelligence company. Schmidt remained a board member of Ayoxxa, with Rodney Turner becoming CEO.
In 2022 Ayoxxa closed a new financing round led by Hong Kong-based Prosnav Capital, with the stated goal of bringing funding to support operations and commercialization for 3-5 years. CEO Rodney Turner was succeeded by Albrecht Läufer.
Ayoxxa protein chip I
Ayoxxa's protein chip or microarray technology enables the detection of large number of diseases through the protein analysis of a single droplet of blood or other bodily fluids. This technology contrasts with previously established methods which were restricted to a single point testing, requiring considerable amounts of biological sample, and limiting the amount of analytes tested from each sample.
Instead of yielding one data point at a time (as is the case with classic ELISA), this new technology provides up to 10,000 data points, with efficient labor input, using samples down to 3 microliters (μL) (range of 3 x 10−3 mL). The multiplex technology approaches a level of analytical power (in throughput and accuracy) only previously seen in DNA sequencing arrays.
The protein chip is made of silicon and is used to identify and qualify protein markers for cancer, allergies, cardiovascular or infectious diseases. It simultaneously identifies multiple analytes, and the interactions between them. The technology is developed to run manually as well as fully automated, and giving more results quickly at high-throughput (yielding large amounts of data). The development of this technology is especially directed at the support biomedical research in academic and industry research, with longer-term uses in pharmaceutical screening and preclinical diagnostics.
Protein microarray
Microarrays are built of an 8 cm x 2 cm silicon base plate, or biochip, with dozens of separate 'wells' or containers located on top, each one offering a capacity for up to 20 uL used to incubate with reagents, blocking or washing solutions. Each of these macro-wells, contain thousands of micro-wells at the bottom, each measuring about 1/20th the diameter of a single strand of human hair.
The wells on the chip are filled with antibodies (proteins) linked to microspheres to reside in the cavities. Antibodies by nature are produced by immune cells. They 'bind' specifically to the antigens on the surface of viruses, bacteria, and diseased cells to clear and to prevent health damages to the body. Since antibodies are highly specific proteins, binding to specific antigens, they have been exploited to identify and measure protein biomarkers in immunoassays (e.g. ELISA).
Since different antibodies 'bind' themselves to antigens, this affinity can be exploited for protein analytics by filling the wells with thousands of antibodies, and observing if and how much of a target antigen is present in a sample, or not. Ayoxxa's biochip can be used to identify thousands of different proteins in a single sample, including markers for diseases, where before numerous of the classic ELISA assays would be required to achieve the same results.
To observe the reaction of the different antibodies to the sample, the chip is placed under a standard laboratory fluorescent microscope with a digital camera, which snaps shots of it. It is then possible to electronically analyze and generate data of the different molecules and proteins present in the samples.
In-situ Encoded Bead-based Arrays (IEBA) technology
The technology centers on the patented In-situ Encoded Bead-based Arrays (IEBA), originally developed at the National University of Singapore (NUS), of which Ayoxxa was made the exclusive licensee. Unlike other available bead-based microarrays, IEBA achieves greater multiplexing capability by recording the position of randomly distributed beads without the need for physical labels for bead identification, using instead the assignment of unique coordinates to each bead with an in-house software.
These batches of different beads, each batch being an assay or capture site for a specific biomolecule, are applied sequentially creating a unique pattern for every well. The coordinates of each individual bead in each sequential batch is recorded in a large map/decoding data table that is provided to the user alongside the carrier (like a USB flashdrive). The assay itself follows the sandwich ELISA principle with a read out based on a fluorescent reporter introduced at the final step of the assay. Following imaging using fluorescence microscope technology on the reacted chip, the company's analysis software identifies the individual beads according to their unique signals, later decrypted with the company's software to deliver a customized report to the user. This approach significantly reduces the complexity of downstream analysis while increasing the number of individual protein targets that can be analyzed in very low sample volumes.
Open platform and interoperability
Ayoxxa has stated that its focus is in developing an open and adaptable IEBA platform, that can be easily incorporated into laboratories by being compatible with the existing laboratory technology that researchers are accustomed to using. Furthermore, IEBA is being developed to run with automated liquid handling systems used in high-throughput screening. It has also stated its aim at making the IEBA an open platform, adaptable to the diverse research needs. Ayoxxa's CEO Andreas Schmidt compared the company's open platform philosophy as that of iTunes and iPhone, where many different apps (different biomarkers) run on the iPhone (Ayoxxa's platform).
The IBEAs can be used from low sample numbers up to the standard 384 well plate format, basically being a more advanced ELISA, keeping the current standards and protocols. The arrays are designed to be readily adaptable to standard high throughput screening systems. The IEBA technology can be used with existing bioassays protocols (particularly the bioassays on beads), and readers without the need to invest in a flow cytometer or other capital-intensive devices to read it out.
Recognition
The company has been recognized for its scientific advancements and entrepreneurial drive. Some awards the company received include:
In 2008, proof of concept grant from the National Research Foundation.
In 2010, S$200,000 SMART Singapore–MIT alliance of Research and Technology Innovation Award.
In 2010, first prize in Best of Biotech, a global life sciences business plan competition in Austria.
In 2010, the company was included among the world's top 50 most promising startup companies by the US-based Kauffman Foundation, often described as the world's largest foundation devoted to entrepreneurship.
In 2011, Skolkovo Award in INSEAD's 21st Business Venture Competition.
In 2013, runner-up award in the Asian Entrepreneurship Award held in Japan.
In 2013, GründerChampions (Founder Champions) KfW North Rhine-Westphalia regional award, which rewards successful new "creative and sustainable business ideas that create social value", given during the German Founders and Entrepreneurs Days.
in 2014, S$100,000 Promising NUS Start-up Award. This was as part of the Innovation & Enterprise (I&E) Awards organized by the NUS Enterprise and The National University of Singapore Society (NUSS). The organizers stated that the winners were "the start-ups that we believe have the greatest potential to scale and make a real impact through their products and technologies".
References
External links
Biotechnology companies of Germany
Nanotechnology companies
Proteomics
Biotechnology companies established in 2010
Singaporean companies established in 2010 | Ayoxxa Biosystems | [
"Materials_science"
] | 1,919 | [
"Nanotechnology",
"Nanotechnology companies"
] |
44,309,749 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9%20Elguero%20Bertolini | José Elguero Bertolini (born 1934) is a Spanish chemist best known for his contributions to heterocyclic chemistry. He is Honorary Research Professor at the Medicinal Chemistry Institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), an institution he chaired from 1983 to 1984. Since 2015, he is the president of the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences.
Life
José Elguero was born on Christmas Day, 1934, in Madrid, Spain, where he graduated in chemistry from the Central University, now University Complutense of Madrid (B.Sc., 1957). In spite of the possibility to continue his studies with either Professor Francisco Fariña or Professor Jesús Morcillo in Madrid he moved to France. After a fruitless attempt to become a perfumist, Professor Robert Jacquier at the University of Montpellier accepted him as a PhD student (PhD, 1961). He also received a Doctorate of Science by the University Complutense of Madrid (1977). He was appointed “Attaché de Recherche” and promoted to “Maître de Recherche” at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) first in Montpellier and later at the laboratory of Professor Jacques Metzger in Marseille where he worked until 1979. He was visitor at Prof. Alan R. Katritzky laboratory in England. After more than 20 years of research in France he returned in 1980 to Spain to hold a Research Professor position at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in Madrid where he has continued his career. He was appointed Honorary Research Professor in 2005. He has served as President of CSIC (1983–1984), President of the Social Council of the Autonomous University of Madrid (1986–1990), President of the Scientific Advisory Board of Comunidad de Madrid (1990–1995) and President of the Forum Foro Permanente Química y Sociedad (2008–2010). He is probably the most prolific Spanish scientist with more than 1500 scientific publications. His humanist view of science and the world is also well documented throughout many articles and interviews.
Elguero's contributions to chemistry have been numerous thanks to a multitude of interdisciplinary collaborations. For instance, in the field of heterocyclic chemistry he has studied tautomerism, hydrogen bonding and aromaticity in systems including numerous azoles and phosphaphenalenes. In physical chemistry he has investigated the spectroscopic behaviour of heterocycles and organometallic systems by NMR and the application of computational chemistry to the study of the structures and reactivity of heterocycles. He has also been involved in crystallographic studies for crystal engineering. In synthetic chemistry he has contributed to areas such as phase-transfer catalysis, photochemistry, flash pyrolysis and process optimization. Solid-state and gas-phase chemistry in relation to sonochemistry and microwave chemistry has also been of interest to him. In medicinal chemistry he has made extensive use of mathematical Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSAR) methods for the design of a variety of biologically active compounds for different therapeutic applications.
Books
He is the co-author of a fundamental book in heterocyclic chemistry:
The Tautomerism of Heterocycles. Advances in Heterocyclic Chemistry-Supplement 1, 1976.
References
https://web.archive.org/web/20120621125211/http://www.iqm.csic.es/are/jeb/
http://www.are.iqm.csic.es/index.php/discursos-conferencias-entrevistas-de-jose-elguero
Elguero, J.; Marzin, C.; Roberts, J.D. (1974). NMR Studies of Heterocyclic Compounds. XI. Carbon-13 Magnetic Resonance Studies of Azoles. Tautomerism, Shift Reagents, and Solvent Effects. J. Org. Chem. 39, 357–363. (http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/jo00917a017)
Claramunt, R.M.; Sanz, D.; Alarcón, S.M.; Pérez-Torralba, M.; Elguero, J; Foces-Foces, C.; Pietrzak, M.; Langer, I.; Limbach, H.-H. (2001). “6-Aminofulvene-1-aldimine: A Model Molecule for the Study of Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonds.” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 40, 420–423. DOI: 10.1002/1521-3773(20010119)40:2<420::AID-ANIE420>3.0.CO;2-I (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1521-3773(20010119)40:2%3C420::AID-ANIE420%3E3.0.CO;2-I/pdf)
Espinosa, E.; Alkorta, I; Elguero, J.; Molins, E. (2002) “From weak to strong interactions: A comparative analysis of the topological and energetic properties of the electron density distribution involving X–F•••F–Y systems.” J. Chem. Phys. 117, 5529–5543. DOI:10.1063/1.1501133 (http://scitation.aip.org/docserver/fulltext/aip/journal/jcp/117/12/1.1501133.pdf?expires=1413452724&id=id&accname=2120139&checksum=47971180E0E80013D4F3526DC9269D15)
Elguero, J. (2013), “Tautomerism”, Brenner's Encyclopedia of Genetics, Second Edition, 7, 18–22.
José Elguero and Claude Marzin; Alan. R. Katritzky; Paolo. Linda (1976) The Tautomerism of Heterocycles, Academic Press Inc., New York, , 655 pages.
External links
Members of the Theoretical Chemistry Group of Medicinal Chemistry Institute of CSIC in Madrid (http://www.are.iqm.csic.es/index.php/group-members)
1934 births
Living people
Spanish chemists
Complutense University of Madrid alumni
Computational chemists | José Elguero Bertolini | [
"Chemistry"
] | 1,416 | [
"Computational chemistry",
"Theoretical chemists",
"Computational chemists"
] |
44,309,864 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid%20flow%20through%20porous%20media | In fluid mechanics, fluid flow through porous media is the manner in which fluids behave when flowing through a porous medium, for example sponge or wood, or when filtering water using sand or another porous material. As commonly observed, some fluid flows through the media while some mass of the fluid is stored in the pores present in the media.
Classical flow mechanics in porous media assumes that the medium is homogenous, isotropic, and has an intergranular pore structure. It also assumes that the fluid is a Newtonian fluid, that the reservoir is isothermal, that the well is vertical, etc. Traditional flow issues in porous media often involve single-phase steady state flow, multi-well interference, oil-water two-phase flow, natural gas flow, elastic energy driven flow, oil-gas two-phase flow, and gas-water two-phase flow.
The physicochemical flow process will involve various physical property changes and chemical reactions in contrast to the basic Newtonian fluid in the classical flow theory of porous system. Viscosity, surface tension, phase state, concentration, temperature, and other physical characteristics are examples of these properties. Non-Newtonian fluid flow, mass transfer through diffusion, and multiphase and multicomponent fluid flow are the primary flow issues.
Governing laws
The movement of a fluid through porous media is described by the combination of Darcy's law with the principle of conservation of mass in order to express the capillary force or fluid velocity as a function of various other parameters including the effective pore radius, liquid viscosity or permeability. However, the use of Darcy's law alone does not produce accurate results for heterogeneous media like shale, and tight sandstones, where there is a huge proportion of nanopores. This necessitates the use of a flow model that considers the weighted proportion of various flow regimes like Darcy flow, transition flow, slip flow, and free molecular flow.
Darcy's law
The basic law governing the flow of fluids through porous media is Darcy's Law, which was formulated by the French civil engineer Henry Darcy in 1856 on the basis of his experiments on vertical water filtration through sand beds.
According to Darcy's law, the fluid's viscosity, effective fluid permeability, and fluid pressure gradient determine the flow rate at any given location in the reservoir.
For transient processes in which the flux varies from point to-point, the following differential form of Darcy’s law is used.
Darcy's law is valid for situation where the porous material is already saturated with the fluid. For the calculation of capillary imbibition speed of a liquid to an initially dry medium, Washburn's or Bosanquet's equations are used.
Mass conservation
Mass conservation of fluid across the porous medium involves the basic principle that mass flux in minus mass flux out equals the increase in amount stored by a medium. This means that total mass of the fluid is always conserved. In mathematical form, considering a time period from to , length of porous medium from to and being the mass stored by the medium, we have
Furthermore, we have that , where is the pore volume of the medium between and and is the density. So where is the porosity. Dividing both sides by , while , we have for 1 dimensional linear flow in a porous medium the relation
In three dimensions, the equation can be written as
The mathematical operation on the left-hand side of this equation is known as the divergence of , and represents the rate at which fluid diverges from a given region, per unit volume.
Diffusion Equation
Using product rule(and chain rule) on right hand side of the above mass conservation equation (i),
Here, = compressibility of the fluid and = compressibility of porous medium. Now considering the left hand side of the mass conservation equation, which is given by Darcy's Law as
Equating the results obtained in & , we get
The second term on the left side is usually negligible, and we obtain the diffusion equation in 1 dimension as
where .
References
Further reading
Originally published in 1879, the 6th extended edition appeared first in 1932.
Originally published in 1938.
External links
Fundamentals of Fluid Flow in Porous Media
Geology Buzz: Porosity
Defining Permeability
Tailoring porous media to control permeability
Permeability of Porous Media
Graphical depiction of different flow rates through materials of differing permeability
Soil mechanics
Hydrology
Fluid mechanics | Fluid flow through porous media | [
"Physics",
"Chemistry",
"Engineering",
"Environmental_science"
] | 927 | [
"Hydrology",
"Applied and interdisciplinary physics",
"Soil mechanics",
"Civil engineering",
"Environmental engineering",
"Fluid mechanics"
] |
44,309,868 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital%20Access%20to%20a%20Sky%20Century%20%40%20Harvard | The Digital Access to a Sky Century @ Harvard (DASCH) is a project to preserve and digitize images recorded on astronomical photographic plates created before astronomy became dominated by digital imaging. It is a major project of the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian. Over 500,000 glass plates held by the Harvard College Observatory are to be digitized. The digital images will contribute to time domain astronomy, providing over a hundred years of data that may be compared to current observations.
From 1885 until 1992, the Harvard College Observatory repeatedly photographed the night sky using observatories in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Over half a million glass photographic plates are stored in the observatory archives providing a unique resource to astronomers. The Harvard collection is over three times the size of the next largest collection of astronomical photographic plates and is almost a quarter of all known photographic images of the sky on glass plates. Those plates were seldom used after digital imaging became the standard near the end of the twentieth century. The scope of the Harvard plate collection is unique in that it covers the entire sky for a very long period of time.
Goals
The project web site states that the goals of DASCH are to
enable new Time Domain Astronomy (TDA) science, including:
Conduct the first long-term temporal variability survey on days to decades time scales
Novae and dwarf novae distributions and populations in the Galaxy
Black hole and neutron star X-ray binaries in outburst: constraining the BH, NS binary populations in the Galaxy
Black hole masses of bright quasars from long-term variability measures to constrain their characteristic shortest timescales and thus size
Quiescent black holes in galactic nuclei revealed by tidal disruption of a passing field star and resultant optical flare
Unexpected classes of variables or temporal behavior of known objects: preview of what PanSTARSS and LSST may see in much more detail but on shorter timescales.
History
Digitizing the Harvard College Observatory's astronomical plates archive was first considered in the 1980s by Jonathan E. Grindlay, a professor of astronomy at Harvard. Grindlay encouraged Alison Doane, then curator of the archive, to explore digitizing the collection with a commercial image scanner. Working with Jessica Mink, an archivist of the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian, Grindlay and Doane determined that a commercial scanner could produce suitable digital images but also found that such machines were too slow. Working full-time, it would have taken over 50 years to digitize the plates in the Harvard archive with commercial scanners.
Doane presented a talk about the problem at a meeting of the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston whose clubhouse is located on the grounds of MIT's Haystack Observatory. Bob Simcoe, a club member and retired engineer, volunteered to help design a machine suitable for the task. The machine needed to position and record the stellar images on the plates to within half a micron and account for different emulsions, plate thicknesses and densities, exposure times, processing methods and so on. Software was developed by Mink, Edward Los, another volunteer from the club, and Silas Laycock, a researcher. Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation and donations of time and material, creation of the scanner began in 2004. The scanner was completed and tested in 2006. Over 500 plates were imaged before the project ran out of money in July 2007.
For the digital images to be useful for research, the associated metadata also needs to be digitalized. That data describes what part of the sky and what objects were recorded on each plate along with date, time, telescope, and other pertinent information. The metadata is recorded in about 1,200 logbooks and on the card catalog of the collection. In addition, each plate is stored in a paper jacket that includes related information and often scientifically and historically important notes left by previous researchers, including notable astronomers such as Henrietta Swan Leavitt and Annie Jump Cannon. George Champine, another volunteer from the Amateur Telescope Makers of Boston, photographed the logbooks. The paper jacket for each plate is photographed as each plate is cleaned and imaged.
Progress
Plate imaging
The first plate images were created by Harvard Observatory staff members in the winter of 2001–2002 using commercial scanners. A larger test that included imaging 100 plates was conducted in the summer of 2002. Those tests indicated that commercially available scanners were too slow for digitizing the Harvard plate collection and motivated the development of a custom-built scanner. The test images are available on-line. The custom-built high-speed scanner was completed and tested in 2006.
Improvement of the scanner and associated software continues. A failure of a single part in the plate loader led to a breakdown of the scanner in August 2014. A new plate loader control system was designed and built by Bob Simcoe allowing scanning to resume in November 2014.
, over 80,000 plates have been scanned and the data released on the DASCH web site, approximately 6.5 percent of the plate collection. The 80,000th plate was scanned on November 13, 2014.
Metadata transcription
Most of the metadata for the plate collection is contained in 663 bound volumes and about 500 looseleaf logbooks. Photographs of all of the logbook pages are available on the DASCH website. The effort to digitize this information began at Harvard. Some was done in India. The effort later moved to the American Museum of Natural History where volunteers worked under the supervision of Dr Michael Shara, Curator of the Department of Astrophysics and Holly Klug, Department. of Volunteer Services.
In August 2014, the transcription of the Harvard plate logbooks was taken over by the Smithsonian Transcription Center, a new program to recruit volunteers to transcribe historical documents. This citizen science project is ongoing with a goal of completing all of the transcription before 2017.
DASCH Data Release 7 (DR7)
The DASCH project completed its two decade effort in 2024 when the final plates were scanned. DASCH Data Release 7 (DR7) was released on 2024 December 29. The primary DASCH DR7 data product is a catalog of astrophysical lightcurves referenced to the AAVSO Photometric All-Sky Survey Data (APASS) Release 8, covering the entire sky across the years ~1880–1990.
The DASCH data can be accessed through several different methods: daschlab, the DASCH web APIs, or Starglass.
Daschlab is a Python toolkit that allows you to perform basic data retrievals and analysis using cloud-based Jupyter notebooks.
DASCH web APIs can used to retrieve DR7 data using any number of programming languages though standard RESTful JSON-oriented interfaces
The Starglass website provides a user interface and a programmatic API allowing access to DASCH plate-level data products and queries.
Other activities
Special projects
The DASCH will not generally accept special requests for scanning a particular part of the sky from the collection so that the digitization progresses efficiently. The DASCH team did accommodate two special requests to image plates that were not part of the Harvard collection "for scientifically compelling reasons".
The New Horizons team requested images of Pluto in order to improve the dwarf planet's ephemeris that was needed to plan precise adjustments to the spacecraft's trajectory. DASCH scanned 843 plates showing Pluto that were taken by the 40-inch telescope at Lowell Observatory from 1930 to 1951.
Forty-two plates of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant taken by the Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory from 1951 to 1989 were imaged to support a study comparing x-ray and visual emissions. , the study has not been published in a peer reviewed journal.
See also
References
External links
DASCH Home Page
DASCH Logbook Transcription website
2001 establishments in Massachusetts
Astronomy projects
Harvard University
National Science Foundation
Organizations established in 2001
Smithsonian Institution research programs | Digital Access to a Sky Century @ Harvard | [
"Astronomy"
] | 1,593 | [
"Astronomy projects"
] |
44,309,873 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computational%20Fluid%20Dynamics%20for%20Phase%20Change%20Materials | Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling and simulation for phase change materials (PCMs) is a technique used to analyze the performance and behavior of PCMs. The CFD models have been successful in studying and analyzing the air quality, natural ventilation and stratified ventilation, air flow initiated by buoyancy forces and temperature space for the systems integrated with PCMs. Simple shapes like flat plates, cylinders or annular tubes, fins, macro- and micro-encapsulations with containers of different shapes are often modeled in CFD software's to study.
Typically the CFD models include Reynold's Averaged Navier-Stokes equation (RANS) modeling and Large Eddy Simulation (LES). Conservation equations of mass, momentum and energy (Navier – Stokes) are linearised, discretised, and applied to finite volumes to obtain a detailed solution for field distributions of air pressure, velocity and temperature for both indoor spaces integrated with PCMs.
Governing Equations
Mass Equation
where
ρ is fluid density,
t is time,
u is the flow velocity vector field
S_m is a Constant.
Energy Equation
where
ρ is the fluid mass density,
S_E is the source term.
Navier Stokes equation
Here f represents "other" body forces (per unit volume), such as gravity or centrifugal force. The shear stress term becomes , where is the vector Laplacian.
Boussinesq eddy-viscosity approximation
where
is the mean rate of strain tensor
is the turbulence eddy viscosity
is the turbulence kinetic energy
and is the Kronecker delta.
Assumptions
commonly used assumptions are
Incompressible fluid,
Boussinesq approximation (density is considered constant, except in the gravity forces term).
Constant thermo-physical properties (properties of solid and liquid states are assumed to be equal)
Phase Change Model
Two main thermal characteristics of phase change are the enthalpy-temperature relationship and temperature hysteresis. PCMs tend to have varying enthalpy temperature relationships due to the fact that they are blends of different materials, but pure PCMs have a more localized relationship, which can be approximated by single values for the enthalpy and phase change temperature.
Hysteresis is the phenomenon which causes the PCM to melt and freezes in different temperature ranges and with different enthalpies, which results in a different temperature-enthalpy curve for melting and freezing. Hysteresis is related to the chemical and kinetic properties of the material.
The commonly used enthalpy-porosity model in commercial CFD codes assumes, a linear enthalpy-temperature relationship and ignores hysteresis.[8]
The alternate is to use enthalpy-porosity method. When used to simulate PCM sails and a PCM plate-fin unit it produce reasonable temperature prediction in global space temperature terms. However, there are inaccuracies in transient simulations where time dependent PCM and local wall and air temperatures are of interest. This is over come by use of source terms that considers hysteresis and varying enthalpy-temperature relationship. [9][10]
CFD-DEM model are also used sometimes. Phase motion of discrete solids or particles is obtained by the Discrete Element Method (DEM) which applies Newton's laws of motion to every particle and the flow of continuum fluid is described by the local averaged Navier–Stokes equations that can be solved by the traditional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).CFDEMcoupling (DCS Computing GmbH) is one such open source toolbox for CFD-DEM coupling.
Process
The Governing equations are discretized using an explicit Finite Volume Method. The velocity-pressure coupling is resolved by adopting a Fractional Step Method. The adoption of the enthalpy method allows working with a fixed grid instead of an interface tracking method.
The momentum source term intended to model the presence of solid is only needed in the control volumes that contain solid and liquid, not in the pure solid containing volumes.
The final form of the source term coefficient(S)depends on the approximation adopted for the behavior of the flow in the “mushy zone” (where mixed solid and liquid states are present). However, in the case of constant phase change temperature, the solid-liquid interface should be of infinitesimal width (although it cannot be thinner than one control volume width in our simulations); therefore, the formulation used for the source term is not very important in a physical sense, as long as it manages to bring the velocity to zero in mostly solid control volumes and to vanish if the volume contains pure liquid.[11]
Applications
CFD applications for latent thermal energy storage in PCM
The various CFD codes[1-3] has been employed for the modeling and simulation of the PCM system to understand the heat transfer mechanism, solidification and melting process, distribution of temperature profile and prediction of the air flow. Various commercial packages have been coupled with the CFD analysis to appreciate the feasibility of evaluating the behavior of PCM integrated system.
CFD modeling in PCM in mobilized thermal energy storage
The simulated heat transfer behavior of the PCM in Mobilized Thermal Energy Storage, during the charging process can be successfully conducted by CFD modeling [4] The Volume-Of-Fluid method is employed to solve for the temperature distribution in the multiphase, 2-dimensional pressure-based model. It accounts for the heat transfer mechanism, melting time, and the influence of the structure in charging process using Fluent 12.1. The governing equations employed are mass conversion and continuity equations.
CFD analysis on selection of geometry and type of PCM to be used
Integral, quasi-1D calculations have been reported [5] mainly for conduction-dominated problem using CFD simulation. It was reported that out of three geometries (cubic, cylindrical and spherical), the spherical capsule will have the maximum heat for the heat transfer fluid. Also it is concluded that salt hydrates based PCMs are the better choice over organic PCMs.
CFD analysis on PCM in shell and tube latent thermal heat storage system
The systems are developed in such manner that phase change materials are in the shell portion of the module and passage for the flow of air through the tubes. Conjugate steady state CFD heat transfer analysis has been carried out [6] to analyze the flow and temperature variation of heat transfer fluid in the system. It paves the way for selection and assessment of the geometrical and flow parameters, PCM solidification characteristics for the given boundary conditions
The comparative analysis, to further enhance the effectiveness of shell and tube PCMs has also been accomplished via CFD analysis[7]. Various CFD models with different configuration such as pins embedded on a tube with heat transfer fluid (HTF) flowing in it, with PCM surrounding the tube, fins embedded instead of pins and different configurations of fins on the tube are analyzed, by employing ANSYS code.
References
[1] N. Tay, F. Bruno, M. Belusko. Experimental validation of a CFD model for tubes in a phase change thermal energy storage system. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer. 55 (2012) 574–85.
[2] G. Zhou, Y. Zhang, Q. Zhang, K. Lin, H. Di. Performance of a hybrid heating system with thermal storage using shape-stabilized phase-change material plates. Applied Energy. 84 (2007) 1068–77.
[3] C. Arkar, S. Medved. Influence of accuracy of thermal property data of a phase change material on the result of a numerical model of a packed bed latent heat storage with spheres. Thermochimica Acta. 438 (2005) 192–201.
[4] A. Hesaraki, J. Yan, H. Li. CFD modeling of heat charging process in a direct-contact container: for mobilized thermal energy storage. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing2012.
[5] E.B. Retterstøl. Thermal energy storage for environmental energy supply. (2012).
[6] V. Antony Aroul Raj, R. Velraj. Heat transfer and pressure drop studies on a PCM-heat exchanger module for free cooling applications. International Journal of Thermal Sciences. 50 (2011) 1573–82.
[7] N. Tay, F. Bruno, M. Belusko. Comparison of pinned and finned tubes in a phase change thermal energy storage system using CFD. Applied Energy. 104 (2013) 79–86.
[8] Mehling H, Cabeza LF, Heat and cold storage with PCM. 1st Ed. Springer-Verlag Heidelberg; 2008
[9] Ye WB, Zhu DS, Wang N. Numerical simulation on phase-change thermal storage/ release in a plate-fin unit, Applied Thermal Engineering 31 (2011), pp. 3871–3884
[10] Gowreesunker BL, Tassou SA, Kolokotroni M. Improved simulation of phase change processes in applications where conduction is the dominant heat transfer mode, Energy and Buildings 47 (2012), pp. 353–359
[11] P. A. Galione et al., Numerical Simulations of Thermal Energy Storage Systems With Phase Change Materials.
Computational fluid dynamics
Phase transitions | Computational Fluid Dynamics for Phase Change Materials | [
"Physics",
"Chemistry"
] | 1,915 | [
"Physical phenomena",
"Phase transitions",
"Computational fluid dynamics",
"Phases of matter",
"Critical phenomena",
"Computational physics",
"Statistical mechanics",
"Matter",
"Fluid dynamics"
] |
44,309,928 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic%20female%20choice | Cryptic female choice is a form of mate choice which occurs both in pre- and post-copulatory circumstances in which females of certain species use physical or chemical mechanisms to control a male's success of fertilizing their ova or ovum; i.e. by selecting whether sperm are successful in fertilizing their eggs or not. It occurs in internally fertilizing species and involves differential use of sperm by females when sperm are available in the reproductive tract.
The present understanding of cryptic female choice is largely thanks to the extensive research and analysis done by William G. Eberhard. The term ‘cryptic’ according to Eberhard is meant to describe an internal and thereby hidden choice some female organisms are able to make following insemination with regards to sperm selection. In male species with intromittent organs, during copulation, a male inserts his reproductive organ into that of a female so as to inseminate her with his genetic material. Through the development of mechanisms that either prematurely inhibit copulation or act following male insemination, females are able to prevent undesirable males from successfully fertilizing their eggs. Thus, not every copulatory event is successful; there are many factors that combine to determine whether or not an offspring is created. It is likely that cryptic female choice is a consequence of the conflict between the reproductive desires of males and females. While males commonly increase their reproductive success by maximally fertilizing each female they mate with, females can incur costs to their personal health as a result of such behavior. Cryptic female choice reduces these costs by allowing them to also benefit from and select for favorable matings.
Theory
Females not only exert sexual control but also benefit from exerting such control over male reproductive success. It has been observed that in some species males continue to court females following copulation, which illuminates the fact above. This female control compels males to continue to impress their female counterparts following copulation. The assumption above can be made because there is an energetic cost for a male to continue to court a female following insemination because he has to invest energy to do so. And, because there is an energetic investment he must benefit in some way. As such, sexual selection does not only act on traits that influence female mate choice of males but it also acts on male traits that determine his success following copulation.
There are circumstances in nature in which a male's interaction with a female is of detriment to her personal well-being and that of her offspring, one such situation, sexual coercion, occurs when a male harasses a female prior to copulation. In such circumstances where the female's lifespan and fertility are compromised, it benefits females to develop evasive mechanisms. In addition, in some species where multiple males inseminate a female, a female is able to select the most desirable sperm for her offspring by rejecting that which she desires less. In both of the aforementioned situations it is a female's reproductive actions that affect male reproductive success following copulation. As discussed below, female species that are able to use cryptic choice have developed various mechanisms to manipulate male reproductive success. Species that are able to use cryptic choice only use one of the below mechanisms to do so. Regardless of the mechanism, this ability allows females to respond differently to conspecific males depending on whether the male that inseminates her is favorable to her or not.
Mechanisms of cryptic female choice
Many mechanisms exist in the animal world that allow females to practice cryptic female choice by manipulating which reproductive events are successful or not. These choices can occur at varying stages of the reproductive process.
Pre-copulation
Pre-Copulation – female cryptic choice can include physical, anatomical, and chemical barriers that can promote or hinder a male's success in the mating process.
Morphology
(Physical/Anatomical): At the pre-copulatory level female cryptic choice consists of the physical and anatomical barriers that females use to decide whether a male is successful or not. This can fall under two subcategories as a result of mating strategies:
Antagonistic coevolution: Among species that mate multiple times, studies have shown much greater divergence in genital morphology than in species who mate singly. The rapid evolution of internal female and male reproductive morphology is due to the high sexual selection pressures characteristic of polygamous populations. In such cases, females can use cryptic female choice in choosing for or resisting males with specific physical or anatomical traits. Duck genitalia and anatomical evolution is a prime example of this male-female conflict through evolution of internal anatomical barriers.
Coevolution: Female cryptic choice may also act indirectly by choosing for males with subtle secondary sexual traits that may cater to easier insemination and mating. In these instances female cooperation during the mating process is crucial for male success. For example, in the yellow fever mosquito, successful copulation requires a multistep process with a cooperative and receptive female. In the Caribbean fruit fly, males must display a specific calling song to induce female cooperation which allows the male to penetrate the female deeply, increasing his chances of success.
In both cases, without the compliance of the female, the male will be unsuccessful in his mating attempt. As such, females can choose for specific male traits by hindering complete intromission or ejaculation during mating.
Chemical
At the pre-copulatory level female cryptic choice can also be employed through chemical means to allow for mating with some males while deceiving other males.
Masking estrus cycle : Female cryptic choice can also occur when females mask their estrus cycle. Specifically in mammals, by hiding the timing of their estrus cycle, females can avoid male control and pursue their own reproductive strategies. This way a female in estrus can sometimes avoid being swamped by competing males or she can prevent male harassment, coercion, or forced mating.
Insemination
Female cryptic choice can also occur after the male has mated and released his sperm.
Copulation times: A longer copulation time generally means increased mating success for a male. A female may exercise cryptic female choice by determining whether a male can mate for longer or for shorter periods of time, thus increasing or decreasing male insemination success. In hanging flies, females allows males that provide larger nuptial gifts to copulate longer, which increases male fitness. In the tiger beetle, females sometimes forcefully terminate a copulation to deny male insemination.
Discard current sperm: During most copulatory events, only a fraction of a male's sperm is usually taken up and stored by the female. In some species, females can sometimes discard sperm by sperm ejection, releasing sperm after mating so that they are free to mate again if another, more preferred male comes along. Females can also sometimes exercise cryptic female choice by mating several times and selectively discarding sperm from certain males while retaining those from preferred males. In Drosophila flies and in field crickets, females mate multiply and select for sperm or spermatophores of certain males.
Destroy current sperm: Females can also exercise cryptic female choice by committing spermatocide. They can sometimes destroy stored male sperm through various means, usually chemically (raising pH, hormones, bodily chemical fluids, etc.) after a mating to allow for a second male to successfully inseminate her.
Copulatory plug: After inseminating a female, certain species of males will then insert a copulatory plug to prevent females from mating again, or to discourage or prevent other males from displacing their sperm. Some females have the ability to either keep or remove the plug and thus choose which sperm they select to keep. Females can remove this plug so they may successfully re-mate again if a better prospect comes along.
Sperm-transplant: Females can also exercise cryptic female choice by preventing the transfer of sperm to a storage organ or fertilization sites. This can occur through various means such as muscular contractions, hormones, nervous control, or bodily fluids or chemicals, etc. In some lab rats females demonstrated their ability to halt sperm transport by re-mating more quickly after certain mating events.
Make subsequent sperm transfer more difficult morphologically: Females can sometimes influence ease of sperm transfer during mating. In certain species of arthropods, such as the golden silk spider, some females can change the rate at which the cuticle of their genitalia hardens to manipulate ease of sperm transfer.
Fertilization
Females can also exercise cryptic female choice during the fertilization processes.
Sperm bias in storage or transportation
By utilizing sperm storage and transplant, females can exercise cryptic female choice by storing or transplanting sperm to bias sperm success rates towards certain males.
Adjacent sperm storage organs: Females can sometimes store sperm in adjacent organs, especially when they mate multiply and thus give unequal preference to certain males. In many polygamous species, males often have the ability to displace a previous male's sperm. In response to this, females retain control of sperm choice by using multiple sperm storage sites to exercise cryptic female choice. By moving sperm to adjacent organs females can prevent particular sperm from being displaced and save the displaced sperm for fertilization. Moving the sperm can also prevent it from continuing on in the fertilization process. In the Dryomiza anilis fly and in the flour beetle, females choose sperm from a number of different storage locations. In the red flour beetle, females often possess several storage receptacles for sperm from different males, and can choose which sperm to utilize for fertilization.
Sperm transplant: Similar to sperm storage mechanisms of cryptic female choice, females can exercise cryptic female choice by promoting or hindering sperm movement in and out of the reproductive tract into storage structures through muscular contractions.
Failing to prepare uterus for embryo implantation
Females can control hormonal signals that halt embryo preparation to keep sperm from successfully fertilizing the embryo. They can also promote or hinder ovulation as a means of exercising cryptic female choice. By hindering ovulation, a copulatory interaction may be deemed unsuccessful. In rats and golden hamsters, females denied a male's success by failing to prepare their uterus based on male stimulation.
Select for or against sperm during hyperactivation
After insemination, male sperm are relatively slow and inert in the reproductive tracts or storage areas of the female and are only activated by calcium ionophores in vitro. Thus by releasing or withholding the necessary ions to activate the sperm, females can promote faster motility of sperm towards the egg for fertilization or hinder it by slowing their motility and allowing them to die before they reach the egg respectively.
Choosing from among sperm to reach the egg
Female ovarian fluids can promote or hinder sperm especially if they have complementary or uncomplimentary chemical signals. Some females may also physically choose from among spermatophores taken from multiple matings.
Failure to ovulate
Females can sometimes change their differential ovulation responses based on male stimuli to affect male reproductive success. In lions some females will reduce fertility after the male commits infanticide, resulting in low offspring counts after a new male takes over a pride.
Gestation
Even after fertilization has occurred, females can exercise cryptic female choice.
Abortion: By aborting the zygote or the fetus through female resistance or acceptance of male induced abortion signals, a female can exercise cryptic female choice.
Reduce rate of offspring produced: Females can sometimes adjust rates of oviposition to determine the number of successful offspring a male's sperm will produce after a mating event. In the leaf-rolling frog, females can delay spawn times which determines the number of final offspring produced from a mating event.
Fail to mature eggs: Some females can deny male reproductive success by controlling the development and maturation of eggs in her ovary. In the red garter snake, some females failed to produce eggs after a mating event.
Post-birth
Even after birth has occurred, females can manipulate male offspring success.
Invest less in each offspring: by altering rates of investment in an offspring, a female can sometimes exercise cryptic female choice.
Examples
The wide variety of species around the world provides us with many examples of each mechanism of cryptic female choice. This section provides a more detailed example of a few of the mechanisms of cryptic female choice seen in particular species.
In the Cassadine Plant Beetle, Chelymorpha alternans, the female has a complexly coiled spermathecal duct that frequently reverses in direction. With this reversal, the female is able to discriminate between males' gentalic sclerite. This is an example of a copulatory mechanism where the female actively hinders a successful mating.
The Sand Lizard, Lacerta agilis, provides us an example of cryptic female choice during the insemination phase of mating. Females routinely and indiscriminately copulate with several males. The females who mate more often have greater hatching success, lowering the incidence of deformities among offspring, and enhancing survival of free-living offspring. The aforementioned consequences are a result of the females' ability to differentially use the sperm from the least related male. Thus, the males most genetically similar to the female sire less offspring.
Some species have a sperm transplant mechanism. Crickets are one such species that can prematurely remove spermatophore after copulation, which terminates sperm transfer. In one study, males were randomly assigned to females to create half-sib families to determine the heritability of spermatophore retention time in females. The researchers found that there was additive genetic variance in the timing of spermatophore removal by females. These results suggest that the timing of the spermatophore removal is determined partly by genotype and is independent of the quality of a female's mate. This shows no difference between the fitness of females who freely remove the spermatophore and the fitness of females that are forced to accept complete ejaculates.
The female spider, Pisaura mirabilis, stores more sperm from males who give a nuptial gift compared to those who share no such gift. This shows a biased use of stored sperm and hence cryptic female choice in a post-copulatory mechanism.
Theropithecus gelada is a wild primate that demonstrates cryptic female choice through a gestation mechanism. The females have been reported to have a strong Bruce effect. Bruce effect is when the female terminates the pregnancy when she is exposed to an unrelated male. Female gelada's terminate about 80% of their pregnancies the week after the dominant male has been replaced. This could be because males typically perform infanticide when they take over a new group. Terminating a pregnancy could be a female's way to protect herself and avoid infanticide of her young. Studies have been shown to support the hypothesis that the Bruce effect can be an adaptive strategy for females.
The Japanese pygmy squid, Idiosepius paradoxus, is yet another example of a species which exhibits cryptic female choice. The males place spermatangia on an external location on the female's body, and the female is able to physically remove spermatangia to select for preferred traits in males, enacting postcopulatory intersexual selection.
Species of Harpobittacus, a genus of hanging fly or scorpionfly, are another example. Females exercise post-copulatory control after mating with multiple males by determining rate of fertilization by each male. Females continue to mate with different males until finding one with a large nuptial gift, upon which she enters a period of sexual non-receptivity and begins laying eggs.
References
Sexual selection | Cryptic female choice | [
"Biology"
] | 3,216 | [
"Evolutionary processes",
"Behavior",
"Sexual selection",
"Mating"
] |
44,311,066 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaala%20Darpan | Shala Darpan is an ICT Programme of Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India that to provide mobile access to parents of students of Government and Government aided schools. This information can only be obtained about the students of government schools. The implementation of Shala Darpan Portal is with the Rajasthan Government Education Department.
Facilities available on Rajasthan Shala Darpan portal
School search process
Process to view school report
Procedure for viewing student's report
Procedure for viewing staff report
Scheme Search Process
Know Your School NICSD ID
Process to know the staff details
Staff login
Transfer schedule
References
Ministry of Education (India)
E-government in India
Educational software
E-learning in India | Shaala Darpan | [
"Technology"
] | 133 | [
"Mobile software stubs",
"Mobile technology stubs"
] |
44,311,171 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child%20Identity | Child Identity is not only a psychological structure, but also a complex subject of contemporary humanitarian science. Identity formation is a complex process that is never completed. When we research the problems of identity we want to answer questions "Who we are?", "Do we choose our identity?", "Is identity given to us or do we create our own?", etc. In a world of change, children are faced with many questions and struggles as they sort out their multiple identities. Children begin to ask identity questions at an early age. "Who am I?" "Who is my family?" "Where do I belong?" "Why does my family celebrate some holidays and not others?". These are all standard questions children ask to determine how they fit into their world.
Erik Erikson (1902–1994) became one of the earliest psychologists to take an explicit interest in problem of child identity. The child identity is a complex socio-cultural phenomenon, which includes a variety of representations of a child about themselves, about the world, about his place in this world. The Child Identity is a dynamic construct that is rapidly changing under the influence of the environment, education and family. In childhood, identity is a dependent phenomenon, there are a lot of the unconscious factors are affecting to behavior patterns, relationships child with world. Child Identity formed under influence of various factors and stereotypes.
History of question
Erik Erikson was one of the first scientists who described the problems of identity of teenagers and crisis identity. The development of identity was one of Erikson's greatest concerns in his theory. When Anna Freud worked with different children, she opened many original forms of their psychological life. For example, she was the first who described phenomenon 'Identification with the Aggressor' (The Ego, 1936). According to her it was a defense mechanism that was used to “protect the self from hurt and disorganization”.
Anthropologists have most frequently employed the term ‘identity’ to refer to this idea of selfhood in a loosely Eriksonian way (Erikson 1972) properties based on the uniqueness and individuality which makes a person distinct from others. Identity became of more interest to anthropologists with the emergence of modern concerns with ethnicity and social movements in the 1970s. One of the most interesting research about some elements of ethnic, cultural and gender children's identity was described by Margaret Mead. Jean S. Phinney developed a three stage model of ethnic identity development (1992) based on research with minority adolescents combined with other ego identity and ethnic identity models.
Socialization and child identity
Societies are shared communities with complex codes and organizational structures. Socialization is the process by which individuals adapt to and internalize the norms, values, customs, and behaviors of a shared social group (see Lutfey & Mortimer, 2006; Parsons, 1951). The degree to which children learn how to participate and be accepted by society has important consequences for their development and future lives. Importantly, the social codes that children and adolescents learn are specific not only to nation-states and regions of the globe, but also to historical periods and social groups within larger societies. The socio-historical context is a critical dimension of the socialization of children and adolescents, both with respect to their status within society (as compared to adults) as well as their social roles.
Child Identity is in its general sense self-awareness and other-awareness; how much child knows about their likes and dislikes, their beliefs about who they are and what they think their capabilities are. Identity is one of key part of child's development. As child's sense of self develops, so does their ability to be successful in school and in social relationships. Just as self-esteem is how they feel about themselves, identity is how they thinks about themselves. A child with a strong sense of identity might state, “I am a short person, I like pizza, and I am funny.” [9]
Relationships with family members, other adults and children, friends and members of their community play a key role in building child identity. Child Identity includes many questions such as problems of gender identity, cultural identity, social identity, national identity and others forms of identities. ( 1)
New research directions
Today there are many new frames for forming identity of a child. For example, hybrid identity is a result of globalization. Therefore we have phenomenon of third culture kid (TCK, 3CK) or 'children of global nomads'. Children raised as global nomads can be the offspring of diplomatic, international business, government agency, international agency, missionary, or military personnel, or indeed of people living internationally mobile lives for any professional reason. Typically, global nomads share a unique cultural heritage.
For many global nomads, nationality will form but one part of a complex identity influenced also by the host countries in which they have lived, by the experience of mobility itself, and by a multicultural heritage forged within one or more international expatriate communities.
The internet has become a big part of contemporary children’s life. In the 21st century, this typically involves engagement in virtual play worlds. As children play video games, aspects of their real world and virtual identities interact and learning takes place. Children’s Construction of Identity in Virtual Play Worlds (or online child identity) is one of new research aspects of child identity.
Mobile child identity is influenced by his (her) use of media, in particular personal communication media such as the mobile phone. On the other hand, it also implies a view of adolescent identity as mobile, changing and developing moment by moment and over time, as very sensitive to changes in the relations between friends and families, and to the emotional and intellectual challenges experienced and mediated through the use of the mobile phone (among other factors).
Development of identity
Everybody has a sense of self or sense of personal identity. In fact most people have a number of important ways of thinking about themselves that are significant enough to be considered multiple senses of self. The sense of self includes those roles, attributes, behaviors, etc. These sense-of-self associations can be based on any combination of the following occupations, social relationships, familial relationships, abilities/disabilities, spirituality and others.
In the first few hours of life, children can tell one smell from another, one voice from another-and they prefer their mother's smell and voice to all others. Attachment is part of the process of identity formation. As infants grow emotionally close to certain people, they associate how those people smell, touch, sound; in this way, they are able to recognize their "special people" early on.
Children as young as four years old have a sense of self that is based on some salient attributes that the child considers important and is maintained over time, for example, “I am the strongest or fastest boy in my class” or “I am smart; I figure things out easily” or “I am good at helping people”. Identities are often imposed or at least encouraged by environmental or cultural forces.
Children acquire their sense of self and self-esteem slowly as they mature into adolescents. Furthermore, children do not always feel good about themselves or their behaviors in every situation. Identities are developed over time and may change from time to time and place to place. Furthermore, as children interact with their peers or learn to function in school or some other place, they may feel accepted and liked one moment and alienated the next. Emotional stability and acceptance at home and among school staff are important during these times.
“Construction of identity” is rarely a deliberate, self-conscious process. Early in life, sense of self is associated with the security, protection, and acceptance that infants, toddlers, and preschoolers feel when effectively cared for by adults to whom they feel an attachment. By the late preschool years and early school years, sense of self comes to be additionally associated – positively or negatively – with attributes that parents value and model for their children in the way they live their lives. Over the school years, peer values and peer pressure come to play an increasingly influential role in how older children and young adolescents think about themselves. “Cliques” – the “in crowd” versus the “out crowd” – become important components of identity. Identities that have been strongly developed prior to these years often protect against the developmental difficulties associated with these years.
External links
Identity
Personal identity
Personal Identity and Ethics
Philosophy of Childhood
References
1. Erik Erikson. Identity and the Life Cycle. Selected Papers, 1959
2. Herskovits M. Acculturation: the study of culture contact. NY, 1938
3. Lewin K. Dynamic theory of personality. NY, 1935
4. Marcia J.E. Ego Identity: a handbook for psychosocial research. Springer-Verlag, 1993.
5. Useem, J., Useem, R. The interfaces of a binational third culture: A study of the American community in India. Journal of Social Issues, 23(1), 130-143, 1967
6. Kumru A., Thompson R.A. Ego identity and self-monitoring behavior in adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 1x No. x, Month 2003 1-16.
7. TCK – the history of a concept. FIGT Research Network Newsletter 5.1
8. CiCe (Children’s Identity and Citizenship in Europe) Erasmus Academic Network
9. Chen R. Early Childhood Identity: Construction, Culture, and the Self (Rethinking Childhood), Peter Lang Publishing Inc., 2009.
10. Identity and Belonging
11. Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Children develop knowledgeable and confident self identities. Produced by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments - p. 23
12. Maybin J. Children’s Voices Talk, Knowledge and Identity (2006)
13. Schreiner C. SCIENCE EDUCATION AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION - TWO MUTUALLY INCOMPATIBLE PROJECTS?
14. Hart D., Richardson C., Wilkenfeld B. Civic Identity. S.J. Schwartz et al. (eds.), Handbook of Identity Theory and Research, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.
15. Danau Tanu. Global nomads: towards a study of 'Asian' third culture kids. Melbourne, 2008.
16 TCK World: The Official Home of Third Culture Kids
17 Paula S. Fass. Children of a New World: Society, Culture, and Globalization. New York: New York University Press, 2007.
18. Suárez-Orozco, C. and M. Suárez-Orozco. Children of Immigration. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 2001.
19. Block de L., Buckingham D. Global Children, Global Media: Migration, Media and Childhood. Palgrave Macmillar, 2007.
20. Global or Local Identity? A theoretical analysis of the role of Viacom on identity formation among children in an international context
21. Dommasnes L.H., Wrigglesworth M. Children, Identity and the Past. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008
22. Stuart Hall, Paul du Gay (Hg.)Questions of cultural Identity. Sage, London, 1996.
Identity (social science)
Pedagogy
Sociology of the family
Developmental psychology
Childhood | Child Identity | [
"Biology"
] | 2,308 | [
"Behavioural sciences",
"Behavior",
"Developmental psychology"
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44,311,175 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grit%2C%20not%20grass%20hypothesis | The grit, not grass hypothesis is an evolutionary hypothesis that explains the evolution of high-crowned teeth, particularly in New World mammals. The hypothesis is that the ingestion of gritty soil is the primary driver of hypsodont tooth development, not the silica-rich composition of grass, as was previously thought.
Traditional co-evolution hypothesis
Since the morphology of the hypsodont tooth is suited to a more abrasive diet, hypsodonty was thought to have evolved concurrently with the spread of grasslands. During the Cretaceous Period (145-66 million years ago), the Great Plains were covered by a shallow inland sea called the Western Interior Seaway which began to recede during the Late Cretaceous to the Paleocene (65-55 million years ago), leaving behind thick marine deposits and relatively flat terrain. During the Miocene and Pliocene epochs (25 million years), the continental climate became favorable to the evolution of grasslands. Existing forest biomes declined and grasslands became much more widespread. The grasslands provided a new niche for mammals, including many ungulates that switched from browsing diets to grazing diets. Grass contains silica-rich phytoliths (abrasive granules), which wear away dental tissue more quickly. So the spread of grasslands was linked to the development of high-crowned (hypsodont) teeth in grazers.
Modern evolutionary hypothesis
Early evidence
In 2006 Strömberg examined the independent acquisition of high-crowned cheek teeth (hypsodonty) in several ungulate lineages (e.g., camelids, equids, rhinoceroses) from the early to middle Miocene of North America, which had been classically linked to the spread of grasslands. She showed habitats dominated by C3 grasses (cool-season grasses) were established in the Central Great Plains by early late Arikareean (≥21.9 Million years ago), at least 4 million years prior to the emergence of hypsodonty in Equidae. In 2008 Mendoza and Palmqvist determined the relative importance of grass consumption and open habitat foraging in the development of hypsodont teeth using a dataset of 134 species of artiodactyls and perissodactyls. The results suggested that high-crowned teeth represent are adapted for a particular feeding environment, not diet preference.
Morphology
More recent examination of mammalian teeth suggests that it is the open, gritty habitat and not the grass itself which is linked to diet changes. Analysis of dental microwear patterns of hypsodont notoungulates from the Late Oligocene Salla Beds of Bolivia showed shearing movements are associated with a diet rich in tough plants, not necessarily grasses. Hence the relationship between high-crowned mammals and the source of tooth wear in the fossil record may not be straightforward and the spread of grasslands in South America, traditionally linked with the development of notoungulate hypsodonty, was called into question.
Temporal discontinuity
Most importantly, evidence has shown, that the development of hypsodonty in Cenozoic mammals is out of sync with the flourishing of grasslands both in North America and South America, where grasslands spread 10 million years earlier. Observations of this temporal discontinuity between the spread grasslands and the development of hypsodonty in mammals is also supported by earlier evidence of hypsodonty in dinosaurs. For example, hadrosaurs, a group of herbivorous dinosaurs, likely grazed on low-lying vegetation and microwear patterns show that their diet contained an abrasive material, such as grit or silica. Grasses had evolved by the Late Cretaceous, but were not particularly common, so this study concluded that grass probably did not play a major component in the hadrosaur's diet.
Modern Examples of Hypsodonty
Hypsodonty is observed both in the fossil record and the modern world. It is a characteristic of large clades (equids) as well as subspecies level specialization. For example, the Sumatran rhinoceros and the Javan rhinoceros both have brachydont, lophodont cheek teeth whereas the Indian rhinoceros, has hypsodont dentition. A mammal may have exclusively hypsodont molars or have a mix of dentitions. Hypsodont dentition is characterized by:
High-crowned teeth
A rough, flattish occlusal surface adapted for crushing and grinding
Cementum both above and below the gingival line
Enamel which covers the entire length of the body and likewise extends past the gum line
The cementum and the enamel invaginate into the thick layer of dentine
References
Evolutionary biology
Evolution of mammals
Biological hypotheses | Grit, not grass hypothesis | [
"Biology"
] | 982 | [
"Biological hypotheses",
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44,311,509 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theneeds | Theneeds is a search engine that features content tailored to users' interests, such as articles, news, videos, social posts, and other media.
Based in San Francisco, California, the company was founded in 2013 by former Accenture executives Gabriele Pansa and Luca Albertalli, together with former CS researcher and PhD Emanuele Cesena.
In early 2016, Shopkick, the most used real-world shopping app according to Nielsen, acquired the technology and team of Theneeds to support the company's personalization efforts.
History
The company was incorporated in the US in 2013 as Theneeds, Inc. by Gabriele Pansa as co-founder and CEO.
Theneeds’ website launched in Beta late 2013 and the company later released also its first mobile application for iPhone in March 2014.
In September 2014 the company surpassed 10 million pieces of content delivered by its proprietary discovery engine and in October 2014 announced the release of a major improvement of its content recommendation technology.
Early 2016, Shopkick acquired Theneeds to support the company personalization efforts. “With the addition of Theneeds, we are taking the next step in delivering the most valuable and contextually relevant content to our users, while offering marketers personalized, end-to-end solutions that dramatically differ from what any programmatic offering can support,” said Shopkick's CEO, Alexis Rask.
Service
Theneeds was designed to help users discover Internet content matching their interests, including news sites, blogs, and social networks, and uses an algorithm to match content to users' interests more closely the more they use it.
Technology
Theneeds’ proprietary technology is built using a mix of artificial intelligence and social signals. Theneeds creates specific thematic channels by collecting and analyzing web content, and employing Theneeds’ content relational graph along with proprietary and public social signals in order to rank and distill content. Through real-time user behavior analysis, Theneeds constantly maps the interests of each user to deliver personalized experiences and simplify content discovery.
References
Online companies of the United States
Internet properties established in 2013
2013 establishments in the United States
IOS software
Social networking websites
Recommender systems
Social information processing
2013 software
English-language mass media
Mobile social software
News aggregators | Theneeds | [
"Technology"
] | 461 | [
"Information systems",
"Recommender systems"
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44,311,819 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ore%20algebra | In computer algebra, an Ore algebra is a special kind of iterated Ore extension that can be used to represent linear functional operators, including linear differential and/or recurrence operators. The concept is named after Øystein Ore.
Definition
Let be a (commutative) field and be a commutative polynomial ring (with when ). The iterated skew polynomial ring is called an Ore algebra when the and commute for , and satisfy , for .
Properties
Ore algebras satisfy the Ore condition, and thus can be embedded in a (skew) field of fractions.
The constraint of commutation in the definition makes Ore algebras have a non-commutative generalization theory of Gröbner basis for their left ideals.
References
Computer algebra
Ring theory | Ore algebra | [
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44,312,024 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel%20Experience | The Marvel Experience: The World’s First Hyper-Reality Tour was an ambitious mobile interactive attraction that aimed to bring the Marvel Universe to life through immersive experiences. Launched in late 2014, this touring event was a collaboration between Marvel Entertainment, Hero Ventures, and S2BN Entertainment.
The attraction was set within a series of large inflatable domes, covering about 2 acres, and was designed to provide a fully immersive experience for Marvel fans. Visitors could engage in various activities, including interactive games, motion rides, 3D and 4D experiences, augmented reality, and more, all centered around Marvel’s iconic superheroes. The event featured characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, and the Avengers, with a storyline that allowed attendees to become S.H.I.E.L.D. recruits and help save the world from a global threat.
Despite its innovative concept and technology, The Marvel Experience encountered several challenges during its tour. The attraction faced mixed reviews from attendees, with some praising the immersive environment and others pointing out issues such as technical glitches and long wait times. The tour initially visited several U.S. cities, including Dallas, Philadelphia, and San Diego.
However, after a short run, The Marvel Experience was abruptly canceled in early 2015, with the remaining tour dates being scrapped. The reasons for its closure included logistical challenges, operational costs, and the need for improvements that could not be addressed in time.
Since then, The Marvel Experience has remained inactive, with no official plans for its revival.
History
As early as 2011, Hero Ventures approached Marvel Entertainment about a traveling attraction. They agreed upon a seven-figure upfront licensing fee with a media royalty of 15% median royalty. Hero Venture then sought out additional funding for the project.
On August 22, 2013, Marvel Entertainment announced that it was working with Hero Ventures on The Marvel Experience, a traveling production and attraction.
On January 9, 2014, Hero Ventures unveiled the dome design image. On October 10th, tickets went on sale. A preview of the Experience was scheduled for Phoenix from December 12th to January 3rd, 2015, then officially premiered on January 9, 2015, in Dallas.
Due to its popularity, Hero Ventures announced an extension of the San Diego stay until March 1, 2015, and a shift in plans to visit Philadelphia before heading to Chicago, New York, and St. Louis for the show's opening in April of 2015. Instead, the show was reworked. The tour went to Philadelphia, with plans to visit Chicago, New York, and St. Louis. In July, Hero Ventures announced that the show's summer tour would end prematurely, after only a three-week run in Philadelphia, for reasons not disclosed. Prepaid ticket holders were given refunds.
Design
The $30 million attraction consisted of a dome complex, which is equivalent in size to two football fields. It featured a "4D motion ride", projected animation, motion comics, virtual reality, and holographic simulations along with social media.
Movie conceptual artist Aaron Sims was the designer on the attraction with Jerry Rees, as director and VFX by Rhythm & Hues and Prana Studios. Lexington Design + Fabrication produced the interactive elements. The mobile dome complex is designed to look like a S.H.I.E.L.D. Mobile Command Centre. Domes were chosen to avoid renting existing facilities, which can consume up to 25% of the ticket price.
The domes were constructed from PVC resin, polymer, and other components. The structures, designed by Absolute Hollywood live event company, were six stories tall.
Performance
Attendees interacted with several Marvel heroes and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents during the two-hour performance, in which they fought Hydra with a final battle against the Red Skull, MODOK, and their Adaptoids.
Kevin Smith was revealed in Del Mar, California as the voice of M.O.D.O.K. Producers Michael Cohl and Jeremiah J. Harris were involved in producing Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.
Tour
Each tour stop was slated to last between 17 and 24 days. The cost of each attraction location is estimated to be $2.5 million. However, this cost is offset by the sales of tickets, merchandise, and concessions from a rented 2-acre space. The attraction is capable of receiving no more than 10,000 visitors, and there will be scheduled entry times for attendees every seven minutes to prevent overcrowding.
Hero Ventures
Hero Ventures, LLC is an entertainment company that produces traveling shows. The company is based in Westwood, Los Angeles.
Company history
In 2009, Rick Licht started working full-time on a yet unnamed venture which was his and Doug Schafer's business idea that they had been discussing over the years. In 2011, Licht was joined by Schaer as chief operating officer and Jason Rosen as chief production officer. Hero Ventures first approached the National Baseball Hall of Fame for a dome show but was turned down. They then developed a new list of project partners that was topped with Marvel Entertainment, who agreed to a seven-figure licensing deal for the movable dome show, which brought on Michael Cohl and Jesse Harris to pay the upfront fee.
Hero Ventures (HV) was formed into a Limited liability company on November 14, 2012 in Los Angeles by Licht, Schaer and Rosen. Before the August 22, 2013 announcement of its first project, The Marvel Experience, the company received "A" round investment commitments from Steve Tisch, Roy P. Disney & Shamrock Holdings, Maurice & Paul Marciano, WWE, Vista Equity Partners president Brian Sheth, Ross Hilton Kemper, and Enlight Media to fund that project. This raised funding of $16.5 million allowing them to move into an office in Westwood, Los Angeles and start taking salaries. Additional funding came from advances on royalties from vendors and $10 millions from co-production partners with some partners taking profit participation. With the announcement of Marvel Experience, several other IP holders started making inquiries about doing similar projects for their properties, but HV held off on additional attractions until its current project was shown a success.
On October 10, 2014, The Marvel Experience tickets went on sale. In early December 2014, Magic Johnson was announced as an investor and member of its Board of Managers. A preview of the experience was scheduled for Phoenix from December 12-January 3, 2015, with an official premiere on January 9, 2015, in Dallas. They are no longer touring.
See also
Iron Man Experience
Marvel Universe Live!
Marvel Super Heroes 4D
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
References
External links
Hero Ventures
Works based on Marvel Comics
Amusement rides
Simulator rides | Marvel Experience | [
"Physics",
"Technology"
] | 1,367 | [
"Physical systems",
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44,312,199 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eww%20%28web%20browser%29 | Emacs Web Wowser (a backronym of "eww") is a lightweight web browser within the GNU Emacs text editor. Eww can only do basic rendering of HTML; there is no capability for executing JavaScript or handling the intricacies of CSS. It was developed by Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen, who also created the underlying HTML rendering library.
See also
w3m used with emacs-w3m interface
Emacs/W3
References
External links
GNU Emacs manual
Source code
Free web browsers
Emacs
Cross-platform free software
Free software programmed in Lisp
Software using the GNU General Public License
Emacs modes | Eww (web browser) | [
"Technology"
] | 145 | [
"Computing stubs",
"World Wide Web stubs"
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44,312,972 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucophilus | Mucophilus is a fungal genus in the Chytridiales of uncertain familial placement. A monotypic genus, it contains the single species Mucophilus cyprini, described from Germany by Marianne Plehn in 1920.
References
External links
Chytridiomycota genera
Monotypic fungus genera | Mucophilus | [
"Biology"
] | 69 | [
"Fungus stubs",
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44,313,092 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procedural%20rhetoric | Procedural rhetoric or simulation rhetoric is a rhetorical concept that explains how people learn through the authorship of rules and processes. The theory argues that games can make strong claims about how the world works—not simply through words or visuals but through the processes they embody and models they construct. The term was first coined by Ian Bogost in his 2007 book, Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames.
Bogost argues that games make strong claims about how the world works by the processes they embody. Procedural rhetoric analyzes the art of persuasion by rule based representations and interactions rather than spoken or written word. Procedural rhetoric focuses on how game makers craft laws and rules within a game to convey a particular ideology.
A new rhetorical theory
The term "procedural rhetoric" was developed by Ian Bogost in his book Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. Bogost defines procedural rhetoric as "the art of persuasion through rule-based representations and interactions, rather than the spoken word, writing, images, or moving pictures" and "the art of using processes persuasively." Though Gonzalo Frasca's preferred term of "simulation rhetoric" uses different language, the concept is the same: he envisions the authors of games as crafting laws and that these authors convey ideology "by adding or leaving out manipulation rules." Frasca defines simulations as "to model a (source) system through a different system which maintains (for somebody) some of the behaviors of the original system," a definition that shows the importance of systemic procedures.
In coining this term, Bogost borrows Janet Murray's definition of procedural from her book Hamlet on the Holodeck—"a defining ability to execute a series of rules"—to theorize that a different system of learning and persuasion could be found in computerized media. As Bogost suggests, "This ability to execute computationally a series of rules fundamentally separates computers from other media." Frasca likewise sees the need for new rhetorical theory because "simulations can express messages in ways that narrative simply cannot." In procedural rhetoric, these rules of behavior then create "possibility spaces, which can be explored through play."
Procedural rhetoric also views games as strongly rhetorical—we "read games as deliberate expressions of particular perspectives." The exploration of possibility spaces becomes rhetorical and instructive as soon as games make claims about aspects of human experience, whether they do so intentionally or inadvertently. Frasca concurs that "video games are capable of conveying the ideas and feelings of an author" and "offer distinct rhetorical possibilities." Game laws represent "the designer's agenda." As Bogost traces the history of rhetoric back to classical Greece, he argues that, as theories of rhetoric have expanded from examining only verbal to including written and visual media, an expansion of rhetoric is now necessary to include the properties of procedural expression: "A theory of procedural rhetoric is needed to make commensurate judgments about the software systems we encounter everyday and to allow a more sophisticated procedural authorship with both persuasion and expression as its goal ... Procedural rhetoric affords a new and promising way to make claims about how things work." As Matt King summarizes the procedural and rhetorical sides of this theory, "By embodying certain processes and not others, by structuring a playing experience around particular rules and logics, videogames make claims about the world and how it works–or how it does not work, or how it should work."
Bogost overwhelmingly uses video games as the medium to clarify this concept because "they embody processes and rely upon players to enact them." However, he does suggest that this theory could apply to other types of "play" and their possibility spaces: "For example, consider a game of hide-and-seek in which an older player must count for a longer time to allow younger players a better chance to hide more cleverly. This rule is not merely instrumental; it suggests a value of equity in the game and its players." Similarly, procedural rhetoric would apply to board games such as Elizabeth Magie's The Landlord Game, a forerunner of Monopoly, that was designed to educate players on the negative outcomes of capitalism. Frasca is much more explicit about the historical use of procedural rhetoric: "Simulation is not a new tool. It has always been present through such common things as toys and games but also through scientific models or cybertexts like the I-Ching."
Procedural vs. simulation rhetoric
Although Bogost and Frasca use different terms, their descriptions of this new type of rhetoric should be considered synonymous. Bogost sees procedural rhetoric in contrast to theories of verbal, written, and visual rhetoric, while Frasca coins the term "simulation rhetoric" to compare with narrative and drama as a form of representational storytelling. As he explains, "It is common to contrast narrative and drama because the former is the form of the past, of what cannot be changed, while the latter unfolds in present time. To take the analogy further, simulation is the form of the future. It does not deal with what happened or is happening, but with what may happen. Unlike narrative and drama, its essence lies on a basic assumption: change is possible." The ways in which they discuss their concepts are nevertheless almost identical.
Further concepts
Expanding from the fundamental concepts of procedural rhetoric, where the core concepts deal with rhetoric as means of learning through rules and processes, there are extensions of other theories that contribute to the functionality of procedural rhetoric. In her article "Game-based Pedagogy in the Writing Classroom," Rebekah Schultz Colby outlines how "games" can essentially be beneficial towards improving an individual's skill due to the nature of multimodal interaction, or better defined as multimodal systems in the article. Though Schultz only focuses on core principles of games and the effect of game instructions, this approach relates to Ian Bogost's theory on how a pedagogical rule-based system can effect the outcome of a person's performance. Moreover, between the similarities of Bogost and Schultz's theories, it can be noted that there is a correlation between the rule based system, and the improvements of a person's skills.
The rhetoric of gaming
Rhetoric is the art of discourse wherein a writer or speaker strives to inform, persuade or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. Procedural rhetoric focuses on the composition of gameplay, more specifically how simulation games are constructed to make claims about how the world should work.
James Gee, Professor at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, outlined the importance of video games for learning in his essay "Why Video Games are Good For Learning". Gee describes commercial games as "worlds in which variables interact through time." Game-makers compose video games with a series of predetermined rules and processes that the player must follow in order to win. The player must learn the rules of the virtual world and deduce what is possible and impossible in order to solve problems and carry out the ultimate goal of winning. The requirement of learning the rules of video games is the baseline of the procedural rhetoric theory.
Researchers Jens Seiffert and Howard Nothhaft found that computer games are powerful persuasive tools that act as a manipulating force for society. The researchers cited a 2009 study finding that military computer games transferred to the players understanding of warfare. In particular, the logic of the game revealed by the procedural and structural rules guided players with a deeper comprehension of the rules of warfare and tactics in real life.
Through the processes and rules of a simulation, game-makers have the ability to persuade players to view the world according to the procedures of a particular game. While contemporary rhetorics focuses on discourse as the art of persuasion, procedural rhetorics focuses on the gaming system, processes, rules, and procedures as a mean to persuade the audience, that being players.
In other settings
Elements of procedural rhetoric can also be found outside of video games. For example, Bogost references bureaucratic processes that involve computers, such as banking. In banking, the actions available to account holders are limited and directed by the procedures built into the banking system such as interest, fees, credit, and money transfers. These factors incentivise account holders to take a variety of specific actions, such as spending to improve credit, saving to accrue interest, and more.
Alec Slade Baker of San Diego State University argues that procedural rhetoric be used to study capitalist systems as well. In his masters dissertation, Civilization and Its Contents: Procedural Rhetoric, Nationalism, and Civilization V, he examines the rhetorical arguments created by customer service return policies at a variety of commercial businesses. According to him, Nordstrom's forgiving return policies communicate to customers a willingness to help and accommodate. On the other hand, strict return policies such as that of Dollar Tree reflect a hostile distrust of the customer that impacts the way they interact with those businesses.
Lucille A. Jewel of the University of Tennessee College of Law theorizes uses for procedural rhetoric in the courtroom setting in her scholarly article The Bramble Bush of Forking Paths: Digital Narrative. According to her, games or other interactive media could be used in the future to help explain complex legal concepts to juries, taking over the role that videos or other supplemental media now hold. This is because interactive media that uses procedural rhetoric can better illustrate the complexities of law on a case-by-case basis than static media.
Critical discourse
Along with the development of procedural rhetoric in the greater digital rhetoric discourse, several counter-arguments critiquing the theory have been made as well. For example, Mike Treanor and Michael Mateas of the University of California, Santa Cruz, critiqued the concept of procedural rhetoric in their conference paper Newsgames: Procedural Rhetoric meets Political Cartoons, claiming that the concept gave too much credit to game creators who often didn't take the rhetoric supported by their systems into account during game design. For example, the 2004 flash game Madrid, by Gonzalo Frasca, created as a procedural rhetoric device discussing the 2004 Madrid train bombings, features a gameplay system that promotes frenetic, consistent, stressful action which is in direct opposition to the goal of creating empathy between the players and the people who were harmed.
Another major critique of procedural rhetoric is expressed by Miguel Sicart of the IT University of Copenhagen in his journal article Against Procedurality. Sicart disagrees with procedural rhetoric because of how it focuses completely on the creator's engineered experiences and systems, while ignoring the ability of the player to interact and change procedural systems in unforeseen ways. Specifically, he claims that the unique interests and goals of each player have the power to radically change the play experience, regardless of the author's intent.
Examples
Bogost describes three prominent categories through which procedural rhetoric manifests itself in video games: politics, advertising, and education. Frasca also suggests examples of rhetoric in each of these categories.
Politics
Although perhaps not overwhelmingly common, a number of games have made political arguments. Bogost shows the potential effect of procedural rhetoric on political values through The Howard Dean for Iowa Game. He discusses how this game represents the "procedural rhetoric of politics," claiming that "one amasses supporters in support of nothing more than support." Bogost also sees political content in the government-funded first-person shooter America's Army, arguing that the game "serves as a convincing procedural rhetoric for the chain of command, the principle structure new recruits must understand immediately." America's Army therefore privileges government values and authority, suggesting to players that they should uncritically accept the missions they are provided. Frasca cites a 2002 CBS report that Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura considered using video games for propaganda and mentions the wave of anti-Osama video games that erupted online after September 11, 2001.
Advertising
Rhetoric focuses on persuasion, so it is no surprise that advertising would be present in some examples of procedural rhetoric. Bogost describes a possible effect of advertising procedural rhetoric in the game Animal Crossing. Although the game is targeted to children, there are certain rare things in the game that can only be found during the late hours of the night, meaning that the child would have to ask permission to acquire this rare item or enlist the help of parent(s) to acquire it. Bogost argues that this could be incentivized by the parents—for example, "do your chores and I will let you stay up to get it"—which shows the persuasive effect video games could have on both the parent and the child. Frasca sees advertising as especially prevalent in procedural rhetoric, arguing that advertisers "see in games a tool for persuasion" and noting the prevalence of product-based "advergames". Advergames make it especially clear that games in general contain ideological content because players understand that advergames have an explicit agenda.
Education
Education and instruction is an inherent theme of procedural rhetoric; players learn from seeing their behaviors rewarded or punished. Bogost uses the SeaWorld Adventure Parks Tycoon game (one of a number of simulation games about managing business franchises) as an example of the educational value of procedural rhetoric. In these games the player is tasked with creating a theme park, zoo, or other business and making it profitable. Although such games allow players to develop their businesses as they see fit, they ultimately require a successful business to progress and keep playing. This feedback process forces the player to learn how to manage a business and grow in knowledge as they play. Frasca mentions the simulation games SimCity and The Sims as examples of procedural rhetoric and uses the handling of same-sex relationships as an example:
"[T]he way that The Simss designers dealt with gay couples was not just through representation (for example, by allowing players to put gay banners on their yards), they also decided to build a rule about it. In this game, same-gender relationships are possible. ... By incorporating this rule, the designers are showing tolerance towards this sexual option."
See also
Explorable explanations
Cybertext
Digital media
Digital rhetoric
Simulated reality
Video game theory
References
Rhetoric
Game design | Procedural rhetoric | [
"Engineering"
] | 2,886 | [
"Design",
"Game design"
] |
44,313,119 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichthyochytrium | Ichthyochytrium is a fungal genus in the Chytridiales of uncertain familial placement. A monotypic genus, it contains the single rare species Ichthyochytrium vulgare, described from Germany by Marianne Plehn in 1920. A parasite of freshwater fishes, it forms spherical bodies measuring 5–20 μm that have refractive granules. It typically attacks the lung and gills.
References
External links
Chytridiomycota genera
Monotypic fungus genera | Ichthyochytrium | [
"Biology"
] | 102 | [
"Fungus stubs",
"Fungi"
] |
44,314,903 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security%2C%20Territory%2C%20Population | Security, Territory, Population: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1977–1978 pertains to a lecture series given by French philosopher Michel Foucault at the Collège de France between 1977 and 1978 and published posthumously.
See also
Foucault's lectures at the Collège de France
References
External links
Michel Foucault Audio Archive Home
Full text at Springerlink
Works by Michel Foucault
Biopolitics
Political philosophy
Political science | Security, Territory, Population | [
"Engineering",
"Biology"
] | 92 | [
"Biopolitics",
"Genetic engineering"
] |
44,315,318 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulked%20segregant%20analysis | Bulked segregant analysis (BSA) is a technique used to identify genetic markers associated with a mutant phenotype. This allows geneticists to discover genes conferring certain traits of interest, such as disease resistance or susceptibility.
This technique involves forming two groups that display opposing phenotypes for a trait of interest. For example, the individuals in one group are resistant to a disease, whereas those in the second group are not. Two bulked DNA samples are then created by pooling the DNA of all individuals in each group.
These two bulked samples can then be analysed using techniques such as Restriction fragment length polymorphism or RAPD to detect similarities and differences in the various loci of the genome. The two groups will have a random distribution of alleles in all loci of the genome except for loci that are associated with the mutation. A consistent difference on a locus between the two bulked samples likely means that the locus is associated with the mutation of interest.
Generation of testing groups
In animals, the individuals making up the two testing groups are usually produced by a cross between two siblings heterozygous for the mutation of interest. The use of siblings is necessary to ensure that the alleles contributing to the mutation are the same among the individuals.
There must be a minimum amount of heterozygosity in the various loci of the groups to allow the genes that are associated with the trait of interest to be identified. Since most laboratory strains are inbred, outcrossing of the homozygous mutated individual with a polymorphic strain is essential to generate effective testing groups. The offspring are crossed with each other to generate testing groups.
Analysis techniques
Bulked DNA samples can be analysed using Southern blotting. Use of restriction enzymes or PCR amplification on the DNA is required for RFLP or RAPD analysis respectively. In these techniques, the loci that are analysed are the restriction digest sites and the sequences on which PCR primers attach to. These sites are usually located throughout the genome. Once linked loci are detected, they can be mapped and the linkage distances between them determined.
References
Genetics | Bulked segregant analysis | [
"Biology"
] | 448 | [
"Genetics"
] |
44,315,650 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tricholomopsis%20sulfureoides | Tricholomopsis sulfureoides is a species of gilled mushroom found in the United States. Its fruit bodies have pale yellow caps with differently colored zones of paler yellow and light yellow streaks. Its gills are broad and yellow, with an adnexed attachment to the yellow stipe. Young mushrooms have a thin partial veil. The mushroom is found growing singly or in groups on rotting conifer logs. The fungus was originally described as Clitocybe sulphurea by Charles Horton Peck in 1888; Rolf Singer transferred it to Tricholomopsis in 1969.
References
External links
sulfureoides
Fungi described in 1888
Fungi of the United States
Taxa named by Charles Horton Peck
Fungi without expected TNC conservation status
Fungus species | Tricholomopsis sulfureoides | [
"Biology"
] | 147 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
44,315,733 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry%20mortar%20production%20line | Dry mortar production line (or dry mortar machine) is a set of machinery that produces dry mortar (also known as dry premixed mortar or hydraulicity cement mortar) for construction industry and other uses. It is mainly composed of elevator, premix bin, stock bin, mixing engine, finished product warehouse, automatic packing machine, dust collector and electric control cabinet. Dry mortar mixer can be vertical or horizontal type and there are many models for choosing according to customer's actual conditions.
Mechanical principle
The paddles carried by a pair of counter-rotating spindles throw the aggregates up and cause zero gravity phenomenon. The aggregates get mixed into each other, and form a fluidized zero gravity zone. Swirling air generates surround the spindles and moves the aggregates for uniform mixing. Final mixture is transferred to storage bin through pneumatic gate.
Classifications
According to the structure, the dry mortar production line can be classified as four different types: Tower type, Stair type, Block type and Flat type.
According to the operating mode, the dry mortar production line can be classified as manual type, auto-manual type, auto type.
According to the output size, it can be divided into simple dry mortar production line and automatic dry mortar plant. The output of simple line is generally 1-8t per hour, and the output of automatic line is generally more than 15t per hour. The solution can be customized according to the customer's site and budget.
Application
The dry mortar production line can be adopted in production processes of regular dry masonry mortar, plastering mortar, thermal mortar, anti-crack mortar, self-leveling mortar and Decorative mortar etc.
Advantages of dry mix mortar production line
High efficiency, low cost, easy operation and high quality;
Easy to install and maintain;
Low noise and energy consumption;
Dry mix mortar production line has wide application, which can be used to produce varieties of mortars.
See also
Mortar (masonry)
References
Cement
Masonry
Building materials
Manufacturing | Dry mortar production line | [
"Physics",
"Engineering"
] | 398 | [
"Masonry",
"Building engineering",
"Manufacturing",
"Construction",
"Materials",
"Building materials",
"Mechanical engineering",
"Matter",
"Architecture"
] |
44,316,041 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degree-preserving%20randomization | Degree Preserving Randomization is a technique used in Network Science that aims to assess whether or not variations observed in a given graph could simply be an artifact of the graph's inherent structural properties rather than properties unique to the nodes, in an observed network.
Background
Cataloged as early as 1996, the simplest implementation of degree preserving randomization relies on a Monte Carlo algorithm that rearranges, or "rewires" the network at random such that, with a sufficient number of rewires, the network's degree distribution is identical to the initial degree distribution of the network, though the topological structure of the network has become completely distinct from the original network.
Degree preserving randomization, while it has many different forms, typically takes on the form of a relatively simple approach: for any network consisting of nodes with edges, select two dyadically tied nodes. For each of these dyadic pairs, switch the edges such that the new dyadic pairs are mismatched. After a sufficient number of these mismatches, the network increasingly loses its original observed topography.
As is common with algorithms based on Markov chains, the number of iterations, or individual rewires, that must occur on a given graph such that the graph is sufficiently random and distinct from the original graph is unknown, though Espinoza asserts that a safe minimum threshold is , where "is at least 100" (Espinoza). Others have provided input for this issue, including one author who states that a safe minimum may instead be at least , where epsilon lies in a range between and , though ultimately the correct number is not presently known.
Uses
There are several cases in which published research have explicitly employed degree preserving randomization in order to analyze network properties. Dekker used rewiring in order to more accurately model observed social networks by adding a secondary variable, , which introduces a high-degree attachment bias. Liu et al. have additionally employed degree preserving randomization to assert that the Control Centrality, a metric they identify, alters little when compared to the Control Centrality of an Erdős–Rényi model containing the same number of nodes in their simulations - Liu et al. have also used degree preserving randomization models in subsequent work exploring network controllability.
Additionally, some work has been done in investigating how Degree Preserving Randomization may be used in addressing considerations of anonymity in networked data research, which has been shown to be a cause for concern in Social Network Analysis, as in the case of a study by Lewis et al. Ultimately the work conducted by Ying and Wu, starting from a foundation of Degree Preserving Randomization, and then forwarding several modifications, has showed moderate advances in protecting anonymity without compromising the integrity of the underlying utility of the observed network.
Additionally, the method is similar in nature to the broadly used Exponential random graph models popularized in social science, and indeed the various forms of modeling networks against observed networks in order to identify and theorize about the differences expressed in real networks. Importantly, Degree Preserving Randomization provides a simple algorithmic design for those familiar with programming to apply a model to an available observed network.
Example
What follows is a small example showing how one may apply Degree Preserving Randomization to an observed network in an effort to understand the network against otherwise random variation while maintaining the degree distributional aspect of the network. The Association of Internet Researchers has a Listserv that constitutes the majority of discussion threads surrounding their work. On it, members post updates about their own research, upcoming conferences, calls for papers and also engage one another in substantive discussions in their field. These emails can in turn constitute a directed and temporal network graph, where nodes are individual e-mail accounts belonging to the Listserv and edges are cases in which one e-mail address responds to another e-mail address on the Listserv.
In this observed network, the properties of the Listserv are relatively simple to calculate - for the network of 3,235 individual e-mail accounts and 9,824 exchanges in total, the observed reciprocity of the network is about 0.074, and the [Average path length|average path length] is about 4.46. Could these values be arrived at simply through the nature of the network's inherent structure?
Applying the rule, this network would require around 67,861 individual edge rewires to construct a likely sufficiently random degree-preserved graph. If we construct many random, degree preserving graphs from the real graph, we can then create a probability space for characteristics, such as reciprocity and average path length, and assess the degree to which the network could have expressed these characteristics at random. 534 networks were generated using Degree Preserving Randomization. As both reciprocity and average path length in this graph are normally distributed, and as the standard deviation for both reciprocity and average path length are far too narrow to include the observed case, we can reasonably posit that this network is expressing characteristics that are non-random (and thus open for further theory and modeling).
References
External links
Dataset for example provided
Networks
Network theory | Degree-preserving randomization | [
"Mathematics"
] | 1,038 | [
"Network theory",
"Mathematical relations",
"Graph theory"
] |
44,316,500 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inosperma%20bongardii | Inosperma bongardii is an agaric fungus in the family Inocybaceae. It was originally described as a species of Agaricus by German botanist Johann Anton Weinmann in 1836. Lucien Quélet transferred it to the genus Inocybe in 1872. A 2019 multigene phylogenetic study by Matheny and colleagues found that I. bongardii and its relatives in the subgenus Inosperma were only distantly related to the other members of the genus Inocybe. Inosperma was raised to genus rank and the species became Inosperma bongardii.
It is a common species with a widespread distribution. Fruit bodies grow on the ground, often in clay soils, and typically with broadleaf trees. The fruit bodies are suspected to be toxic, as they contain muscarine.
See also
List of Inocybe species
References
bongardii
Poisonous fungi
Fungi described in 1836
Fungi of Europe
Fungi of North America
Fungus species | Inosperma bongardii | [
"Biology",
"Environmental_science"
] | 202 | [
"Poisonous fungi",
"Fungi",
"Toxicology",
"Fungus species"
] |
44,317,435 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial%20and%20Mining%20Water%20Research%20Unit | The Industrial and Mining Water Research Unit (abbreviated IMWaRU) is one of several research entities based in the School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It provides research as well as supervision to masters and doctorate students within the University, as well as consulting to industry.
Unit Structure
The unit deals with cross disciplinary water issues relating to industry and mining. As such the group includes experts in chemical engineering, microbiology and other sciences.
The unit includes five NRF rated researchers and over 20 masters and doctoral level postgraduate students in the faculties of engineering and science.
Members
The group currently comprises 7 academics (alphabetically - Mogopoleng (Paul) Chego, Kevin Harding, Michelle Low, Craig Sheridan, Geoffrey Simate, Karl Rumbold and Lizelle van Dyk), as well as several postgraduate students.
Logo
The logo of the Unit is in the shape of a drop of water, with the left half representing the blue of water.
The right half of the drop is modified to show grass and how water is linked to all life. Underneath the icon are the letters IMWaRU, while to the right, the name "Industrial and Mining Water Research Unit" appears.
Location
The unit is housed in several buildings across the University, most notably in the Richard Ward Building on East campus. Additionally, some members are located in the Biology Building on East Campus and have access to laboratories in that building.
They also have access to an outdoor facility on West Campus where constructed wetland, and other outdoor, experiments take place.
Research
The group has a broad range of research publications in the areas as listed below:
Acid mine drainage (AMD) - methods of reducing, treating and managing AMD.
Algal Studies - including to clean water, and as a source of biomass for biodiesel
Biorefineries - the use of biomass for values add product, including obtaining these with dual purpose water treatment.
Constructed wetlands (CW) - waste water remediation through natural biological processes.
Ecological Engineering - study of creating and sustaining cohabitation conditions for both humans and their environment.
Grade Engineering
Industrial biotechnology - the use of biotechnology in water related applications e.g. for water purification and water reduction.
Industrial Ecology - the use of sustainability principles in reducing environmental impacts; particularly relating to water.
Life-cycle assessment (LCA) - quantification and minimisation of liquid/solid/gaseous waste at sites which include food processing, industrial bioprocessing and others.
Material flow analysis
Membrane technology
Nanotechnology
Ozone - determination of optimal treatment techniques for cooling water purification systems, chemical vs ozone.
Water footprinting (WF) - quantification and minimisation of water use on, amongst others, mine and paper/pulp sites.
Wastewater treatment
and more.
Collaboration
The unit works closely with the Centre in Water and Research Development (CiWaRD), a cross disciplinary water research think tank.
Active collaborations include the Schools of Law, Chemistry, Civil and Mining Engineering and the Global Change Institute at the university, in addition to the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany. They have also collaborated with the Universities of Cape Town, Geneva, Queensland and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
IMWaRU has had several Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) projects run through Wits Enterprise.
The unit exhibited with several other groups at Mine Closure 2014.
Presentations
Members of the group have had presentations given at:
South African Institution of Chemical Engineering 2012 (Champagne Sports Resorts, South Africa);
Water Institute of Southern Africa 2012 (Cape Town, South Africa);
International Conference on Energy, Nanotechnology and Environmental Sciences 2013 (Johannesburg, South Africa);
International Conference on Power Science and Engineering 2013 (Paris, France);
Water in Mining 2013 (Brisbane, Australia);
Water in Mining 2014 (Viña del Mar, Chile);
Water Institute of Southern Africa 2014 (Mbombela, South Africa);
International Conference on Acid Rock Drainage 2015 (Santiago, Chile);
25th Annual SETAC European Meeting 2015 (Barcelona, Spain);
African Utility Week 2015 (Cape Town, South Africa);
Sustainability Week 2015 (Water Resource Seminar) (Pretoria, South Africa);
Life Cycle Management 2015 (Bordeaux, France);
School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering 21st Birthday conference;
Water Institute of Southern Africa 2016 (Durban, South Africa)
Hydrometallurgy 2016 (Cape Town, South Africa),
International Conference on Environment, Materials and Green Technology (Sebokeng, South Africa),
International Conference on Sustainable Materials Processing and Manufacturing (SMPM 2017) (Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa)
International Conference on Energy, Environment and Climate Change (Pointe aux Piments, Mauritius);
2nd International Conference on Sustainable Materials Processing and Manufacturing (SMPM 2019) (Sun City (South Africa)) and more.
Awards
The IMWaRU group was awarded a special presentation award at the GAP Bioscience gala dinner in December 2014 for work on remediating AMD using biological substrates.
Charne Germuizhuizen received the best mine water presentation award, while Mogopoleng (Paul) Chego received the 3rd place best technical talk, at the Water Institute of Southern Africa 2016 (WISA2016) conference in May 2016.
Tamlyn Naidu won the IOM3 2019 "YOUNG PERSONS' WORLD LECTURE COMPETITION"
References
External links
University of the Witwatersrand
Research institutes in South Africa
Water | Industrial and Mining Water Research Unit | [
"Chemistry",
"Engineering"
] | 1,114 | [
"Chemical engineering",
"Chemical engineering organizations"
] |
44,317,529 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminar%20flamelet%20model | The laminar flamelet model is a mathematical method for modelling turbulent combustion. The laminar flamelet model is formulated specifically as a model for non-premixed combustion
The concept of ensemble of laminar flamelets was first introduced by Forman A. Williams in 1975, while the theoretical foundation was developed by Norbert Peters in the early 80s.
Theory
The flamelet concept considers the turbulent flame as an aggregate of thin, laminar (Re < 2000), locally one-dimensional flamelet structures present within the turbulent flow field. Counterflow diffusion flame is a common laminar flame which is used to represent a flamelet in a turbulent flow. Its geometry consists of opposed and axi-symmetric fuel and oxidizer jets. As the distance between the jets is decreased and/or the velocity of the jets is increased, the flame is strained and departs from its chemical equilibrium until it eventually extinguishes. The mass fraction of species and temperature fields can be measured or calculated in laminar counterflow diffusion flame experiments. When calculated, a self-similar solution exists, and the governing equations can be simplified to only one dimension i.e. along the axis of the fuel and oxidizer jets. It is in this direction where complex chemistry calculations can be performed affordably.
Logic and formulae
To model a non-premixed combustion, governing equations for fluid elements are required. The conservation equation for the species mass fraction is as follows:-
Lek → lewis number of kth species and the above formula was derived with keeping constant heat capacity. The energy equation with variable heat capacity:-
As can be seen from above formulas that the mass fraction and temperature are dependent on
1. Mixture fraction Z
2. Scalar dissipation χ
3. Time
Many times we neglect the unsteady terms in above equation and assume the local flame structure having a balance between steady chemical equations and steady diffusion equation which result in Steady Laminar Flamelet Models (SLFM). For this, an average value of χ is computed known as Favre value
The basic assumption of a SLFM model is that a turbulent flame front behaves locally as a one dimensional, steady and laminar which proves to be a very useful while reducing the situation to a much simpler terms but it does create problems as few of the effects are not accounted for.
Advantages
The advantages of using this combustion model are as follows:
1. They have the advantage of showing strong coupling between chemical reactions and molecular transport.
2. The steady laminar flamelet model is also used to predict chemical non-equilibrium due to aerodynamic straining of the flame by the turbulence.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages of Steady Laminar Flamelet model due to above mentioned reason are:
1. It does not account for the curvature effects which can change the flame structure and is more detrimental while the structure hasn’t reached the quasi-steady state.
2. Such transient effects also arise in turbulent flow, the scalar dissipation experience a sudden change. As the flame structure take time to get stabilize.
To improve the above SLFM models, few more models has been proposed like Transient laminar flamelet model (TLFM) by Ferreira.
References
Further reading
1. Versteeg H.K. and Malalasekera W., An introduction to computational fluid dynamics, .
2. Stefano Giuseppe Piffaretti, Flame Age Model: a transient laminar flamelet approach for turbulent diffusion flames, A dissertation submitted to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
3. N. Peters, Institut für Technische Mechanik RWTH Aachen, Four Lectures on turbulent Combustion.
Combustion
Combustion engineering | Laminar flamelet model | [
"Chemistry",
"Engineering"
] | 753 | [
"Combustion",
"Combustion engineering",
"Industrial engineering"
] |
47,401,261 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen%20dioxide%20poisoning | Nitrogen dioxide poisoning is the illness resulting from the toxic effect of nitrogen dioxide (). It usually occurs after the inhalation of the gas beyond the threshold limit value.
Nitrogen dioxide is reddish-brown with a very harsh smell at high concentrations, at lower concentrations it is colorless but may still have a harsh odour. Nitrogen dioxide poisoning depends on the duration, frequency, and intensity of exposure.
Nitrogen dioxide is an irritant of the mucous membrane linked with another air pollutant that causes pulmonary diseases such as obstructive lung disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and sometimes acute exacerbation of COPD and in fatal cases, deaths.
Its poor solubility in water enhances its passage and its ability to pass through the moist oral mucosa of the respiratory tract.
Like most toxic gases, the dose inhaled determines the toxicity on the respiratory tract. Occupational exposures constitute the highest risk of toxicity and domestic exposure is uncommon. Prolonged exposure to low concentration of the gas may have lethal effects, as can short-term exposure to high concentrations like chlorine gas poisoning. It is one of the major air pollutants capable of causing severe health hazards such as coronary artery disease as well as stroke.
Nitrogen dioxide is often released into the environment as a byproduct of fuel combustion but rarely released by spontaneous combustion. Known sources of nitrogen dioxide gas poisoning include automobile exhaust and power stations.
The toxicity may also result from non-combustible sources such as the one released from anaerobic fermentation of food grains and anaerobic digestion of biodegradable waste.
The World Health Organization (WHO) developed a global recommendation limiting exposures to less than 20 parts per billion for chronic exposure and value less 100 ppb for one hour for acute exposure, using nitrogen dioxide as a marker for other pollutants from fuel combustion.
There is a significant association between indoor levels and increased respiratory symptoms such as wheeze, chest tightness and severity of infections among children with asthma.
Historically, some cities in the United States including Chicago and Los Angeles have higher levels of nitrogen dioxide than the EPA maximum exposure limits of 100 ppb for a one-hour exposure and less than 53 ppb for chronic exposure.
Signs and symptoms
Nitrogen dioxide poisoning is harmful to all forms of life just like chlorine gas poisoning and carbon monoxide poisoning. It is easily absorbed through the lungs and its inhalation can result in heart failure and sometimes death in severe cases.
Individuals and races may differ in nitrogen dioxide tolerance level and individual tolerance level for the gas may be altered by several factors, such as metabolic rate, barometric pressure, and hematological disorders but significant exposure may result in fatal conditions that could lead to shorter lifespan due to heart failure.
Acute poisoning
Exposure to high level of nitrogen dioxide may lead to inflammation of the mucous membrane and the lower and upper respiratory tracts.
The symptoms of acute nitrogen dioxide poisoning is non-specific and have a semblance with ammonia gas poisoning, chlorine gas poisoning, and carbon monoxide poisoning. The symptoms also resembles that of pneumonia or viral infection and other inhalational injuries but common symptoms includes rhinitis wheezing or coughing, conjunctivitis, headache, throat irritation and dyspnea which may progress to nasal fissures, ulcerations, or perforation.
The patient is usually ill-appearing and presents with hypoxemia coupled with shallow rapid breathing.
Therapy is supportive and includes removal from further nitrogen dioxide exposure.
Systemic symptoms include fever and anorexia. Electrocardiography and chest radiography can help in revealing diffuse, bilateral alveolar infiltrates.
Chest radiography may be used in diagnosis and the baseline could be established with pulmonary function testing.
There is no specific laboratory diagnostic test for acute nitrogen dioxide poisoning but analysis of arterial blood gas level,
methemoglobin level, complete blood count, glucose test, lactate threshold measurement and r peripheral blood smear may be helpful in the diagnosis of nitrogen dioxide poisoning.
The determination of nitrogen dioxide in urine or tissue does not establish the diagnosis, and there are technical and interpretive problems with these tests.
Chronic poisoning
Prolonged exposure to high levels of nitrogen dioxide can have an inflammatory effect that principally targets the respiratory tracts leading to chronic nitrogen dioxide poisoning which can occur within days or weeks after the threshold limit value is excessively exceeded.
This condition causes fever, rapid breathing coupled with rapid heart rate, labored breathing and severe shortness of breath. Other effects include diaphoresis, chest pain, and persistent dry cough, all of which may result in weight loss, anorexia and may also lead to right-side heart enlargement and heart disease in advanced cases.
Prolonged exposure to relatively low levels of nitrogen (II) oxide may cause persistent headaches and nausea.
Like chlorine gas poisoning, symptoms usually resolve themselves upon removal from further nitrogen dioxide exposure, unless there had been an episode of severe acute poisoning.
Treatment and management vary with symptoms. Patients are often observed for hypoxemia for a minimum of 12 hours if there are no initial symptoms and if the patient is hypoxemic, oxygen may be administered but high-dose steroids are recommended for patients with pulmonary manifestations. Patients may also be hospitalized for 12 to 24 hours or longer for observation if the gaseous exchange is impaired.
In a case where gaseous exchange is impaired, mechanical ventilation and intubation may be necessary and if bronchiolitis obliterans develop within 2 to 6 weeks of nitrogen dioxide exposure, corticosteroid therapy or anticholinergic medications may be required for 6 to 12 months to lower the body overreaction to nitrogen dioxide gas.
Cause
Occupational exposures constitute the highest risk of toxicity and it is often high for farmers especially those that deal with food grains. It is equally high for firefighters and military personnel, especially those officers that deal in explosives. The risk is also high for arc welders, traffic officers, aerospace staffs and miners as well as those people whose occupations are connected with the nitric acid. Silo-filler's disease is a consequence of exposure to nitrogen dioxide poisoning by farmers dealing with silos. Food grains such as corn and millet, as well as grasses such as alfalfa and some other plant material, produces nitrogen dioxide within hours due to anaerobic fermentation. The threshold concentrations of nitrogen dioxide are often attained within 1 to 2 days and begin to decline gradually after 10 to 14 days but if the silos is well sealed, the gas may remain in there for weeks. Heavily fertilized silage, particularly the ones produced from immature plants, generate a higher concentration of the gas within the silo.
Nitrogen dioxide is about 1.5 times heavier than air and during silage storage, nitrogen dioxide remains in the silage material.
Improper ventilation may result in exposure during the leveling of the silage.
Pathophysiology
Nitrogen dioxide is sparingly soluble in water and on inhalation, it diffuses into the lung and slowly hydrolyzes to nitrous and nitric acid which causes pulmonary edema and pneumonitis leading to the inflammation of the bronchioles and pulmonary alveolus resulting from lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress.
Mucous membrane is primarily affected along with type I pneumocyte and the respiratory epithelium. The generation of free radicals from lipid peroxidation results in irritation of the bronchioles and alveoli that causes rapid destruction of the respiratory epithelial cells.
The overall reaction results in the release of fluid that causes pulmonary edema.
Nitrogen dioxide poisoning may alter macrophage activity and immune function leading to susceptibility of the body to a wide range of infections, and overexposure to the gas may also lead to methemoglobinemia, a disorder characterized by a higher than normal level of methemoglobin (metHb, i.e., ferric [Fe3+] rather than ferrous [Fe2+] haemoglobin) in the blood.
Methemoglobinemia prevents the binding of oxygen to haemoglobin causing oxygen depletion that could lead to severe hypoxia.
If nitrogen dioxide poisoning is untreated, fibrous granulation tissue is likely to develop within the alveolar ducts, tiny ducts that connect the respiratory bronchioles to alveolar sacs, each of which contains a collection of alveoli (small mucus-lined pouches made of flattened epithelial cells). The overall reaction may cause an obstructive lung disease. Meanwhile, proliferative bronchiolitis is a secondary effect of nitrogen dioxide poisoning.
Epidemiology
The EPA have some regulations and guidelines for monitoring nitrogen dioxide levels. Historically, some states in the US including Chicago, Northeast corridor and Los Angeles have had high levels of nitrogen dioxide.
In 2006, the WHO estimated that over 2 million deaths result annually from air pollution in which nitrogen dioxide constitute one of the pollutants. While over 50% of the disease that results from these pollutants are common in developing countries and the effects in developed countries is also significant. An EPA survey in the US suggests that 16 percent of United States' housing units are sited close to an airport, highway or railroad increasing in the United States the exposure risk of approximately 48 million people.
A feasibility study of the ozone formed from the oxidation of nitrogen dioxide in ambient air reported by the WHO suggested that daily deaths of 1 to 2% is attributed to exposure to ozone concentration above 47.3 ppb and exposure above 75.7 ppb is attributed to 3 to 5% increase in daily mortality. A level of 114 ppb was attributed to 5 to 9% increase daily mortality.
Silo filler's disease is pervasive during the harvest seasons of food grains.
In May 2015, the National Green Tribunal directed Delhi and other states in India to ban diesel vehicles over 10 years old as a measure to reduce nitrogen dioxide emission that may result in nitrogen dioxide poisoning. In 2008, the report of United Kingdom Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) suggested that air pollution is the cause of about 29,000 deaths in UK. The WHO urban air quality database estimated Delhi's mean annual PM 10 levels in 2010 as 286 μg /m3 and London as 23 μg /m3. In 2014, the database estimated Delhi's annual mean PM 2.5 particulate matter levels in 2013 as 156 μg /m3 whereas, London have only 8 μg /m3 in 2010 but the nitrogen dioxide in London breach the European Union's standard. In 2013, the annual mean nitrogen dioxide level in London was estimated as 58 μg /m3 but the save and "threshold limit value" is 40 μg /m3. In March 2015, Brussels took the United Kingdom into court for breaching emissions limits of nitrogen dioxide at its coal-fired Aberthaw power stations in Wales. The plant operated under a permit allowing emissions of 1200 mg/Nm3, which is more than twice the 5 mg/Nm3 limit specified in the EU's large combustion plant directive.
Prognosis
Generally, long-term prognosis is helpful to survival of initial exposure to nitrogen dioxide. Some cases of nitrogen dioxide poisoning resolves with no observable symptoms and patient may be determined by pulmonary function testing. If chronic exposure causes lung damage, it could take several days or months for the pulmonary function to improve. Meanwhile, permanent mild dysfunction may result from bronchiolitis obliterans and could manifest as abnormal flow at 50 to 70 percent of vital capacity. It may also manifest as mild hyperinflammation, airway obstruction and in that case, patient may be subject to steroid treatment to treat deconditioning.
Complications from prolong exposure includes bronchiolitis obliterans and other secondary infections such as pneumonia due to injuries on the mucous membrane from pulmonary edema and inhibition of immune system by nitrogen dioxide. Nitrogen dioxide inhalation can result in short and long-term morbidity or death depending on the extent of exposure and inhaled concentration and the exposure time.
Illness resulting from acute exposure is usually not fatal although some exposure may cause bronchiolitis obliterans, pulmonary edema as well as rapid asphyxiation.
If the concentration of exposure is excessively high, the gas may displace oxygen resulting in fatal asphyxiation.
Generally, patients and workers should be educated by medical personnel on how to identify the signs and symptoms of Nitrogen dioxide poisoning.
Farmers and other farm workers should be educated on the proper way of food grain storage to prevent silo filler's disease.
Biochemical effects
Chronic exposure to high level of nitrogen dioxide results in the allosteric inhibition of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase, both of which are important enzymes found in the mucous membrane antioxidant defense system, that catalyse nucleophilic attack by reduced glutathione (GSH) on non-polar compounds that contain an electrophilic carbon and nitrogen. These inhibition mechanisms generates free radicals that causes peroxidation from the lipids in the mucous membrane leading to increased peroxidized erythrocyte lipids, a reaction that proceeds by a free radical chain reaction mechanism that result in oxidative stress. The oxidative stress on the mucous membrane causes the dissociation of the GSTp-JNK complex, oligomerization of GSTP and induction of the JNK pathway, resulting in apoptosis or inflammation of the bronchioles and pulmonary alveolus in mild cases.
On migrating to the bloodstream, nitrogen dioxide poisoning results in an irreversible inhibition of the erythrocyte membrane acetylcholinesterase which may lead to muscular paralysis, convulsions, bronchoconstriction, the narrowing of the airways in the lungs (bronchi and bronchioles) and death by asphyxiation.
It also causes a decrease in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase which may results in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency known as favism, a condition that predisposes to hemolysis (spontaneous destruction of red blood cells).
Acute and chronic exposure also reduces glutathione reductase, an enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of glutathione disulfide (GSSG) to the sulfhydryl form glutathione (GSH), which is a critical molecule in resisting oxidative stress and maintaining the reducing environment of the cell.
Reproductive effects
Exposure to nitrogen dioxide has a significant effect on the male reproductive system by inhibiting the production of Sertoli cells, the "nurse" cells of the testicles that are part of a seminiferous tubule and help in the process of spermatogenesis.
These effects consequently retard the production of sperm cells.
The effects of nitrogen dioxide poisoning on female reproduction may be linked with the effects of oxidative stress on female reproduction.
Nitrogen dioxide poisoning disrupts the balance of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which results in oxidative stress, leading to significant effects on the female reproductive lifespan. ROS play a significant role in body physiology, from oocyte production, development and maturation to fertilization, development of the embryo and gestation.
Exposure to nitrogen dioxide causes ovulation-induced oxidative damage to the DNA of ovarian epithelium.
There is a growing body of literature on the pathological effects of ROS on female reproduction as evidenced by free-radical-induced birth defects, abortions, hydatidiform moles and pre-eclampsia. ROS also play a significant role in the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis, a disease in which tissue that normally grows inside the uterus grows outside of it.
Oxidative stress causes defective placentation, which is likely to lead to placental hypoxia, shortage of oxygen in the placental as well as reperfusion injury resulting from ischemia, which may lead to endothelial cell dysfunction.
Increased oxidative stress caused by nitrogen dioxide poisoning may result in ovarian epithelium inflammation and potentially to cancer in the most severe cases.
References
External links
Inorganic nitrogen compounds
Nitrogen oxides
Hazardous air pollutants
Smog
Free radicals
Food additives
Toxic effects of substances chiefly nonmedicinal as to source
Gases
Medical emergencies
Suicide by poison
Industrial hygiene
Indoor air pollution | Nitrogen dioxide poisoning | [
"Physics",
"Chemistry",
"Biology",
"Environmental_science"
] | 3,440 | [
"Visibility",
"Gases",
"Toxicology",
"Physical quantities",
"Inorganic compounds",
"Smog",
"Phases of matter",
"Free radicals",
"Inorganic nitrogen compounds",
"Senescence",
"Biomolecules",
"Toxic effects of substances chiefly nonmedicinal as to source",
"Statistical mechanics",
"Matter"
] |
47,402,451 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uthapuram | Uthapuram is a village in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is known for a wall which segregated Dalits from the village for two decades.
Geography and Demographics
Uthapuram is located in Peraiyur taluk of Madurai district. It is 41 kilometers away from the district capital Madurai. As of census 2011, it has population of 5149 of which scheduled caste consists 2172. It comes under the Usilampatti assembly constituency and Theni parliamentary constituency.
Uthapuram wall
The village have two major communities, one is dominant caste Hindu Pillai another one is scheduled caste Dalit Pallar community. The caste violence occurred occasionally between these communities. The violence happened in 1948, 1964 and 1989. After 1989 violence caste Hindus constructed a 30 meter long wall to segregate Dalits from the village. The wall later described as "wall of untouchability". The Dalits were not allowed to enter the streets of caste Hindus. Following this, Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Dalit organizations protested against the construction of the wall. The caste Hindus argued that the wall was built on the private land. In May 2008, Madurai district administration demolished the wall and allowed the Dalits into the village. After demolition, violence occurred between the communities. The caste Hindus threatened that they would leave the village. To control the situation police opened fire in that one person died. The cases were filed against the incident. In 2012, Madras High Court ordered compensation to the people who suffered during the violence.
The district administration initiated the peace agreement between the communities. Therefore, the Dalits were allowed to enter local Muthalamman-Mariamman temple who prevented since 1989.
See also
Separation barrier
References
Villages in Madurai district
Separation barriers
Racial segregation
Caste
Caste-related violence in India | Uthapuram | [
"Engineering"
] | 382 | [
"Separation barriers"
] |
47,404,165 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptopharsa%20tacanae | Leptopharsa tacanae is an extinct species of lace bug in the family Tingidae. The species is solely known from the Late Oligocene to Middle Miocene Mexican amber deposits. The species is the first lace bug described from Mexican amber.
History and classification
Leptopharsa tacanae is known from the holotype specimen, collection number TOT158.1, which is an inclusion in a transparent chunk of Mexican amber, also known as Chiapas amber. As of 2014, the type insect was part of the David Coty fossil collection provisionally housed at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. This amber predates a range from between 22.5 million years old, for the youngest sediments of the Balumtun Sandstone, and 26 million years, for the La Quinta Formation. This age range, which straddles the boundary between the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene, is complicated by both formations being secondary deposits for the amber; consequently, the given age range is only the youngest that the fossil might be. The L. tacanae fossil was recovered from amber deposits along the Yalbantuc River, near Totolapa in the Chiapas depression, distant from the major Mexican amber deposits in the Simojovel region. The geology of the Totolapa region is currently identified as Eocene in age, but the fauna of the amber is very similar to both the Simojovel fauna and to Dominican amber, indicating that a reassessment of the geology may be needed.
The holotype was first studied by paleoentomologists David Coty, Romain Garrouste and André Nel, of the Muséum National. Their type description of the species was published in the Annales de la Société Entomologique de France in 2014. The specific epithet tacanae derived from the Tacana volcano, which is on the border of Mexico and Guatemala, and the second highest volcano in Central America.
Leptopharsa tacana is the first lace bug to be described from Mexican amber fossils, while the related Dominican amber fauna is much more diverse with six described species as of 2014: Eocader balyrussus, Leptopharsa evsyunini, Leptopharsa frater, Leptopharsa poinari, Stephanitis rozanovi and Phymacysta stysi.
Description
The L. tacanae type specimen is a male that has an approximately long body, and is long with the wings included. The original coloration of the individual is not clear due to the amber, however the color patterning of light and dark is well preserved. The venation on the hemelytra has the typical thickening, and four of the cross veins in the costal area show a distinct darkened color tone. The flattened extensions along both the hemelytra and the abdomen are edged with small spines, each of which bear short, upright setae. The extensions are divided into two rows of subrectangular cells by a center vein. The antennae, nearly as long as the body is, are composed of four elongated segments and the last two segments are both covered with a dense, semi-erect covering of setae. The last antenna segment is also visibly darker in coloration. The head has five total spines, three spines located towards the front of the head, and two at the eyes. Two of the front spines are paired arising from the antennae bases, while the third front spine arises in between the two. The two occipital spines are curved and lay against the head capsule.
References
Tingidae
Oligocene insects of North America
Fossil taxa described in 2014
Miocene insects of North America
Mexican amber
Species known from a single specimen | Leptopharsa tacanae | [
"Biology"
] | 772 | [
"Individual organisms",
"Species known from a single specimen"
] |
47,405,386 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BW%20Vulpeculae | BW Vulpeculae or BW Vul, is a variable star in the northern constellation of Vulpecula. It is near the lower limit of visibility to the naked eye with a typical apparent visual magnitude of 6.54. Based on an annual parallax shift of , the distance to BW Vul is about 2,800 light years. It is moving closer to the Earth with a baseline heliocentric radial velocity of around −6 km/s.
This is a B-type giant star with a stellar classification of B2 IIIv, where the 'v' suffix indicates variability in spectral features. Various authors have printed mass estimates ranging from 11 to 14 times the mass of the Sun, although Tetzlaff et al. (2011) gives a mass of just . It is about 3.4 million years old and is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 24 km/s. The star is typically radiating 515 times the Sun's luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 23,014 K.
The variability of this star was announced in 1937, at the 58th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society by Canadian astronomer, Robert Methven Petrie. It is a Beta Cephei variable that ranges between magnitudes 6.44 and 6.68 over a period of 4.8 hours. For unknown reasons, the periodicity of the star has undergone sudden changes, followed by long periods of stability. BW Vul is one of the most extreme β Cephei stars in terms of variability of light and radial velocity. This is hypothesized as being due to the star's relatively high metallicity, meaning the abundance of elements other than hydrogen and helium. A distinctive feature of its radial velocity cycle is a unique "standstill" feature, which is caused by a shockwave generated by infall of material from a previous cycle.
References
B-type giants
Beta Cephei variables
Vulpecula
Durchmusterung objects
199140
103191
8007
Vulpeculae, BW | BW Vulpeculae | [
"Astronomy"
] | 427 | [
"Vulpecula",
"Constellations"
] |
47,405,502 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U%20Vulpeculae | U Vulpeculae is a variable and binary star in the constellation Vulpecula.
It is a classical Cepheid variable and its apparent magnitude ranges from 6.73 to 7.54 over a precise cycle of 7.99 days. Its variable nature was discovered in 1898 at Potsdam Observatory by Gustav Müller and Paul Kempf.
In 1991 a study of radial velocities showed that it U Vulpeculae is a spectroscopic binary and a full orbit with a period of 2510 days (6.9 years) was first calculated in 1996. The secondary star is invisible and is only known from its effect on the motion of the primary.
References
Vulpecula
Classical Cepheid variables
Vulpeculae, U
F-type supergiants
G-type supergiants
Durchmusterung objects
7458
185059
096458
Spectroscopic binaries | U Vulpeculae | [
"Astronomy"
] | 187 | [
"Vulpecula",
"Constellations"
] |
47,406,641 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banff%20Classification | The Banff Classification is a schema for nomenclature and classification of kidney transplant pathology, established in 1991 by Kim Solez and Lorraine C. Racusen in Banff, Canada. The initiative was "inspired by the then recent development of a consensus grading system for diagnosis of rejection in cardiac allografts led by Dr Margaret Billingham, a key participant at the first Banff transplant pathology meeting". Prior the Banff Classification there was no standardized, international classification for renal allograft biopsies, which resulted in considerable heterogeneity among pathologists in characterization of renal allograft biopsies. The first Banff schema was published in 1993, and has since undergone updates at regular intervals. The classification is expanded and updated every two years in meetings organized by the Banff Foundation for Allograft Pathology. An evaluation of the Banff Classification in March 2000 confirmed significant association between the revised Banff '97 classification and graft outcome. The classification is unusual in that there is no competing standard. It has been used worldwide for 28+ years and shows how useful consensus meetings in a medical subspecialty area can be. In 2018 a user guide for the classification was published in the journal Transplantation.
References
External links
http://banfffoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/The-Banff-classification-revisited.pdf
Pathology
Organ transplantation | Banff Classification | [
"Biology"
] | 296 | [
"Pathology"
] |
47,407,831 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern%20Asia%20%28WGSRPD%29 | Eastern Asia is one of the regions of temperate Asia defined in the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions (WGSRPD) for use in recording the distribution of plants. It is very much smaller than common definitions of East Asia. It consists of the Korean Peninsula, Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku, plus associated offshore islands – the Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto), the Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto) and the Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-shoto)), and Taiwan. Some islands belonging to Japan politically, such as Marcus Island (Minami-Tori-shima), have greater floristic affinity with similar Pacific islands and are placed in the botanical continent of the Pacific.
WGSRPD system
The WGSRPD is a biogeographical system developed by the international Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) organization. The system provides clear definitions and codes for recording plant distributions at four scales or levels, from "botanical continents" down to parts of large countries. The top two levels are given numerical codes. The botanical continent 3 Asia-Temperate has nine regions, one of which is 38 Eastern Asia.
Organizations and works using the scheme include the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), and the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). For example, the entry for Lilium concolor in the WCSP includes the numerical codes "30 31 36 37 38", the initial "3" showing these are all regions of Asia-Temperate, with "38" being Eastern Asia.
Eastern Asia subdivisions
The Eastern Asia region is subdivided into areas and "basic recording units", which are given letter codes:
Changes
Some small changes were made to the Eastern Asia region between the first and second editions of the WGSRPD. The Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto) and the Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-shoto) were moved from the Pacific botanical continent to Eastern Asia within Asia-Temperate as they have many endemic plants in common with Eastern Asia.
See also
References
Bibliography
Biogeography
Geography of East Asia | Eastern Asia (WGSRPD) | [
"Biology"
] | 443 | [
"Biogeography"
] |
47,408,913 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Como%C3%A9%20National%20Park%20Research%20Station | The Comoé National Park Research Station, located in the Comoé National Park, Côte d'Ivoire, was founded by Professor Karl Eduard Linsenmair, a German biologist, in 1989/90.
The research station was forced to close after the outbreak of the First Ivorian Civil War in 2002. After the end of the Second Ivorian Civil War in 2011 repairs at the station began and in 2014 the station had achieved again its full working capacity. The focus of the field based research is on conservation, tropical ecology and behaviour.
History
In 1989/90 a first research camp was realized with substantial funding provided by the Volkswagen Stiftung, the University of Würzburg and the respective Ministry (Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Bildung und Kultus, Wissenschaft und Kunst). A successful application for a research grant by Linsenmair at the Fritz Thyssen Foundation led to the expansion and transformation into a permanent station, after various bureaucratic hurdles in Germany and Côte d'Ivoire, which delayed the construction of the field station approximately 8 years. Construction started in 2000 and in early 2002 all guesthouses and other buildings apart from the lab were finished and a move from the camp to the new station was possible.
The outbreak of the First Ivorian Civil War, in September 2002, resulted in the loss of the entire removable and demountable equipment and the closure of the station. Due to the positive development in the country after the Second Ivorian Civil War, the rehabilitation of the station started in 2012 with remaining funds from the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and the University of Würzburg. With the construction of the solar plant, in December 2014, the rehabilitation was finished and the station had achieved its full working capacity again, making it one of the most modern field research stations in Africa.
Research
The Research of the station focuses on various fields of conservation, tropical ecology and behaviour, e.g. ecophysiology, chemical and evolutionary ecology. In its first 2 decades before the civil war over 20 international research institutions conducted projects at the station with over 100 scientists contributing to the over 200 papers published in peer-reviewed journals. Far more students participated in field courses, collecting data for more than 40 diploma, masters, bachelors and Ph.D. theses.
Research Cooperations
Research institutions currently working at the station are:
University of Würzburg, Germany
University of Freiburg, Germany
University of Rostock, Germany
Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany
Université d'Abobo-Adjamé, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
University of Groningen, Netherlands
The research station is also a base for the longterm and large scale monitoring program in the BMBF's WASCAL project (West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use) and was one of the headquarters for the BIOTA West project focused in Côte d'Ivoire until the outbreak of the civil war. It also works closely together with the park management (OIPR, Office Ivorien des Parcs et Reserves) on matters of conservation.
Facilities
The facilities of the research station allow for completely autonomous working conditions 24 hours a day and include:
A 750 sqm large climatised laboratory
A refectory, consisting of a kitchen and a large dining area
A 36kWP Solar power station and a 30kWP backup Generator
A watertower pumping water from groundwater level (80 m deep)
14 houses able to hold 15 researchers for long-term research and up to 30 for short trips/excursions
A garage offering space for up to four land cruisers, motorbikes, bicycles and rudimentary repairs
Further Information
Homepage of the Comoé National Park Research Station
References
Environmental research
Ecological experiments
Research stations
Research institutes established in 1990
Research institutes in Ivory Coast
Bounkani
Zanzan District | Comoé National Park Research Station | [
"Environmental_science"
] | 777 | [
"Environmental research"
] |
47,409,016 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt%20Parker | Matthew Thomas Parker (born 22 December 1980) is an Australian recreational mathematician, author, comedian, YouTube personality and science communicator based in the United Kingdom. His book Humble Pi was the first mathematics book in the UK to be a Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller. Parker was the Public Engagement in Mathematics Fellow at Queen Mary University of London. He is a former teacher and has helped popularise mathematics via his tours and videos.
Early life and education
Matt Parker was born in Perth, Western Australia, and grew up in the northern suburb of Duncraig. He began showing an interest in maths and science from a young age, and at one point was part of his school's titration team.
Parker went to the University of Western Australia and started off studying mechanical engineering before he "realized the very real risk of being employable at the end of it." He switched into physics and later mathematics. His love of maths led him to want a job in the subject.
While at university, Parker wrote comedy for Pelican, the students' magazine, and produced comedy sketches. Having become interested in comedy, he enrolled on course for stand-up.
Career
After college, Parker taught maths in Australia for a while before moving to London and continuing teaching. He became involved in support education, working with universities and other organizations to arrange maths talks. He later returned to teaching, before stopping after one year. He now helps students communicate mathematics to other people, speaks at schools, does media work, and occasionally writes about maths. His goal is "to get more people more excited about maths."
Parker has appeared in numerous YouTube videos, talking about various subjects related to mathematics. He has his own YouTube channel, "Stand-up Maths", with over one million subscribers, and also frequently appears as a guest on other popular channels such as Brady Haran's Numberphile and James May's Head Squeeze (now BritLab). Parker has made videos about unboxing calculators, including the Little Professor; he presents these videos as a member of a fictional "Calculator Appreciation Society". He also appeared in a Tom Scott YouTube video, where they gave tips for users of the London Underground.
In 2012, Parker and fellow comedian Timandra Harkness co-wrote a comedy show called Your Days are Numbered: The Maths of Death. They performed the show in Australia, at the Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, on tour around England and in Scotland, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Parker has also toured the UK solo and as part of comedy group Festival of the Spoken Nerd, along with Helen Arney and Steve Mould. His first solo tour, Matt Parker: Number Ninja, finished in July 2013, while his second solo tour, "Matt Parker: Now in 4D", started in late 2014.
He has written the book Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension. His second book, Humble Pi, was released in March 2019 and was a Sunday Times #1 bestseller. In 2024, his third book, Love Triangle, was published.
In 2014, Parker set up Think Maths, a team of experienced mathematics speakers who visit schools to run workshops and give talks for a wide range of ages and abilities, to show students the wider world of maths beyond school while giving them a chance to develop mathematical thinking skills. In 2016, Parker appeared briefly as a guest on the British comedy panel game quiz show, QI.
Parker has appeared on BBC Radio Four's The Infinite Monkey Cage with Robin Ince and Brian Cox. He has also talked about maths-related topics on BBC News, Sky News, Channel4, CBBC, and occasionally writes for The Guardian. On TV, Parker is a regular commentator on Discovery's Outrageous Acts of Science. For the 2019 edition of the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, televised on BBC Four, Parker assisted presenter Hannah Fry in several segments.
In October 2017, Parker started a petition to "Update the UK Traffic Signs Regulations to a geometrically correct football." In a YouTube video, he explained why the current football shape on traffic signs is incorrect and geometrically impossible. Parker described the current signs as a "national embarrassment" and said he hopes the petition will "help raise public awareness and appreciation of geometry." Parker discussed the issue on You Can't Polish A Nerd. According to him, the government initially dismissed the petition because he is a comedian. By November 2017, the petition had gained over 22,000 signatures. The UK government has responded by saying "the current football symbol has a clear meaning and is understood by the public. Changing the design to show accurate geometry is not appropriate in this context." Parker said he felt "like the Department for Transport had not read the petition properly". The official response stated it would be too costly to replace the current signs; however, Parker said he only asked for a "precedent for the new signs". In regards to the exact geometry of a football, Parker said he is "not asking for angles and measurements on the sign, just for it to look more like a football". In 2024, he created a new petition to change the real footballs to look like the signs when viewed from one angle, because “if we can't get the signs changed to match a real football, maybe we can get the football changed to match the signs”.
Together with another YouTube mathematics populariser, Vi Hart, Parker won the 2018 Communications Award of the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics for "communicating the excitement of mathematics to a worldwide audience through YouTube videos, TV and radio appearances, book and newspaper writings, and stand-up comedy".
Parker hosts two podcasts. The newer of the two, A Podcast of Unnecessary Detail., is co-hosted with Helen Arney and Steve Mould; the three also perform as the comedy troupe Festival of the Spoken Nerd, and have a stage show titled An Evening of Unnecessary Detail, from which the podcast derives its name. In the podcast, each of the hosts brings a topic, usually maths or science related, which they explain to the audience. The first series of six episodes aired during September, 2020 as a way for the troupe to continue to perform their show during the COVID-19 pandemic. A second series of twelve episodes aired during 2022. The older podcast is A Problem Squared, which is formatted as an advice-based podcast, and is co-hosted with author, comedian, and TV presenter Bec Hill. In A Problem Squared, each cohost presents a problem submitted by listeners, which they attempt to exhaustively solve via their own research, sometimes bringing in special guests. New episodes aired monthly from November 2019, to January 2022, and then semimonthly starting in March 2022.
Awards
Parker was awarded the 2020 IMA-LMS Christopher Zeeman Medal in recognition of his "excellence in the communication of mathematics". The award citation highlights work on YouTube, his books, Think Maths, Maths Inspiration, MathsJam, Maths Gear, and his work in broadcast media.
On 15 August 2024, the main-belt asteroid 314159 Mattparker was named in his honour. The citation highlights Parker's biennial "Pi Day challenges", stating that they have helped to popularise mathematics.
Recreational mathematics contributions
Parker introduced the recreational mathematics concept of a grafting number, an integer with the property that the square root of the integer, when expressed in base b, will contain the original integer itself before or directly after the decimal point .
Each odd-numbered year on 14 March, Parker organizes what has been described as "Pi day challenges", where he attempts to calculate the number pi by hand. In 2024, Parker and a team of hundreds of volunteers at City of London School spent six days calculating 139 correct digits of pi by hand, in what he claimed was "the biggest hand calculation in a century".
Parker is the namesake of the Parker square, an internet meme consisting of a trivial semimagic square. Parker was attempting to create a magic square made up of all square numbers, however fell quite short of the goal. The semimagic square Parker created uses some numbers more than once, and the diagonal sums to , not as for all the other rows, columns, or diagonal. The Parker Square became a "mascot for people who give it a go, but ultimately fall short". It is also a metaphor for something that is almost right, but is a little off.
Personal life
Parker married the English solar physicist Lucie Green in July 2014. The couple used wedding rings made of meteoric iron. He now lives in Godalming, England. He has a labrador retriever called Skylab who has her own YouTube channel.
Bibliography
Notes
References
External links
Festival of the Spoken Nerd
1980 births
Living people
Australian YouTubers
Comedy YouTubers
Australian mathematicians
Australian male comedians
University of Western Australia alumni
Recreational mathematicians
Mathematics popularizers
Australian emigrants to England
Australian expatriates in England
Writers from Perth, Western Australia
Online edutainment
Educational and science YouTubers
Comedians from Perth, Western Australia
YouTubers from Perth, Western Australia | Matt Parker | [
"Mathematics"
] | 1,871 | [
"Recreational mathematics",
"Recreational mathematicians"
] |
47,409,208 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penicillium%20ribium | Penicillium ribium is a psychrotolerant species of the genus of Penicillium which was isolated from the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, in the United States. Penicillium ribium produces asperfuran, kojic acid and cycloaspeptide.
References
Further reading
ribium
Fungi described in 2006
Fungus species | Penicillium ribium | [
"Biology"
] | 73 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
47,411,413 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermeil%27s%20theorem | In differential geometry, Vermeil's theorem essentially states that the scalar curvature is the only (non-trivial) absolute invariant among those of prescribed type suitable for Albert Einstein’s theory of General Relativity. The theorem was proved by the German mathematician Hermann Vermeil in 1917.
Standard version of the theorem
The theorem states that the Ricci scalar is the only scalar invariant (or absolute invariant) linear in the second derivatives of the metric tensor .
See also
Scalar curvature
Differential invariant
Einstein–Hilbert action
Lovelock's theorem
Notes
References
Theorems in differential geometry
Invariant theory | Vermeil's theorem | [
"Physics",
"Mathematics"
] | 120 | [
"Theorems in differential geometry",
"Symmetry",
"Group actions",
"Theorems in geometry",
"Invariant theory"
] |
47,411,871 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans%20Leo%20Przibram | Hans Leo Przibram ([]; 7 July 1874 – 20 May 1944) was an Austrian biologist who founded the biological laboratory in Vienna.
Career
Hans was as elder son of Gustav and Charlotte Przibram. His mother was the daughter of Friedrich Schey von Koromla.
After attending the Academic Gymnasium in Vienna, he studied Zoology under Berthold Hatschek at the University of Vienna. In 1899 he graduated as medical doctor and Doctor of Philosophy. He received his habilitation at the University of Vienna in 1904 and from then on taught as a lecturer in zoology. In 1913, he became Professor of Experimental Zoology.
In 1902, together with the botanists Leopold von Portheim and Wilhelm Figdor, Hans Przibram bought the "Vivarium" in the Vienna Prater and set up a private research institute for experimental biology, the "Biologische Versuchsanstalt" (BVA), which opened in the following year. In 1914, the BVA donated to the Academy of Sciences in Vienna, together with a foundation that ensured continued operations. Przibram continued to lead the zoological department and, together with Portheim, the entire BVA. The University of Halle appointed Hans Przibram an honorary doctorate in 1917, followed in 1929 by an honorary doctorate from the University of Riga.
Being Jewish, he was persecuted under National Socialism, and on 1 May 1938 dismissed and expelled from the University of Vienna. His brother, the physicist Karl Przibram, in 1938 was also expelled as a teacher from the University of Vienna. Hans Przibam was also unable to continue his work as Head of the Department of Biological Research at the Academy of Sciences in Vienna, where he had been practicing for 35 years. From 13 April 1938, he and all other Jewish employees were forbidden to enter. He also had to leave his private library behind. The new head of the BVA, NSDAP member Franz Köck, in 1939 also reported Przibam to the Property Transaction Office, and subsequently confiscated his assets. Together with his wife Elisabeth, Hans Przibram was able to flee to Amsterdam in December 1939 but they were deported on 21 April 1943 to the ghetto at Theresienstadt, where he and his wife both died.
Evolution
Przibram was an advocate of orthogenesis. He proposed a theory known as "apogenesis". Science historian Igor Popov has noted that Przibram "rejected both the transformation of one species into another and the existence of genealogical trees. He believed that the major animal groups evolved in parallel rows, considering this process as analogous to the growth of crystals."
He was a critic of natural selection and neo-Darwinism.
References
1874 births
1944 deaths
Austrian people who died in the Theresienstadt Ghetto
Scientists from Vienna
Austrian people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
20th-century Austrian biologists
Orthogenesis
Biologists from Austria-Hungary | Hans Leo Przibram | [
"Biology"
] | 600 | [
"Orthogenesis",
"Non-Darwinian evolution",
"Biology theories",
"Obsolete biology theories"
] |
47,412,303 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expiration%20date | An expiration date or expiry date is a previously determined date after which something should no longer be used, either by operation of law or by exceeding the anticipated shelf life for perishable goods. Expiration dates are applied to some food products and other products like infant car seats where the age of the product may affect its safe use.
The legal definition and usage of terms varies between countries and products.
Different terms may be used for products that tend to spoil and those that tend to be shelf-stable.
Use by is often applied to products such as milk and meat that are more likely to spoil and can become dangerous to those eating them. Such products should not be consumed past the date shown.
Best before is often applied to products that may deteriorate slightly in quality, but are unlikely to become dangerous as a result, such as dried foods. Such products can be eaten after their Best before date at the discretion of the consumer.
Storage and handling conditions will affect whether and when an item will spoil, so there is inherent variability in dating.
A time temperature indicator is a sensing label or device that indicates whether a product has been exposed to dangerously high or low temperatures. These indicators are often used for determining whether a product is spoiled due to external factors regardless of the expiration date.
Arbitrary expiration dates are also commonly applied by companies to product coupons, promotional offers and credit cards. In these contexts, the expiration date is chosen for business reasons or to provide some security function rather than any product safety concern.
Expiration date is often abbreviated EXP or ED.
Terms
Use by
Generally, foods that have a use by date written on the packaging should not be eaten after the specified date. This term is generally applied to foods that may go bad due to physical instability, chemical spoilage, bacterial spoilage, pathogenic spoilage, or other factors that can make the food injurious to health. Milk, meat, fish and eggs are all subject to spoilage. Such foods should be thrown away if past their use by date or if showing signs of deterioration such as changes in smell or color. Fruits, vegetables, breads and other baked goods can also spoil, but may be less likely to become dangerous. It is important to follow storage and preparation instructions carefully for perishable foods. Some products may require refrigeration. Others may need to be cooked to particular temperatures.
Most U.S. expiration dates are used as guidelines based on normal and expected handling and exposure to temperature. Use prior to the expiration date does not guarantee the safety of a food or drug, and a product is not necessarily dangerous or ineffective after the expiration date. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, "High-acid canned foods (e.g. tomatoes and fruits) will keep their best quality for 12 to 18 months. Whereas, low-acid canned foods (e.g. meats and vegetables) will keep for two to five years."
Expiration dates for infant formula should not be ignored. If formula is stored too long, it may lose its nutritional value.
The expiration date of pharmaceuticals specifies the date the manufacturer guarantees the full potency and safety of a drug. Most medications continue to be effective and safe for a time after the expiration date. A rare exception is a case of renal tubular acidosis purportedly caused by expired tetracycline. A study conducted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration covered over 100 drugs, prescription and over-the-counter. The study showed that about 90% of them were safe and effective as long as 15 years past their expiration dates. Joel Davis, a former FDA expiration-date compliance chief, said that with a handful of exceptions - notably nitroglycerin, insulin and some liquid antibiotics - most expired drugs are probably effective.
Best before
Best before or best by dates appear on a wide range of frozen, dried, tinned and other foods. These dates are advisory and refer to the quality of the product, in contrast with use by dates, which may indicate that the product may no longer be safe to consume after the specified date. Food kept after the best before date will not necessarily be harmful, but may begin to lose its optimum flavour and texture.
Eggs can be a special case, since they may contain salmonella which multiplies over time; they should therefore be eaten before the best before date. In Britain, this is 21 days from when they were laid. In the USA, this is a maximum of 45 days after the eggs are packed. Quality of the eggs will degrade over time, due to a variety of factors. As a result, some prefer to use fresher eggs for eating and eggs a few days old for cooking.
Sometimes the packaging process involves using pre-printed labels, making it impractical to write the best before date in a clearly visible location. In this case, wording like best before see bottom or best before see lid might be printed on the label and the date marked in a different location as indicated.
Best if used by
Best if used by/before is a date which is commonly found on labels of meat, egg, or poultry products. The stated date specifies how long the product will be of top quality or taste. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reinforces a push by the food industry to make Best if used by the normal wording to show the date when a product will keep its best quality until.
Although United States federal law does not require product food dating, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) oversees meat, egg, and poultry products where dates are voluntarily put on in a genuine way to follow the rules of the FSIS.
Open dating
Open dating is the use of a date stamped on the package of a food product to help determine how long to display the product for sale. This benefits the consumer by ensuring that the product is of best quality when sold. An open date does not supersede a use-by date, if shown, which should still be followed.
Bathroom products and toiletries usually state a time in months from the date the product is opened, by which they should be used. This is often indicated by a graphic of an open tub, with the number of months written inside (e.g., "12M" means use the product within 12 months of opening). Similarly, some food products say "eat within X days of opening".
Sell by
Sell by date is a less ambiguous term for what is often referred to as an "expiration date". Most food is still edible after the expiration date. A product that has passed its shelf life might still be safe, but quality is no longer guaranteed. In most food stores, waste is minimized by using stock rotation, which involves moving products with the earliest sell by date from the warehouse to the sales area, and then to the front of the shelf, so that most shoppers will pick them up first and thus they are likely to be sold before the end of their shelf life. This is important, as consumers enjoy fresher goods, and furthermore some stores can be fined for selling out of date products; most if not all would have to mark such products down as wasted, resulting in a financial loss.
Food waste
According to the UK Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), 33% of all food produced is wasted along the cold chain or by the consumer. Conversely, spoiled foods sicken a large number of people annually. According to the WHO and CDC, every year in the USA there are 76 million foodborne illnesses, leading to 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.
According to former UK minister Hilary Benn, the use by date and sell-by dates are old technologies that are outdated and should be replaced by other solutions or disposed of altogether. The UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs revised guidance in 2011 to exclude the use of sell-by dates. The guidance was prepared in consultation with the food industry, consumer groups, regulators, and Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). It aims to reduce the annual £12bn of wasted supermarket food.
Due to confusion caused by the many types of expiration date labels, as much as 20% of unspoiled food is thrown out by households in developed countries.
Voluntary industry guidelines announced in 2017 from the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute recommend using only "best if used by" or "use by", to avoid confusion that leads to food waste. In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration urged food manufacturers to adopt the voluntary standards.
The removal of date-labeling and terms such as best if used by, expired by, and use by could potentially reduce food waste from certain food products and groups.
Regulation
Canada
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency produces a Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising which sets out a "Durable Life Date". The authority for producing the guide comes from the Food and Drugs Act. The guide sets out what items must be labelled and the format of the date. The month and day must be included, and the year if necessary. The format must be year/month/day (with 2- or 4-digit year).
An expiration date on food differs from a best-before date. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency "Expiration dates are required only on certain foods that have strict compositional and nutritional specifications which might not be met after the expiration date."
In Canada expiration dates must be used on the following food items (list and comments copied from
CFIA website):
formulated liquid diets (nutritionally complete diets for people using oral or tube feeding methods)
foods represented for use in a very low-energy diet (foods sold only by a pharmacist and only with a written order from a physician)
meal replacements (formulated food that, by itself, can replace one or more daily meals)
nutritional supplements (food sold or represented as a supplement to a diet that may be inadequate in energy and essential nutrients)
human milk substitutes (infant formula)
The concern is that after the expiration date has passed, the food may not have the same nutrient content as specified on the packaging and for the listed regulated products, the nutritional content is quite important. The CFIA recommends that food should be discarded and should not be bought, sold or eaten beyond the stated expiration date. This contrasts with a best before date which is an indication of how long properly stored prepackaged food is expected to retain its "freshness, taste, nutritional value, or any other qualities claimed by the manufacturer". Passing a best before date is not necessarily a reason to discard the food. "Sell by" and "manufactured on" dates are related concepts that may guide the consumer.
Non-food items may also carry an expiration date. For example, in Canada, all children are required to be secured in an infant car seat while in a motor vehicle that is in motion. Users are required by law to follow manufacturer's directions. There is no specific law that requires an expiration date, but all Transport Canada approved car seats sold in Canada carry a manufacturer applied expiration date that ranges between 6 and 9 years from date of manufacture. The rationale is that car seats are subjected to heat, cold, sun exposure, abuse by the children, and long term storage between children, all of which can degrade the structure and function of the car seat and fail in a crash. Further, beyond the expiration date the manufacturer will no longer be monitoring the safety of the seat through testing. Transport Canada advises to destroy an expired car seat and dispose of it at a landfill or recycling facility, and never to give an expired seat to someone else or to charity.
Medicine and other types of Medication are mandatory by Health Canada to have expiry dates, plus it's also required by pharmacies.
European Union
In the EU food quality dates are governed by Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, "On the Provision of Food Information to Consumers".
As of 2020, the European Food Safety Authority outlined a risk-based approach for food business operators (FBO) to use in deciding the type of date marking to be used on different types of products, (i.e. 'best before' date or 'use by' date), determining a desirable shelf-life (i.e. time) and identifying relevant content to be put on food labels to ensure food safety.
Germany
In Germany, practices differentiate between the "Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum" (MHD), roughly minimum shelf-life and "Verbrauchsdatum", which is more in line with the common expiry date. Products that spoil quickly, such as minced meat, have to be given a Verbrauchsdatum and are barred from sale upon expiry. Other products are given Mindesthaltbarkeitsdatum, which is set by the individual producers of said product and do not bar the product from being sold past the date determined. Products with an expired MHD may be sold if the seller is satisfied that the goods are in perfect condition. Accordingly, it follows that the customer is not entitled to compensation if he unintentionally acquires a product with an expired shelf life, provided that the product can still be regarded as faultless. Neither the MHD nor the Verbrauchsdatum provide legal rights if a product is no longer fit for consumption before the indicated date and the manufacturer can prove the credibility of his claims.
The MHD has been criticized for possibly causing food waste. For example, the then Minister Christian Schmidt complained that many still edible foods with an expired MHD would be thrown away by consumers who would misunderstand the MHD as an expiration date.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, prepackaged food which from the microbiological point of view is highly perishable and is therefore likely after a short period to constitute an immediate danger to human health, are required to use the 'Use by' label instead of the 'Best before' label. Examples include pasteurised fresh milk, packed egg and ham sandwiches, etc. Dates are usually presented in the DD MM YY (or YYYY) format.
United Kingdom
Until 1980 there was no legal requirement for food to be labelled with date information, although some retailers had long been using dates, often in coded form not intelligible to purchasers, to help with stock control.
Great Britain first introduced legislation in 1980 when the Food Labelling Regulations harmonized UK law with the 1979 EC Labelling Directive (79/112/EC), which required a 'date of minimum durability' – the 'best-before' date – but allowed member states to use their own terms, thus allowing the UK to use the sell-by date. When introduced, food could be sold after this date; it was information to help consumers, not a requirement. It later became illegal to sell food past its 'use-by' date.
Best practices include the labeling of foods with either a 'best before' or a 'use by' date so that consumers can help to ensure the safety of their food and lessen the amount of consumer food waste.
Dates must be in day/month or day/month/year format. Technical expertise should be hired for regular end-of-shelf-life safety and quality testing. Shelf life trials should be conducted using the same ingredients, equipment, procedures and manufacturing environment as will be used during production.
United States
Sale of expired food products, per se, is lightly regulated in the US. Some states restrict or forbid the sale of expired products, require expiration dates on all perishable products, or both, while other states do not. However, sale of contaminated food is generally illegal, and may result in product liability litigation if consumption of the food results in injury.
The Food and Drug Administration in the United States notes that "[a] principle of U.S. food law is that foods in U.S. commerce must be wholesome and fit for consumption". However, with the exception of infant formula, the United States government does not require or specify uniform terminology for use on food labels, the use of date labeling is entirely at the discretion of the manufacturer, and dates on labels do not indicate product safety. U.S. law does state that labels should be truthful and not misleading. Specific foods may be subject to regulations from the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
After losing a lawsuit, pharmacy chain CVS implemented a system that causes its registers to recognize expired products and avert their sale.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which regulates fresh poultry and meats, only requires labeling of the date when poultry is packed. However, many manufacturers also voluntarily add sell-by or use-by dates.
Beer
Freshness date
A freshness date is the date used in the American brewing industry to indicate either the date the beer was bottled or the date before which the beer should be consumed.
Beer is perishable. It can be affected by light, air, or the action of bacteria. Although beer is not legally mandated in the United States to have a shelf life, freshness dates serve much the same purpose and are used as a marketing tool.
Beginnings of freshness dating
General Brewing Company of San Francisco marketed their Lucky Lager Beer as "Age Dated" as early as late 1935. They stamped a date on each can lid to indicate that the beer was brewed before that date. This was not to ensure that the beer was "fresh" but to ensure that it had been aged properly. So many breweries had rushed beer to market before it was ready when Prohibition ended, that customers were wary of getting "green" beer. The Boston Beer Company, maker of Samuel Adams, was among the first contemporary brewers to start adding freshness dates to their product line in 1985. For ten years there was a slow growth in brewers adding freshness dates to their beer. The practice grew in popularity after the Anheuser-Busch company's "Born-On dates" starting in 1996. Many other brewers have started adding freshness dates to their products, but there is no standard for what the date means. For some companies, the date on the bottle or can will be the date that the beer was bottled; others have the date by which the beer should be consumed.
Further reading
Europe
Jana Valant, "'Best before' date labels: Protecting consumers and limiting food waste", European Parliamentary Research Service PE 548.990, February 2015
United States
Includes a list of the many terms used in the United States food industry.
Labuza, T. P., Szybist, L., Open dating of Foods, Food and Nutrition Press, 2001; other edition: Wiley-Blackwell, 2004,
References
Food safety
Drug safety
Product safety | Expiration date | [
"Chemistry"
] | 3,851 | [
"Drug safety"
] |
61,922,899 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain%20as%20a%20service | Blockchain as a service (BaaS) is an enterprise-level software service that allows businesses to use cloud-based solutions to build, host and use their own blockchain apps, smart contracts and functions on the blockchain infrastructure developed by a vendor. Just like the growing trend of using software-as-a-service (SaaS)
where access to the software is provided on a subscription basis, BaaS provides a business with access to a blockchain network of its desired configuration without the business having to develop their own blockchain and build in-house expertise on the subject.
Currently major blockchain-as-a-service providers are major cloud services providers and consulting firms, including:
cloud services providers: IBM, SalesForce, Microsoft, Amazon, Alibaba, Oracle and Baidu to name a few, as well we major consulting firms；
consulting service providers: Deloitte, McKinsey, EY.
References
As a service
Cloud applications
Software delivery methods
Software distribution
Software industry
Blockchains | Blockchain as a service | [
"Technology",
"Engineering"
] | 211 | [
"Computer industry",
"Software industry",
"Software engineering"
] |
61,923,147 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outron | An outron is a nucleotide sequence at the 5' end of the primary transcript of a gene that is removed by a special form of RNA splicing during maturation of the final RNA product. Whereas intron sequences are located inside the gene, outron sequences lie outside the gene.
Characteristics
The outron is an intron-like sequence possessing similar characteristics such as the G+C content and a splice acceptor site that is the signal for trans-splicing. Such a trans-splice site is essentially defined as an acceptor (3') splice site without an upstream donor (5') splice site.
In eukaryotes such as euglenozoans, dinoflagellates, sponges, nematodes, cnidarians, ctenophores, flatworms, crustaceans, chaetognaths, rotifers, and tunicates, the length of spliced leader (SL) outrons range from 30 to 102 nucleotides (nt), with the SL exon length ranging from 16 to 51 nt, and the full SL RNA length ranging from 46 to 141 nt.
Processing
In standard cis-splicing, the donor splice site in upstream position is required together with an acceptor site located on downstream position on the same pre-RNA molecule.
By contrast, the SL trans-splicing relies on a 3' acceptor splice site on the outron, and a 5' donor splice site (GU dinucleotide) located on a separate RNA molecule, the SL RNA.
Moreover, the outron of the premature mRNA contains a branchpoint adenosine — followed by a downstream polypyrimidine tract — which interacts with the intron-like portion of the SL RNA to form a 'Y' branched byproduct, reminiscent of the lasso structure formed during intron splicing. Nuclear machinery then resolves this 'Y' branching structure by trans-splicing the SL RNA sequence to the 3′ trans-splice acceptor site (AG dinucleotide) of the pre-mRNA.
When outrons are processed, the SL exon is trans-spliced to distinct, unpaired, downstream acceptor sites adjacent to each open reading frame of the polycistronic pre-mRNA, leading to distinct mature capped transcripts.
See also
References
Spliceosome
RNA splicing
Gene expression
Non-coding DNA | Outron | [
"Chemistry",
"Biology"
] | 510 | [
"Gene expression",
"Molecular genetics",
"Cellular processes",
"Molecular biology",
"Biochemistry"
] |
61,923,265 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabine%20Flitsch | Sabine Flitsch is a German organic chemist and chemical biologist who holds a personal chair in Chemical Biology at the University of Manchester School of Chemistry, where she runs an active research glycobiology research group based in the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre.
Early life and education
Flitsch was born in Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia and was educated at the University of Münster, where she received a First class Degree and Diploma in Chemistry. She subsequently received a Michael Wills scholarship to study for a D.Phil at the University of Oxford, where she worked under the supervision of Sir Jack Edward Baldwin, FRS. She is the daughter of the noted organic chemist Professor Wilhelm Flitsch. Her sister, Mareile Flitsch, is a sinologist, Professor and Director of the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich. All three Flitsch family members are alumni of the University of Münster, the institution from which she received her Diploma in 1982.
Career and research highlights
Following her PhD, Flitsch took up a DAAD Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she worked with Professor Har Gobind Khorana. In 1988, she returned to the University of Oxford and took up a lectureship in Organic Chemistry, which she held for the next 6 years. She joined the University of Edinburgh in 1995, and was an independent BBSRC Career Research Development Fellow between 2001 and 2004. In October 2004, Flitsch was awarded a personal Chair in Chemical Biology at the University of Manchester in the Department of Chemistry. Based at The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, she is currently one of three professors of chemical biology. Additionally, Professor Flitsch is an elected member of the Royal Society of Chemistry Council of the United Kingdom and a director of the spin-out company Bio-Shape ltd. Flitsch is also currently the Scientific Director of IBCarb and CarboMet networks and is a director of the biotechnology spin-out company Bio-Shape Ltd. Flitsch’s research is focussed on glycobiotechnology – the study of carbohydrates in applied science and biocatalysis – the application of enzymes in sustainable chemical manufacture. She is particularly recognised for her work at the interface of these two fields (glycoenzymology). Her research career spans over 35 years and has included many examples of pioneering work. Current research interests include the chemical analysis and biological exploitation of carbohydrates, and the creation of tools and resource ‘toolboxes’ for furthering research and innovation in basic and applied glycoscience. During her postdoctoral research at MIT, Flitsch was involved in mutagenic studies of bacterial membrane proteins to help study protein folding in micelle membrane-like models. She was also instrumental in the development of cysteine mutant technology for biorthogonal labelling of proteins. She has also expanded this work to encompass modifications for spin labelling, and the study of glycoproteins and their analysis on gold plates and nanoparticles. These approaches were complemented by the use of enzymatic modifications of polysaccharides and glycoproteins to facilitate analysis, for which Prof. Flitsch’s research group has engineered tailored biocatalysts via directed evolution, and to address the biological challenge of 'sequencing' carbohydrates through chemical and conformational means. Detailed studies of enzyme reactions have also provided new insights into the effect of interfaces on enzyme catalysis and allowed new methods for surface chemistry and synthesis of biomolecules Flitsch's use of recombinant enzymes extends into the field of sustainable chemical manufacture, encompassing the discovery, development and demonstration of a range of biocatalysts for production of fine chemical and pharmaceutical building blocks. Recently Prof. Flitsch has been at the forefront of biocatalytic research, constructing enzyme cascades and artificial synthetic pathways to allow multistep syntheses under common reaction conditions. and new approaches to high-resolution glycan analysis using ion mobility mass spectrometry
Research Networks, Scientific Education and Training, Scientific Outreach
Through her interdisciplinary research group, Sabine has supported the research training of over 100 staff and students. Her mentorship and guidance has allowed many of these to advance into principal investigators at a variety of institutions worldwide. Sabine has been an active in the promotion of science and research to policy makers and the wider community. As part of a successful bid to present at the Summer Science Exhibition 2013 hosted by the Royal Society in London, Flitsch’s research was showcased along with collaborators from across the UK, through a series of hands-on activities and demonstrations. The initiative, called “The Complex Life of Sugars”, has become a permanent feature of the Programme of Public Engagement with Research and Researchers at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology. As part of this it has been showcased at numerous national outreach events (Great British Bioscience Festival 2014, Royal Society Satellite Exhibition 2016, New Scientist Live! 2016) as well as locally as part of initiatives to reach non-traditional outreach audiences (ScienceX at the Trafford Centre). She has also represented the local authority as a governor of a secondary school within Greater Manchester. As director of the IBCarb Network in Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy, Flitsch was able to drive forward the strategy for academic and industrial collaboration in the UK, following on from a whitepaper “Roadmap for Glycoscience in Europe”, which she co-authored. The work of this network has been replicated by an EU Coordination and Support Action (CarboMet) also directed by Prof. Fltisch. Additionally, she was part of a Scientist-MEP pairing scheme to aid links between research and scientific policy. She has also acted as an external examiner at a number of UK universities, including St. Andrews, Imperial College London, Liverpool, Hull and Leicester.
Awards and honours
Flitsch has been nominated for and awarded prizes including the Zeneca Research Award (1996), the Glaxo Wellcome Award for Innovative Chemistry (1997) and is the recipient of a Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award (2007–2012) and a Royal Society of Chemistry Interdisciplinary Award (2014).
References
21st-century British chemists
German organic chemists
Academics of the University of Manchester
University of Münster alumni
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry
Living people
German biochemists
German women biochemists
Year of birth missing (living people) | Sabine Flitsch | [
"Chemistry"
] | 1,327 | [
"Organic chemists",
"German organic chemists"
] |
61,925,301 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV%20detectors | An ultraviolet detector (also known as UV detector or UV-Vis detector) is a type of non-destructive chromatography detector which measures the amount of ultraviolet or visible light absorbed by components of the mixture being eluted off the chromatography column. They are often used as detectors for high-performance liquid chromatography.
The vast majority of liquid chromatographic systems are equipped with ultraviolet (UV) absorption detectors. The most common UV-Vis detectors used are variable wavelength detectors (VWD), photo diode array detectors (PDA), and diode array detectors (DAD). Variable wavelength detectors decide in advance which wavelength is needed for the detection. Its absorbance as function of time is collected in a graphic format called a chromatogram.
As can be seen in Figure 1, these detectors have a light source, a dispersion element that is a diffraction grating or prism, a flow cell, to where the sample arrives directly from the chromatographic column, an optical bench of lenses and mirrors, and a diode that receives the light coming from the optical system and translates it into a signal proportional to light intensity. When the user selects a wavelength for the detector, the optical system rotates the grating or prism in the space, so that the desired wavelength passes through optical system, then the flow cell and reaches the diode. The UV/Vis detector then produces a chromatogram as a two-dimensional (2D) output. This output plots time on the x-axis and response in absorbance units (AU) on the y-axis. The chromatogram is then analyzed by integrating the peaks curves to get their area, then getting their retention time (RT) from the peak maximum to identify them, and then perform quantitative analysis, by comparing their area to those of samples whose concentrations are known, i.e, standards.
Diode Array UV-VIS Detectors
In recent years, diode array UV-Vis detectors have been increasingly used to collect entire spectra at any given moment of data collection. Diode array detectors (DADs) collect entire UV spectra at every point of the eluting peaks while operating as a multi-wavelength UV-Vis detector. This way they give additional information, which help understand more about the nature of the substances appearing in the chromatogram and allow their identification. DADs are the preferred detectors for HPLC method development because they facilitate better peak identification.
A schematic of the optical systems is shown in Figure 1. The variable UV-Vis absorbance detector's optical bench is showing how the flow cell is positioned after the optical system, including the monochromator, which typically has a physical slit and a moving grating, so it is illuminated by a selected wavelength, reaching a photo-diode. The bench of the diode array detector, however, is configured so that the flow cell is positioned before the optical parts, so that the beam containing the entire spectrum is passing through it. The optical parts consist also with a monochromator and a slit, but with a fixed grating, which disperses the light onto a diode array imaging element.
References
Chromatography | UV detectors | [
"Chemistry"
] | 656 | [
"Chromatography",
"Analytical chemistry stubs",
"Separation processes"
] |
61,926,050 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecogram | A cecogram ( ), also known as literature for the blind, is a letter or a parcel that contains documents or items intended for visually impaired persons. Cecograms can be sent or received by such persons, as well as by organisations that provide assistance to the visually impaired. Cecograms are either partially or entirely exempt from postage.
Etymology
The word cecogram derives from the French cécogramme. Ultimately, the word originates from the Latin caecus (blind) and the Greek grámma (γράμμα; letter, thing written).
In English, other designations exist. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) uses the term "items for the blind" (formerly, "literature for the blind"), Royal Mail uses "articles for the blind", and the United States Postal Service uses "free matter for the blind".
Origin
In the 1800s, the advent of tactile writing systems, like braille and moon type, saw the visually impaired gain greater access to literature. In these writing systems, characters are represented by embossed symbols, known as tactile characters, that are read by passing one's fingertips over the paper.
Printing tactile characters requires paper formats larger and heavier than those used in ink printing. Posting books that use tactile characters is therefore more expensive. To offset the burden of this cost from visually impaired persons, many national postal services have established measures to allow books and other materials for the visually impaired to be posted free of charge. In 1898, Canada became one of the first nations to implement such measures through legislation.
In 1952, the UPU moved to exempt post containing documents printed in tactile characters for the visually impaired from postage. Henceforth, all member states of the United Nations have been bound to honour this exemption. The term cécogramme (cecogram) has been used by the UPU to designate such post officially since 1964.
Regulation
The Universal Postal Union officially defines what constitutes a cecogram on behalf of the international community.
Modern cecograms may contain documents in paper and digital formats. These include texts printed with tactile characters, tactile graphics, audio CDs, flash drives and hard drives. Other items designed to assist persons dealing with challenges inherent to visual impairment, such as white canes and braille watches, may also be included in cecograms.
Unlike ordinary letters and parcels, cecograms should be easy to open and close. The contents of cecograms are routinely inspected by postal workers in order to ensure that senders are not abusing the cecogram's exemption from postage. Including items in cecograms other than those expressly created for the visually impaired is prohibited. Cecograms may weigh up to .
The international cecogram symbol, a white-on-black pictogram depicting a person using a white cane, should be placed on the exterior of any cecogram. It should measure . Furthermore, it should be indicated in writing on the exterior that the letter or parcel is indeed a cecogram.
In order to enable communication between sighted and visually impaired persons, it is now possible to send cecograms online. Through a web form, the sender enters the address of the recipient and a message. The message is then printed in braille and posted. This service, like any other cecogram service, is normally free of charge.
See also
Air mail
Franchise stamp
Free frank
Freepost
Postal censorship
Semi-postal stamp
References
External links
Braille Post, a Belgian non-profit organisation which sends cecograms for free at the request of its users (available only in French, Dutch and German)
Canada Post — Literature for the Blind
Japan Post — Postal items for the blind
Swiss Post — Items for the blind
Blindness
Blindness equipment
Braille
Braille technology
Letters (message)
Pictograms
Postal history
Postal markings
Postal systems
Universal Postal Union | Cecogram | [
"Mathematics",
"Technology"
] | 805 | [
"Symbols",
"Transport systems",
"Pictograms",
"Postal systems"
] |
61,926,174 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral%20change%20support%20system | A Behavioral Change Support System (BCSS) is any information and communications technology (ICT) tool, web platform, or gamified environment which targets behavioral changes in its end-users. BCSS are built upon persuasive systems design techniques.
Underlying theories and models
The design of these systems and their contents are based on behavioral change theories and models for behavioral change over time. The theory of planned behavior describes the relationship between attitudes, intentions, and the desired behavior. It is considered to be one of the most influential determinant models.
A supporting model is the Fogg Behaviour Model (FBM), which states that a user must be motivated first before having the ability to perform the change in their behavior, which is triggered by either intrinsic or extrinsic factors (The term "trigger" was changed by the author in late 2017 and the term "prompt" is now being used). BCSS makes use of extrinsic (perceptual) prompts like alarms, messages with offers or calls to action, ads, requests, and more.
Other theories that aid in the design and mechanisms behind a BCSS include the social learning theory (SLT), which studies the interactions between a user and the environment, and the theory of planned behavior (initiated as the theory of reasoned action).
Techniques and elements
Applications of BCSS may include game and training elements in several market domains which can range from Health and Education and Quality of Life (QoL), to professional development and workability. Virtually any concept designed to cause a shift in a person's behavior can be considered a BCSS, even if this change is not directly observed by the users. When users are aware of this intention and choose to work within the system, the chances of favorable results from this system increase. This effect is attributed to metacognition, as most BCSS systems implement metacognitive strategies for goal attainment. These strategies help users understand the cause of their resistance to adopting the desired behavior. It requires that they monitor themselves whenever the targeted behavior can be observed to understand their progress towards the desired behavior, and record evidence (usually objective but also subjective measurements) of their behavioral changes.
There can be a positive impact on people who have difficulties in changing their behavior by considering behaviors and the distance to the desired behavior. This can be achieved by helping them develop a personalized plan for reaching the targeted behavior and learning the ways to achieve their personal goals. In most cases, the general objective can be split into more than one objective or step, before the desired behavior is adopted by the users and becomes a routine. The positive feedback introduces self-management in BCSS applications since it is particularly helpful for people to take responsibility for their own actions and do things to the best of their ability. BCSS is very often equipped with additional features like game elements to foster user engagement leading to serious game applications. Moreover, they implement machine learning techniques to predict the future behavior of users based on their past performance. The evidence of the achieved change in behavior, as well as important notifications during self-evaluation, are communicated with visual analytics tools such as performance graphs. Additional tools frequently found in BCSS include checklists and questionnaires to collect users' feedback, hardware sensing components like the Internet of things (IoT) devices (e.g., cameras), and social collaboration to help the members of a user community to support each other. Occasionally, some BCSS allow professionals (trainers, educators, medical personnel and social professionals) to participate in the BCSS activities. This can be done by giving advice and support and also by making decisions and alterations to the treatment plan according to the observed performance and the personal needs of the targeted users.
Taxonomies
Most BCSSes work on a single profile (targeted user), while some can monitor and report progress made by a group of people. There are BCSS applications purely made using software, while others include hardware components like sensors and IoT devices to introduce physical computing in a hybrid physical-digital approach. The devices used to access a BCSS are usually internet-connected mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, or smartwatches. The success in this category of BCSS applications lies in monitoring and notifying the users constantly in regards to daily activities. On the other hand, there are BCSSes which are less intrusive and rely on less frequent access to the system. Another way to distinguish BCSSes is by the knowledge domain they refer to. Theoretically, a BCSS can be built in any knowledge domain.
Knowledge domains
eHealth/mHealth
Examples of BCSS applied in eHealth domains include CAREGIVERSPRO-MMD, which is a community-based intervention to support people living with dementia and their caregivers using game elements to engage users in non-pharmacological interventions; , which trains nurses in lifting and transfer techniques to prevent lower-back injuries, and We4Fit which is more like a game environment. A more extensive review of health BCSS can be found on the work of Alahäivälä & Oinas-Kukkonen (2016) and Bridle et al. (2005).
Education
As Arlinghaus and Johnston implied, “Although not sufficient, education is a necessary component for behaviour change” (2018). BCSSes are used in education less for imparting knowledge and testing knowledge gained, and more for teaching a difficult subject like "responsible sexual behaviour" in middle-school students, or for changing attitudes and beliefs about a topic of interest.
Adopting new behavioral patterns is difficult and people are not motivated to change their behavior if they do not recognize the blocking issue. Gamification is used to help recognition by providing rewards, competition, and motivational cues of a BCSS. Prochaska et al. (2007) proposed a six-stage behavioral change model (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and termination) which can be applied in educational uses of a BCSS, as it appears in an ideal environment for making the first step (contemplation) after a long period of resistance (pre-contemplation). BCSSes affect the physical world and help people experiment with an alternative behavioral pattern without thinking of possible coincidences (such as social exposure). The virtual activities performed in a BCSS help in the next step (preparation) where the user makes a transition from a passive to an active state in a safe environment. The user-monitoring and reward system of a BCSS helps users complete the rest of the stages of the behavior change (action, maintenance, and termination) and avoid regression to the previous unwanted behavior. Schmied (2017) proposes a similar seven-step process: the Designing for Behaviour Change (DBC) framework. Overall, a positive behavioral change in education settings is facilitated by technology through digital intervention strategies, where a teacher or educator makes adjustments to personalize the interventions to the student's profiles and performance. Although ICT tools may not be necessary to change behavior in schools, when used in the form of serious game-assisted learning, they can provide a more in-depth perception of important concepts in a field of study despite some disadvantages.
Other Domains
BCSS has been applied in other knowledge and study areas, including workers' behaviour, consumers' brand-loyalty, and footprints and energy consumption. Examples include applications designed to raise water-saving awareness, apps used by drivers to reduce fuel consumption by adopting an eco-friendly driving style, and educational games for simulating energy consumption in domestic environments like in Casals et al. (2017). A systematic review of the application of game elements to behavioural change in domestic energy consumption can be found in Johnson et al. (2017) An example from the Industry 4.0 domain is SATISFACTORY, which proposes a gamified social collaboration platform that is integrated into the shop-floor of industries to improve productivity, safety and workers' engagement. In the marketing context, behavioural change techniques do not aim to change the way people think, but how they consume products and services. In politics, behavioural change interventions are delivered in the form of mass-media campaigns on existing social media platforms rather than standalone applications.
Overall, there is a continually growing number of domains in which ICT tools are introduced as tools to implement and deliver behavioral change campaigns in a systematic way. Some researchers refer to persuasive technology to identify the computer-mediated communication between humans or human-computer interaction technologies used to deliver persuasive evidence. A BCSS should be treated as a more complex ICT-based construct which may use persuasive technologies, but also supports the full life-cycle of behavioral change interventions (from authoring to publishing), implements various campaigns to achieve its goals, and is adaptive to specific user profiles.
Criticism
Behavior Change Support Systems have been criticized for a lack of grounding in independent behavioral theory, as well as the lack of industry standards to measure performance or effect. Another source of criticism refers to the dominant behavioral change models as products of the theory of planned behavior. According to some researchers (Kollmus & Agyeman, 2002), there is a gap between attitude and intention, and target behavior. Thus, it is difficult to find a widely accepted model that can take all relevant behavioral parameters into account. Additionally, even if BCSSes help to effect a change in a targeted user's behavior, the user usually fails to maintain the target behavior. This could be the result of underestimating the long-term influence that environmental factors have on behavior.
There is currently an open discussion on how intrusive a BCSS should be, but this appears to be dependent upon the physical and social context of the environment in which the BCSS is being used. As BCSS makes use of personal data coming from users' profiles and the user-monitoring system, the use of BCSSes in everyday life may be legally restricted.
References
See also
Theory of planned behavior
Human behavior
Behavior modification | Behavioral change support system | [
"Biology"
] | 2,045 | [
"Behavior modification",
"Human behavior",
"Behavior",
"Behaviorism"
] |
61,926,634 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung%20Galaxy%20M30s | The Samsung Galaxy M30s is an Android phone manufactured by Samsung Electronics as part of its first-generation Galaxy M series lineup, as a successor to the Samsung Galaxy M30. The phone is shipped with Android 9 (Pie), Samsung's proprietary One UI skin, 64 or 128 GB of internal storage, and a 6000 mAh Li-Po battery. The M30s was released on 18 September 2019. It features a rear triple camera array composing of a 48 MP wide angle camera, 8 MP ultra wide angle camera, and a 5 MP depth sensor.
Specifications
Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy M30s comes with a 6.4" FHD+ (1080×2340) Super AMOLED Infinity-U Display with a U-shaped notch for the selfie camera, similar to Samsung Galaxy M30. This results in a screen-to-body ratio of 91%. The display has a contrast ratio of 78960:1 and a max brightness of 420 nits. The phone has 4 GB and 6 GB RAM versions, with 64 GB or 128 GB of internal storage, respectively. The storage for both versions is expandable up to 1 TB via microSD card. The phone has a 6000 mAh Li-Po battery supporting wired 15W fast charging. The battery is the largest ever for a Samsung smartphone, and the largest for a smartphone released in India. A fingerprint scanner is mounted in the back. The phone has Exynos 9611 system on chip comprising an octa-core 10 nm CPU with 4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 clusters and Mali-G72 MP3 GPU.
Camera
The rear camera array is mounted on a rectangular bump. There is a 48 MP wide angle camera with f/2.0 aperture, pixel size of 0.8 μm and phase-detection autofocus. There is an 8 MP ultra-wide angle lens with f/2.2 aperture, focal length of 12mm and 123° field of view. Finally, there is a 5 MP depth sensor with f/2.2 aperture. The area in the rectangular bump not filled by the cameras and flash contains the characters "48 mega pixels". There is a night mode that increases the brightness at low light levels, while reducing noise, and a live focus mode that creates a Bokeh effect through the depth sensor. The camera supports 4K video recording at 30 fps, super-steady video, hyperlapse, slow motion video and HDR. Additionally, it features Samsung's scene optimizer technology which recognizes 20 different scenes using AI and automatically adjusts the camera settings. It has a 16 MP selfie camera located in the display notch.
Software
The Samsung Galaxy M30s runs on the Android 11 operating system with Samsung's One UI skin which repositions the touch area in stock Samsung apps towards the bottom, thus making the user interface easier for one handed use on a large screen. The M30s' features include Bixby (although the Bixby button is not present), Google Assistant, Samsung Health, and Samsung Pay.
Reception
Critical reception
The phone received generally positive reviews from critics, with its camera receiving most criticism. NDTV gave the phone a score of 8/10, praising the battery, display, and performance, while criticizing the camera. Android Authority gave the phone a score of 8.2/10, praising the display, audio quality, and performance, while also criticizing the camera and the phone heating up during heavy usage periods. The Mobile Indian also positively described the display, battery, and performance, while negatively describing the camera's low light performance and plastic back design. Finally, Business Standard India positively described the general aspects of the phone including the battery, while criticizing the camera.
Issues
Many users reported Samsung devices using the Exynos 9611 SoC often freezes and restarts automatically after upgrading or updating to a newer Android version, being the Galaxy M30s as the most affected. Some users reported that the phone faces issues regarding connecting to LTE networks. Also, some users reported the phone heating up during heavy usage, which was also criticized by some reviewers.
References
External links
Samsung Galaxy
Android (operating system) devices
Samsung mobile phones
Samsung smartphones
Mobile phones introduced in 2019
Phablets
Mobile phones with multiple rear cameras
Discontinued Samsung Galaxy smartphones | Samsung Galaxy M30s | [
"Technology"
] | 891 | [
"Crossover devices",
"Phablets"
] |
61,926,752 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri%20Moscovici | Henri Moscovici (born 5 May 1944 in Tecuci, Romania) is a Romanian-American mathematician, specializing in non-commutative geometry and global analysis.
Moscovici received his undergraduate degree in 1966 and his doctorate in 1971 at the University of Bucharest under the supervision of Gheorghe Vrânceanu. From 1966 to 1971 Moscovici was an assistant at Politehnica University of Bucharest, from 1971 to 1975 at the Institute of Mathematics of the Romanian Academy and from 1975 to 1977 at the Institute of Atomic Physics in Măgurele, and from 1977 at the INCREST in Bucharest. In 1978 he left for the United States, where he was a visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
In 1980 he joined the Ohio State University, where he held the Alice Wood Chair in Mathematics; he is now a Professor Emeritus there.
Moscovici does research on representation theory, global analysis, and non-commutative geometry, in which he has collaborated with, among others, Alain Connes, since the two met at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1978. With Connes he proved in 1990 a refinement of the Atiyah–Singer index theorem. As recounted by Connes in a 2021 interview, Moscovici became his greatest collaborator.
In 1990 he was Invited Speaker with talk Cyclic cohomology and invariants of multiply connected manifold at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Kyoto. He has advised 14 Ph.D. students, including .
In 2001, he received the Ohio State University Distinguished Scholar Award. In 1995 he was a Guggenheim Fellow. From 1999 to 2000 he was at Harvard University as a scholar of the Clay Mathematics Institute. A conference in his honor was held at the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics in Bonn in 2009. He was elected a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2012.
Selected publications
(See Selberg trace formula.)
(See Novikov conjecture.)
(also at )
(See Hopf algebra.)
(See Rankin–Cohen bracket.)
References
External links
1944 births
Living people
People from Tecuci
University of Bucharest alumni
Academic staff of the Politehnica University of Bucharest
20th-century Romanian mathematicians
20th-century American mathematicians
21st-century American mathematicians
Topologists
Romanian emigrants to the United States
Institute for Advanced Study visiting scholars
Ohio State University faculty
Fellows of the American Mathematical Society | Henri Moscovici | [
"Mathematics"
] | 484 | [
"Topologists",
"Topology"
] |
61,927,381 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ullu | Ullu is an Over-The-Top media streaming platform, owned and maintained by Vibhu Agarwal, founder and group CEO of Ullu and Atrangii. It is currently available for Android and iOS.
Shows
Short films
Web series
References
External links
Companies based in Mumbai
Indian brands
Streaming media systems
Video on demand services
Indian entertainment websites
Indian web series
Pornography in India
2018 establishments in Maharashtra
Indian companies established in 2018
Mass media companies established in 2018 | Ullu | [
"Technology"
] | 92 | [
"Streaming media systems",
"Telecommunications systems",
"Computer systems"
] |
61,927,435 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalmers%20Medal | The Chalmers Medal is the major mid-career award of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. The Chalmers Medal was initially awarded biennially, then annually, "in recognition of research of outstanding merit contributing to our knowledge of tropical medicine or tropical hygiene" and now "to researchers in tropical medicine or international health who obtained their last relevant qualification between 15 and 20 years ago, allowing for career breaks, who demonstrate evidence of mentoring and professional development of junior investigators, and other forms of capacity-building in line with Dr Chalmers’ own values". It is named in honour of Albert John Chalmers MD, FRCS, DPH, who was acclaimed for his work on tropical medicine on the Indian sub-continent.
The award was established in 1921 following a donation by Mrs Chalmers, the widow of Dr Chalmers, and consists of a silver gilt medal bearing the image of Dr Chalmers and the society's motto Zonae torridae tutamen (Guardian of the torrid zone) on one side, and a representation of Anopheles gambiae above a spray of the cinchona plant on the other.
Recipients
Source: RSTMH
See also
List of medicine awards
References
Medicine awards
British awards
Awards established in 1923
Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene | Chalmers Medal | [
"Technology"
] | 255 | [
"Science and technology awards",
"Medicine awards"
] |
61,928,215 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonabelian%20algebraic%20topology | In mathematics, nonabelian algebraic topology studies an aspect of algebraic topology that involves (inevitably noncommutative) higher-dimensional algebras.
Many of the higher-dimensional algebraic structures are noncommutative and, therefore, their study is a very significant part of nonabelian category theory, and also of Nonabelian Algebraic Topology (NAAT), which generalises to higher dimensions ideas coming from the fundamental group. Such algebraic structures in dimensions greater than 1 develop the nonabelian character of the fundamental group, and they are in a precise sense ‘more nonabelian than the groups'''.http://golem.ph.utexas.edu/category/2009/06/nonabelian_algebraic_topology.html Nonabelian Algebraic Topology posted by John Baez These noncommutative, or more specifically, nonabelian structures reflect more accurately the geometrical complications of higher dimensions than the known homology and homotopy groups commonly encountered in classical algebraic topology.
An important part of nonabelian algebraic topology is concerned with the properties and applications of homotopy groupoids and filtered spaces. Noncommutative double groupoids and double algebroids are only the first examples of such higher-dimensional structures that are nonabelian. The new methods of Nonabelian Algebraic Topology (NAAT) "can be applied to determine homotopy invariants of spaces, and homotopy classification of maps, in cases which include some classical results, and allow results not available by classical methods". Cubical omega-groupoids, higher homotopy groupoids, crossed modules, crossed complexes and Galois groupoids are key concepts in developing applications related to homotopy of filtered spaces, higher-dimensional space structures, the construction of the fundamental groupoid of a topos E in the general theory of topoi, and also in their physical applications in nonabelian quantum theories, and recent developments in quantum gravity, as well as categorical and topological dynamics. Further examples of such applications include the generalisations of noncommutative geometry formalizations of the noncommutative standard models via fundamental double groupoids and spacetime structures even more general than topoi or the lower-dimensional noncommutative spacetimes encountered in several topological quantum field theories and noncommutative geometry theories of quantum gravity.
A fundamental result in NAAT is the generalised, higher homotopy van Kampen theorem proven by R. Brown, which states that "the homotopy type of a topological space can be computed by a suitable colimit or homotopy colimit over homotopy types of its pieces''''. A related example is that of van Kampen theorems for categories of covering morphisms in lextensive categories. Other reports of generalisations of the van Kampen theorem include statements for 2-categories and a topos of topoi .
Important results in higher-dimensional algebra are also the extensions of the Galois theory in categories and variable categories, or indexed/'parametrized' categories. The Joyal–Tierney representation theorem for topoi is also a generalisation of the Galois theory.
Thus, indexing by bicategories in the sense of Benabou one also includes here the Joyal–Tierney theory.
References
Notes
Algebraic topology | Nonabelian algebraic topology | [
"Mathematics"
] | 681 | [
"Fields of abstract algebra",
"Topology",
"Algebraic topology"
] |
61,928,266 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda%20Horton | Linda L. Horton is an American materials scientist and the director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) at the United States Department of Energy. She is also acting in the role of director of the BES' Materials Sciences and Engineering Division.
Education
Horton received her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in Materials Science, and worked in the field of electron microscopy at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she became the Director for the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences. She served on the Board of Directors for the Microscopy Society of America, the Materials Research Society, and ASM International.
References
Living people
United States Department of Energy officials
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni
Oak Ridge National Laboratory people
Women materials scientists and engineers
American materials scientists | Linda Horton | [
"Materials_science",
"Technology"
] | 171 | [
"Women materials scientists and engineers",
"Materials scientists and engineers",
"Women in science and technology"
] |
61,928,385 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolerance%20graph | In graph theory, a tolerance graph is an undirected graph in which every vertex can be represented by a closed interval and a real number called its tolerance, in such a way that two vertices are adjacent in the graph whenever their intervals overlap in a length that is at least the minimum of their two tolerances.
This class of graphs was introduced in 1982 by Martin Charles Golumbic and Clyde Monma, who used them to model scheduling problems in which the tasks to be modeled can share resources for limited amounts of time.
Every interval graph is a tolerance graph. The complement graph of every tolerance graph is a perfectly orderable graph, from which it follows that the tolerance graphs themselves are perfect graphs.
It is NP-complete to determine whether a given graph is a tolerance graph.
However, because tolerance graphs are perfect graphs, many algorithmic problems that are hard on other classes of graphs, including graph coloring and the clique problem, can be solved in polynomial time on tolerance graphs.
References
Perfect graphs
NP-complete problems | Tolerance graph | [
"Mathematics"
] | 206 | [
"NP-complete problems",
"Mathematical problems",
"Computational problems"
] |
61,928,386 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann%20Trenk | Ann Natalie Trenk is an American mathematician interested in graph theory and the theory of partially ordered sets, and known for her research on proper distinguishing colorings of graphs and on tolerance graphs. She is the Lewis Atterbury Stimson Professor of Mathematics at Wellesley College.
Education and career
Trenk graduated from Harvard University in 1985 and became a high school mathematics teacher. She began graduate study at Johns Hopkins University in 1987, earned a master of science in education in 1989, and completed a Ph.D. in 1991. Her dissertation, Generalized Perfect Graphs, was supervised by Ed Scheinerman.
After postdoctoral research at Dartmouth College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she joined the Wellesley faculty in 1992. At Wellesley, she won the Pinanski Teaching Prize in 1995, became a full professor in 2005, and served as department chair from 2014 to 2016.
Book
With Martin Charles Golumbic, Trenk is the author of the book Tolerance Graphs (Cambridge Studies in Advanced Mathematics 89, Cambridge University Press, 2004).
Family
Trenk is the daughter of New York City attorney Joseph Trenk,
and is married to Babson College mathematics Professor Richard Cleary.
References
External links
Home page
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
20th-century American mathematicians
21st-century American mathematicians
Harvard University alumni
Johns Hopkins University alumni
Wellesley College faculty
Graph theorists
20th-century American women mathematicians
21st-century American women mathematicians | Ann Trenk | [
"Mathematics"
] | 283 | [
"Mathematical relations",
"Graph theory",
"Graph theorists"
] |
61,928,528 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen%20L.%20Collins | Karen Linda Collins is an American mathematician at Wesleyan University, where she is the Edward Burr Van Vleck Professor of Mathematics, Chair of Mathematics and Computer Science, and Professor of Integrative Sciences. The main topics in her research are combinatorics and graph theory.
Collins graduated from Smith College in 1981, and completed her Ph.D. in 1986 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her dissertation, Distance Matrices of Graphs, was supervised by Richard P. Stanley. In the same year, she joined the Wesleyan faculty.
She was given the Edward Burr Van Vleck Professorship in 2017.
References
External links
Home page
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
20th-century American mathematicians
21st-century American mathematicians
21st-century American women mathematicians
Graph theorists
Smith College alumni
Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
Wesleyan University faculty
20th-century American women | Karen L. Collins | [
"Mathematics"
] | 170 | [
"Mathematical relations",
"Graph theory",
"Graph theorists"
] |
61,929,977 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BClent%20%C5%9E%C4%B1k | Bülent Şık is a Turkish food engineer, environmental and human rights activist and a whistleblower. He was convicted after disclosing the results from a government study on environmental pollution and carcinogens.
Early life and education
Career
Şık has worked at Akdeniz University in Antalya, where he was a deputy director of the Food Safety and Agricultural Research Center.
In the early 2010s, Şık worked on a 5-year research project for the Turkey's Ministry of Health investigating a possible relation between the high incidence of cancer in western Turkey (Kocaeli, Tekirdağ, Kırklareli, Edirne and Antalya) and toxicity in local soil, water, and food. Şık found dangerous levels of toxicity in a number of food and water samples, concluding that water in several residential areas is unsafe for drinking. In 2015, he reported his findings to the government.
In 2016, he was fired from his university position as assistant professor by a presidential decree-law after signing a petition "calling for peace between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey".
In April 2018, as no action was taken on the water pollution for three years, Şık published his findings in the opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet. After the publication, the Turkish government claimed the newspaper publication violated the confidentiality clauses prohibiting to reveal the findings unless approved by the authorities, but it did not deny the accuracy of information. Subsequently the Ministry of Health sued Şık for "revealing confidential information as well as provoking outrage among the public".
On 26 September 2019, Şık was sentenced to 15 months in jail for "disclosing information about duty" while he has been acquitted of "providing prohibited information". Amnesty International has criticized the trial, describing Şık as a whistleblower.
Private life
Bülent Şık is the brother of Ahmet Şık, a journalist and an opposition party member of Parliament.
References
Living people
20th-century births
Food engineers
Turkish engineering academics
Academic staff of Akdeniz University
Cancer researchers
Turkish environmentalists
Turkish human rights activists
Turkish whistleblowers
Turkish prisoners and detainees
Year of birth missing (living people) | Bülent Şık | [
"Engineering"
] | 449 | [
"Food engineers",
"Food engineering"
] |
61,930,754 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azure%20Virtual%20Desktop | Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), formerly known as Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD), is a Microsoft Azure-based system for virtualizing its Windows operating systems, providing virtualized desktops and applications securely in the cloud (over the Internet) using the Remote Desktop Protocol. It is aimed at enterprise customers rather than at individual users.
Azure Virtual Desktop with Windows 10/11 Enterprise Multi-Session is a cloud-based alternative to an on-premise Remote Desktop Server (RDS). AVD is deployed in Azure Cloud as a virtual machine. License costs are already included in several Microsoft 365 subscriptions, including Microsoft 365 Business Premium or Microsoft 365 E3.
History
Azure Virtual Desktop was first announced by Microsoft in September 2018, available as a public preview in March 2019, and generally available at the end of September 2019.
Client software
Azure Virtual Desktops can be accessed with the Remote Desktop client for Windows, also called Azure Virtual Desktop, on Windows and with Microsoft Remote Desktop on other platforms, including the web. Other non-Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol clients can also be used to connect to Azure Virtual Desktops.
Availability/compatibility
Azure Virtual Desktop supports Windows 10/11 multi-session, Windows 10/11 single-session, Windows Server 2012 R2 and newer operating systems.
See also
Windows 365
Remote Desktop Services
Windows Virtual PC
References
External links
Centralized computing
Remote desktop
Thin clients
Microsoft cloud services | Azure Virtual Desktop | [
"Technology"
] | 281 | [
"Centralized computing",
"IT infrastructure",
"Computer systems"
] |
61,932,070 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grazing%20%28behaviour%29 | Grazing is a method of feeding in which a herbivore feeds on low-growing plants such as grasses or other multicellular organisms, such as algae. Many species of animals can be said to be grazers, from large animals such as hippopotamuses to small aquatic snails. Grazing behaviour is a type of feeding strategy within the ecology of a species. Specific grazing strategies include graminivory (eating grasses); coprophagy (producing part-digested pellets which are reingested); pseudoruminant (having a multi-chambered stomach but not chewing the cud); and grazing on plants other than grass, such as on marine algae.
Grazing's ecological effects can include redistributing nutrients, keeping grasslands open or favouring a particular species over another.
Ecology
Many small selective herbivores follow larger grazers which skim off the highest, tough growth of grasses, exposing tender shoots. For terrestrial animals, grazing is normally distinguished from browsing in that grazing is eating grass or forbs, whereas browsing is eating woody twigs and leaves from trees and shrubs. Grazing differs from predation because the organism being grazed upon may not be killed. It differs from parasitism because the two organisms live together in a constant state of physical externality (i.e., low intimacy). Water animals that feed by rasping algae and other micro-organisms from stones are called grazers–scrapers.
Graminivory
Graminivory is a form of grazing involving feeding primarily on grass (specifically "true" grasses in the Poaceae). Horses, cattle, capybara, hippopotamuses, grasshoppers, geese, and giant pandas are graminivores. Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are obligate bamboo grazers, 99% of their diet consisting of sub-alpine bamboo species.
Cecotrophy
For lagomorphs (rabbits, hares, pikas), easily digestible food is processed in the gastrointestinal tract & expelled as regular feces. But to get nutrients out of hard-to-digest fiber, lagomorphs ferment fiber in the cecum (in the GI tract) and then expel the contents as cecotropes, which are reingested (cecotrophy). The cecotropes are then absorbed in the small intestine to utilize the nutrients. This process is different from cows chewing their cud but with similar results.
Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) are herbivores that graze mainly on grasses and aquatic plants, as well as fruit and tree bark. As with other grazers, they can be very selective, feeding on the leaves of one species and disregarding other species surrounding it. They eat a greater variety of plants during the dry season, as fewer plants are available. While they eat grass during the wet season, they have to switch to more abundant reeds during the dry season. The capybara's jaw hinge is not perpendicular; hence, it chews food by grinding back-and-forth rather than side-to-side.
Like lagomorphs, capybara create, expel & eat cecotropes (cecotrophy) to get more nutrition from their food.
They may also regurgitate food to masticate again, similar to cud-chewing by a cow. As with other rodents, the front teeth of capybara grow continually to compensate for the constant wear from eating grasses. Their cheek teeth also grow continuously.
Pseudoruminant
The hippopotamus is a large, semi-aquatic mammal inhabiting rivers, lakes, and mangrove swamps. During the day, they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth occur in water. They emerge at dusk to graze on grasses. While hippopotamuses rest near each other in the water, grazing is solitary. Their incisors can be as long as and the canines (tusks) up to ; however, the canines and incisors are used for combat, and play no role in feeding. Hippos rely on their broad, horny lips to grasp and pull grasses which are then ground by the molars. The hippo is considered to be a pseudoruminant; it has a complex three- or four-chambered stomach but does not "chew cud".
Non-grass grazing
Although grazing is typically associated with mammals feeding on grasslands, ecologists sometimes use the word in a broader sense to include any organism that feeds on any other species without ending the life of the prey organism. Use of the term "grazing" varies further; for example, a marine biologist may describe herbivorous sea urchins that feed on kelp as grazers, even when they kill the organism by cutting the plant at the base. Malacologists sometimes apply the word to aquatic snails that feed by consuming the microscopic film of algae, diatoms and detritus—a biofilm—that covers the substrate and other surfaces underwater. In marine ecosystems, grazing by mesograzers such as some crustaceans maintains habitat structure by preventing algal overgrowth, especially in coral reefs.
Benefits
Environmental
Grazer urine and feces "recycle nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other plant nutrients and return them to the soil". Grazing can allow for the accumulation of organic matter which may help to combat soil erosion. This acts as nutrition for insects and organisms found within the soil. These organisms "aid in carbon sequestration and water filtration".
Biodiversity
When grass is grazed, dead litter grass is reduced which is advantageous for birds such as waterfowl. Grazing can increase biodiversity. Without grazing, many of the same grasses grow, for example brome and bluegrass, consequently producing a monoculture.
References
External links
Ethology
Herbivory
Land use | Grazing (behaviour) | [
"Biology"
] | 1,226 | [
"Behavior",
"Eating behaviors",
"Herbivory",
"Behavioural sciences",
"Ethology"
] |
61,933,545 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koenigsberger%20ratio | The Koenigsberger ratio is the proportion of remanent magnetization relative to induced magnetization in natural rocks. It was first described by . It is a dimensionless parameter often used in geophysical exploration to describe the magnetic characteristics of a geological body for help in interpreting magnetic anomaly patterns.
The total magnetization of a rock is the sum of its natural remanent magnetization and the magnetization induced by the ambient geomagnetic field. Thus, a Koenigsberger ratio, Q, greater than 1 indicates that the remanence properties contribute the majority of the total magnetization of the rock.
References
Ratios
Rock magnetism
Paleomagnetism
Geomagnetism
Magnetic ordering | Koenigsberger ratio | [
"Physics",
"Chemistry",
"Materials_science",
"Mathematics",
"Engineering"
] | 141 | [
"Electric and magnetic fields in matter",
"Materials science",
"Magnetic ordering",
"Arithmetic",
"Condensed matter physics",
"Ratios"
] |
61,934,142 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCB%20reverse%20engineering | Reverse engineering of printed circuit boards (sometimes called “cloning”, or PCB RE) is the process of generating fabrication and design data for an existing circuit board, either closely or exactly replicating its functionality.
Obtaining circuit board design data is not by necessity malicious or aimed at intellectual property theft. The data generated in the reverse engineering process can be used for troubleshooting, repair, redesign and re-manufacturing, or even testing the security of a device to be used in a restricted environment.
Uses
Legacy product support
Legacy systems need maintenance and replacement parts to operate past their intended life cycle. Demand for parts that are no longer being manufactured can lead to material shortages of parts, called DMS/DMSMS.
There is much demand that entire government divisions have been created to regulate and plan the obsolescence of those systems and parts. Areas commonly affected by technical obsolescence include power station controls, ATC and aviation controls, medical imaging systems, and many aspects of military technology.
There are many legacy systems developed in the 70s, 80s or 90s whose original manufacturer is no longer in business or no longer has the original design data, but whose original equipment is still in use. In many cases exact form, fit and function is required, either that so parts can “handshake” properly with the existing framework, or to avoid requirements of time-consuming and costly testing.
For industries with highly regulated electronics, (like military or aerospace) this approach can vastly reduce the time required to fabricate replacement parts for system repairs, since the new part's specifications match the original design exactly and therefore do not need to undergo the same level of rigorous re-certification and testing that would be required of a newly designed or revised circuit board.
For example, a power company in Florida was forced to shut down due to the failure of a single, inexpensive PCB, which had no replacement parts and no data available to print them. The failure occurred during peak usage hours, and a power outage at that time can cost a power company thousands of dollars per hour.
An engineering firm successfully reverse engineered the PCB to generate an exact copy of the PCB using the destructive imaging and milling process, and the power station was subsequently able to resume normal operation.
Benchmarking
The process can be used to provide important benchmarking information about newly acquired products, prototype PCBs or any circuit board the company does not own. For example, reverse engineering a circuit assembly reveals whether or not the fabricator has exactly matched the design specifications of the board.
The process can be used to inspect for counterfeit or malicious circuits embedded in a PCB, or, if a new product has been purchased by a company, to create schematics or other documentation that may not have been included with the product.
Use with additive manufacturing
Data from the reverse engineering process can be used to immediately repair or reprint a circuit board using additive manufacturing techniques on multi-headed 3-D printers.
In situations where resources are limited like on a ship, submarine, space, or forward deployment, the reverse engineering process can enable a crew to maintain electronics equipment without being required to bring along spare parts. In an ideal scenario, the crew would have access to the design data to use with the 3D printer, but in the event that crew did not have the proper data for the PCBs, they would need to reverse engineer the artifact on hand to create more.
Malicious Intent
Data from reverse engineering can be taken with good intentions but mitigating intellectual property theft and maintaining privacy is increasingly important. Obfuscating PCBs, or hiding the intent of processing is one way to help deter theft. Another is using physical unclonable functions (PUFs) as a digital fingerprint on your PCB that is impossible to recreate.
Methods
Types
Destructive RE
Destructive reverse engineering (DRE) is a process where all layers of the board are imaged and subsequently removed by various milling techniques or tools. While it is possible to use nearly any camera or image source for this method, purpose-built RE systems utilize calibrated image sources that allow for extremely accurate reproduction of the design data for the board. This allows an engineer to match the exact form, fit and function of the original PCB. The drawback to this method is that it destroys the PCB. If the data comes from the last remaining circuit card in existence, it cannot be compared to a sample since little or no circuit board remains at the end of the destructive process. Also, care must be taken during the milling process to avoid damaging the copper. If areas of copper are removed before they are imaged, this represents a permanent loss of data which can only be rectified by existing documentation of the PCB, or by reverse engineering a second, identical board.
Non-Destructive RE
There is a growing desire and need for non-destructive reverse engineering technology (NDRE), especially in scenarios like the one mentioned above where there is only a single PCB that can be used. Non-destructive PCB RE (NDRE) mean that the circuit board itself is not destroyed in the process; however, most non-destructive techniques require removing components from the surface of the board.
The primary difference between DRE and NDRE methods are in the way that images for the board are captured before new data is generated - in some cases optical images of the top and bottom of the board are captured, then merged with X-ray images of the boards internal layers. Once all images of all of the layers of the board have been captured the process of generating digital manufacturing data is similar to the destructive process.
X-ray Computed Tomography
In recent years, X-ray computed tomography-based imaging processes have advanced to the point that they are able to capture images of the circuit board well enough to isolate individual layers and the features on each of these layers. For simpler boards, X-ray or CT Scans can provide high enough resolution images to reverse engineer a board without requiring the use of destructive milling.
Generally, a high resolution CT scanning machine will capture images of the board in 2-D slices, varying the angle and intensity. The resulting image captures of the board are computationally assembled into a 3-D volumetric model, and images of each layer can then be extracted. Additional research is underway presently to improve the procedure of CT scanning, volumetric data reconstruction, and circuit layer extraction.
In principle this process seems fairly simple, however certain issues such as the non-planarity of circuit layers, resolution and size limitations, and X-ray artifacting greatly complicate the extraction of usable circuit images.
X-ray/CT imaging processes suffer many drawbacks, including resolution, equipment costs, and beam hardening and other X-ray artifacts which can distort images or make them harder to use for the reverse engineering process. Additionally, some IC chips can be damaged by exposure to powerful X-rays, so the board must be depopulated before being imaged if components are going to be salvaged for reuse.
Another drawback is the time involved in creating the images used to generate circuit board design data. In one study, a Versa 510 X-ray machine was used to image a 6 layer board, measuring about - the imaging and processing of the cloud data took over 18 hours to complete. By comparison, destructive reverse engineering can produce high resolution, calibrated optical images of the same 6 layer board in under 2 hours at very low cost by a skilled operator.
Flying Probe Test
Often, a flying probe test machine (FPT machine) can also be used to generate data from a circuit board. Unlike destructive methods, with this process the PCB can generally be reused. But the only output from this process is a list of connections between surface pads on the board, also known as a netlist.
The netlist is entirely dependent on the electrical connectivity of the PCB. If a PCB has become damaged or delaminated over the course of its life-cycle, it is possible that either via barrels or the copper traces have become broken, and if the damage occurs on the inner layers of the PCB, the FPT operator will have no way to know about the damage. The resulting netlist will reflect the breaks in the track, and should not be used to produce a schematic or additional boards. Additionally, a netlist is a fairly narrow data format that only provides insight into whether different component pins are connected or not. There is no information about the internal geometries of the copper circuits, which are crucial to proper functionality of radio emitting circuits, or circuits with differential signalling. It is impossible to create an identical PCB using this method. These drawbacks mean that this method is generally reserved for the creation of schematics or for troubleshooting and repair purposes.
Films
Before the digital age of data processing and storage, PCB designers created and stored the designs on Mylar/BoPET drafting films, which were used in the photo-resistive fabrication process for circuit boards. These films were oftentimes the only copy of the design data for the board. While their primary use was in the manufacturing of PCBs they also doubled as their own storage media. Ultimately these films can disintegrate with time and use, so the design must be imaged and converted to vector formatting in order to be used for future fabrication. The reverse engineering of film sets is roughly the same process as reverse engineering a PCB - each layer is imaged, and Gerber/vector data is created for the different circuit layers.
Final outputs and reproduction
Whether the board is reverse engineered using a destructive or non-destructive method, the result is that a netlist is obtained. While the netlist itself cannot be used to create an identical replacement, it can be used to generate supporting data for the board like a schematic. Whereas a netlist is a simple ASCII-based text file that simply lists all of the connections of the board, a PCB Schematic relays the same information in a more visual manner.
In addition, a schematic can be merged with the bill of materials (BOM) and component pick and place data to further enhance its usability in troubleshooting scenarios, or can be used as a base for the design of a brand new PCB. If a destructive RE process has been used or images for all PCB layers have been captured using X-ray imaging, the resulting data should include not only a netlist, BOM, and/or Schematic, but also a complete graphical layout of the copper layers of the board. This data can be represented in a vast number of different formats, but the most common data formats created in the reverse engineering process include the following:
Circuit layers (Gerber RS274x, IPC-2581 or ODB++)
Soldermask and solderpaste/stencil cut files (Gerber RS274x)
Drill files (Excellon II/ASCII and/or Gerber RS274x)
Plated and NonPlated Through-holes (Excellon II/ASCII)
Per-layer Blind/Buried Drills (Excellon II/ASCII)
Component Centroid/Pick-and-place data (ASCII) and component pinouts
Component Netlist (IPC-D-356/ASCII)
BOM (Spreadsheet)
Schematics (PDF, Cadence Allegro, OrCAD, Altium, PADS, and other proprietary formats commonly available)
The data produced in the reverse engineering process can be immediately sent to a PCB manufacturer for fabrication of replica/"clone" PCBs, or be used for creation of supporting documents.
References
Reverse engineering
Printed circuit board manufacturing | PCB reverse engineering | [
"Engineering"
] | 2,391 | [
"Electrical engineering",
"Electronic engineering",
"Reverse engineering",
"Printed circuit board manufacturing"
] |
61,934,716 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC%2020-152 | The Advisory Circular AC 20-152A, Development Assurance for Airborne Electronic Hardware, identifies the RTCA-published standard DO-254 as defining "an acceptable means, but not the only means" to secure FAA approval of electronic hardware for use within the airspace subject to FAA authority. With the 2022 release of Revision A, this Advisory Circular becomes a very important instrument for completing some guidance of DO-254 and providing applicants with clarifications and additional information on that standard.
Initially, the DO-254 was commonly interpreted as applying only to complex custom micro-coded components within aircraft systems with Item Design Assurance Levels (IDAL) of A, B, or C. DO-254 guidance on simple electronic hardware and other topics needed some clarification. However, Revision A of this AC clarifies that AC 20-152() and DO-254 apply to the type certification of all electronic hardware aspects of airborne systems, including all electronic hardware that is not complex, that is, "simple electronic devices". Revision A also defines 29 objectives in addition to those identified in DO-254; applicants choosing to follow DO-254 under the authority of AC 20-152A must also accomplish these additional objectives if they apply to their particular hardware.
Specifically excluding COTS microcontrollers (see AC 20-115()/DO-178C), complex custom micro-coded components include field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), programmable logic devices (PLD), and application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), particularly in cases where correctness and safety can not be verified through testing alone, necessitating methodical design assurance. Simple devices are those that are verifiable with testing alone, such that the FAA may agree that methodical design assurance is unnecessary.
For DAL D hardware, as long as the applicant follows DO-254, the applicant does not need to apply this advisory circular since the FAA does not expect to examine the life cycle data. However, if the applicant chooses to follow other design practices for DAL D hardware (as permitted by this AC) the FAA will review the data.
Cetain of the new objectives in AC 20-152A explicitly state DO-254's application to circuit board assemblies (CBA).
Relationship to FAA Order 8110.105
With the release of the expanded AC 20-152A and its companion AC 00-72, Best Practices for Airborne Electronic Hardware Design Assurance Using EUROCAE ED-80() and RTCA DO-254(), chapters 3 through 6 of FAA Order 8110.105A were removed in a Revision B released in 2024 to eliminate any duplication or conflict with the new ACs. The removed sections had been published as an expedient solution the concerns of authorities and applicants, but the FAA wished ultimately to not provide applicants with guidance and clarifications in its orders to certification workers. Where this pair of new ACs replace material in Order 8110.105, AC 20-152A provides new guidance to close gaps in DO-254, AC 00-72 provides "additional information" on some of the new objectives in AC 20-152A.
Revision History
References
External links
AC 20-152A, Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware, FAA
Avionics
Safety
Software requirements
RTCA standards
Computer standards | AC 20-152 | [
"Technology",
"Engineering"
] | 678 | [
"Software requirements",
"Computer standards",
"Avionics",
"Software engineering",
"Aircraft instruments"
] |
55,928,968 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%20of%20Apple%20TV%2B%20original%20programming | Beginning in 2016, Apple Inc. began to produce and distribute its own original content. The first television show produced by Apple was Planet of the Apps, a reality competition series. Their second, released in late 2017, was Carpool Karaoke: The Series based on the popular recurring segment from The Late Late Show with James Corden. Apple also released a short film, Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10 in May 2019 prior to the release of Apple TV+.
In June 2017, Apple appointed Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg to head their newly formed worldwide video unit. By November, Apple confirmed that it was branching out into original scripted programming when announcing straight-to-series orders for two television shows: a reboot of the anthology series Amazing Stories by Steven Spielberg, and The Morning Show, a drama series starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
In 2017, Apple was reportedly planning on spending around $1 billion on original programming over the next year. Later that year, another report projected that they would spend $4.2 billion on original programming by 2022. In August 2019, it was reported that Apple had already spent over $6 billion on original programming.
On March 25, 2019, Apple announced their streaming service as Apple TV+, along with the announcement of Apple's slate of original programming. The service launched on November 1, 2019, in over 100 countries through the Apple TV app.
Original programming
Drama
Comedy
Kids & family
Animation
Adult animation
Kids & family
Non-English language scripted
Unscripted
Docuseries
Reality
Sports programming
Variety
Co-productions
These shows have been commissioned by Apple TV+ with a partner network.
Continuations
Specials
Upcoming original programming
Drama
Comedy
Animation
Kids & family
Non-English language scripted
Unscripted
Docuseries
In development
Notes
References
External links
– official site
Apple TV+
Apple TV+
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ | List of Apple TV+ original programming | [
"Technology"
] | 381 | [
"Computing-related lists",
"Apple Inc. lists"
] |
55,930,589 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aminoxyl%20group | Aminoxyl denotes a radical functional group with general structure R2N–O•. It is commonly known as a nitroxyl radical or a nitroxide, however IUPAC discourages the use of these terms, as they erroneously suggest the presence of a nitro group. Aminoxyls are structurally related to hydroxylamines and N-oxoammonium salts, with which they can interconvert via a series of redox steps.
Sterically unhindered aminoxyls bearing α-hydrogens are unstable and undergo rapid disproportionation to nitrones and hydroxylamines. Sterically hindered aminoxyls without α-hydrogens, such TEMPO and TEMPOL, and are persistent (stable) radicals and find use in a range of applications, both on the laboratory scale and in industry. Their ability to reversibly bind to other radical compounds makes them important as both spin labels and spin traps. They are used to selectively oxidise carbonyl groups via oxoammonium-catalyzed oxidations. They are also used as polymer stabilizers such as hindered amine light stabilizers or as transient reactive species in p-phenylenediamine based antiozonants. They are used both to form polymers via nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization and prevent their formation as polymerization inhibitors. Various other reagents, such as N-hydroxyphthalimide can also be converted into aminoxyl radicals as part of their chemistry.
See also
Nitrone — structurally related, an N-oxide of an imine
References
Functional groups
Free radicals | Aminoxyl group | [
"Chemistry",
"Biology"
] | 338 | [
"Senescence",
"Free radicals",
"Functional groups",
"Biomolecules"
] |
55,931,329 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora%20Colony | Aurora Colony, also called Aurora Mills, was a Christian utopian communal society founded in 1856 by William Keil in modern-day Aurora, Oregon, US. At its peak in 1868, the Aurora Colony had about 600 people and of land. The colony, along with Keil's previously established Bethel colony, was formally dissolved in 1883. In 1974, about and 12 buildings of the former colony were inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places as parts of the Aurora Colony Historic District.
Background
William Keil was a Prussian-born tailor who moved to the United States with his wife in the 1830s. He opened open a tailor shop in New York City, and studied pharmacology. He then moved to Pennsylvania and set up a drugstore and sold medicines. Around this time, he began calling himself "Dr. Keil".
In 1839, Keil became a preacher after attending a Methodist revival meeting. In Pennsylvania, he began to amass followers, including members of George Rapp's Economy Colony. In 1844 he and his followers established the Bethel community in Missouri, which at its peak had 650 members.
Founding
Though Keil's community in Missouri was successful and nearly self-sufficient, he decided to expand his colony to the Pacific Northwest of the United States. In 1853, he sent a scout party to find a location for "A Second Eden".
In May 1855, Keil and several members of his Bethel colony in Missouri began the wagon journey to Washington Territory. Four days before they set out, Keil's son Willy died of malaria. Not wanting to leave his son behind, Keil put the body in a wooden, lead-lined coffin and covered it with whiskey from the Bethel Distillery to preserve it.
The group first settled at Willapa Bay, Washington. After spending the winter there, Keil decided the land was not suitable for a self-sufficient agricultural community and began searching for a new location. In 1856 he purchased land and a functioning mill south of Oregon City. He named the Colony Aurora Mills after his daughter, Aurora. The original colony contained 250 members who had left the Bethel Colony with Keil.
Colonial life
The Aurora Colony built homes, schools, business, mills, and a hotel. The colony also created a fruit orchard and produced hand-made goods. The Oregon & California Railway line expanded to pass through Aurora in 1870, which brought additional business to the colony. The train stopped four times a day for meals in its hotel.
The Aurora Colony Band became well known on the West Coast, and traveled throughout the region to perform music.
The charismatic Keil was the sole leader of the group. As the spiritual leader, he installed his own form of Christianity in the community. Keil preached a simple ideal about brotherhood and love and taught a "No title but Christian" and "No rules but the Bible" form of Christianity.
As in many other utopian communities, its founder held special privileges. He instated confession in order to maintain the member's humility, yet was immune from taking part in confession himself. He was also exempt from taking part in manual labor. Keil lived in a large house in the colony, called "Gross Haus" (German for Big House).
As part of keeping order and maintaining his place in the community, Keil utilized mortification functions, calling out deviants for their transgressions during public meetings.
Smallpox outbreak
In 1862, a member of the colony took care of an individual outside the colony who had smallpox and brought it back to the Aurora Colony. As a result, many in Aurora contracted the disease and many died. Four of Keil's children died in the outbreak, including his daughter Aurora, the colony's namesake.
Dissolution of the colony
Keil had held all the communal property in his name. In 1872, after the death of his only remaining daughter, Keil began to transfer ownership of colony land to individual families in the community and intended to transfer more later. However, by the time he died suddenly on December 30, 1877, he had not made any additional transfers.
It was decided to dissolve the two colonies, and the dissolution was formally declared on January 22, 1883. The land was later incorporated and became the modern-day city of Aurora, Oregon.
Legacy
In 1966 the Old Aurora Colony Museum was established, dedicated to maintaining the history of the colony. In 1974, twenty sites in Aurora were added to the National Register of Historical Places.
In media
Author Jane Kirkpatrick wrote a trilogy of novels about the experience of Emma Wagner Giesy, the only female member of Keil's scout party to find a location for a new colony in the Pacific Northwest that eventually became the Aurora Colony. The three novels in Kirkpatrick's series are "A Clearing in the Wild" (2006), "A Tendering In the Storm" (2007), and "Mending at the Edge" (2008).
See also
List of American Utopian communities
National Register of Historic Places listings in Marion County, Oregon
References
Further reading
Hendricks: Bethel and Aurora (see: George Stanley Turnbull (1939), "Journalism in Salem", History of Oregon Newspapers, Binford & Mort)
External links
Aurora Colony Museum
wikisource:en:Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 37/Number 4#363
1856 establishments in Oregon Territory
1883 disestablishments in the United States
Christian communities
19th century in Washington (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Marion County, Oregon
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
Aurora, Oregon
Utopian communities in Oregon
Architecture related to utopias | Aurora Colony | [
"Engineering"
] | 1,138 | [
"Architecture related to utopias",
"Architecture"
] |
55,931,558 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%20505 | NGC 505 is a lenticular galaxy approximately 234 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Pisces. It was discovered by German astronomer Albert Marth on October 1, 1864.
See also
Lenticular galaxy
List of NGC objects (1–1000)
Pisces
References
External links
SEDS
Simbad
Lenticular galaxies
Pisces (constellation)
00505
05036
00924
+01-04-041
J01225708
Astronomical objects discovered in 1864
Discoveries by Albert Marth | NGC 505 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 105 | [
"Pisces (constellation)",
"Constellations"
] |
55,932,351 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%20509 | NGC 509 is a lenticular galaxy approximately 87 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Pisces. It was discovered by German astronomer Albert Marth on October 1, 1864.
See also
List of NGC objects (1–1000)
References
External links
SEDS
Lenticular galaxies
Pisces (constellation)
509
5080
Astronomical objects discovered in 1864
Discoveries by Albert Marth | NGC 509 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 81 | [
"Pisces (constellation)",
"Constellations"
] |
55,933,541 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%204872 | NGC 4872 is a barred lenticular galaxy located about 310 million light-years away in the constellation of Coma Berenices. NGC 4872 has been indicated to contain an active galactic nucleus. NGC 4872 was discovered by astronomer Heinrich d'Arrest. It is a member of the Coma Cluster.
See also
List of NGC objects (4001–5000)
NGC 4873
NGC 4889
References
External links
Barred lenticular galaxies
Active galaxies
Coma Berenices
4872
44624
+05-31-068
Discoveries by Heinrich Louis d'Arrest
Coma Cluster | NGC 4872 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 120 | [
"Coma Berenices",
"Constellations"
] |
55,933,737 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MirGeneDB | MirGeneDB is a database of manually curated microRNA genes that have been validated and annotated as initially described in Fromm et al. 2015 and Fromm et al. 2020. MirGeneDB 2.1 includes more than 16,000 microRNA gene entries representing more than 1,500 miRNA families from 75 metazoan species and published in the 2022 NAR database issue. All microRNAs can be browsed, searched and downloaded.
Eutheria (Placental mammals)
Human (Homo sapiens) (567 genes, 268 families)
Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) (520 genes, 235 families)
House mouse (Mus musculus) (452 genes, 224 families)
Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) (420 genes, 189 families)
Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) (402 genes, 184 families)
Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) (391 genes, 185 families)
Dog (Canis familiaris) (455 genes, 211 families)
Cow (Bos taurus) (459 genes, 214 families)
Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) (380 genes, 169 families)
Lesser hedgehog tenrec (Echinops telfairi) (350 genes, 166 families)
Metatheria (Marsupial mammals)
Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) (465 genes, 161 families)
Gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) (505 genes, 171 families)
Monotremata
Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) (402 genes, 149 families)
Aves (Birds)
Chicken (Gallus gallus) (286 genes, 136 families)
Rock pigeon (Columba livia) (257 genes, 121 families)
Zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) (257 genes, 115 families)
Crocodylia (Alligators and Crocodiles)
American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) (283 genes, 113 families)
Testudines (Turtles)
Western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) (301 genes, 124 families)
Squamata (Lizards and Snakes)
Green anole lizard (Anolis carolinensis) (267 genes, 118 families)
Burmese python (Python bivittatus) (248 genes, 96 families)
Schlegels Japanese gecko (Gekko japonicus) (262 genes, 99 families)
Rhynchocephalia (beak-heads)
Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) (225 genes, 102 families)
Anura (Frogs and Toads)
African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) (505 genes, 118 families)
Tropical clawed frog (Xenopus tropicalis) (355 genes, 106 families)
Gymnophiona (Apoda)
Microcaecilia (Microcaecilia unicolor) (245 genes, 97 families)
Actinista (Coelacanths)
Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) (232 genes, 91 families)
Teleostei (Teleost fish)
Pufferfish (Tetraodon nigroviridis) (287 genes, 97 families)
Cod (Gadus morhua) (338 genes, 120 families)
Asian swamp eel (Monopterus albus) (343 genes, 108 families)
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) (414 genes, 113 families)
Holostei (Gars and Bowfins)
Spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) (273 genes, 104 families)
Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous fish)
Cloudy Catshark (Scyliorhinus torazame) (248 genes, 91 families)
Australian ghostshark (Callorhinchus milii) (271 genes, 110 families)
Cyclostomata
Inshore hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri) (180 genes, 77 families)
Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) (216 genes, 83 families)
Urochordata (Sea squirts)
Sea Squirt (Ciona intestinalis) (107 genes, 72 families)
Cephalochordata (Amphioxus)
Florida lancelet (Branchiostoma floridae) (130 genes, 73 families)
European lancelet (Branchiostoma lanceolatum) (202 genes, 77 families)
Hemichordata
Saccoglossus (Saccoglossus kowalevskii) (78 genes, 50 families)
Ptychodera (Ptychodera flava) (87 genes, 53 families)
Echinodermata
Purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) (60 genes, 44 families)
Bat starfish (Patiria miniata) (59 genes, 40 families)
Xenoturbella
Xenoturbella (Xenoturbella bocki) (46 genes, 31 families)
Hexapoda (Insects)
Fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) (161 genes, 99 families)
Fruit fly (Drosophila simulans) (159 genes, 97 families)
Fruit fly (Drosophila yakuba) (148 genes, 88 families)
Fruit fly (Drosophila ananassae) (159 genes, 101 families)
Fruit fly (Drosophila mojavensis) (162 genes, 102 families)
Yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti) (118 genes, 70 families)
Longwing butterfly (Heliconius melpomene) (130 genes, 79 families)
Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) (191 genes, 88 families)
Cockroach (Blattella germanica) (144 genes, 86 families)
Crustacea
Common water flea (Daphnia pulex) (83 genes, 59 families)
Large common water flea (Daphnia magna) (80 genes, 56 families)
Chelicerata
Deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) (64 genes, 52 families)
Arizona bark scorpion (Centruroides sculpturatus) (101 genes, 44 families)
Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) (293 genes, 55 families)
Nematoda
Roundworm (Caenorhabditis elegans) (145 genes, 90 families)
Roundworm (Caenorhabditis briggsae) (186 genes, 89 families)
Large roundworm (Ascaris suum) (96 genes, 53 families)
Annelida
Polychaete worm (Capitella teleta) (102 genes, 69 families)
Common brandling worm (Eisenia fetida) (193 genes, 66 families)
Mollusca
Owl limpet (Lottia gigantea) (82 genes, 54 families)
Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) (137 genes, 60 families)
Chambered Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) (78 genes, 60 families)
Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) (147 genes, 113 families)
California two-spot octopus (Octopus bimaculoides) (173 genes, 136 families)
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) (177 genes, 135 families)
Brachiopoda
Lingula (Lingula anatina) (106 genes, 51 families)
Plathyhelminthes
Freshwater planarian (Schmidtea mediterranea) (107 genes, 45 families)
Rotifera
Rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) (47 genes, 35 families)
Cnidaria
Starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) (30 genes, 24 families)
Freshwater-polyp (Hydra vulgaris) (26 genes, 23 families)
Porifera
Amphimedon (Amphimedon queenslandica) (8 genes, 7 families)
Muellers freshwater sponge (Ephydatia muelleri) (7 genes, 5 families)
References
External links
MicroRNA
Biological databases | MirGeneDB | [
"Biology"
] | 1,670 | [
"Bioinformatics",
"Biological databases"
] |
55,934,303 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PTD-DBM | Protein Transduction Domain-fused Dishevelled Binding Motif (PTD-DBM) is a man-made peptide which interacts with the mechanism of the hair loss linked endogenous protein, CXXC5, which is a negative feedback regulator of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Application of the peptide to bald laboratory mice resulted in new hair follicle growth.
PTD-DBM is a peptide activating the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway functioning via interference of the binding of CXXC5 to Dishevelled (Dvl), an upstream component of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. By topical application, the PTD-DBM promotes the formation of new hair follicles and prevents hair loss. Combinatory treatment of PTD-DBM with valproic acid (VPA), the activator of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, further induce hair re-growth as well as wound-induced hair neogenesis (WIHN). The increased expression of CXXC5 in the bald scalps and excellent effects of PTD-DBM on hair growth in mice raised hopes for the application of this peptide on hair growth in the clinic.
Discovery of PTD-DBM
Professor Kang-Yell Choi and his research team at Yonsei University in South Korea discovered a protein responsible for hair loss in the condition known as androgenetic alopecia. The responsible protein is called CXXC-type zinc finger protein 5 (CXXC5), which acts as a negative regulator for the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, involved in hair regeneration and wound healing. CXXC5 negatively regulates hair growth, and the researchers developed a new substance that promotes hair regeneration by controlling the function of CXXC5. When CXXC5 binds with the Dvl protein, which functions at the upstream of Wnt/β-catenin pathway, it suppresses hair regrowth and hair follicle neogenesis. The observation of CXXC5 overexpression in the bald scalp by Professor Choi’s team led to the development of PTD-DBM, which interferes with the CXXC5-Dvl protein-protein interaction (PPI). By topical application, PTD-DBM enhances hair regrowth as well as neogenesis. The hair growth promoting effect of PTD-DBM is further enhanced when used in combination with a Wnt/β-catenin signaling activator such as VPA, which is generally used as a drug for bipolar disorder and activates the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by inhibition of GSK3β. Currently, topical application of PTD-DBM or its combination with VPA has been used for treatment of hair loss.
References
External links
"Korean Scientists Develop Potential Drug Candidate for Hair Loss" - Business Korea
Peptide therapeutics | PTD-DBM | [
"Chemistry"
] | 611 | [
"Molecular biology stubs",
"Molecular biology"
] |
55,935,161 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaekgeori | Chaekgeori (), translated as "books and things", is a genre of still-life painting from the Joseon period of Korea that features books as the dominant subject. The chaekgeori tradition flourished from the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 20th century and was enjoyed by all members of the population, from the king to the commoners, revealing the infatuation with books and learning in Korean culture.
Names
Chaekgeori that features bookshelves is called chaekgado (). Chaekgeori is also known as munbangdo ().
History
During the 18th century, Joseon experienced a golden age following the turbulence of the 17th century; the arts flourished, and new artistic themes and genres emerged.
Developed in the 18th century, chaekgeori was personally propagated by King Jeongjo, a bibliophile who promoted studious learning, and embraced by the aristocratic yangban class of Joseon society. Early chaekgeori paintings were prized for their illusionistic realism. In the 19th century, chaekgeori spread to the minhwa folk art of the common class, which resulted in more expressionist and abstract depictions, and the diminished prominence of bookshelves as a primary motif. Court chaekgeori were used in both ritual ceremonies and as decoration, but minhwa chaekgeori were displayed solely as a decoration in homes.
Influences
King Jeongjo promoted cultural exchange with the Qing dynasty, leading to increased exposure and importation of Chinese and European cultural items. Some of the depicted items in chaekgeori are of foreign origin from China, Japan, and the West. Chaekgado incorporated Western linear perspective and shading techniques, and the depicted bookshelves reveal influence of the duobaoge treasure cabinets of the Qing dynasty, though more symmetrical and systematic. The duobaoge itself was influenced by the European cabinet of curiosities brought into China by Jesuit missionaries.
Gallery
See also
Byōbu
Irworobongdo
References
External links
Folding screens
Korean art
Korean painting
Korean furniture
Types of wall | Chaekgeori | [
"Engineering"
] | 431 | [
"Structural engineering",
"Types of wall"
] |
55,935,279 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolphe%20Rome | Adolphe Rome (July 12, 1889, Stavelot – 9 April 1971, Korbeek-Lo) was a Belgian classical philologist and science historian who was particularly concerned with the ancient history of astronomy.
Education and career
Adolphe Rome studied at the Atheneum in Mechelen, where his father Eugène Rome was a teacher of ancient languages. After graduating from the Atheneum, he entered the Catholic seminary in Mechelen and in 1912 was ordained a priest. He then studied classical philology at the University of Louvain and received there, after an interruption of his studies by WWI, his doctorate in 1919. He then worked as a teacher in Schaerbeek and Nivelles and in 1922 received a scholarship at the Institut historique belge de Rome in Rome. From 1924 to 1927 in Paris he studied ancient and medieval calligraphy. From 1927 he taught Greek philology at the University of Louvain, where he was appointed professor in 1929 and taught until 1958. In 1935 he became honorary canon of the cathedral of Mechelen.
During his doctoral studies, Adolphe Rome, who was very interested in mathematics since his school days, settled upon his life-long field of research, the ancient history of science. He received his doctorate with the thesis Les fonctions trigonométriques dans Héron d'Alexandrie. Starting in the 1920s he began writing a critical edition (published from 1931 to 1943) of the commentaries on the Almagest of Ptolemy and the works of Theon of Alexandria, later continued by his student and successor Joseph Mogenet (1913–1980) and his student Anne Tihon (born 1944). Another of Rome's close associates was Albert Lejeune (1916–1988). In addition to his research on the ancient history of science, Rome published essays on many topics of classical philology, such as the works of Pindar, Aeschylus, Euripides and Theocritus.
In 1932 he was one of the co-founders of the magazine L'Antiquité classique. In the 1950s, he became editor-in-chief of the science-historical journal Isis .
Adolphe Rome was elected a corresponding member in 1948 and in 1950 a regular member of the Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium. In 1950 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he gave a plenary lecture at the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) on The calculation of an eclipse of the sun according to Theon of Alexandria.
Selected publications
See the list of publications in Bibliographie Académique 6, 1914–1934, pp. 132–134; 7, 1934–1954, pp. 233–234; 8, 1954–1955, p. 99; 10, 1957–1963, pp. 369–370.
Le R. P. Henri Bosmans, S.J. (1852–1928) . In: Isis 12, 1929, No. 1, pp. 88–112.
Commentaires de Pappus et de Théon d'Alexandrie sur l'Almageste. 3 volumes. Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Rome 1931–1943.
References
Classical philologists
Historians of science
Historians of astronomy
Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni
Academic staff of the Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968)
1889 births
1971 deaths | Adolphe Rome | [
"Astronomy"
] | 691 | [
"People associated with astronomy",
"Historians of astronomy",
"History of astronomy"
] |
55,935,604 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Games%20as%20a%20service | In the video game industry, games as a service (GaaS) (also referred to as a live-service game) represents providing video games or game content on a continuing revenue model, similar to software as a service. Games as a service are ways to monetize video games either after their initial sale, or to support a free-to-play model. Games released under the GaaS model typically receive a long or indefinite stream of monetized new content over time to encourage players to continue paying to support the game. This often leads to games that work under a GaaS model to be called "living games" or "live games" since they continually change with these updates.
History and forms
The idea of games as a service began with the introduction of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) like RuneScape and World of Warcraft, where the game's subscription model approach assured continued revenues to the developer and publisher to create new content. Over time, new forms of offering continued GaaS revenues have come about. A significant impact on the use of GaaS was the expansion of mobile gaming, which often includes a social element, such as playing or competing with friends, and with players wanting to buy into GaaS to continue to play with friends.
Chinese publisher Tencent was one of the first companies to jump onto this around 2007 and 2008, establishing several different ways to monetize their products as a service to Chinese players, who typically play on a phone or at internet cafés rather than on consoles or computers, and since has become the world's largest video game publisher in terms of revenue. Another influential game establishing games as a service was Team Fortress 2. To fight against a shrinking player-base, Valve released the first of several free updates in 2008, the "Gold Rush Update" which featured new weapons and cosmetic skins that could be unlocked through in-game achievements. Further updates added similar weapons which began to include monetization options, such as buying virtual keys to open in-game loot boxes. Valve began earning enough from these revenues to transition Team Fortress 2 to a free-to-play title. Valve carried this principle over to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and to Dota 2, the latter which was in competition with League of Legends by Riot Games. League of Legends, which had already had a microtransaction model in place, established a constant push of new content on a more frequent basis (in this case, the release of a new hero each week for several years straight) to compete, creating the concept of lifestyle games such as Destiny and Tom Clancy's The Division.
Some examples include:
Game subscriptions
Many massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) use monthly subscription models. Revenue from these subscriptions pay for the computer servers used to run the game, the people that manage and oversee the game on a daily basis, and the introduction of new content into the game. Several MMOs offer an initial trial period that allow players to try the game for a limited amount of time, or until their character reaches an experience level cap, after which they are required to pay to continue to play.
Game subscription services
Subscription services like EA Play and Xbox Game Pass grant subscribers complete access to a large library of games offered digitally with no limitations. Users need to download these games to their local computer or console to play. However, users must remain subscribed to play these games; the games are protected by digital rights management that requires an active account to play. New games are typically added to the service, and in some cases, games may leave the service, after which subscribers will be unable to play that title. Such services may offer the ability to purchase these titles to own and allow them to play outside of the subscription service.
Cloud gaming / gaming on demand
Services like PlayStation Plus, or GameFly allow players to play games that are run on remote servers on local devices, eliminating the need for specialized console hardware or powerful personal computers, outside of the necessary bandwidth for Internet connectivity. These otherwise operate similar to game services, in that the library of available titles may be added to or removed from over time, depending on the service.
Microtransactions
Microtransactions represent low-cost purchases, compared to the cost of a full game or a large expansion pack, that provide some form of additional content to the purchaser. The type of content can vary from additional downloadable content; new maps and levels for multiplayer games; new items, weapons, vehicles, clothing, or other gear for the player's character; power-ups and temporary buffs; in-game currency, and elements like loot boxes that provide a random assortment of items and rewards. Players do not necessarily need to purchase these items with real-world funds to acquire them. However, a game that aims to provide ongoing service will gear its design and financial approach to assure that a small fraction of players will purchase this content immediately rather than grinding through the game for a long time to obtain it. These select "whales" providing sufficient revenue to support further development of new content. This approach is generally how free-to-play games like Puzzle & Dragons, Candy Crush Saga, and League of Legends support their ongoing development, as well as being used atop full-priced games like Grand Theft Auto Online and NBA 2K.
Season passes
Games with season passes provide one or more large content updates over the course of about a year, or a "season" in these terms. Players must buy into a season pass to access this new content; the game remains playable if players do not purchase the season pass and do gain benefit of core improvements to the game, but they are unable to access new maps, weapons, quests, game modes, or other gameplay elements without this content. Games like Destiny, its sequel and Anno 1800 use this season pass approach. A related concept is the battle pass which provides new customization options that a player can earn by completing challenges in a game, but only if they have bought into the battle pass; content on a battle pass is typically only obtainable during a limited time. Battle passes can be seen in games such as Dota 2, Rocket League, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Fortnite Battle Royale.
Blockchain game
Games which use technology based on blockchain strategies, which can include cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). In contrast to microtransactions in which players can buy but not usually capable of trading items with other players, blockchain games encourage players to create value with blockchain items and trade and sell these, with the developer or publisher taking a small fee on each transaction. As blockchain items assure a singular owner, this can lead to high-selling items due to speculative buyers. As of 2021, blockchain games have yet to catch on due to the stigmas associated with cryptocurrency and NFTs. Some notable blockchain games include CryptoKitties and Axie Infinity.
Games may combine one or more of these forms. A common example are lifestyle games, which provide rotating daily content, which frequently reward the player with in-game currency to buy new equipment (otherwise purchasable with real-world funds), and extended by updates to the overall game. Examples of such lifestyle games include Destiny, Destiny 2 and many MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.
Rationale
The principal reason that many developers and publishers have adopted GaaS is financial, giving them the ability to capture more revenue from the market than with a single release title (otherwise known as "games as a product"). While not all players will be willing to spend additional money to gain new content, there can be enough demand from a smaller population of players to support the service model. For example, for World of Warcraft, it was estimated on the basis of average revenue per user (ARPU), that only 5% of the game's population paid 20 times more than the baseline ARPU, sufficient to continue ongoing development of the game. GaaS further represents a means by which games can improve their reputation to critics and players by continued improvements over time, using revenues earned from GaaS monetization to support the continued development and to draw in new sales for the product. Titles like Diablo III and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege are examples of games offering GaaS which initially launched with lukewarm reception but have been improved with continued service improvements.
Games as a service also impacts the development process for games. When developing a game as a product, there is generally a linear flow of tasks to assure that the product shipped is free of software bugs and other problems that may exist, which can be both time-consuming and costly to test for. If there are critical bugs found post-release, this can also be costly to develop, test and distribute software updates to rectify. In developing games as a service, where consumer expectation is already set to expect continual updates to the game, the rigor on software testing in the early stages of release may be forgone as to get the title out to players faster, accepting that software bugs may be present but will be fixed when the next update is released. Further, games developed as a service are more commonly driven by player feedback, so initial iterations of a game's release may be lightweight to be used as a foundation to build upon based on the game's community. This can further shorten the initial development cycle of a game. However, games as a service also increased overall development effort as there are usually two or more concurrent tracks to support a game; one working to support the current available release, and others that are working on the future content that will be added to the game.
While the games as a service model is aimed to extend revenues, the model also aimed to eliminate legal issues related to software licenses, specifically the concept of software ownership versus license. Case law for video games remains unclear whether retail and physical game products qualify as goods or services. If treated as goods, the purchaser gains several rights, in particular those related to the first-sale doctrine, which allows them to resell or trade these games, and which can subsequently affect sales revenue to publishers. The industry has generally considered that physical games are a service, enforced through end-user license agreements (EULAs) to try to limit post-sale activities, but these have generally not been enforceable since they affect consumers' rights, leading to confusion in the area. Instead, by transitioning to games as a service, where there is a clear service being offered, publishers and developers can clearly establish their works as services rather than goods. This further gives publishers more control over the use of the software and what actions users can do through an enforceable EULA, such as preventing class action lawsuits.
GaaS can reduce unauthorized copying. Certain games can also be hosted in a cloud server, eliminating the need for installation in players' computers and consoles.
Impact
In 2017, industry analysis firm Digital River estimated that by 2016, 25% of the revenue of games on personal computers resulted from one form or another of GaaS. The firm argued that this reflected on consumers that wanted more out of games that were otherwise offered at full price ( at the time of the report) or looking for discounts, thus making the market ripe for post-release monetization. Several major publishers, including Square Enix, Ubisoft and Electronic Arts identified GaaS as a significant focus of their product lines in 2017, while others like Activision Blizzard and Take-Two Interactive recognized the importance of post-release support of a game to their financial bottom lines. GaaS is also seen as a developing avenue for indie video games, which frequently have a wider potential install base (across computer, consoles, and mobile devices) that they can draw service revenues from.
A study by DFC Intelligence in 2018 found Electronic Arts' value rose from to $33 billion since 2012, while Activision Blizzard saw its value rise from $20 billion to $60 billion in the same period, with both increases attributed in part to the use of the GaaS model in their games catalog. Electronic Arts had earned $2 billion from GaaS transactions in 2018.
Developing for live service games can change the culture of video game development, since rather than developing towards a single release and moving on to the next game, developers have to plan for continued content beyond release as well as ongoing support for the game. Due to this cost, live service games ultimately are shuttered by their developers and publishers for various reasons, such as waning player interest, shifting costs on the business, or moving away from aging technology. However, in the 2020s, the question of the sustainability of live service games was raised as many live-service games were terminated well ahead of anticipated lifecycles. An early example of such a game was Anthem, released in 2019, which failed to meet sales expectations, and while long-term plans were made to improve the game, its development was ultimately cancelled by 2021. As more games switched towards live services, competition for players grew, making the prospect of live service games a risky one. A notable example was Concord, a multiplayer game released by Sony Interactive in August 2024 but shuttered for an indeterminate period due to low sales in a flooded market.
Stella Chung, writing for IGN and using MultiVersus as an example, criticized the lack of access when live service games go offline, especially for those who invest money in it. She also pointed out the oversaturation of the market with free-to-play live service games, and that many live service games struggle, leading to them shutting down.
See also
as a service
References
Video game terminology
As a service | Games as a service | [
"Technology"
] | 2,798 | [
"Computing terminology",
"Video game terminology"
] |
55,937,547 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar%20Photo%20Recovery | Stellar Photo Recovery, previously known as Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery, is a multimedia files recovery utility for both Windows and Mac based computers and is developed by Stellar.
References
External links
Data recovery
Data recovery software
Hard disk software
Shareware
Computer data | Stellar Photo Recovery | [
"Technology"
] | 48 | [
"Computer data",
"Data"
] |
55,937,591 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%20805 | NGC 805 is a lenticular galaxy approximately 194 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Triangulum. It was discovered by German astronomer Heinrich Louis d'Arrest on September 26, 1864, with the 11-inch refractor at Copenhagen.
See also
List of NGC objects (1–1000)
References
External links
SEDS
Lenticular galaxies
Triangulum
805
7899
Astronomical objects discovered in 1864
Discoveries by Heinrich Louis d'Arrest | NGC 805 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 94 | [
"Triangulum",
"Constellations"
] |
55,937,955 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%20806 | NGC 806 is a spiral galaxy approximately 166 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cetus. It was discovered by American astronomer Lewis A. Swift on November 1, 1886 with the 16" refractor at Warner Observatory.
Interaction with galaxy PGC 3100716
NGC 806 and PGC 3100716 form a pair of galaxies in gravitational interaction. These two galaxies are either colliding or are the result of a collision.
PGC 3100716 is a spiral galaxy with an apparent size of 0.09 by 0.08 arcmin. It was not included in the original version of the New General Catalogue, and was later added as NGC 806-2.
See also
List of NGC objects (1–1000)
References
External links
SEDS
Spiral galaxies
Cetus
806
7835
Astronomical objects discovered in 1886
Discoveries by Lewis Swift | NGC 806 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 177 | [
"Cetus",
"Constellations"
] |
55,940,145 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate%20restoration | Climate restoration is the climate change goal and associated actions to restore to levels humans have actually survived long-term, below 300 ppm. This would restore the Earth system generally to a safe state, for the well-being of future generations of humanity and nature. Actions include carbon dioxide removal from the Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere, which, in combination with emissions reductions, would reduce the level of in the atmosphere and thereby reduce the global warming produced by the greenhouse effect of an excess of over its pre-industrial level. Actions also include restoring pre-industrial atmospheric methane levels by accelerating natural methane oxidation.
Climate restoration enhances legacy climate goals (stabilizing Earth's climate) to include ensuring the survival of humanity by restoring to levels of the last 6000 years that allowed agriculture and civilization to develop.
Restoration and mitigation
Climate restoration is the goal underlying climate change mitigation, whose actions are intended to "limit the magnitude or rate of long-term climate change". Advocates of climate restoration accept that climate change has already had major negative impacts which threaten the long-term survival of humanity. The current mitigation pathway leaves the risk that conditions will go beyond adaptation and abrupt climate change will be upon us. There is a human moral imperative to maximize the chances of future generations' survival. By promoting the vision of the "survival and flourishing of humanity", with the Earth System restored to a state close to that in which our species and civilization evolved, advocates claim that there is a huge incentive for innovation and investment to ensure that this restoration takes place safely and in a timely fashion. As stated in "The Economist" in November 2017, "in any realistic scenario, emissions cannot be cut fast enough to keep the total stock of greenhouse gases sufficiently small to limit the rise in temperature successfully. But there is barely any public discussion of how to bring about the extra "negative emissions" needed to reduce the stock of ... Unless that changes, the promise of limiting the harm of climate change is almost certain to be broken."
Climate restoration as a policy goal
A first peer-reviewed article about climate restoration was published in April 2018 by the Rand Corporation.
The analysis "examines climate restoration through the lens of risk management under conditions of deep uncertainty, exploring the technology, economic, and policy conditions under which it might be possible to achieve various climate restoration goals and the conditions under which society might be better off with (rather than without) a climate restoration goal." One key finding of the study is that it would be possible to restore the atmospheric concentrations to preindustrial levels at an acceptable cost under two scenarios, where greenhouse gas reductions and direct air capture (DAC) technologies prove to be economically efficient. One example is Carbon Engineering, a Canadian-based clean energy company focussing on the commercialization of Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology that captures carbon dioxide () directly from the atmosphere.
One key recommendation of the Rand Corporation study is that an ambitious climate restoration goal may seek to achieve preindustrial concentration by 2075, or by the end of the century. It concludes that "The best we can do is pursue climate restoration with a passion while embedding it in a process of testing, experimentation, correction, and discovery."
On September 25, 2018, Rep. Jamie Raskin introduced a resolution on Climate Restoration to the U.S House Committee of Energy and Commerce, concluding with "Whereas scientists have researched methods for keeping warming below 2°C, but have not yet researched the best methods to remove all excess , stop sea-level rise, and restore a safe and healthy climate for future generations; and whereas declaring a goal of restoring a safe and healthy climate will encourage scientists to research the most effective ways to restore safe levels, stop sea-level rise, and restore a safe and healthy climate for future generations." This was followed by the Congressional Climate Emergency Resolutions (S.Con.Res.22, H.Con.Res.52) which "demands a national, social, industrial, and economic mobilization of the resources and labor of the United States at a massive-scale to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the consequences of the climate emergency and to restore the climate for future generations...."
On August 23, 2023, the California Senate passed SR-34, the nation's first resolution to explicitly recognize climate restoration as a policy priority It concludes: "WHEREAS, Climate restoration will benefit the people of the State of California by reducing losses and damage from wildfires, while producing positive effects on human and ecosystem health, industry, and jobs in agriculture and other sectors; now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate formally recognizes the obligation to future generations to restore a safe climate, and declares climate restoration, along with achieving net-zero and net-negative CO2 emissions, a climate policy priority; and be it further resolved, That the Senate calls on the State Air Resources Board to engage necessary federal entities as appropriate to urge the United States Ambassador to the United Nations to propose a climate treaty that would restore and stabilize GHG levels as our common climate goal."
Critical parameters
The endpoint goal of climate restoration is to generally maximize the probability of survival of our species and civilization by restoring Atmospheric CO2 levels. The approximate target levels are those of the Holocene norm in which our species and civilization most recently evolved. That is stated technically as "pre-industrial", or poetically as "like our grandparents had a hundred years ago". Numerically the goal is stated as getting atmospheric CO2 back below the highest levels humans have actually survived long-term, 300 ppm, by 2050. Achieving this will require permanently removing approximately a trillion tonnes of atmospheric .
Critical parameters of the Earth System include:
levels of climate forcing agents in the atmosphere, especially and methane for positive forcing and aerosol for negative forcing;
global mean surface temperature (compared to some baseline) and its rate of increase;
sea level and the rate that sea level is rising;
pH and rate of ocean acidification.
Ice levels of the polar ice caps.
One of the principal goals for climate restoration is to bring the level down from current level of ~420 ppm (2022) towards its pre-industrial level of ~280 ppm. Not only will this reduce 's global warming effect but also its effect on ocean acidification. The removed carbon would be sequestered or used as a construction material.
Climate restoration open letter
On November 13, 2020, an open letter, put together by the youth organisation Worldward, calling for climate restoration was published in the Guardian newspaper. The letter was signed by prominent scientists and activists, including: Michael E Mann, Dr James Hansen, George Monbiot, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Dr Rowan Williams, Bella Lack, Will Attenborough, Mark Lynas, Chloe Ardijis, Dr Shahrar Ali, and many more. After its publication, the letter was opened up to general signatories, and the signatories published on Worldward's website.
Climate Restoration publications
White Paper
On September 17, 2019, the Foundation for Climate Restoration published a White Paper on existing Climate Restoration solutions and developing technologies. These solutions and technologies include proven, commercially viable projects, such as creating synthetic rock from carbon captured in the air for use in construction and paving, as well as emerging methods for removing and storing carbon, restoring oceans and fisheries. The White Paper also discusses Climate Restoration strategy and costs. A main goal of the Foundation for Climate Restoration is the reduction of atmospheric to below 300 ppm (i.e. near its pre-industrial level) by 2050.
Climate Restoration: The Only Future That Will Sustain the Human Race
Authored by Peter Fiekowsky and Carole Douglis, this book was published on April 21, 2022. It describes, among others, the criteria for climate restoration: Permanence —so the stays out of the atmosphere for at least 100 years; Scalability —the method must be able to remove at least 25 billion tons of a year; Financial viability—funding for at-scale carbon removal must be in place. It then describes four solutions that appear to fit the criteria: a) ocean fertilization; b) synthetic limestone; c) seaweed; d) enhanced atmospheric methane oxidation using iron chloride. It claims that the required technologies and finance are now in place to restore the climate. Scale-up now requires that the restoration goal be endorsed by the UN and large NGOs so that investors and governments can justify funding the projects. Because the projects are commercially self-funding, initial investments of only $2 billion per year through 2030 are estimated to be required globally.
Limitations
Not every aspect of the Earth System can be returned to a previous state: notably the warming of the deep sea or deep ocean and the associated sea level rise which has already taken place may be essentially irreversible this century. Conversely, there are certain aspects of the Earth System that need to be improved with respect to the recent past: notably food productivity, considering an increased global population by 2050 or 2100.
Key organisations
Worldward
Foundation for Climate Restoration
Global Coalition for Climate Restoration
The Climate Foundation
References
Climate engineering
Climate change policy
Ecological restoration
Environmental terminology
Planetary engineering | Climate restoration | [
"Chemistry",
"Engineering"
] | 1,881 | [
"Planetary engineering",
"Geoengineering",
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55,940,397 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International%20Energy%20Agency%20Energy%20in%20Buildings%20and%20Communities%20Programme | The International Energy Agency Energy in Buildings and Communities (IEA EBC) Programme, formerly known as the Energy in Buildings and Community Systems Programme (ECBCS), is one of the International Energy Agency's Technology Collaboration Programmes (TCPs). The Programme "carries out research and development activities toward near-zero energy and carbon emissions in the built environment".
History
The programme was formally launched in 1977, following the oil crisis which drove research into alternative sources of energy and technologies to improve energy efficiency. Since then, IEA EBC's main aim has been to provide an international focus for energy efficiency research in the building sector, with its current mission being to “develop and facilitate the integration of technologies and processes for energy efficiency and conservation into healthy, low emission and sustainable buildings and communities, through innovation and research”.
Former EBC Executive Committee Chairs
Dr. Takao Sawachi, Building Research Institute, Japan
Andreas Eckmanns, Bundesamt für Energie, Switzerland
Morad R. Atif, National Research Council, Canada
Richard Karney, Department of Energy, USA
Sherif Barakat, National Research Council, Canada
Gerald S. Leighton, Department of Energy, USA
EBC Strategic Plan
Every five years, the IEA Committee on Energy Research and Technology (CERT) renews the Programme's Strategic Plan. The latest EBC Strategic Plan was developed in 2023 and is effective until 2029.
The strategic objectives of the EBC TCP are:
the refurbishment of existing buildings;
reducing the performance gap between design and operation;
creating robust and affordable technologies;
the development of energy efficient cooling;
the creation of district level solution sets.
EBC Participating Countries
Countries currently participating in the EBC are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, P.R. China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom and the United States of America.
EBC Annexes
The EBC carries out research and development (R&D) projects known as Annexes, with a typical duration of 3 to 4 years forming the Programme's basis. “The outcomes of the Annexes address the determining factors for energy use in three domains: technological aspects, policy measures, and occupant behaviour”. Below is a list with completed and current Annexes.
Completed
Annex 1: Load Energy Determination of Buildings (1977-1980)
Annex 2: Ekistics and Advanced Community Energy Systems (1976-1978)
Annex 3: Energy Conservation in Residential Buildings (1979-1982)
Annex 4: Glasgow Commercial Building Monitoring (1979-1982)
Annex 6: Energy Systems and Design of Communities (1979-1981)
Annex 7: Local Government Energy Planning (1981-1983)
Annex 8: Inhabitants Behaviour with Regard to Ventilation (1984-1987)
Annex 9: Minimum Ventilation Rates (1982-1986)
Annex 10: Building HVAC System Simulation (1982-1987)
Annex 11: Energy Auditing (1982-1987)
Annex 12: Windows and Fenestration (1982-1986)
Annex 13: Energy Management in Hospitals (1985-1989)
Annex 14: Condensation and Energy (1987-1990)
Annex 15: Energy Efficiency in Schools (1988 - 1990)
Annex 16: Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) 1- User Interfaces and System Integration (1987-1991)
Annex 17: Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS) 2- Evaluation and Emulation Techniques (1988-1992)
Annex 18: Demand Controlled Ventilation Systems (1987-1992)
Annex 19: Low Slope Roof Systems (1987-1993)
Annex 20: Air Flow Patterns within Buildings (1988-1991)
Annex 21: Environmental Performance (1988-1993)
Annex 22: Energy Efficient Communities (1991-1993)
Annex 23: Multi Zone Air Flow Modelling (COMIS) (1990-1996)
Annex 24: Heat, Air and Moisture Transport (1991-1995)
Annex 25: Real time HVAC Simulation (1991-1995)
Annex 26: Energy Efficient Ventilation of Large Enclosures (1993-1996)
Annex 27: Evaluation and Demonstration of Domestic Ventilation Systems (1993-1997 + extension to 2003)
Annex 28: Low Energy Cooling Systems (1993-1997)
Annex 29: Daylight in Buildings (1995-1999)
Annex 30: Bringing Simulation to Application (1995-1998)
Annex 31: Energy-Related Environmental Impact of Buildings (1996-1999)
Annex 32: Integral Building Envelope Performance Assessment (1996-1999)
Annex 33: Advanced Local Energy Planning (1996-1998)
Annex 34: Computer-Aided Evaluation of HVAC System Performance (1997-2001)
Annex 35: Design of Energy Efficient Hybrid Ventilation (HYBVENT) (1998-2002)
Annex 36: Retrofitting of Educational Buildings (1999-2003)
Annex 37: Low Exergy Systems for Heating and Cooling of Buildings (LowEx) (1999-2003)
Annex 38: Solar Sustainable Housing (1999-2003)
Annex 39: High Performance Insulation Systems (2001-2005)
Annex 40: Building Commissioning to Improve Energy Performance (2001-2004)
Annex 41:Whole Building Heat, Air and Moisture Response (MOIST-ENG) (2003-2007)
Annex 42: The Simulation of Building-Integrated Fuel Cell and Other Cogeneration Systems (FC+COGEN-SIM) (2003-2007)
Annex 43: Testing and Validation of Building Energy Simulation Tools (2003-2007)
Annex 44: Integrating Environmentally Responsive Elements in Buildings (2004-2011)
Annex 45: Energy Efficient Electric Lighting for Buildings (2004-2010)
Annex 46: Holistic Assessment Tool-kit on Energy Efficient Retrofit Measures for Government Buildings (EnERGo) (2005-2010)
Annex 47: Cost-Effective Commissioning for Existing and Low Energy Buildings (2005-2010)
Annex 48: Heat Pumping and Reversible Air Conditioning (2005-2011)
Annex 49: Low Exergy Systems for High Performance Buildings and Communities (2005-2010)
Annex 50: Prefabricated Systems for Low Energy Renovation of Residential Buildings (2006-2011)
Annex 51: Energy Efficient Communities (2007-2013)
Annex 52: Towards Net Zero Energy Solar Buildings (2008-2014)
Annex 53: Total Energy Use in Buildings: Analysis & Evaluation Methods (2008-2013)
Annex 54: Integration of Micro-Generation & Related Energy Technologies in Buildings (2009-2014)
Annex 55: Reliability of Energy Efficient Building Retrofitting - Probability Assessment of Performance & Cost (RAP-RETRO) (2010-2015)
Annex 56: Cost Effective Energy & Emissions Optimization in Building Renovation
Annex 57: Evaluation of Embodied Energy & Equivalent Emissions for Building Construction (2011-2016)
Annex 58: Reliable Building Energy Performance Characterisation Based on Full Scale Dynamic Measurements (2011-2016)
Annex 59: High Temperature Cooling & Low Temperature Heating in Buildings (2012-2016)
Annex 60: New Generation Computational Tools for Building & Community Energy Systems
Annex 61: Business and Technical Concepts for Deep Energy Retrofit of Public Buildings
Annex 62: Ventilative Cooling
Annex 63: Implementation of Energy Strategies in Communities
Annex 64: LowEx Communities - Optimised Performance of Energy Supply Systems with Exergy Principles
Annex 65: Long-Term Performance of Super-Insulating Materials in Building Components and Systems
Annex 66: Definition and Simulation of Occupant Behavior in Buildings
Annex 67: Energy Flexible Buildings
Annex 68: Indoor Air Quality Design and Control in Low Energy Residential Buildings
Annex 69: Strategy and Practice of Adaptive Thermal Comfort in Low Energy Buildings
Annex 70: Energy Epidemiology: Analysis of Real Building Energy Use at Scale
Annex 71: Building Energy Performance Assessment Based on In-situ Measurements
Annex 72: Assessing Life Cycle Related Environmental Impacts Caused by Buildings
Annex 73: Towards Net Zero Energy Public Communities
Annex 74: Competition and Living Lab Platform
Annex 75: Cost-effective Building Renovation at District Level Combining Energy Efficiency & Renewables
Annex 76 / SHC Task 59: Deep Renovation of Historic Buildings Towards Lowest Possible Energy Demand and Emissions
Annex 77 / SHC Task 61: Integrated Solutions for Daylight and Electric Lighting
Working Group - Energy Efficiency in Educational Buildings (1988 - 1990)
Working Group - Indicators of Energy Efficiency in Cold Climate Buildings (1995-1999)
Working Group - Annex 36 Extension: The Energy Concept Adviser for Technical Retrofit Measures (2003-2005)
Working Group - Communities and Cities
Working Group - HVAC Energy Calculation Methodologies for Non-residential Buildings
Current
Annex 5: Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre
Annex 78: Supplementing Ventilation with Gas-phase Air Cleaning, Implementation and Energy Implications
Annex 79: Occupant Behaviour-Centric Building Design and Operation
Annex 80: Resilient Cooling
Annex 81: Data-Driven Smart Buildings
Annex 82: Energy Flexible Buildings Towards Resilient Low Carbon Energy Systems
Annex 83: Positive Energy Districts
Annex 84: Demand Management of Buildings in Thermal Networks
Annex 85: Indirect Evaporative Cooling
Annex 86: Energy Efficient Indoor Air Quality Management in Residential Buildings
Annex 87: Energy and Indoor Environmental Quality Performance of Personalised Environmental Control Systems
Annex 88: Evaluation and Demonstration of Actual Energy Efficiency of Heat Pump Systems in Buildings
Annex 89: Ways to Implement Net-zero Whole Life Carbon Buildings
Annex 90: EBC Annex 90 / SHC Task 70 Low Carbon, High Comfort Integrated Lighting
Annex 91: Open BIM for Energy Efficient Buildings
Annex 92: Smart Materials for Energy-efficient Heating, Cooling and IAQ Control in Residential Buildings
Working Group - Building Energy Codes
EBC publications
The EBC Programme produces a series of scientific publications.
Outcomes and summary reports (for policy and decision makers) of the various running and completed projects are published when available.
The EBC newsletter “EBC News” is published twice per year, including feedback from running and forthcoming Annexes as well as other articles in the field of energy use for buildings and communities.
The EBC Annual Report outlines the Programme's yearly progress, including among others separate sections summarizing the status and available deliverables for each Annex.
References
External links
International Energy Agency - Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme
International Energy Agency - Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme – On-going projects
International Energy Agency - Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme – Completed projects
International Energy Agency - Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme – EBC News
International Energy Agency - Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme – Annual Reports
International Energy Agency - Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme – Summary Reports
International Energy Agency - Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme – Project Reports
International Energy Agency Technology Collaboration Programmes (TCPs)
International Energy Agency
International energy organizations
Energy conservation
Low-energy building
Energy policy | International Energy Agency Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme | [
"Engineering",
"Environmental_science"
] | 2,141 | [
"International energy organizations",
"Environmental social science",
"Energy organizations",
"Energy policy"
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65,745,718 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peptidoglycan%20recognition%20protein%203 | Peptidoglycan recognition protein 3 (PGLYRP3, formerly PGRP-Iα) is an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory innate immunity protein that in humans is encoded by the PGLYRP3 gene.
Discovery
PGLYRP3 (formerly PGRP-Iα), a member of a family of human Peptidoglycan Recognition Proteins (PGRPs), was discovered in 2001 by Roman Dziarski and coworkers who cloned and identified the genes for three human PGRPs, PGRP-L, PGRP-Iα, and PGRP-Iβ (named for long and intermediate size transcripts), and established that human genome codes for a family of 4 PGRPs: PGRP-S (short PGRP or PGRP-S) and PGRP-L, PGRP-Iα, and PGRP-Iβ. Subsequently, the Human Genome Organization Gene Nomenclature Committee changed the gene symbols of PGRP-S, PGRP-L, PGRP-Iα, and PGRP-Iβ to PGLYRP1 (peptidoglycan recognition protein 1), PGLYRP2 (peptidoglycan recognition protein 2), PGLYRP3 (peptidoglycan recognition protein 3), and PGLYRP4 (peptidoglycan recognition protein 4), respectively, and this nomenclature is currently also used for other mammalian PGRPs.
Tissue distribution and secretion
PGLYRP3 has similar expression to PGLYRP4 (peptidoglycan recognition protein 4) but not identical. PGLYRP3 is constitutively expressed in the skin, in the eye, and in the mucous membranes in the tongue, throat, and esophagus, and at a much lower level in the remaining parts of the intestinal tract. Bacteria and their products increase the expression of PGLYRP3 in keratinocytes and oral epithelial cells. Mouse PGLYRP3 is also differentially expressed in the developing brain and this expression is influenced by the intestinal microbiome. PGLYRP3 is secreted and forms disulfide-linked dimers.
Structure
PGLYRP3, similar to PGLYRP4, has two peptidoglycan-binding type 2 amidase domains (also known as PGRP domains), which are not identical (have 38% amino acid identity in humans) and do not have amidase enzymatic activity. PGLYRP3 is secreted, it is glycosylated, and its glycosylation is required for its bactericidal activity. PGLYRP3 forms disulfide-linked homodimers, but when expressed in the same cells with PGLYRP4, it forms PGLYRP3:PGLYRP4 disulfide-linked heterodimers.
The C-terminal peptidoglycan-binding domain of human PGLYRP3 has been crystallized and its structure solved and is similar to human PGLYRP1. PGLYRP3 C-terminal PGRP domain contains a central β-sheet composed of five β-strands and three α-helices and N-terminal segment unique to PGRPs and not found in bacteriophage and prokaryotic amidases.
Human PGLYRP3 C-terminal PGRP domain, similar to PGLYRP1, has three pairs of cysteines, which form three disulfide bonds at positions 178–300, 194–238, and 214–220. The Cys214–Cys220 disulfide is broadly conserved in invertebrate and vertebrate PRGPs, the Cys178–Cys300 disulfide is conserved in all mammalian PGRPs, and the Cys194–238 disulfide is unique to mammalian PGLYRP1, PGLYRP3, and PGLYRP4, but not found in the amidase-active PGLYRP2. The structures of the entire PGLYRP3 molecule (with two PGRP domains) and of the disulfide-linked dimer are unknown.
PGLYRP3 C-terminal PGRP domain contains peptidoglycan-binding site, which is a long cleft whose walls are formed by α-helix and five β-loops and the floor by a β-sheet. This site binds muramyl-tripeptide (MurNAc-L-Ala-D-isoGln-L-Lys), but can also accommodate larger peptidoglycan fragments, such as disaccharide-pentapeptide. Located opposite the peptidoglycan-binding cleft is a large hydrophobic groove, formed by residues 177–198 (the PGRP-specific segment).
Functions
The PGLYRP3 protein plays an important role in the innate immune responses.
Peptidoglycan binding
PGLYRP3 binds peptidoglycan, a polymer of β(1-4)-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc) cross-linked by short peptides, the main component of bacterial cell wall. The smallest peptidoglycan fragment that binds to human PGLYRP3 is MurNAc-tripeptide (MurNAc-L-Ala-D-isoGln-L-Lys), which binds with low affinity (Kd = 4.5 x 10−4 M), whereas a larger fragment, MurNAc-pentapeptide (MurNAc-L-Ala-γ-D-Gln-L-Lys-D-Ala-D-Ala), binds with higher affinity (Kd = 6 x 10-6 M). Human PGLYRP3, in contrast to PGLYRP1, does not bind meso-diaminopimelic acid (m-DAP) containing fragment (MurNAc-L-Ala-γ-D-Gln-DAP-D-Ala-D-Ala). m-DAP is present in the third position of peptidoglycan peptide in Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacilli, whereas L-lysine is in this position in peptidoglycan peptide in Gram-positive cocci. Thus, PGLYRP3 C-terminal PGRP domain has a preference for binding peptidoglycan fragments from Gram-positive cocci. Binding of MurNAc-pentapeptide induces structural rearrangements in the binding site that are essential for entry of the ligand and locks the ligand in the binding cleft. The fine specificity of the PGLYRP3 N-terminal PGRP domain is not known.
Bactericidal activity
Human PGLYRP3 is directly bactericidal for both Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus cereus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Salmonella enterica, Shigella sonnei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria.
The mechanism of bacterial killing by PGLYRP3 is based on induction of lethal envelope stress, which eventually leads to the shutdown of transcription and translation. PGLYRP3-induced killing involves simultaneous induction of three stress responses in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria: oxidative stress due to production of reactive oxygen species (hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals), thiol stress due to depletion (oxidation) of cellular thiols, and metal stress due to an increase in intracellular free (labile) metal ions. PGLYRP3-induced bacterial killing does not involve cell membrane permeabilization, which is typical for defensins and other antimicrobial peptides, cell wall hydrolysis, or osmotic shock. Human PGLYRP3 has synergistic bactericidal activity with antibacterial peptides.
Defense against infections
PGLYRP3 plays a limited role in host defense against infections. Intranasal administration of PGLYRP3 protects mice from lung infection with S. aureus and E. coli, but PGLYRP3-deficient mice do not have altered sensitivity to Streptococcus pneumoniae-induced pneumonia.
Maintaining microbiome
Mouse PGLYRP3 plays a role in maintaining healthy microbiome, as PGLYRP3-deficient mice have significant changes in the composition of their intestinal microbiome, which affect their sensitivity to colitis.
Effects on inflammation
Mouse PGLYRP3 plays a role in maintaining anti- and pro-inflammatory homeostasis in the intestine and skin. PGLYRP3-deficient mice are more sensitive than wild type mice to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis, which indicates that PGLYRP3 protects mice from DSS-induced colitis. The anti-inflammatory effect of PGLYRP3 on DSS-induced colitis depends on the PGLYRP3-regulated intestinal microbiome, because this greater sensitivity of PGLYRP3-deficient mice to DSS-induced colitis could be transferred to wild type germ-free mice or to antibiotic-treated mice by microbiome transplant from PGLYRP3-deficient mice or by PGLYRP3-regulated bacteria. PGLYRP3 is also directly anti-inflammatory in intestinal epithelial cells.
PGLYRP3-deficient mice are more sensitive than wild type mice to experimentally induced atopic dermatitis. These results indicate that mouse PGLYRP3 is anti-inflammatory and protects skin from inflammation. This anti-inflammatory effect is due to decreased numbers and activity of T helper 17 (Th17) cells and increased numbers of T regulatory (Treg) cells.
Medical relevance
Genetic PGLYRP3 variants are associated with some diseases. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, have significantly more frequent missense variants in PGLYRP3 gene (and also in the other three PGLYRP genes) than healthy controls. PGLYRP3 variants are also associated with Parkinson's disease and psoriasis. These results suggest that PGLYRP3 protects humans from these diseases, and that mutations in PGLYRP3 gene are among the genetic factors predisposing to these diseases. PGLYRP3 variants are also associated with the composition of airway microbiome.
See also
Peptidoglycan recognition protein
Peptidoglycan recognition protein 1
Peptidoglycan recognition protein 2
Peptidoglycan recognition protein 4
Peptidoglycan
Innate immune system
Bacterial cell walls
References
Further reading
Proteins
Genetics | Peptidoglycan recognition protein 3 | [
"Chemistry"
] | 2,292 | [
"Biomolecules by chemical classification",
"Proteins",
"Molecular biology"
] |
65,745,795 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer%20Morse%20%28mathematician%29 | Jennifer Leigh Morse is a mathematician specializing in algebraic combinatorics. She is a professor of mathematics at the University of Virginia.
Research
Morse's interests in algebraic combinatorics include representation theory and applications to statistical physics, symmetric functions, Young tableaux, and -Schur functions, which are a generalization of Schur polynomials.
Education and career
Morse earned her Ph.D. in 1999 from the University of California, San Diego. Her dissertation, Explicit Expansions for Knop-Sahi and Macdonald Polynomials, was supervised by Adriano Garsia.
She has been a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, at the University of Miami, and at Drexel University before moving to the University of Virginia in 2017.
Book
Morse is one of six coauthors of the book -Schur Functions and Affine Schubert Calculus (Fields Institute Monographs 33, Springer, 2014).
Recognition
Morse was named a Simons Fellow in Mathematics in 2012 and again in 2021. She was elected as a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society in the 2021 class of fellows, "for contributions to algebraic combinatorics and representation theory and service to the mathematical community".
References
External links
Home page
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
20th-century American mathematicians
21st-century American mathematicians
Combinatorialists
University of California, San Diego alumni
University of Pennsylvania faculty
University of Miami faculty
Drexel University faculty
University of Virginia faculty
Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
20th-century American women mathematicians
21st-century American women mathematicians | Jennifer Morse (mathematician) | [
"Mathematics"
] | 307 | [
"Combinatorialists",
"Combinatorics"
] |
65,746,714 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alina%20Bucur | Alina Ioana Bucur is a Romanian-born mathematician and an associate professor of mathematics at the University of California, San Diego. Bucur's research is in analytic number theory with an emphasis on arithmetic statistics.
Education and career
After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Bucharest in 2001, she pursued her graduate studies at Brown University, where she received her Ph.D. in 2006; her dissertation was supervised by Jeffrey Ezra Hoffstein.. After completion of her degree, Bucur was a member of the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey from 2006 to 2007 and 2009–2010 and a C. L. E. Moore Instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2006 to 2009. She came to the University of California, San Diego, in 2009 as an assistant professor and was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor in 2016. Bucur returned to the Institute for Advanced Study as a von Neumann Fellow of the School of Mathematics from 2018 to 2019.
Bucur has been involved in Women in Numbers (WIN) Network, a professional network for women with research interests in number theory, since its inception. She serves on the WIN Steering Committee. and co-organized Women in Numbers Europe (2013), the European Women in Mathematics Summer School (2014), and the Association for Women in Mathematics Workshop on Women in Number Theory (2017).
Bucur has been an active member of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM). She has been AWM Meetings Coordinator and a member of the AWM Executive Committee since August 2018. Prior to becoming a member of the executive committee she served on the Mentor Network Committee (2015–2018) and the Joint Mathematics Meetings Committee (2016–2018).
Recognition
Bucur was named a 2012–2013 Hellman Faculty Fellow by the University of California, San Diego. The award supports junior faculty members in their research and scholarly work as they strive for tenure with the university. Bucur was recognized as a fellow of the Association of Women in Mathematics (AWM) in the class of 2021 "for supporting the research careers of women in mathematics at crucial career stages: locally, at her institution and region; nationally, through leadership in AWM and Women in Numbers; and internationally, through her impactful work in organizing conferences and workshops."
Edited Collections
References
External links
Alina Bucur's Author Profile Page on MathSciNet
Living people
Fellows of the Association for Women in Mathematics
Brown University alumni
University of California, San Diego faculty
20th-century women mathematicians
21st-century women mathematicians
Year of birth missing (living people)
Romanian women mathematicians
Romanian emigrants to the United States
Number theorists
Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty
Institute for Advanced Study visiting scholars
University of Bucharest alumni | Alina Bucur | [
"Mathematics"
] | 565 | [
"Number theorists",
"Number theory"
] |
65,749,335 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%207585 | NGC 7585 is a lenticular galaxy with a peculiar shape resulting from an interaction between two galaxies. It is located 145 million light years away in the constellation Aquarius which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 7585 is about 100,000 light years across. It was discovered by William Herschel on September 20, 1784.
Characteristics
NGC 7585 is a lenticular galaxy with shells. The disk of the galaxy is also present and distinct from the shells. The shells are irregular and have radial and loop form, and one of them looks like a faint outer arm. The shells are probably the result of a merger that took place over a billion years ago. The shells are bluer than the rest of the galaxy and suggestive of a spiral galaxy taking part in a merger, while other features seem to be part of the accreted galaxy. The upper limit of the molecular gas mass based on CO imaging is 107.5 .
Nearby galaxies
Two galaxies appear near NGC 7585. NGC 7576 is located 10.7 arcminutes southwest of NGC 7585, while NGC 7592 is located 15.2 arcminutes to the northeast. NGC 7576 is at a similar redshift with NGC 7585, but its normal shape indicates it has not interacted recently with NGC 7585. On the other hand, NGC 7592 appears disturbed, however it has double the redshift.
Gallery
References
External links
Lenticular galaxies
Peculiar galaxies
Aquarius (constellation)
7585
70986
223 | NGC 7585 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 310 | [
"Constellations",
"Aquarius (constellation)"
] |
65,750,335 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realme%207 | Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro are dual-SIM smartphones from the Chinese company Realme. They were launched on 10 September 2020. Both of the devices have Gorilla Glass 3 shatter resistant glass.
Specifications
Hardware
Realme 7 is powered by Mediatek Helio G95 SoC 4G chip that has a octa-core (2x2.05 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) (12 nm) CPU and the Mali-G76 MC4 GPU. It has a 5000 mAh non-removable battery. It supports 30 W Dart Charge quick charging. It has three models: 6 GB RAM/64 GB storage and 8 GB RAM/128 GB storage. However, the Asian model of the Realme 7 doesn't have the 4 GB RAM/64 GB storage model. It supports memory expansion up to 256 GB via microSD card slot. It supports a 6.5-inch FHD+ IPS LCD panel with 1080x2400 resolution, 90 Hz refresh rate and 90.5% screen-to-body ratio.
Realme 7 Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G SoC that has an octa-core (2x2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver) CPU and the Adreno 618 GPU. It has a 4500 mAh non-removable battery. It supports 65 W Super Dart Charge quick charging. The device is available with 6 GB or 8 GB RAM and 128 GB of storage, it supports memory expansion up to 256 GB via microSD card slot. It sports a 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with 1080x2400 resolution, 60 Hz refresh rate and 90.8% screen-to-body ratio.
Camera
Both Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro are equipped with a quad-camera setup consisting of a 64-megapixel Sony IMX682 main camera with light-sensing ability, 1/1.73" large sensor size, 0.8 qm pixel size, f/1.8 aperture, 26 mm focal length, PDAF and Quad Bayer support; an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera with a 119-degree field of view, 1/4.0" sensor size, 1.12 qm pixel size, f/2.3 aperture and 16 mm focal length; a 2-megapixel macro camera with f/2,4 aperture, and a 2-megapixel depth camera. However, in the global model of Realme 7, there is a 48 MP main camera with 1/2.0" sensor size, 0.8 qm pixel size, f/1.8 aperture, 26 mm focal length, PDAF and Quad Bayer support.
Software
Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro both run on Realme UI based on Android 10.
References
External links
Official Website
7
Mobile phones introduced in 2020
Phablets
Mobile phones with multiple rear cameras
Mobile phones with 4K video recording | Realme 7 | [
"Technology"
] | 644 | [
"Crossover devices",
"Phablets"
] |
65,751,705 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%202293 | NGC 2293 is a lenticular galaxy located in the constellation Canis Major. It is located at a distance of circa 100 million light years from Earth, which, given its apparent dimensions, means that NGC 2293 is about 160,000 light years across. It was discovered by John Herschel on January 20, 1835. NGC 2293 forms a pair with NGC 2292 and has an HI ring that surrounds both galaxies.
Characteristics
NGC 2293 is a lenticular galaxy with hints of a spiral structure. The old stars that make it give the galaxy an orange color. Located 0.8 arcminutes away from NGC 2292 lies NGC 2293. Both galaxies appear to share a common envelope and a complete ring of neutral hydrogen gas (HI) has been found to encircle both galaxies. The ring apparently has a color change to the southwestern view, that has been attributed to the presence of star formation. On the other hand, there is a marked absence of HI near the centre of the two galaxies. The total HI mass is .
It is possible that the ring is the result of an ongoing merger between the two galaxies, that would result in a giant elliptical galaxy. Various models have been suggested for the formation of the ring. The most likely model is the collision between one of the two galaxies and one more galaxy that swept gas away, with the star formation region on the ring been created by a density wave or it is a population that was stripped by the intruder galaxy. It has not been ruled out that the positioning is a projection effect of two galaxies separated by a few million light years.
Based on far infrared observations there is an extensive amount of cold dust at the pair, with temperature 13 K, which is lower than dust temperatures found in spiral and interacting galaxies. The temperature indicates however that it is not of primordial origin.
Nearby galaxies
NGC 2292/2293 pair belongs to a galaxy group known as LGG 138. Other members of the group are the spiral galaxy NGC 2280, NGC 2295, ESO 490−G010 and ESO 490−G045. Because of its large angular diameter, about one degree, the group was identified when redshift information were available, by Garcia et al. in 1993.
References
External links
Lenticular galaxies
Canis Major
2293
19619
Astronomical objects discovered in 1835 | NGC 2293 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 475 | [
"Canis Major",
"Constellations"
] |
65,752,212 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space%20Dogs%3A%20Return%20to%20Earth | Space Dogs: Return to Earth () also known as Space Dogs: Tropical Adventure is a 2020 Russian 3D animated comedy fantasy family film written by Danil Trotensko, Artem Milovanov, Mike Disa, Olga Nikiforova, Viktor Strelchencko and directed by Inna Evlannikova. The film was produced by Moscow studios KinoAtis and Gorky Film Studio. The creators from one of Russia's first national 3D animation studio rejoined to continue to animate the latest adventure of the canine heroes, Belka and Strelka.
The film is the third installment in the Space Dogs franchise, a sequel to the 2013 film Space Dogs: Adventure to the Moon and a trequel to the original record breaking film Space Dogs. The film is the final installment that marks the establishment of the Space Dogs trilogy. Loosely based on true events, the film depicts Soviet space dogs Belka and Strelka, who are the world's first animals who were sent into space and survived the trip (on board the Korabl-Sputnik 2 mission in 1960). The film portrays the historical characters in a lighthearted comedy animation film.
The film is set in outer space and then on planet Earth, where the Soviet command sends Belka and Strelka on a reconnaissance mission to Cuba; there, a mysterious tornado has begun to pull in water off the coast of the island. The astronauts dive into the Caribbean Sea to solve the mystery.
Space Dogs: Return to Earth was released in Russia on 24 September 2020 and the UK on 11 December 2020. Epic Pictures distributed the film in North America on 2 April 2021. Critics from domestic and international countries had generally positive reviews for the film.
Plot
In the Hurricane Alley, a strange whirlpool spins out of control. Meanwhile, brave cosmonauts Belka and Strelka are in their spaceship. They extract rare mineral samples somewhere in the asteroid belt near Saturn. They risk their lives to extract the samples when they receive a call from Soviet command. The director reports a mysterious phenomenon in the tropics of the Atlantic Ocean. Strelka is promoted as pilot because the space command director found Belka's steering to be lacking. As the ship changes course both cosmonauts become distanced due to the promotion. But the space explorers realize that this new mission will require teamwork, making them friends again.
The spaceship's trajectory veers to planet Earth. Meanwhile, their best friend, rat Lenny is looking to get to the cyclones too, traveling by plane to Cuba, with a musical ensemble, in an attempt to solve the mystery. Lenny will be accompanied by cricket Thomas. At the airport Lenny meets another traveler Maria (a muskrat), and immediately falls in love with her. While Lenny and Cricket are being mugged by local thug parrots, Maria helps them and they go and meet Uncle Sasha together.
Belka and Strelka spot the anomaly that appears to be a cyclone. As they venture down into the swirling ocean depths, their Soviet module crash lands on water into the Caribbean Sea. Lenny and his team hear of this misfortune through Uncle Yasha's radio.
Belka and Strelka are made prisoners on a ship of pirate jellyfishes. Soon Lenny and his friends free them. But their boat is taken underwater by a maelstrom. They find themselves inside an extraterrestrial facility that is draining the ocean of all its water, in a submarine ship. The cosmonauts and the team offer one of their mineral samples to the aliens, an elephant and his superior, masters of a hungry pet. The mission is finished and the planet is saved as the heroes resurface to the ocean.
Note
A mid-credit scene shows the elephant spreading flowers on the screen.
Voice cast
Production
Development
Space Dogs franchise started in 2010 with its release of Star Dogs: Belka and Strelka and internationally as Space Dogs. The series has since inspired a TV series Belka and Strelka: Mischievous Little Family in 2011 and a 2013 sequel. The series' original film holds the distinction as Russia's first domestic 3D film.
Director Inna Evlannikova who previously directed for such films as Space Dogs and Harvie and the Magic Museum, resumed the story of the famous animal characters, Belka and Strelka. In this new feature film, the creators of the films added new settings such as the ocean floor near Cuba and outer space. The animators took special note for their drawings of the settings. They intended the images to have a picturesque quality. The creators of the film remarked by the third part of the series, the characters are well defined. A new plot line that was added to the film is how the dog astronauts will now explore the ocean underwater seabed. Numerous escapism episodes in the film are highlighted set in the Hurricane Alley region of the Caribbean Sea. The scriptwriters intended the film not only to be a festive animated film, but they also added educational components such as the theme of ecology and how important it is to maintain balance in nature. The script used the plot of a mysterious water phenomena to highlight the importance of preserving natural resources of water. The writers hoped by presenting an accurate depiction of the ecological world, the viewers would be able to appreciate nature.
The writers from the previous sequels rejoined. Olga Nikiforova and Viktor Strelchenko joined the script writing team. Debutant script writers Danil Trotsenko and Artem Milovanov also were present. The script was also co-authored by American screenwriter and director Mike Disa who has previous projects include Hoodwinked Too!.
The voice-over started on 20 July 2019 with a cast of popular Russian actors lending voice to the characters. The voice cast included Yulia Peresild as Belka, Irina Pegova as Strelka, Yevgeny Mironov as Venya, and Sergey Burunov as Uncle Yasha. The English cast included Maria Antonieta Monge as Belka, Mauriett Chayeb as Strelka, and Jinon Deeb as Uncle Yasha. Sergey Burunov for the role of the retired "sea wolf" Yasha had to consistently use Spanish words because the scriptwriter made Yasha suddenly into a photographer. The film was Yulia Peresild's first role in an animated film.
Animation
In the third part of the franchise, the space dogs find themselves not only in their usual locations – in space, but also under water. Most of the screen time about 45% - is occupied by underwater. Character development was refined for this film with an emphasis on friendship and working together as a team. The character Strelka is given for the first time the official status of commander.
A plethora of new character animals are presented in this film that include seal Yasha, rat Venya, cockroach Tolik, parrots-bandits, pirates-jellyfish, wise muskrat, as well as crocodiles, turtles, lizards and pelicans. The audience of the previous films have found the story line of rate Venya quite appealing. Therefore, in this film the creators refined the character almost into a main character. Yevgeny Mironov has been always a popular cast choice for Yasha.
Soundtrack
The film is noted for its musical accompaniment. Composer Ivan Uryupin who has previously worked for all the previous Space Dogs films, resumed the score for the movie. An orchestral soundtrack with several songs were recorded by the host studio The First of Mosfilm. The orchestra was aided by the conductor of the Bolshoi theater, Alexey Vereshchagin. Uryupin noted that composing for an animated film is considerably different from a feature film. The former requires more expression in music and changing musical textures. One of the songs presented in the film is Song of Lagusa. A review found the song of the pirate jellyfish to be the highlight of the film.
Release
Theatrical
At the 108th Russian film market, the creators of the film revealed the film will release in Russia on 30 April 2020.The film was intended as a spring festive entertainer. The film was distributed by Karoprokat in Russia. In the 2019 Marché du Film market, KinoAtis closed deals on Space Dogs: Tropical Adventure with distributors from Turkey, South Korea, Great Britain, as well as countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. On 30 January 2019, KinoAtis animation studio held a press tour for media representatives. Vadim Sotskov, general director and producer of KinoAtis, presented the film to the reporters.
The film was originally supposed to be a worldwide release set for 1 May 2020. However the arrival of COVID-19 changed the release date to the summer. In the CARTOON in cinema event in Russia, a footage of the film premiered.
At the MIFA International online film market held in June 2019, KinoAtis was one of the Moscow studios that presented the film to potential distributors. At the June online forum Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, KinoAtis studio held negotiations with Epic Pictures Group for distribution across Asian countries. On 1 September 2020, a video of Belka and Strelka following the recommendation guidelines of Rospotrebnadzor was released by ProfiCinema. The campaign was part of the Lets Go the to Movies (#идемвкино) event organized by the Film Foundation to restart the Russian film industry after months of quarantine.
The final release was scheduled for 24 September 2020. The film received support from the Film Foundation. On 11 September 2020, Belka and Strelka officially became the first animated film to release in Russia after the quarantine. The film premiered in an online version at the international multimedia press center of MIA "Rossiya Segodnya." The film later had a wide release in Russia on 24 September 2020. Despite the film's postponement due to COVID-19, the film coincidentally managed to release just one month after the 60th anniversary of the historic flight into space by the famous Soviet dogs Belka and Strelka.
Internationally, the film is picked up by UK distributor Signature Entertainment. The film released in UK on 11 December 2020. The film was able to register in over 124 UK theaters. Irish Film Classification Office certified the film for Ireland film theaters. At the 9 November 2020 AFM Digital Edition, Epic Pictures Group agreed for the film's distribution to North America on 2 April 2021. The film arrived in select theaters. The film will go by the North American title Space Dogs: Tropical Adventure. The film became one of the major releases in April 2021. On 6 April 2021 the film became available in VOD format. The film was screened in Kaluzhan Russia, on 15 April 2021 as a commemoration of the start of international festival of films and programs about space. On 20 April 2021, the film was available in DVD and Blu-ray.
Reception
Critical response
A review from Kino Mail, believed the movie captured the true essence of an alternative USSR universe in animation format: "A lot of incredible events and plot twists fall on the viewer with stunning speed. At the same time — which is a rarity these days — the creators of the tape manage to preserve the logic and coherence of their unusual world-an alternative cartoon USSR, where charming cosmonaut dogs have become real superheroes." Kinoafisha, remarked the film explored the theme of misunderstanding and the problems that can be caused by poor communication. Overall the film is an entertainer for the children audience and summarized the film as, "Russian "Star Trek" for the little ones."
UK reviews had generally positive outlook to the story. The Upcoming from UK reviewed the film is a perfect film for dog owners remarking, the film is "beautiful, evoking a sense of magic and adventure that only this genre of cinema can create. The digitally-rendered Belka and Strelka look eerily similar to the real Soviet space pups whilst being loveable and strong personas in their own right. Supporting characters come in every shape, size and colour and so much of the feature's humour come from the rich variety of animals in its lively world." The Review Avenue, found the film has "an impressive array of animals" primarily intended to entertain the young audience. In terms of animation the review summarized, "Its animation is competent, bursting with colour and additional detail in its character designs. The titular dogs look more like their real-world counterparts than ever before, with extra attention seemingly given to their hair and fur compared to others on screen."
LondonNet review explains, "Space Dogs: Return To Earth idles into first gear with an opening set-piece involving intergalactic ice monsters and maintains the same pace as events unfold above and below the waves. Some of the vocal performances merge in pitch and tone though thankfully, Evlannikova's picture is light on meaningful dialogue so there's never any danger of a key plot point being waylaid." Movie Reviews 101 stated, "This is one movie that will play into the family audience with ease, you will get some laughs, deal with the teamwork, as both Belka and Strelka will both have weaknesses the other will cover up and help them through." However the review at The Guardian had a mixed review stating the film's "humour necessary to hook in a parent audience doesn't land."
In the United States, the film received mixed to positive reviews. Sun ThisWeek from Dakota County Tribune noted the film is "Inna Evlannikova's colorful, family-friendly, action-packed, intermittently funny, 80-minute, 2020 animated musical, which is final film in the trilogy." Steve Kopian for Unseen Films reviewed the film like its predecessors have "great set pieces and some funny lines." The review noted the film might not be placed at highest level of animation, it is ideal for the family which if it were their first time viewing the Space Dogs series will likely "want to go visit the earlier adventures." Family review aggregators Dove and Family Choice Awards noted the film is targeted to the children audience. Dove especially noted it is a landmark film about the vital message of "the importance of teamwork." Lenny the rat became a memorable character for the film as noted by the review: "who has one white tooth and one yellow one. He also has a seal for an uncle." The film shows the main heroes Belka and Strelka "[having] to work together" with the side characters such as Hatchling, Lenny, Maria, jellyfish, parrots that reinforce the film's main theme of teamwork.
Accolades
Adaptations
From street dogs, the famous dogs Belka and Strelka have captured the public imagination ever since their space exploration in 1960. The release date for Space Dogs: Tropical Adventure in Russia coincided just 1 month after the 60th anniversary of the historic flight into space by the famous Soviet dogs Belka and Strelka. The original film Space Dogs was released ten years ago in recognition of the 50th anniversary of this event.
The Belka and Strelka Space Dogs franchise has seen supported not only locally but also internationally. The film is noted for its international distribution. In the United States, in several planetariums and science museums, Space Dogs is frequently presented as a reading supplement to the educational program in recognition of space frontier's first explorers.
In ten years the series has three full-length films, with the film Space Dogs: Return to Earth marking the establishment of a Space Dogs trilogy. The series has also featured two animated series, a musical, books, computer and board games. Space Dogs Family TV series is currently in production for Season 3. On the streets of some cities there are road signs with the image of heroes. The first film was shown in 160 countries and translated into 45 languages. The film series has also been nominated for film awards including the Multimir animation award.
See also
History of Russian animation
List of animated feature films of 2020
Space Dogs (2010)
References
External links
Space Dogs: Tropical Adventure at March 2021 Animation Magazine article
Space Dogs: Tropical Adventure at Animation World Network
Russian and Soviet animated science fiction films
2020 films
2020 3D films
3D animated films
2020 computer-animated films
2020 science fiction films
Russian animated fantasy films
Russian children's fantasy films
2020s Russian-language films
Animals in space
Films set in Cuba
Russian animated feature films
Animated films about dogs
Animated films about talking animals
2020s children's animated films
2020s children's adventure films
Films about space programs
Films postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020 comedy films
2020 fantasy films
2020s science fiction comedy films
Russian science fiction comedy films | Space Dogs: Return to Earth | [
"Chemistry",
"Biology"
] | 3,424 | [
"Animal testing",
"Space-flown life",
"Animals in space"
] |
65,752,794 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark%20Siddall | Mark E. Siddall is a Canadian biologist and former curator at the American Museum of Natural History. Siddall has studied the evolution and systematics of blood parasites and leeches, and systematic theory. Siddall was hired as an assistant curator at the American Museum of Natural History in July, 1999 and worked there as a curator until September, 2020, when he was terminated for allegedly having violated the museum's policy prohibiting sexual relationships between staff and mentees. Siddall denied the claim.
Education
Siddall completed a Masters and PhD under the supervision of Sherwin S. Desser at the University of Toronto in 1991 and 1994, respectively.
Career
After completing his PhD, Siddall completed a postdoc at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Subsequently, he was a fellow in the Michigan Society of Fellows from 1996-1999. He also acted as treasurer of the Willi Hennig Society, publisher of the journal Cladistics.
Siddall has worked and published on parasitic and other animals, including leeches, jellyfish, guinea worms, and bed bugs.
He is author of the science book Poison: Sinister Species with Deadly Consequences.
In 2016, Siddall, Jonathan Eisen, and others were involved in the Twitter controversy #ParsimonyGate.
The American Museum of Natural History fired Siddall in September 2020 for alleged sexual harassment, citing museum policy that prohibits sexual relationships between staff and mentees under their academic supervision. An outside law firm representing the museum's interests found that Siddall had "engaged in verbal, written, and physical conduct of a sexual nature that had the effect of unreasonably interfering with your academic performance." Siddall denied that any sexual encounter ever took place, and claimed he was fired because "he had found a serious error" in a paper.
Research
Siddall studies phylogenetics and evolution. Siddall has been described as "a staunch supporter of parsimony and a harsh critic of maximum likelihood approaches”, although "having mellowed a bit on that".
References
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
20th-century Canadian biologists
Canadian expatriates in the United States
Canadian evolutionary biologists
21st-century Canadian biologists
University of Toronto alumni
People associated with the American Museum of Natural History
Phylogenetics researchers
Canadian parasitologists
Presidents of the American Society of Parasitologists | Mark Siddall | [
"Biology"
] | 485 | [
"Phylogenetics",
"Phylogenetics researchers"
] |
65,755,372 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD%2022781 | HD 22781, is a single star about away. It is a K-type main-sequence star. The star’s age is poorly constrained at billion years, but is likely similar to that of the Sun. HD 22781 is heavily depleted in heavy elements, having just 45% of Sun's concentration of iron, yet is comparatively rich in carbon, having 90% of Sun`s abundance.
An imaging survey in 2012 has failed to find any stellar companions, suggesting HD 22781 is a single star.
Planetary system
In 2011 a transiting superjovian planet or brown dwarf b was detected on an extremely eccentric orbit. It is located just outside of the conservative habitable zone of the parent star. Planets around such metal-poor stars are rare; the only three known similar cases are HD 111232 and HD 181720.
In 2012, a radial velocity data review indicated there are no additional giant planets in the system.
References
Perseus (constellation)
K-type main-sequence stars
Planetary systems with one confirmed planet
J03404953+3149345
022781
Durchmusterung objects
017187 | HD 22781 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 238 | [
"Perseus (constellation)",
"Constellations"
] |
65,756,949 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSK1702934A | GSK1702934A is a chemical compound which acts as an activator of the TRPC family of calcium channels, with selectivity for the TRPC3 and TRPC6 subtypes. It has been used to investigate the role of TRPC channels in heart function and regulation of blood pressure, as well as roles in the brain.
References
Ion channel openers
Thiophenes
Piperidines
Benzimidazoles
Ketones | GSK1702934A | [
"Chemistry"
] | 93 | [
"Ketones",
"Functional groups"
] |
65,757,854 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GreenPAK | GreenPAK™ is a Renesas Electronics family of mixed-signal integrated circuits and development tools. GreenPAK circuits are classified as configurable mixed-signal ICs. This category is characterized by analogue and digital blocks that can be configured through programmable non-volatile memory. These devices also have a "Connection Matrix", which supports routing signals between the various blocks. These devices can include multiple components within a single IC.
Also, the company developed the Go Configure™ Software Hub for IC design creation, chip emulation, and programming.
History
The GreenPAK technology was developed by Silego Technology Inc. The company was established in 2001. The GreenPAK product line was introduced in April 2010. Then, the first generation of ICs was released. Later, Silego was acquired by Dialog Semiconductor PLC in 2017. Officially, the trademark for the GreenPAK title was registered in 2019.
Currently, in the market, the sixth generation of GreenPAK ICs was already released. Over 6 billion GreenPAK ICs have been shipped to Dialog's customers all over the world.
In 2021, Dialog was acquired by Renesas Electronics, therefore the GreenPAK technology is currently officially owned by Renesas.
GreenPAK Integrated Circuits
There are a few categories of ICs developed within the GreenPAK technology:
Dual Supply GreenPAK – provides level translation from higher or lower voltage domains.
GreenPAK with Power Switches – includes single and dual power switches up to 2A.
GreenPAK with Asynchronous State Machine – allows the developing of customized state machine IC designs.
GreenPAK with Low Power Dropout Regulators – enables a user to divide power loads using the unique concept of "Flexible Power Islands" devoted to wearable devices.
GreenPAK with In-System Programmability – can be reprogrammed up to 1000 times using the I2C serial interface.
Automotive GreenPAK – allows multiple system functions in a single IC used for automotive circuit designs.
GreenPAK with High Voltage Features – contains both mixed-signal logic and high-voltage H-bridge functionality.
GreenPAK Designer Software
GreenPAK Designer Software is a free GUI-based platform that enables users to create IC designs without any programming language prior skills.
The software functions include:
Access to a library of GreenPAK ICs with a description of available elements for each device as well as example application cases and technical documentation
Designing integral circuits using schematic-oriented capturing of elements and their connection
Simulation of created designs
Samples programming
Development Tools
Two development boards allow engineers to conduct different procedures mentioned in the table below.
The development boards are compatible with different GreenPAK ICs that can be checked on Dialog Semiconductor's website.
Circuit Design Applications
Over 300 application notes were developed to showcase IC designs created in the GreenPAK Designer Software and provide complete project instructions.
Origin of the Title
The "GreenPAK" title indicates the circuit's environmentally friendly nature. These circuits consume low power and use less lead during production, reducing their environmental impact. The "PAK" suffix stands for "Programmable Analog Kit," which highlights the device family's aim to provide a suite of analog resources, along with digital resources, that can be utilized to address various real-world application challenges.
See also
Configurable mixed-signal IC
Silego Technology Inc.
Dialog Semiconductor PLC
References
Integrated circuits
Application-specific integrated circuits | GreenPAK | [
"Technology",
"Engineering"
] | 704 | [
"Application-specific integrated circuits",
"Computer engineering",
"Integrated circuits"
] |
65,757,974 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%20of%20spacecraft%20prefixes | A spacecraft prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a spacecraft, and its purpose is often analogous to more conventional ship prefixes. This list does not include prefixes used on rockets, rocket launches, and spaceflights. Non-productive prefixes (e.g. CSS in CSS Skywalker) are also not included in the list.
Prefixes
Notes
References
Outer space lists
Initialisms | List of spacecraft prefixes | [
"Astronomy"
] | 92 | [
"Outer space",
"Outer space lists"
] |
42,863,207 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick%20Robert%20Tennant | Frederick Robert Tennant (1 September 1866 – 9 September 1957), best known as F. R. Tennant was a British theologian, philosopher of religion and author.
Career
Tennant studied mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry at Caius College, Cambridge (1885–89) prior to becoming a theologian. After hearing the 1889 Huxley lectures, Tennant's interest in religion grew in the 1890s ultimately leading him to prepare for ordination in the Church of England. While he was ordained he taught science at Newcastle-under-Lyme High School (1891–94), and became a lecturer in Theology and fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge in 1913.
As an Anglican theologian, Tennant assimilated much of Huxley's lectures culminating in the 1901–1902 Hulsean Lecture entitled Origin and Propagation of Sin where he integrated evolutionary ideas into a Christian synthesis.
One of Tennant's goals in his writings was an integrative synthesis of the doctrines of the fall and original sin with Huxley’s claims of conflict between Darwinian thought and Christianity.
Evolution and purpose
Tennant believed that the existence of a god was needed to explain the alleged purposive quality of evolution. Tennant was the first theist widely known to put forward such an argument. In volume 2 of his book Philosophical Theology he says:
"The multitude of interwoven adaptations by which the world is constituted a theatre of life, intelligence, and morality, cannot reasonably be regarded as an outcome of mechanism, or of blind formative power, or aught but purposive intelligence."
He was an advocate of theistic evolution. Tennant made an argument from design from the "quality of the evolution process".
Publications
The Nature of Belief The Centenary Press (1938)
Philosophical Theology, Vol. 1: The Soul & Its Faculties Cambridge University Press (1968) (originally 1928)
Philosophical Theology, Volume 2 The University Press, 1968 (originally 1930)
The origin and propagation of sin;: being the Hulsean Lectures delivered before the University of Cambridge in 1901–1902 Cornell University Library (1 May 2009) (originally 1908)
With Alan Tennant The Sources of the Doctrines of the Fall and Original Sin (2012) RareBooksClub.com
The Concept of Sin (2012) General Books LLC
References
1866 births
1957 deaths
Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
British theologians
British philosophers of religion
Theistic evolutionists | Frederick Robert Tennant | [
"Biology"
] | 492 | [
"Non-Darwinian evolution",
"Theistic evolutionists",
"Biology theories"
] |
42,863,440 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse%20vaccination%20strategy | The pulse vaccination strategy is a method used to eradicate an epidemic by repeatedly vaccinating a group at risk, over a defined age range, until the spread of the pathogen has been stopped. It is most commonly used during measles and polio epidemics to quickly stop the spread and contain the outbreak.
Mathematical model
Where T= time units is a constant fraction p of susceptible subjects vaccinated in a relatively short time. This yields the differential equations for the susceptible and vaccinated subjects as
Further, by setting , one obtains that the dynamics of the susceptible subjects is given by:
and that the eradication condition is:
See also
Critical community size
Epidemic model
Herd immunity
Pulse Polio
Ring vaccination
Vaccine-naive
References
External links
Immunisation Immunisation schedule for children in the UK. Published by the UK Department of Health.
CDC.gov - 'National Immunization Program: leading the way to healthy lives', US Centers for Disease Control (CDC information on vaccinations)
CDC.gov - Vaccines timeline
History of Vaccines Medical education site from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the oldest medical professional society in the US
Images of vaccine-preventable diseases
Vaccination
Biotechnology
Preventive medicine
Epidemiology
Global health | Pulse vaccination strategy | [
"Biology",
"Environmental_science"
] | 257 | [
"Biotechnology",
"nan",
"Epidemiology",
"Vaccination",
"Environmental social science"
] |
42,864,924 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeta%20Pictoris | ζ Pictoris, Latinised as Zeta Pictoris, is a solitary star in the southern constellation of Pictor. It is visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of +5.43. Based upon an annual parallax shift of 28.00 mas as seen from the Earth, the system is located 116.5 light years from the Sun.
This is an evolving F-type subgiant star with a stellar classification of F6 IV. It is a thin disk star with an estimated 1.4 times the mass of the Sun and about 5.3 times the Sun's radius. At the age of 2.6 billion years, Zeta Pictoris is spinning with a projected rotational velocity of 5.6 km/s.
References
F-type subgiants
Pictor
Pictoris, Zeta
Durchmusterung objects
035072
024829
1767 | Zeta Pictoris | [
"Astronomy"
] | 184 | [
"Pictor",
"Constellations"
] |
42,867,194 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The%20Kerala%20State%20Biodiversity%20Board | Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB)
The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) is an autonomous body under the Kerala State Environment Department, headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram. KSBB was established under Section 22(1) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and is governed by the Biodiversity Act, Rules, 2004, and the Kerala State Biological Diversity Rules, 2008.
By 2024, the board's activities had been streamlined following the revisions of the Biodiversity (Amendment) Act 2023. Kerala Biodiversity Board adopts a 'people- panchayath-policy maker'-based comprehensive approach to a set of high-priority action areas to achieve the triple objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The actions are through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to drive collective action for biodiversity mainstreaming in food and agriculture production, livelihood development, and climate-resilience-building activities in the state.
Objectives and Functions of the Board
KSBB's primary objective is to assist the government and people of Kerala in the sustainable and inclusive management of biodiversity in partnership with Local Self-Governments and Biodiversity Management Committees and ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the utilization of genetic resources. The following are the key functions of the Board:
The following are the key functions of the Board:
(a) Advising the State Government and the Local Self Governments on biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of its components, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the utilisation of biological resources or associated traditional knowledge thereto, by regulations issued by the Central Government or the National Biodiversity Authority through the Biodiversity Act and any such guidelines as deemed necessary for the effective management of biodiversity; (b) Regulating activities referred to in Section 7 of the Biological Diversity Act (Amendment) 2023 by granting or rejecting approvals to access the biodiversity and associated Traditional Knowledge confined to the boundaries of the state;
(b) Determining fair and equitable benefit-sharing as outlined by the National Biodiversity Authority's regulations under Section 7 when granting approvals for access to biodiversity.
(c) Capacity and Capability development of Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in local biodiversity management including mainstreaming biodiversity principles and practices in local development and preparation and practical application of the People's Biodiversity Registers, which are the primary document of people's knowledge about the local biodiversity.
History of the Board
India was among the early adopters of a legal framework at both national and sub-national levels to implement the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity. In 2002, the Indian Parliament enacted the Biological Diversity Act, which came into effect in 2004 through the Biodiversity Rules. The following year, Kerala established its State Biodiversity Board and initiated the creation of Biodiversity Management Committees at the local self- government level.
Based on the approval by the then Chief Minister of Kerala on 25 January 2005, the notification constituting the Board was made in February 2005 [GO (Ms) No. 1/2005/STED dated 28.2.2005] and published in the gazette on 01 June 2005. Initially, the KSBB was not fully functional and operated under the Science, Technology, and Environment Department (STED)/Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (KSCSTE). In February 2006, with the creation of the new Environment Department in Kerala [vide order GO (Ms) No. 10/2006/GAD dated 6.1.2006], the KSBB was transferred to this department [vide order GO (Ms) No. 64/2006/GAD dated 16.2.2006].
The State Biodiversity Rules were subsequently formulated in 2008. In February 2006, following the creation of the new Environment Department in Kerala [vide order GO (Ms) No. 10/2006/GAD dated 6.1.2006], the KSBB was transferred to the Environment Department [vide order GO (Ms) No. 64/2006/GAD dated 16.2.2006]. The State Biodiversity Rules were subsequently formulated in 2008.
Since 2008, the Board has been active in all the local bodies of Kerala in implementing the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefits Sharing. As of April 2024, the Board has established BMCs in all the 1,200 local bodies (941 Gram Panchayats, 152 Block Panchayats, 14 District Panchayats, 87 Municipalities, and 6 Corporations). These BMCs serve as platforms for involving local communities, including tribal and marginalized groups, in biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of resources. They are tasked with preparing People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRS), a mandatory requirement under the Biodiversity Act, which documents local biodiversity resources, traditional knowledge, and conservation practices. Kerala has taken the lead in preparing PBRs across most of its local bodies (1080).
Operations of the Board
The State Biodiversity Board works closely with the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), the statutory autonomous body that advises the Government of India to implement the Biodiversity Act. At the national level, the NBA is authorized by the Central Government to monitor and regulate the access and utilization of biological resources from foreign countries, ensuring India meets its international obligations.
As the counterpart of the NBA, at the state level, KSBB has actively encouraged the State Government to develop effective strategies, plans, and programs aimed at the conservation, promotion, and sustainable use of biological diversity. These efforts include measures to identify and monitor areas rich in biological resources, as well as promoting both in situ and ex-situ conservation of biological resources, including cultivars, folk varieties, and landraces. Additionally, KSBB supports incentives for research, training, and public education across the state to raise awareness about biodiversity, all in alignment with national strategies and plans.
The Board also facilitates the State Government to take steps to integrate biodiversity conservation, promotion, and sustainable use into relevant sectoral and cross-sectoral policies and programs. In collaboration, with the NBA, the state Environment Department, and the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology, and Environment, the State Biodiversity Boards have developed a Charter for the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and dissemination of knowledge and information related to biological resources. This knowledge base is generated for the benefit of the public, furthering biodiversity awareness and engagement.
In June 2025, the Board enters its 20th year of services in the state, and looking forward to assuming a renewed effort to establish coordinated action among the concerned state and central government departments, institutions, and key stakeholders for the implementation of the NBSAP and achieve the 2030 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM- GBF) Targets.
Mainstreaming and Implementation team
The Board is led by a Chairperson and a Member Secretary, supported by a high-power team of 12 members. Of these, seven are ex officio members appointed by the State Government, representing forest, environment, agriculture, fisheries, and animal husbandry departments, including Panchayati Raj and Tribal Affairs. The remaining five are non-official members, selected from experts in fields, such as law and science, with specialised knowledge and experience in biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of biological resources, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of such resources.
The Chairman and Member Secretaries are ably assisted and supported by an implementation team of qualified professionals at HQ and district level..
A State-level Steering Committee, comprising senior secretary-level decision-makers from 11 key apex departments and institutions (Order 60/2018/Env) advises and oversees the actions of the Board towards convergence among all line departments for biodiversity mainstreaming. Additionally, a Virtual Biodiversity Cadre, including officials from 21-line departments and institutions and District Biodiversity Coordination Committees (DBCC) at the district level, has also been in place.
Vision and Mission of the Board
Vision
A State where biodiversity is valued, studied, protected, enhanced, and wisely used, sustaining healthy and resilient ecosystem services, and delivering benefits essential for the well-being of all living beings of Kerala.
Mission
To provide necessary tools and strategic solutions for mainstreaming biodiversity principles and practices and implementing the 2030 National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in the state, by ensuring reduced and reversed threats to the state's biodiversity and ecosystem services, recovery and restoration of the endangered life forms and ecosystems, and sustainable and responsible use of the bioresources, securing the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from such uses.
Leadership Team
Chairman
Nadesa Panicker Anil Kumar
Dr. N. Anil Kumar is a renowned Indian botanist with over three decades of expertise in biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and equitable benefit-sharing. His career spanning 30 years was largely spent with the iconic agricultural scientist Prof. M. S. Swaminathan in Chennai and Wayanad district of Kerala. Dr. Kumar's contributions to science are varying from describing several new species of angiosperms and conserving ex-situ a large number of rare, endemic and threatened tree species. In addition to his scientific work, Dr Anil Kumar has made significant contributions to policies related to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in India, having served on various national and international advisory committees, including India's Secure and Sustainable Agriculture policy. As a leader in community biodiversity management, he served on the Steering Committee of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI), helping promote sustainable socio-ecological landscapes worldwide.
Member Secretary
Dr. V Balakrishnan
Dr. V. Balakrishnan is a distinguished police officer and the current Member Secretary of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB). He began his research career at the Community Agrobiodiversity Centre of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), where he made significant contributions to biodiversity conservation and policy formulation, focusing on the sustainable utilization and equitable sharing of biological resources, as outlined in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Dr. Balakrishnan was awarded a Ph.D. from Madras University in 2010 for his pioneering work on the "Genetic Diversity of Wild Edible Yams of the Southern Western Ghats," under the mentorship of the renowned agricultural scientist and father of the Indian Green Revolution, Bharath Ratna Professor Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. A prolific researcher, Dr. Balakrishnan has published numerous papers in national and international journals, contributing extensively to the fields of agrobiodiversity, environmental law, and policy research. In recognition of his substantial contributions to biodiversity conservation, scientists named a rare species of plant Tylophora balakrishnanii in his honor. Throughout his career, Dr. Balakrishnan has been instrumental in establishing Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) and People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) across all local self-governments in Kerala, strengthening the state's efforts in community-based biodiversity conservation. His recent work includes books on traditional seed diversity, rare and endangered species of the Western Ghats, and environmental laws. Dr. Balakrishnan also played a pivotal role in the "Rebuild Kerala Initiative," leading projects on the rejuvenation of the Pamba River, the promotion of tradable bioresources of Kerala, conservation of rare and endangered species (RET species), and the enhancement of agrobiodiversity through custodian farmers. As a conservation researcher and policy advocate, he continues to focus on environmental law, agrobiodiversity conservation, and sustainable policy research.
List of Board Members
1) Dr.Nadesapaicker Anil Kumar – Chairman
2) Secretary/Principal Secretary/Additional Chief Secretary, Environment Department
3) Secretary/Principal Secretary/Additional Chief Secretary, Fisheries Department
4) Secretary/Principal Secretary/Additional Chief Secretary, Forest & Wildlife Department
5) Agriculture Production Commissioner, Agriculture Department
6) Executive Vice President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology & Environment
7) Dr. R.V Varma, Former Director, Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI)
8) Pro.(Dr.)S.D Biju, Professor, Department of Environmental Studies, Delhi University
9) Dr. A.V Santhoshkumar,Professor & Head, Forest Biology & Kerala Agricultural University , Vellanikkara, Thrissur
10) Dr. Minimol J.S, Professor & Head (Plant Breeding & Genetics), Cocoa Research Centre, Kerala Agricultural University P.O, Vellanikkara, Thrissur
11) Sri. Pramod G Krishnan IFS, Forest Department
References
External links
Official Website
2008 establishments in Kerala
Environmental organisations based in India
Environment of Kerala
Biodiversity
Nature conservation organisations based in India
Government agencies established in 2008
State agencies of Kerala
Organisations based in Thiruvananthapuram | The Kerala State Biodiversity Board | [
"Biology"
] | 2,602 | [
"Biodiversity"
] |
42,867,775 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United%20States%20Oil%20%26%20Gas%20Association | The United States Oil & Gas Association, formerly the Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association, is a trade association which promotes the well-being of the oil and natural gas industries in the United States. Primarily, the organization focuses on the production of these resources. Other organizations exist to deal with concerns of transportation, refining and processing, and other discrete functions of the fossil fuel industry.
Early history
The predecessor organization, Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association, was founded on October 13, 1917, after the United States entered World War I, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which called itself "The Oil Capital of the World". At its creation, the association worked to provide petroleum to the Allied forces.
State-level affiliates
As of June 2018, Bloomberg, LP, lists Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association of Oklahoma, Inc. located at 6701 North Broadway, Suite 300 Oklahoma City, OK 73116, and states that its business is to, "... support legislation for the energy industry at the Oklahoma State Capitol and to provide education programs and seminars.
The Texas association was also established in 1923 and renamed the Texas Oil & Gas Association in 1997.
See also
American Petroleum Institute
References
Trade associations based in the United States
Business organizations based in the United States
Lobbying organizations in the United States
Oil industry standards
Organizations based in Oklahoma
Organizations established in 1917
1917 establishments in Oklahoma
Petroleum organizations | United States Oil & Gas Association | [
"Chemistry",
"Engineering"
] | 277 | [
"Petroleum",
"Petroleum organizations",
"Energy organizations"
] |
42,868,264 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debrecen%20Heliophysical%20Observatory | Debrecen Heliophysical Observatory is an astronomical observatory owned and operated by Konkoly Thege Miklós Astronomical Institute of Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
The Observatory provides solar data and images of observation. Study solar flares and sunspots.
See also
List of astronomical observatories
References
External links
Activities of the Debrecen Observatory
Publications of the Heliophysical Observatory since 2000
Heliophysical Observatory, Debrecen, Hungary
Konkoly Observatory, Budapest, Hungary
Astronomical observatories in Hungary
Astrophysics
Plasma physics facilities | Debrecen Heliophysical Observatory | [
"Physics",
"Astronomy"
] | 110 | [
"Astrophysics",
"Astronomical sub-disciplines",
"Plasma physics facilities",
"Plasma physics"
] |
42,868,328 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodamaea%20kakaduensis | Kodamaea kakaduensis is an ascomycetous yeast species first isolated from Australian Hibiscus flowers. It is heterothallic, haploid, similar to other Kodamaea species and to Candida restingae. Its buds are often produced on short protuberances, and a true mycelium is formed. It differs from other species by the assimilation of trehalose, melezitose, and xylitol, and is reproductively isolated. Its type strain is UWO (PS) 98–119.2.
References
External links
MycoBank
Saccharomycetes
Fungus species
Fungi described in 1999 | Kodamaea kakaduensis | [
"Biology"
] | 135 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
42,868,332 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candida%20tolerans | Candida tolerans is an ascomycetous yeast species first isolated from Australian Hibiscus flowers. It is small and a pseudomycelium is formed. The carbon and nitrogen assimilation pattern is similar to that of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii. Its type strain is UWO (PS) 98-115.5 (CBS 8613).
References
Further reading
tolerans
Yeasts
Fungi described in 1999
Fungus species | Candida tolerans | [
"Biology"
] | 94 | [
"Yeasts",
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
42,868,340 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candida%20bromeliacearum | Candida bromeliacearum is a yeast species. Its type strain is UNESP 00-103T (=CBS 10002T =NRRL Y-27811T).
References
Further reading
bromeliacearum
Yeasts
Fungi described in 1999
Fungus species | Candida bromeliacearum | [
"Biology"
] | 56 | [
"Yeasts",
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
42,868,349 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candida%20ubatubensis | Candida ubatubensis is a yeast species. Its type strain is UNESP 01-247RT (=CBS 10003T =NRRL Y-27812T).
References
Further reading
ubatubensis
Yeasts
Fungi described in 1999
Fungus species | Candida ubatubensis | [
"Biology"
] | 54 | [
"Yeasts",
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
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