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75,737,383 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%20895 | NGC 895 is an unbarred spiral galaxy located around 98 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus. NGC 895 was discovered November 28, 1856 by R. J. Mitchell. NGC 895 is not known to have much star-formation, and is not known to have an active galactic nuclei.
See also
List of NGC objects (1–1000)
References
External links
008974
Cetus
0895
-01-07-002
008974
Unbarred spiral galaxies | NGC 895 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 107 | [
"Cetus",
"Constellations"
] |
75,737,969 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parabolic%20subgroup%20of%20a%20reflection%20group | In the mathematical theory of reflection groups, the parabolic subgroups are a special kind of subgroup. The precise definition of which subgroups are parabolic depends on context—for example, whether one is discussing general Coxeter groups or complex reflection groups—but in all cases the collection of parabolic subgroups exhibits important good behaviors. For example, the parabolic subgroups of a reflection group have a natural indexing set and form a lattice when ordered by inclusion. The different definitions of parabolic subgroups essentially coincide in the case of finite real reflection groups. Parabolic subgroups arise in the theory of algebraic groups, through their connection with Weyl groups.
Background: reflection groups
In a Euclidean space (such as the Euclidean plane, ordinary three-dimensional space, or their higher-dimensional analogues), a reflection is a symmetry of the space across a mirror (technically, across a subspace of dimension one smaller than the whole space) that fixes the vectors that lie on the mirror and send the vectors orthogonal to the mirror to their negatives. A finite real reflection group is a finite group generated by reflections (that is, every linear transformation in is a composition of some of the reflections in ). For example, the symmetries of a regular polygon in the plane form a reflection group (called the dihedral group), because each rotation symmetry of the polygon is a composition of two reflections. Finite real reflection groups can be generalized in various ways, and the definition of parabolic subgroup depends on the choice of definition.
Each finite real reflection group has the structure of a Coxeter group: this means that contains a subset of reflections (called simple reflections) such that generates , subject to relations of the form
where denotes the identity in and the are numbers that satisfy for and for . Thus, the Coxeter groups form one generalization of finite real reflection groups.
A separate generalization is to consider the geometric action on vector spaces whose underlying field is not the real numbers. Especially, if one replaces the real numbers with the complex numbers, with a corresponding generalization of the notion of a reflection, one arrives at the definition of a complex reflection group. Every real reflection group can be complexified to give a complex reflection group, so the complex reflection groups form another generalization of finite real reflection groups.
In Coxeter groups
Suppose that is a Coxeter group with a finite set of simple reflections. For each subset of , let denote the subgroup of generated by . Such subgroups are called standard parabolic subgroups of . In the extreme cases, is the trivial subgroup (containing just the identity element of ) and
The pair is again a Coxeter group. Moreover, the Coxeter group structure on is compatible with that on , in the following sense: if denotes the length function on with respect to (so that if the element of can be written as a product of elements of and not fewer), then for every element of , one has that . That is, the length of is the same whether it is viewed as an element of or of . The same is true of the Bruhat order: if and are elements of , then in the Bruhat order on if and only if in the Bruhat order on .
If and are two subsets of , then if and only if , , and the smallest group that contains both and is . Consequently, the lattice of standard parabolic subgroups of is a Boolean lattice.
Given a standard parabolic subgroup of a Coxeter group , the cosets of in have a particularly nice system of representatives: let denote the set
of elements in that do not have any element of as a right descent. Then for each , there are unique elements and such that . Moreover, this is a length-additive product, that is, . Furthermore, is the element of minimum length in the coset . An analogous construction is valid for right cosets. The collection of all left cosets of standard parabolic subgroups is one possible construction of the Coxeter complex.
In terms of the Coxeter–Dynkin diagram, the standard parabolic subgroups arise by taking a subset of the nodes of the diagram and the edges induced between those nodes, erasing all others. The only normal parabolic subgroups arise by taking a union of connected components of the diagram, and the whole group is the direct product of the irreducible Coxeter groups that correspond to the components.
In complex reflection groups
Suppose that is a complex reflection group acting on a complex vector space . For any subset , let
be the subset of consisting of those elements in that fix each element of . Such a subgroup is called a parabolic subgroup of . In the extreme cases, and is the trivial subgroup of that contains only the identity element.
It follows from a theorem of that each parabolic subgroup of a complex reflection group is a reflection group, generated by the reflections in that fix every point in . Since acts linearly on , where is the span of (that is, the smallest linear subspace of that contains ). In fact, there is a simple choice of subspaces that index the parabolic subgroups: each reflection in fixes a hyperplane (that is, a subspace of whose dimension is less than that of ) pointwise, and the collection of all these hyperplanes is the reflection arrangement of . The collection of all intersections of subsets of these hyperplanes, partially ordered by inclusion, is a lattice . The elements of the lattice are precisely the fixed spaces of the elements of (that is, for each intersection of reflecting hyperplanes, there is an element such that ). The map that sends for is an order-reversing bijection between subspaces in and parabolic subgroups of .
Concordance of definitions in finite real reflection groups
Let be a finite real reflection group; that is, is a finite group of linear transformations on a finite-dimensional real Euclidean space that is generated by orthogonal reflections. As mentioned above (see ), may be viewed as both a Coxeter group and as a complex reflection group. For a real reflection group , the parabolic subgroups of (viewed as a complex reflection group) are not all standard parabolic subgroups of (when viewed as a Coxeter group, after specifying a fixed Coxeter generating set ), as there are many more subspaces in the intersection lattice of its reflection arrangement than subsets of . However, in a finite real reflection group , every parabolic subgroup is conjugate to a standard parabolic subgroup with respect to .
Examples
The symmetric group , which consists of all permutations of , is a Coxeter group with respect to the set of adjacent transpositions , ..., . The standard parabolic subgroups of (which are also known as Young subgroups) are the subgroups of the form , where are positive integers with sum , in which the first factor in the direct product permutes the elements among themselves, the second factor permutes the elements among themselves, and so on.
The hyperoctahedral group , which consists of all signed permutations of (that is, the bijections on that set such that for all ), has as its maximal standard parabolic subgroups the stabilizers of for .
More general definitions in Coxeter theory
In a Coxeter group generated by a finite set of simple reflections, one may define a parabolic subgroup to be any conjugate of a standard parabolic subgroup. Under this definition, it is still true that the intersection of any two parabolic subgroups is a parabolic subgroup. The same does not hold in general for Coxeter groups of infinite rank.
If is a group and is a subset of , the pair is called a dual Coxeter system if there exists a subset of such that is a Coxeter system and
so that is the set of all reflections (conjugates of the simple reflections) in . For a dual Coxeter system , a subgroup of is said to be a parabolic subgroup if it is a standard parabolic (as in ) of for some choice of simple reflections for
In some dual Coxeter systems, all sets of simple reflections are conjugate to each other; in this case, the parabolic subgroups with respect to one simple system (that is, the conjugates of the standard parabolic subgroups) coincide with the parabolic subgroups with respect to any other simple system. However, even in finite examples, this may not hold: for example, if is the dihedral group with elements, viewed as symmetries of a regular pentagon, and is the set of reflection symmetries of the polygon, then any pair of reflections in forms a simple system for , but not all pairs of reflections are conjugate to each other. Nevertheless, if is finite, then the parabolic subgroups (in the sense above) coincide with the parabolic subgroups in the classical sense (that is, the conjugates of the standard parabolic subgroups with respect to a single, fixed, choice of simple reflections ). The same result does not hold in general for infinite Coxeter groups.
Affine and crystallographic Coxeter groups
When is an affine Coxeter group, the associated finite Weyl group is always a maximal parabolic subgroup, whose Coxeter–Dynkin diagram is the result of removing one node from the diagram of . In particular, the length functions on the finite and affine groups coincide. In fact, every standard parabolic subgroup of an affine Coxeter group is finite. As in the case of finite real reflection groups, when we consider the action of an affine Coxeter group on a Euclidean space , the conjugates of the standard parabolic subgroups of are precisely the subgroups of the form
for some subset of .
If is a crystallographic Coxeter group, then every parabolic subgroup of is also crystallographic.
Connection with the theory of algebraic groups
If is an algebraic group and is a Borel subgroup for , then a parabolic subgroup of is any subgroup that contains . If furthermore has a pair, then the associated quotient group is a Coxeter group, called the Weyl group of . Then the group has a Bruhat decomposition into double cosets (where is the disjoint union), and the parabolic subgroups of containing are precisely the subgroups of the form
where is a standard parabolic subgroup of .
Parabolic closures
Suppose is a Coxeter group of finite rank (that is, the set of simple generators is finite). Given any subset of , one may define the parabolic closure of to be the intersection of all parabolic subgroups containing . As mentioned above, in this case the intersection of any two parabolic subgroups of is again a parabolic subgroup of , and consequently the parabolic closure of is a parabolic subgroup of ; in particular, it is the (unique) minimal parabolic subgroup of containing . The same analysis applies to complex reflection groups, where the parabolic closure of is also the pointwise stabiliser of the space of fixed points of . The same does not hold for Coxeter groups of infinite rank.
Braid groups
Each Coxeter group is associated to another group called its Artin–Tits group or generalized braid group, which is defined by omitting the relations for each generator from its Coxeter presentation. Although generalized braid groups are not reflection groups, they inherit a notion of parabolic subgroups: a standard parabolic subgroup of a generalized braid group is a subgroup generated by a subset of the standard generating set , and a parabolic subgroup is any subgroup conjugate to a standard parabolic.
A generalized braid group is said to be of spherical type if the associated Coxeter group is finite. If is a generalized braid group of spherical type, then the intersection of any two parabolic subgroups of is also a parabolic subgroup. Consequently, the parabolic subgroups of form a lattice under inclusion.
For a finite real reflection group , the associated generalized braid group may be defined in purely topological language, without referring to a particular group presentation. This definition naturally extends to finite complex reflection groups. Parabolic subgroups can also be defined in this setting.
Footnotes
References
Coxeter groups
Reflection groups | Parabolic subgroup of a reflection group | [
"Physics"
] | 2,498 | [
"Euclidean symmetries",
"Reflection groups",
"Symmetry"
] |
75,740,407 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick%20Hoogenraad | Nick Hoogenraad, is an Australian biochemist. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry at La Trobe University. Hoogenraad's work led to the discovery of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response.
Hoogenraad was born in The Hague to Ton and Lique Hoogenraad, and was one of six children. Hoogenraad completed a bachelor of agricultural science, by the end of which time he had "fallen in love with biochemistry", partly due to reading The Origin of Life by Soviet biochemist Alexander Oparin. He completed his Ph.D. under agricultural biochemist Frank Hird, using biochemical and electron microscopy techniques to compile the first atlas of the bacteria in the rumen of sheep. Working with the rumen bacteria was unpleasant and another member of Hird's lab, Max Marginson, started calling Hoogenraad "rumencrud" in allusion to this. This behaviour stopped after Hoogenraad placed some foul-smelling butyric acid on Marginson's jacket.
He began work as a postdoctoral researcher in the Pediatric department at Stanford University in 1969, becoming assistant professor in Human Biology in 1971, and returning for a year as visiting professor in 1979. He returned to Australia in 1974 after being hired by Bruce Stone to join the new department of Biochemistry at La Trobe University. He became Head of Biochemistry when Stone retired in 1993. In 1998 he was appointed Head of the School of Molecular Sciences which was restructured multiple times, and by his retirement in 2014 contained three departments: Biochemistry and Genetics, Chemistry and Physics, and Pharmacy and Applied Science. Hoogenraad also served as the founding director of the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science from 2009 to 2014. An auditorium in the LIMS1 building is named after him.
His most recent research interest is cachexia. In 2015 his team published research showing how mice that do not have the receptor for a protein called Fn14 do not develop cachexia in cancer. Mice treated with anti-Fn14 antibodies also do not develop cachexia.
References
Academic staff of La Trobe University
Australian biochemists
21st-century Australian academics
Dutch emigrants to Australia
Officers of the Order of Australia
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
University of Melbourne alumni
Australian people of Dutch descent | Nick Hoogenraad | [
"Chemistry"
] | 472 | [
"Biochemistry stubs",
"Biochemists",
"Biochemist stubs"
] |
75,741,126 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%20785 | NGC 785 is an elliptical galaxy located around 217 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum. NGC 785 was discovered in 1876 by Édouard Stephan, and it is around 102,000 light-years across in diameter. NGC 785 is not known to have an Active galactic nucleus, and is not known to have lots of star formation.
References
External links
Triangulum
0785
Elliptical galaxies
1766
+05-05-046
1509
7694
Astronomical objects discovered in 1876
Discoveries by Édouard Stephan | NGC 785 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 105 | [
"Triangulum",
"Constellations"
] |
75,742,095 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indium%28I%29%20chloride | Indium(I) chloride (also indium monochloride) is the chemical compound with the formula InCl. Indium monochloride occurs as a yellow cubic form below 120 °C and above this temperature as a red orthorhombic form.
InCl is one of three known indium chlorides.
Synthesis and structure
InCl can be prepared by heating indium metal with indium trichloride in a sealed tube.
According to X-ray crystallography, the structure of the yellow polymorph resembles that of sodium chloride except that the Cl-In-Cl angles are not 90°, but range between 71 and 130°. The red (high T) polymorph crystallizes in the thallium(I) iodide motif.
Reactivity
The relatively high energy level of the 5s electrons of the indium center make InCl susceptible to oxidation as well as disproportionation into In(0) and InCl3. Tetrahydrofuran (THF) appears to facilitate the disproptionation of InCl as well as other indium(I) halides.
History
Indium(I) chloride was first isolated in 1926 as part of an investigation on the compounds formed between indium and chlorine.
References
Chlorides
Indium(I) compounds
Metal halides | Indium(I) chloride | [
"Chemistry"
] | 280 | [
"Chlorides",
"Inorganic compounds",
"Inorganic compound stubs",
"Salts",
"Metal halides"
] |
75,742,967 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%20of%20extant%20megaherbivores | Extant megaherbivores are large megafaunaul herbivores that can exceed in weight. They include elephants, rhinos, hippos, and giraffes, and are the largest of the land animals. There are nine extant species of megaherbivores, distributed across Africa and Asia. The term "megaherbivore" was coined in 1988 by Owen-Smith to describe large mammals that performed similar ecological functions, such as habitat defoliation and extensive seed dispersal. Animals under are this group are K-selected, meaning they have high life expectancies, slow population growth, large offspring, lengthy pregnancies, and low mortality rates. They have selected slow reproduction to enhance their survival chances, and as a result, increase their lifespan. Their large size offers protection from predators, but at the same time, it decreases the degree at which they reproduce due to restricted food sources. On average, megaherbivores give birth to a single offspring every 1.3 to 4.5 years, depending on the species and also tend to have high lifespans, with giraffes living 25 years, rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses 40 years, and elephants 60 years.
The nine megaherbivore species are split into four distinct families: Elephantidae (2 genera and 3 species), Rhinocerotidae (4 genera and 4 species), Hippopotamidae (1 species), and Giraffidae (1 species). These families are polyphyletic and do not share a recent common ancestor, but were instead assembled due to similarities in ecological niches.
List
References
Herbivores
Heaviest or most massive organisms
Lists of mammals
Megafauna | List of extant megaherbivores | [
"Biology"
] | 353 | [
"Heaviest or most massive organisms",
"Organism size"
] |
75,743,246 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%20of%20neutron%20stars | Neutron stars are the collapsed cores of supergiant stars. They are created as a result of supernovas and gravitational collapse, and are the second-smallest and densest class of stellar objects. In the cores of these stars, protons and electrons combine to form neutrons. Neutron stars can be classified as pulsars if they are magnetized, if they rotate, and if they emit beams of electromagnetic radiation out of their magnetic poles. They may include soft gamma repeaters (SGR) and radio-quiet neutron stars, as well as pulsars such as radio pulsars, recycled pulsars, low mass X-ray pulsars, and accretion-powered pulsars. A notable grouping of neutron stars includes the Magnificent Seven.
List of neutron stars
Anomalous X-ray pulsars
Anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP)
AXP 1E 1048-59
AXP 1E2259+586
AXP4U 0142+61
AXP 1RXS 1708–40
AXP 1E 1841–045
AXP AXJ1844-0258
AXP CXJ0110-7211
Vela X-1
4U 0352+309
Bursting Pulsar
Vela Junior
LMC N49
Binary star systems
Intermediate-mass X-ray binary
High-mass X-ray binaries
Centaurus X-3
Circinus X-1
GX 301-2
Hercules X-1
Related objects
Kesteven 79
PSR B1620−26 b
3C 58
Cas X-1
GW170817
Cygnus loop
Spaghetti Nebula
SN 1987A
Jellyfish nebula
See also
Stellar designations and names
References
Neutron stars
Pulsars
Astronomy-related lists | List of neutron stars | [
"Astronomy"
] | 362 | [
"Astronomy-related lists"
] |
75,744,297 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relationship%20between%20telomeres%20and%20longevity | The relationship between telomeres and longevity and changing the length of telomeres is one of the new fields of research on increasing human lifespan and even human immortality. Telomeres are sequences at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with each cell division and determine the lifespan of cells. The telomere was first discovered by biologist Hermann Joseph Muller in the early 20th century. However, experiments by Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak in the 1980s led to the successful discovery of telomerase (the enzyme responsible for maintaining telomere length) and a better understanding of telomeres.
Telomeres play essential roles in the stability and control of cell division. Telomeres protect chromosomes from deterioration and fusion with neighboring chromosomes and act as a buffer zone, preventing the loss of essential genetic information during cell division.
It is predicted that the knowledge of methods to increase the length of cell telomeres (Stem cell and quasi-stem cells, control the regeneration and rebuilding of different tissues of the body) will pave the way for increasing human lifespan. Examining telomeres is one of the most important fields of research related to aging. It is also very important to investigate the mechanisms of maintaining telomerase, cell cleansing (old cells that accumulate in tissues and sometimes cause cancer and inflammation) and the production of new cells in long-lived organisms. However, this idea faces major challenges such as increased cancer incidence, immune system problems, and unwanted long-term consequences.
Telomere and Telomerase
In the early 1970s, Alexey Olovnikov first recognized that chromosomes cannot completely duplicate their ends during cell division. This is known as the "end replication problem". Olovnikov proposed that every time a cell divides, a part of the DNA sequence is lost, and if this loss reaches a certain level, cell division will stop at the end. According to his "marginotomy" theory, there are sequences at the end of the DNA (telomeres) that are placed in tandem repeats and create a buffer zone that determines the number of divisions a particular cell can undergo.
Many organisms have a ribonucleoprotein enzyme called telomerase, which is responsible for adding repetitive nucleotide sequences to the ends of DNA. Telomerase replicates the telomere head and does not require ATP. In most multicellular eukaryotic organisms, telomerase is active only in germ cells, some types of stem cells such as embryonic stem cells, and certain white blood cells. Telomerase can be reactivated and telomeres restored to the embryonic state by somatic cell nuclear transfer. The continuous shortening of telomeres with each replication in somatic (body) cells may play a role in aging and in cancer prevention. This is because telomeres act as a kind of "delayed fuse" and eventually run out after a certain number of cell divisions. This action results in the loss of vital genetic information from the cell's chromosome after multiple divisions. Research on telomerase is extremely important in understanding its role in maintaining telomere length and its potential implications for aging and cancer.
Challenges
While telomeres play an important role in cellular senescence, the intricate biological details of telomeres still require further investigation. The complex interactions between telomeres, different proteins and the cellular environment must be fully understood in order to develop precise and safe interventions to change it. Understanding the long-term effects of telomere extension on the body is complex and risky. Prediction of long-term consequences, including potential unanticipated side effects or interactions with other cellular processes, requires thorough and long-term investigation.
Increased risk of cancer
Extending telomeres can allow cells to divide more and increase the risk of uncontrolled cell growth and cancer development. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins University challenged the idea that long telomeres prevent aging. Rather than protecting cells from aging, long telomeres help cells with age-related mutations last longer. This problem prepares the conditions for the occurrence of various types of cancer, and people with longer cell telomeres showed more signs of suffering from types of cancer such as Melanoma and Lymphoma.
Telomere length balance
It is important to strike the right balance to avoid unintended consequences.
Old cells and telomere dysfunction
Telomere dysfunction during cellular aging (a state in which cells do not divide but are metabolically active) affects the health of the body. Preventing telomere shortening without clearing old cells may lead to the accumulation of these cells in the body and contribute to age-related diseases and tissue dysfunction.
Intertissue differences
Different tissues of the human body may react differently to changes in telomeres. Telomere length is different in different tissues and cell types of the body. Developing a general telomere lengthening strategy that is effective in all tissues is a complex task; Also, understanding how different types of cells, organs and systems react to telomere manipulation is very important for developing safe and effective interventions.
Effects on the immune system
The immune system plays an important role in monitoring and destroying abnormal or cancerous cells. Telomere extension may affect the immune system's ability to recognize and eliminate cells with long telomeres, potentially compromising immune surveillance. It is very important to ensure the ability of the immune system to effectively identify and fight against pathogens and abnormal cells.
See also
Apoptosis
Neurodegenerative disease
Programmed cell death
HeLa
References
External link
Senescence
Cellular senescence
Telomeres
Longevity
Molecular biology | Relationship between telomeres and longevity | [
"Chemistry",
"Biology"
] | 1,138 | [
"Senescence",
"Cellular senescence",
"Cellular processes",
"Molecular biology",
"Biochemistry",
"Telomeres",
"Metabolism"
] |
75,745,988 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelubiprofen | Pelubiprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug of the profen class used to treat back pain and osteoarthritis.
Pelubiprofen was developed in South Korea by Daewon Pharmaceuticals and it is marketed in Korea and Russia, among other countries.
Research
Pelubiprofen is being studied for use in combination with eperisone.
Because pelubiprofen has low water solubility, development of salt formulations with better solubility are being studied.
Synthesis
Pelubiprofen can be prepared by the reaction of 1-(1-piperidino)cyclohexene (1) with ethyl 2-(4-formylphenyl)propanoate (2).
References
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Carboxylic acids
Cyclic ketones | Pelubiprofen | [
"Chemistry"
] | 177 | [
"Carboxylic acids",
"Functional groups"
] |
75,746,222 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rai%2C%20ngan%2C%20and%20tarang%20wa | The rai, ngan, and tarang wa or square wa are customary Thai units of area, used in the measurement of land. They are defined as exactly 1,600, 400, and 4 square metres, respectively (17,222, 4,306, and 43 sq ft).
The tarang wa (square wa, tarang meaning 'grid') is derived from the area of a square with sides of 1 wa (the Thai fathom). One ngan ('work') is equal to 100 square wa, and one rai ('field' or 'plantation') equals 4 ngan or 1 square sen. The units were standardized in square metres when Thailand (then Siam) adopted the metric system in 1923, although the Royal Survey Department was already reported in 1908 to be using the metre-based conversion for its cadastral maps.
The units are commonly used for cadastre and property matters, and official and legal documents express areas of land in such units. They are sometimes notated in the abbreviated format rai-ngan-tarang wa, e.g. "4-2-25 rai", which means "4 rai, 2 ngan, and 25 tarang wa", though this is discouraged by some government documents.
Notes
References
Thai units of measurement
Units of area | Rai, ngan, and tarang wa | [
"Mathematics"
] | 269 | [
"Quantity",
"Units of area",
"Units of measurement"
] |
75,746,300 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiversity%20Impact%20Credit | A Biodiversity Impact Credit (BIC) is a transferable biodiversity credit designed to reduce global species extinction risk. The underlying BIC metric, developed by academics working at Queen Mary University of London and Bar-Ilan University, is given by a simple formula that quantifies the positive and negative effects that interventions in nature have on the mean long-term survival probability of species. In particular, an organisation's global footprint in terms of BICs can be computed from PDF-based biodiversity footprints. The metric is broadly applicable across taxa (taxonomic groups) and ecosystems. Organisations whose overall biodiversity impact is positive in terms of the BIC metric contribute to achieving the objective of the Global Biodiversity Framework to "significantly reduce extinction risk".
Use of BICs by businesses has been recommended by the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures and the first provider of BICs for sale is Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). The credits are generated by BGCI's international member organisations by rebuilding the populations of tree species at high risk of extinction under the IUCN Red List methodology.
Theory
Definition
Users of BICs distinguish between the metric's scientific definition and how metric values are estimated through methodologies and approximations suitable for particular contexts. This mirrors the situation with carbon credits, which are designed to quantify avoidance or reductions of atmospheric carbon dioxide load but in practice are estimated using a broad variety of context-specific methodologies.
For a given taxonomic or functional group of species, let be a measure of the current global population size of the th species. This can be measured, e.g., by the number of mature individuals or population biomass, in some cases even by the number of colonies, whichever approximates total reproductive value well. Denote by the change in the global population of species resulting from a specific intervention in nature. The corresponding Biodiversity Impact Credits are then given by
where denotes the population size of species at which environmental and demographic stochasticity are of the same magnitude.
Calculation
Depending on the kind of intervention, the system affected and the available data, a variety of methods is available to estimate BICs. Since typical values of lie in the range of 1 to 100 adult individuals, the contribution of in the definition above is often negligibly small compared to . The formula then simplifies to
In projects that aim to rebuild the population of a single endangered species , the term associated with that species will often dominate the sum in the formula above so that it simplifies further to
When a species restoration project has increased the population of a species by an amount that is much larger than the original population (and ) and no comparable increases in the population of that species have occurred elsewhere, then the species' current population is nearly identical to the increase of the population achieved. In this case, the formula above simplifies to
For use over large areas, approximations expressing BICs in terms of Range Size Rarity, Potentially Disappearing Fraction (PDF) of species, or combinations thereof are available. In particular, an organisation's global footprint in terms of BICs can be computed from PDF-based biodiversity footprints.
Interpretation
As a simple interpretation, the BIC metric measures the equivalent number of endangered species whose populations have been restored or (for negative BIC) the number of species that should be restored to achieve net zero biodiversity impact. This follows from above approximation that BIC = 1 for the restoration of a single threatened species.
However, the BIC metric goes beyond simply counting the number of threatened species that have been restored. It takes into account that decline or recovery of a species can be the result of many small impacts by different actors and attributes both positive and negative credits accordingly. Specifically, it is constructed such that, according to a simple model, BIC > 0 implies that the underlying intervention or combination of interventions leads to a reduction of mean long-term global species extinction risk for the taxonomic or functional group considered. According to the same model, a perfect market for BICs would lead to near-optimal allocation of resources to long-term species conservation.
Compatibility with other standards
The BIC metric aligns with other globally-recognised biodiversity measures such as the Range Size Rarity, the Species Threat Abatement and Recovery Metric (START) by IUCN/TNFD, and the Ecosystem Damage Metric underlying the Biodiversity Footprint for Financial Institutions (BFFI).
Biodiversity Impact Credits in practice
Rationale
The search for standardised systems to quantify biodiversity impacts has gained momentum in light of the accelerating rates of biodiversity loss worldwide. Traditional biodiversity conservation efforts can lack scalability and are hard to measure: Improving one area of land or river has a different impact on local biodiversity from improving another, so their impacts are difficult to compare. BICs were developed with the aim to simplify assessments of biodiversity change by focusing on reducing species' extinction risks. The 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference emphasised the importance of global collaboration to halt biodiversity loss, marking the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). BICs are designed to address Target 4 of this framework ("to halt extinction of known threatened species ... and significantly reduce extinction risk" and Target 15: "[Take measures] to ensure that large transnational companies and financial institutions [...] transparently disclose their risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity ... in order to progressively reduce negative impacts."
The Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures via their LEAP methodology recommends use of BICs to quantify impacts on species extinction risk in version 1.1 of their disclosure recommendations. The BIC methodology was one of four recognised metrics for assessing extinction risk.
Trees are at the base of the ecological pyramid. Countless species rely on native trees for survival, including fungi, lichen, insects, birds and other vertebrates. Repopulating native tree species improves local biodiversity, helps prevents soil erosion, conserves water and helps cools the planet as well as being a carbon store.
BGCI developed the GlobalTreeSearch database which is the only comprehensive, geo-referenced list of all the world's c.60,000 tree species. Working with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) they then produced the Global Tree Assessment which concluded that more than 17,500 tree species (c.30%) are threatened with extinction. Finally, BGCI's Global Tree Conservation Program is the only global programme dedicated to saving the world's threatened tree species. Even before BICs were are launched, over 400 rare and threatened tree species had already been conserved in over 50 countries.
Implementation
One of the critical components of the BIC system is that it is being driven by conservation organisations like BGCI and their international network of members, and backed by theoretical analyses by several Queen Mary University London academics. These organisations provide the practical know-how and decades of experience in species conservation, focusing particularly on native trees which play a pivotal role in local ecosystems. BGCI is now mediating issuance of transferable BIC certificates to organisations who sponsor tree conservation projects by BGCI member organisations. The BIC system has been designed for easy adoption and scalability. This is crucial for engaging financial institutions and other large corporations that require streamlined, global, comparable, and straightforward metrics to set their sustainability goals. BGCI unveiled their Global Biodiversity Standard at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference – a global biodiversity accreditation framework. BICs are due to be formally launched in early 2024.
Critique
Biodiversity credits have been criticised by some who say that putting a monetary value on nature is wrong or regard it as impossible because of the complexity of biodiversity. Others say that they are always bought to offset damage to nature.
Biodiversity credits have also been criticised as a way for companies to make false sustainability claims, a practice called greenwashing.
Since February 2024, a Biodiversity Net Gain policy has been in place in England. Under this policy, developers must buy biodiversity credits from the government as a last resort if they cannot achieve net gain in biodiversity in other ways. It is not yet known how successful these requirements for builders to compensate for nature loss will be.
See also
Biodiversity offsetting
Biodiversity banking
References
Biodiversity
Climate change
Credit
Queen Mary University of London | Biodiversity Impact Credit | [
"Biology"
] | 1,664 | [
"Biodiversity"
] |
69,887,805 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather%20of%202004 | The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2004. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. The deadliest disaster was Hurricane Jeanne, which killed more than 3,000 people when it struck Hispaniola, mostly in Haiti. This was just four months after flooding in Hispaniola killed 2,665 people. Jeanne was also the fourth hurricane to strike the United States in the year, following Charley, Frances, and Ivan. Ivan was the costliest natural disaster of the year, causing US$26.1 billion in damage in the Caribbean and the United States.
Winter storms and cold waves
In February, a snow storm dropped significant snowfall across eastern Canada.
In December, a snow storm killed 18 people and left US$800 million in damage.
Another winter storm produced snowfall in Texas and extreme northern Mexico, causing the first ever recorded White Christmas for some areas.
Droughts, heat waves, and wildfires
Alaska's wildfire season was the worst on record in the state in terms of area burned. In California, there were 7,898 fires that burned of land.
In July, Tokyo, Japan recorded its highest-ever temperature – 39.5 C (103.1 F).
Floods
In May, flooding in Hispaniola killed 2,665 people.
Floods affected Japan in July, causing US$1.95 billion in damage and 20 deaths.
Tornadoes
During the year, there was a record-high total of 1,817 tornadoes in the United States alone, collectively resulting in 35 deaths. This included an outbreak related to Hurricane Ivan, which resulted in 120 tornadoes, the most ever related to a tropical cyclone.
In addition to the United States tornadoes, a powerful tornado struck portions of North-Central Bangladesh in April, killing 111 and injuring nearly 1,500 others. Seven people were killed and 207 injured by a tornado that appeared on the evening of April 21 in Hengyang, Hunan, China.
Tropical cyclones
As the year began, Cyclone Heta was developing near Fiji, and a few days later, it devastated the South Pacific nation of Niue, resulting in damage equivalent to 25% of its gross domestic product (GDP). Also as the year began, Tropical Storm Darius was approaching Mauritius in the south-west Indian Ocean. Throughout 2004, a further 18 tropical cyclones developed in the south-west Indian Ocean, which included Cyclone Gafilo, the most intense tropical cyclone on record in that part of the world. In March, Gafilo struck Madagascar near peak intensity, killing 363 people. A month prior to Gafilo, Cyclone Elita moved across the same country for the third time, dropping heavy rainfall that led to 33 deaths. In the Australian region, there were 14 tropical cyclones throughout the year, including Tropical Cyclone Raymond which lasted into early January 2005. The South Pacific Ocean had 15 tropical cyclones after Heta, most of them weak.
In addition to the previous tropical cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere, there was an unusual South Atlantic tropical cyclone named Cyclone Catarina, which became the first-ever recorded hurricane off the coast of Brazil. The body of water was previously thought to be hostile to the formation of tropical cyclones. Catarina caused about US$425 million in damage and 12 fatalities.
In the Northern Hemisphere, a record ten typhoons struck Japan, part of the active typhoon season, collectively causing 214 fatalities. Among the typhoons was Typhoon Songda, which left an estimated US$12.5 billion in damage. There was a series of tropical cyclones affecting the Philippines in a two-week period from November to early December, resulting in 1,762 deaths. In the north-east Pacific Ocean, there were 17 tropical cyclones, most of which remained away from land. In the North Indian Ocean, there were nine tropical cyclones, with the practice of naming storms beginning in October. The season included a deadly cyclone in Myanmar that killed 236 people, and a depression that killed 273 people in India.
In the north Atlantic Ocean, there were 16 tropical cyclones, most of which affected land in the Caribbean or the United States. Four hurricanes – Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne – affected Florida in a six-week period, the most to affect the state in a year. Charley left US$16.9 billion in damage when it hit Cuba and Florida. Damage from Frances was estimated at US$9.8 billion. Ivan was the season's strongest, killing 92 people and causing US$26.1 billion in damage in the Caribbean and the United States. Jeanne struck Hispaniola, causing 3,029 deaths on the island, mostly in Haiti, and later caused US$7.5 billion in damage in the United States.
References
Weather by year
Weather-related lists
2004-related lists | Weather of 2004 | [
"Physics"
] | 993 | [
"Weather",
"Physical phenomena",
"Weather by year",
"Weather-related lists"
] |
69,888,968 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm%20Ostwald%20Institute | The Wilhelm Ostwald Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Leipzig, located at Linnéstraße 2 in Leipzig, is the oldest physical chemistry institute in Germany. It is one of seven institutes of the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy of the University of Leipzig. The institute was ceremoniously inaugurated in 1898 by its first director, Nobel Prize winner Wilhelm Ostwald, and has borne the official name "Wilhelm Ostwald Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry" since 1998.
The institute building
Foundation and first years
As early as 1870, the Ministry of Culture and Public Education in Dresden had made an appointment for the then young field of physical chemistry. Gustav Wiedemann accepted the first professorship for physical chemistry in Leipzig in 1871 and, during this time, led the first "Physical-Chemical Laboratory". On October 25, 2021, the 150th anniversary celebration took place in Leipzig.
Wilhelm Ostwald took over this professorship in 1887, while Wiedemann accepted the position to become the chair of physics.
From 1887, the so-called "Second-Chemical Laboratory" under the direction of Wilhelm Ostwald at Brüderstr. 34 in Leipzig had become an internationally important center for physical chemistry. However, the premises could no longer meet this demand.
For this reason, the Saxon Parliament granted 360,000 marks for the construction of a new institute in February 1896. Construction began immediately and as a result, teaching and research could begin as early as the winter semester of 1897.
On January 3, 1898, the newly built Physical-Chemical Institute was inaugurated. On the occasion of the ceremonial opening, Wilhelm Ostwald gave a keynote lecture and several important physicists and chemists at the time took part in the celebration, including Max Planck, Ernst Otto Beckmann and Max Le Blanc. The U-shaped building had been furnished according to the most modern standards of the time: In the basement there was a large and a small battery, on the 1st floor there was a large workroom and equipment rooms, and on the 2nd floor there were two lecture halls (with 140 and 42 seats, respectively). In the attic there was a geological collection. There was also a director's apartment, located in the middle of the institute building and connected to the rest of the building by a corridor.
The old premises in the Brüderstraße were transferred to Ernst Otto Beckmann, for the establishment of a new professorship for applied chemistry.
Max Le Blanc succeeded Ostwald as director in 1906 and made alterations to the building to provide more space especially for electrochemical and photochemical research.
World War II destruction and reconstruction
During the great air raid on Leipzig on December 4, 1943 (during World War II), the institute building was destroyed by incendiary bombs. The south wing was particularly badly hit.
The reconstruction of the north wing and parts of the central building were completed in 1951/52 so that work could be resumed. The institute now had a lecture hall (136 seats), three practical rooms and 24 laboratories. The workshop, collections and administrative rooms could also be used again.
At the beginning of the 1990s, the central building and the north wing (including renovation of the lecture hall) were completely refurbished and, in the course of this, the institute was also connected to the municipal district heating supply; until then, the institute operated its own hot water supply.
Research, people and structures of the institute
Between 1887 and 1898
Wilhelm Ostwald was appointed professor at the University of Leipzig in 1887 and took up this post in October of the same year. He thus took over the so-called "Second Chemical Laboratory" at Brüderstraße 34 from Gustav Wiedemann. The laboratory was divided into three departments "Physical-Chemical Department", "Analytical Department" and "Pharmaceutical Department". At this time, the laboratory was not yet a purely "physico-chemical" institute, but had a more diverse structure and was also responsible, for example, for the basic training of chemists, just as there were teaching activities for pharmacists and high school teachers.
Research at the end of the 19th century included in particular the theory of solutions, electrical conductivity, the dissociation of acids and bases, determination of molecular weights, theory of contact potentials, theory of electrical chains, polarization, internal friction, diffusion, and the optical, thermal, and volume relationships in chemical reactions.
Ostwald's dilution law was also published at this laboratory in 1888, after Ostwald had made conductivity measurements of various acids.
Svante Arrhenius had already been a collaborator of Ostwald in Riga and followed him to Leipzig as an assistant in 1888. Arrhenius conducted research in Leipzig until 1891, and in 1903 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his theory of electrolytic dissociation. The development of the Arrhenius equation dates from his time in Leipzig.
Walther Nernst accepted an invitation from Ostwald to come to Leipzig to write his habilitation thesis. He successfully completed the thesis on „Die elektromotorische Wirksamkeit der Jonen" ("The Electromotive Effectiveness of Jons") in 1889. In his habilitation, Nernst published the Nernst equation named after him. Nernst received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the year 1920 as "recognition for his thermochemical work."
Julius Wagner was responsible for the analytical department between 1887 and 1897. Together with Ostwald, he developed a new didactics of the subject, gave lectures and designed new experiments for chemistry classes. In 1901, he was appointed the first professor of chemistry didactics in Germany.
Between 1898 and 1933
Wilhelm Ostwald was at the height of his research at the time the institute was founded. Around 1900, he devoted himself in particular to experimental investigations on catalysis and chemical kinetics. In addition, time as an experimental quantity came into focus and with it the beginning of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. He also explored nitric acid production by oxidation of ammonia on a platinum contact and the direct recovery of ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen, together with Eberhard Brauer. Detailed lists of publications from this period are provided, for example, in the book "Physikalische Chemie in Leipzig" by Ulf Messow and Konrad Krause. Ostwald left the institute in 1906 after disagreements with the university administration.
Under Ostwald, practical research was carried out at the institute and some apparatus and measuring equipment was built or developed - for example, Ostwald's Urthermostat for controlling temperature and pycnometer for measuring liquid density. In addition, measurements of conductivity, voltage of elements, measurements of viscosity and surface tension were carried out and corresponding apparatuses were refined. The university mechanic Fritz Köhler founded his company on this basis and built these devices for the laboratories independently. Ostwald arranged for his students to complete a practical course in equipment development in this company, which more than 100 students took advantage of.
Max Le Blanc succeeded Ostwald as director. Le Blanc was Ostwald's assistant from 1890 to 1896 and habilitated in Leipzig in 1891 with his first studies on decomposition voltage. He held the post of director for 27 years, the longest anyone has ever held this position. At this time, he was also secretary of the Saxon Academy of Sciences, also longer than anyone else.
During his time, Le Blanc introduced the oscillograph as a measuring instrument of electrochemistry, and continued his work on measuring rapid potential changes on electrodes. He established the following departments including professorships: Photochemical Department, Chemical Department, Physical Chemical Department and Colloid Chemical Department. In addition, there were electrochemical exercises and exercises on catalysis.
Between 1933 and 1947
After Max Le Blanc's retirement, Wilhelm Carl Böttger succeeded him as director on a provisional basis for one year. However, the temporary succession was extended because Johannes Stark (President of the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt and Chairman of the Notgemeinschaft der deutschen Wissenschaft) wanted to impose Wolfgang Ostwald (the son of Wilhelm Ostwald) as director - against the faculty's wish to appoint Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer.
On November 1, 1934, Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer was finally appointed as the chair of physical chemistry. He remained director of the institute until 1947. Bonhoeffer's research during this time focused on the labeling of atoms in biochemical processes with deuterium and on the reaction kinetics of gases and processes at electrode surfaces. Wolfgang Ostwald accepted the position of chair in colloid chemistry starting in 1935.
Bonhoeffer retained Le Blanc's structure of dividing the institute into departments. However, the "Analytical Department" was renamed the "Department of Applied Physical Chemistry" after Prof. Böttger retired in 1938. During the time of the 'Drittes Reich' (Nazi Germany), Bonhoeffer retained his position as director, although his entire family worked against the Nazis and despite the threat of arrest on several occasions. One of Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer's younger brothers was the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. From 1941 onwards, all of the Institute's research was directed towards wartime research, and research commissions came directly from the War Ministry. Since the orders were subject to secrecy, quite little is known to this day about the research of this period. The Institute (and several surrounding buildings) were destroyed in air raids on December 4, 1943, and several following. All chemists then moved back to the original building at Brüderstraße 34. In June 1945, many professors of natural sciences from Leipzig were taken to Western Germany by the American occupiers. Bonhoeffer was able to escape this and remained director of the Physical-Chemical Institute until 1947. The Soviet Military Administration in Germany (SMAD) approved the reopening of the university for February 5, 1946. The faculty of the University of Leipzig shrank from 187 professors to 44 between May 8, 1945, and the reopening - due to denazification, compulsory service in the Soviet Union, and the like. Some chemists were also among them: Of previously 4 professors, only Bonhoeffer and one of the assistants remained in Leipzig after the war. Especially chemists who were familiar with the production and handling of heavy water as this was of great interest in the Soviet Union. From 1946, some operations at the institute could be resumed, work begun during the war could be continued in part, and three doctoral students defended their dissertations in the same year.
Between 1947 and 1968
Bonhoeffer was followed by Herbert Staude as director of the institute from 1947 to 1959. He had studied in Leipzig himself, had been an assistant to Max Le Blanc between 1925 and 1931, and now returned to Leipzig after several other positions. As director, he also oversaw the construction of the north wing of the Physico-Chemical Institute at Linnéstraße 2, in which he was particularly supported by the janitor of the time, Max Schädlich. From 1952, the institute had a lecture hall with 136 seats, three practical rooms, 24 laboratories, as well as a workshop and administrative rooms. In 1959, the institute again had 41 employees, 18 of whom were scientists. Research at this time was mainly concerned with photochemistry (e.g. the photochemical properties of silver halides and other light-sensitive substances), thermochemistry (e.g. thermodynamic functions of inorganic substances or heats of mixing in liquid systems), electrochemistry (especially electrode processes), colloid chemistry and X-ray spectroscopy. Studies of exchange adsorption were carried out in an affiliated department.
During this time, there were repeated "Republikflucht" to West Germany. As a result, there were numerous interrogations, accusations and even arrests at the institute. It is believed that for this reason, the director Herbert Staude did not return to Leipzig from a conference in Austria in 1959. He found employment (later professorship) in Frankfurt am Main (West Germany) a little later.
He was succeeded in Leipzig in 1960 by Gerhard Geiseler, whose practical experience in industry also shaped the research focus at the institute. He had habilitated in Leipzig in 1955, and then received a chair in physical chemistry in 1960. During his time, there were research groups on kinetics, thermodynamics and molecular spectroscopy, and the two groups on electrochemistry and X-ray spectroscopy also remained. In 1965, Prof. Armin Meisel's "X-ray spectroscopy" group organized an international conference entitled "X-ray spectra and chemical bonding", which was held frequently in the following years. During Geiseler's years, the work at the institute was strongly oriented towards experiments, for which a wide variety of apparatus was developed, built and operated. This required close cooperation with the workshops.
Between 1968 and 1991
Right at the beginning of the GDR period, the universities were to be transformed from "civil universities" into state-controlled and organized universities. There were the so-called university reforms, carried out by the State Secretariat for Higher and Technical Education. In the course of the reforms, the State Secretariat significantly changed the content and structure of the universities, which of course also affected the Physico-Chemical Institute in Leipzig.
On June 15, 1968 (after the III. University Reform), the Chemistry Section was established and the Institutes of Chemistry were dissolved, making Geiseler the last director of the Physico-Chemical Institute since Wilhelm Ostwald. The aim of this introduction of sections was, on the one hand, to create conditions for more easily feasible interdisciplinary cooperation, and on the other hand, to create clear hierarchies so that the universities could be more easily supervised. The sections each had a section director, who in turn reported directly to the director of the university. The first section director of chemistry was Prof. Siegfried Hauptmann (1968–1972). During this time, the study program was very research-oriented and practical, which was further supported by mandatory company internships.
From 1981 onwards, the original 14 research groups of the Chemistry Section were concentrated into 8 scientific areas. Research topics were, for example, modern evaluation methods of X-ray spectroscopy, characterization of zeolites or also processing of raw lignite, catalytic high-pressure hydrogenation and extraction of gasification fuels.
Foundation of the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy
After the German reunification, a new section director was elected: Prof. Cornelius Weiss, who, however, held this post only until he took up his position as Rector of the University of Leipzig from 1.11.1990 to 4.3.1991. He was succeeded in the post by his deputy, Prof. Horst Wilde. From this time on, instead of the term "Section", the term "Department" was introduced, which had already been in use before the GDR period. The Department of Chemistry belonged to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and was divided into 7 scientific sections plus a department for the methodology of chemistry teaching. Exactly 584 years after the official opening of the University of Leipzig in 1409, on December 2, 1993, there was a return to the structures that existed before the university reforms of GDR times. 64 institutes were created at the University of Leipzig.
As of 1993, the Department of Chemistry consisted of eight institutes, including the Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry. This was founded on 2.12.1993, the first director was Prof. Konrad Quitzsch. At that time, the institute consisted of 6 professors, 31 employees and 26 externally funded staff.
These institutes and the area of chemistry didactics together formed the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy - the founding document for this dates from January 14, 1994. The first dean of the newly founded Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy was Prof. Dr. Joachim Reinhold, Vice Dean was Prof. Dr. Lothar Beyer and Dean of Studies Prof. Dr. Horst Wilde.
The Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry has borne the official name "Wilhelm Ostwald Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry" since the 1998 celebrations of the 100th anniversary of its inauguration in 1898.
Research between 1990 and 2018
After the election of Peter Bräuer as head of the scientific division (in german „Wissenschaftsbereich", WB) "Physical Chemistry" in October 1990, three new research groups (in german „Forschungsgruppe", FG) were formed within this WB (later this term was replaced by "working group" (in german „Arbeitssgruppe", AG)):
The FG "Physical Chemistry of Interfaces" was headed by Peter Bräuer and J. Hoffmann. They did research on porous solids and their use for mass transfer processes. Thermodynamic, kinetic, molecular spectroscopic and molecular theoretical methods were used. In 1993, the FG was renamed to "Interfacial Thermodynamics and Kinetics / Adsorbate Structure" and at the same time took up the WG "Molecular Spectroscopy". From 1994 H. Böhlig took over the leadership of the group, which was dissolved in 1998.
The FG "Thermodynamics" was headed by Konrad Quitzsch. The research of the FG was concerned with the physicochemical characterization of surfactant systems and micellar structures and microemulsions with simultaneous treatment of phase equilibria. In addition, the staff of this FG dealt with liquid-vapor equilibria, interfacial properties, and pollutant removal issues. After reunification, the FG placed great emphasis on presenting its research in the "old" German states and internationally and on entering into cooperative ventures.
The FG "Electron and X-ray Spectroscopy" was first headed by Armin Meisel, then from 1991 by Rüdiger Szargan. The FG benefited greatly from the opening to the West, for example, thanks to support from the state, federal and EU (with their funding instruments BMBF, DFG and DAAD), lecture invitations from abroad, collaborations on synchrotron radiation with laboratories worldwide and the like could be implemented. Numerous new instruments were also acquired, including the still-operating ESCALAB 220iXL photoelectron spectrometer, an IM5d electrochemical impedance measurement system, and an ASAP 2010 volumetric gas adsorption system. The group was primarily involved in spectroscopy, electron diffraction, and scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy.
Overall, the entire scientific field of physical chemistry benefited greatly from the opening after the GDR era with generous funding, and the removal of travel restrictions. This made publications in internationally respected journals possible, as well as international collaborations and invitations to lecture.
From 1993, the department of "Theoretical Chemistry" also belonged to the institute, which Joachim Reinhold headed from 1991. From 1992, two professorships for Theoretical Chemistry were created, of which Reinhold held one. His research, at this time, dealt for example with the topics: Electronic and geometric structures, stability and reactivity of single- and multinuclear coordination compounds, mechanisms of reactions at transition metal centers, and investigation of the properties of adsorbate complexes of molecules on surfaces. In addition, the FG conducted research on topics such as: Energy spectra and magnetic properties of 1D and 2D molecular ensembles of extended aromatic hydrocarbons with defects or on ternary and quaternary A(III)-B(V) semiconductor solid solutions.
The second professorship formally created in 1992 was occupied by Cornelius Weiss. Since he was rector of the University of Leipzig from 1991, this professorship contributed little to research or teaching activities at the institute.
After the retirement of Konrad Quitzsch in 1998, the institute was divided into the three working groups Physical Chemistry I, Physical Chemistry II and Theoretical Chemistry.
The professorship Physical Chemistry I was held by Harald Morgner from 1999. His main field of work was the investigation of liquid surfaces with methods of vacuum-assisted surface analysis. Through the work in this group, Gibb's equation could be used for the first time to determine the chemical potential of surfactants as a function of their concentration without model assumptions. A new structural description of the surfaces of solutions was also found, which is useful for computer simulation of liquids, for example. The experimental methods were later applied not only to the surfaces of solutions, but also to study other soft matter systems. In March 2014, the professorship was filled by Knut R. Asmis, who became director of the Wilhelm Ostwald Institute from 2015 to 2020.
The Physical Chemistry II group was headed by Prof. Rüdiger Szargan until 2006. In this group, work on electron and X-ray spectroscopy and surface analysis was continued. Various projects brought, for example, new instrumental possibilities for electron evaporation, new techniques for scanning microscopy and insights into adsorption. Electrochemical and enzymatic reactions at laterally structured semiconductor surfaces and interfaces in electrolyte were also explored. In 2001, the institute received a new photoelectron spectrometer, which brought success in the field of spectroscopic surface research, for example, clarifying aspects of charge transport in semiconductor heterostructures with band discontinuities. In 2007, the professorship was filled by Reinhard Denecke.
The professorship for Theoretical Chemistry was held by Joachim Reinhold until his retirement in 2006. After her appointment to the professorship of Theoretical Chemistry, Barbara Kirchner took over the leadership of this research group in 2007. From 2007 onwards, a methodological reorientation towards first-principles simulations took place. The aim of the research was the development, provision and application of a theoretical chemistry laboratory with which theoretical investigations of chemically complex systems can be carried out. Computers are used to describe microscopic sequences of chemical processes in oversized systems and in condensed phase. The research area combines traditional molecular dynamics with first-principles quantum chemistry.
From 2015 to 2018, Thomas Heine held the professorship of Theoretical Chemistry. In his research group, research was conducted on a wide variety of topics. An important focus was method development, i.e., the development of "computational tools" to describe chemical and physical phenomena at the atomic level. Another central research topic was theoretical studies of ultrathin materials, which should enable simplified fabrication of circuits and other complex structures by tailored 2D layers, as well as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which among other things show high potential as quantum sieves, for catalysis, as sensors, and as proton and electrical conductors. Furthermore, the Heine group was involved in the development of the density-functional-based tight-binding (DFTB) theory. Professor Heine moved to the TU Dresden in 2018. After Heine's appointment at TU Dresden, the professorship for Theoretical Chemistry was not filled again until March 2020, in the meantime Carsten Baldauf from the Fritz - Haber - Institute in Berlin had a corresponding teaching assignment.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 1990s, the AG of Prof. O. Brede at the Academy of Sciences of the GDR was transferred to an external Max Planck Group in Leipzig on the "Campus Permoserstrasse 15", which was financed by the Max Planck Society until 2007. After the retirement of Prof. O. Brede, a new professorship for reaction dynamics was created at the Wilhelm Ostwald Institute and filled by Prof. Bernd Abel, who previously researched and taught in Göttingen. Between 2010 and 2015, Prof. Abel served as Institute Director of the Wilhelm Ostwald Institute. From 2012, Prof. Abel then also served as department head and deputy director at the Leibniz Institute for Surface Modification (IOM) in a joint appointment between the University of Leipzig and IOM. During this time, he also accepted the professorship for Technical Chemistry of Polymers (Technical Chemistry).
Notable conferences
1993: "Bunsentagung", 92nd General Meeting of the German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry.
1994: "European Conference on Surface Science", ECOSS 14
1994: Annual Meeting of the Society for Thermal Analysis, GEFTA'94, incl. opening lecture by K. Quitzsch
2000: Conference "Applied Surface Analysis", AOFA 12
2012: 111th General Meeting of the German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry e.V. on the topic "Ionic Liquids" (organization: B. Abel et al.)
Current research
Currently, there are five working groups at the Wilhelm Ostwald Institute. Prof. Reinhard Denecke is the institute's current director, since 2019.
The working group led by Prof. Reinhard Denecke focuses on the investigation of surfaces in order to answer questions in research fields such as heterogeneous catalysis and the interaction of molecules at interfaces. Electron- and X-ray spectroscopy are used for this purpose. Potential applications include rational designs of absorbents or the conversion of biomass to fuel, where catalysts are used to ensure high energy efficiency.
The research group led by Prof. Bernd Abel focuses on topics in the field of molecular physical chemistry and on materials and methods for sensor and energy applications. In doing so, the AG uses and develops new analytical methods of spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and microscopy with its cooperation partners. The activities also have the purpose of gaining fundamental knowledge about matter and materials in order to then transfer these to industry for sensor and energy applications. Between 2012 and 2021, the Functional Surfaces Department (Head: Prof. Abel) at the Leibniz Institute for Surface Modification (IOM) focused on the research and development of sensory, responsive and functional interfaces of matter in current and future fields of application and action. As of April 2022, Bernd Abel is no longer a member of WOI and IOM, but has moved to the Institute of Technical Chemistry at the University of Leipzig.
The research group of Prof. Knut Asmis investigates isolated, nanoscale particles in the gas phase with the aim of closing the knowledge gap between the gas phase and condensed matter. Therefore, methods for characterizing the structure, reactivity, and dynamics of clusters, nanoparticles, and fluid interfaces are developed and improved using state-of-the-art mass spectrometric and laser spectroscopic techniques. A particular interest is the study of nuclear quantum effects of hydrogen isotopes, ion solvation, spectroscopic characterization of strong hydrogen bonds, proton transport through hydrogen-bridged networks, deciphering the active species in heterogeneous catalysis, and an atomic understanding of the extraordinary properties of boron-containing compounds.
The research group of Prof. Ralf Tonner-Zech deals with molecular concepts of chemical bonds and their reactivity in order to apply them to material science questions by studying atomic and electronic structures. For this purpose, primarily density functional theory methods are used, but also wave function based methods. The goal is to develop and improve materials with individually desired properties.
The junior research group led by Dr. Jonas Warneke conducts research on the chemistry of highly reactive molecular fragment ions. The aim is to use charged molecules and their fragments, which are generated in a mass spectrometer, for the synthesis of new molecules and condensed matter. For this purpose, gaseous ions are landed on surfaces and accumulated. The development of fundamentally new methods of chemical bond formation and the preparation of new layered materials on surfaces with potential applications in catalysis, electrochemistry, and nanostructuring on surfaces are the goal. Dr. Warneke is also the head of the Laboratory for Molecular Ion Deposition at the IOM in Leipzig. In March 2022, he was awarded the prestigious Heinz Maier - Leibniz Prize by the DFG. The prize is considered the most important award in Germany for scientists in early career phases and is endowed with 20,000 euros. The award ceremony took place on 3 May 2022 in Berlin. Warneke received it for his work on superelectrophilic anions, the further development of the "ion soft landing" method, which laid the foundation for his discovery of self-assembling layers, and the material synthesis with molecular fragment ions that he developed.
Participation in collaborative projects
The research groups Asmis, Warneke, Tonner and Abel are involved in the Research Training Group 123H.
The research groups Abel and Warneke are part of the Collaborative Research Center TRR102 "Polymers under Multiple Constraints".
The Denecke working group was part of the SFB 762 "Functionality of oxide interfaces" from 2008 to 2019.
Directors
Wilhelm Ostwald (1897 – 1906)
Max Le Blanc (1906 – 1933)
Wilhelm Carl Böttger (1933 – 1934)
Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer (1934 – 1947)
Herbert Staude (1947 – 1959)
Gerhard Geiseler (1960 – 1968)
Between 1968 and 1991 the institute was a part of the chemistry section of the University of Leipzig, the directors of this section did not all come from physical chemistry.
From 1991 the term "section" was replaced by "department". From 1993 the institute existed independently again. Since that time the institute directors were elected and took over the post in an executive capacity for a limited period of time.
Konrad Quitzsch (1993 – 1998)
Joachim Reinhold (1998–2002)
Rüdiger Szargan (2003 – 2006)
Harald Morgner (2006 – 2010)
Bernd Abel (2010–2015)
Knut Asmis (2015–2019)
Reinhard Denecke (since 2019)
Awards
1909, Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Wilhelm Ostwald for his work on catalysis and studies on equilibrium conditions and reaction rates.
2018, Citations for Chemical Breakthrough Award from the American Chemical Society for the work of Svante Arrhenius on his Arrhenius equation, carried out and published at the Wilhelm Ostwald Institute in 1888/89.
2022, Heinz Maier - Leibniz - Prize from the German Research Foundation for Jonas Warneke for his work on superelectrophilic anions, the further development of the "Ion Soft Landing" method, which laid the foundation for his discovery on self-assembling layers, and the material synthesis with molecular fragment ions that he developed.
References
Further reading
Ulf Messow, Konrad Krause: Physikalische Chemie in Leipzig. Leipziger Universitätsverlag, Leipzig 1998, ISBN 3-931922-86-3
Lothar Beyer, Joachim Reinhold, Horst Wilde (Hrsg.): Chemie an der Universität Leipzig. Passage Verlag, Leipzig 2009, ISBN 978-3-938543-61-0
External links
Homepage of the Wilhelm-Ostwald-Institute at the University of Leipzig
Leipzig University
Chemical research institutes | Wilhelm Ostwald Institute | [
"Chemistry"
] | 6,358 | [
"Chemical research institutes"
] |
69,889,778 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurent%20Charlet | Laurent Charlet (born 1955 in Paris, France) is a French environmental molecular geochemist working at the Institute of Earth Science within the University of Grenoble-Alpes (France). In 2007, he was appointed Distinguished Professor to reflect his major scientific achievements. He holds several adjunct or affiliated positions at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (USA), the University of Swansea (Honorary Chair, UK) and the University of Waterloo (Canada). His research interests aim to advance our scientific knowledge for protecting our natural resources like healthy soils and clean water, using subsurface resources responsibly, and developing strategies for resilience in a changing world.
Early life and education
Laurent Charlet was born in Paris within a family of artists (painters, architects, sculptors). He attended a Montessori-like school (Ecole Alsacienne) where he was encouraged to develop an independent thinking. Through his parents, Dr. Charlet cultivated a strong interest for the humanities, his father's favorite field, but also for the science thanks to his mother, who was among the first women to earn an architecture DPLG diploma in France. Dr. Charlet studied at the most prestigious French institutions for his high school and bachelor-lie degree in mathematics and biology (Louis Le Grand, Saint Louis and Henri IV). Later on, he earned a Master in Agronomy Engineering at Agrocampus (Agronomy Institutes), with a specialization in Mediterranean and Desert Agronomy. Concomitantly, he kept practicing music & modern dance Because of his engineering training, Dr. Charlet has always kept a keen interest for working on environmental issues of worldwide societal and health importance, applying a molecular approach to decipher processes occurring at macro scale.
In 1981, Dr Charlet moved to California, USA with a 6-month scholarship at the University of California – Riverside to work under the supervision of Dr. Garrison Sposito. Fascinated by his experience, he decided to stay within the research group of Dr. Sposito to earn a M.S. and a Ph.D. in Soil and Environmental Sciences. His mentor, Dr. Garrison Sposito taught him how to conceptualize in a mathematic framework any natural process. His M.S research project examined the sorption of the CaCl+ ion pair on clay and its detrimental impact on soil stability in desert agriculture. His Ph.D. project focused on surface chemistry of Amazonia soils exposed to intensive agricultural stress.
In 1986, Dr. Charlet moved back to Europe to work as a postdoctoral research scholar at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Engineering (EAWAG) within Dr. Werner Stumm's research group. He completed a second postdoc at the University of Bern within Dr. Paul Schindler's research group. While living in Bern, Dr Charlet met and married Dr. Barbara Dehn, a German biologist. They have two children, Alvaro and Anaïs.
Scientific position and Awards
Full professor at the age of 35 while the European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF) synchrotron facility was under construction in Grenoble, Laurent Charlet work gained global spotlight by performing research at drastically different scales: (i) large scale multidisciplinary field investigations and (ii) molecular level investigations at synchrotron facilities with a special focus on the redox surface chemistry of nanoparticles, particularly for oxyanion trace elements and their importance in human health, origin of life and environmental safety.
In 2007 Dr. Charlet was awarded the CNRS Silver Medal for Excellence in Research. He was given visiting professor positions at UC-Berkeley (US), EPFL-Lausanne (Switzerland), and Uni. Utrecht (The Netherlands). Honorary member of the Institut Universitaire de France, he was for 10-years both Editor in Chief of Journal of Hydrology and International Research advisor to UGA Chancellor. He heads since 2018 the International Medical Geology Association French Chapter. He also interacts with archeologists and has been till 2009 member of the Lascaux UNESCO Heritage scientific committee.
Research Avenues
His research focuses on the chemical reactivity of (nano) particles, either natural (soil, sediment and water) or engineered (oncology, nanotechnology or environmental engineering). While continuing his life-long research on soil and deep underground storage issues regarding water quality, he is now collaborating with the medical community to investigate diseases induced by the presence of nanoparticles in the organism (e.g. podoconiosis) or develop treatments. His approach consists in examining trace elements and their speciation at the molecular level in a large variety of biological and environmental media.
Dr. Laurent Charlet's work is based on the development of advanced chemical concepts, methodology and instrumentation methods to investigate biological and geochemical processes governing the chemical speciation and impact on mobility, bioavailability and toxicity of trace elements (Se, As, Sb, Re, Hg) or organic molecules (antibiotics and other waste water treatment plants (WWTP) non treated contaminants) in heterogeneous chemistry. By combining field & toxicological measurements using spectroscopic (μXAFS, ESR, Mössbauer), neutron and X-Ray diffractometric techniques, he contributes to develop new concepts and new tools for the geochemical community working on water quality, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, environment risk assessment, or geomedicine.
• Mineral particles surface chemistry
Natural nanomaterial such as clays and oxides can store large amounts of major and trace elements (either bioessential or toxic). After many years investigating clays, calcite and Fe and Mn oxide surface chemistry, Dr. Laurent Charlet shifted his research focus on redox sensitive minerals such as magnetite, pyrite, mackinawite which structure which could have participated to the emergence of life. Examining the surface reactivity of such iron and manganese nanoparticles and pyrite−greigite nanocomposite when exposed to highly toxic contaminants present in water (e.g., Se, As, and Sb oxyanions) contributes to the development of new remediation and filtration techniques, but also to our understanding of particle toxicity.
• Cancer nanotherapeutics, nanotoxicity and trace element deficiency
Dr. Laurent Charlet's research aims to study both the impact of trace element deficiency on human health (e.g., impact of selenium deficiency on osteoarthrosis, thyroid cancer and Keshin Beck disease), and, conversely, the use of nanoparticles as therapeutic agents (e.g., in fighting ovarian and prostate cancer), where selenium nanoparticles were shown to play a direct role in histone methylation. Other nanomaterials to have a toxicity depending on their diameter (e.g., the silver nanowires to be used in display screens) or on the reactivity of surface iron atoms (e.g., in asbestos used for many years).
• Hydrogen, Water and Waste Geological Storage
Hydrogen. Efficient, large-scale, and long-duration energy storage for intermittent renewable energy sources is a critical unsolved problem for the expansion of carbon-free electricity. Underground hydrogen storage (UHS) coupled to reversible water splitting and hydrogen oxidation has the potential to play a significant role in grid-scale energy storage. Dr. Charlet has proposed an innovative approach to UHS, through the study of hydrogen on clay showing various water content, that will provide new opportunities for deployment of hydrogen storage and integration into energy and electricity systems.
Water. The Sponge City concept, popularized by Dr Yu Kongjian (Peking University), corresponds to future cities that do not act like an impermeable system, but allow water to filter through the ground, like a sponge absorbing rain water, particularly flash flood water (in dry areas) or water outflow from treatment plants (e.g. after reverse osmosis treatment in Los Angeles after 2035). Dr. Charlet contributes to this research by exploring the impact of natural contamination, their removal by passive filtration systems and the potential of bioremediation techniques that will allow the removal of emerging contaminants and the recharge urban aquifers with high quality waters. Dr. Charlet's research contributes also to the treatment of urban and industrial wastewater. Two major worldwide environmental issues are being investigated: (i) the immobilization by clay and biochars of antibiotics and other organics common organic micropollutants present in surface water not addressed by WWTP and (ii) the decontamination of phosphogypsum stack effluents.
Nuclear waste. The safety of radioactive waste geological storage remains a major challenge. Vitrified waste steel canisters will be stored either in a > 300 m thick clay rock, or in granite surrounded by a clay and concrete “near field” barrier. Dr. Charlet team has shown that radioactive oxyanions are sorbed on edge face of clay minerals and concrete component, leading via redox reaction to the immobilization of otherwise extremely mobile radionuclides such as 79Se and high valence 235,238U. In addition, iron sulfides, that both exist in granitic and claystone host rocks or are formed during canister during steel corrosion, are key actors in controlling the redox potential and inhibiting the transport of redox-sensitive radionuclides.
• Paleoenvironments and Archeology
Trace elements can be used as proxies to reconstruct environmental or human histories. Their geochemical signatures can be stored in natural archives or archeological artefacts. Dr. Charlet and his collaborators showed the impact of early Bronze Age and medieval metallurgy in the Alps and later the rise (and impact) of cement industry. He also showed how, depending on climate, well crystalline vs. granular calcite can respectively protect or obliterate prehistorical wall paintings.
Please see research details: .
Papers
As of January 2022, Laurent Charlet is co-author to 213 peer reviewed international journal papers, and another 200 publications of various types, with total 20,000 citations and an h-index of 75. They can be found at the ORCID .
MOOC and conferences
Laurent Charlet has emerged as a science communicator on the web, as he developed, together with Prof. R. Latmani at EPFL, an EdX-MOOC entitled: “Water Quality: the Bio-Geo-Chemical Engine”, given on line since 2019, and he gives regular lectures in China and USA.
Laurent Charlet presents regularly his work at geochemistry (Goldschmidt 2021), chemistry (ACS Fall 2021 and Spring 2022), ecological engineering (ACEER 21), food and nutrition (VirtualFood 22) and toxicology (Toxico 2022) international conferences, in Lyon, Atlanta, San Diego, Beijing, London and Barcelona respectively.
References
External links
Papers and publications
1955 births
Living people
French geochemists
Scientists from Paris | Laurent Charlet | [
"Chemistry"
] | 2,309 | [
"Geochemists",
"French geochemists"
] |
69,890,305 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhea%20fossilis | Rhea fossilis is an extinct species of bird in the genus Rhea that inhabited the Southern Cone of South America during the Neogene period. Its closest living relatives are the greater rhea and the lesser rhea.
Naming and discovery
Rhea fossilis is only known by a couple of fossils, a tibia and tarsometatarsus, discovered by Alcide Mercerat and Francisco Moreno in 1891. They were some of the first paleontologists to describe and catalogue the rhea fossil record. From the fossils found, he and Mercerat determined it to be a transitional species between the greater rhea and the lesser rhea. They also inferred it was the same size as modern-day rheas.
Paleoecology
Rhea fossilis is very similar to its extant relatives, albeit slighter more slender. It inhabited the grassland and scrub forest of the Pampas region of Argentina. During this time, the area was warmer and wetter than it is today. Like its living cousins that still inhabit the region today, it fed on broad-leaved plants, fruits, seeds, and small animals, such as lizards. Rhea fossilis would have likely been preyed upon by terror birds and other apex predators of the region.
References
Rheidae
Birds | Rhea fossilis | [
"Biology"
] | 249 | [
"Birds",
"Animals"
] |
69,890,623 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La%20Teja%20Refinery | The La Teja Refinery is the only oil refinery in Uruguay, and is located in the La Teja neighborhood in Montevideo. Owned by the national industry ANCAP, the refinery primarily produces light-grade oil products used for domestic industries. The refinery is connected to an oil terminal in the Port of Montevideo.
The refinery was first operated in 1937, and currently has a total capacity of approximately 50,000 barrels a day. , two-thirds of Uruguay's petroleum imports come from the United States, with a further 18% from neighboring Brazil.
Emissions
A 2011 study measured found SO2 emissions to be ~ 4×1017 molec cm−2 slant column density directly over the oil refinery, decreasing as the plume disperses and NO2 peaking at ~ 1×1016 molec cm−2.
Planned future
The refinery undergoes overhauls approximately every 4 years. The capacity of the refinery is scheduled to be upgrade in 2023 to better produce lightweight petroleum products with residual oil solvent extraction and solvent deasphalting.
Because of the energy transition in the country, where Uruguay had over 94% clean energy and the government has plans for a transition for other industries like transport, Minister of Environment Adrián Peña projected closing the refinery by 2035 to meet the zero emission goal set out in Uruguay Long Term Climate Strategy.
References
Oil refineries in Uruguay | La Teja Refinery | [
"Chemistry"
] | 271 | [
"Petroleum",
"Petroleum stubs"
] |
69,891,673 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/See%20Monster | See Monster (stylised in all capitals) was a temporary outdoor art installation in Weston-super-Mare, England. It was part of the nationwide arts festival Unboxed: Creativity in the UK and consisted of a converted decommissioned offshore platform featuring a garden and artworks that promoted sustainability.
Along with the wider Unboxed festival, the installation attracted some controversy. However, more than a million people engaged with it through visitation, related activities and various forms of media.
Development
Background
See Monster was originally a North Sea offshore platform and was one of ten works commissioned as part of Unboxed: Creativity in the UK, a nationwide arts festival based around science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The installation was located at the Tropicana, an events space and former lido that had previously hosted the Banksy art installation Dismaland in 2015. It was a work of the Leeds creative studio NewSubstance and was supported by North Somerset Council. It was expected to cost £10.5 million.
The intention of See Monster was to inspire people to discuss the sustainable reuse of industrial structures. Martin Green, chief creative officer of Unboxed, said that the installation would "take something that took from the earth and ask it to give back." The installation was purported to be the first example in the world of an offshore platform being repurposed after decommissioning, rather than scrapped.
Construction and opening
The 450-tonne platform was stripped, repaired and cleaned in a shipyard in the Netherlands over 12 months. It arrived in Weston-super-Mare by barge on 13 July 2022 and was moved onto the beach by a Mammoet self-propelled modular transporter. A 1,500-tonne crane lifted it onto a set of pre-constructed legs within the Tropicana on 16 July.
The opening had originally been planned for July to coincide with the summer holidays, but was ultimately delayed until 23 September. The delay was attributed to the unprecedented nature of the project and to the weather, with construction work being unable to take place during high winds, rain or lightning. A viewing platform opened on 15 August, allowing visitors to watch the construction. The installation was intended to be open until 5 November, but this was later extended to 20 November.
Overview
Installation
See Monster was tall and had four distinct levels. A waterfall representing the monster's roar cascaded into the pool in which the platform stood. Above this were the Cellar Deck, Garden Lab and Helideck. More than 6,000 pieces made up a shimmering kinetic artwork representing the monster's scales and a crane represented the monster's head and neck.
Other features included a garden of trees and plants grown to survive in a coastal microclimate, a cloud-making machine, an amphitheatre, telescopes to show the view and a curly slide. The installation's irrigation system was powered using renewable energy generated by the WindNest, an artwork by Trevor Lee comprising two rotating pods generating wind power, and the Solar Tree, comprising a solar panel mounted atop a metal tree generating solar power. There were also two kinetic sculptures by Ivan Black representing the Sun and Moon, as well as a studio from which radio programmes and podcasts were broadcast.
Programmes
In addition to the physical installation, there was a learning programme offering educational visits and resources to schoolchildren, young people, Scouts, youth groups and students and a think tank programme involving local residents.
Drone light shows
Prior to See Monster's opening, a series of three drone light shows called The Awakening took place on Weston-super-Mare seafront on 28 August, 30 August and 1 September 2022. They were performed by SkyMagic and involved 400 drones.
Reception
Reaction and controversy
Patrick O'Mahony, See Monster's creative director, expected that the installation would "split opinion" but remarked that he would "rather people love it or hate it rather than being indifferent" and that "there's nothing worse than doing something people have no reaction to." Charlotte Lytton, writing for The Telegraph, compared See Monster favourably to Dismaland and remarked, "even if its eco-message does not entirely cut through, this is the better end of public art: a supersized spectacle in equal parts immersive and unusual."
Julian Knight, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said that the installation looked "fantastic" but criticised the fact that the delay caused it to miss the summer holidays, questioned the relevance of it and the other Unboxed installations to the public and described the festival as an "irresponsible use of public money." The installation's delay was also criticised locally, although some suggested that the later opening had helped to prolong Weston-super-Mare's tourist season. Knight called for an investigation into the festival and the National Audit Office (NAO) subsequently announced that it would conduct one.
Audience engagement
Unboxed announced overall audience engagement of 1,087,646 for See Monster, including 512,261 through visitation, 87,211 through the learning programme and 5,852 through participation, as well as 394,822 through digital media, 67,500 through broadcast media and 20,000 through print media. North Somerset Council reported that 6,000 engaged with the think tank programme and an estimated 70,000 attended the drone light shows.
The installation was reported to have attracted visitors from across the country and from abroad, with some queuing for two to three hours to enter. See Monster's success provided an economic boost to Weston-super-Mare, with numerous local businesses reporting increased custom during its opening. Unboxed cited the installation's popularity as the reason for extending its opening. Some local residents called for it to remain permanently.
Accolades
On 30 May 2023, See Monster was the popular choice winner in the Pop-Ups & Temporary category in the 2023 Architizer A+Awards.
Decommissioning
Work to dismantle See Monster began on 21 November 2022 and was completed in early 2023. The structure was recycled, with some of the features being donated to local projects and the trees and plants being replanted around Weston-super-Mare. See Monster Garden, a public garden on Weston-super-Mare seafront featuring many of the trees and plants from the installation, and intended as a lasting legacy, opened on 24 July 2023.
References
External links
- video of arrival onto beach, and interview with creative director
Weston-super-Mare
Arts in Somerset
Public art in England
Oil platforms | See Monster | [
"Chemistry",
"Engineering"
] | 1,338 | [
"Oil platforms",
"Petroleum technology",
"Natural gas technology",
"Structural engineering"
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69,892,115 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy%20Thwaites | Guy Edward Thwaites (born 19 January 1971) is a British professor of infectious diseases at the University of Oxford, and director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. His focus is on severe bacterial infections, including meningitis and Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection, and tuberculosis. He is a former first-class cricketer.
Early life and education
Guy Thwaites was born in Brighton in January 1971, to cricketer and physician Ian Thwaites. He was educated at Eastbourne College, before going up to Girton College, Cambridge. There he completed his pre-clinical years before doing a year in art history. While studying at Cambridge, Thwaites played first-class cricket for Cambridge University Cricket Club in 1991 and 1992, making four appearances. He scored 68 runs in his four first-class matches at an average of 11.33, with a highest score of 32. Subsequently, he gained admission to study medicine at the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals, from where he graduated.
While a student, with a friend doing a history PhD, he came across the story of sudor anglicus, the mysterious English sweating sickness of the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1998, five years after the hantavirus outbreak in the US made headlines, and then working at St Thomas' Hospital, he co-authored a paper hypothesising that the mysterious medieval illness was very similar to that in the US and could have been hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. After discovering the grave of Henry Brandon, who he believed had been affected by the illness, he did not propose plans to exhume the body for DNA analysis.
Career
Thwaites trained in infectious diseases and microbiology at Brighton University, the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London. In Vietnam he was a Wellcome Trust Clinician Scientist Fellow and mentored by Nicholas White and Jeremy Farrar. After more than four years there he returned to London, and two years later joined the MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection at Imperial College, where he worked on the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. He was appointed consultant at Guy's and St Thomas' in 2011.
Thwaites was later appointed professor of infectious diseases at the University of Oxford, and focuses on severe bacterial infections, including meningitis and Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection, and tuberculosis. In 2013 he returned to Vietnam as director of the OUCRU, replacing Farrar. In January 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic he said "vaccination is the only long term strategy".
Honours
In 2018 he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in the UK. He holds honorary professorship at the MRC Clinical Trial Units at University College London. In 2021 he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to public health.
Selected publications
References
External links
Thwaites in Google Scholar
1971 births
Living people
Cricketers from Brighton
Medical doctors from Brighton
People educated at Eastbourne College
Alumni of Girton College, Cambridge
English cricketers
Cambridge University cricketers
English microbiologists
Academics of the University of Oxford
Vaccination advocates
Members of the Order of the British Empire
Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) | Guy Thwaites | [
"Biology"
] | 700 | [
"Vaccination",
"Vaccination advocates"
] |
69,892,631 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather%20of%202014 | The following is a list of weather events that occurred on Earth in the year 2014. There were several natural disasters around the world from various types of weather, including blizzards, cold waves, droughts, heat waves, tornadoes, and tropical cyclones. In September, floods in India and Pakistan killed 557 people. The costliest single event was Typhoon Rammasun, which killed 225 people and left over US$8 billion in damage when it moved through the Philippines, China, and Vietnam.
Winter storms and cold waves
A cold wave affected North America from January to April, causing US$5 billion in damage.
In January, Cyclone Christina, a European windstorm, caused three fatalities and €375 million in damage across western Europe.
In April, an avalanche on Mount Everest killed 16 people.
In November, a cold wave affected North America, and a series of winter storms killed 29 people.
Dubuque, Iowa had its coldest year on record in 2014.
Droughts, heat waves, and wildfires
In April, wildfires in Chile killed 15 people.
A heat wave affected Sweden in July and culminated in the country's largest wildfire in 40 years, causing one death.
Also in July, the Carlton Complex Fire became Washington's largest single wildfire.
Floods
In March, a landslide in the U.S. state of Washington killed 43 people.
In May, floods in southeast Europe killed at least 86 people, with damage estimated at €3.5 billion.
In June, floods affected Bulgaria, killing 16 people. Also in June, floods in Afghanistan killed 73 people. June floods in Western Canada caused over C$1 billion in damage.
In July, a period of heavy rainfall caused a landslide in western India that killed 151 people.
In August, heavy rainfall led to a landslide in Nepal, killing 156 people and blocking the Sunkoshi river to form an artificial lake in Sindhupalchok District. Also in the month, a landslide in Japan following heavy rainfall killed 74 people.
In September, flooding affected India and Pakistan, killing 557 people.
In October, monsoonal rainfall caused a landslide in Sri Lanka, killing 16 people.
In December, heavy rainfall in Indonesia caused a landslide on Java that killed 93 people.
Tornadoes
During the year, there were at least of 881 tornadoes in the United States alone, collectively resulting in 47 deaths. An outbreak in April killed 35 people and left over US$1 billion in damage.
In April, a tornado in Brazil killed one person. In July, tornadoes in Australia killed two people.
Tropical cyclones
As the year began, Cyclone Christine was dissipating over Western Australia, and Cyclone Bejisa was moving toward the Mascarene Islands in the south-west Indian Ocean. Throughout the year, a further 15 tropical cyclones developed or moved into the south-west Indian Ocean. Among these were Cyclone Hellen, which in April became one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded in the Mozambique Channel, with winds of 230 km/h (145 mph) and a barometric pressure of 925 mbar (hPa; 27.32 inHg). Hellen killed eight people along its path. In the Australian region, there were 16 tropical cyclones during the year following Cyclone Christine, including powerful Cyclone Gillian, which disrupted the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and Cyclone Ita, which left more than A$1.1 billion (US$1 billion) in damage in northeastern Australia. There were 19 tropical cyclones in the South Pacific, including powerful Cyclone Ian which moved near Tonga, killing one person. There were also two short-lived subtropical depressions in the South Atlantic Ocean.
In the northern hemisphere, activity began on 2 January when a depression formed near Sri Lanka. There were a further eight tropical cyclones to form in the year in the north Indian Ocean, including Cyclone Hudhud, a powerful cyclone that struck India in October. Hudhud left 219 billion (US$3.58 billion) in damage and killed 124 people, including 43 in Nepal related to snowstorms and avalanches. In the north-west Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Lingling formed on 10 January the first of 32 tropical cyclones to form in the basin that year. Lingling killed 70 people in the Philippines. The deadliest and costliest typhoon of the season was Typhoon Rammasun, which affected the Philippines, China, and Vietnam, causing 225 fatalities and over US$8 billion in damage. In the north-east Pacific Ocean, there were 23 tropical cyclones, including 16 hurricanes. The costliest Pacific hurricane in the year was Hurricane Odile, which struck the Baja California peninsula, with a damage total of MXN$16.6 billion (US$1.25 billion). The Atlantic hurricane season was quiet, with only nine tropical cyclones. Two hurricanes – Fay and Gonzalo – struck Bermuda within a one-week period. There was also a storm in the Mediterranean, Cyclone Qendresa, that had tropical characteristics, which killed three people in Italy and left over €200 million (US$250 million) in damage.
Other storms
In November, a hailstorm affected the Australian city of Brisbane, causing A$1.1 billion worth of damage.
References
Weather by year
Weather-related lists
2014-related lists | Weather of 2014 | [
"Physics"
] | 1,072 | [
"Weather",
"Physical phenomena",
"Weather by year",
"Weather-related lists"
] |
69,892,662 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning%20plasma | In plasma physics, a burning plasma is a plasma that is heated primarily by fusion reactions involving thermal plasma ions. The Sun and similar stars are a burning plasma, and in 2020 the National Ignition Facility achieved a burning plasma in the laboratory. A closely related concept is that of an ignited plasma, in which all of the heating comes from fusion reactions.
The Sun
The Sun and other main sequence stars are internally heated by fusion reactions involving hydrogen ions. The high temperatures needed to sustain fusion reactions are maintained by a self-heating process in which energy from the fusion reaction heats the thermal plasma ions via particle collisions. A plasma enters what scientists call the burning plasma regime when the self-heating power exceeds any external heating.
The Sun is a burning plasma that has reached fusion ignition, meaning the Sun's plasma temperature is maintained solely by energy released from fusion. The Sun has been burning hydrogen for 4.5 billion years and is about halfway through its life cycle.
Thermonuclear weapons
Thermonuclear weapons, also known as hydrogen bombs, are nuclear weapons that use energy released by a burning plasma's fusion reactions to produce part of their explosive yield. This is in contrast to pure-fission weapons, which produce all of their yield from a neutronic nuclear fission reaction. The first thermonuclear explosion, and thus the first man-made burning plasma, was the Ivy Mike test carried out by the United States in 1952. All high-yield nuclear weapons today are thermonuclear weapons.
The National Ignition Facility
In 2020, a burning plasma was created in the laboratory for the first time at the National Ignition Facility, a large laser-based inertial confinement fusion research device located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. NIF achieved a fully ignited plasma on August 8, 2021, and a scientific energy gain above one on December 5, 2022.
Tokamaks
Multiple tokamaks are currently under construction with the goal of becoming the first magnetically confined burning plasma experiment.
ITER, being built near Cadarache in France, has the stated goal of allowing fusion scientists and engineers to investigate the physics, engineering, and technologies associated with a self-heating plasma. Issues to be explored include understanding and controlling a strongly coupled, self-organized plasma; management of heat and particles that reach plasma-facing surfaces; demonstration of fuel breeding technology; and the physics of energetic particles. These issues are relevant to ITER's broader goal of using self-heating plasma reactions to become the first fusion energy device that produces more power than it consumes, a major step toward commercial fusion power production. To reach fusion-relevant temperatures, the ITER tokamak will heat plasmas using three methods: ohmic heating (running electric current through the plasma), neutral particle beam injection, and high-frequency electromagnetic radiation.
SPARC, being built in Devens in the United States, plans to verify the technology and physics required to build a power plant based on the ARC fusion power plant concept. SPARC is designed to achieve this with margin in excess of breakeven and may be capable of achieving up to 140 MW of fusion power for 10-second bursts despite its relatively compact size. SPARC's high-temperature superconductor magnet is intended to create much stronger magnetic fields, allowing it to be much smaller than similar tokamaks.
Symbolic implications
The NIF burning plasma, despite not occurring in an energy context, has been characterised as a major milestone in the race towards nuclear fusion power, with the perception that it could bring with it a better planet. The first controlled burning plasma has been characterized as a critical juncture on the same level as the Trinity Test, with enormous implications for fusion for energy (fusion power), including the weaponization of fusion power, mainly for electricity for directed-energy weapons, as well as fusion for peacebuilding – one of the main tasks of ITER.
References
Plasma types
Fusion power
Nuclear fusion
Stellar evolution | Burning plasma | [
"Physics",
"Chemistry"
] | 810 | [
"Plasma physics",
"Fusion power",
"Astrophysics",
"Stellar evolution",
"Nuclear physics",
"Nuclear fusion",
"Plasma types"
] |
69,894,582 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coniophora%20gelatinosa | Coniophora gelatinosa is a species of fungus belonging to the Coniophora genus. It was first documented in 1892 by English mycologist George Edward Massee under the name Aldridgea gelatinosa, and belonged to the Aldridgea genus. In 1908 it was renamed to Coniophora gelatinosa by English mycologist Worthington George Smith.
References
Coniophoraceae
Fungi described in 1892
Fungus species | Coniophora gelatinosa | [
"Biology"
] | 92 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
69,894,676 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldridgea%20ignatiana | Aldridgea ignatiana is the lone species of fungi belonging to the Aldridgea genus. It was documented in 1959 by Brazilian mycologist Johannes (João Evangelista) Rick.
References
Agaricomycetes
Enigmatic fungus taxa
Taxa named by Johannes Rick
Fungus species | Aldridgea ignatiana | [
"Biology"
] | 57 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
69,895,406 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish%20defective%20block%20crisis | The Irish defective block crisis affects several counties within the Republic of Ireland. To date the counties most severely impacted have been County Donegal and County Mayo, with other counties having fewer affected buildings. An expert committee established in 2016 by the then Minister of Housing and Urban Renewal investigated the causes in both County Donegal and County Mayo, and concluded that the principal cause of the damage was due to the use of defective concrete blocks. Within county Donegal this was originally termed the Mica scandal in 2011, which is the point at which homes and other buildings began showing signs of cracking and decay. The term "mica scandal" arose because the expert committee had observed that defective concrete blocks within County Donegal contained excessive quantities of the mineral mica liberated within the binder. Within County Mayo the expert committee concluded that the defective blocks were caused by internal sulphate attack sourced from framboidal pyrite within the aggregate, as evidenced from both presence of framboidal pyrite and elevated sulphate content.
The scandal led to calls for, and then the establishment of, a scheme to fund affected homeowners of the fault to repair, or demolish and rebuild, their homes. A similar issue with the presence of pyrite in the hardfill of properties was also identified in 2007, originating within quarries in the east of Ireland, and legislation was enacted to address both of the issues similarly. During 2023, new theories were advanced as to the source of the problems with the blocks, specifically that within County Donegal elevated concentrations of pyrrhotite (above relevant EN 12620 guidance) was the principal cause of the problem, albeit with the elevated mica contributing to a weakened binder. At present the root cause in County Mayo and other counties is considered to be the presence of framboidal pyrite as highlighted by the original expert report.
Issues
Impact
More than five thousand houses and an unknown number of office and other buildings have been affected, with some owners moving out of their homes as they are no longer safe. Damage generally manifests on properties as cracking of render and walls, expansion of concrete and the eventual loss of structural integrity. The majority of affected homes are in County Donegal, but there are also some in County Mayo, County Clare, County Limerick and elsewhere. Around the same time, the use of pyrite in construction caused similar issues for buildings in the East of Ireland. Cracking and bulging appeared in flooring concrete and other materials soon after construction.
Root cause theories
Muscovite (also known as common mica) can be found in rocks used to make concrete blocks. It is estimated that a presence of 1% of muscovite in concrete reduces the strength of the internal bonding by 5%, and further that such blocks bond poorly with cement paste. Mica also absorbs water, and excess water can cause problems in cold winters as the process of freezing and thawing damages the blocks. During 2023, additional scientific evidence as to the root cause possibilities emerged, suggesting that the issue may lie more with the iron compound pyrrhotite than with mica, although the high mica content of the binder may still be relevant due to its impact on binder quality, making it more susceptible to internal sulphate attack from the oxidising pyrrhotite.
Regulation and reports
An expert panel reported to government in 2017 that the problems in these counties add to "the legacy of building failures or severe non-compliance concerns following the downturn in economic and construction activity in 2008, which exposed vulnerabilities in the building control system that was in place at that time". The report included information from the National Standards Authority of Ireland that mica and other harmful impurities are limited to 1% of concrete blocks and this is covered by a statutory instrument. In some affected homes in Donegal, the amount of mica in samples was significantly above the limit, potentially up to 14%. Companies producing building materials must comply with regulations such as the Building Control Regulations.
The report stated that building control authorities lacked the ability to test materials in-house and that all ability to enforce regulations was limited by local authority budgets.
Campaigning and resolution schemes
Owners' campaign
Campaigns seeking redress for the issue began in 2011.
Defective Concrete Blocks Grant Scheme
Partly as a result of homeowner campaigning, the Defective Block Scheme was opened in June 2020. The scheme offers five options, from replacing an external wall, with a limit of €49,500, to demolition and rebuilding, with a limit of €247,500. 433 people in Donegal had engaged with the scheme as of June 2021. Campaigners pointed out that homeowners had to pay €5,000 for a mica test to apply to the scheme and that this was a barrier for those who were in financial difficulty. They also wanted the scheme to cover 100% of costs, instead of the proposed 90% of costs. The grant was updated in November 2021, with the limit increased to €420,000, and 100% cover for costs. Houses in Clare and Limerick were added to the scheme, with estimates suggesting that over one thousand homes could be affected in those counties. In June 2022, ministers were advised that the cost of the scheme could reach €3.65 billion if inflation remained high. A similar redress scheme was announced for those affected by pyrite usage in construction, similarly covering 100% of costs, but only for repair works.
Protests
Protest marches were held in Dublin in June and October 2021, with thousands of people reported to have attended.
In 2023, the Donegal Mica Action Group founded 100% Redress, a political party registered to contest local and Dáil elections. In the 2024 general election, Charles Ward was elected representing 100% Redress.
Building block businesses and developers
2,000 or more legal actions were initiated against suppliers of defective blocks, as well as local authorities and standards bodies for failing to detect the issue, doubts were expressed as to whether the suppliers, at least, had the resources or insurance cover to provide any significant compensation. Actions against developers for using or failing to test blocks were scarcer.
Cassidy Brothers, one of the companies that produced the blocks, was issued with an enforcement notice in October 2021 in relation to land in Cranford, County Donegal. The company was ordered to shut a concrete batching plant and storage yard. In November 2021, they were issued with an unauthorised development letter by Donegal County Council, as they did not have planning permission to develop blocks at their site in Gransha, Buncrana.
References
External links
Report of the Expert Panel on concrete blocks - June 2017
Political scandals in the Republic of Ireland
Construction law
Building codes
Building engineering
Housing in the Republic of Ireland | Irish defective block crisis | [
"Engineering"
] | 1,360 | [
"Building engineering",
"Construction",
"Construction law",
"Civil engineering",
"Building codes",
"Architecture"
] |
69,899,706 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AP%20Librae | AP Librae is a BL Lacertae object located at a distance of 700 million light years in the southern constellation of Libra. In the visual band it is one of the most active blazars known. AP Lib is surrounded by an extended source with a spectrum characteristic of a red-shifted giant elliptical galaxy. The derived visual magnitude of this region is 15.0, and it follows a radially decreasing brightness that is characteristic of an elliptical. Seven fainter galaxies are visible within an angular radius of , suggesting it is the brightest member of a galactic cluster.
This object was first identified as an optical variable by Martha D. Ashbrook in 1942, who noted the brightness changed irregularly from magnitude 15.0 down to 16.0. The source was found to vary chaotically on time scales of days and even hours. Howard E. Bond and Francois Biraud in 1971 noted the coincidence of this object with the position of the radio source PKS 1514–24. In 1965, John G. Bolton and associates identified the latter as a sixteenth magnitude elliptical galaxy. Glenn M. Frye and associates in 1971 suggested that it may be a gamma-ray source. The similarity of this object to BL Lacertae was noted, leading to it being designated as a BL Lac object.
AP Librae emits a synchrotron radiation component to its spectral energy distribution (SED). The peak component of this radiation lies in the infrared band, making this a low-frequency peaked BL Lac (LBL). It is one of the few LBLs known to emit gamma rays. The width of the high energy component of the SED is considered extremely broad for objects of this class, ranging in energy from around up to the TeV level. In 1998–99, extended radio emission was detected from a one-sided jet that starts in a south-easterly direction from the source before bending to the northeast. This non-thermal jet extends from AP Lib (equivalent to ~), and in 2013 was found to emit X-rays. The jet may be the source for the gamma-ray emission in the TeV range.
References
Further reading
BL Lacertae objects
Libra (constellation)
Elliptical galaxies
Objects with variable star designations | AP Librae | [
"Astronomy"
] | 468 | [
"Libra (constellation)",
"Constellations"
] |
69,901,517 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anixia%20atrospora | Anixia atrospora is a species of fungus belonging to the Anixia genus. It was discovered 1927 by French mycologist Narcisse Théophile Patouillard.
References
Agaricomycetes
Taxa named by Narcisse Théophile Patouillard
Fungi described in 1927
Fungus species | Anixia atrospora | [
"Biology"
] | 65 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
69,901,594 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anixia%20berkeleyi | Anixia berkeleyi is a species of fungus belonging to the Anixia genus. It was discovered 1927 by Russian mycologist Nikolai Aleksandrovich Naumov.
References
Agaricomycetes
Fungi described in 1927
Fungus species | Anixia berkeleyi | [
"Biology"
] | 48 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
69,901,838 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport%20theorem | The transport theorem (or transport equation, rate of change transport theorem or basic kinematic equation or Bour's formula, named after: Edmond Bour) is a vector equation that relates the time derivative of a Euclidean vector as evaluated in a non-rotating coordinate system to its time derivative in a rotating reference frame. It has important applications in classical mechanics and analytical dynamics and diverse fields of engineering. A Euclidean vector represents a certain magnitude and direction in space that is independent of the coordinate system in which it is measured. However, when taking a time derivative of such a vector one actually takes the difference between two vectors measured at two different times t and t+dt. In a rotating coordinate system, the coordinate axes can have different directions at these two times, such that even a constant vector can have a non-zero time derivative. As a consequence, the time derivative of a vector measured in a rotating coordinate system can be different from the time derivative of the same vector in a non-rotating reference system. For example, the velocity vector of an airplane as evaluated using a coordinate system that is fixed to the earth (a rotating reference system) is different from its velocity as evaluated using a coordinate system that is fixed in space. The transport theorem provides a way to relate time derivatives of vectors between a rotating and non-rotating coordinate system, it is derived and explained in more detail in rotating reference frame and can be written as:
Here f is the vector of which the time derivative is evaluated in both the non-rotating, and rotating coordinate system. The subscript r designates its time derivative in the rotating coordinate system and the vector Ω is the angular velocity of the rotating coordinate system.
The Transport Theorem is particularly useful for relating velocities and acceleration vectors between rotating and non-rotating coordinate systems.
Reference states: "Despite of its importance in classical mechanics and its ubiquitous application in engineering, there is no universally-accepted name for the Euler derivative transformation formula [...] Several terminology are used: kinematic theorem, transport theorem, and transport equation. These terms, although terminologically correct, are more prevalent in the subject of fluid mechanics to refer to entirely different physics concepts." An example of such a different physics concept is Reynolds transport theorem.
Derivation
Let be the basis vectors of , as seen from the reference frame , and denote the components of a vector in by just .
Let
so that this coordinate transformation is generated, in time, according to .
Such a generator differential equation is important for trajectories in Lie group theory.
Applying the product rule with implict summation convention,
For the rotation groups , one has .
In three dimensions, , the generator then equals the cross product operation from the left, a skew-symmetric linear map for any vector . As a matrix, it is also related to the vector as seen from via
References
Mathematical theorems | Transport theorem | [
"Mathematics"
] | 585 | [
"Mathematical theorems",
"Mathematical problems",
"nan"
] |
69,901,881 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GLEAM-X%20J162759.5%E2%88%92523504.3 | GLEAM-X J162759.5-523504.3 is a transient astronomical radio source, found in 2020, in archival data recorded in 2018 by the Murchison Widefield Array.
The source was active in radio for about 1 minute every 18 minutes, from January to March 2018, but has not been recorded since.
Nature of source
It seems somewhat like a Galactic Center radio transient (GCRT) except it is thought to be only about distant.
The radio emissions were polarised (as if affected by a magnetic field) so it may be a predicted astrophysical object called an "ultra-long period magnetar".
See also
GPM J1839−10
GCRT J1745−3009
PSR J0901–4046
Rotating radio transients (RRATs)
Further reading
Not open access.
References
External links
Radio astronomy
Sagittarius (constellation) | GLEAM-X J162759.5−523504.3 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 187 | [
"Radio astronomy",
"Astronomical sub-disciplines",
"Sagittarius (constellation)",
"Constellations"
] |
78,828,472 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximately%20continuous%20function | In mathematics, particularly in mathematical analysis and measure theory, an approximately continuous function is a concept that generalizes the notion of continuous functions by replacing the ordinary limit with an approximate limit. This generalization provides insights into measurable functions with applications in real analysis and geometric measure theory.
Definition
Let be a Lebesgue measurable set, be a measurable function, and be a point where the Lebesgue density of is 1. The function is said to be approximately continuous at if and only if the approximate limit of at exists and equals .
Properties
A fundamental result in the theory of approximately continuous functions is derived from Lusin's theorem, which states that every measurable function is approximately continuous at almost every point of its domain. The concept of approximate continuity can be extended beyond measurable functions to arbitrary functions between metric spaces. The Stepanov-Denjoy theorem provides a remarkable characterization:
Stepanov-Denjoy theorem: A function is measurable if and only if it is approximately continuous almost everywhere.
Approximately continuous functions are intimately connected to Lebesgue points. For a function , a point is a Lebesgue point if it is a point of Lebesgue density 1 for and satisfies
where denotes the Lebesgue measure and represents the ball of radius centered at . Every Lebesgue point of a function is necessarily a point of approximate continuity. The converse relationship holds under additional constraints: when is essentially bounded, its points of approximate continuity coincide with its Lebesgue points.
See also
Approximate limit
Density point
Lebesgue point
Lusin's theorem
Measurable function
References
Theory of continuous functions
Calculus
Real analysis
Mathematical analysis
Measure theory
Types of functions | Approximately continuous function | [
"Mathematics"
] | 333 | [
"Mathematical analysis",
"Functions and mappings",
"Calculus",
"Theory of continuous functions",
"Mathematical objects",
"Topology",
"Mathematical relations",
"Types of functions"
] |
78,829,892 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterina%20Riconda | Caterina Riconda is an Italian plasma physicist who works in France as a professor at Sorbonne University and as a researcher in the Laboratory for the Use of Intense Lasers. Riconda's research involves the theoretical, computational, and experimental study of laser-plasma interactions.
Education and career
Riconda earned a laurea in physics (at the time, the Italian equivalent of a master's degree) from the University of Turin in 1991. She completed a Ph.D. in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997. Her dissertation, Contained modes in inhomogeneous plasmas and their interaction with high energy particles, was supervised by Bruno Coppi.
She has worked in England at the Joint European Torus, and in France at the École polytechnique and CEA Paris-Saclay. She became a junior professor at the University of Bordeaux from 2003 to 2007. She moved to Pierre and Marie Curie University in 2007, and became a full professor there in 2016. Pierre and Marie Curie University became part of Sorbonne University in 2018, and she continues there as a professor.
Recognition
Riconda was named as a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2023, "for her fundamental contributions to plasma physics laser, plasma optics and collisionless shock, for training and inspiring students, particularly women, and for providing service to the international plasma physics community".
References
External links
TIPS (Théorie & interprétation plasma, simulations), LULI
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Italian physicists
Italian women physicists
Plasma physicists
University of Turin alumni
Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
Academic staff of the University of Bordeaux
Academic staff of Pierre and Marie Curie University
Fellows of the American Physical Society | Caterina Riconda | [
"Physics"
] | 344 | [
"Plasma physicists",
"Plasma physics"
] |
78,831,741 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-salt | R-salt (TNX, systematic name hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitroso-1,3,5-triazine) is an organic compound that has been used as an homemade explosive. It is a high explosive that is less sensitive than other compounds of similar availability. It has a similar structure to RDX—TNX has nitrosamine groups as compared to the nitroamine groups of RDX—but is less commonly used. It is also found as a decomposition product of RDX in the environment, such as after RDX detonation. This can lead to problems as a study concluded that TNX is toxic to earthworm Eisenia fetida. Using chemistry similar to the synthesis of RDX, R-salt can be synthesized by reaction of hexamine with nitrous acid in the presence of an acid catalyst.
R-salt was mentioned in connection to bombs planted in the 2025 New Orleans truck attack.
References
Explosive chemicals
Nitrosamines
Triazines | R-salt | [
"Chemistry"
] | 213 | [
"Explosive chemicals"
] |
78,831,814 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM-350S | The AM-350S is a Pakistani S-band active electronically scanned array (AESA) 3-dimensional air search radar developed jointly by NRTC and Blue Surge.
Overview
The AM-350S was revealed to the public during the 2024 IDEAS expo in Karachi based on the Hino 500 truck. It is a gallium nitride (GaN)-based active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with digital beamforming capabilities with a surveillance range of 350km and has a 360° FOV and flexible elevation features, enabling it to monitor altitudes of up to 60,000 feet.
It has resilient anti-jamming capabilities with frequency hopping, vector control, and side-lobe suppression. Being an AESA-based system, the AM-350S can leverage its multiple TRMs to emit in different or unique frequencies in one pulse, making it more difficult for an enemy ECM systems to single out a particular frequency for jamming.
See also
AN/FPS-117
Ground Master 400
References
Early warning systems
Ground radars
Military equipment introduced in the 2020s | AM-350S | [
"Technology"
] | 222 | [
"Warning systems",
"Early warning systems"
] |
78,832,425 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fen%20%28mass%29 | Fen (), called fan in Cantonese, hun in Taiwanese, phân in Vietnamese, or "candareen" in English, is a traditional Chinese unit for weight measurement. It originated in China before being introduced to neighboring countries in East Asia.
Nowaday, the mass of 1 fen equals 0.5 grams in mainland China, 0.375 grams in Taiwan,
0.37799 grams in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia,
and 0.378 grams in Vietnam.
Fen is mostly used in the traditional markets, and famous for measuring gold, silver and Chinese medicines.
China Mainland
On June 25, 1959, the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued the "Order on the Unified Measurement System", retaining the market measure system, with minor amendment.
where 1 fen equals 0.5 grams (i.e., 500 mg) and 10 fens equals 1 qian. The traditional Chinese medicine measurement system remains unchanged.
Taiwan
The Taiwanese still followed their own habits and continued to use the old weights and measures of the Qing Dynasty. 1 Taiwan fen is equal to 0.375 grams (375 mg), or 1/10 Taiwan qian.
Hong Kong and Macau
Hong Kong and Macau mass units
In Hong Kong, one fen is equal to 1/10 qian, which is 0.3779936375 grams, or 377.9936375 mg.
Similarly, Singapore law stipulates that one fen equals 0.37799 g. Malaysia has the same regulations as it is a former British colony as well.
Hong Kong troy units
These are used for trading precious metals such as gold and silver.
Vietnam
In Vietnam, the unit of fen is called "phân": 1 phân is equal to 0.38 grams or 10 ly by traditional value.
For more information on the Chinese mass measurement system, please see article Jin (mass).
See also
Chinese units of measurement
Hong Kong units of measurement
Taiwanese units of measurement
Vietnamese units of measurement
Notes
References
External links
中國度量衡#衡
市制
分 (質量單位)
Units of mass
Chinese units of measurement
Customary units of measurement | Fen (mass) | [
"Physics",
"Mathematics"
] | 441 | [
"Matter",
"Quantity",
"Units of mass",
"Mass",
"Customary units of measurement",
"Units of measurement"
] |
78,836,320 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbia%20Fashion%20Day | Serbia Fashion Day ( / Srpski dan mode, SFDay) is an annual haute couture event held in Paris, dedicated to promoting Serbian designers, culture and renown Serbian individuals on the international stage. This event provides a platform for Serbian creators to showcase their collections during and around the prestigious Paris Fashion Week. Founder of the event is Serbian journalist and producer Vesna de Vinca, with Suna Moya acting as a coproducer and fashion editor.
History and significance
Serbian Fashion Day was established in 2016 in residency of Republic of Serbia on Trocadéro Square, and has since then become a traditional event that gathers Serbian designers, artists, and fashion enthusiasts in Paris, France. The event aims to promote Serbian fashion and culture and to establish cooperation between Serbian and international fashion professionals.
Organization
The event is organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia and with the support of the First Lady of Serbia, Tamara Vučić. The project is authored by known journalist and producer Vesna de Vinča, known for her contributions to promoting Serbian culture and fashion on the international level. Event is held for the prominent and important figures from France and the world, journalists and international media.
History
Serbia Fashion Day includes fashion shows, exhibitions, and cultural programs that showcase the work of Serbian designers. For example, during the 2023 event, collections inspired by the life and work of Nikola Tesla were presented, including:
SFDay 2016
On July 11, 2016, the "Serbian Fashion Day" was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Paris under the patronage of Ambassador Rajko Ristić. The event was dedicated to the recently deceased Prince Aleksandar Pavlov Karađorđević, the son of Prince Pavle. Designers such as Zvonko Marković, Nela Dašić, Nina Pena, Jelena Mandić, along with international designers Suna Moya from France and Romero Brajan from the United Kingdom, presented their collections. The shows were directed and choreographed by Serbian supermodel Slađana Tesla, and the event garnered positive reactions from the attendees.
SFDay 2017
On July 13, 2017, the second edition of "Serbian Fashion Day" was held at the Residence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Paris. Designers Igor Todorović and Bata Spasojević presented their collections, while the perfume house "Maison Dorin" introduced a new fragrance inspired by Serbia called "Land of Lilacs." The event attracted significant attention and positive reactions from attendees.
SFDay 2018
SFDay 2019
The Serbian Fashion Day in 2019 was held at the Residence of the Serbian Ambassador in Paris. The event, inspired by the book "Serbia the Land of Lilacs," featured collections from designers such as Marija Sabic and Mladen Milivojevic Baron. The manifestation was dedicated to H.R.H. Prince Aleksandar Karađorđević of Yugoslavia of Serbia.
SFDay 2020
Due to the global pandemic, Serbian Fashion Day 2020 was held entirely online. Despite the challenges, the event successfully showcased the works of Serbian designers through virtual fashion shows and digital exhibitions. This adaptation highlighted the flexibility and resilience of the Serbian fashion industry.
SFDay 2021
The 2021 event marked a return to in-person gatherings after the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It featured a mix of live and virtual presentations, allowing broader participation. Collections presented during this edition emphasized resilience and creativity, with many designers drawing inspiration from the challenges of the previous year. It was held in Egypt, in Sharm El Sheikh.
SFDay 2022
In 2022, Serbian Fashion Day focused on the theme of "Tradition and Modernity," showcasing collections that blended traditional Serbian motifs with contemporary fashion trends. The event included collaborations with international designers, enhancing the global reach of Serbian fashion. The program also featured workshops and panel discussions on the future of fashion.
SFDay 2023
Serbian Fashion Day 2024 featured collections inspired by the life and work of Nikola Tesla. Event continued to build on the success of previous years, showcasing the latest collections from leading Serbian designers. The event emphasized sustainability and innovation in fashion, with several designers presenting eco-friendly collections. The event also included cultural performances and exhibitions, further enriching the experience for attendees.
These programs offer Serbian designers the opportunity to present their work to an international audience and media.
"Tesla Sculptures" by designer Dejana Milosavljević
"Tesla – Seed from Lika" by designer Jelena Mandić
"Women really loved Tesla" by designer Mladen Milivojević Baron
"3 6 9 Tesla" by designer Bata Spasojević
Media Impact
Serbian Fashion Day attracts the attention of international media and fashion experts, contributing to the affirmation of Serbian fashion on the global stage. The event has been covered by numerous publications and media, highlighting the creativity and innovation of Serbian designers.
References
External links
Tamara Vučić u Parizu svečano otvorila Dan mode Srbije 2023
Veliki uspeh srpske mode na “Paris Fashion Week”-u
Spouse of the President, Tamara Vucic, formally opens the 2023 Serbian Fashion Day in Paris
Fashion events in France
Annual events in Paris
Spring (season) events in Serbia
Fashion festivals
International conferences
Design awards
Festivals in Paris
Recurring events established in 2016
2016 establishments in France
Fashion weeks
Fashion of Paris | Serbia Fashion Day | [
"Engineering"
] | 1,097 | [
"Design",
"Design awards"
] |
78,837,218 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UserBenchmark | UserBenchmark is a computer benchmark program that gives the user's computer hardware scores based on how well their computer performs. The website provides computer hardware ranking charts which compare performance between CPU, GPU, SSD, HDD, RAM, and USB drive models.
Features
UserBenchmark allows users to upload their hardware score results to the website, which makes the website a frequent source of unreleased hardware leaks. For example, benchmarks of recent CPU engineering samples can be searched for on the website using search queries AMD Eng Sample and Intel 0000 then sorting by new.
Users will also see how well their computer hardware compares against other users' computers and be able to quickly identify performance issues.
In 2025, UserBenchmark imposed a $10 per year fee to use its benchmark program during periods of high usage. Only a limited number of users can test for free at any one time, and if no slots are open, then only the subscribers can test. To test with the open free slots, users will have to complete a 3D captcha minigame where the goal is to shoot down 13 ships.
Controversies
UserBenchmark has been accused of bias against AMD, notably facing backlash over its review of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, in which the high-end CPU was called "pointless for gaming".
In July 2019, UserBenchmark updated how it calculates the effective speed index on its website's CPU hardware rankings, drastically affecting the ranking positions of CPUs, which penalized AMD processors. This resulted in backlash on social media, as well as banning discussion of the website including link sharing on hardware enthusiast boards.
References
Benchmarks_(computing)
Computing websites | UserBenchmark | [
"Technology"
] | 351 | [
"Benchmarks (computing)",
"Computing websites",
"Computing comparisons",
"Computer performance"
] |
78,838,726 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth%20Gasteiger | Elisabeth Gasteiger is a Swiss bioinformatician known for her work in developing and managing tools for protein analysis. Her efforts have been instrumental in advancing proteomics research, particularly through her contributions to the ExPASy (Expert Protein Analysis System), a bioinformatics resource platform. She currently holds the position of Senior User Experience and Support Manager at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB).
Career
Gasteiger's work at the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB) has been instrumental in the development and enhancement of key bioinformatics resources, including the UniProt database, an integrated platform that combines protein sequence data from Swiss-Prot, TrEMBL, and PIR, as well as the ExPASy platform, which provides a suite of tools to support protein sequence analysis and related research.
She has played a pivotal role in the development and enhancement of the ExPASy (Expert Protein Analysis System) platform, coordinating software development within the Swiss-Prot group at SIB and overseeing the ExPASy server.
One of her notable contributions is the development of ProtParam, a tool hosted on the ExPASy server that allows researchers to compute various physical and chemical parameters of a protein sequence, such as its molecular weight, theoretical pI, amino acid composition, and extinction coefficient.
In her role as User Experience & Support Manager with the Swiss-Prot Group at SIB, she contributed to the deployment of the Cellosaurus database on the ExPASy platform in May 2015, significantly enhancing its development as a standalone resource for life sciences research.
She has also contributed to other bioinformatics resources, including the creation of the ABCD database, a repository for chemically defined antibodies, which serves as a valuable resource for researchers in the field of immunology. Additionally, she has been associated with the development of the Glycomics@ExPASy platform, which aims to bridge the gap in glycomics research by providing access to a variety of databases and tools dedicated to the study of glycans and glycoproteins.
Her ongoing work has contributed to the success of UniProt as a leading resource for protein sequence classification, annotation, and functional analysis, supporting researchers worldwide in molecular biology, genomics, and proteomics.
She has been instrumental in providing critical support to researchers by developing and managing bioinformatics tools that improve the accessibility and accuracy of protein sequence data.
In 2024, she contributed to a research initiative in collaboration with Ottokar Stundner and other clinician scientists, which was awarded the Weiss Research Prize. This project, supported by the Weiss-Wissenschaftsstiftung and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), aims to improve the safety of anesthetic procedures by investigating the risks associated with crystal formation in anesthetic mixtures.
Selected publications
Gasteiger, E., Hoogland, C., Gattiker, A., Duvaud, S., Wilkins, M. R., Appel, R. D., Bairoch, A. (2003). "ExPASy: SIB bioinformatics resource portal." Nucleic Acids Research, 31(13), 3787–3793. doi:10.1093/nar/gkg557.
Gasteiger, E., Hoogland, C., Gattiker, A., Duvaud, S., Wilkins, M. R., Appel, R. D., Bairoch, A. (2005). "Protein identification and analysis tools on the ExPASy server." In: Walker, J. M. (ed.), The Proteomics Protocols Handbook, pp. 571–607. Humana Press. doi:10.1385/1-59259-890-0:571.
Gasteiger, E., Jung, E., Bairoch, A. (2001). "The SWISS-PROT protein sequence database and its applications in proteomics." Bioinformatics, 17(2), 305–306. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/17.2.305.
Boeckmann, B., Bairoch, A., Apweiler, R., Blatter, M. C., Estreicher, A., Gasteiger, E., et al. (2003). "The SWISS-PROT protein knowledgebase and its applications to proteomics." Bioinformatics, 19(2), 1–10. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/19.2.1.
Gasteiger, E., UniProt Consortium. (2001). "UniProt: The universal protein knowledgebase." Nucleic Acids Research, 46(D1), D136–D139. doi:10.1093/nar/gkx1098.
Gasteiger, E., UniProt Consortium. (2009). "The protein knowledgebase: UniProt and its applications." Bioinformatics, 25(11), 1626–1637. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btp183.
References
Bioinformatics
Proteomics
Swiss women scientists | Elisabeth Gasteiger | [
"Engineering",
"Biology"
] | 1,126 | [
"Bioinformatics",
"Biological engineering"
] |
78,839,917 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li%20%28mass%29 | Li (), called lei in Cantonese, ly in Vietnamese or "cash" in English, is a traditional Chinese unit for weight measurement. It originated in China before being introduced to neighboring countries in East Asia.
Nowaday, the mass of 1 li equals 50 mg (i.e., 0.05 grams) in mainland China, 37.5 mg in Taiwan,
37.8 mg in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, and 37.8 mg in Vietnam.
Li is mostly used in the traditional markets.
China Mainland
On June 25, 1959, the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued the "Order on the Unified Measurement System", retaining the market measure system, with minor amendment.
where 1 li equals 50 mg or 0.05 grams, and 10 li equals 1 fen.
Taiwan
The Taiwanese still use the old weights and measures of the Chinese Qing Dynasty. 1 Taiwan li is equal to 37.5 mg, or 1/10 Taiwan fen.
Hong Kong and Macau
In Hong Kong, one li is equal to 1/10 fen, which is 37.799 mg or 0.037799 grams.
Singapore and Malaysia have similar regulations as Hong Kong, as they are all former British colonies.
Vietnam
In Vietnam, 1 li or ly is equal to 37.8 mg (i.e., 0.038 grams) or 1/10 fen by traditional value.
For more information on the Chinese mass measurement system, please see article Jin (mass).
See also
Chinese units of measurement
Hong Kong units of measurement
Taiwanese units of measurement
Vietnamese units of measurement
References
External links
中國度量衡#衡
市制
厘 (質量單位)
Units of mass
Chinese units of measurement
Customary units of measurement | Li (mass) | [
"Physics",
"Mathematics"
] | 357 | [
"Matter",
"Quantity",
"Units of mass",
"Mass",
"Customary units of measurement",
"Units of measurement"
] |
78,840,018 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/ALQ-221 | AN/ALQ-221 Advanced Defensive System is a radar warning receiver and electronic countermeasures system manufactured by BAE Systems in Nashua, New Hampshire, for use on the U.S. Air Force U-2 Dragonlady reconnaissance aircraft. It provides U-2 pilots with situational awareness and protection against threats that might reach the aircraft at mission altitudes of 70,000 feet plus. The system is part of the Block 20 modernization program of the U-2 aircraft integrated with upgraded avionics and multifunction cockpit displays.
History
Development of the ALQ-221 began in 2004 at the Nashua facilities of BAE. It reached Initial Operationing Capability (IOC) in October of 2005. The system was delivered as part of the Reconnaissance Avionics Maintainability Program (RAMP). Reportedly, the system had a 2005 unit cost of $5.8 million per system.
In accordance with the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the "AN/ALQ-221" designation represents the 221st design of an Army-Navy electronic device for protective countermeasures system. The JETDS system also now is used to name all Department of Defense electronic systems.
In 2018, plans were drafted to upgrade the system's low-band subsystem to operate in "moderately contested environments".
Technical description
The ALQ-221 detects, classifies and counters threats using 13 receivers and transmitters. Software allows the system's target recognition algorithms to be updated inflight.
See also
List of military electronics of the United States
References
External links
U.S. Air Force - U-2S Factsheet
Electronic warfare equipment
Military electronics of the United States
Radar warning receivers
Military equipment introduced in the 2000s | AN/ALQ-221 | [
"Technology"
] | 351 | [
"Warning systems",
"Radar warning receivers"
] |
78,840,236 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOI-421 | TOI-421 (also known as BD−14 1137) is a G-type main-sequence star located in the constellation Lepus. The star hosts two transiting exoplanets discovered in 2020 and forms a visual binary system with a nearby red dwarf star BD−14 1137 B. Both planets are hot Neptunes well-suited for atmospheric characterization. Due to the star's old age, knowing the composition of their atmosphere can provide valuable insights for validation of atmospheric evolution models.
Stellar characteristics
TOI-421 is a Solar-type star, of similar metallicity though somewhat smaller the Sun. According to the evolutionary models, it is thought to be an old star, age of approximately 10 billion years. Observations of variability related to its ~42-day rotation indicate a low level of stellar activity with only few surface spots, dominated by plages.
The red dwarf companion is positioned NW, corresponding to actual separation of approximately .
Planetary system
A discovery of two planets transiting the star was announced in 2020, based on TESS observations between and , and confirmed with ground-based observations. The TESS light curve features two series of transit signals identified with the two planets; a deeper one every ~16.1 days and a shallower one every ~5.2 days.
The orbital parameters were refined in a 2024 study that included additional transit observations by TESS and CHEOPS as well as radial velocity measurements for determination of mass of the planets, showing that both planets have moderately eccentric orbits. The study did not find evidence of transit-timing variations, which could hint at existence of additional non-transiting planets.
TOI-421 b
The planet b is a hot mini-Neptune with a moderate density of and equilibrium temperature of . Due to its high equilibrium temperature and small mass it is expected to experience significant atmospheric escape. However, the observed density is not consistent with a thin, hydrogen-depleted atmosphere expected from evolutionary models for a planet forming this close to the star. Planetary migration is a plausible explanation, meaning that the planet could have formed further away from the star and only more recently moved to current location.
TOI-421 b was selected as a James Webb Space Telescope target early on as a planet similar in size and density to the well-studied sub-Neptune GJ 1214 b, but thought to be too hot for formation of atmospheric haze, which would allow for bulk chemical characterization of atmopshere. In 2025 it became the first sub-Neptune around a solar-type star to have its atmosphere characterized with JWST. The observed infrared spectrum is consistent with a hydrogen/helium dominated atmosphere and detected presence of water at abundances of and hints of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, but no carbon dioxide or methane. The observed spectrum also excludes the possibility of presence of high-altitude haze. This is in contrast to the observed composition of sub-Neptunes around red dwarf stars, which typically show a much higher fraction of heavier gas species.
TOI-421 c
The planet c is a hot Neptune with a low density of , belonging to the super-puff class. Its equilibrium temperature is . Like the planet b, it is also expected to exhibit significant atmospheric escape. However, the low density implies that the planet has retained an extensive atmosphere.
See also
HD 152843
K2-24
References
Lepus (constellation)
0421
00094986319
BD-14 1137
J05272482-1416370
G-type main-sequence stars
Planetary systems with two confirmed planets
Planetary transit variables | TOI-421 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 723 | [
"Lepus (constellation)",
"Constellations"
] |
77,375,488 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%207253 | NGC 7253 is a pair of spiral galaxies in the constellation Pegasus. It was discovered by the German-British astronomer Albert Marth on 9 September 1863. It is listed in Halton Arp's Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies as Arp278, as an example of gravitationally interacting galaxies.
Of the pair, the galaxy to the north is known individually as NGC7253A. Its velocity relative to the cosmic microwave background is 4,235 ± 24km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 62.5 ± 4.4Mpc (∼204million light-years). The other galaxy in the pair is known individually as NGC7253B. Its velocity relative to the cosmic microwave background is 4,165 ± 24km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 61.4 ± 4.3Mpc (∼200million light-years).
With a surface brightness equal to 14.06 Mag/arcsec2, NGC7253B can be described as a low surface brightness galaxy.
According to the Simbad database, NGC7253 is a candidate for the title of active galaxy nucleus.
One supernova has been observed in NGC7253B: SN2002jg (type Ia, mag.17) was discovered by Mike Schwartz and LOTOSS (Lick Observatory and Tenagra Observatory Supernova Searches) on 23 November 2002.
Image Gallery
See also
List of NGC objects (7001–7840)
References
External links
Spiral galaxies
Interacting galaxies
Pegasus_(constellation)
Astronomical objects discovered in 1863
Discoveries by Albert Marth
7253
11984
+05-52-010
278
068572 | NGC 7253 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 339 | [
"Pegasus (constellation)",
"Constellations"
] |
77,378,418 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methanobacteriota | Methanobacteriota is a proposed phylum in the domain Archaea.
Taxonomy
The phylum Methanobacteriota was introduced to prokaryotic nomenclature in 2023. It contains following classes:
Archaeoglobi Garrity & Holt (2002)
Halobacteria Grant et al. (2002)
Methanobacteria Boone (2002) (contains type genus Methanobacterium)
Methanococci Boone (2002)
Methanonatronarchaeia Sorokin et al. (2018)
Methanopyri Garrity & Holt (2002)
Methanosarcinia Chuvochina et al. (2024)
Thermococci Zillig & Reysenbach (2002)
Thermoplasmata Reysenbach (2002)
References
Archaea phyla | Methanobacteriota | [
"Biology"
] | 175 | [
"Archaea",
"Archaea stubs"
] |
77,380,614 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3C%20392 | 3C 392 (also known as SNR G034.6-00.5, W44 and CTB 60) is a supernova remnant located in the constellation Aquila. It was discovered by Gart Westerhout in 1958 as part of a study of continuous radiation in the Milky Way at a frequency of 1390 MHz.
Morphology
3C 392 is a supernova remnant of mixed morphology characterized by a bright radio-band shell and concentrated thermal X-ray emission from its center. In the radio band, 3C 392 has the appearance of a quasi-elliptic asymmetric bright shell, its emission being most intense along the eastern boundary; in the western region a bright arc can be seen. In the X-ray spectrum it presents continuums of radiant recombination of highly ionized atoms, a common characteristic of other remnants with mixed morphology. The emission is predominantly thermal, which is based on the presence of magnesium, silicon and sulfur emission lines. Likewise, the emission in hard X-rays has an arc-shaped structure that is correlated in space with the filament seen in the radio band. 3C 392 has also been detected in gamma rays, probably originating from the decay of neutral pions.
3C 392 is one of the few demonstrated cases of interaction between a supernova remnant and a molecular cloud, as corroborated by observations of OH masers at 1720 MHz. Two stellar objects have been discovered at the interface between 3C 392 and an H II region massive youth.
Remnant
3C 392 is associated with the pulsar PSR B1853+01, located to the south of the rest of the supernova, indicating that 3C 392 comes from a core collapse (CC) supernova. The wind from the pulsar has created a small synchrotron nebula (PWN) observed in both radio frequencies and X-rays.
Age and distance
The age of 3C 392, evaluated by the characteristic age of the associated pulsar, is approximately 20,000 years. Another different estimate, calculated by the age of the thermal plasma, 16,700 ± 2,500 years, is comparable to the previous value; however, its dynamic age—based on the speed and size of the shock wave—is considerably higher, although it is subject to a wide margin of error (55,000 ± 20,000 years).
3C 392 is located at a distance between 2200 and 3000 parsecs, and is located in a complex region of the inner galactic plane. It is immersed in the W48 molecular cloud complex, a rich region of star formation.
See also
List of supernova remnants
IC 443
References
3C 392
3C 392
Astronomical objects discovered in 1958
392 | 3C 392 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 571 | [
"Aquila (constellation)",
"Constellations"
] |
77,381,076 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RadA | The DNA repair and recombination protein RadA is an archaeal homolog of the bacterial RecA protein and the eukaryotic Rad51 protein, playing a crucial role in homologous recombination and the maintenance of genomic stability by facilitating the repair of DNA double-strand breaks.
References
DNA repair | RadA | [
"Chemistry",
"Biology"
] | 70 | [
"DNA repair",
"Protein stubs",
"Biochemistry stubs",
"Molecular genetics",
"Cellular processes"
] |
77,381,422 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria%20Luiza%20Petzl-Erler | Maria Luiza Petzl-Erler is a researcher and an academic. She is a senior professor in the Department of Genetics at the Federal University of Paraná.
Petzl-Erler's research on human genetic diversity is focused on population genetics, microevolution, and complex diseases. She is most known for her work in the field of pemphigus genetics and immunogenetics. She collaborated with other scientists to investigate the arrival and migration of humans on the American continent during pre-historic times and participated in pharmacogenetic studies.
Biography and education
In 1971, she enrolled in the Biology program at UFPR. By 1972, she began participating in Newton Freire-Maia's research group. Throughout her undergraduate studies, she became involved in research on congenital malformations. She completed her bachelor's degree in 1974 and entered the Master's program in Genetics at UFPR in 1975, under the mentorship of Eleidi Chautard Freire-Maia. After obtaining her M.Sc. in 1977, she pursued her doctorate at Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. There, she was supervised by Ekkehard D. Albert and Hartwig Cleve, earning her Dr. rer. nat. in Anthropology and Human Genetics. In 1984, she became a researcher and collaborating professor in the Postgraduate Program in Genetics at the Genetics Department of UFPR. Furthermore, she conducted postdoctoral research at LMU in Munich and Stanford University in the USA in 1987 and 1989, respectively.
Career
Petzl-Erler joined the Federal University of Paraná in 1985, where she has been involved in teaching and research. In 1988, she established the Laboratory of Human Molecular Genetics at the UFPR, starting a research group in Paraná State employing direct DNA analysis in human genetics and leading it until 2018. In 1991, she was integrated into the academic faculty of the UFPR. Moreover, she is a level I research fellow at the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and holds a Senior Professor position in the Graduated Program of Genetics at the UFPR.
Research
Petzl-Erler has authored research papers on a range of topics, including genetics, evolution, and immunology. In her early research she investigated the HLA polymorphism in Native South Americans as well as in fogo selvagem, a subtype of pemphigus foliaceus that is endemic in certain geographic regions of Brazil. Her population genetic analyses revealed a distinct evolution and diversification pattern of HLA-B alleles in the native Kaingang and Guarani populations of southern Brazil. Significant differences were found between these populations and others, whereas HLA-A and HLA-C alleles are more conserved across populations. Furthermore, indigenous variants of HLA-B were not found in any other populations worldwide, including North American natives, and their origin was attributed to gene conversion rather than point mutation. This discovery resulted in the formulation of the allele turnover hypothesis to explain the natural evolution of the remarkably high HLA diversity observed in human populations. Furthermore, she also collaborated with scientists in Brazil, Europe, and the USA on studies about the dispersal of humans all over the world in pre-historic times.
The influence of HLA on susceptibility to fogo selvagem (endemic pemphigus foliaceus) was also first described by Petzl-Erler. This eventually resulted in investigations about genetic aspects of this disease. In 2020, she reviewed the genetic factors influencing susceptibility, pathogenesis, and treatment response in pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus, emphasizing the need for functional genomics studies, longitudinal investigations, and improved animal models to advance understanding and management of these autoimmune skin diseases.
Selected articles
Belich, M. P., Madrigal, J. A., Hildebrand, W. H., Zemmour, J., Williams, R. C., Luz, R., Petzl-Erler, M. L., & Parham, P. (1992). Unusual HLA-B alleles in two tribes of Brazilian Indians. Nature, 357(6376), 326–329. https://doi.org/10.1038/357326a0
Petzl-Erler, M. L., Luz, R., & Sotomaior, V. S. (1993). The HLA polymorphism of two distinctive South-American Indian tribes: the Kaingang and the Guarani. Tissue Antigens, 41(5), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-0039.1993.tb02011.x
Parham, P., Arnett, K. L., Adams, E. J., Little, A. M., Tees, K., Barber, L. D., Marsh, S. G., Ohta, T., Markow, T., & Petzl-Erler, M. L. (1997). Episodic evolution and turnover of HLA-B in the indigenous human populations of the Americas. Tissue Antigens, 50(3), 219–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-0039.1997.tb02866.x
Tsuneto, L. T., Probst, C. M., Hutz, M. H., Salzano, F. M., Rodriguez-Delfin, L. A., Zago, M. A., Hill, K., Hurtado, A. M., Ribeiro-dos-Santos, A. K., & Petzl-Erler, M. L. (2003). HLA class II diversity in seven Amerindian populations. Clues about the origins of the Aché. Tissue Antigens, 62(6), 512–526. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1399-0039.2003.00139.x
Bortolini, M. C., Salzano, F. M., Thomas, M. G., Stuart, S., Nasanen, S. P., Bau, C. H., Hutz, M. H., Layrisse, Z., Petzl-Erler, M. L., Tsuneto, L. T., Hill, K., Hurtado, A. M., Castro-de-Guerra, D., Torres, M. M., Groot, H., Michalski, R., Nymadawa, P., Bedoya, G., Bradman, N., ... Ruiz-Linares, A. (2003). Y-chromosome evidence for differing ancient demographic histories in the Americas. American Journal of Human Genetics, 73(3), 524–539. https://doi.org/10.1086/377588
Reich, D., Patterson, N., Campbell, D., Tandon, A., Mazieres, S., Ray, N., Parra, M. V., Rojas, W., Duque, C., Mesa, N., García, L. F., Triana, O., Blair, S., Maestre, A., Dib, J. C., Bravi, C. M., Bailliet, G., Corach, D., Hünemeier, T., ... Ruiz-Linares, A. (2012). Reconstructing Native American population history. Nature, 488(7411), 370–374. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11258
Augusto, D. G., Piovezan, B. Z., Tsuneto, L. T., Callegari-Jacques, S. M., & Petzl-Erler, M. L. (2013). KIR gene content in Amerindians indicates influence of demographic factors. PLoS One, 8(2), e56755. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0056755
Petzl-Erler, M. L., & Santamaria, J. (1989). Are HLA class II genes controlling susceptibility and resistance to Brazilian pemphigus foliaceus (fogo selvagem)? Tissue Antigens, 33(3), 408–414. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-0039.1989.tb01684.x
Pavoni, D. P., Roxo, V. M., Marquart Filho, A., & Petzl-Erler, M. L. (2003). Dissecting the associations of endemic pemphigus foliaceus (Fogo Selvagem) with HLA-DRB1 alleles and genotypes. Genes and Immunity, 4(2), 110–116. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.gene.6363939
References
Molecular biologists
Immunologists
Brazilian academics
Federal University of Paraná alumni
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
Academic staff of the Federal University of Paraná
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people) | Maria Luiza Petzl-Erler | [
"Chemistry"
] | 2,038 | [
"Molecular biologists",
"Biochemists",
"Molecular biology"
] |
77,382,646 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola%20Razr%2050 | The Motorola Razr 50 is a foldable smartphone developed by Motorola Mobility. Launched in 2024, it is part of the Motorola Razr series, known for its foldable design and innovative technology.
On September 24, 2024, Motorola unveiled the Motorola Razr 50s, a variant of the Motorola Razr 50 for Japanese carrier SoftBank.
Design
The Motorola Razr 50 features a clamshell foldable design, utilizing a 6.9-inch pOLED display that supports a variable refresh rate from 10 to 120Hz. The device integrates modern aesthetics with functionality, offering a compact form factor when folded.
Specifications
Hardware
The Razr 50 is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7300X chipset, accompanied by options of 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of internal storage. It houses a 4,200mAh battery, supporting 33W fast charging, to cater to extended usage.
Camera
This model includes a dual-camera setup on the back with a 50MP main sensor and a 13MP ultrawide lens, catering to versatile photography needs.
Reception
The Motorola Razr 50 has been noted for its blend of traditional design and modern technology, making it a suitable choice for users looking for the practicality of a foldable device without compromising on performance.
References
See also
Smartphone
Android (operating system)
Razr 50
Android (operating system) devices
Smartphones
Mobile phones introduced in 2024
Mobile phones with multiple rear cameras
Foldable smartphones
Flip phones
Mobile phones with 4K video recording | Motorola Razr 50 | [
"Technology"
] | 318 | [
"Crossover devices",
"Foldable smartphones"
] |
77,384,085 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium%28IV%29%20bromide | Chromium(IV) bromide is an inorganic chemical compound with the chemical formula .
Synthesis
The compound can be prepared by treating chromium tribromide with corresponding bromine at high temperature.
Physical properties
The compound only occurs in the gas phase.
References
Chromium–halogen compounds
Bromides
Metal halides
Chromium(IV) compounds | Chromium(IV) bromide | [
"Chemistry"
] | 74 | [
"Bromides",
"Inorganic compounds",
"Metal halides",
"Salts"
] |
77,384,844 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2%2B | VO2+ may refer to:
Vanadyl ()
Pervanadyl () | VO2+ | [
"Chemistry"
] | 20 | [
"Isomerism",
"Set index articles on molecular formulas"
] |
77,385,101 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromium%20tetraiodide | Chromium tetraiodide is an inorganic chemical compound with the chemical formula .
Synthesis
The compound can be prepared by reacting iodine vapor with chromium at temperature higher than 150 °C but lower than 400 °C.
Physical properties
The compound occurs in the gas phase.
References
Chromium–halogen compounds
Iodides
Metal halides
Chromium(IV) compounds | Chromium tetraiodide | [
"Chemistry"
] | 78 | [
"Inorganic compounds",
"Metal halides",
"Salts"
] |
77,386,129 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter%20Foxcroft | Peter Foxcroft (1819 – 3 April 1896) was an English cotton mill manager, inventor, Bible Christian Church preacher, and vegetarianism activist. He was an early and prominent member of the Vegetarian Society and a leading figure in the Bible Christian Church. Foxcroft managed a cotton mill owned by Charles and John Tysoe, and filed several patents for improvements in cotton machinery.
Biography
Early life and career
Peter Foxcroft was born in 1819 in Gargrave, Yorkshire, the son of Thomas Foxcroft, a grocer. Originating from a humble background, he managed to build a modest fortune through hard work and careful living on two separate occasions.
In his early years, Foxcroft was not in good health. He spent a significant portion of his life working in a cotton mill with workrooms heated to temperatures . Despite these challenging conditions, he outlived his entire family, which included his father, mother, brothers, and sisters, a total of seven members. Foxcroft worked at one mill for 26 years without missing a single day due to illness. Later, after adopting a vegetarian diet and experiencing an improvement in his health, he was advised to return to his previous dietary habits. However, his former health issues reemerged with greater severity, leading him to ultimately commit to a vegetarian lifestyle permanently. He was also a dedicated teetotaller.
In 1847, Foxcroft joined the Vegetarian Society. He succeeded Henry S. Clubb as the Society's secretary in 1850 and became the local secretary of the Society in Salford around 1852, remaining in the role for two decades. Foxcroft also served as a vice-president of the Society and was a chair of its executive for the same period. He criticised Francis William Newman for allowing associate memberships in the Society for individuals who wanted to be members but were not fully vegetarian.
The following year, Foxcroft became a Bible Christian and served as a lay preacher of its ideas. In the same year, he married Esther Horrocks at St. Mary's Church, Manchester. At the time of their marriage, Foxcroft was a 30-year-old bookkeeper residing in Berkley Street, Manchester, while Esther, aged 35, was the daughter of George Horrocks, a dyer. In 1851, Foxcroft and his wife stayed at the home of James Simpson, a fellow member of the Bible Christian Church, in Fox Hill Bank, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire. Foxcroft officiated at Christ Church in Salford from 1853 to 1855.
Foxcroft later became the manager of a cotton mill owned by Charles and John Tysoe, which had previously been owned by Joseph Brotherton. While working in this position, he filed three patents. In 1853, he filed a patent for specific enhancements in machinery or equipment for doubling cotton and other fibrous materials. In 1856, Foxcroft, along with John and Charles Tysoe, were granted a patent for improvements in machinery or apparatus for roving, spinning, and doubling cotton and other fibrous substances. In 1857, Foxcroft and William Crighton, a machinist, were granted a patent for improvements in machinery or equipment for processing cotton wool or other fibrous materials.
Foxcroft was an ardent supporter of the Liberal Party (founded in 1859) and actively participated in committees supporting national and local Liberal candidates.
In 1870, a 13-year-old girl died at the cotton mill, leading the factory inspector to attempt prosecution against a spinning mule minder, for which Foxcroft provided evidence. The magistrate dismissed the case, stating it was the responsibility of the factory masters to prevent such accidents.
Later life and death
After the death of his first wife, on 26 October 1876, Foxcroft continued to live in Salford, where he retired. On 4 January 1883, he married Jane Dickinson (born 1832), the daughter of Henry Dickinson, at Christ Church, Heaton Norris, Manchester. His second wife was a vegetarian from birth. They later moved to Glazebrook.
In his retirement, Foxcroft devoted his time to lecturing on vegetarianism, delivering hundreds of lectures throughout the United Kingdom. His lecture were well-documented, with notable appearances including a lecture at the Temperance Hall in Pollitt Street, Guernsey. Foxcroft claimed he had not consumed meat, fish, or fowl for 31 years and credited his vegetarian diet for alleviating his indigestion and avoiding medical expenses. He also lectured at the Literary and Philosophical Society Hall in Newcastle, the Torquay YWCA, and the YMCA at Mount Pleasant. In addition, he served as the director of a vegetarian restaurant operated by Frederick Harrison, opened in 1884, which functioned more like a club.
Around a year before his death, Foxcroft made a donation of £100 () to the Vegetarian Society, a significant amount for him, as he was not wealthy. He died at the age of 77 on 3 April 1896, in Glazebrook and was buried with his first wife, Esther, at Weaste Cemetery. Rev. James Clark delivered his funeral sermon. Shortly after his death, a memorial window for Foxcroft was installed in the Bible Christian Church in Cross Lane, Salford, in recognition of his extensive and valuable contributions to both the church and the Vegetarian Society.
References
1819 births
1896 deaths
19th-century British inventors
19th-century English businesspeople
19th-century English educators
Bible Christians
Bookkeepers
British textile industry businesspeople
Burials at Weaste Cemetery
Businesspeople from Yorkshire
English Christian religious leaders
English inventors
English vegetarianism activists
People associated with the Vegetarian Society
People from Gargrave
People from Salford
Textile engineers | Peter Foxcroft | [
"Engineering"
] | 1,139 | [
"Textile engineers",
"Textile engineering"
] |
77,386,897 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frutiger%20Aero | Frutiger Aero (), sometimes known as Web 2.0 Gloss, is a retrospective name applied to a design trend observed mainly in user interfaces and Internet aesthetics from the mid-2000s to the early 2010s. It succeeded the Y2K aesthetic, which was popular from the late 1990s to the early 2000s. The term Frutiger Aero is derived from Windows Aero, which exemplifies the style; and Adrian Frutiger, a Swiss typeface designer who was responsible for many of the humanist typefaces that were often used in older computing interfaces.
The style is characterized by its heavy use of shiny and glossy skeuomorphic features along with computer-generated images of nature, air and water shown alongside modern technology. The design style was popular in the 2000s because its skeuomorphic nature was intended to make it more accessible to consumers, but was displaced during the 2010s by a shift toward minimalism in user interface designs.
Characteristics
Frutiger Aero typically features bright colors, skeuomorphism, glossy textures, and bokeh photography. Common design motifs include blue skies, grass, water, shiny globules, and tropical fish. The design philosophy of Frutiger Aero has been described as "retro-futuristic" and representing a time of "technological optimism", and the aesthetic itself has been called "playful" and "maximalist". In a February 2023 Dazed article, Amanda Brennan, the former Head of Editorial at Tumblr, said that "there's a lot of hopefulness in this aesthetic that Y2K doesn't have".
History
The term "Frutiger Aero" was coined in 2017 by Sofi Lee of the Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute, an online community dedicated to developing terminology to describe consumer ephemera from the 1970s onwards. Lee retrospectively devised the term to refer to skeuomorphic tendencies in design prevalent roughly from 2004 or 2005 to 2013.
During this period, touch-screen devices started entering the mainstream, and skeuomorphic and friendly designs were used to acclimate new consumers to touch-based technology. Popular products incorporating what would later be called Frutiger Aero include technology such as the first-generation iPhone, the Samsung Galaxy S, and Windows Vista, as well as video games such as The Sims 3 and Fruit Ninja. In addition, the popularity of the aesthetic spread beyond technology, and the design language can be found in packaging for other products of the time, such as air conditioners, laundry detergent, and furniture.
The aesthetic has since seen a revival among online communities, with videos analyzing a variety of interfaces being posted on TikTok and YouTube under the #frutigeraero hashtag in 2023. Consequently, a subreddit, r/FrutigerAero, was established to discuss this aesthetic. It has gained popularity among Generation Z, partly due to nostalgia and because it serves as a maximalist alternative to modern minimalist corporate styles such as Corporate Memphis. In addition, Brennan stated that modern interest may arise from Frutiger Aero's nature-focused imagery and optimism, corresponding to increased environmental consciousness among Generation Z.
See also
Aqua (user interface)
Bliss (photograph)
Blobject
Crystal icons
Vaporwave
References
Further reading
User interfaces
Design language
Internet aesthetics
2020s fads and trends
Nostalgia
2017 neologisms
2000s in art | Frutiger Aero | [
"Technology",
"Engineering"
] | 679 | [
"User interfaces",
"Interfaces",
"Design languages",
"Design"
] |
77,387,405 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CTB%201 | CTB 1, also known as G116.9+00.1 and AJG 110, nicknamed the Medulla Nebula, is a supernova remnant located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It was discovered as a radio source in 1960 in a study of galactic radiation carried out at a frequency of 960 MHz.
Morphology
CTB 1 is an oxygen-rich supernova remnant of mixed morphology, that is, in the radio band it is similar to a hollow shell while in X-rays its structure is compact and centralized. Thus, it shows a complete envelope in both the visible spectrum and the radio band. The radio emission is brightest along the western edge, with a prominent gap existing along the northern and northeastern sectors. The uniform envelope—in both wavelength ranges—indicates that the shock wave extends in a relatively homogeneous interstellar medium.
Infrared emission has also been detected at 60 μm and 100 μm from CTB 1; an arc of emission at these wavelengths is coincident with the shell observed at radio frequencies.
The X-ray emission from this supernova remnant – which has a thermal origin – comes from inside the shell, observed in the visible and radio spectrum. Notably, the X-ray emission also extends across the remnant's northern gap. The abundance of neon has been determined to be very uniform, while iron is more abundant towards the southwest of the remnant, suggesting that the distribution of ejecta is asymmetric. CTB 1 is a supernova remnant rich in oxygen and neon, which is surprising for an evolved remnant; The determined abundances are consistent with the explosion of a stellar progenitor with a mass of 13 - 15 solar masses or even greater.
Stellar remnant
The pulsar PSR J0002+6216 has been proposed to be the stellar remnant of the supernova that caused the formation of CTB 1. Its proper motion is of the correct magnitude and direction to support the relationship between the two objects. Likewise, the direction and morphology of the plerion tail suggests a physical connection between PSR J0002+6216 and CTB 1. The pulsar is moving at high speed (more than 1000 km/s), which may be the result of the primary explosion.
Age and distance
The estimated age of CTB 1 is 10,000 years, although the uncertainty of this value can be as high as 20%. Other studies give it a greater age, around 16,700 years. On the other hand, there is also no consensus regarding the distance at which this supernova remnant is located. Various publications place it at a distance between 2,000 and 3,100 parsecs, while for others it is at 4,300 ± 200 parsecs. If this last value is correct, CTB 1 would be located in the Perseus arm and not in the Local arm. CTB 1 has a radius of approximately 15 parsecs.
See also
List of supernova remnants
Cassiopeia A
References
Supernova remnants
Cassiopeia (constellation) | CTB 1 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 619 | [
"Cassiopeia (constellation)",
"Constellations"
] |
77,387,517 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC%204674 | NGC 4674 is an edge-on barred spiral galaxy located in the constellation of Virgo. Its velocity relative to the cosmic microwave background is 1,846 ± 44 km/s, which corresponds to a Hubble distance of 27.23 ± 2.09 Mpc (∼88.8 million light-years). NGC 4674 was discovered by British astronomer John Herschel on 5 May 1836.
One supernova has been observed in NGC 4674: SN 1907A (type unknown, mag. 13.5) was discovered on 9 May 1907 by Dutch-American astronomer Willem Jacob Luyten.
See also
List of NGC objects (4001–5000)
References
External links
4674
43050
Virgo (constellation)
18360505
Discoveries by John Herschel
-01-33-005
Spiral galaxies
F12434-0822 | NGC 4674 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 177 | [
"Virgo (constellation)",
"Constellations"
] |
77,388,395 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024%20CrowdStrike-related%20IT%20outages | On 19 July 2024, American cybersecurity company CrowdStrike distributed a faulty update to its Falcon Sensor security software that caused widespread problems with Microsoft Windows computers running the software. As a result, roughly 8.5 million systems crashed and were unable to properly restart in what has been called the largest outage in the history of information technology and "historic in scale".
The outage disrupted daily life, businesses, and governments around the world. Many industries were affected—airlines, airports, banks, hotels, hospitals, manufacturing, stock markets, broadcasting, gas stations, retail stores, and more—as were governmental services, such as emergency services and websites. The worldwide financial damage has been estimated to be at least US$10 billion.
Within hours, the error was discovered and a fix was released, but because many affected computers had to be fixed manually, outages continued to linger on many services.
Background
CrowdStrike produces a suite of security software products for businesses, designed to protect computers from cyberattacks. Falcon, CrowdStrike's endpoint detection and response agent, works at the operating system kernel level on individual computers to detect and prevent threats. Patches are routinely distributed by CrowdStrike to its clients to enable their computers to address new threats.
CrowdStrike's own post-incident investigation identified several errors that led to the release of a fault update to the "Crowdstrike Sensor Detection Engine":
The channel files were validated using Regex patterns with wildcards and loaded into an array instead of using a parser for this purpose.
In the programming language C, the length of arrays must be treated and checked separately. However, the length was not checked before access. An array with 21 fields was expected, but the channel file was in an older data format with only 20 fields.
In the unit tests, only the happy path was tested. Regression tests for compatibility with the older data format were not conducted.
In manual tests, only valid data was tested.
The channel files did not contain a version number field that was checked.
There were no staggered rollouts, but the update was distributed to all customers simultaneously. Even critical infrastructure was not specially treated.
The software does not access the system on Microsoft Windows through a suitable application programming interface but runs as a driver in ring 0 to have elevated privileges on the operating system. However, a crash in this area leads to a blue screen of death, which stops the operating system.
Outage
On 19 July at 04:09 UTC, CrowdStrike distributed a faulty configuration update for its Falcon sensor software running on Windows PCs and servers. A modification to a configuration file which was responsible for screening named pipes, Channel File 291, caused an out-of-bounds memory read in the Windows sensor client that resulted in an invalid page fault. The update caused machines to either enter into a bootloop or boot into recovery mode.
Almost immediately, Windows virtual machines on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform began rebooting and crashing, and at 06:48 UTC, Google Compute Engine also reported the problem. The problem affected systems running Windows 10 and Windows 11 running the CrowdStrike Falcon software. Most personal Windows PCs were unaffected, as CrowdStrike's software is primarily used by organizations. The CrowdStrike software did not provide a way for subscribers to delay the installation of its content files. Computers running macOS and Linux were unaffected, as the problematic content file was only for Windows, but similar problems had affected Linux distributions of CrowdStrike software in April 2024.
CrowdStrike reverted the content update at 05:27 UTC, and devices that booted after the revert were not affected.
At 07:15 UTC, Google said that the CrowdStrike update was at fault. Within hours, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz confirmed that CrowdStrike's faulty kernel configuration file update had caused the problem. At 09:45 UTC, Kurtz confirmed that the fix was deployed and that the problem was not the result of a cyberattack.
The impact to companies in the Central United States was exacerbated by an unrelated outage with Microsoft Azure the previous day. On 18 July, the Azure platform had an outage that blocked some companies' access to their storage and to Microsoft 365 applications in Azure's Central United States region.
Remedy
Affected machines could be restored by rebooting while connected to the network; ideally while connected to Ethernet, thus providing the opportunity to download the reverted channel file, with multiple reboots reportedly required.
If crashes persisted, remediation required booting into safe mode or the Windows Recovery Environment and deleting any .sys file beginning with C-00000291- and with timestamp 04:09 UTC in the %windir%\System32\drivers\CrowdStrike\ directory. As this process needed to be done locally on each individual machine, it was "expected to take days" for affected businesses to restore all systems. Technical staff needed to reboot the affected computers individually with manual intervention on each system.
On devices with Windows' BitLocker disk encryption enabled, which corporations often use to increase security, fixing the problem was exacerbated because the 48-digit numeric Bitlocker recovery keys (unique to each system) required manual input, with additional challenges supplying the recovery keys to end users working remotely. Additionally, several organisations utilising local servers for Bitlocker recovery key storage could not access keys that were stored on servers that themselves had crashed.
Microsoft has also recommended restoring a backup from before 18 July to fix the issue.
Impact
Outages were experienced worldwide, reflecting the wide use of Microsoft Windows and CrowdStrike software by global corporations in numerous business sectors. At the time of the incident, CrowdStrike said it had more than 24,000 customers, including nearly 60% of Fortune 500 companies and more than half of the Fortune 1000. On 20 July, Microsoft estimated that 8.5 million devices were affected by the update, which it said was less than one percent of all Windows devices.
Widespread outages were immediately reported across multiple countries, with major global disturbances experienced by the general public sweeping from east to west from time zone to time zone. At 04:09 UTC on 19 July, the time when the faulty update was issued, it was the middle of the business day of Oceania and Asia, the early morning hours in Europe, and midnight in much of the Americas.
Some countries were less affected. China, which has striven toward self-sufficiency in IT, saw little impact to key services such as airlines and banks, although foreign businesses and luxury hotels in the country were affected. Russia and Iran—both restricted by international sanctions from using the services of American high-tech companies—reported no disruptions.
Cyber risk quantification company, Kovrr, calculated that the total cost to the UK economy will likely fall between £1.7 and £2.3 billion ($2.18 and $2.96 billion).
A specialist cloud outage insurance business estimated that the top 500 US companies by revenue, excluding Microsoft, had faced near $5.4bn (£4.1bn) in financial losses because of the outage, but only between $540m (£418m) to $1.08bn (£840m) of those losses would be insured.
CrowdStrike liability
CrowdStrike's own terms and conditions for their Falcon software limit liability to "fees paid", effectively a refund. Larger customers may have negotiated different terms.
In the EU, it is possible that CrowdStrike will be held liable under a GDPR regulation related to the impact of security incidents on user data. The regulation is best known in relation to data leaks but also applies to data destruction. It is unclear whether temporary loss of access to data is enough to trigger liability, or whether GDPR applies to all incidents related to security or only unauthorised access.
Further, the incident could be classed as a "personal data breach" which would be a data breach of the GDPR under Article 4 named "Definitions", paragraph 12. On 19 July 2024, a data-protection expert reported a breach of Article 32 named "Security of processing".
Air transport
Globally, 5,078 air flights, 4.6% of those scheduled that day, were cancelled. An unrelated Microsoft Azure outage, affecting services such as Microsoft 365, compounded airlines' problems.
Oceania
Australian airlines Qantas, Virgin Australia, and Jetstar were affected. A Sydney Airport spokesperson said that the outage had affected some operations and that "there may be some delays throughout the evening". Melbourne Airport saw check-in procedures disrupted; officials advised passengers to consult with their airlines. The Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Launceston, and Perth airports were also affected. In New Zealand, Christchurch Airport was having problems.
Asia
Hong Kong International Airport experienced delays during check-in, primarily for passengers of the local budget carrier Hong Kong Express, whose staff members used handwritten signs to direct passengers to check-in counters. The Hong Kong Airport Authority activated an emergency response after airline websites and automatic check-in malfunctioned. The booking systems of local airlines Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Express, and Hong Kong Airlines were unavailable. HKExpress cancelled some flights on 20 July. Jeju Air and Spring Japan experienced problems. Jetstar Japan cancelled many (mostly domestic) flights. Some of the self-check-in kiosks in Singapore Changi Airport were affected, delaying and forcing airlines to switch to manual check-in, and Singapore Airlines and Scoot reported various levels of service difficulties throughout 19 July. Cebu Pacific and Philippines AirAsia flights were delayed. Long queues formed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. In Taiwan, airline system disruptions were reported at Taoyuan International Airport. In Indonesia, disruptions were reported for the check-in systems of AirAsia and Citilink. In Thailand, Thai AirAsia's reservation and check-in systems were affected.
In India, the outage affected Indigo Airlines, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, and Vistara. Handwritten boarding passes were being issued during the outage. The Ministry of Civil Aviation asked and ordered the airlines as well as the airports to be compassionate and provide food as well as seats to waiting customers as needed. As of 18:14 IST (12:44 UTC), over 200 Indian flights had been cancelled; IndiGo alone cancelled 192. Airlines that relied on Microsoft Azure for their services were affected. Air India and SpiceJet said that none of its flights were cancelled due to the outage, attributing it to their robust cyber system however, minute delays were reported.
Europe
Prague Airport in Czechia, Budapest Airport in Hungary, Bratislava Airport in Slovakia, and Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands experienced problems. Planes were not allowed to land at Zurich Airport. Near Brussels, Charleroi Airport employees manually checked passengers in, but other software alleviated problems by 10:00 (UTC+2) and there were minimal delays. ENAIRE's Aena, the Spanish national airport traffic control manager, mentioned an IT outage in their website and social media. All Spanish airports reported disruptions. Charles de Gaulle Airport and Orly Airport experienced check-in problems and suspended flights. Poznań–Ławica Airport and Warsaw Chopin Airport experienced check-in disruptions. An emergency system was activated, and check-in processes were slower. Berlin Brandenburg Airport announced that since around 07:00 (UTC+2), operational processes were affected by "IT problems at an external provider", and that they planned to stop flights until 08:00 UTC. While passenger handling continued with some restrictions, there were delays and airlines cancelled some flights. Several airlines (Eurowings, Ryanair, Vueling, and Turkish Airlines) in Hamburg Airport had to issue tickets by hand. Croatian and Swedish air traffic control were also disrupted.
Swiss International Air Lines had 30% of flights grounded. Lufthansa in Germany experienced problems with the "profile and booking retrieval" features of their website. Ryanair's booking and check-in services were unavailable and the airline was "forced to cancel a small number of flights", advising passengers to arrive at airports at least three hours before departure. Wizz Air said the outage put its online services offline. Dutch airline KLM suspended most operations, announcing that flight handling was impossible with the issue, and Transavia Airlines experienced problems. Finnair reported that they were having trouble sending emails and SMS messages to customers. In Greece, citizens and tourists saw delays at major airports, notably at Athens International Airport and at Heraklion International Airport. This disruption, occurring at the peak of the tourist season, resulted in chaotic scenes as passengers were forced to wait for hours for their flights. Contributing factors included severe staff shortages and new schedules. In Heraklion, eight flights were problematic. The airport's chief, George Pliakas, indicated that flights were being manually arranged to manage the disruption, but the influx of arriving flights strained the system.
Several UK airports had problems, including Edinburgh Airport, whose departure boards froze, and Gatwick Airport, where automatic barcode scanning stopped working and had to be checked manually. Amadeus, which manages UK baggage at Heathrow, said they were affected by the IT outage. Disruption to flights was anticipated in the Isle of Man, particularly to and from the UK, but ultimately minimal.
Middle East and North Africa
Tunisia experienced temporary airport disruptions. Turkish Airlines cancelled some of its flights due to the outage.
North America
In the mid-morning of Friday 19 July, a ground stop was issued by United, Delta, and American Airlines, halting takeoffs but allowing aircraft aloft to reach their destinations. Allegiant Air was also grounded by the outage. Around 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, AP reported that about 1,500 flights had already been cancelled in the United States due to the outage. American Airlines, United, and Allegiant recovered relatively quickly after Friday.
But Delta, by far the hardest hit of the US major airlines, experienced an operational meltdown that continued through the weekend. The airline cancelled more than 1,200 flights on Friday. Thousands of stranded travellers were forced to spend the night at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Delta's largest hub and the busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic. Metro Atlanta hotels and rental car companies were overwhelmed by the crisis, leaving travellers no option but to stay in the airport. One traveller attempting to return home to Tampa (after giving up on reaching California) reported that Amtrak was charging $1,000 for a one-way train ticket from Atlanta to Tampa. Visibly distraught passengers with nowhere to go were seen trying to sleep in the airport on hard linoleum floors without blankets or food. The airport's custodial staff were also overwhelmed, with restrooms and trash reportedly "out of control". Without warning, Delta banned unaccompanied minors on its flights through the end of 23 July. This imposed hardship on parents who had been counting on that service to enable their children to fly without the expense of an accompanying adult.
Delta cancelled more than 1,400 flights on 20 July, and more than 1,300 flights on 21 July. With so many passengers still stuck in Hartsfield–Jackson after two consecutive nights, the airport implemented a "concessions crisis plan" and a plan to reunite passengers with their checked baggage. However, passengers in Atlanta continued to report "jam-packed" conditions and "heartbreaking" scenes in the terminals.
On 21 July, Delta CEO Ed Bastian apologised to customers in a statement and revealed that the outage had left one of Delta's crew-tracking software programs "unable to effectively process the unprecedented number of changes triggered by the system shutdown". Delta CIO Rahul Samant said the program had been brought back online around 11 a.m. on 19 July, but was overwhelmed by the backlog of updates awaiting processing and had been trying to catch up ever since. After the ground stop left too many crew members in the wrong places, Delta struggled to assemble enough pilots and flight attendants at airport gates to operate scheduled flights. Many flights were repeatedly delayed and finally cancelled because the one or two crew members who made it to the gate for a particular flight kept hitting their legal flight time limit before the airline could finish fully staffing the flight, and this caused the crisis to snowball as those crew and their aircraft were now in the wrong place for the following day's flights. (A similar phenomenon occurred during the 2022 Southwest Airlines scheduling crisis.) That same day, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said on social media that the US Department of Transportation had received hundreds of complaints about Delta, and reminded the airline of its legal obligations to affected passengers.
On 22 July, Delta cancelled more than 1,200 flights. On 23 July, the Department of Transportation announced the launch of a formal investigation into Delta's treatment of passengers. Delta officials promised to cooperate but said the airline was focused on its recovery. Senator Maria Cantwell, in her capacity as chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, wrote to Bastian to express her concern for Delta passengers. On 23 July, Secretary Buttigieg estimated that over 500,000 passengers had been affected by Delta flight cancellations. He told a press conference, "There's a lot of things I'm very concerned about, including people being on hold for hours and hours, trying to get a new flight, people having to sleep on airport floors, even accounts of unaccompanied minors being stranded in airports, unable to get on a flight". He told CBS News: "Stories about people in lines of more than a hundred people with just one customer service agent serving them at an airport, that's completely unacceptable." By then, numerous passengers had ended up in different airports than their baggage because of Delta's flight cancellations, resulting in large piles of unclaimed suitcases and other checked baggage at Delta's airport terminals around the world.
On 25 July, Delta returned to normal flight operations, having cancelled more than 7,000 flights; passengers had filed more than 5,000 complaints about Delta with the Department of Transportation. On 26 July, The Washington Post reported that the department was investigating allegedly misleading communications from Delta that offered only credit towards future Delta flights as compensation for cancelled flights and failed to clearly notify passengers of their legal right to a cash refund.
On 31 July, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the disruption had cost the airline $500 million, and he said that Delta would sue CrowdStrike to recoup some of its losses. On 8 August, Delta confirmed in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that over 7,000 flights had been cancelled over five days, and estimated its losses at $380 million in lost revenue and $170 million in expenses (adding up to about $550 million). Delta also estimated that around 1.3 million passengers had been affected by the flight cancellations.
United Airlines' smaller number of cancellations had a significant impact on its hubs. For example, San Mateo County hotels around San Francisco International Airport rapidly filled up with travellers on 19 July. Guests reported difficulty with checking into the local Marriott hotel because Marriott International was also recovering from the outage.
Southwest Airlines (the third largest US major airline by domestic passengers) was entirely unaffected. A Southwest spokesperson confirmed that the airline had seen no impact from the CrowdStrike outage but refused to confirm speculation among aviation industry analysts that it had been shielded by its notoriously outdated software.
The flight delays meant that many people who had traveled to the 2024 Republican National Convention—which concluded the day the outages started—were stuck in the convention's host city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Montréal–Trudeau International Airport and Toronto Pearson International Airport were affected in Canada, and Porter Airlines cancelled all flights. Vancouver International Airport was also reportedly affected in Canada, although it was unclear whether this was directly related to the global outages.
Finance
Microsoft and CrowdStrike stocks fell as a result of the outage. CrowdStrike's stock fell more than 11% on 19 July, although Microsoft stock was down less than 1%.
Banks that were affected included Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Capital One and Charles Schwab in the US; RBC, Scotiabank, and TD Bank in Canada; Capitec Bank and other South African banks; several Israeli banks; and several banks in the Philippines, including RCBC, Metrobank, LandBank, BDO, UnionBank, BPI, and PNB. E-wallets such as Maya and GCash also experienced problems in the Philippines. The website and mobile banking application of DenizBank in Turkey could not be accessed. Visa was affected. Numerous Singaporean companies, including Singapore Exchange (SGX) and DBS Bank, reported various levels of service difficulties throughout 19 July.
In India, the Reserve Bank of India said that only 10 banks and NBFCs were affected by the outage; few banks use CrowdStrike tools and many banks' critical systems do not run on the cloud. NSE, BSE, and India's largest bank, State Bank of India, said they were unaffected.
In Brazil, Bradesco Bank confirmed it was affected. During the morning customers were able to login, but at 12:00 UTC the bank disabled the login button.
New Zealand banks ASB and Kiwibank were affected, while Australian banks Westpac and ANZ also had problems. Apps of Australian banks NAB, Westpac, ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Bendigo Bank, and Suncorp were affected.
The London Stock Exchange, while operating normally, was unable to push news updates to its website. English gambling company Ladbrokes Coral and English supermarket chain Morrisons also reported problems. Polish banks, including Santander Bank Polska, ING Bank Śląski and mBank, encountered issues related to the outage. Santander BP's helpline, video, and chat services were affected. PKO Bank Polski clarified that its iPKO and IKO services were stable, but other banks faced difficulties. In Finland, OP Financial Group reported minor disruptions on investment partner and stock savings accounts. Sense Bank in Ukraine experienced outages due to the update.
Paraguayan banks Ueno and Banco Continental were affected; their customers were unable to log in.
Government
The United States Department of Homeland Security, NASA, Federal Trade Commission, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Justice, and Department of Education were affected, and the Department of the Treasury and Department of State reported minor disruptions. The Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Energy experienced disruptions, but it is not currently known if they are related to the incident. DMV agencies for the states of Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia were affected. Ted Wheeler, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, declared the outages to be a city emergency. Election and voting registration databases in Arizona, South Dakota, Texas and the state of Washington were affected. The website for the city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, went down.
In the United States, there were outages in 911 service or disruptions in 911 call centres' operation in some parts of Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. 911 was down for all of New Hampshire. In addition, Alaska was experiencing issues with non-emergency call centres. Many call centres switched to working backup systems.
The CM/ECF and PACER computer systems used by the US federal courts were unaffected. However, several state courts reported problems with their computer systems, including courts in Alaska, California, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania. In New York City, courts and correctional facilities were disrupted, delaying a hearing in the trial of Harvey Weinstein for sex offenses.
Government websites in the Philippines, such as the website of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, were down due to the outage.
In Canada, services in Toronto were affected, and Canada Child Benefit payments were delayed. New Zealand Parliament had problems. Sunshine Coast Council was one of several councils affected in Australia. The National Security Authority spokesman confirmed several institutions in Slovakia were affected.
The fire department in Copenhagen, Denmark, was unable to receive automatic fire alerts from buildings.
Ground transport
Traffic disruptions were reported at the US–Canada border, including long delays at the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit–Windsor tunnel between Ontario and Michigan. The Canada Border Services Agency blamed a partial outage of its telephone reporting system which was later resolved. There were long delays and police advised motorists to avoid the area. The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority suffered minor service delays in the early morning in America; their website/live tracking was unavailable until around 9:30 am on 19 July. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in Boston, as well as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York, lost vehicle tracking and arrival notices for passengers. Most of North American freight and passenger train operators went largely unaffected aside from some technical issues within Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Amtrak was mostly unaffected aside from issues with credit card processing during the morning.
Malaysia's railway operator, Keretapi Tanah Melayu, confirmed that its KITS ticketing system was experiencing technical issues. Transport for Ireland said its apps were down due to the outage. Ireland's Road Safety Authority said it was experiencing "significant disruption" to its National Car Test (NCT) centres. In Singapore, the entrance and exit gantries of over 185 car parks managed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) were affected.
Fuel stations have also been affected in Australia, with people stuck at fuel pumps unable to pay for petrol because payment systems were not working. Auckland Transport's HOP card in New Zealand had problems. Australian freight train operator Aurizon was affected. Regional trains in New South Wales, Australia on the Hunter Line and the Southern Highlands Line were cancelled or delayed with the Regional Bus and Train network in Victoria operated by V/Line having all lines suspended.
UK rail companies were also affected. Cab riders in London could not pay with credit or with debit cards and thus required cash. In Sweden and Belgium, tickets for public transport could not be sold, and Keolis Nederland experienced issues.
Healthcare
Many hospitals across North America paused non-urgent surgeries and visits. Some affected hospitals, while remaining open, had limited, if any, access to patient records. In the United States, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center postponed all procedures that required anaesthesia, the Mass General Brigham hospital system cancelled all non-emergency procedures and medical visits, and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center was also affected. University Health Network experienced technical issues in Canada, saying hospitals' clinical activity would continue but warning that appointments may be delayed. A number of other Canadian hospitals faced difficulties, with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services activating contingency plans as patient record systems were affected. LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics were affected by the outage. Kaiser San Jose Medical Center lost access to patient records, as well as systems that monitored newborn baby's vital signs, and the security systems to keep babies from being taken. Other hospitals lost surveillance cameras and the ability for employee badges to unlock secure areas.
England's National Health Service (NHS) said that the issues are "causing disruption in the majority of [English] GP practices", with some of its services, such as GP surgeries, which rely on a software product called EMIS Web, unable to view and manage medical records, issue and manage prescriptions, or make appointments. Manx Radio reported that GP surgeries were affected in the Isle of Man. The London Ambulance Service experienced an unprecedented surge in 999 and 111 calls following the outage, responding to 4,500 emergency calls by 17:00 (BST).
Two-thirds of Northern Ireland's general practices (GPs) were affected. At hospitals radiation therapy, bookings for operating theatres, and staff rosters are also affected.
In Belgium, FPS Public Health said the outage disrupted new-patient admissions in two hospitals, which activated their emergency IT plans. Two hospitals in Lübeck and Kiel, Germany, cancelled non-emergency operations. The Spanish regional governments of Aragon, Basque Country, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, and Galicia reported problems with their healthcare services. in Portugal reported problems, while the Catholic Health system in New York experienced outages that caused delays in services.
In the Netherlands, the outages affected two hospitals—the Scheperziekenhuis in Emmen and the Slingeland Ziekenhuis in de Achterhoek—and numerous emergency aid stations were also affected, including those in Emmen, Hoogeveen, and Stadskanaal.
Systems in Wesley Hospital and St Andrews Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, were affected.
The Central Health information system in Croatia was affected, although it was clarified that it was due to a concurrent issue tied with moving their servers to a new location.
In Israel, Magen David Adom and its emergency service hotline was affected. Hospitals including Sheba Medical Center, Rambam Hospital and Laniado Hospital were experiencing problems that led to longer waiting times and delayed surgeries.
The pharmaceutical company Krka in Slovenia suffered a full production outage and sent its workforce home.
Media and communications
Numerous American TV stations were unable to broadcast because of the global outage. KSHB-TV, one of the affected stations, had to resort to airing national news via Scripps News. ESPN was unable to air the morning editions of SportsCenter on the morning of the outage in America, instead airing ESPN Radio's Unsportsmanlike, simulcasting with ESPN2. ESPN and ESPN2 later simulcasted Get Up! and First Take in place of SportsCenter, albeit without on-air graphics or b-roll. Various Paramount channels were also affected including Nicktoons (with its West Coast feed switching to an old emergency feed), TeenNick, BET Her, NickMusic and most channels on the Pluto TV service. MeTV Toons was sent off the air for five and a half hours. Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (which is sponsored by CrowdStrike) also suffered issues on the Friday of the Hungarian Grand Prix, with a Mercedes spokesperson confirming that the team had to manually address the problem on every computer it used. The issue also affected their engine customers, McLaren, Aston Martin and Williams. Many video screens in New York City's Times Square turned off.
When some companies let their employees go home early as a result of the incident, the topic "Thank you Microsoft for an early vacation" momentarily became Weibo's most popular term. Universal Studios Japan announced that they would not be selling tickets via ticket booths over the weekend due to the outage; however, tickets would still be sold online or via designated ticket sales sites.
Vodafone experienced outages. The issue affected the office laptops of DPG Media Belgium – which impacts JOE and QMusic Radio, banks, post services, and government agencies. Telephone communication with the urban services in Antwerp were also affected. The Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium stated that the impact in Belgium was limited. Sky News was unable to broadcast live in the UK, as was the BBC's CBBC, a free-to-air children's television channel. Irish national broadcaster RTÉ said its newsroom was hit by "intermittent internet outages" with minimal impact to output. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was also affected.
Several French TV channels affected by the issues include TF1, TFX, LCI and Canal+ Group networks. Phone and internet service provider Bouygues Telecom has also announced the unavailability of its customer service as a result of the outage. The operations of the 2024 Summer Olympics, scheduled to start the following week in Paris, France, were also affected. The outage occurred a day after the Olympic Village opened and organisers were processing the arrivals of athletes and delegates. The organising committee said that a contingency plan was activated and that only the delivery of uniforms and accreditations were affected. The incident slowed down the operations, with the accreditation desk at the press centre closed and security checks done manually using a list of names.
IT workers and the BPO industry were affected in the Philippines. Numerous Singaporean companies, including SPH Media, Singtel, and M1, reported various levels of service difficulties throughout the day on 19 July.
Australian media firms affected by the issues include the ABC, SBS, Seven Network and Nine Network. Ticketing at Docklands Stadium for Friday night's Australian Football League match between the Essendon Bombers and the Adelaide Crows was affected.
Israel Post was affected and Ukrainian Nova Poshta experienced outages. In the US, UPS and FedEx were affected.
Sim racing service iRacing was also affected by the outage in America. Various Korean online games, like Black Desert Online, Ragnarok Online, and Ragnarok Origin shut down.
Amazon Web Services, eBay, Google Cloud, Instagram, and Plenty of Fish were also affected.
Retail
German supermarket chain Tegut closed some of its stores. Customers experienced payment problems at Foodstuffs and Woolworths supermarkets in New Zealand. Coles was also affected. British grocery chain Waitrose could only accept cash from customers. Self-checkout and online order systems at some Australian retailers and fast food chains were out of service.
The mobile application of the Starbucks coffee chain was limited to basic viewing of accounts made before the update; ordering was limited to in-store purchases only; some outlets saw cash register software crashes.
In the United States, sporting goods retailer Dick's Sporting Goods closed some of its stores and saw temporary outages to its website.
Convenience store chain 7-Eleven experienced problems at Speedway locations that still used BlueCube and Radiant Site Manager dating from the days Speedway was owned by Marathon Petroleum Corporation, with some stores unable to accept credit or debit transactions while others were closed outright.
In Norway, the pharmacy chain Apotek1 and the insurance company Tryg suspended services; the Vitusapotek and Boots pharmacy chains were also affected. Norway experienced little further impact because of CrowdStrike's limited market share in the country.
Amazon saw disruption to its warehouse operations and internal software. An app used in Amazon warehouses to manage schedules and time-off requests called 'A to Z' was taken down by the outage and an internal service called 'Anytime Pay' became unavailable to employees. Operations were briefly halted at some sites, while Amazon's trucking operations were disrupted, with drivers saying a platform they use called 'Relay' suffered issues meaning they were briefly unable to pick up loads at warehouses.
Other sectors
The outage affected terminal operations at DCT Gdańsk, a major container hub in the Baltic port of Gdańsk in Poland. Shipping ports in the US were unaffected for the most part, although the Port of Houston (which handles the most foreign tonnage) closed briefly.
In Sweden, the Malmberget mine was evacuated as a precaution. Tickets for soccer games could not be sold.
In the United States, security provider ADT was affected.
In Germany, Tesla halted production at its Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg for about four hours.
Response
In a live interview on NBC's Today, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz apologised to the public. He said company leaders were "deeply sorry for the impact that we've caused to customers, to travellers, to anyone affected by this, including our companies". CrowdStrike warned that malicious actors might try to pose as its staff or independent researchers claiming to help fix the problem.
CrowdStrike offered $10 UberEats vouchers to some employees at companies that sell and support its software as thanks for helping Crowdstrike customers recover, prompting ridicule given the costs associated with the outage. Uber flagged the code as suspicious as it was used so frequently, so it did not work for some users.
CrowdStrike won the 2024 Pwnie Awards for the Most Epic Fail, which CrowdStrike president Michael Sentonas accepted in person at DEF CON's annual Pwnie Awards show. A parody website named ClownStrike was created in the aftermath of the incident; CrowdStrike later sent a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice to the owner of the site.
Political
The Australian government held a national emergency meeting to address the outage. The National Coordination Mechanism was activated; Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, "I understand Australians are concerned about the outage that is unfolding globally and affecting a wide range of services. My Government is working closely with the National Cyber Security Coordinator". He later said, "There is no impact to critical infrastructure, government services, or Triple-0 services at this stage". Victorians were advised to call Triple-0 if a fire alarm sounds or smoke is detected, as some automatic alarms in buildings may not automatically call fire services due to the outage.
United States president Joe Biden's administration was in touch with CrowdStrike to offer assistance, and on 23 July, Kurtz was invited to appear before Congress to explain how the outage occurred and what CrowdStrike was doing to prevent future incidents.
The UK government's COBR committee met to discuss the incident.
India's Minister of Information and Technology Ashwini Vaishnav said that the government was in touch with Microsoft. The government's cybersecurity agency CERT-IN classified the incident as "critical".
In Russia, the government noted that the sanctions and boycotts placed on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had unintentionally shielded it from the outage. Russia's Digital Communications Ministry said, "At the moment, the ministry has not received reports of system failures at Russian airports," and "The situation with Microsoft once again shows the importance of import substitution of foreign software, primarily at critical information infrastructure facilities." The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency confirmed that no domestic airlines were affected. The Kremlin stated that its systems were working as normal.
An editorial in the Chinese state-run Global Times suggested a need for decreased dependency on Western firms, stating that reliance on "top companies to lead network security efforts" can introduce security risks and noting the perceived irony of the United States leading global security efforts while major companies monopolise the industry.
Industry
Cybersecurity consultant Troy Hunt called the incident the "largest IT outage in history", adding: "This is basically what we were all worried about with Y2K, except it's actually happened this time". Slate described it as "Y2K Lite". News reporters have used the term "digital pandemic" to describe the outage.
Elon Musk—CEO of Tesla, X Corp, Neuralink, and SpaceX—posted on X that CrowdStrike has been "deleted from all our systems".
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes demanded answers and compensation for millions of dollars in revenue he said the company had lost in the incident.
Chinese cybersecurity companies such as 360 Security, QAX and Tencent took advantage of the CrowdStrike incident to promote their own software.
Criminal
Governments worldwide and cybersecurity agencies warned of digital phishing scams after the incident. Cyber criminals started sending phishing emails purporting to be CrowdStrike support and impersonating CrowdStrike staff in phone calls shortly afterward.
Analysis
Cause
The 19 July update was an instance of a template that was tested and released in March 2024 as part of an update to the Falcon Sensor software. This new instance, Channel File 291, passed validation due to a bug in CrowdStrike's content verification software. The Falcon Sensor itself parses the file differently in a way that led to a software crash in kernel mode.
Centralisation and homogeneity
The outage raised questions about oligopoly and centralisation in the information technology sector. The majority of the world's computers use Microsoft Windows, creating a monoculture that reduces resiliency. Ciaran Martin, a cybersecurity expert, said, "This is a very, very uncomfortable illustration of the fragility of the world's core internet infrastructure". Critical infrastructure expert Gregory Falco said, "Cybersecurity providers are part of this homogenous backbone of modern systems and are so core to how we operate that a glitch in their operations will have similar impacts to failures in systems that are household names". Security experts suggested more redundancy to avoid single points of failure, wider use of decentralised and heterogeneous federated systems, and public anger at the failure of political leaders to regulate for diversity and competition. Conversely, cybersecurity expert Andrew Plato argued that monocultures are a net positive, “from a security perspective, there’s actually a lot of benefits to running a smaller, standardized set of software, because it allows you to spot a problem quicker and easier."
IT practices
Experts speculate that the update was not put through routine patch management procedures (testing the update in a sandbox) to verify there were no problems.
Mandating disclosure of breaches and vulnerabilities has also been suggested. In an interview with Wired, cybersecurity consultant Jake Williams said that this outage has "shown why pushing updates without IT intervention is unsustainable," and that "people may now demand changes in this operating model."
Operating system design and antitrust enforcement
Microsoft blamed a 2009 antitrust agreement with the European Union that they said forced them to sustain low-level kernel access to third-party developers. The document does not explicitly state that Microsoft has to provide kernel-level access, but says Microsoft must provide access to the same APIs used by its own security products. The EU rejected the allegations. The European Commission spokesperson told Euronews that "Microsoft is free to decide on its business model. It is for Microsoft to adapt its security infrastructure to respond to threats in line with EU competition law. Additionally, consumers are free to benefit from competition and choose between different cybersecurity providers."
The spokesperson also said that "the incident was not limited to the European Union and that Microsoft has never raised any concerns about security with the Commission either before or after the incident."
In Linux, it is possible to use eBPF instead of kernel modules to program this type of software.
Since macOS Catalina (2019), this type of software can use the Endpoint Security Framework instead of a kernel extension, and this approach has been gradually enforced.
See also
Internet outage
2000 outages: Y2K problem
2010 outage: McAfee DAT 5958 update
Google services outages (several different years)
2021 Facebook outage
2022 Rogers Communications outage
2023 Optus outage
Anticipated outages
Year 2038 problem
General mitigations
IT risk management
Patch management
Security management
References
2024 in aviation
2024 in computing
Computer errors
Global events
July 2024
Microsoft Windows
Software anomalies | 2024 CrowdStrike-related IT outages | [
"Technology"
] | 8,876 | [
"Computing platforms",
"Technological failures",
"Microsoft Windows",
"Software anomalies",
"Computer errors"
] |
77,388,442 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday%20the%2013th%3A%20Church%20of%20the%20Divine%20Psychopath | Friday the 13th: Church of the Divine Psychopath is a 2005 British horror novel written by Scott S. Phillips and published by Black Flame. A tie-in to the Friday the 13th series of American horror films, it is the first in a series of five Friday the 13th novels published by Black Flame and revolves around government operatives coming into conflict with a cult that worships undead killer Jason Voorhees.
Plot
Camp Crystal Lake, the hunting ground of undead killer Jason Voorhees, has been leased to the Ministry of the Heavenly Vessel, a fringe Christian group led by Father Eric Long. Long has discovered Jason lying dormant in Crystal Lake and plans on reviving him, deludedly believing Jason to be an avenging angel who judges and kills sinners at the behest of God. Long's congregants include Kelly Mills, a troubled twenty-six-year-old with a history of being abused both physically and sexually, including being gangraped as a child, and her friend Meredith Host, a closeted teenage lesbian who has a crush on Kelly. A few days after the Ministry moves into the camp, a group of government Operators set up nearby, having been assigned to locate and kill Jason. Walter Hobb, a member of the unit living in disgrace since his involvement in a meth lab raid that went awry, is convinced the mission is a Snipe hunt.
Long uses electricity to resuscitate Jason, who murders several of Long's disciples, with Long dismissing the victims as sinners rightfully punished by Jason. Kelly flees the church and seeks aid from the Operators. Jason begins picking the Operators off one by one, assisted in his rampage by Long, who has ordered his followers to kill the Operators. One of the slain Operators is the group's leader and Hobb's best friend, Jeff Townsend. Meredith, distraught over Long's increasingly megalomaniacal behavior, the lecherous advances of Long's second-in-command, a disabled Marine named Curtis Rickles, and her belief her sexuality was the reason Jason murdered her parents, runs away from the camp in search of Jason, but is found and snapped back to her senses by Hobb and Kelly.
After Long refuses to surrender, the remaining Operators lay siege to Camp Crystal Lake. Jason joins the fray, killing combatants on both sides; during the battle, Rickles sexually assaults Meredith and is shot by Hobb, who is unable to save Meredith from Jason. In the aftermath, the only ones left alive are Hobb, Kelly, Jason, and Long. Long, having missed the conflict due to passing out after abandoning his three wives and engaging in frenzied self-flagellation, denounces his cultists before supplicating himself before Jason to be "judged" by him; he is killed while declaring, "Praise God in all His wisdom."
Hobb arms himself with a pair of grenade launchers, while Kelly, in a bid to lure Jason out into the open, strips to her underwear and prances through the ruins of Camp Crystal Lake. Jason takes the bait and chases Kelly into the cafeteria, where he is ambushed by Hobb. During their fight, Hobb knocks Jason into a pit where the Ministry had been dumping the dead, including Townsend. Hobb blows Jason and the mass grave up, recovers Jason's body parts and hockey mask to place in government custody, and drives off with Kelly.
Publication
Author Scott S. Phillips has stated he had "a great time" writing the book and that he was "pretty much left alone" while authoring it; the only parameter Black Flame had given him to follow was "to make it R-rated." However, Phillips has also declared, "After a truly unpleasant experience with the editor of my novel Friday the 13th: Church of the Divine Psychopath, I decided to take a stab at self-publishing, and I've never looked back." Black Flame "goofed up" and did not credit Phillips with the "S" initial he used to avoid being confused with another author named Scott Phillips.
Phillips celebrated the book's release with a signing at the Dark Delicacies bookstore in Burbank, California, on August 20, 2005.
Reception
Nat Brehmer of Wicked Horror felt the novel was "pretty decent" with an intriguing premise and a "great" villain in the form of Father Eric Long. In a review written for Rue Morgue, Joel Harley praised the book, opining that it added "a new dimension to the franchise in a way that the movies could never have" and was "one of the franchise's most vibrant and exciting entries to date." Brehmer, in an expanded review written for Medium, reiterated that Church of the Divine Psychopath was "a crude, hyper-violent, exceptional splatterpunk horror novel" that, despite being "gleefully mean-spirited" with a "jet-black" sense of humor, did not shy away from serious and traumatic topics, which, in Brehmer's opinion, contributed to it being the best of the five Friday the 13th novels published by Black Flame.
References
External links
2005 British novels
2005 debut novels
2005 LGBTQ-related literary works
2000s horror novels
2000s LGBTQ novels
Action novels
Black Flame books
British horror novels
British LGBTQ novels
Debut horror novels
Domestic violence in fiction
Fiction about casual sex
Fiction about Christianity
Fiction about child murder
Fiction about gang rape
Fiction about masturbation
Fiction about mother–daughter relationships
Fiction about polyamory
Fiction about self-harm
Friday the 13th (franchise) mass media
Grief in fiction
Juvenile delinquency in fiction
Juvenile sexuality in books
Lakes in fiction
LGBTQ-related horror literature
Novels about child abuse
Novels about child sexual abuse
Novels about cults
Novels about disability
Novels about drugs
Novels about dysfunctional families
Novels about friendship
Novels about mass murder
Novels about moving
Novels about orphans
Novels about rape
Novels about revenge
Novels about serial killers
Novels about suicide
Novels about the United States Marine Corps
Novels based on films
Novels set in abandoned buildings and structures
Novels set in bookstores
Novels set in churches
Novels set in forests
Novels set in New Jersey
Novels set in Ohio
Novels set in summer camps
Novels set in the 2000s
Novels set in Virginia
Novels set in West Virginia
Novels with lesbian themes
Novels with multiple narrators
Splatterpunk novels
Supernatural novels
Third-person narrative novels
Works about atonement
Works about LGBTQ and Christianity
Works about single parent families
Works about stalking
Works about the illegal drug trade
Works about veterans
Works about widowhood
Zombie novels | Friday the 13th: Church of the Divine Psychopath | [
"Biology"
] | 1,332 | [
"Behavior",
"Works about atonement",
"Works about behavior"
] |
71,452,673 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CEERS-93316 | CEERS-93316 is a high-redshift galaxy with a spectroscopic redshift z=4.9.
Significantly, the redshift that was initially reported was photometric (z = 16.4) and would have made CEERS-93316 the earliest and most distant known galaxy observed.
CEERS-93316 has a light-travel distance (lookback time) of 12.6 billion years, and, due to the expansion of the universe, a present proper distance of 25.7 billion light-years.
Discovery
The candidate high-redshift galaxy CEERS-93316 (RA:14:19:39.48 DEC:+52:56:34.92), in the Boötes constellation, was discovered by the CEERS imaging observing program using the Near Infrared Camera of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in July 2022. CEERS stands for "Cosmic Evolution Early Release Science Survey", and is a deep- and wide-field sky survey program developed specifically for JWST image studies, and is conducted by the CEERS Collaboration.
See also
Earliest galaxies
F200DB-045
GLASS-z12
HD1 (galaxy)
JADES-GS-z13-0
List of the most distant astronomical objects
Peekaboo Galaxy
References
External links
CEERS WebSite
IMAGE: CEERS-93316 galaxy (1 Aug 2022)
Astronomical objects discovered in 2022
Boötes
Discoveries by the James Webb Space Telescope
Galaxies
Ursa Major | CEERS-93316 | [
"Astronomy"
] | 311 | [
"Ursa Major",
"Galaxies",
"Boötes",
"Constellations",
"Astronomical objects"
] |
71,453,228 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deformation%20index | The deformation index is a parameter that specifies the mode of control under which time-varying deformation or loading processes occur in a solid. It is useful for evaluating the interaction of elastic stiffness with viscoelastic or fatigue behavior.
If deformation is maintained constant while load is varied, the process is said to be deformation controlled. Similarly, if load is held constant while deformation is varied, the process is said to be load controlled. Between the extremes of deformation and load control, there is a spectrum of intermediate modes of control including energy control.
For example, between two rubber compounds with the same viscoelastic behavior but different stiffnesses, which compound is preferred for a given application? In a strain controlled application, the lower stiffness rubber would operate at smaller stress and therefore produce less viscous heating. But in a stress controlled application, the higher stiffness rubber would operate at small strains thereby producing less viscous heating. In an energy controlled application, the two compounds might give the same amount of viscous heating. The right selection for minimizing viscous heating therefore depends on the mode of control.
Definition
Futamura's deformation index can be defined as follows. is the parameter whose value is controlled (ie held constant). is Young's modulus of linear elasticity. is the strain. is the stress.
Particular choices of yield particular modes of control and determine the units of . For , we get strain control: . For , we get energy control: . For , we get stress control: .
History
The parameter was originally proposed by Shingo Futamura, who won the Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award in recognition of this development. Futamura was concerned with predicting how changes in viscoelastic dissipation were affected by changes to compound stiffness. Later, he extended applicability of the approach to simplify finite element calculations of the coupling of thermal and mechanical behavior in a tire. William Mars adapted Futamura's concept for application in fatigue analysis.
Analogy to polytropic process
Given that the deformation index may be written in a similar algebraic form, it may be said that the deformation index is in a certain sense analogous to the polytropic index for a polytropic process.
References
Solid mechanics | Deformation index | [
"Physics"
] | 454 | [
"Solid mechanics",
"Mechanics"
] |
71,455,095 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew%20Clennel%20Palmer | Andrew Clennel Palmer (26 May 1938 – 21 December 2019) was a British engineer who worked on offshore geotechnical problems of submarine pipeline design and the study of the properties of ice. He spent much of his career as a teacher and academic researcher, at the University of Liverpool, Cambridge University, the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, and the National University of Singapore, punctuated by work in industry, while also serving as an expert witness and as a member of various industrial and academic committees.
Early life and education
Born in Colchester, Palmer was the son of Gerald Basil Coote Palmer, headmaster of Mark Hall Comprehensive School in Harlow, and Muriel née Howes. After attending the Royal Liberty School in Gidea Park, he became the first student from his school to go on to study at Cambridge University, reading Mechanical Sciences at Pembroke College and completing his undergraduate degree in 1961. He achieved first-class honours in his first two years (the third being unclassed).
Academia
Daniel C. Drucker was visiting Cambridge while Palmer was a student and was sufficiently impressed to extend an invitation to return to Brown University and perform research there, which Palmer accepted after graduation, receiving a doctorate in 1965. Drucker said that his work could have been worth three doctorates. His work at Brown included plasticity, glacial creep and ice lensing.
After his doctorate, Palmer spent two years as a lecturer at the University of Liverpool, but was dissatisfied with the university's engineering curriculum and returned to Cambridge in 1967, where he became a fellow of Churchill College. His initial research there was on the physical properties of soil and how temperature affected soil plasticity; he was able to analogise from the stress–strain relationships in metals, which were more understood.
These topics led to his involvement with BP's trans-Alaska pipeline project, beginning in 1970 with the company seeking an expert in permafrost; Palmer had no specific understanding of oil pipelines, but the company was seeking a new perspective on its engineering problems, and he would follow up his initial work by contributing to the Forties and Ninian pipelines. He solved the problem of predicting the shape of the curve of a pipeline, and thus the mechanical stress it suffers, as it is being laid by an S-lay barge by building a physical model and dimensional analysis, avoiding the need for numerically-laborious calculation of finite element analysis.
In industry and at UMIST
In 1975, after his engagement with BP, Palmer left Cambridge and joined R. J. Brown & Associates as an industrial engineer. He worked on the first under-ice pipelines in the arctic in Northern Canada, the Polar Gas pipeline and the Panarctic Drake F-76 flowline, serving as the project manager of the latter. Having physically modelled laying the pipeline, the physical model was used to optimise the process and the actual installation went very smoothly. After this success, Palmer stayed with the company and worked in London, Houston and Singapore, rising to the role of head of the London office, as well as travelling around Europe on business.
Palmer left R. J. Brown & Associates following other departures and conflict at the company. After a period of unemployment—the petroleum industry being in a slump—Palmer joined the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology and began a course to train practitioners in submarine pipeline design; the course would be repeated many times over the next forty years. Despite enjoying his tenure at the university, it was not long, spending only three years there before leaving during turmoil around budgets, job losses, and a merger with Victoria University.
Andrew Palmer & Associates
Returning to industry, Palmer established a company, Andrew Palmer & Associates Limited (APAL). As well as consulting on various projects, APAL developed a modular software suite for oil engineers, PLUSONE. The company was successful and earned a reputation for high-quality engineering work, expanding from its original office in London to sites in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Newcastle and also becoming involved in project management, eventually employing over 55 people. The company had a high proportion of young and female employees, and practiced employee stock ownership and equally shared profits between employees—though the latter was not entirely a success. Palmer did not enjoy the role of being a manager, preferring to be involved in the engineering process, and the company was sold in 1993, with Palmer staying on until 1996 as part of the sale agreement.
Return to academia
Palmer returned to Cambridge in 1996 as a professor of petroleum engineering, with a remit for cross-disciplinary collaboration. He flourished in this role, introducing students to a variety of the problems faced by practitioners, as well as in university administration and benefactor relations, soliciting donations from industry. During a sabbatical, he spent a year as a visiting professor at Harvard University.
He retired from Cambridge in 2005 and, in 2006, moved to the National University of Singapore to a chair sponsored by Keppel Corporation, where he continued to teach and supervise graduate students.
Research
Palmer's initial topic of study was soil mechanics, particularly at low temperature; he would later investigate ice flow and the mechanical properties of ice, which would remain a recurrent, long-term interest of his.
He would deploy dimensional analysis, which he described as 'a magical way of finding useful results with almost no effort,' as well as physical models of systems that, while simple, nevertheless captured a relevant aspect of the problem and allowed for experimentation and optimisation cheaply, which was especially important before digital computers were powerful enough to simulate complex systems. Sometimes, the models were not so small: Palmer realised that the 1:20 scale modelling of storm hazards near Western Australia were insufficient, and instead was involved in building a large 1:6 flow cell.
His contribution to understanding how pipelines buckle form the basis of modern pipelines are designed to avoid this hazard, and he introduced a new way of laying pipelines in deep water partly-filled with seawater (previously, they had been laid empty), so that the walls did not need to be as thick (significantly reducing costs) to stop the pipelines buckling under the pressure.
Other work
Palmer made himself available as an expert witness, and enjoyed working with lawyers, who he found quick-witted (though forgetful once a case was over). He testified for the Crown at the Piper Alpha disaster inquest and at various other investigations. He served on several committees and editorial boards, including as president of the Pipeline Industries Guild from 1998 to 2000.
Personal life
Palmer met Jane Evans, an artist, on an American holiday while they were both volunteering to construct schools; they married in 1963, and had a daughter, Emily. The two shared many interests and hobbies, including art and travel.
As an undergraduate, Palmer was keenly left wing and debated at the Cambridge Union. He was elected president of his college's Junior Combination Room. He spoke many languages: as well as his native English, he learnt Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Russian and Spanish. Colleagues found him kind, if quirky, and he was well-liked.
Awards
Fellow of the Royal Society, 1994
Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Clarkson University, honorary doctorate, 2007
References
Bibliography
1938 births
2019 deaths
People from Colchester
20th-century British engineers
21st-century British engineers
British engineers
Petroleum engineers
Geotechnical engineers
People educated at the Royal Liberty Grammar School
Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Brown University School of Engineering alumni
Academics of the University of Liverpool
Engineering professors at the University of Cambridge
Fellows of Churchill College, Cambridge
Academics of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology
Academic staff of the National University of Singapore
Fellows of the Royal Society
Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering | Andrew Clennel Palmer | [
"Engineering"
] | 1,570 | [
"Petroleum engineers",
"Petroleum engineering"
] |
71,456,403 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protactinium%28V%29%20bromide | Protactinium(V) bromide is an inorganic compound. It is a halide of protactinium, consisting of protactinium and bromine. It is radioactive and has a chemical formula of PaBr5, which is a red crystal of the monoclinic crystal system.
Preparation
Protactinium(V) bromide can be obtained by reacting protactinium(V) chloride with boron tribromide at 500 to 550 °C.
3PaCl5 + 5BBr3 → 3PaBr5 + 5BCl3
It can also be obtained by reacting protactinium(V) oxide with aluminum bromide at 400 °C.
Physical properties
Protactinium(V) bromide is an orange-red, crystalline, extremely moisture-sensitive solid that reacts violently with water and ammonia, but is persistent in absolutely dry air. It is insoluble in isopentane, dichloromethane and benzene, and in anhydrous acetonitrile is dissolves to form PaBr5•4CH3CN. It comes in several modifications. Below 400 °C as an α-modification and above 400 °C as a β-modification. The α-form has a monoclinic crystal structure of the space group P21/c (No. 14) and lattice parameters a = 1296 pm, b = 1282 pm, c = 992 pm, β = 108° and the β-form also has monoclinic crystal structure with space group P21/n (No. 14, position 2) and lattice parameters a = 838.5 pm, b = 1120.5 pm, c = 895.0 pm, β = 91.1°. The β form exists as a dimer. At 400 °C in a vacuum, protactinium(V) bromide sublimes. A γ-form, which has a β-uranium(V) chloride-type crystal structure, has also been detected.
References
Bromides
Actinide halides
Protactinium(V) compounds | Protactinium(V) bromide | [
"Chemistry"
] | 435 | [
"Bromides",
"Salts"
] |
71,456,549 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrolepiota%20zeyheri | Macrolepiota zeyheri is a species of mushroom producing fungus in the family Agaricaceae. In the Kilendu dialect it is known as djilo and in the Kilur dialect it is called n'volo mighom.
Taxonomy
Macrolepiota zeyheri has a complicated taxonomic history due to a series of minor errors and confusions in its classifications and published names.
It was first described in 1843 by the British mycologist Miles Joseph Berkeley who classified it as Agaricus zeyheri or Agaricus (Lepiota) zeyheri.
In 1848 the Swedish mycologist Elias Magnus Fries suggested that the species should be split into two based on the description he provided of differences between specimens he studied and the one originally described by Berkeley.
Fries however did not suggest a name for this proposed species but in 1962 the German mycologist Rolf Singer classified it as Macrolepiota zeyheri and cited Fries as the original authority. This created an illegitimate name since Agaricus zeyheri had in fact been originally classified by Berkeley. The specific epithet zeyheri is named for the explorer and botanist who embarked on the South African expedition in which the first specimens of A. zeyheri were collected. As his name was given as M. Zeyher and since many plant and fungi species are named for him, this has the potential to cause errors in modern optical character recognition when applied to scanned historical texts. Since so many species are named for him this can also create confusion with abbreviated species names, for instance L. zeyheri could refer to Lepiota zeyheri, Leucocoprinus zeyheri or Lentinus zeyheri.
In his Sydowia paper, Singer used the author abbreviation 'Sing.' for himself rather than standard form recognised today of 'Singer'. This may present issues for automated systems designed to look for author citations in scanned documents and check them against the list of recognised names. In 1969 the Belgian mycologist Paul Heinemann discussed Macrolepiota zeyheri in his paper entitled 'Le genre Macrolepiota Sing. (Leucocoprineae) au Congo-Kinshasa' however not only did he also use the Sing. abbreviation but he cited the wrong date for the Sydowia journal in which it was published. The citation which Heinemann used was 'Macrolepiota zeyheri (Berk.) Sing., Sydowia, 15: 67 (1952) however volume 15 of Sydowia was published in 1962. These cascading issues have resulted in some sources citing Heinemann as the authority on the species with a citation to Sydowia, which he did not write in.
In 1887 Agaricus zeyheri (Berk.) was reclassified as Lepiota zeyheri by the Italian mycologist Pier Andrea Saccardo who also reclassified his Lepiota elegantula as a variant of it in the same year.
In 1891 it was classified as Mastocephalus zeyheri by the German botanist Otto Kunze in his extensive proposed list of reclassifications. However no species remain within this genus.
In 1943 it was reclassified as Leucocoprinus zeyheri by the German mycologist Rolf Singer and so in many sources Leucocoprinus zeyheri remained as a recognised species separately from Macrolepiota zeyheri. Heinemann's 1969 description of the species however does list Leucocoprinus zeyheri as a synonym.
Variants
In 1852 the Dutch botanist Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel described Agaricus (Lepiota) verrucellosus which he noted was very warty or scaly towards the umbo or centre disc. He stated that Elias Magnus Fries' 1838 classification of Agaricus clypeolari was a related species.
In 1881 the Hungarian mycologist Károly Kalchbrenner and Peter MacOwan proposed the variant Agaricus (Lepiota) zeyheri var. telosus.
In 1887 Pier Andrea Saccardo classified Agaricus verrucellosus as Lepiota zeyheri var. verrucellosus, whilst also recognising L. zeyheri var. telosa and describing L. zeyheri var. elegantula.
Description
Historic
Berkeley described Agaricus (Lepiota) zeyheri as follows:Cap: Around 15 cm wide, expanded with a wide umbo in the centre. The cap surface is white and smooth at the cap edges but cracking towards the centre whilst the umbo is brown with small warts. Gills: Free, broad and tan coloured from the spores but with colourless flesh when examined under a light. Stem: Around 18 cm tall and 2 cm thick running up into the flesh of the cap. Smooth and white and roughly equal in thickness across its length but with a bulbous base that is up to 4 cm thick. The stem is hollow but with slightly fibrous interior flesh. The persistent but movable stem ring is thick and large with membranous edges.
This description seems to describe a Chlorophyllum or Macrolepiota species as suggested by the large size of the cap and stem, the thick, movable stem ring and the smooth stem surface. Indeed Berk notes that the species is closely related to Agaricus procerus which is now known as Macrolepiota procera with some of the former variants being reclassified as Chlorophyllum rhacodes and Macrolepiota excoriata.
Saccardo describes L. zeyheri var. telosa as being 'equally spectacular' and notes large scales with brown lacerations with cobweb like formations on the cap. The colour is described as yellowish white or possibly white discolouring to yellow. L. zeyheri var. verrucellosa is described as being smaller than L. zeyheri with a slender white stem and bulbous base. The cap is described as umbonate and dotted with warts or brown scales. L. zeyheri var. elegantula is described as having reddish brown scales on the cap with a slender stem.
These likewise all sound like descriptions of Macrolepiota or Chlorophyllum species and since Singer classified Agaricus zeyheri (Fr.) as a Macrolepiota species it seems possible that Leucocoprinus zeyheri may simply be misclassified and no longer placed within the Leucocoprinus genus.
Recent
Paul Heinemann's 1969 description of Macrolepiota zeyheri is perhaps the most detailed, recent and authoritative given his extensive work with genera such as Lepiota, Leucocoprinus and Macrolepiota.Cap: 10–16 cm wide, starting conical before rounding out and ultimately becoming convex with a prominent, raised central disc. The surface is light brown with an ochre centre when young but as it matures the cap becomes white with light brown scales and granulations whilst the centre remains ochre or yellowish brown. The cap edges are irregular and fluffy with remnants of the white veil. The flesh of the cap is white and does not change colour with age though the consistency does change with it starting firm before becoming soft and tinder dry. It is 8-10mm thick in the mid point between the centre and the edge. Gills: Free with a collar and creamy white or whitish yellow discolouring pinkish with age. The gill spacing is very wide and can be up to 23mm and the edges are unequal and slightly crenelated. Stem: 11–21 cm tall, 8-13mm thick and cylindrical running down to a 25-35mm somewhat bulbous base. The hollow stem runs deep into the flesh of the cap and has a white surface which discolours pinkish brown with age or contact. It is covered with a slightly woolly (tomentose) or scaly (furfuraceous) coating which is more pronounced at the base. The double stem ring is movable with a fibrous or scaly upper surface and smooth lower rim. The stem flesh is white and fibrous discolouring ochre with age. Spore print: Pinkish white. Spores: Ellipsoid with a large pore. 12.5-15 x 9-10.4 μm. Smell: Pleasant. Taste:''' Pleasant. Conversely, in 1950 Arthur Anselm Pearson described Lepiota zeyheri as tasting mild but 'rather rancid'.
The cap dries to creamy with brown scales and centre, the gills to ochre and the stem to yellowish grey.
Habitat and distribution
The specimens studied by Berkeley were collected from an expedition into South Africa and Heinemann studied specimens gathered from all over the Democratic Republic of Congo. Specimens were collected in Kisantu in the South West, Lake Albert in the North East, Lake Edward and Lake Kivu in the East and Lubumbashi in the far south suggesting a widespread distribution.
A study in 2020 documented Macrolepiota zeyheri in South Africa but also lists Leucoagaricus zeyheri, apparently erroneously.
GBIF records observations in the Congo and many more across South Africa.
Edibility Macrolepiota zeyheri is reported to be an edible species however Heinemann notes that it was not consumed by the natives.
Etymology Agaricus zeyheri was named for M. Zeyher, the African traveller and botanist who collected numerous specimens of various species on his expedition to the North interior of South Africa which began in November 1839. Zeyher was accompanied by Mr Burke who was a gardener in the employ of the 14th Earl of Derby, who funded the expedition entirely. The success of this expedition is perhaps best documented by the vast number of species which are named for Zeyher.
Similar species
Macrolepiota mastoidea is described as looking extremely similar although its distribution is more typically European. M. zeyheri'' may be distinguished from it by its very wide gills which develop a pinkish colour with age however confusion is possible as the microscopic details are similar with only small difference between the size and shape of the spores.
References
Agaricaceae
Fungi described in 1843
Taxa named by Miles Joseph Berkeley
Fungi of Africa
Edible fungi
Fungus species | Macrolepiota zeyheri | [
"Biology"
] | 2,166 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
71,456,899 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral%20circle%20expansion | Moral circle expansion is an increase over time in the number and type of entities given moral consideration. The general idea of moral inclusion was discussed by ancient philosophers and since the 19th century has inspired social movements related to human rights and animal rights. Especially in relation to animal rights, the philosopher Peter Singer has written about the subject since the 1970s, and since 2017 so has the think tank Sentience Institute, part of the 21st-century effective altruism movement. There is significant debate on whether humanity actually has an expanding moral circle, considering topics such as the lack of a uniform border of growing moral consideration and the disconnect between people's moral attitudes and their behavior. Research into the phenomenon is ongoing.
History
The moral circle was discussed as early as the 2nd century by Stoic philosopher Hierocles, who described in On Appropriate Acts the concentric social circles of a human being, for whom duty to the innermost circle was strongest. The concept was developed more fully by William Lecky in his 1869 work History of European morals from Augustus to Charlemagne.
Edward Payson Evans, an early advocate for animal rights, published Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology in 1897. He argued that humans need to move past anthropocentric conceptions that view humans as fundamentally different and separate to all other beings and that, as a result, humans have no moral obligations toward them. The utilitarian philosopher and animal rights advocate J. Howard Moore argued for a sentientist philosophy in his 1906 book The Universal Kinship, asserting that humans should care about all sentient life based on shared evolutionary kinship:
The partially emancipated human being who extends his moral sentiments to all the members of his own species, but denies to all other species the justice and humanity he accords to his own, is making on a larger scale the same ethical mess of it as the savage. The only consistent attitude, since Darwin established the unity of life (and the attitude we shall assume, if we ever become really civilised), is the attitude of universal gentleness and humanity.
The concept was notably developed by the utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer in his 1981 book The Expanding Circle, which is titled after the concept of moral circle expansion. This book sets out a common theory of the expanding circle: humans started by only valuing those most similar to themselves, such as their family or social group, but then humans began to value other residents of their nation and finally humanity as a whole; the same process of expansion is now taking place with respect to animal rights. Singer wrote in the book that "The only justifiable stopping place for the expansion of altruism is the point at which all whose welfare can be affected by our actions are included within the circle of altruism." Singer also references the expanding circle in some of his other works.
Moral circle expansion has also been addressed by some later writers, whose definitions of it may not be exactly the same as Singer's. Robert Wright responds to Singer with a more critical conception in his 1994 book The Moral Animal:
The most cynical explanation of why so many sages have urged an expanded moral compass is the one set out near the beginning of this chapter: a large compass expands the power of the sages doing the urging.
T. J. Kasperbauer's 2018 book Subhuman defines the expansion of the moral circle in reference to an increase both in the number of things considered moral patients and how many kinds of things are considered moral patients. Kasperbauer also adds in that this degree of consideration for things newly in the moral circle must be large enough to be important.
The effective altruism movement, particularly the Sentience Institute, regularly discusses moral circle expansion as a part of its philosophy. Launched in 2017 as a spinoff of the Effective Altruism Foundation, the Sentience Institute describes itself as a "think tank dedicated to the expansion of humanity's moral circle." Its website provides a more detailed model of the circle itself, including concentric circles: the innermost represents full moral consideration, the outermost represents minimal consideration, and some entities fall entirely outside the circles. They additionally distinguish between a moral circle for attitudes and one for actions, and between a societal moral circle and an individual one. Moral circle expansion as a concept per se was developed in a 2021 paper in the journal Futures entitled "Moral Circle Expansion: A Promising Strategy to Impact the Far Future" by Sentience Institute co-founder Jacy Reese Anthis and philosopher Eze Paez.
Claimed expansions
Many different entities have arguably entered, and sometimes exited, the moral circle at some point during human history:
Humans of other genders (feminism, women's rights, opposition to the patriarchy, transgender rights)
Humans of other nationalities (xenophobia)
Humans of other races and ethnic groups (anti-racism)
Humans of other families, tribes or social groups
Non-human animals, especially mammals (anti-speciesism, sentientism)
Ecosystems and species (rights of nature)
Plants (plant rights)
Artificial intelligence (AI rights and their potential welfare)
Future people (longtermism)
Deities
Past people (i.e., ancestors)
Any given entity or group of entities may enter the moral circle at different times for different people. This current expansion of the moral circle to include animals is referred to by Kasperbauer as an expansion from a circle of all humans to a circle of all sentient things. Sigal Samuel has also suggested that plants, nature and robots may be beginning to enter the moral circle. Anthis and Paez refer to the circle as a "multidimensional gradient" that ranges from wishing harm on someone to caring about someone even more than one's self.
Counterarguments
Kasperbauer and others point out that it is not entirely clear whether the actual conditions of animals used for food or scientific research are improving, despite claims that they are entering the moral circle. A related criticism is that religion gave some animals a protected status that they no longer have, so they have experienced moral circle contraction. Other suggested groups that have left the moral circle or gone farther from the center are gods and ancestors, whereas infants and fetus have had different moral standings in different societies.
The idea of a moral circle has also been criticized as based in Western morality and so not reflecting the diversity of moral views found in the rest of the world, including concepts such as ahimsa that give greater value to animals than found in Western culture.
Causes of expansion
The question of what causes the expansion of the moral circle is an active topic of debate among the idea's proponents. The inclusion of animals within the moral circle has been credited to various traits that some animals possess, such as being cute or intelligent or having relationships with humans. By contrast, Peter Singer has emphasized the importance of rationality among humans as a way in which the moral circle is expanded. Another theory is that moral circle expansion is related to climbing Maslow's hierarchy of needs and so being able to focus on others to a greater extent once more personal needs have been fulfilled. The relationship between laws and what people consider to be part of their moral circle is also a subject of inquiry.
In psychology
The concept of a moral circle and its expansion, including the causes of its expansion, has been the subject of much recent work in the field of moral psychology. Psychologists have found significant biases in how people think of their moral circle based on the way that the question is framed, as well as that people tend to give more moral consideration to high-sentience animals than to low-sentience animals, more moral consideration to animals than to plants, and more moral consideration to plants than to "villains" such as murderers. The Moral Expansiveness Scale (MES), developed by Charlie R. Crimston, is a psychological measure of altruism that developed from thinking about moral circle expansion.
See also
Evolution of morality
Moral progress
Reverence for Life
Science of morality
References
Further reading
Volume 1 and Volume 2 at Project Gutenberg.
See, for instance, Figure 2: The Expanding Concept of Rights.
Concepts in ethics
Effective altruism
Peter Singer
Psychological concepts | Moral circle expansion | [
"Biology"
] | 1,654 | [
"Effective altruism",
"Behavior",
"Altruism"
] |
71,457,598 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl%20Heinz%20Bennemann | Karl Heinz Bennemann (born July 31, 1932) is a German condensed matter physicist. He has contributed to the advance on the understanding of traditional BCS and high Tc superconductors, the magnetic properties of alloys, the magnetic properties of low dimensional systems, the physicochemical properties of surfaces, the physicochemical properties of nanostructured materials, ultrafast phenomena, and non-linear optics, among others. His work was recognized through an Alfred P. Sloan fellowship in 1969.
Career
Bennemann performed his Diploma and Doctor Rerum Naturalium studies in physics at the University of Münster. The diploma degree was obtained in 1960 under the supervision of Ludwig Tewordt, who was part of the superconductivity group hosted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). His thesis work was on the theoretical study of the physical effects caused by point defects in copper.
In 1962 he obtained the doctoral degree under the combined guidance of Adolf Kratzer and W. Franz,L Tewordt. His doctoral work was on the effect of lattice defects on the polarization of the electron gas in solids (thesis titled “Allgemeine Methode zur Bestimmung der durch punktförmige Gitterfehler in Metallen hervorgerufenen Verzerrung des Gitters und Polarisation des Elektronengases”). Through a joint program between the University of Münster and UIUC, he worked fundamental studies on the conductivity in metals, which also earned him the PhD at the latter university, endorsed by James S. Koehler and Frederick Seitz. In the US, Bennemann worked with scientists in a solid-state physics group founded by Seitz in 1959.
Academic career
After obtaining his PhD degree, in 1962–1964, Bennemann worked as a postdoctoral scholar in John Bardeen's group, where he studied macroscopic quantum systems with a focus on quantum liquids and superconductivity. He developed a general method to study the electron redistribution around point defects in noble metals and by using the t-matrix method he formulated a theory to calculate the electron distribution in metals. He also contributed to the understanding of the physical properties of point defects in covalent crystals. and extended the pseudo potential theory, introduced by Phillips, to successfully calculate the properties of diamond.
In 1964–1965, he was appointed as an assistant researcher at the Institute for Mathematical Physics at the University of Karlsruhe and spent the summer of 1965 working in the Cavendish Laboratory, at the University of Cambridge, England. In Neville Mott's group, he studied the superconductivity in ferromagnetic alloys.
Later, he went back to the United States to work in the Institute for the Study of Metals, at the University of Chicago, where he continued with studies of superconductivity in magnetic alloys. Bennemann was especially interested in the role of paramagnetic impurities on the superconducting transition temperature.
In 1967, he was appointed as associate professor at the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the University of Rochester, where he received tenure a year later. At that time he contributed to the understanding of the coexistence of superconductivity and magnetic ordering. Furthermore, he proposed an expression for the electron-phonon coupling constant in terms of measurable normal-state quantities and atomic properties, to help explain the superconducting transition temperature in d-band metals. In 1969, while at the University of Rochester, he was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation fellowship to pursue studies on the magnetic properties of alloys.
At the end of 1969, he got offers for a full professorship from several universities: the University of California, Los Angeles, Brown University, Georgetown University, McGill University at Montreal, Canada and the Freie Universität Berlin. He decided to return to Germany and accepted a full professorship at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the Freie Universität Berlin, in Dahlem, West Berlin. He arrived at a city where some of the most impactful physics was developed before the Second World War and which had suffered large devastation during the world conflict. The Freie Universität Berlin was founded in 1948, under especially difficult circumstances, in the American Sector of the divided city subjected to the Russian blockade. At that time the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, where Albert Einstein, Erwin Schrödinger, Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg and others had developed their seminal work, was split into the Humboldt Universität located in the east sector and the Freie Universität in the west. Today's Institute for Theoretical Physics, was founded at the beginning of the 1970s when the university was reorganized and underwent extensive expansion. It took more than 20 years to fully organize the university and provide the infrastructure.
Bennemann contributed to the creation of an international physics institute of excellence. In the decades that followed, he ran projects on many important problems in condensed matter physics. With the collaboration of international scientists and graduate students he contributed to the scientific environment at the Freie Universität, and the development of science in other countries, including Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.
Bennemann's impact and legacy through trainees
Bennemann has always been interested in current physics problems. By offering problems in the frontiers of knowledge to graduate students, as well as Postdoctoral fellows and consolidated collaborators, his group could achieve important contributions in condensed matter physics and nanoscience.
The intense intellectual activity led several of his trainees to follow carriers in the academia. Contributions through the doctoral theses of his graduate students, who are now faculty personnel, include: Karol Penson, now at the Sorbonne University in Paris, France, studied the spin-Peierls transition for one-dimensional classical and quantum chains. José Luis Morán-López, now at the Institute for Scientific and Technological Research in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, contributed to the understanding of the electronic structure and properties of binary alloys and developed a theory for magnetism of transition metals. David Tománek, now retired at Michigan State University, United States, was involved in the development of a theory for the structural and electronic properties of surfaces, including reconstruction and photoemission spectra. Sugata Mukherjee, who was at the Bose National Centre for Basic Science in Kolkata, India, until he passed away in 2020, performed theoretical studies of the atomic structure at the surface of transition metals and alloys. Peter Jensen, now retired from the Kläre-Bloch-Schule Berlin, Germany, worked out spin-1 Ising models with competing interactions. Gustavo Pastor, Universität Kassel, Germany, studied the electronic properties of metal clusters. Martín García, also at Universität Kassel, studied the bond character in divalent metal clusters. Joerg Schmalian, at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, studied strongly correlated high-temperature superconductors. Gunnar Baumgärtel, who is patent attorney and senior partner at Maikowski-Ninnemann, Berlin, Germany, worked on the role of magnetic excitations in High Tc superconductors. Finally, Harald Jeschke, now at Okayama University, Japan, made contributions to the understanding of optically created non-equilibrium in covalent solids.
Other of Bennemann's graduate students were or are now in the industrial or financial sectors. Günther Kerker (worked at Bayer, Switzerland, until he died in 2016) studied the strong-coupling superconductivity in transition-metal alloys. Roland Linke (worked at the Deutsche Telephonwerke, Berlin, Germany, until he passed away in 1986) contributed to the understanding of itinerant magnetism in transition metals. Ute Pustogowa (Hypo Vereinsbank-Unicredit, Germany) contributed to the understanding of the magneto-optic non-linear effects in transition metals. Sören Grabowski (Partner at EY Parthenon, Berlin, Germany - formerly also Munich, San Diego & Moscow) contributed to the understanding of the interdependence of spin fluctuations and high-Tc superconductivity. Matthias Langer (LK Test Solutions, München, Germany) worked on a theory to explain the elementary excitations in the normal state of high Tc superconductors. Thomas Luce (MicroVision, Nürnberg, Germany) studied problems in non-linear occurred at surfaces and thin films. Roland Knorren (EMEA at Oracle, Hamburg, Germany) studied the ultrafast dynamics of non-equilibrium electrons in noble and transition metals. Ilya Grigorenko (CLS Group, New York, USA) studied ultrafast dynamics and optimal control of electrons in nanostructures. Roman Brinzanik (Kraftwerk Renewable Power Solutions GmbH, Berlin) performed a Monte Carlo study of magnetic nanostructures during growth.
Achievements in collaboration with Habilitanden
In some European countries, in order to get a university professorship, to teach and to advice students, there was a requirement, after the doctoral degree, to tackle a problem in physics and to defend the results in an oral presentation. It is known as habilitation.
Karl Bennemann was also very active in advising young scientists through the habilitation processes: Arno Holz presented a study of a new phase diagram for the metal-insulator transition in n-type semiconductors. Pedro U. Schlottmann tackled the coexistence of spin-glass and ferromagnetic phases in alloys with two magnetic components and exchange interactions of opposite signs. Karol A. Penson carried out a study of the static and dynamic aspects of spin-lattice Peierls instabilities in quasi-one-dimensional systems. Peter Stampfli was involved with the analysis of the polarizability of small spherical metallic clusters.
Wolfgang Hübner presented advances on the understanding of non-linear optics. Peter J. Jensen, lead a study of the magnetic properties of thin ferromagnetic films and Martín E. García, developed a theory for ultrafast phenomena in clusters and solids.
Personal life
He is the youngest of three children. His father was a businessman in Münster. Bennemann lived his childhood in a small village close to Münster. He married in 1960 and has three sons.
Books
The Physics of Liquid and Solid He, Ed. K.H. Bennemann and J.B. Ketterson (Willey and Sons, 1976)
The Physics of Liquid and Solid He, Ed. K.H. Bennemann and J.B. Ketterson (Willey and Sons, 1978)
Non-linear optics in Metals, K.H. Bennemann, (Oxford University Press, 1999)
The Physics of Sueprconductors, Volume 1, Conventional and High-Tc Superconductors, Ed. K.H. Bennemann and J.B. Ketterson (Springer Verlag, 2003)
The Physics of Superconductors, Volume 2, Superconductivity in Nanostructures, High-Tc and Novel Superconductors, Organic Superconductors, Ed. K.H. Bennemann and J.B. Ketterson (Springer Verlag, 2004)
Novel Superfluids, Volume 1, Ed. K.H. Bennemann and J.B. Ketterson (Oxford University Press, 2013)
Novel Superfluids, Volume 2, Ed. K.H. Bennemann and J.B. Ketterson (Oxford University Press, 2015)
References
Condensed matter physicists
German physicists
University of Münster alumni
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni
1932 births
Living people | Karl Heinz Bennemann | [
"Physics",
"Materials_science"
] | 2,413 | [
"Condensed matter physicists",
"Condensed matter physics"
] |
71,457,815 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protactinium%28V%29%20fluoride | Protactinium(V) fluoride is a fluoride of protactinium with the chemical formula PaF5.
Preparation
Protactinium(V) fluoride can be obtained by reacting protactinium(V) oxide with bromine trifluoride or bromine pentafluoride at 600 °C:
3 Pa2O5 + 10 BrF3 (6 BrF5) -> 6 PaF5 + 5 Br2 (3 Br2 ) + 7.5 O2
It can also be obtained by reacting protactinium(V) chloride or protactinium(IV) fluoride with fluorine gas at 700 °C:
2 PaF4 + F2 -> 2 PaF5
The hydrate form of protactinium(V) fluoride can be formed by the reaction of protactinium(V) oxide and hydrofluoric acid in an aqueous solution:
Pa2 O5 + 10 HF -> 2 PaF5 . 2 H2O + 6 H2O
It can also be decomposed from fluorine-containing protactinium complexes.
Properties
Protactinium(V) fluoride is a white, volatile, extremely hygroscopic solid that is partially soluble in water and soluble in hydrofluoric acid. It has a tetragonal crystal structure of the β-uranium pentafluoride type with the space group I42d (space group no. 122) with the lattice parameters a = 1153 pm, c = 510 pm. Quartz and Pyrex are attacked by the compound at higher temperatures. As a dihydrate, it is a colourless, hygroscopic, crystalline solid that is waxy in nature. It is soluble in water and hydrofluoric acid. It reacts with phosphorus trifluoride to form protactinium(IV) fluoride. The dihydrate cannot be converted into the anhydrous form in air, hydrogen fluoride or fluorine at low temperatures. Instead, diprotactinium(V) oxide octafluoride (Pa2OF8) is formed. At higher temperatures around 325 °C, a mixture of the diprotactinium(V) oxide octafluoride and protactinium(V) fluoride is formed.
References
Protactinium(V) compounds
Fluorides
Actinide halides | Protactinium(V) fluoride | [
"Chemistry"
] | 515 | [
"Fluorides",
"Salts"
] |
71,458,584 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogan%20Yu | Hua-Zhong "Hogan" Yu (于化忠) is presently a professor of materials and analytical chemistry at Simon Fraser University in metro Vancouver, Canada, where he leads a research laboratory working on Surfaces and Materials for Sensing. He is also an associate editor for Analyst, the journal for Analytical and Bioanalytical Sciences from the Royal Society of Chemistry in UK, and an adjunct professor in the College of Biomedical Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology in Shanxi, China.
Education
Born and raised in countryside China, Yu obtained his B.Sc. (Chemistry) from Shandong University in 1991 at an age of 20. He then received his joint M.Sc. from Shandong University and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (Chemical Physics) in 1994, and his Ph.D. from Peking University (Materials Chemistry, with Prof. Zhong-Fan Liu) in 1997. He did his postdoctoral research with Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail and electrochemist Fred Anson at the California Institute of Technology from 1997 to 1999.
Career
After short stays at NRC and Acadia University, Yu was appointed to the Department of Chemistry at Simon Fraser University in 2001 as an assistant professor and promoted to a tenured full professor in 2009. He is now a principal investigator of the CFI-funded Centre for Nanomaterials and Microstructures (4D LABS) and an associate member of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, both at SFU. Yu has been perusing his cutting-edge research on solving fundamental problems that have direct impact on applied analytical science and technology. His innovation of adapting mobile electronics (office scanners, disc players, and now smartphones) for portable molecular analysis and his contribution to the de novo construction of ultrasensitive electronic biosensors for disease markers, lead to the possibility of performing many quantitative chemical analysis on-site and biomedical diagnostic tests at point-of-care settings. He has published more than 160 peer-reviewed articles and holds/filed 14 national/international patents.
Awards and honors
1997 Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship
1999 National Laboratory Visiting Fellow (NSERC)
2004 Fred Beamish Award (CSC)
2008 JSPS Invitation Fellow
2011 W. Lash Miller Award (ECS Canadian Section)
2012 Tajima Prize (ISE)
2015 W.A.E. McBryde Medal (CSC)
2021 Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry
References
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry
Academic staff of Simon Fraser University
Peking University alumni
Shandong University alumni
Educators from Shandong
Analytical chemists | Hogan Yu | [
"Chemistry"
] | 520 | [
"Analytical chemists"
] |
71,458,990 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygrocybe%20lepida | Hygrocybe lepida is an agaric (gilled mushroom) in the family Hygrophoraceae. The species occurs in Europe and was previously referred to the American Hygrocybe cantharellus but is now known to be distinct. Its recommended English name (as H. cantharellus) is goblet waxcap. The species is typically found in nutrient-poor waxcap grassland.
Taxonomy
It was first described in 1986 by the Dutch mycologist Eef Arnolds who classified it as Hygrocybe lepida.
References
Fungi described in 1986
Fungi of Europe
Hygrophoraceae
Fungus species | Hygrocybe lepida | [
"Biology"
] | 141 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
71,459,264 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black%20hole%20stability%20conjecture | The black hole stability conjecture is the conjecture that a perturbed Kerr black hole in Minkowski space will settle back down to a stable state. The question developed out of work in 1952 by the French mathematician Yvonne Choquet-Bruhat.
The stability of empty Minkowski space is a result of Klainerman and Christodoulou from 1993.
A 2016 by Hintz and Vasy paper proved the stability of slowly rotating Kerr black holes in de Sitter space.
A limited stability result for Kerr black holes in Schwarzschild space-time was published by Klainerman and Szeftel in 2017.
Culminating in 2022, a series of papers was published by Giorgi, Klainerman and Szeftel which present a proof of the conjecture for slowly rotating Kerr black holes in Minkowski space-time.
See also
Final state conjecture
Stability of matter
Positive energy theorem
Birkhoff's theorem (relativity)
Penrose–Hawking singularity theorems
Hoop conjecture
References
Black holes
General relativity
Conjectures that have been proved | Black hole stability conjecture | [
"Physics",
"Astronomy",
"Mathematics"
] | 213 | [
"Black holes",
"Physical phenomena",
"Mathematical theorems",
"Physical quantities",
"Unsolved problems in physics",
"Astronomy stubs",
"Astrophysics",
"General relativity",
"Conjectures that have been proved",
"Stellar astronomy stubs",
"Astrophysics stubs",
"Density",
"Relativity stubs",
... |
71,459,810 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAAI/ACM%20Conference%20on%20AI%2C%20Ethics%2C%20and%20Society | The AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society (AIES) is a peer-reviewed academic conference series focused on societal and ethical aspects of artificial intelligence. The conference is jointly organized by the Association for Computing Machinery, namely the Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence (SIGAI), and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, and "is designed to shift the dynamics of the conversation on AI and ethics to concrete actions that scientists, businesses and society alike can take to ensure this promising technology is ushered into the world responsibility." The conference community includes lawyers, practitioners, and academics in computer science, philosophy, public policy, economics, human-computer interaction, and more.
As of 2022, the conference is sponsored by the National Science Foundation as well as various large technology companies including Google, DeepMind, Meta, and IBM Research.
List of conferences
Past and future AIES conferences include:
See also
Ethics of artificial intelligence
Philosophy of artificial intelligence
Regulation of artificial intelligence
References
External links
Proceedings
Computer science conferences
Association for Computing Machinery conferences
Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
Philosophy events
Recurring events established in 2018
Ethics organizations
Regulation of artificial intelligence | AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society | [
"Technology"
] | 232 | [
"Regulation of artificial intelligence",
"Computer science conferences",
"Computer conference stubs",
"Computer science",
"Computing and society",
"Computing stubs"
] |
71,461,171 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final%20state%20conjecture | The final state conjecture is that the end state of the universe will consist of black holes and gravitational radiation.
It was originally proposed by Roger Penrose in the 1980s, and is considered a central problem in mathematical general relativity.
See also
Black hole stability conjecture
References
Conjectures
Ultimate fate of the universe | Final state conjecture | [
"Physics",
"Astronomy",
"Mathematics"
] | 60 | [
"Unsolved problems in mathematics",
"Astronomy stubs",
"Astrophysics",
"Astrophysics stubs",
"Conjectures",
"Mathematical problems"
] |
71,461,345 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteora%20sporadica | Meteora sporadica is a mysterious free-living protozoan discovered in 2002 during sampling at a depth of 1,230 meters below sea level in the Sporades Basin, part of the Mediterranean Sea. So far it is the only species of the genus Meteora.
It was placed as Protista incertae sedis due to its unique morphology unlike any other group of protists. Two decades later, a 2022 phylogenetic analysis of Meteora still was not able to solidly relate it to any known group of eukaryotes, suggesting that it could be a new high-level eukaryotic group.
In 2024 it was revealed to be related to Hemimastigophora.
The cell body is colorless and ovular. It ranges between 3.0 and 4.4 μm in length and 2.0–4.0 μm in width. It has two lateral arm-like appendages and two axial appendages. The lateral appendages move independently of each other in a rowing motion.
References
Protist species
Protists described in 2002 | Meteora sporadica | [
"Biology"
] | 227 | [
"Eukaryotes",
"Eukaryote stubs"
] |
71,461,524 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelidiellaceae | The Gelidiellaceae is a small family of red algae containing 5 genera of agarophytes.
Members of the family Gelidiellaceace are noted by the lack of hyphae and the lack of sexual reproduction. They have 2 kinds of tetrasporangial sori (either the acerosa-type or the pannosa-type).
Gelidiella acerosa is found worldwide, from Europe, North America, Central America and South America, the Atlantic Islands, Africa, Indian Ocean islands, South west Asia, Asia (including China, Japan and Taiwan), South-east Asia (including Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines and Indonesia), Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands.
Taxonomy
It was originally formed in 1961, to hold Gelidiella and (its single known species, Gelidiella acerosa), as it lacked a medullary hyphae (or rhizines) and lack of sexual phase in life. More species of Gelidiella from France and the British Isles were added. In 1987, Maggs and Guiry thought that the family should be merged with Gelidiaceae, but this was mostly ignored by later authors. Then Parviphycus was added in 2004, but then in 2016, three more genera were added Huismaniella, Millerella and Perronella.
Genera
As accepted by GBIF;
Gelidiella Feldmann & G.Hamel, 1934 (10)
Huismaniella G.H.Boo & S.M.Boo, 2016 (1)
Millerella G.H.Boo & S.M.Boo, 2016 (3)
Parviphycus Santelices, 2004 (8)
Perronella G.H.Boo, T.V.Nguyen, J.Y.Kim & S.M.Boo, 2016
Figures in brackets are approx. how many species per genus.
Uses
Agar can be derived from many types of red seaweeds, including those from families such as Gelidiaceae, Gracilariaceae, Gelidiellaceae and Pterocladiaceae. It is a polysaccharide located in the inner part of the red algal cell wall. It is used in food material, medicines, cosmetics, therapeutic and biotechnology industries.
References
Red algae families
Edible algae | Gelidiellaceae | [
"Biology"
] | 478 | [
"Edible algae",
"Algae"
] |
71,461,754 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protactinium%28IV%29%20chloride | Protactinium(IV) chloride is an inorganic compound. It is an actinide halide, a salt composed of protactinium and chlorine. It is radioactive, and has the chemical formula of PaCl4. It is a chartreuse-coloured (yellowish-green) crystal of the tetragonal crystal system.
Preparation
Protactinium(IV) chloride can be prepared by the reduction of protactinium(V) chloride:
2 PaCl5 + H2 -> 2 PaCl4 + 2 HCl
3 PaCl5 + Al -> 3 PaCl4 + AlCl3
It can also be obtained by the chlorination of protactinium(IV) oxide:
PaO2 + 2 CCl4 -> PaCl4 + 2 COCl2
It can also be formed during the thermal decomposition of protactinium oxychloride at 500 °C in a vacuum:
2 PaOCl2 -> PaCl4 + PaO2
Properties
Protactinium(IV) chloride is a chartreuse, hygroscopic, crystalline solid that can be sublimed at 400 °C in a vacuum. It is soluble in strong mineral acids, forming green solutions. The complex PaCl4·4CH3CN is formed with acetonitrile. It has a tetragonal crystal structure with the space group I41/amd (space group no. 141) and the lattice parameters a = 837.7 pm, c = 747.9 pm of the uranium(IV) chloride type.
References
Chlorides
Actinide halides
Protactinium compounds | Protactinium(IV) chloride | [
"Chemistry"
] | 339 | [
"Chlorides",
"Inorganic compounds",
"Salts"
] |
71,462,156 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protactinium%28IV%29%20bromide | Protactinium(IV) bromide is an inorganic compound. It is an actinide halide, composed of protactinium and bromine. It is radioactive, and has the chemical formula of PaBr4. It may be due to the brown color of bromine that causes the appearance of protactinium(IV) bromide to be brown crystals. Its crystal structure is tetragonal. Protactinium(IV) bromide is sublimed in a vacuum at 400 °C. The protactinium(IV) halide closest in structure to protactinium(IV) bromide is protactinium(IV) chloride.
Preparation
Protactinium(IV) bromide can be prepared by reacting protactinium(V) bromide with hydrogen gas or aluminium:
Properties
Protactinium(IV) bromide reacts with antimony trioxide to form protactinium bromate:
See also
Protactinium(V) bromide
References
Bromides
Actinide halides
Protactinium compounds | Protactinium(IV) bromide | [
"Chemistry"
] | 219 | [
"Bromides",
"Salts"
] |
71,462,346 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurobi%20Optimizer | Gurobi Optimizer is a prescriptive analytics platform and a decision-making technology developed by Gurobi Optimization, LLC. The Gurobi Optimizer (often referred to as simply, “Gurobi”) is a solver, since it uses mathematical optimization to calculate the answer to a problem.
Gurobi is included in the Q1 2022 inside BIGDATA “Impact 50 List” as an honorable mention.
History
Dr. Zonghao Gu, Dr. Edward Rothberg, and Dr. Robert Bixby founded Gurobi in 2008, coming up with the name by combining the first two initials of their last names. Gurobi is used for linear programming (LP), quadratic programming (QP), quadratically constrained programming (QCP), mixed integer linear programming (MILP), mixed-integer quadratic programming (MIQP), and mixed-integer quadratically constrained programming (MIQCP).
In 2016, Dr. Bistra Dilkina from Georgia Tech discussed how she uses Gurobi in the field of computational sustainability, to optimize movement corridors for wildlife, including grizzly bears and wolverines in Montana.
In 2018, The New York Times reported that the U.S. Census Bureau used Gurobi to conduct census block reconstruction experiments, as part of an effort to reduce privacy risks.
Since 2019, Gurobi is used by National Football League (NFL) to build its game schedule each year.
In 2020, Gurobi has partnered with GE Digital GE Grid Solutions, the University of Florida, and Cognitive Analytics on a project for planning and scheduling day-ahead electricity supply.
In 2021, DoorDash used Gurobi, in combination with machine learning, to solve dispatch problems.
In 2023, Air France used Gurobi to power its decision-support tool, which recommends optimal flight and aircraft assignments and can take constraints like fuel consumption and an aircraft’s flying hours into account.
References
Numerical software
Mathematical optimization software
Linear_programming | Gurobi Optimizer | [
"Mathematics"
] | 419 | [
"Numerical software",
"Mathematical software"
] |
71,462,826 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indentation%20plastometry | Indentation plastometry is the idea of using an indentation-based procedure to obtain (bulk) mechanical properties (of metals) in the form of stress-strain relationships in the plastic regime (as opposed to hardness testing, which gives numbers that are only semi-quantitative indicators of the resistance to plastic deformation). Since indentation is a much easier and more convenient procedure than conventional tensile testing, with far greater potential for mapping of spatial variations, this is an attractive concept (provided that the outcome is at least approximately as reliable as those of standard uniaxial tests).
Basic requirements
Capturing of macroscopic (size-independent) properties brings in a requirement to deform a volume of material that is large enough to be representative of the bulk. This depends on the microstructure, but usually means that it must contain “many” grains and is typically of the order of hundreds of microns in linear dimensions. The indentation size effect, in which the measured hardness tends to increase as the deformed volume becomes small, is at least partly due to a failure to interrogate a representative volume. The indenter, which is normally spherical, therefore needs to have a radius in the approximate range of several hundred microns up to a mm or two.
A further requirement concerns the plastic strains generated in the sample. The indentation response must be sensitive to the plasticity characteristics of the material over the strain range of interest, which normally extends up to at least several % and commonly up to several tens of %. The strains created in the sample must therefore also range up to values of this order. This typically requires that the “penetration ratio” (penetration depth over indenter radius) should be at least about 10%. Finally, depending on the hardness of the metal, this in turn requires that the facility should have a relatively high load capability – usually of the order of several kN.
Experimental outcomes
The simplest indentation procedures, which have been in use for many decades, involve the application of a pre-determined load (often from a dead weight), followed by measurement of the lateral size of the residual indent (or possibly its depth). However, many indentation procedures are now based on “instrumented” set-ups, in which the load is progressively ramped up and both load and penetration (displacement) are continuously monitored during indentation. A key experimental outcome is thus the load-displacement curve. Various types of equipment can be used to generate such curves. These include those designed to carry out so-called “nanoindentation” - for which both the load (down to the mN range) and the displacement (commonly sub-micron) are very small. However, as noted above, if the deformed volume is small, then it’s not possible to obtain “bulk” properties. Moreover, even with relatively large loads and displacements, some kind of “compliance correction” may be required, to separate the response of the sample from displacements associated with the loading system.
The other main form of experimental outcome is the shape of the residual indent. As mentioned above, early types of hardness tester focused on this, in the form of (relatively crude) measurement of the “width” of the indent – commonly via simple optical microscopy. However, much richer information can be extracted by using a profilometer (optical or stylus) to obtain the full shape of the residual indent. With a spherical indenter (and a sample that is isotropic in the plane of the indented surface), the indent will exhibit radial symmetry and its shape can be captured in the form of a single profile (of depth against radial position). The details of this shape (for a given applied load) exhibit a high sensitivity to the stress-strain relationship of the sample. Also, it is easier to obtain than a load-displacement curve, partly because no measurements need to be made during loading. Finally, such profilometry has potential for the detection and characterization of sample anisotropy (whereas load-displacement curves carry no such information).
Solution procedures
Two main approaches have evolved for obtaining stress-strain relationships from experimental indentation outcomes (load-displacement curves or residual indent profiles). The simpler of the two involves direct “conversion” of the load-displacement curve. This is usually done by obtaining a series of “equivalent”, “effective” or “representative” values of the stress in the loaded part of the sample (from the applied load) and a corresponding set of values of the strain in the deformed region (from the displacement). The assumptions involved in carrying out such conversions are inevitably very crude, since (even for a spherical indenter) the fields of both stress and strain within the sample are highly complex and evolve throughout the process – the figure shows some typical plastic strain fields. Various empirical correction factors are commonly employed, with neural network “training” procedures sometimes being applied to sets of load-displacement data and corresponding stress-strain curves, to help evaluate them. It’s also common for loading to be periodically interrupted, and data from partial unloading procedures to be used in the conversion. However, unsurprisingly, universal conversions of this type (applied to samples with unknown stress-strain curves) tend to be unreliable and it is now widely accepted that the procedure cannot be used with any confidence.
The other main approach is a more cumbersome one, although with much greater potential for obtaining reliable results. It involves iterative numerical (Finite element method – FEM) modelling of the indentation procedure. This is first done with a trial stress-strain relationship (in the form of an analytical expression – often termed a constitutive equation), followed by convergence on the best fit version (set of parameter values in the equation), giving optimal agreement between experimental and modelled outcomes (load-displacement plots or residual indent profiles). This procedure fully captures the complexity of the evolving stress and strain fields during indentation. While it is based on relatively intensive modelling computations, protocols have been developed in which the convergence is automated and rapid.
Profilometry-based indentation plastometry (PIP)
It has become clear that important advantages are offered by using the residual indent profile as the target outcome, rather than the load-displacement curve. These include easier measurement, greater sensitivity of the experimental outcome to the stress-strain relationship and potential for detection and characterisation of sample anisotropy – see above. The figure gives an indication of the sensitivity of the profile to the stress-strain curve of the material. The term PIP thus encompasses the following features:
1) Obtaining stress-strain curves characteristic of the bulk of a material (by using relatively large spherical indenters and relatively deep penetration),
2) Experimental measurement of the residual indent profile and
3) Iterative FEM simulation of the indentation test, to obtain the stress-strain curve (captured in a constitutive equation) that gives the best fit between modelled and measured profiles.
For tractable and user-friendly application, an integrated facility is needed, in which the procedures of indentation, profilometry and convergence on the optimal stress-strain curve are all under automated control
References
Materials testing | Indentation plastometry | [
"Materials_science",
"Engineering"
] | 1,478 | [
"Materials testing",
"Materials science"
] |
71,463,444 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterocladiaceae | The Pterocladiaceae is a small family of red algae containing 2 genera of agarophytes.
They are found growing on the coast of Portugal, South Africa, India, Japan, Mexico, Chile and New Zealand.
From the Gelidiales order, Gelidium and Pterocladia , are two of the most widespread genera (which have been often confused for each other) of the Gelidiaceae family. They are separated only by basic features of cystocarps (fruiting structures). The genus Pterocladiella was later established to segregate from Pterocladia those species with distinct carposporophyte developmental characters (Santelices and Hommersand 1997).
Molecular analyses of taxa within the Gelidiales have identified four major lineages equivalent to Gelidiella, Pterocladia and Pterocladiella as sister taxa, and a fourth large clade including species of Acanthopeltis, Gelidium, Ptilophora, Porphyroglossum and Capreolia (Freshwater et al. 1995, Bailey and Freshwater 1997, Freshwater and Bailey 1998, Shimada et al. 1999).
So the family of Pterocladiaceae was derived in 2006 to hold the genera of Pterocladia and Pterocladiella.
Type genus is Pterocladia
Taxonomy
The family name of Pterocladiaceae is derived from the genus Pterocladia, which is derived from the Greek words pteron meaning wing and clados meaning branch.
Genera
As accepted by GBIF;
Pterocladia J.Agardh, 1851 (8)
Pterocladiella B.Santelices & M.H.Hommersand, 1997 (14)
Figures in brackets are approx. how many species per genus.
Uses
Agar can be derived from many types of red seaweeds, including those from families such as Gelidiaceae, Gracilariaceae, Gelidiellaceae and Pterocladiaceae (including Pterocladiella,). It is a polysaccharide located in the inner part of the red algal cell wall. It is used in food material, medicines, cosmetics, therapeutic and biotechnology industries.
References
Other sources
Kamiya, M., Lindstrom, S.C., Nakayama, T., Yokoyama, A., Lin, S.-M., Guiry, M.D., Gurgel, F.D.G., Huisman, J.M., Kitayama, T., Suzuki, M., Cho, T.O. & Frey, W. 2017. Rhodophyta. In: Syllabus of Plant Families, 13th ed. Part 2/2: Photoautotrophic eukaryotic Algae. (Frey, W. Eds), pp. [i]–xii, [1]–171. Stuttgart: Borntraeger Science Publishers. ISBN 978-3-443-01094-2.
Red algae families
Edible algae | Pterocladiaceae | [
"Biology"
] | 632 | [
"Edible algae",
"Algae"
] |
71,463,581 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanomeline/trospium%20chloride | Xanomeline/trospium chloride, sold under the brand name Cobenfy, is a fixed-dose combination medication used for the treatment of schizophrenia. It contains xanomeline, a muscarinic agonist; and trospium chloride, a muscarinic antagonist. Xanomeline is a functionally preferring muscarinic M4 and M1 receptor agonist. Trospium chloride is a non-selective muscarinic antagonist.
The most common side effects of xanomeline/trospium chloride include nausea, indigestion, constipation, vomiting, hypertension, abdominal pain, diarrhea, tachycardia (increased heartbeat), dizziness, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
In September 2024, it was approved for medical use in the United States. It is the first antipsychotic drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat schizophrenia that targets cholinergic receptors as opposed to dopamine receptors, which has long been the standard of care. The FDA considers it to be a first-in-class medication.
Medical uses
Xanomeline/trospium chloride is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults.
Adverse effects
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prescribing information for the combination includes warnings that xanomeline/trospium chloride can cause urinary retention, increased heart rate, decreased gastric movement or angioedema (swelling beneath the skin) of the face and lips.
Mechanism of action
Preclinical data supports the hypothesis that xanomeline's central mechanism of action is mediated primarily through stimulation of brain muscarinic M4 and M1 receptors. M4 muscarinic receptors are most highly expressed in the midbrain, which controls motor and action planning, decision-making, motivation, reinforcement, and reward perception. M1 muscarinic receptors are most highly expressed in the cerebral cortical regions, which regulate higher-level processes including language, memory, reasoning, thought, learning, decision-making, emotion, intelligence, and personality. Unlike direct dopamine D2 and serotonin 5-HT2A blocking antipsychotic medications, M4 and M1 receptor stimulation indirectly rebalances dopaminergic and glutamatergic circuits involved in the symptoms associated with neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. Based on preclinical pharmacological and genetic studies, M4 receptors appear to modulate both psychosis and cognitive symptom domains while M1 predominantly modulates cognitive symptom domains and modestly regulates psychosis symptom domains.
Trospium chloride is a non-selective muscarinic antagonist, but does not cross the blood–brain barrier. As a result, it is able to counteract the peripheral side effects of xanomeline caused by M4 and M1 receptor activation without affecting the central nervous system.
History
Xanomeline was first synthesized in a collaboration between pharmaceutical firms Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk with the goal of delaying cognitive decline in people with Alzheimer's disease. In a phase II study, significant improvements in cognition were observed in people with Alzheimer's along with surprising improvements in psychotic symptoms. In a follow-up placebo-controlled study in participants with treatment resistant schizophrenia, similar antipsychotic activity was observed with xanomeline. However, cholinergic-mediated side effects prevented advancement of xanomeline into phase III trials.
Xanomeline was licensed to Karuna Therapeutics in 2012 and KarXT was subsequently created as a dual drug formulation by adding trospium. Trospium is a non-brain-penetrant and non-selective muscarinic receptor blocker that may ameliorate the peripheral side effects of xanomeline. In a 2021 placebo controlled phase II clinical trial, KarXT met the primary endpoint. In March 2023, Karuna Therapeutics announced that KarXT had met its primary endpoint in a phase III trial, EMERGENT-3, and that it was submitting the drug for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In November 2023, the FDA began its review and set the PDUFA date for September 2024.
The effectiveness of xanomeline/trospium chloride for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults was evaluated in two studies with identical designs. Study 1 (NCT04659161) and study 2 (NCT04738123) were 5-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center studies in adults with a diagnosis of schizophrenia according to DSM-5 criteria. The primary efficacy measure was the change from baseline in the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) total score at week 5. The PANSS is a 30-item scale that measures symptoms of schizophrenia. Each item is rated by a clinician on a seven-point scale. In both studies, the participants who received xanomeline/trospium chloride experienced a meaningful reduction in symptoms from baseline to week 5 as measured by the PANSS total score compared to the placebo group. The FDA granted the approval of Cobenfy to Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Society and culture
Legal status
Xanomeline/trospium chloride was approved for medical use in the United States in September 2024.
Economics
In 2024, Bristol Myers Squibb purchased Karuna Therapeutics for . Bristol Myers Squibb set the wholesale cost of the combo at $1,850 a month.
Research
Long-acting injectable
A long-acting injectable (LAI) formulation of xanomeline/trospium chloride is under development for the treatment of schizophrenia. It is being developed by Terran Biosciences under the developmental code name TerXT or TerXT-LAI. The formulation specifically contains a prodrug of xanomeline and a prodrug of trospium chloride and is expected to have a multi-month duration. As of May 2024, TerXT is in the preclinical stage of development.
References
External links
Carboxylate esters
Chlorides
Combination psychiatric drugs
M1 receptor agonists
M1 receptor antagonists
M2 receptor antagonists
M3 receptor antagonists
M4 receptor agonists
M4 receptor antagonists
M5 receptor antagonists
Nitrogen heterocycles
Peripherally selective drugs
Quaternary ammonium compounds
Spiro compounds
Tertiary alcohols
Tetrahydropyridines
Thiadiazoles
de:Xanomelin | Xanomeline/trospium chloride | [
"Chemistry"
] | 1,382 | [
"Chlorides",
"Inorganic compounds",
"Salts",
"Organic compounds",
"Spiro compounds"
] |
71,465,383 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous%20science | Indigenous science is the application and intersection of Indigenous knowledge and science. This field is based on careful observation of the environment, and through experimentation. It is a holistic field, informed by physical, social, mental and cultural knowledge. When applied to ecology and the environment, it can be sometimes termed traditional ecological knowledge. Indigenous science involves the knowledge systems and practices of Indigenous peoples, which are rooted in their cultural traditions and relationships to their indigenous context. There are some similar methods of Western science including (but not limited to): observation, prediction, interpretation, and questioning. There are also some areas in which Western science and Indigenous science differ. Indigenous knowledge is place and case-specific and does not attempt to label or generalize natural processes. Western science strives to find commonalities and theories that can be applied to all areas, such as Newton’s Laws of Physics. This is because most Indigenous knowledge stems from the relationship humans have with their environment, which is passed down through stories or is discovered through observation. Western knowledge takes a different approach by isolating targets to study, splitting them from their surroundings and making sets of assumptions and theories. Community is a larger aspect of Indigenous science, and conclusions are shared through oral tradition and family knowledge, whereas most Western science research is published in a journal specific to that scientific field, and may restrict access to various papers.
There is a history of oppression against Native Americans beginning when settlers came to America, and this has carried into the field of Indigenous science as American scientists and academics have overlooked the findings and knowledge of Indigenous people. Multiple studies found that Indigenous perspectives are rarely represented in empirical studies, and has led to the underrepresentation of Native people in research fields. In addition, Western researchers have benefitted from the research they do about Indigenous nations, while the tribes do not receive compensation for their work and information.
Higher recognition and advocacy of Indigenous people in the 21st century has increased the visibility of this field. There has been a growing recognition of the potential benefits of incorporating Indigenous perspectives and knowledge, particularly in fields such as ecology and environmental management.
Oral traditions in Indigenous science
Indigenous knowledge and experiences are often passed down orally from generation to generation. Indigenous knowledge has an empirical basis and has traditionally been used to predict and understand the world. Such knowledge has informed studies of human management of natural processes.
This oral knowledge is embedded in songs and dances, which allows for accurate information to be passed down for centuries as songs and dances are easier to remember, and harder to change than spoken stories. Oral histories are not fairy tales or legends, but have arisen through intense observation and are a critical part of Indigenous culture.
For instance, in Australian aboriginal tribes, oral traditions are a key tool for passing information of geological events. One recent application was the discovery of the Henbury Meteorite site, as songs and dances from various aboriginal tribes marked when and where the meteorite touched down, while no Western historians had been able to determine its placement. Oral storytelling is also used to map ocean levels after the most recent ice age, and is used in astronomy, ecology, and agriculture.
In ecology
Indigenous science is related to the term "traditional ecological knowledge" or "TEK" which is specific category of Indigenous science that applies to the natural world, usually focused on agriculture, sustainability and wildlife.
The study of ecology focuses on the relationships and patterns between organisms in their environment. TEK is place-based, so the information and understanding that is applied to this field from Indigenous groups is context-dependent. One example of such work is ethnobiology which employs Indigenous knowledge and botany to identify and classify species. TEK has been used to provide perspectives on matters such as how a declining fish population affects nature, the food web, and coastal ecosystems.
Indigenous science has helped to address ecological challenges including the restoration of salmon, management of seabird harvests, outbreaks of hantavirus, and addressing wildfires. As well as in ecology, Indigenous knowledge has been used in biological areas including animal behavior, evolution, physiology, life history, morphology, wildlife conservation, wildlife health, and taxonomy.
Place based sciences
Indigenous science may offer a different perspective from what is traditionally thought of as "science". In particular, Indigenous science is tied to territory, cultural practices, and experiences/teachings in explicit ways that are often absent in normal scientific discourse.
Place based Indigenous science also is common outside of the academic sphere. Climatology scientists in Alaska and the Artic commonly work with traditional knowledge (Qaujimajatuqangit) among the Inuit when studying long-term changes in sea ice, along with studying other aspects of biology. In the Canadian Arctic, large data organizations like the Inuvialuit Settlement Region Online Platform, Marxan, and Nunaliit Atlas Framework inform marine and coastal management practices by using Inuit knowledge. Many times, this information is passed down in Inuit communities by generation using oral tradition and informs the communities on harvesting, hunting, traveling, and living on the land. This information may apply to decisions on conservation of harvesting sties and mating sites of various animals in the Artic. Inuit knowledge of these areas includes seasonal variations, ecological dynamics, wind direction, and ice dynamics. This knowledge has been gained through historical memories, family and community relations, place names, and open water or sea ice routes.
Place names are common in many different Indigenous groups cultures, and are relevant for ecological knowledge. In Inuit communities, place names indicate group knowledge, memories, experiences and observations of the area. One example is Salliq, an island east of Igloolik. Salliq means "the furthest island from the mainland", and contextualizes the island in reference to its surroundings. Place names are also common in Kānaka Maoli culture, or Native Hawaiian culture. One example is the naming of mountains and craters. Halemaʻumaʻu is a crater on Hawai’i and means "House [surrounded by] ʻamaʻu ferns." This name is tied both to ecology, and to oral histories of the Kānaka Maoli, as it tells of a battle between two supernatural beings - Pele and Kamapuaʻa, but also describes that this crater is home to the largest tree ferns on the island.
Education
Collaboration between Indigenous communities and research scientists can be seen in Indigenous-led projects and community work enacted as a starting point for the collaborations. This collaboration has steadily been increasing, one reason being higher education, especially at Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU). Many TCUs offer associates degrees, while 19 offer a bachelor’s degree and 3 universities offer a masters (Haskell Indian Nations University, the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development, and Sinte Gleska University). TCUs were created to give American Indian and Alaska Native students education, but students from other demographics can attend as well. There are many barriers to higher education, especially for historically marginalized and underrepresented groups. TCUs are a way to overcome these barriers. These universities are usually located close to reservations and serve low-income students, allowing education to be accessible to Native Americans. TCUs also provide a platform for scientific advancement and action, as Haskell University hosted their first symposium on climate change in November, 2024. This event connected Haskell students and professors with individuals from larger public and private research universities, such as University of Kansas, University of Missouri-Kansas City, UCLA and Harvard.
Indigenous technologies
The definition of technology is "the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry." Examples of Indigenous technologies that were developed for specific use based on their location and culture include: clam gardens, fish weirs, and culturally modified trees (CMTs). Indigenous technologies are available in a wide range of subjects such as: agri- and mari-culture, fishing, forest management and resource exploitation, astronomy, atmospheric, and land based management techniques.
Agriculture
Indigenous tribes that utilize agriculture technologies include the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), O'odham, Wampanoag, Cherokee, Great Lakes tribes (including the Menominee, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi) and more. Some of these agricultural techniques are based on a mixed-crop, shifting cultivation system growing corn, beans, and squash together in the same mounds; an inter-cropping system known as the three sisters. The use of the three sisters originated in the 1100s in Mesoamerica and is known as milpa, and diffused throughout North America and Canada. In this horticultural technique, each plant offers something to the others, thus improving the crop yield. Corn is a high-caloric food, supported by the beans, which provide nitrogen from nitrogen-fixing bacteria that live on their roots, and squash provide ground cover (suppresses weeds and keeps soil moist). Other crops incorporated in the inter-cropping system included sunflowers or grains like barley or maygrass.
Engineering
Many different Indigenous tribes in America have built homes from natural resources. One example can be found at Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde, or Anasazi, in Northwestern New Mexico and Southwestern Colorado. Ancestral Puebloans built houses on the ground near the cliffs of the Colorado Plateau, and carved others into the face of the cliff, ultimately spanning almost 10,000 square miles across Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon both have more than 600 rooms each, many of which were made from sandstone that was carved into rectangular blocks, and glued together with a mix of mud and water. In addition to physically building these homes, the Ancestral Puebloans used mathematical knowledge like the golden ratio - which has been used to make the Egyptian pyramids, Ancient Greek architecture and the Notre Dame - to construct a Sun Temple.
Water management was critical as well in this area, and ancestral Pueblo people had early knowledge of hydrological theory, water transport and storage. This allowed them to create four main reservoirs that helped sustain the population.
The Hohokam tribe in Arizona also managed their water resources up until 1450, and created irrigation networks that were more extensive than any other irrigation system created during their time. This allowed an influx of agriculture, as canals spread across 135 miles of land and brought water to crops far from the rivers. Ultimately, the population of Hohokam became too large to sustain in the late 15th century, and the irrigation systems failed. However, their descendants, the Akimel O'odham and Tohono O'odham people, continue to live in Phoenix, Arizona and surrounding areas, and farming continues to be an important part of their cultures.
Forestry
The Menominee tribe in Wisconsin operates the Menominee Forest which covers 217,000 acres of land, and promotes sustainable forest management. For more than 150 years, the Menominee tribe has been utilizing techniques such as silviculture, even and uneven-aged management, tree grouping, and conservation. Silviculture is the practice of developing and managing forests and takes into consideration the age of the tree, the species, shade tolerance, and the health of the entire forest. Even-aged management cultivates shade intolerant trees, and relies on wind and fire disturbances. The Menominee forestry workers mimic these natural disturbances with various treatments like group openings and clear cuts. Uneven-aged management favors trees that are shade tolerant by only cutting a couple in one area, as to not leave any land fully bare. Their strategies have been effective, as there is currently more timber on the land than when the business was in its early management, in 1854. This forest land has been recognized by the United Nations and was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, a prestigious label given to responsible forestry departments.
Wayfinding
Polynesian and Hawaiian Wayfinders have been trained to navigate the oceans using stars, the sun, and the ocean swells to understand where a vessel is when it is at sea. This requires understanding of trade winds, currents, astronomy, fish and weather cycles. Wayfinding was only possible due to more than 1,500 years of practice and observation by Pacific Islanders. Currently, there is a reclamation movement for wayfinding, which started in the 1970s, when one voyaging canoe, the Hōkūle‘a, was created by the Polynesian Wayfinding Society with the purpose of bringing back this traditional practice and reclaiming culture. The Hōkūle‘a has made multiple voyages, the first being from Maui to Tahiti and has inspired multiple other voyaging canoes to set out, and for education of wayfinding to increase.
Notable scholars
Nancy C. Maryboy
Karlie Noon
Lydia Jennings
Ian Saem Majnep
Robin Wall Kimmerer
References
Oral tradition
History of science
Traditional knowledge
Indigenous culture | Indigenous science | [
"Technology"
] | 2,596 | [
"History of science",
"History of science and technology"
] |
71,465,792 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pycnonuclear%20fusion | Pycnonuclear fusion () is a type of nuclear fusion reaction which occurs due to zero-point oscillations of nuclei around their equilibrium point bound in their crystal lattice. In quantum physics, the phenomenon can be interpreted as overlap of the wave functions of neighboring ions, and is proportional to the overlapping amplitude. Under the conditions of above-threshold ionization, the reactions of neutronization and pycnonuclear fusion can lead to the creation of absolutely stable environments in superdense substances.
The term "pycnonuclear" was coined by A.G.W. Cameron in 1959, but research showing the possibility of nuclear fusion in extremely dense and cold compositions was published by W. A. Wildhack in 1940.
Astrophysics
Pycnonuclear reactions can occur anywhere and in any matter, but under standard conditions, the speed of the reaction is exceedingly low, and thus, have no significant role outside of extremely dense systems, neutron-rich and free electron-rich environments, such as the inner crust of a neutron star. A feature of pycnonuclear reactions is that the rate of the reaction is directly proportional to the density of the space that the reaction is occurring in, but is almost fully independent of the temperature of the environment.
Pycnonuclear reactions are observed in neutron stars or white dwarfs, with evidence present of them occurring in lab-generated deuterium-tritium plasma. Some speculations also relate the fact that Jupiter emits more radiation than it receives from the Sun with pycnonuclear reactions or cold fusion.
Black dwarfs
White dwarfs
In white dwarfs, the core of the star is cold, under which conditions, so, if treated classically, the nuclei that arrange themselves into a crystal lattice are in their ground state. The zero-point oscillations of nuclei in the crystal lattice with energy at the energy at Gamow's peak equal to can overcome the Coulomb barrier, actuating pycnonuclear reactions. A semi-analytical model indicates that in white dwarfs, a thermonuclear runaway can occur at much earlier ages than that of the universe, as the pycnonuclear reactions in the cores of white dwarfs exceed the luminosity of the white dwarfs, allowing C-burning to occur, which catalyzes the formation of type Ia supernovas in accreting white dwarfs, whose mass is equal to the Chandrasekhar mass.
Some studies indicate that the contribution of pycnonuclear reactions towards instability of white dwarfs is only significant in carbon white dwarfs, while in oxygen white dwarfs, such instability is caused mostly due to electron capture. Although other authors disagree that the pycnonuclear reactions can act as major long-term heating sources for massive (1.25 ) white dwarfs, as their density would not suffice for a high rate of pycnonuclear reactions.
While most studies indicate that at the end of their lifecycle, white dwarfs slowly decay into black dwarfs, where pycnonuclear reactions slowly turn their cores into ^56Fe, according to some versions, a collapse of black dwarfs is possible: M.E. Caplan (2020) theorizes that in the most massive black dwarfs (1.25 ), due to their declining electron fraction resulting from ^56Fe production, they will exceed the Chandrasekhar limit in the very far future, speculating that their lifetime and delay time can stretch to up to years.
Neutron stars
As the neutron stars undergo accretion, the density in the crust increases, passing the electron capture threshold. As the electron capture threshold ( g cm−3) is exceeded, it allows for the formation of light nuclei from the process of double electron capture (^40Mg + 2e -> ^34Ne + 6n + ), forming the light neon nuclei and free neutrons, which further increases the density of the crust. As the density increases, the crystal lattices of neutron-rich nuclei are forced closer together due to gravitational collapse of accreting material, and at a point where the nuclei are pushed so close together that their zero-point oscillations allow them to break through the Coulomb barrier, fusion occurs. While the main site of pycnonuclear fusion within neutron stars is the inner crust, pycnonuclear reactions between light nuclei can occur even in the plasma ocean. Since the core of neutron stars was approximated to be g cm−3, at such extreme densities, pycnonuclear reactions play a large role as demonstrated by Haensel & Zdunik, who showed that at densities of g cm−3, they serve as a major heat source. In the fusion processes of the inner crust, the burning of neutron-rich nuclei (^{34}Ne + ^{34}Ne -> ^68Ca) releases a lot of heat, allowing pycnonuclear fusion to perform as a major energy source, possibly even acting as an energy basin for gamma-ray bursts.
Further studies have established that most magnetars are found at densities of g cm−3, indicating that pycnonuclear reactions along with subsequent electron capture reactions could serve as major heat sources.
Triple-alpha reaction
In Wolf–Rayet stars, the triple-alpha reaction is accommodated by the low-energy of ^8Be resonance. However, in neutron stars the temperature in the core is so low that the triple-alpha reactions can occur via the pycnonuclear pathway.
Mathematical model
As the density increases, the Gamow peak increases in height and shifts towards lower energy, while the potential barriers are depressed. If the potential barriers are depressed by the amount of , the Gamow peak is shifted across the origin, making the reactions density-dependent, as the Gamow peak energy is much larger than the thermal energy. The material becomes a degenerate gas at such densities. Harrison proposed that models fully independent of temperature be called cryonuclear.
Pycnonuclear reactions can proceed in two ways: direct (^{34}Ne + ^{34}Ne or ^{40}Mg + ^{40}Mg) or through chain of electron capture reactions (^25N + ^40Mg).
Uncertainties
The current consensus on the rate of pycnonuclear reactions is not coherent. There are currently a lot of uncertainties to consider when modelling the rate of pycnonuclear reactions, especially in spaces with high numbers of free particles. The primary focus of current research is on the effects of crystal lattice deformation and the presence of free neutrons on the reaction rate. Every time fusion occurs, nuclei are removed from the crystal lattice - creating a defect. The difficulty of approximating this model lies within the fact that the further changes occurring to the lattice and the effect of various deformations on the rate are thus far unknown. Since neighbouring lattices can affect the rate of reaction too, negligence of such deformations could lead to major discrepancies. Another confounding variable would be the presence of free neutrons in the crusts of neutron stars. The presence of free neutrons could potentially affect the Coulomb barrier, making it either taller or thicker. A study published by D.G. Yakovlev in 2006 has shown that the rate calculation of the first pycnonuclear fusion of two ^{34}Ne nuclei in the crust of a neutron star can have an uncertainty magnitude of up to seven. In this study, Yakovlev also highlighted the uncertainty in the threshold of pycnonuclear fusion (e.g., at what density it starts), giving the approximate density required for the start of pycnonuclear fusion of g cm−3, arriving at a similar conclusion as Haesnel and Zdunik. According to Haesnel and Zdunik, additional uncertainty of rate calculations in neutron stars can also be due to uneven distribution of the crustal heating, which can impact the thermal states of neutron stars before and after accretion.
In white dwarfs and neutron stars, the nuclear reaction rates can not only be affected by pycnonuclear reactions but also by the plasma screening of the Coulomb interaction. A Ukrainian Electrodynamic Research Laboratory "Proton-21", established that by forming a thin electron plasma layer on the surface of the target material, and, thus, forcing the self-compression of the target material at low temperatures, they could stimulate the process of pycnonuclear fusion. The startup of the process was due to the self-contracting plasma "scanning" the entire volume of the target material, screening the Coulomb field.
Screening, Quantum Diffusion & Nuclear Fusion Regimes
Before delving into the mathematical model, it is important to understand that pycnonuclear fusion, in its essence, occurs due to two main events:
A phenomenon of quantum nature called quantum diffusion.
Overlap of the wave functions of zero-point oscillations of the nuclei.
Both of these effects are heavily affected by screening. The term screening is generally used by nuclear physicists when referring to plasmas of particularly high density. In order for the pycnonuclear fusion to occur, the two particles must overcome the electrostatic repulsion between them - the energy required for this is called the Coulomb barrier. Due to the presence of other charged particles (mainly electrons) next to the reacting pair, they exert the effect of shielding - as the electrons create an electron cloud around the positively charged ions - effectively reducing the electrostatic repulsion between them, lowering the Coulomb barrier. This phenomenon of shielding is referred to as "screening", and in cases where it is particularly strong, it is called "strong screening". Consequently, in cases where the plasma has a strong screening effect, the rate of pycnonuclear fusion is substantially enhanced.
Quantum tunnelling is the foundation of the quantum physical approach to pycnonuclear fusion. It is closely intertwined with the screening effect, as the transmission coefficient depends on the height of the potential barrier, the mass of the particles, and their relative velocity (since the total energy of the system depends on the kinetic energy). From this follows that the transmission coefficient is very sensitive to the effects of screening. Thus, the effect of screening not only contributes to the reduction of the potential barrier that allows for "classical" fusion to occur via the overlap of the wave functions of the zero-point oscillations of the particles, but also to the increase of the transmission coefficient, both of which increase the rate of pycnonuclear fusion.
On top of the other various jargon related to pycnonuclear fusion, the papers also introduce various regimes, that define the rate of pycnonuclear fusion. Specifically, they identify the zero-temperature, intermediate, and thermally-enhanced regimes as their main ones.
One-Component Plasma (OCP)
The pioneers to the derivation of the rate of pycnonuclear fusion in one-component plasma (OCP) were Edwin Salpeter and David Van-Horn, with their article published in 1969. Their approach used a semiclassical method to solve the Schrödinger equation by using the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) approximation, and Wigner-Seitz (WS) spheres. Their model is heavily simplified, and whilst it is primitive, is required to understand other approaches which largely extrapolated on the works of Salpeter & Van Horn. They employed the WS spheres to simplify the OCP into regions containing one ion each, with the ions situated on the vertices of a BCC crystal lattice. Then, using the WKB approximation, they resolved the effect of quantum tunnelling on the fusing nuclei. Extrapolating this to the entire lattice allowed them to arrive at their formula for the rate of pycnonuclear fusion:
where is the density of the plasma, is the mean molecular weight per electron (atomic nucleus), is a constant equal to and serves as a conversion factor from atomic mass units to grams, and represents the thermal average of the pairwise reaction probability.
However, the big fault of the method proposed by Salpeter & Van-Horn is that they neglected the dynamic model of the lattice. This was improved upon by Schramm and Koonin in 1990. In their model, they found that the dynamic model cannot be neglected, but it is possible that the effects caused by the dynamicity can be cancelled out.
See also
Cold fusion
Thermonuclear reaction
Accretion (astrophysics)
Plasma (physics)
Quantum tunnelling
References
Nuclear fusion
Neutron sources
Astronomy | Pycnonuclear fusion | [
"Physics",
"Chemistry",
"Astronomy"
] | 2,679 | [
"Nuclear fusion",
"nan",
"Nuclear physics"
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71,465,942 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free%20ad-supported%20streaming%20television | Free advertising-supported streaming television (FAST) is a category of streaming television services which offer traditional linear television programming ("live TV") and studio-produced movies without a paid subscription, funded exclusively by advertising akin to over-the-air or cable TV stations. Platforms following this model include Pluto TV, Rakuten TV, The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, and Xumo. These services stand apart from platforms predominantly featuring user-generated content (like YouTube and Twitch), as well as from subscription-based services (like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix). The term was coined by Alan Wolk to differentiate the category in a December 2018 article in TVREV.
Platforms
The FAST ecosystem has several layers. The best-known FASTs are the aggregators, which fall into three categories.
FASTs owned by major media companies: Paramount's Pluto TV, Fox's Tubi, Charter Communications and Comcast's Xumo Play, Dish Network's Sling Freestream, ITV’s ITVX service, NEW ID's BINGE Korea, Allen Media Group's Local Now, and Gray Television and National Association of Broadcasters and Syncbak's Zeam.
FASTs owned by device manufacturers: Amazon Freevee (previously IMDb TV), The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, Vizio WatchFree+, and TCL Electronics' TCL Channel.
Independent FASTs: Plex, Crackle and Redbox Free Live TV, Mometu, Herogo TV, and Flixhouse.
These aggregators operate primarily in the United States as of 2024, though some, like Pluto TV, Plex, and Samsung TV Plus operate in additional countries or worldwide.
In addition to aggregator apps, there are FASTs run by a single provider such as E.W. Scripps' Scripps News, PocketWatch and FilmRise that also provide their content for use in linear channels on the aggregator apps.
Content and channels
Content on FAST services can potentially cover all television genres as well as movies, which are the most popular type of content on the FASTs. Content options can include original and/or archive programming not available through subscription streaming services. Although many FAST channels resemble traditional cable specialty channels, others may have an even narrower focus on a single program or media franchise (such as Cops, Baywatch, Unsolved Mysteries, or the American version of Fear Factor). Such single-franchise channels are usually only practical for shows and franchises with an exceptionally large library of episodes; whereas only 65 to 100 episodes are required for traditional broadcast syndication, a 24-hour FAST channel may require 500 episodes.
While some linear FAST channels are exclusive to specific platforms, others, such as Cheddar and Court TV are distributed through multiple providers. Such shared channels may feature different content and presentation, or may feature less or more total commercials depending on the provider. Linear channels that are carried both on subscription multichannel television and on FAST services usually have different program lineups for each, effectively creating a freemium model; Newsmax TV, which previously carried the same content on both feeds, downgraded its FAST feed to "Newsmax2," with reduced content, to allow the multichannel service to collect retransmission fees from providers and regain leverage it had lost in carriage disputes by offering its main feed free. FASTs owned by major media companies have the advantage of being able to leverage their parent companies' archival libraries.
Variety estimated that 1,455 linear channels were available through major FAST platforms as of June 2022. By May 2024, that number had risen to 1,943.
Growing popularity
As per Nielsen's monthly streaming ratings for the US market, called "The Gauge", three of the FAST services were in the Top 10 of all streaming services in 2023. In the September 2023 ratings, Tubi, with 1.3% of viewing, ranked fifth among all streaming services, The Roku Channel, with 1.1% ranked seventh, and Pluto TV, with 0.8% ranked tenth. Tubi noted in January 2025 that only 5% of its viewership came from the live streaming channels section of the Tubi app, which emphasizes its on-demand offerings more than its live linear-oriented competitors do.
In January 2024, over 1,500 FAST TV channels are currently in airing in the U.S. across various services.
References
2018 neologisms
Streaming television
Internet broadcasting
New media | Free ad-supported streaming television | [
"Technology"
] | 918 | [
"Multimedia",
"New media",
"Streaming television"
] |
75,746,796 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage%20Goat | The Garbage Goat is a metal sculpture in Spokane, Washington's Riverfront Park. It was created by Paula Mary Turnbull, a local artist known as the "welding nun", for Expo '74, the city's 1974 world's fair. The sculpture was designed with an internal vacuum mechanism allowing the goat to "eat" trash held close to its mouth. It is also known as the Garbage-Eating Goat; the sculpture does not have a known official name, though Turnbull originally referred to the goat as "Billy".
The Garbage Goat has become an iconic part of Spokane culture and one of its most popular tourist attractions. It has inspired a cult following, a "secret goat culture" in the city, and a series of goat-themed businesses. The debut of the Garbage Goat at Expo '74 was met with protests from dairy goat farmers, who objected to the sculpture as perpetuating the stereotype that goats are reputed to eat anything.
Conception and creation
The Garbage Goat debuted at Expo '74, an environmentally-themed world's fair held in Spokane from May 4 to November 3, 1974. Roughly 5.6 million people attended the fair, which was held in downtown Spokane on land that later became Riverfront Park. Sister Paula Mary Turnbull, a local artist known as the "welding nun", was appointed to the expo's Visual Arts Advisory Committee in 1972. Following the fair's ecology theme, Turnbull designed a sculpture that would encourage children to help keep the fairgrounds free of litter and teach them a lesson in cleanliness. The sculpture was commissioned by the "Make America Better" committee of Spokane's Women's Council of Realtors.
Turnbull modeled her sculpture after a billy goat and constructed it in her studio from corten steel, welding pieces together using both gas and arc welding. Steel was used with the intention that it would form a coating of rust that would not require painting or maintenance. The goat's horns were fashioned from recycled springs, the legs from old pipe, and the eyes from the ends of railroad spikes. According to Turnbull, she "purposely kept him kind of spikey, so youngsters wouldn't climb on him." As a work of interactive art, the sculpture features an internal vacuum mechanism capable of sucking up small pieces of garbage through the goat's mouth, allowing users to "feed" it. The trash passes through a tube and empties into a hidden receptacle behind the goat.
The roughly sculpture was installed in a "Goat Grotto" made from basalt located just east of the Looff Carrousel along the southern edge of the park. A button embedded in the stone wall is pressed to activate the vacuum. The original display at the fair included a tape recording of a voice saying, in part, "please feed me, I am hungry", that would play as people passed by.
Protests by goat farmers
The Garbage Goat generated controversy and public debate before it was even installed at the fair. Dairy goat farmers were upset that the sculpture perpetuated the stereotype that goats are reputed to eat anything. Kent Leach, the editor of The Dairy Goat Journal, wrote that the sculpture was "degrading, debasing, and grossly misleading". Expo organizers and local newspapers such as the Spokane Chronicle were inundated with letters against the sculpture. While some letters decried the public's habit of feeding trash to goats at fairs, others extolled the positive role of the Garbage Goat in keeping the fairgrounds free of litter. One family wrote that they were planning to boycott the fair and another wrote that they were "repulsed and disgusted by such idiocy". Another letter described the goat as a "fastidious, clean and selective eater". Goat breeders stressed that the public be educated that goats needed to be fed properly like any other animal. A goat breeders association even contacted Congressman Tom Foley about the sculpture, emphasizing the goat industry's efforts to improve the image of the dairy goat.
Columnists reported on the ongoing debate over the sculpture for the duration of the fair. William Stimson, writing in the Spokane Chronicles "EXPOsitor" column, summed up the arguments of the critics thusly:
As a compromise with the dairy farmers, the Expo '74 organizers installed a sign touting goats' milk production capabilities when fed a proper diet of the "finest of hays and grains". The sign said in part:
At one point, the tape recording of the goat requesting to be fed stopped functioning. John Hollister and the Washington State Dairy Goat Council had made suggestions to change the goat's speech and to add a placard to the exhibit. In a letter to the editor, A.A. Sellen decried the situation, addressing Hollister, writing "You have literally taken candy from children, robbing them, also, of a chance to learn a valuable cleanliness lesson painlessly." Hollister replied that the council was not responsible for silencing the goat and it was later revealed that mechanical problems had caused the goat's audio to be temporarily disabled.
Turnbull herself was unperturbed by the criticism, saying "I am not trying to malign goats. People have lost their sense of humor." She noted that the goat depicted could not produce milk anyhow, saying "my goat isn't a dairy goat, it's a billy goat."
Besides losing its voice, the goat had other mechanical problems during the fair which may have been the result of overuse. Children were observed carrying garbage from nearby cans to feed to the goat, and one was "rumored to have hoarded trash at home and brought it with him to the fair". The internal vacuum became clogged many times. At one point, the sculpture's legs had to be cut off so that the goat could be flipped over for an "internal enlargement" that a visiting nursing executive described as "practically a resection".
Legacy in Spokane
Since its inception in 1974, the Garbage Goat has become an iconic landmark in Spokane and one of Riverfront Park's most popular attractions. It is especially popular with children, though toddlers' mittens are occasionally sucked up.
The Garbage Goat developed a cult following across generations of Spokanite parents and children. The goat has an unofficial Facebook page with thousands of followers and the Spokane County Regional Solid Waste System created a public educational outreach blog for the goat, with posts from "GG the Garbage Goat". The sculpture is credited with inspiring a "secret goat culture" in Spokane as well as a series of goat-themed businesses. A local brewery called Iron Goat Brewing was named for the sculpture and features beers such as Garbage Pale Ale and Head Butt IPA. In 2018, during Christ Kitchen's annual gingerbread build-off in Spokane, the People's Choice award went to The Lilac Bakery, for its life-size gingerbread replica of the Garbage Goat, which could eat small pieces of garbage through an internal vacuum cleaner. Journalist Daniel Walters wrote that Spokane relationships are not official until the goat is fed hand-in-hand by a couple.
At a 40th birthday celebration for the Garbage Goat in 2014, the City of Spokane held a goat-themed party for the public in its honor. The gathered crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to the goat and presented it with a slice of the birthday cake. The goat sucked out the candles on its cake before Turnbull "fed" it a slice. At the celebration, the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department estimated that the Garbage Goat had "eaten" over 14,000 cubic yards of litter.
The Garbage Goat has experienced downtimes and occasionally needs repairs. Vandals once twisted off the goat's horns and the vacuum system sometimes stops working when objects get lodged in the pipe. The sculpture was closed to the public while the Looff Carrousel was being repaired, but was finally reopened in May 2018.
The Garbage Goat has inspired replicas in other communities. In 2002, Kennewick, Washington, unveiled its own "Billy the Garbage Goat" with plans to install the sculpture at Columbia Park next to the Playground of Dreams.
Notes
References
External links
Garbage Goat Blog of the Spokane County Regional Solid Waste System
1974 controversies
1974 establishments in Washington (state)
1974 sculptures
Culture of Spokane, Washington
Interactive art
Outdoor sculptures in Washington (state)
Sculptures of goats
Steel sculptures in Washington (state)
Tourist attractions in Spokane, Washington
Vacuum systems
Waste collection | Garbage Goat | [
"Physics",
"Engineering"
] | 1,714 | [
"Vacuum systems",
"Vacuum",
"Matter"
] |
75,746,973 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphilogia%20gyrosa | Amphilogia gyrosa is a species of sac fungus in the family Cryphonectriaceae. It is the type species for the genus Amphilogia. It was described from Sri Lanka but has been found on hinau, Elaeocarpus hookerianus and Elaeocarpus glandulifer trees in New Zealand. Until a revision in 2005, the species was classified in the genus Cryphonectria. This species has been confused in the literature with Endothia gyrosa but is morphologically and phylogenetically distinct.
References
Diaporthales
Fungus species
Fungi described in 1876
Taxa named by Miles Joseph Berkeley
Taxa named by Christopher Edmund Broome | Amphilogia gyrosa | [
"Biology"
] | 140 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
75,749,018 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kundali%20%28astrology%29 | Kuṇḍali (also called janmapatra) is the Indian term for the astrological chart or diagram representing the positions of the navagraha-s of Indian astrology at a particular moment like the moment of the birth of a child. The navagraha-s are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and the two nodes of the Moon. The nodes of the Moon are the points on the celestial sphere where the orbit of the Moon intersects the orbit of the Sun. At a particular moment the navagraha-s will be at different points in the sky and they will be located in one of the 12 zodiacal signs (rāśi-s in Indian astrology), namely:
1. Meṣa (Aries), 2. Vṛṣabha (Taurus), 3.Mithuna (Gemini), 4. Karka (Cancer), 5. Siṃha (Leo), 6. Kanyā (Virgo), 7. Tulā (Libra), 8. Vṛścika (Scorpio), 9. Dhanuṣa (Sagittarius), 10. Makara (Caprocornus), 11. Kumbha (Aquarius), 12. Mīna (Pisces)
A kuṇḍali will show diagrammatically which one of the navagraha-s are located in which one of the rāśi-s at a particular moment. A kuṇḍali has twelve cells to represent the 12 zodiacal signs. Practitioners of astrology in different parts of India follow different conventions regarding the exact form in which the kuṇḍali is constructed. Essentially there are three different ways in which these cells are represented in a kuṇḍali, the one followed by people of South India, the one followed by people of North India and the one followed by people of Eastern India (West Bengal and Odisha).
The practice of constructing a kuṇḍali per se is not unscientific or pseudo-science as the kuṇḍali is only a diagram depicting the positions in the zodiac of the nine entities called the navagraha-s at a particular moment of time, and the navagraha-s are associated with true astronomical entities. But, the practice of "reading" a kuṇḍali and interpreting or using it to predict the future events or the personality traits of individuals, has no scientific basis and is a pseudo-science.
The different types of kuṇḍali-s
In astrology, the ascendant, lagna or rising sign at a specified moment (like the moment of birth of a child) is the rāśi on the eastern horizon at that particular moment. The ascendant is specific to a particular time and place. The kuṇḍali format followed in northern India is ascendant-centric in the sense that it gives primacy to the ascendant and assigns a fixed location to the ascendant. But, the kuṇḍali format followed in the southern and eastern India are rāśi-centric in the sense that they give primacy to the rāśi-s. In these formats, the various rāśi-s occupy fixed positions whereas the position of the ascendant changes depending on time and place.
The kuṇḍali in southern India
The kuṇḍali format followed in southern India is essentially a depiction of the zodiac exactly as it is laid out in the sky. The only difference is that instead of a circle a square is used and twelve smaller squares or cells are drawn inside the square to represent the rāśi-s. The earth may be imagined as situated at the center of the larger square. The rāśi-s are always in the same boxes. The Meṣa rāśi is in the second cell from the left in the top row of the diagram (marked 1 in the figure). The remaining rāśi-s are the remaining cells in the successive cells in the clockwise direction (marked 2, 3, 4, etc.).
The South Indian kuṇḍali is a rāśi-centric format. The navagraha-s are placed in the boxes corresponding to the rāśi-s in which they are located. The ascendant is marked in the appropriate box. It is denoted either by a diagonal line or by writing Lagna in the appropriate box.
One advantage of this chart format is that it more closely resembles the actual astronomy of the sky. Another advantage is that, since each rāśi has been allotted the same area in the chart, this chart is much easier to populate with names of the navagraha-s. As in the kuṇḍali formats of the other regions, there are no odd-shaped smaller sections that one has to squeeze the navagraha-s into.
The kuṇḍali in eastern India
The kuṇḍali format followed in eastern India is depicted in the attached figure. The format is sometimes drawn with a square showing the outer boundary (in the attached figure, the square drawn using dashed lines segments). As in the format followed in southern India, this format is also rāśi-centric. The first rāśi, Meṣa occupies the central cell in the top row of the diagram (the cell marked 1). The other rāśi-s are represented by the remaining cells selected in the anti-clockwise direction. In the format followed in southern India, the cells are assigned rāśi-s in the clockwise direction. This format has the same advantages as the format followed in southern India.
The kuṇḍali in northern India
The kuṇḍali format followed in northern India is bhāva-centric (or, house-centric). In traditional practice, each rāśi is a house or bhāva. The beginning of each house is the 0th degrees of the rāśi and the end is the 30th degree of the rāśi. What varies from is the enumeration of these bhāva-s, i.e., which rāśi is the first bhāva, which is the second, and so forth. This is determined by the position of the Lagna (the Ascendant) The house in which the Lagna falls is usually the first bhāva, and the other bhāva-s follow it, counter-clockwise, in the sequence of the zodiac. In the kuṇḍali format followed in northern India, the first bhāva is always in the topmost middle diamond. In this format, the bhāva that each section denotes is static. The rāśi-s assigned to the sections change. This format is more of an astrological perspective than an astronomical one. The format is meaningless without numbering as the rāśi of each house cannot be determined without numbers. The rāśi-s are numbered as follows: 1. Meṣa (Aries), 2. Vṛṣabha (Taurus), 3.Mithuna (Gemini), 4. Karka (Cancer), 5. Siṃha (Leo), 6. Kanyā (Virgo), 7. Tulā (Libra), 8. Vṛścika (Scorpio), 9. Dhanuṣa (Sagittarius), 10. Makara (Caprocornus), 11. Kumbha (Aquarius), 12. Mīna (Pisces).
References
Hindu astrology
Hindu astronomy
Astrology
Horoscopic astrology
Pseudoscience
Superstitions
Superstitions of India | Kundali (astrology) | [
"Astronomy"
] | 1,524 | [
"Astrology",
"History of astronomy"
] |
75,749,167 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia17bpp | Gaia17bpp is a rare M-type red giant star that exhibited a single large dimming event (G-16-20.5 mag) over 6.5 years. It is located in the Sagitta constellation and is about 27,600 light years away from Earth.
Astronomical characteristics
The variable star is located in the constellation of Sagitta roughly 27,600 ly (8.5 kpc). Current hypothesis and archival data suggest that Gaia17bpp belongs to a rare family of ultra-long period binary stars where the companion is enshrouded in large optically thick disks reminiscent of Epsilon Aurigae, VVV-WIT-07, and AS Leonis Minoris. The proposed secondary star and disk remain unconfirmed due to the copious amount of intervening interstellar dust, and likely due to the remarkable long timescale period of the system.
Discovery and dimming event
Gaia17bpp was initially discovered through the ESA's Gaia Photometric Science Alerts (GPSA) in 2022 by astronomers at the University of Washington. The remarkable Gaia17bpp dimming event occurred in mid 2012, however the GPSA issued an alert back in 2017 when the star began re-brightening. Due to the large duration of the dimming event, the entirety of the Gaia17bpp dimming event was recovered from several public data archives such as Pan-STARRS, and NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) where the dimming event was also observed in the near-infrared.
Researchers employed archival image searching and conducted spectroscopic follow-up observations on Gaia17bpp using the Apache Point Observatory 3.5m ARC Telescope. Throughout their analysis, they successfully ruled out several suspected variable star classes with similar dimming event such as R Coronae Borealis, Cataclysmic variable star, or Young stellar object.
Modeling of the dimming event suggest that a possible scenario includes the occultation of an extended oblate optically thick disk with 1.4 AU radius, moving with a transverse velocity of approximately 0.005 km/s. It is unclear how such large optically thick disks can form such in the case of Gaia17bpp and other analog systems. One study suggests that previous mass-transfer interaction between a close binary can produce large disks and lose angular momentum to produce the observed long period binary system.
See also
Epsilon Aurigae
List of stars that have unusual dimming periods
Tabby's Star
Notes
References
Sagitta
M-type giants
J19372316+1759029 | Gaia17bpp | [
"Astronomy"
] | 538 | [
"Sagitta",
"Constellations"
] |
75,750,449 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palladium%28II%29%20sulfate | Palladium(II) sulfate is an inorganic chemical compound with the formula PdSO4. It is a hygroscopic red-brown solid that forms the dihydrate, PdSO4·2H2O.
Preparation and properties
Palladium(II) sulfate is produced by the reaction of palladium metal with a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid. It can also be produced by the reaction of palladium(II) sulfide and oxygen in dimethylformamide.
When anhydrous palladium(II) sulfate absorbs moisture from the air, it forms a greenish-brown dihydrate. The anhydrous form can be regenerated by the heating of the dihydrate at 202 °C.
Anhydrous palladium(II) sulfate decomposes to palladium(II) oxide at 525 °C releasing sulfur trioxide:
References
Palladium compounds
Sulfates | Palladium(II) sulfate | [
"Chemistry"
] | 200 | [
"Sulfates",
"Salts"
] |
75,750,707 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1%2C1%2C2%2C2-Tetrafluoroethane | 1,1,2,2-Tetrafluoroethane (also called R-134 or HFC-134) is a hydrofluorocarbon, a fluorinated alkane. It is an isomer of the more-used 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (R-134a). It is used as a foam expansion agent and heat transfer fluid.
References
Fluoroalkanes
Greenhouse gases
Hydrofluorocarbons | 1,1,2,2-Tetrafluoroethane | [
"Chemistry",
"Environmental_science"
] | 104 | [
"Greenhouse gases",
"Environmental chemistry"
] |
75,751,222 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imre%20Tak%C3%A1cs | Imre Takács is a Hungarian-Canadian environmental engineer and process engineer. He is a founder and CEO of Dynamita SARL, based in France, and developer of process simulators and dynamic models for wastewater treatment plants.
Takács has made contributions to environmental engineering, with a particular focus on biological and physico-chemical water treatment processes. He is known for the development of modeling and software solutions for water and wastewater plant control and has overseen projects aimed at implementing progressive technologies in full-scale wastewater treatment plants. He has authored book chapters for organizations, peer-reviewed journals and his paper on the dynamic process model for thickening and clarification was selected as one of the top ten most influential papers for the Water Research journal in the past 40 years. He is the recipient of the 2019 Fuhrman Medal for Outstanding Academic-Practice Collaboration from the International Water Association (IWA).
Takács has contributed to the development of industry process software, including GPS-X from and Biowin. Additionally, he introduced Sumo, a third-generation wastewater process modeling software.
Takács initiated the WWTmod (later WRRmod) conference series for modellers. He is the founder and first director of the MEGA workgroup in Municipal Resource Recovery Design Community (MRRDC) at WEF. He has been involved in various IWA groups, such as the Task Group for Good Modelling Practice (GMP) and Good Biofilm Reactor Modelling Practice, and has been serving on many scientific committees including the scientific committee for the IWA Specialised Conference on Design, Operation, and Economics of Large Wastewater Treatment Plants.
Education
Takács obtained his bachelor's degree in 1978 from Budapest University of Technology and Economics, specializing in Industrial Food Processing Engineering. In 1980, he earned a master's degree and completed his Doctor of Technology degree in 1986, both in Environmental Bioengineering from the same institution. Subsequently, he continued his doctoral studies, culminating in a PhD in Environmental Technology from Ghent University in 2008.
Career
Takács started his professional career in 1980 as a Project Engineer at the Water Quality Institute (VITUKI, Hungary), where he served until 1988 while also maintaining a position at VIZITERV in 1983. Following this, he assumed the role of Head of R&D at Hydromantis, and from 2002 to 2008, he served at EnviroSim Associates, followed by two years where he was assigned a managerial position within their European subsidiary office. In 2010, he founded Dynamita, a software and process modelling company and has since served as its CEO.
Takács held the role of Project Manager for numerous projects including for DCWATER's Blue Plains plant and HRSD's Nansemond plant at Norfolk.
Takács is a Water-Energy Nexus (WEX) fellow with the University of California at Irvine (UCI). He held a part-time professorship within the Geology department from 1994 to 2002. Prior to that he worked as a Research Engineer at McMaster University between 1988 and 1991.
Contributions
Takács has been involved with projects of environmental software development, process optimization, and advanced control systems. He played a key role in the development of environmental software packages like VNP, GPS-X, BioWin and SUMO. His work extended to the Blue Plains facility, where he devised characterization methods for optimizing carbon source dosing and anaerobic digestion modeling.
Research
Takács developed new concepts in process modeling including settling, chemical and biological phosphorus removal, side-stream treatment, carbon capture for energy recovery, biofilms, granules and granulation, equilibrium chemistry, natural and engineered precipitation, such as for nutrient recovery.
Wastewater treatment models
Takács' research on wastewater treatment modeling has emphasized the improvement of modeling techniques and data quality. He introduced a dynamic model for the clarification-thickening process, employing experimental data from various experiments. In 2008, he critically assessed various model concepts for nitrite modeling in processes like two-step denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation, and phosphorus uptake, highlighting the need for further development. Furthermore, he authored a book chapter in Biological Wastewater Treatment: Principles, Modelling, and Design, which focused on final settling tanks to emphasize the practical aspects, design, and operation of phase separation units. He also contributed to a collaborative effort proposing a standardized notation system for naming state variables in biokinetic models, aiming for consistent rules across existing and future models. In a paper published for the Water Environment Research, his work involved the development of a phosphate complexation model which utilized geochemical reactions on hydrous ferric oxide (HFO) surfaces to comprehend the process of chemically mediated phosphate removal.
Takács has conducted research addressing the critical issue of data reconciliation in wastewater treatment modeling, offering an approach for obtaining reliable data sets for model-based studies. He investigated the sensitivity of nitrite transfer between aerobic and anaerobic ammonia oxidizers highlighting the significance of selecting an appropriate sludge retention time. Alongside fellow researchers, he introduced a dynamic physico-chemical model for chemical phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment. This model incorporated chemical equilibrium and physical precipitation reactions, effectively simulating observed bulk dynamics in terms of pH.
Verification and calibration of activated sludge models
Takács has conducted in-depth studies of Activated Sludge Models and its practical applications. In his research about the respirometric experiments for calibrating ASM1, he emphasized the importance of different methods for assessing component concentrations. His 2009 collaborative research examined the work of the Good Modelling Practice Task Group by investigating Activated Sludge Models users, their profiles, tools, procedures, and limitations to enhance modeling procedures. Subsequently, he compiled survey responses from model users in 2008, creating a database to identify common parameter changes, ranges, and typical values for ASM-type models. He reviewed Hélène Hauduc's research, where she introduced a method to verify activated sludge models by tracking errors through stoichiometry examination. These findings led him to develop SUMO at Dynamita.
Having participated in the IWA Task Group for GMP, Takács co-authored the book Guidelines for Using Activated Sludge Models in 2012, presenting the establishment of a global framework for wastewater treatment using activated sludge models. He authored a book chapter for Activated Sludge - 100 Years and Counting, which delves into the status, history, and advancements of the extensively used activated sludge process in wastewater treatment.
Chemical phosphorus removal and carbon footprint reduction
Takács' paper on the development of a dynamic mathematical model for activated sludge wastewater treatment demonstrated the model's incorporation of the Langmuir isotherm to simulate powdered activated carbon addition. Following verification through both batch and continuous experiments, the extended model was applied in an in-situ full-scale implementation at the Nitrochemical Works. Alongside Leiv Rieger and Hansruedi Siegrist, he offered alternatives to expanding reactor volumes by conducting research based on a case study of aeration control algorithms at three wastewater treatment plants and proposed advanced process control as a solution to reduce energy use and carbon footprint.
Integrated biological systems
Takács has investigated the role of integrated biological systems in wastewater treatment processes and their modeling applications. In one of his earliest studies, he evaluated the adaptability of existing models from conventional activated sludge systems to PAC-fed systems, emphasizing the positive impact of PAC on bacterial activity, organic adsorption, and sludge settleability. He also addressed filamentous bulking in activated sludge systems and devised a dynamic mathematical model to simulate the population dynamics of floc-formers and filaments within the microenvironment of the activated sludge floc.
Awards and honors
2019 – Fuhrman Medal for Outstanding Academic-Practice Collaboration, International Water Association
Selected articles
Takács, I., Patry, G. G., & Nolasco, D. (1991). A dynamic model of the clarification-thickening process. Water research, 25(10), 1263–1271.
Vanrolleghem, P. A., Spanjers, H., Petersen, B., Ginestet, P., & Takacs, I. (1999). Estimating (combinations of) Activated Sludge Model No. 1 parameters and components by respirometry. Water Science and Technology, 39(1), 195–214.
Rieger, L., Gillot, S., Langergraber, G., Ohtsuki, T., Shaw, A., Takacs, I., & Winkler, S. (2012). Guidelines for using activated sludge models. IWA publishing.
Wett, B., Omari, A., Podmirseg, S. M., Han, M., Akintayo, O., Gómez Brandón, M., ... & O'Shaughnessy, M. (2013). Going for mainstream deammonification from bench to full scale for maximized resource efficiency. Water science and technology, 68(2), 283–289.
Sin, G., Kaelin, D., Kampschreur, M. J., Takacs, I., Wett, B., Gernaey, K. V., ... & van Loosdrecht, M. C. (2008). Modelling nitrite in wastewater treatment systems: a discussion of different modelling concepts. Water science and technology, 58(6), 1155–1171.
References
Environmental engineers
Hungarian engineers
Budapest University of Technology and Economics alumni
Ghent University alumni
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people) | Imre Takács | [
"Chemistry",
"Engineering"
] | 2,000 | [
"Environmental engineers",
"Environmental engineering"
] |
75,751,879 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maciej%20Kumosa | Maciej S. Kumosa is a materials scientist and academic. He is a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at the University of Denver, and the director of the Center for Novel High Voltage/Temperature Materials and Structures (HVT).
Kumosa's research interests involve analyzing advanced materials at multiple scales, both experimentally and numerically, for applications in electrical, aerospace, and other fields under extreme operating conditions.
Kumosa serves as an Editorial Board Member for Composites Science and Technology, Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, and Fibers.
Early life
Maciej Kumosa was born on July 13, 1953, in Warsaw, Poland, to a family with teaching, medicine, and farming backgrounds. His father, Dr. Stefan Kumosa, was a well-respected physician in Słupca, a small town in the middle of communist Poland with approximately 5,000 residents during that period. At age five, Kumosa was relocated from Warsaw to Slupca, where he received his elementary and high school education from primary school number 1 and Marshal Józef Piłsudski High School in 1968 and 1972, respectively.
Education
Kumosa earned his Masters's degree in Applied Mechanics and Materials Science from the Technical University of Wroclaw, in 1978. He continued his studies at the same university, completing his Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics and Materials Science in 1982.
Career
In 1981, Kumosa began his career as a senior research assistant in the Institute of Materials Science and Applied Mechanics at the Technical University of Wroclaw and was appointed as an assistant professor in 1983. He then served as a senior research associate at the University of Cambridge from 1984 to 1990, followed by an appointment as an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics at Oregon Graduate Institute (OGI) in Portland from 1990 until 1998. In 1996, he joined the University of Denver as a research professor in the Department of Engineering and was later promoted to the roles of associate professor and full professor. Since 2006, he has been serving as a John Evans Professor at the University of Denver (DU).
Kumosa was the chair of the Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) Department at DU from 2007 to 2009 and later served as the director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering from 2007 to 2012. Since 2014, he has been serving as the center director of the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Novel High Voltage/Temperature Materials and Structures (the HVT Center).
Research
Kumosa's research focused on advanced materials under extreme conditions for electrical and aerospace applications, using experimental and numerical methods to optimize performance. He has authored publications spanning the fields of composites, materials science, applied physics, applied mechanics, and general science, including IEEE journals, conference proceedings, engineering magazines, and national research reports.
Kumosa's research has been funded by federal and private sponsors, including the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Department of Energy (Headquarters), NASA, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the Western Area Power Administration. His main private research sponsors have been the Lockheed Martin Corporation, the Electric Power Research Institute, Tri-State Generation and Transmission, the Alabama Power Company, and Pacific Gas & Electric.
Graduate research at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology
As part of his Ph.D. research, Kumosa investigated both numerically and experimentally the initiation of cracking by mechanical twins in silicon iron. He used an anisotropic Eshelby approach to predict the stresses required to initiate cracks by terminated mechanical twins and to determine the directions of shear deformations associated with mechanical twining.
Kumosa started experimenting with thin-walled Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) composite structures by subjecting them to internal pressure to determine the effects of multiaxial loads in the initiation of damage in the composites. His mentors at that time were Leszek Golaski and Waclaw Kasprzak.
Cambridge research
After his graduation and initial academic appointments in Poland, Kumosa pursued an academic journey abroad in 1984. After a year as a visiting research fellow at the University of Liverpool, he then moved in December 1984 to Cambridge, England, where he spent over six years in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge. Collaborating with Derek Hull and his research group, he focused on material science research and in particular advanced composites investigations.
During his time at Cambridge, Kumosa conducted research that involved the application of Finite Element Methods (FEM) to predict failures in advanced composite structures under multiaxial loading conditions. His investigations extended to the examination of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) composites, along with the analysis of mixed-mode failure and fracture in both GRP and Carbon Fiber Reinforced (CFRP) composites. Moreover, he evaluated the potential use of Acoustic Emission (AE) for monitoring composite structures and contributed to research on the crashworthiness of composites.
Kumosa contributed to the development of the Iosipescu shear test, demonstrating its uniqueness through FEM including the consideration of axial splits and their impact on composite failure predictions. Collaborating with W. Broughton, he further redesigned the test to incorporate biaxial shear-dominated conditions, a seminal modification at that time. In addition, his FEM research supported multiaxial testing of filament-wound composite cylinders, accounting for the presence of hoop cracks in thin-walled composite tubes.
Kumosa, along with Sigalas and Hull, proposed the first numerical model of a composite tube subjected to axial crashing, resulting in a highly cited paper. Additionally, he demonstrated the precise counting of fractured fibers in the stress corrosion cracking of Glass Polymer Composites using AE monitoring.
In May 1990, Kumosa relocated to the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology (OGI) in Portland, Oregon. His SCC and shear testing of composites projects transitioned to OGI, forming the basis for two research programs: the study of biaxial failures in high-temperature polyimide composites and the investigation of in-service failures of High Voltage transmission composite insulators.
Kumosa’s key graduate students at OGI who helped him build the foundation of his future NSF HVT Center were Kevin Searles, Qiong Qiu, Anurag Bansal and Jun Ding
High-temperature jet engine metals research
At OGI from 1990 to 1995, Kumosa, together with Korusiewicz and Ding, worked on the failure analysis and design of advanced metallic alloys, contributing to the GE90 project. Focused on jet engine applications, his research group focused on studying nickel-based superalloys and titanium aluminides used in the GE90 engine for their resistance to high-temperature fracture and fatigue.
High voltage transmission line insulators research
From 1992 to 2006, Kumosa supervised research on High Voltage (HV) composite insulators, also known as Non-Ceramic Insulators (NCIs). He directed initiatives addressing the challenges faced by these insulators used in transmission lines and substations globally. These insulators, subjected to intense mechanical, electrical, and environmental stresses, presented operational life challenges. One of his significant contributions has been to provide an explanation for various large HV transmission line insulator failures attributed to brittle fractures. Notably, he addressed the 14 energized line drops on the Western Area Power Administration's 345 kV Craig Bonanza line in Colorado and has elucidated the causes behind five catastrophic 500 kV line drops at Pacific Gas & Electric in California in 1995/1996 as well.
Working initially with his graduate students Bansal and Qiu at OGI and then at DU with Lucas Kumosa Jr, Tom Ely, Paul Predecki, Dwight Smith, and Daniel Armentrout, Kumosa made contributions by identifying the specific type of acid responsible for brittle fracture failures in California, Colorado, and other global regions. Moreover, he conducted simulations of brittle fractures in insulator (GRP) composites under high voltage conditions, shedding light on critical failure mechanisms.
Kumosa's work improved the understanding of insulator failure mechanisms and contributed to global advancements in High Voltage transmission system reliability. A notable development was the establishment of the first ranking system for commonly used GRP rod materials, evaluating their resistance to High Voltage brittle fracture and other in-service failures. He and his research teams also proposed the inaugural comprehensive model explaining insulator failures arising from improper crimping, which provided insights into failure modes.
High-temperature space combustion chamber composites research
From 1992 to 2004, Kumosa's High-Temperature Polymer Matrix Composite research aimed to understand fundamental failure mechanisms in High-Temperature (HT) composites. Using medium and high-stiffness carbon fibers with various HT polyimide resins, the research explored the impact of aging on composite strength properties, focusing on temperature variations and biaxial shear-dominated loading conditions. He advanced multidisciplinary technologies for affordable propulsion components, aiming for optimal performance and durability at elevated temperatures with reduced cooling needs.
In the course of this research, Kumosa, in collaboration with Benedikt and Predecki, developed experimental and numerical techniques to assess manufacturing stresses in propulsion engine components. These techniques, which are based on embedded aluminum inclusions, X-ray diffraction, and non-linear multiple inclusion Eshelby models, played a crucial role in predicting residual manufacturing stresses in High-Temperature Polymer Matrix Composites (HT PMCs) used in a composite combustion chamber with substantially reduced weight.
Additionally, Kumosa's collaborative efforts with Odegard, Rupnowski and Gentz led to the prediction of the failure properties of these composites under High-Temperature, multiaxial shear-dominated conditions. An unprecedented evaluation of the aging resistance of the composites in nitrogen (physical aging) and air (chemical aging) at temperatures as high as 400 °C was undertaken for the first time. The culmination of this research manifested in the optimization of High-Temperature (HT) combustion chamber composites, achieved through the meticulous selection and integration of fibers and matrices tailored to exhibit superior performance under high-temperature conditions.
Polymer core composite conductors research
Kumosa and his team of graduate students have directed their research toward High-Temperature High-Voltage Polymer Core Composite Conductors (PCCC) for use in High-Voltage (HV) transmission lines. Between 2008 and 2010, he and Burks were the first to determine the critical bend radius of the most popular HTLS PCCC. Additionally, from 2009 to 2012, they demonstrated the sensitivity of PCCC rods to transverse loading under aeolian vibrations. Their findings also suggested that bearing stresses due to crimping the conductor at a dead-end connection could be considered for effective fatigue life design. This effect was evaluated for the first time for PCCC rods at various stages of environmental aging, using a unique combined experimental/numerical approach.
Kumosa and Middleton conducted life predictions for PCCC conductors, indicating that exposure to high temperatures appeared to be more damaging to PCCC rods than the impact of highly concentrated ozone. Taking into account potential environmental conditions such as high temperature and ozone pollution, it was predicted that PCCC rods could endure in service for many years if the operating temperature did not exceed 120°C with an ozone concentration of no more than about 1%.
Subsequently, he and Hoffman demonstrated that the in-service life of the conductors could be significantly extended (by 75%) through the application of special Teflon coatings on the rods.
Considering the prevalent issue faced by utilities using traditional steel/aluminum designs, especially in coastal environments, Kumosa, Håkansson, Hoffman and others conducted research to evaluate the resistance of the current PCCC design to corrosion on transmission lines. They proposed a potent analytical model of atmospheric galvanic corrosion of PCCC conductors, which was subsequently numerically and experimentally verified. He and his research teams have presented insights into the in-service performance of the next generation of High-Voltage High-Temperature Low Sag Polymer Core Composite Conductors, akin to their previous work on HV composite insulators. Their efforts have led to numerous potential improvements in design, as highlighted in various publications, including a feature in the Denver Business Journal, where he also discussed how the new transmission line product could save lives.
I/UCRC for novel high voltage materials and structures
Kumosa has led a research initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and directed the HVT Center.
Kumosa's previous projects, including the PCCC conductor research, were integrated into the HVT Center, and new projects were initiated. Within the PCCC conductor project, his research performed in collaboration with Waters and Hoffman focused on the conductors' resilience to low-velocity excessive transverse impacts using unique fixtures and simulating impact behavior through Finite Element Method (FEM) analysis. The conductors exhibited superiority over their Al/steel counterparts in this regard.
The group also demonstrated the successful monitoring of PCCC conductors for various static and dynamic loads using Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. These sensors proved effective in monitoring conductors during installation and in-service for both small and large deformations.
Among the new projects in the HVT Center, Kumosa studied the "Effect of Oxygen Aging on Ti/Al/V Powders used in Additive Manufacturing" with Billy Grell, Zach Loftus, and others. Along with Lu, Yi, Solis-Ramos and other researchers, he also investigated the "Synergistic Aging of Polymers and their Composites." The extreme aging of silicone rubbers used in HV voltage applications was another research conducted by him and Bleszynski in the Center, resulting in the design, manufacture, and testing of an HV silicone rubber with improved resistance to extreme aging by about 50%.
Henderson, Predecki, and Kumosa's project "Prevention of Ballistic Damage to HV Transformer Bushings" tested the use of ballistic polymer coatings on HV porcelain transformer bushings to protect them against high-power rifle damage, demonstrating for the first time that the bushings could be safeguarded against vandalism with properly designed and applied coatings. His collaborative project with Waters, Hoffman, and Predeck titled, "Polymerization in Single Fiber Composites using FBG Sensors" introduced a novel technique using FBG sensors within the HVT Center. This technique evaluated the responses of modeled polymer and metal composites to manufacturing conditions, using FBG sensors to identify the beginning and end of curing, the gel point, cooling strains, and stresses for polymers such as epoxies, and was later applied successfully to monitor the solidification of metals.
More recently in 2023, Kumosa's research teams studied both the "Modernization of Large Power Transformer (LPT) Tanks" and the "Development of Next-generation Graphene and Graphene Oxide Epoxy Base Nanocomposites". In the LPT project, he, Jide Williams, Hoffman, and Predecki demonstrated for the first time that heavy LPT tanks could be replaced with advanced PMCs for weight reduction, superior resistance to rifle damage, and improved performance in other adverse in-service conditions. In the Graphene Oxide Project, Matt Reil and others discovered a new powerful toughening mechanism in an epoxy resin with embedded graphene oxide nano-particles which was subsequently explained through extensive numerical and experimental simulations and verifications.
Selected articles
References
Materials scientists and engineers
Wrocław University of Technology alumni
University of Denver faculty
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people | Maciej Kumosa | [
"Materials_science",
"Engineering"
] | 3,239 | [
"Materials scientists and engineers",
"Materials science"
] |
75,752,233 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgius%20Zothorus%20Zaparus%20Fendulus | Georgius Zothorus Zaparus Fendulus was an author/compiler active during the second half of the 12th century, known for his Liber astrologiae (Liber Albumazarus). His exact identity is not known – the name itself is probably a pseudonym (cognomen) – but it has been proposed that he was a cleric associated with the court of the kings of Sicily.
Details
Fendulus, who in the prologue of his book calls himself "priest of G., philosopher and courtier", had put together the Liber astrologiae from substantial extracts of Hermann of Carinthia's Latin translation of Abū Maʿshar's Great Introduction to Astrology. The prototype of the book has now disappeared, but the text has been copied into several richly illustrated manuscripts, of which the two oldest surviving examples are the ones in Bibliothèque nationale de France, Latin 7330 (dated to c.1220–1240) and British Library, Sloane MS 3983 (mid-fourteenth century).
The Liber astrologiae manuscripts are notable for their series of luxury full-page illustrations depicting the twelve signs of the zodiac and constellations that are said to rise alongside those signs. The constellations are organised in segments of 10° of the night sky (so-called "decans"), three per each zodiac sign, and following in parallel three traditions of cataloguing stars: "according to the Persians", "Indians", and "Greeks". The Fendulus manuscripts also include a set of figures representing the seven planet-gods, each depicted four times, illustrating how the combination of each planet with a particular zodiac sign affects that planet's power (domicile, detriment, exaltation and fall).
Bibliography
Pérez-Jiménez, Aurelio; Lippincott, Kristen; Burnett, Charles; Hübner, Wolfgang; and Kidd, Peter (2023). Liber astrologiae (Abū Maʿshar Treatise). Barcelona: M. Moleiro Editor.
Gousset, Marie-Thérèse, and Verdet, Jean-Pierre (1989). Georgius Zothorus Zaparus Fendulus: Liber astrologiae. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale.
Clark, Vicky Armstrong (1979). The Illustrated Abridged Astrological Treatises of Albumasar: Medieval Astrological Imagery in the West. PhD dissertation. The University of Michigan.
Saxl, Fritz and Meier, Hans (1953). Catalogue of Astrological and Mythological Illuminated Manuscripts of the Latin Middle Ages. Volume III, 1–2: Manuscripts in English Libraries. London: Warburg Institute.
Notes
External links
Digital facsimile of Liber astrologiae in Bibliothèque nationale de France, Latin 7330.
Facsimile edition of Liber astrologiae (Abū Maʿshar Treatise), Sloane MS 3983, published by M. Moleiro Editor.
Georgius Zothorus Zaparus Fendulus in Biblissima Portal.
Astrologers
12th-century astrologers
History of astrology
Astrological texts | Georgius Zothorus Zaparus Fendulus | [
"Astronomy"
] | 648 | [
"People associated with astronomy",
"History of astrology",
"Astrologers",
"History of astronomy"
] |
75,752,969 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colmena | The Colmena project is a science and engineering experiment to design and deploy tiny autonomous robots to explore the surface of the Moon. It was created at the National Autonomous University of Mexico by the LINX Space Instrumentation Laboratory, at the Institute of Nuclear Sciences of the UNAM, and funded equally by grants from the Mexican Space Agency and the National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies in Mexico. It is the first Latin American scientific instrument designed to explore the surface of the Moon.
The payload consists of five small, autonomous robots, each weighing less than 60 grams and measuring 12 centimeters in diameter, which are designed to be catapulted onto the lunar surface. Once the robots are on the surface, they locate each other and collaborate in a swarm to accomplish their science mission (thus the project name, which is Spanish for Beehive).
It was launched on 8 January 2024 on the maiden flight of the Vulcan Centaur rocket as a co-hosted payload on the Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One to the Moon. However following a propellent issue with the lander, the mission was aborted and the lander along with Colmena burned up in the earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean, with a last reported contact by the Canberra tracking station at 20:59 GMT.
References
External links
Project website
Research vessels of Mexico
Robots of Mexico
Space exploration
Space program of Mexico
Telepresence robots | Colmena | [
"Astronomy"
] | 289 | [
"Space exploration",
"Outer space stubs",
"Outer space",
"Astronomy stubs"
] |
75,754,315 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%20of%20gods%20in%20the%20Investiture%20of%20the%20Gods | The classic Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods (also commonly known as Fengshen Yanyi) contains a register of deities (). According to Fengshen Yanyi, Yuanshi Tianzun ("Primeval Lord of Heaven") bestows upon Jiang Ziya the Fengshen bang (Register of Deities), a list that empowers him to invest in the gods of heaven. Through this power, he elevates the heroes of Zhou and some of their fallen enemies from Shang to heavenly rank, essentially making them gods. This act of deification serves as the central event and inspiration for the novel's title. In Chinese folk religion, the register of deities was left by the primordial goddess Nüwa before her acceptance of parinirvāṇa (death). The register includes 365 gods among the Eight Divisions of Heaven. These figures, upon entering the Fengshen Bang, are granted godhood and are still worshipped in the Taoist pantheon of modern times.
Background
In Fenshen Yanyi, on Kunlun Mountain, in the Yuxu Palace, the leader of the Chen Sect, Yuanshi Tianzun, was forced to close the palace and stop teaching because his twelve disciples had become involved in the affairs of the mortal world. The ruler of heaven, Haotian Shangdi, had ordered the twelve heavenly generals to submit to him, but the Jie Sect refused, and so a war broke out between the two sects.
At the same time, the Shang Dynasty was coming to an end, and the Zhou Dynasty was about to begin. This was a time of great change and upheaval, and the three religions, Chenjiao, Jiejiao, and Rendao, saw an opportunity to intervene and shape the course of history. The three religions agreed to a truce and came together to create a list of 365 gods. The gods were divided into eight divisions of Heavenly Court.
When Jiang Ziya first arrived at Kunlun Mountain, Yuanshi Tianzun ordered the Old Man of the South Pole to hand over the Register of Deities to Jiang Ziya. He also bestowed upon him the Divine Whip and ordered him to build the Platform of Gods on Mount Qi and hang the List of Gods on the platform.
Among those listed on the Register of Deities, there are both loyal ministers and righteous individuals. Some, though not having achieved the path of immortality, have ascended to the ranks of deities. Each spirit possesses varying depths of spiritual development and karmic connections, leading to a hierarchy among the gods. For disciples of the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect, those with the highest level of Dao cultivation ascended to full godhood upon entering the Register of Deities. Those with lesser cultivation became immortals or divine beings, while those with the weakest cultivation were reborn into the cycle of reincarnation. Some disciples also joined Western Buddhism, including the Chan Sect's Cihang Zhenren (later known as Guanyin), Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun (later known as Manjushri), and Puxian Zhenren (later known as Samantabhadra. Even the soul of the antagonist, King Zhou of Shang, was sealed as the Tian Xixing ("Star of Heavenly Happiness"). As Tian Xixing, he bore the responsibility of managing the marriage affairs of humans. Jiang Ziya maintained that King Zhou's consciousness did not engage in any wrongdoing or bad practices. According to Jiang Ziya, all the nefarious deeds throughout history were orchestrated under the influence of the nine-tailed fox, Daji, and thus, all the sins were attributed solely to her. However, some characters, such as Li family members Li Jing, Nezha, Jinzha, and Muzha, as well as Yan Jian and Leizhenzi, did not enter the list of gods, but they became more popular deities than the ones listed.
There are significant discrepancies in the names and lists of gods recorded between the Shu edition (the original handwritten manuscript version) and the Tongxing edition (a widely printed version) of the Fengshen Yanyi, especially in Chapters 99 and 100. In the 99th chapter, the Shu edition lists 363 righteous gods and then adds Fei Lian and A Lai, two ministers, in the 100th chapter, bringing the total to 365 gods. On the other hand, the Tongxing edition lists 365 righteous gods in the 99th chapter and adds the Four Heavenly Kings and the Hengha Erjiang ("Two Roaring and Laughing Warriors") in the 100th chapter, resulting in a total of 371 gods.
The Shu version excludes the Four Heavenly Kings and the Hengha Erjiang because of their affiliation with the Buddha's Western Pure Land sect. These figures, who served as assistants to the Western Pure Land teaching and guardians of the Western Buddhist Mountain Gate, are not considered deities in the traditional sense.
The missing names in the list
There are two characters who are said to have been deified; however, their names are not included in either of the two versions of the god list. These characters are Caiyun Xianzi and the demons Gaoming and Gaojue.
Caiyun Xianzi is a disciple of Sanxiao Shengmu (Zhao Yunxiao, Zhao Qiongxiao, and Zhao Bixiao). Seeking revenge for the death of Zhao Gongming, together with her teacher, she descended from the mountain to aid Wen Zhong's army in their attack on Xiqi (the Western Capital). After the powerful Grand Nine-Curves Yellow River Formation (九曲黄河阵) was broken, Caiyun Xianzi died from Nezha's spear, and her soul went to the Register of Deities. However, her name was not included in either of the two versions of the god lists.
Gaoming and Gaojue are originally peach and willow demons from Mount Qipan; they possessed the spiritual energy of the clay statues of the Thousand-Li Eye and the Wind-Hearing Ear, granting them extraordinary vision and hearing. King Zhou recruited them as godly martial generals, and they joined Meishan's Yuan Hong in resisting the Zhou army at Mengjin. Following guidance from Yuding Zhenren, Jiang Ziya ordered Li Jing to destroy their peach and willow roots and Leizhenzi to smash the clay statues. Gaoming and Gaojue were ultimately killed by Jiang Ziya's divine whip, and their souls went to the Register of Deities. Despite the novel's explicit statement of their deification and titles (Shentu and Yulei), their names remain absent from the official lists.
Influence
The Gods List from Fengshen Yanyi holds a significant place in Chinese folklore, influencing Chinese folk beliefs after its publication. Today, references to Emperor Dongyue evoke thoughts of Huang Tianhu, the rebellious Shang-dynasty general. Discussions about success in imperial examinations lead to contemplation of Bi Gan's reincarnation as the Wenquxing, a star influencing those with literary talent. Zhao Gongming, identified as the God of Wealth, and his four lieutenants now oversee the accumulation of wealth and treasure.
Following the publication of Fengshen Yanyi, the Chinese heavenly court underwent substantial transformation, representing a distinctive departure from divine courts in other major civilizations. This reshaping underscores the novel's pivotal role in shaping the celestial hierarchy and its significant influence on Chinese folk beliefs. The gods from Fengshen Yanyi had an influence on Journey to the West, as many names of gods and Buddhas from the novel also appear in Journey to the West. This list also reflects the intensification of god-making (zao shen, 造神) during the Yuan-Ming period.
Legend has it that the ruins of the Platform of Gods (fengshentai, 封神台), where Jiang Ziya appointed the gods, are located near Shandi Village in Huangdui Township, Fufeng County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. According to local history, all the gods listed were once enshrined here, but they were later destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. However, the modern government reconstructed a replica of the Platform of Gods on the former site, turning it into a tourist destination. Many statues of gods now stand before the site.
List of gods
The 365 names of the righteous gods are listed below, though they might vary in two versions of the book.
God of Good Fortune
The Three Realms Leader of the Eight Divisions and Three Hundred Sixty-Five Qingfu Gods: Baijian
Three Mountains and Five Peaks
God of the Three Sacred Mountains
Bingling Gong: Huang Tianhua
Five Peaks
East Peak Taishan, Tianqi Rensheng Great Emperor: Huang Feihu
South Peak Hengshan, Sishen Zhaosheng Great Emperor: Chong Heihu
Central Peak Songshan, Zhongtian Chongsheng Great Emperor: Wen Pin
North Peak Hengshan, Antian Xuansheng Great Emperor: Cui Ying
West Peak Huashan, Jintian Yuansheng Great Emperor: Jiang Xiong
The Twenty-Four Heavenly Generals of the Thunder Department
: Wen Zhong (Head of Thunder Gods)
Ten Heavenly Generals of Jin'ao Island
Deng Tianjun Zhong: Deng Zhong
Xin Tianjun Huan: Xin Huan
Zhang Tianjun Jie: Zhang Jie
Tao Tianjun Rong: Tao Rong
Pang Tianjun Hong: Pang Hong
Liu Tianjun Fu: Liu Fu
Guo Tianjun Zhang: Guo Zhang
Bi Tianjun Huan: Bi Huan
Qin Tianjun Wan: Qin Wan
Zhao Tianjun Jiang: Zhao Jiang
Four Heavenly Generals of Huanghua Mountain
Dong Tianjun Quan: Dong Quan
Yuan Tianjun Jiao: Yuan Jiao
Li Tianjun De: Li De
Sun Tianjun Liang: Sun Liang
Four Heavenly Generals of Erlong Mountain
Bo Tianjun Li: Bo Li
Wang Tianjun Yi: Wang Yi
Yao Tianjun Bin: Yao Bin
Zhang Tianjun Shao: Zhang Shao
Two Personal Attendants of Wen Zhong
Jin Tianjun Su: Jin Su
Ji Tianjun Li: Ji Li
Heavenly Generals Who Died in the Battle of Wanxian
Yu Tianjun Qing: Yu Qing
Thunder Deities
Lightning God: Jinguang Shengmu
Wind Assisting God: Hanzhixian
Cloud Rising God: Caiyunxian
Fire Department Deities
Lord of Fire Deities
Luo Xuan
Five Fire Gods
Tailed Fire Tiger: Zhu Zhao
Room Fire Pig: Gao Zhen
Mouth Fire Monkey: Fang Gui
Winged Fire Snake: Wang Jiao
God of Fire: Liu Huan
Plague Department Deities
Plague Emperor
Lü Yue
Plague Gods
Plague Messenger of the East: Zhou Xin
Plague Messenger of the South: Li Qi
Plague Messenger of the West: Zhu Tianlin
Plague Messenger of the North: Yang Wenhui
Master of Benevolence: Chen Geng
Daoist of Harmony: Li Ping
Dipper Department
Honorable Goddess of the North Pole Dippers
Jinling Shengmu
Great Emperor of Central Heaven, North Pole, and Ziwei Palace
Bo Yikao
The Eastern Dipper Star Officials
Su Hu
Jin Kui
Ji Shu Ming
Zhao Bing
The Western Dipper Star Officials
Huang Tianlu
Long Huan
Sun Ziyu
Hu Sheng
Hu Yunpeng
The Central Dipper Star Officials
Lu Renjie
Chao Lei
Ji Shusheng
The Southern Dipper Star Officials
Zhou Ji
Hu Lei
Gao Gui
Yu Cheng
Sun Bao
Lei Kun
The Northern Dipper Star Officials
Huang Tianxiang (Tiangang)
Bi Gan (Wenqu)
Dou Rong (Wuqu)
Han Sheng (Zuofu)
Han Bian (Youbi)
Su Quanzhong (Pojun)
E Shun (Tanlang)
Guo Chen (Jumen)
Dong Zhong (Zhaoyao)
Constellations Gods
Qing Longxing (青龍星): Deng Jiugong
Bai Huxing (白虎星): Yin Chengxiu
Zhu Quxing (朱雀星): Ma Fang
Xuan Wuxing (玄武星): Xu Kun
Gou Chenxing (勾陳星): Lei Peng (In Shu version, "Sun Bo")
Teng Shexing (滕蛇星): Zhang Shan
Tai Yangxing (太陽星): Xu Gai
Tai Yinxing (太陰星): Queen Jiang
Yu Tangxing (玉堂星): Shang Rong
Tian Guixing (天貴星): Ji Shuqian
Long Dexing (龍德星): Hong Jin
Hong Luanxing (紅鸞星): Princess Longji
Tian Xixing (天喜星): King Zhou
Tian Dexing (天德星): Mei Bo
Yue Dexing (月德星): Xia Zhao
Tian Shexing (天赦星): Zhao Qi
Mao Duanxing (貌端星): Lady Jia (the wife of Huang Feihu)
Jin Fuxing (金府星): Xiao Zhen (in Shu version "Chen Ding")
Mu Fuxing (木府星): Deng Hua (In Shu version, "Lu Shen")
Shui Fuxing (水府星): Yu Yuan (In Shu version, "Yu Can")
Huo Fuxing (火府星): Huoling Shengmu (In Shu version, "Wang Zhen")
Tu Fuxing (土府星): Tu Xingsun
Liu Hexing (六合星): Deng Chanyu
Bo Shixing (博士星): Du Yuanxian (In Shu version, "Xing Sanyi")
Li Shixing (力士星): Wu Wenhua (In Shu version, "Dai Li")
Zou Shuxing (奏書星): Jiao Ge (In Shu version, "Che Fang")
He Kuixing (河魁星): Huang Feibiao (In Shu version, "Zhai Yuan")
Yue Kuixing (月魁星): Chedi Furen (In Shu version, "Cui Shijie")
Di Chexing (帝車星): Jiang Huanchu (In Shu version, "Xu Zhen")
Tian Sixing (天嗣星): Huang Feibao (In Shu version, "Shi Zhang")
Di Luxing (帝輅星): Ding Ce
Tian Maxing (天馬星): E Chongyu (In Shu version, "Pang Hu")
Huang Enxing (皇恩星): Li Jin
Tian Yixing (天醫星): Qian Bao
Di Houxing (地后星): Queen Huang, consort of King Zhou
Zhai Longxing (宅龍星): Ji Shude
Fu Longxing (伏龍星): Huang Ming
Yi Maxing (驛馬星): Lei Kai
Huang Fanxing (黃旛星): Wei Ben
Bao Weixing (豹尾星): Wu Qian (In Shu version, "Zheng Long")
Sang Menxing (喪門星): Zhang Guifang
Diao Kexing (弔客星): Feng Lin
Gou Jiaoxing (勾絞星): Fei Zhong
Juan Shexing (卷舌星): You Hun
Luo Houxing (羅睺星): Peng Zun
Ji Douxing (計都星): Wang Bao
Fei Lianxing (飛廉星): Ji Shukun
Da Haoxing (大耗星): Chong Houhu
Xiao Haoxing (小耗星): Yin Pobai
Guan Suoxing (貫索星): Qiu Yin (In Shu version, "Qin Geng")
Lan Gangxing (欄桿星): Long Anji
Pi Touxing (披頭星): Tai Luan
Wu Guxing (五鬼星): Deng Xiu
Yang Renxing (羊刃星): Zhao Sheng
Xue Guangxing (血光星): Sun Yanhong (In Shu version, "Sun Hongyan")
Guan Fuxing (官符星): Fang Yizhen
Gu Chenxing (孤辰星): Yu Hua
Tian Gouxing (天狗星): Ji Kang
Bing Fuxing (病符星): Wang Zuo
Zuan Guxing (鑽骨星): Zhang Feng (In Shu version, "Cui Xin")
Si Fuxing (死符星): Bian Jinlong
Tian Baixing (天敗星): Bai Xianzhong (In Shu version, "Ba Baixing: Bai Zhong")
Fu Chenxing (浮沉星): Zheng Chun
Tian Shaxing (天殺星): Bian Ji (In Shu version, "Da Shaxing: Ding Ce")
Sui Shaxing (歲殺星): Chen Geng (In Shu version, "Li Xiong")
Sui Xingxing (歲刑星): Xu Fang (Chuanyun General)
Sui Poxing (歲破星): Chao Tian
Zhuo Huoxing (燭火星): Ji Shuyi
Xue Guangxing (血光星): Ma Zhong
Wang Shenxing (亡神星): Ouyang Chun (Lintong General) (Shu's original version "Ouyang Ping")
Yue Poxing (月破星): Wang Hu (In Shu version, "Wang Bin")
Yue Youxing (月遊星): Shi Jiniang (In Shu version, "Liang Zongxian")
Si Qixing (死氣星): Chen Jizhen (In Shu version, "Chen Liliang")
Xian Chixing (咸池星): Xu Zhong (In Shu version, "Chi Zhong")
Yue Yanxing (月厭星): Yao Zhong (In Shu version, "Sun An")
Yue Xingxing (月刑星): Chen Wu (In Shu version, "Li De")
Hei Shaxing (黑殺星): Gao Jine
Qi Shaxing (七殺星): Zhang Kui
Wu Guxing (五谷星): Yin Hong
Chu Shaxing (除殺星): Yu Zhong (In Shu version, "Huang Dingchen")
Tian Xingxing (天刑星): Ouyang Tianlu (In Shu version, "Yang Chun")
Tian Luoxing (天羅星): Chen Tong (In Shu version, "Zhu Yin")
Di Wangxing (地網星): Ji Shuji
Tian Kongxing (天空星): Mei Wu (In Shu version, "Qian Jing")
Hua Gaixing (華蓋星): Ao Bing (In Shu version, "Zhang Ding")
Shi Exing (十惡星): Zhou Xin (In Shu version, "Li Dewu")
Can Xuxing (蠶畜星): Huang Yuanji (In Shu version, "Hu Jiashan")
Tao Huaxing (桃花星): Gao Lanying
Sao Buxing (掃帚星): Lady Ma (Jiang Ziya's wife) (In Shu version, "Iron Broom Lady Ma")
Da Huoxing (大禍星): Li Gen (In Shu version, "Chen Meng")
Lang Jixing (狼籍星): Han Rong
Pi Maxing (披麻星): Lin Shan (In Shu version, "Jin Geng")
Jiu Chouxing (九醜星): Long Xuhu (In Shu version, "Yao Xuan")
San Shixing (三屍星): Sa Jian, Sa Qiang, Sa Yong
Yin Chuoxing (陰錯星): Jin Cheng (In Shu version, "Jin Hai")
Yang Chaxing (陽差星): Ma Chenglong (In Shu version, "Wang Bao")
Ren Shaxing (刃殺星): Gongsun Duo
Si Feixing (四廢星): Yuan Hong (In Shu version, "Yuan Kun")
Wu Qiongxing (五窮星): Sun He (In Shu version, "Shi Siqi")
Di Kongxing (地空星): Mei De (In Shu version, "Hong Chengxiu")
Hong Yanxing (紅艷星): Queen Yang, consort of King Zhou (In Shu version, "Wang Yi")
Liu Xiaxing (流霞星): Wu Rong (In Shu version, "Yang Xiang")
Gua Suxing (寡宿星): Zhu Sheng (In Shu version, "Zhang Wei")
Tian Wenxing (天瘟星): Jin Dasheng (In Shu version, "Cheng Chaoyong")
Huang Wuxing (荒蕪星): Dai Li (In Shu version, "Zhao Guocai")
Tai Shenxing (胎神星): Ji Shuli
Fu Duanxing (伏斷星): Zhu Zizhen (In Shu version, "Li Yan")
Fan Yinxing (反吟星): Yang Xian (In Shu version, "Zhou Bo")
Fu Yinxing (伏吟星): Yao Shuliang (In Shu version, "Lu Zhiben")
Dao Zhenxing (刀砧星): Chang Hao (In Shu version, "Hu Song")
Mie Moxing (滅沒星): Fang Jingyuan
Sui Yanxing (歲厭星): Peng Zushou (In Shu version, "Yang Wang")
Po Suixing (破碎星): Wu Long (In Shu version, "Yu Zongbo")
Gods of the 28 Mansions
Azure Dragon of the East (東方青龍)
Wood Dragon of Horn (角木蛟): Bai Lin
Golden Dragon of Neck (亢金龍): Li Daotong
Earth Badger of Root (氐土貉): Gao Bing
Sun Rabbit of Room (房日兔): Yao Gongbo
Moon Vixen of Heart (心月狐): Su Yuan
Fire Tiger of Tail (尾火虎): Zhu Zhao
Water Leopard of Winnowing Basket (箕水豹): Yang Zhen
Black Tortoise of the North (北方玄武)
Wood Insect of Dipper (斗木獬): Yang Xin
Golden Ox of Ox (牛金牛): Li Hong
Earth Bat of Girl (Nü Tofu, 女土蝠): Zheng Yuan
Sun Rat of Emptiness (虛日鼠): Zhou Bao
Moon Swallow of Rooftop (危月燕): Hou Taiyi
Fire Pig of Encampment (室火豬): Gao Zhen
Water Pangolin of Wall (壁水貐): Fang Jiqing
White Tiger of the West (西方白虎)
Wood Wolf of Legs (Kui Mulang, 奎木狼): Li Xiong
Golden Dog of Bond (婁金狗): Zhang Xiong
Earth Pheasant of Stomach (胃土雉): Song Geng
Sun Rooster of Hairy Head (Maori Xingguan, 昴日雞): Huang Cang
Moon Bird of Net (畢月烏): Jin Shengyang
Fire Monkey of Turtle Beak (觜火猴): Fang Gui
Water Ape of Three Stars (參水猿): Sun Xiang
Vermilion Bird of the South (南方朱雀)
Wood Dog of Well (井木犴): Shen Geng
Golden Sheep of Ghost (鬼金羊): Zhao Baigao
Earth Deer of Willow (柳土獐): Wu Kun
Sun Horse of Star (星日馬): Lü Neng
Moon Deer of Extended Net (張月鹿): Xue Ding
Fire Serpent of Wings (翼火蛇): Wang Jiao
Water Earthworm of Chariot (軫水蚓): Hu Daoyuan
The 36 Stars of the Dipper
Tian Kuixing (天魁星): Gao Yan
Tian Gangxing (天罡星): Huang Zhen
Tian Jixing (天機星): Lu Chang
Tian Xianxing (天閒星): Ji Bing
Tian Yongxing (天勇星): Yao Gongxiao
Tian Xiongxing (天雄星): Shi Gui
Tian Mengxing (天猛星): Sun Yi
Tian Weixing (天威星): Li Bao
Tian Yingxing (天英星): Zhu Yi
Tian Guixing (天貴星): Chen Kan
Tian Fuxing (天富星): Li Xian
Tian Manxing (天滿星): Fang Bao
Tian Guxing (天孤星): Zhan Xiu
Tian Shangxing (天傷星): Li Hongren
Tian Xuanxing (天玄星): Wang Longmao
Tian Jianxing (天建星): Deng Yu
Tian Anxing (天暗星): Li Xin
Tian Youxing (天祐星): Xu Zhengdao
Tian Kongxing (天空星): Dian Tong
Tian Suxing (天速星): Wu Xu
Tian Yixing (天異星): Lu Zicheng
Tian Shaxing (天煞星): Ren Laipin
Tian Weixing (天微星): Gong Qing
Tian Jiuxing (天究星): Shan Baizhao
Tian Tuixing (天退星): Gao Ke
Tian Shouxing (天壽星): Qi Cheng
Tian Jianxing (天劍星): Wang Hu
Tian Pingxing (天平星): Bu Tong
Tian Zuixing (天罪星): Yao Gong
Tian Sunxing (天損星): Tang Tianzheng
Tian Baixing (天敗星): Shen Li
Tian Laoxing (天牢星): Wen Jie
Tian Huixing (天慧星): Zhang Zhixiong
Tian Baoxing (天暴星): Bi De
Tian Kuixing (天魁星): Liu Da
Tian Qiaoxing (天巧星): Cheng Sanyi
The Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Stars of the Dipper
Di Kuixing (地魁星): Chen Jizhen
Di Shaxing (地煞星): Huang Jingyuan
Di Yongxing (地勇星): Jia Cheng
Di Jiexing (地傑星): Hu Baiyan
Di Xiongxing (地雄星): Lu Xiude
Di Weixing (地威星): Xu Cheng
Di Yingxing (地英星): Sun Xiang
Di Qixing (地奇星): Wang Ping
Di Mengxing (地猛星): Bai Youhuan
Di Wenxing (地文星): Ge Gao
Di Zhengxing (地正星): Kao Ge
Di Pixing (地闢星): Li Sui
Di Hexing (地闔星): Liu Heng
Di Qiangxing (地強星): Xia Xiang
Di Anxing (地暗星): Yu Hui
Di Zhouxing (地軸星): Bao Long
Di Huixing (地會星): Lu Zhi
Di Zuoxing (地佐星): Huang Bingqing
Di Youxing (地祐星): Zhang Qi
Di Lingxing (地靈星): Guo Si
Di Shouxing (地獸星): Jin Nandao
Di Weixing (地微星): Chen Yuan
Di Huixing (地慧星): Che Kun
Di Baoxing (地暴星): Sang Chengdao
Di Moxing (地默星): Zhou Geng
Di Changxing (地猖星): Qi Gong
Di Kuangxing (地狂星): Huo Zhiyuan
Di Feixing (地飛星): Ye Zhong
Di Zouxing (地走星): Gu Zong
Di Qiaoxing (地巧星): Li Chang
Di Mingxing (地明星): Fang Ji
Di Jinxing (地進星): Xu Ji
Di Tuixing (地退星): Fan Huan
Di Manxing (地滿星): Zhuo Gong
Di Suixing (地遂星): Kong Cheng
Di Zhouxing (地周星): Yao Jinxiu
Di Yinxing (地隱星): Ning Sanyi
Di Yixing (地異星): Yu Zhi
Di Lixing (地理星): Tong Zhen
Di Junxing (地俊星): Yuan Dingxiang
Di Lexing (地樂星): Wang Xiang
Di Jiexing (地捷星): Geng Yan
Di Suxing (地速星): Xing Sanluan
Di Zhenxing (地鎮星): Jiang Zhong
Di Jixing (地羈星): Kong Tianzhao
Di Moxing (地魔星): Li Yue
Di Yaoxing (地妖星): Gong Qian
Di Youxing (地幽星): Duan Qing
Di Fuxing (地伏星): Men Daozheng
Di Pixing (地僻星): Zu Lin
Di Kongxing (地空星): Xiao Dian
Di Guxing (地孤星): Wu Siyu
Di Quanxing (地全星): Kuang Yu
Di Duanxing (地短星): Cai Gong
Di Jiaoxing (地角星): Lan Hu
Di Qiuxing (地囚星): Song Lu
Di Zangxing (地藏星): Guan Bin
Di Pingxing (地平星): Long Cheng
Di Sunxing (地損星): Huang Wu
Di Nuxing (地奴星): Kong Daoling
Di Chaxing (地察星): Zhang Huan
Di Exing (地惡星): Li Xin
Di Hunxing (地魂星): Xu Shan
Di Shuxing (地數星): Ge Fang
Di Yinxing (地陰星): Jiao Long
Di Xingxing (地刑星): Qin Xiang
Di Zhuangxing (地壯星): Wu Yangong
Di Liexing (地劣星): Fan Bin
Di Jianxing (地健星): Ye Jingchang
Di Haoxing (地耗星): Yao Ye
Di Zeixing (地賊星): Sun Ji
Di Gouxing (地狗星): Chen Menggeng
The Nine Luminaries of the Dipper Division
Chong Yingbiao (Tian Kui Star)
Gao Xiping (Tian Yue Star)
Han Peng (Tian Shu Star)
Li Ji (Tian Xuan Star)
Wang Feng (Tian Ji Star)
Liu Jin (Tian Quan Star)
Wang Chu (Tian Heng Star)
Peng Jiuyuan (Tian Xiang Star)
Li Sanyi (Tian Ji Star)
The Five Elements Water Virtue Stars of the Northern Dipper
The Water Virtue Star: Lu Xiong (Leader of the four righteous gods of the water department)
The Water Leopard of the Ji constellation: Yang Zhen
The Water Crocodile of the Bi constellation: Fang Jiqing
The Water Monkey of the Can constellation: Sun Xiang
The Water Earthworm of the Zhen constellation: Hu Daoyuan
Tai Sui Department
The Lord of the Year: Yin Jiao
Jiazi Taisui: Yang Ren
Stars of the Day under the Tai Sui Department
The Day Patrolling God: Wen Liang
The Night Patrolling God: Qiao Kun
The God of Increasing Fortune: Han Dulong
The God of Decreasing Fortune: Xue Ehu
The God of Manifesting the Way: Fang Bi
The God of Opening the Way: Fang Xiang
The God of the Year: Li Bing
The God of the Month: Huang Chengyi
The God of the Day: Zhou Deng
The God of the Hour: Liu Hong
Four Holy Grand Marshals
The Four Marshals who guard the Lingxiao Palace are,
Wang Mo (王魔)
Yang Sen (楊森)
Gao Tiqian (高體乾)
Li Xingba (李興霸)
Jinlong Ruyi God
: Zhao Gongming
Four Subordinate Deities
Zhaobao Tianzun: Xiao Sheng
Nazhen Tianzun: Cao Bao
Zhaocai Shizhe: Chen Jiugong
Lishui Xianguan: Yao Shaosi
Four Heavenly Kings
Virūḍhaka: Moli Qing
Virūpākṣa: Moli Hong
Vaiśravaṇa: Moli Hai
Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Moli Shou
Heng and Ha, the Two Generals
Hengha Erjiang are two deities who guard the Western Mountain Gate of the Buddhist paradise.
Zheng Lun
Chen Qi
Smallpox Gods
Zhudou Biqia Yangjun: Yu Hualong
Weifang Shengmu Yangjun: Lady Jin (Wife of Yu Hualong)
The Five Lords of Smallpox
Lord of Smallpox of the East: Yu Da
Lord of Smallpox of the West: Yu Zhao
Lord of Smallpox of the South: Yu Guang
LordYu De of Smallpox of the North: Yu Xian
Lord of Smallpox of the center: Yu De
Sensitivity and Harmony Celestial Ladies
Yunxiao Niangniang
Qiongxiao Niangniang
Bixiao Niangniang
The General of East Sea
Shen Gongbao
The God of Ice Dissolution
Fei Lian
A-lai
See also
List of media adaptations of the Investiture of the Gods
Notes
References
Chinese mythology
Mythological objects
Magic items | List of gods in the Investiture of the Gods | [
"Physics"
] | 6,782 | [
"Magic items",
"Physical objects",
"Matter"
] |
75,754,732 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JP-10%20%28fuel%29 | JP-10 (Jet Propellant 10) is a synthetic jet fuel, specified and used mainly as fuel in missiles. Being designed for military purposes, it is not a kerosene based fuel.
Developed to be a gas turbine fuel for cruise missiles, it contains mainly exo-tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene (exo-THDCPD) with some endo-isomer impurity. About 100 ppm of alkylphenol-based antioxidant is added to prevent gumming. Optionally, 0.10–0.15% of fuel system icing inhibitor may be added. Exo-THDCPD is produced by catalytic hydrogenation of dicyclopentadiene and then isomerization.
It superseded JP-9, which is a mixture of norbornadiene-based RJ-5 fuel, tetrahydrodicyclopentadiene and methylcyclohexane, because of a lower temperature service limit and about four times lower price. Since the lack of volatile methylcyclohexane makes its ignition difficult, a separate priming fluid PF-1 with about 10-12% of this additive is required for the engine start-up. Its main use is in the Tomahawk missiles.
The Russian equivalent is called detsilin.
Chemical properties of JP-10 fuel
Chemical formula: C10H16
H/C (Hydrogen/Carbon) ratio (mole): 1.6
Average molecular weight (g/mol): 136.2
LHV (lower heating value) (MJ/kg): 43.0
Uses
JP-10 absorbs heat energy, so is endothermic with a relatively high density of 940 kg/m3. It has a low freezing point of less than and the flash point is . The high energy density of 39.6 MJ/L makes it ideal for military aerospace applications - its primary use. The ignition and burn chemistry has been extensively studied. The exo isomer also has a low freezing point. Its other properties have also been studied extensively.
Even though its uses are mainly for the military, the relatively high cost has meant research has been undertaken to find lower costs routes including the use of cellulosic materials.
Further research
Current and past areas of research focus on:
The pyrolysis and kinetics of the fuel.
Catalytic addition of nanoparticles such as those based on cerium(IV) oxide.
Catalysis for the endo to exo isomerisation.
Use of additives in JP-10 for various enhancements.
References
Further reading
Aviation fuels
Liquid fuels
Petroleum products
de:JP-10 | JP-10 (fuel) | [
"Chemistry",
"Engineering"
] | 552 | [
"Aviation fuels",
"Petroleum",
"Petroleum products",
"Aerospace engineering"
] |
75,755,426 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt%28II%29%20cyanate | Cobalt(II) cyanate is the hypothetical inorganic compound with the formula Co(OCN)2.
The simple cobalt(II) cyanate has not been proven to be made. However, the tetraisocyanatocobalt(II) ion (Co(NCO)42-) is known and its blue color and is used as a qualitative test for cobalt(II) ions.
History
Cobalt(II) cyanate was claimed to have been produced in 1952 by carefully heating pyridine cobalt(II) cyanate under vacuum. The nature of the compound produced has not been elucidated by X-ray diffraction.
In contrast, the tetraisocyanatocobalt(II) ion (Co(NCO)42-) has been identified by X-ray crystallography and is widely known. After being first produced in 1871, it has been used as a qualitative test for cobalt(II).
Other cyanate complexes of cobalt have been discovered, such as tetrakis(pyridine)cobalt(II) cyanate.
Complexes
Tetracyanatocobaltate(II)
Multiple compounds of the related tetracyanatocobaltate(II) has been structurally elucidated, such as . All of these complexes have an intense blue color.
Potassium tetraisocyanatocobaltate(II) has been produced by the reaction of potassium cyanate and cobalt(II) nitrate:
4 KOCN + Co(NO3)2 → K2[Co(NCO)4] + 2 KNO3
Tetracyanatocobaltate(II) salts with other counterions, such as cobaltcenium [Co(C5H5)]+ and EMIM are known.
Other adducts
Cobalt(II) cyanate complexes have been produced by the addition of potassium cyanate to a soluble cobalt salt, such as cobalt(II) chloride, followed by the addition of the complexing agent, such as pyridine, bipyridine, quinoline, and 2,6-dimethylpyrazine.
Structure
Although the simple cyanate is unknown, the structure of the tetracyanatocobaltate(II) ion has been elucidated. The [Co(NCO)4]2- ion consists of a nitrogen-bonded tetrahederal central cobalt atom. The cobalt-nitrogen bond length is about 1.96 Å.
References
Cobalt(II) compounds
Cobalt complexes
Cyanates
Isocyanates | Cobalt(II) cyanate | [
"Chemistry"
] | 543 | [
"Isocyanates",
"Functional groups",
"Cyanates"
] |
75,757,233 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaeotremella%20translucens | Phaeotremella translucens is a species of fungus in the family Phaeotremellaceae. It produces small, pustular, gelatinous basidiocarps (fruit bodies) and is parasitic on ascocarps of Lophodermium species on decaying pine needles. It was originally described from Scotland.
Taxonomy
Tremella translucens was first published in 1938 by mycologist Hugh Douglas Gordon based on collections from Scotland on decaying pine needles. British mycologist David Minter recollected specimens in Scotland in the 1970s and established that Tremella translucens was associated with ascocarps of Lophodermium species, transferring the species to the genus Pseudostypella based on morphological characters. American mycologist Robert Joseph Bandoni later transferred the species to his new genus Sirotrema. Molecular research, based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences, has however shown that Tremella translucens belongs in the genus Phaeotremella.
Description
Fruit bodies are gelatinous, hyaline (colourless) to greyish, up to 2 mm across, pustular, emerging from ascocarps of their host. Microscopically, the hyphae are clamped and occur in a gelatinous matrix. Haustorial cells arise on the hyphae, producing filaments that attach to and penetrate the hyphae of the host. The basidia are tremelloid (globose to ellipsoid, with oblique to vertical septa), 10 to 13 by 9 to 10 μm, usually unstalked. The basidiospores are oblong, smooth, 7 to 11 by 3 to 5.5 μm, and germinate by hyphal tube or by yeast cells.
Habitat and distribution
Phaeotremella translucens is a parasite of Lophodermium species growing on decaying pine needles, typically those still attached to brash or branches.
The species was originally described from the United Kingdom, but has also been recorded in Europe from Austria, Bosnia, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Spain. Elsewhere it has been recorded from Canada, New Zealand, and Japan.
References
External links
Tremellomycetes
Fungi described in 1938
Fungi of North America
Fungi of Europe
Fungi of Asia
Fungus species | Phaeotremella translucens | [
"Biology"
] | 483 | [
"Fungi",
"Fungus species"
] |
75,757,357 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C30H26O14 | {{DISPLAYTITLE:C30H26O14}}
The molecular formula C30H26O14 may refer to:
Delphinidin-3-O-(6-p-coumaroyl)glucoside
Prodelphinidin B9
Theasinensin C
Theasinensin E | C30H26O14 | [
"Chemistry"
] | 69 | [
"Isomerism",
"Set index articles on molecular formulas"
] |
75,761,928 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determination%20of%20sex | Determination of sex is a process by which scientists and medical professionals determine the biological sex of a person or other animal using genetics and biological sexual traits. The term sex assignment may be used in reference to humans.
Primary sex determination
Primary sex determination is the determination of the gonads. In mammals, including humans, primary sex determination is strictly chromosomal and is not usually influenced by the environment. Hence, the gonads are usually indicative of the biological sex. This direct correlation allows scientists and medical professionals the option to determine biological sex using gonads. When the purpose is to distinguish male vs. female in animals, this is sexing.
Genetic sequencing is a second way for a scientist to determine biological sex in both humans and animals (distinct from sexing). It became widely available and popular at the turn of the century. Genetic sequencing also allows for the determination of rare genetic events when the y chromosome is incomplete and a male animal has female gonads.
Prenatal determination
Prenatal sex determination is prenatal testing for discerning the sex of a person or other animal before birth. Techniques include:
Cell-free fetal DNA testing, wherein a venipuncture is performed on the mother to analyze the small amount of fetal DNA that can be found within it.
Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis, which are two rather invasive testing procedures.
Obstetric ultrasonography, either transvaginally or transabdominally, which can check for the sagittal sign as a marker of fetal sex.
Use in medicine and science
Currently, the determination of sex by physicians at the time of birth is used in medicine for health care purposes and the standard of care in medicine is biological sex. However this has become controversial and could change in the future.
History
In writing, the term "Determination of sex" peaked in usage around 1910. The term "sex determination" increased in usage after 1900. In the 1960 and early 70's the term "sex assignment" came into prominent use as a colloquially word for "determination of sex" and "sex determination". "Sex assignment" did not occur in writing prior to the 1960's. It is used ~100 times less frequently than "determination of sex". See figure.
References
Human sexuality | Determination of sex | [
"Biology"
] | 471 | [
"Human sexuality",
"Behavior",
"Human behavior",
"Sexuality"
] |
75,764,056 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandilingulata | Grandilingulata is a Calymmian organism, found in the Gaoyuzhuang Formation of China. It has been tentatively placed inside Eukaryota due to its complexity and size, alongside other fossils from the formation.
Description
Grandilingulata is a tongue-shaped fossil with gently curved sides, growing up to 30 cm in length and 8 cm in width. As it dates from the earliest Mesoproterozoic, its exact classification is unknown beyond a probable eukaryotic affinity. It is known from twelve specimens, two from the uppermost section and ten from the middle section of the Gaoyuzhuang Formation.
Etymology
The genus name Grandilingulata means "large tongue", referring both to its tongue-like shape and its large size for organisms of the time period. The specific name qianxiensis refers to the location of a newly discovered fossiliferous location in Qianxi County, Hebei.
References
Enigmatic eukaryote taxa
Controversial taxa
Mesoproterozoic
Fossil taxa described in 2023 | Grandilingulata | [
"Biology"
] | 212 | [
"Biological hypotheses",
"Controversial taxa"
] |
75,765,246 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimyl%20alcohol | Chimyl alcohol is an organic compound with the formula . It is a colorless solid. Chimyl alcohol is a monoether formed by condensation of cetyl alcohol with one of the two primary alcohol sites of glycerol. Together with S-selachyl alcohol and S-batyl alcohol, S-chimyl alcohol is a component of some lipid membranes. It is found in the liver of the shark Centrophorus squamosus. The name chimyl is derived from a classification of ratfish, order Chimaeriformes. Like other glyceryl ethers, those derived from chimyl alcohol are not saponifiable.
References
Cosmetics chemicals
Lipids
Glycerol ethers | Chimyl alcohol | [
"Chemistry"
] | 157 | [
"Organic compounds",
"Biomolecules by chemical classification",
"Lipids"
] |
75,765,335 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selachyl%20alcohol | Selachyl alcohol is an organic compound with the formula . It is a colorless oil. Selachyl alcohol is a monoether formed by condensation of oleyl alcohol with one of the two primary alcohol sites of glycerol. Together with S-batyl alcohol and S-chimyl alcohol, S-selachyl alcohol is a component of some lipid membranes. It is found in the liver of the shark Centrophorus squamosus. The name selachyl is derived from a classification of sharks, the neoselachii. Like other glyceryl ethers, those derived from selachyl alcohol are not saponifiable.
References
Cosmetics chemicals
Lipids
Glycerol ethers | Selachyl alcohol | [
"Chemistry"
] | 158 | [
"Organic compounds",
"Biomolecules by chemical classification",
"Lipids"
] |
74,454,680 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsung%20Galaxy%20Watch%206 | The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 (stylized as Samsung Galaxy Watch6) is a series of Wear OS-based smartwatches developed by Samsung Electronics. It was announced on July 26, 2023 at Samsung's biannual Galaxy Unpacked event in Seoul, South Korea, making it the first such release held in the company's home country. The watches were released on August 11, 2023.
Specifications
References
External links
Consumer electronics brands
Products introduced in 2023
Smartwatches
Samsung wearable devices
Watch 6
Wear OS devices | Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 | [
"Technology"
] | 108 | [
"Wear OS devices",
"Smartwatches"
] |
74,456,146 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawal%20%28food%29 | Kawal is food made of fermented leaves used as a meat substitute indigenous to western Sudan, in particular the Kordofan and Darfur provinces, and eastern Chad. In urban areas, it is used as a condiment, similarly to black pepper. It is also used by low-income families as a primary protein source, substituting or extending meat or fish in stews and sauces. It is created from the fermented leaves of Cassia obtusifolia, a toxic wild legume also known as the kawal plant.
It has a pungent odor which persists on the hands; it is said that "when you eat [kawal] with your right hand, you smell it on your left." For this reason, the elite of Sudan consider it a low-status food. In spite of this, kawal has spread across Sudan, possibly due to the plant's ability to grow vigorously in a variety of environments.
Similar fermented meat substitutes found in this region include furundu, which is made from the seeds of Hibiscus sabdariffa, and sigda, which is made with sesame seed cakes.
Preparation
To prepare kawal, C. obtusifolia leaves are harvested during the plant's fruiting and flowering stage, which corresponds to the rainy season of Western Sudan. The leaves are then cleaned and pounded into a paste, which is packed inside a zeer. This paste must then be covered with fresh sorghum leaves and weighed down with clean stones. The zeer is then sealed with mud. Every three days, the paste is mixed, then re-covered and the jar resealed. After 15 days, the paste is removed, formed into balls, and sun-dried for five days. The balls of mature kawal can be stored and used as needed.
Like furundu and sigda, kawal serves as a flavoring in Sudanese foods typically flavored with meat. Specifically, its unique odor is similar to the most common type of meat used in this region, sun-dried strips of jerky called shermute. This is as opposed to fermented foods like rob-heb, made with fermented watermelon seeds, and rob-ful, made with fermented peanuts, which serve as substitutes for stews flavored with soured milk such as mulah-rob, a soured milk and lamb stew.
A common preparation of kawal is as a substitute for powdered shermute in a stew of onions, dried okra powder, oil, salt, and pepper, accompanied with a sorghum porridge. Among the Fur people, kawal is known as a nutritious food comparable to meat. The Nuba people make soup with kawal and bone broth. In cities where meat can be found more easily, powdered kawal is used as a condiment similar to black pepper.
Nutrition
Kawal is approximately 20 percent protein by weight. It has a high content of potassium and calcium.
Research
There has been research into kawal potential as an accessible protein source in areas with protein shortages. The microbiota involved in its fermentation have also been analyzed and quantified.
See also
List of condiments
Citations
Fermented foods
Sudanese cuisine
Condiments
Meat substitutes | Kawal (food) | [
"Biology"
] | 678 | [
"Fermented foods",
"Biotechnology products"
] |
74,456,446 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023%20United%20Kingdom%20reinforced%20autoclaved%20aerated%20concrete%20crisis | The 2023 United Kingdom reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete crisis relates to increased safety concerns over reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, commonly used historically in roofing and wall construction within the public sector, having gained popularity in the mid-1950s as a cheaper and more lightweight alternative to conventional reinforced concrete.
Structural issues involving RAAC began surfacing publicly in the United Kingdom in the 1990s. Concerns were amplified in 2023 following reports of an earlier roofing collapse at a British primary school, which fell without warning in 2018. The material is still present in the UK in public buildings such as schools and hospitals. The material's nature makes it difficult to identify these issues before collapse, leading to the Department for Education issuing emergency closures to a number of schools due to the risk to pupils.
Background
RAAC has been shown to have limited structural reinforcement bar (rebar) integrity in 40 to 50 year-old RAAC roof panels, which began to be observed in the 1990s. The material is liable to fail without visible deterioration or warning. The material is not the root cause, rather inadequate roof maintenance, which permits water infiltration, and decisions by building owners as to repair or the replacement of existing roofs, which is a part of cost-benefit analysis.
Professional engineering concern was publicly raised in 1995 about the structural performance of RAAC following inspections of cracked units in British school roofs. Structural deficiencies and signs of corrosion were observed in 1996. It was then recommended that owners of buildings, including schools, arrange for RAAC roofs to be inspected. Concern regarding the material was subsequently raised in July 2018, following a roof collapse at Singlewell primary school in Gravesend, Kent. In August 2022, the UK Government Property Agency stated that "RAAC is now life-expired and liable to collapse".
In 2023, the UK government raised concerns about the structural integrity of buildings containing RAAC, and ordered remedial action to be taken.
In May 2023, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, confirmed seven hospitals in England, which were constructed largely with RAAC, were not safe to operate beyond 2030. The hospitals were surveyed in 2022. His list included Airedale General Hospital in West Yorkshire, for which a rebuild was approved that month, as 83 per cent of the hospital was constructed of RAAC, with the ceiling held up by props(Jack Posts) .
School closures and spread of concerns
In August 2023, more than 100 school buildings in England were ordered to be closed while safety measures were installed, after a beam collapsed at a school. The figure was later revised to 174. The Health and Safety Executive warned that RAAC could "collapse with little or no notice". Other public buildings such as Harrow Crown Court (which opened in 1991) and Royal & Derngate theatre in Northampton were also closed indefinitely. A number of other theatres have subsequently been found to have RAAC. The Scottish Government subsequently confirmed that RAAC had been found in 35 of Scotland's council-run schools. This figure was later revised to 40 following continued inspection, with the First Minister, Humza Yousaf, confirming that fire stations and NHS buildings were also affected. In Wales, RAAC had been found at four schools by 14 September – two in Anglesey, one in Denbighshire and one in Conwy. One of the Anglesey schools had reopened following inspection, while the other three were closed while they underwent inspection.
On 3 September, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the UK government would "spend what it takes" to put right defective concrete in schools, but conceded that structural problems could be identified in more schools and other public buildings. On the same day, Neil Gray, Scotland's Wellbeing Economy Secretary, said there was no immediate risk to schools in Scotland. On 4 September, and after confirming that more schools could be affected, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan was recorded on camera by ITV News criticising "others" for being "sat on their arses" while suggesting the UK government should be thanked for their response. She later apologised for her use of language and said her comments were "off the cuff" and "unnecessary". On the same day, the UK government ordered an urgent investigation into court buildings built in the 1990s to determine whether they contained defective concrete. On 6 September, a team of experts from Loughborough University recommended safety checks should be carried out on tens of thousands of publicly and privately owned buildings for RAAC. On 7 September, it was reported that a number of theatres had closed temporarily as a precautionary measure after crumbling concrete was found at venues in Dartford, Cardiff, Northampton and Carlisle, and while structural tests were carried out. Buildings at 13 UK universities told the BBC some buildings had been closed as a result of RAAC being discovered on campus, with nine reported to be in Scotland. On 8 September, both Heathrow and Gatwick Airports said they were monitoring porous concrete after discovering RAAC in buildings on site. On 11 September, it emerged that the reopening of Preston Guild Hall, closed for renovation since 2019, would be delayed while inspections were carried out to see it RAAC was present in its roof panels. On 20 September, Bridgend Indoor Market in the town's Rhiw Shopping Centre was closed with immediate effect after RAAC was discovered in the roof.
On 4 September, Jonathan Slater, a former civil servant, claimed that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reduced the funds available for school repairs during his tenure as Chancellor of the Exchequer. On 5 September, a BBC News investigation found that at least 13 schools affected by defective concrete had funding for rebuilding withdrawn in 2010. That number was later revised to 17. On 6 September, the Opposition Labour Party unsuccessfully attempted to force a parliamentary vote that would force the government to publish documents relating to school funding while Sunak was Chancellor.
On 12 September 2023, it was reported that RAAC had been discovered in the Palace of Westminster. A parliamentary spokesperson claimed there was no ‘immediate risk’ to life. On 3 October, Aberdeen City Council said that RAAC was likely to have been used in hundreds of properties in the city. Sheffield City Council announced that 40,000 properties would be examined for possible RAAC. On 19 October, the UK government published an updated list of 214 schools and colleges in England affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. This included a number in the East of England. Three more schools in Surrey were added to the list. RAAC was discovered in a further 18 hospitals.
On 29 November, the first case of RAAC to be discovered in Northern Ireland was found at a South Belfast primary school. On 29 February 2024, it was reported that Aberdeen City Council were in the process of rehoming tenants in around 500 properties following the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in some of the buildings. On 11 March, the occupants of around forty houses in Hirwaun, South Wales, managed by Trivallis Housing Association, were advised to evacuate the properties following the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.
Repairs
On 8 February 2024, the UK government confirmed that more than 100 school buildings containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete would be rebuilt or refurbished. On 21 August, Aberdeen City Council announced that several hundred properties in Aberdeen affected by Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete would be demolished and rebuilt at a cost of £150m.
Legacy
On 3 January 2024, a BBC News article reported that students at schools affected by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete had been forced to change the subjects they were studying at GCSE because they did not have access to facilities such as laboratories or design and technology rooms. The article said that some students were concerned about poor exam results as they had been required to change subjects at the eleventh hour.
On 11 January 2024 York Museums Trust supplied a report to York City Council on the discovery of RAAC in the York Castle Museum. It is one of three museums in the UK with RAAC and the only listed building. YMT reported that the closure to the Castle Museum because of RAAC during 2023 resulted in a loss of earnings of over £400,000 and forced the Trust to use £80,000 from their financial reserves to cover the cost of repairs.
On 2 May 2024, BBC News reported that RAAC built council homes had been sold by the government under the Right To Buy scheme, after the 1995 industry assessment of its hazards, with no warning to the buyers. Some even as recently as 2018.
See also
Concrete cancer
Reinforced concrete structures durability
References
External links
A short video explaining and demonstrating how RAAC degrades.
BBC News topic: RAAC concrete in schools
Building materials
Reinforced concrete
Engineering failures
2023 in the United Kingdom | 2023 United Kingdom reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete crisis | [
"Physics",
"Technology",
"Engineering"
] | 1,787 | [
"Structural engineering",
"Systems engineering",
"Reliability engineering",
"Technological failures",
"Engineering failures",
"Civil engineering",
"Concrete"
] |
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