title: Reba (TV series)

text: An interview with Reba McEntire, as part of the press coverage of her then upcoming "" album, revealed that the show was not being shopped around and that the series was indeed finished. In an interview with "Variety" on May 29, 2007, 20th Century Fox TV president Gary Newman said that he had regretted The WB's handling of the show in later years, saying that he was sure the series would have been a hit for CBS, ABC, or UPN. The final season of "Reba" was originally scheduled to debut in the spring of 2007. But, following the cancellation of the drama "Runaway", the series returned in November 2006.


title: Reba (TV series)

text: "Reba" set a new all-time viewership record for any program on the WB's Friday night (best-ever Friday in women 18–49). During its five seasons on the Friday night lineup, it often ranked 4th in its timeslot (ahead of both UPN and Fox), with a few episodes bringing in over 5 million viewers.


title: Reba (TV series)

text: "Reba"'s premiere on The CW Sunday averaged 4.02 million viewers, including 1.64 million viewers and 40 percent among adults 18–49 more than when "Everybody Hates Chris" and "All of Us" premiered in the same time slot, thus making "Reba" the highest rated sitcom on the network. With "Reba" as a lead in, "7th Heaven" saw a season high of 4.51 million viewers.


title: Reba (TV series)

text: "Reba" was averaging 3.63 million viewers since the beginning of its sixth season, making it the seventh most-watched show and the most-watched sitcom on The CW throughout the 2006–07 television season. The new "Reba" episodes vary as being either sixth or seventh most-watched program on the network, sometimes ranking as high as #3 for the week.


title: Reba (TV series)

text: Throughout The CW's inaugural season (2006–07), no other program had higher viewer turnout for repeat airings than "Reba". As a result of the lackluster ratings for encores of the summer drama "Hidden Palms", repeats of "Reba" returned to the CW's schedule in June 2007 after being absent for three months, and they immediately became the most-watched program of the night. Later in the summer, repeats of "Reba" were the most-viewed program on The CW.


title: Reba (TV series)

text: The series was originally cancelled when The WB and UPN merged into The CW. However, in an 11th hour move on May 17, 2006, The CW renewed "Reba" with a 13-episode order, reportedly to fulfill a syndication contract worth $20 million. In November 2006, The CW announced that the show would be paired with "7th Heaven", Sundays at 7:00 p.m., beginning later that month. "Reba" encores were scheduled for Sundays at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT, with a new episode at 7:30 p.m. "Reba" became the top-rated sitcom on the CW, also surpassing the dramas "Supernatural", "One Tree Hill", and "Veronica Mars". The final episode aired on February 18, 2007.


title: Reba (TV series)

text: "Reba" has aired in syndication on Lifetime, Ion Television, Peachtree TV, The CW Plus, and Hallmark Channel. In September 2006, "Reba" began airing on the new CW Daytime block. In September 2008, the series departed the network's daytime lineup. It began airing on CMT on Wednesday August 1, 2012, in high definition, and also began airing on ABC Family (now Freeform) on August 6, 2012. It began airing on TV Land in 2015. As of August 2019, however, the series was pulled from both TV Land and "Freeform". The show made its network premiere on UPtv on August 2, 2019. On April 5, 2021, the series began airing again on the Hallmark Channel.


title: Reba (TV series)

text: "Reba" was broadcast worldwide in over 30 countries. The series was successful in the Czech Republic (under the name "The Diary of a Seasoned Mother") where the season premiere on September 29, 2007 garnered over 1 million viewers. It was also successful in Canada, Mexico, and Croatia.


title: Reba (TV series)

text: 20th Century Fox has released the entire series run, seasons 1–6, of "Reba" on DVD in Region 1. All discs are double-sided in an effort to reduce the economics of producing the sets. In 2010, seasons 1-4 were re-released in standard, more compact DVD cases to match the fifth and sixth season releases.


title: South Yemen

text: South Yemen (), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (, ), also referred to as Democratic Yemen (, ) or Yemen (Aden) (, ), was a communist state that existed from 1967 to 1990 as a state in the Middle East in the southern and eastern provinces of the present-day Republic of Yemen, including the island of Socotra.


title: South Yemen

text: South Yemen's origins can be traced to 1874 with the creation of the British Colony of Aden and the Aden Protectorate, which consisted of two-thirds of the present-day Yemen. Prior to 1937 what was to become the Colony of Aden had been governed as a part of British India, originally as the Aden Settlement subordinate to the Bombay Presidency and then as a Chief Commissioner's province. After the collapse of Aden Protectorate, a state of emergency was declared in 1963, when the National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) rebelled against the British rule.


title: South Yemen

text: The Federation of South Arabia and the Protectorate of South Arabia merged to become the People's Republic of Yemen on 30 November 1967, which later changed its name to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. It became a Marxist–Leninist one-party state in 1969 and was supported by Cuba, East Germany and the Soviet Union. It was the only communist state to be established in the Arab world. Despite its efforts to bring stability into the region, it was involved in a brief civil war in 1986. Following the collapse of the USSR, South Yemen was unified with the Yemen Arab Republic, commonly known as "North Yemen", on 22 May 1990 to form the present-day Republic of Yemen. After three years, however, a political crisis arose between the South's YSP and the North's GPC and Islah parties after the parliamentary elections in 1993. South Yemen declared its secession from the North Yemen in 1994 as the Democratic Republic of Yemen. This effort ended after North Yemen occupied the area as a result of the 1994 civil war. Another attempt to restore South Yemen as a nation, with the Southern Transitional Council as its new government, began in 2017 as part of the 2014 Yemeni Civil War.


title: South Yemen

text: In 1838, Sultan Muhsin Bin Fadl of the state of Lahej ceded including Aden to the British. On 19 January 1839, the British East India Company landed Royal Marines at Aden to occupy the territory and stop attacks by pirates against British shipping to India. It then became an important trading hub between British India and the Red Sea, and following the opening of the Suez canal in 1869, it became a coaling station for ships en route to India. Aden was ruled as part of British India until 1937, when the city of Aden became the Colony of Aden. The Aden hinterland and Hadhramaut to the east formed the remainder of what would become South Yemen and was not administered directly by Aden but were tied to Britain by treaties of protection with local rulers of traditional polities that, together, became known as the Aden Protectorate. Economic development was largely centered in Aden, and while the city flourished, the states of the Aden Protectorate stagnated.


title: South Yemen

text: In 1963, Aden and much of the Protectorate were joined to form the Federation of South Arabia with the remaining states that declined to join, mainly in Hadhramaut, forming the separate Protectorate of South Arabia. Both of these polities were still tied to Britain with promises of total independence in 1968.


title: South Yemen

text: Two nationalist groups, the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) and the National Liberation Front (NLF), began an armed struggle known as the Aden Emergency on 14 October 1963 against British control and, with the temporary closure of the Suez Canal in 1967, the British began to withdraw. One faction, NLF, was invited to the Geneva Talks to sign the independence agreement with the British. During its occupation of Aden, the British had signed several treaties of protection with the local sheikhdoms and emirates of the Federation of South Arabia; however, these parties were excluded from the talks, and thus the agreement stated "...the handover of the territory of South Arabia to the (Yemeni) NLF...". Southern Yemen became independent as the People's Republic of Yemen on 30 November 1967, and the National Liberation Front consolidated its control in the country. On 14 December 1967, the PDRY was admitted into the United Nations as a member state.


title: South Yemen

text: In June 1969 a radical Marxist wing of the NLF gained power in an event known as the Corrective Move. This radical wing reorganised the country into the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) on 30 November 1970. Subsequently, all political parties were amalgamated into the National Liberation Front, renamed the Yemeni Socialist Party, which became the only legal party. The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen established close ties with the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China, Cuba, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. East Germany's constitution of 1968 even served as a kind of blueprint for the PDRY's first constitution.


title: South Yemen

text: The new government embarked on a programme of nationalisation, introduced central planning, put limits on housing ownership and rent, and implemented land reforms. By 1973, the GDP of South Yemen increased by 25 per cent. And despite the conservative environment and resistance, women became legally equal to men, polygamy, child marriage and arranged marriage were all banned by law. Equal rights in divorce were also sanctioned. The Republic also secularised education and sharia law was replaced by a state legal code.


title: South Yemen

text: The major communist powers assisted in the building of the PDRY's armed forces. Strong support from Moscow resulted in Soviet naval forces gaining access to naval facilities in South Yemen.


title: South Yemen

text: Unlike the early decades of East Germany and West Germany, North Korea and South Korea, or North Vietnam and South Vietnam, or China and Taiwan, the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) and South Yemen (PDRY) remained relatively friendly, though relations were often strained. Fighting broke out in 1972, and the short-lived conflict was resolved with negotiations, where it was declared unification would eventually occur.


title: South Yemen

text: However, these plans were put on hold in 1979, as the PDRY funded Red rebels in the YAR, and war was only prevented by an Arab League intervention. The goal of unity was reaffirmed by the northern and southern heads of state during a summit meeting in Kuwait in March 1979.


title: South Yemen

text: In 1980, PDRY president Abdul Fattah Ismail resigned and went into exile in Moscow, having lost the confidence of his sponsors in the USSR. His successor, Ali Nasir Muhammad, took a less interventionist stance toward both North Yemen and neighbouring Oman.


title: South Yemen

text: On 13 January 1986, a violent struggle began in Aden between Ali Nasir's supporters and supporters of the returned Ismail, who wanted power back. Fighting, known as the South Yemen Civil War, lasted for more than a month and resulted in thousands of casualties, Ali Nasir's ouster, and Ismail's death. Some 60,000 people, including the deposed Ali Nasir, fled to the YAR. Ali Salim al-Beidh, an ally of Ismail who had succeeded in escaping the attack on pro-Ismail members of the Politburo, then became General Secretary of the Yemeni Socialist Party.


title: South Yemen

text: Against the background of the perestroika in the USSR, the main backer of the PDRY, political reforms were started in the late 1980s. Political prisoners were released, political parties were formed and the system of justice was reckoned to be more equitable than in the North. In May 1988, the YAR and PDRY governments came to an understanding that considerably reduced tensions including agreement to renew discussions concerning unification, to establish a joint oil exploration area along their undefined border, to demilitarise the border, and to allow Yemenis unrestricted border passage on the basis of only a national identification card. In November 1989, after returning from the Soviet–Afghan War, Osama bin Laden offered to send the newly formed al-Qaeda to overthrow the South Yemeni government on behalf of Saudi Arabia, but Prince Turki bin Faisal found the plan reckless and declined. In 1990, the parties reached a full agreement on joint governing of Yemen, and the countries were effectively merged as Yemen.


title: South Yemen

text: South Yemen's ethnic groups were, as of 2000, ethnic Yemeni Arabs (92.8%), Somalis (3.7%), Afro-Arab (1.1%), Indians and Pakistanis (1%), and other (1.4%).


title: South Yemen

text: South Yemen developed as a Marxist-Leninist, mostly secular society ruled first by the National Liberation Front, which later morphed into the ruling Yemeni Socialist Party.


title: South Yemen

text: The only avowedly Marxist-Leninist nation in the Middle East, South Yemen received significant foreign aid and other assistance from the USSR and East Germany, which stationed several hundred officers of the Stasi in the country to train the nation's secret police and establish another arms trafficking route to Palestine. The East Germans did not leave until 1990, when the Yemeni government declined to pay their salaries which had been terminated with the dissolution of the Stasi during German reunification.


title: South Yemen

text: Relations between South Yemen and several of nearby states were poor. Saudi Arabia only established diplomatic relations in 1976, initially hosting pro-British exiles and supporting armed clashes in the border regions of South Yemen. Relations with Oman declined through the 1970s as the South Yemen government supported the insurgent Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman. Relations with Ba'athist Iraq were also low, as South Yemen offered asylum to a number of Iraqi communists.


title: South Yemen

text: The Supreme People's Council was appointed by the General Command of the National Liberation Front in 1971.


title: South Yemen

text: Despite a poor economy, the government ensured a basic level of living standards for all citizens and established a welfare state. Income equality improved, corruption was reduced, and health and educational services expanded.


title: South Yemen

text: There was no housing crisis in South Yemen. Surplus housing built by the British meant that there were few homeless people in Aden, and people built their own houses out of adobe and mud in the rural areas.


title: South Yemen

text: In 1976, the South Yemen national football team participated in the Asian Cup, where the team lost to Iraq 1-0 and to Iran 8–0. They entered their only World Cup qualification campaign in 1986 and were knocked out in the first round by Bahrain. On 2 September 1965, South Yemen played their first international match against the United Arab Republic, to whom they lost 14–0. On 5 November 1989, South Yemen played its last international match against Guinea, to whom they lost 1–0. The team stopped playing when the North and South united in 1990 to form the modern state of Yemen.


title: South Yemen

text: In 1988, the South Yemen Olympic team made its debut in the Summer Olympics in Seoul. Sending only eight athletes, the country won no medals. This was the only time the country went to the Olympics until unification in 1990.


title: South Yemen

text: Women's rights under the socialist government were considered the best in the region. Women became legally equal to men and were encouraged to work in public; polygamy, child marriage, and arranged marriage were all banned; and equal rights in divorce received legal sanction.


title: South Yemen

text: Following independence, South Yemen was divided into six governorates (Arabic sg. "muhafazah"), with roughly natural boundaries, each given a name by numeral. From 1967 to 1978, they were named officially by numerals only; from 1979 to 1990, they were given new official names. The islands: Kamaran (until 1972, when it was seized by North Yemen), Perim (Meyun), Socotra, Abd-el-Kuri, Samha (inhabited), Darsah and others uninhabited from the Socotra archipelago were districts ("mudiriyah") of the First/Aden Governorate being under Prime-Minister of the state supervision.


title: South Yemen

text: During British rule, economic development in South Yemen was restricted to the city of Aden, focused mainly on the port and on the British military bases. As a result, following the British withdrawal, there here was little to no industrial output or mineral wealth exploitation in the country until the mid-1980s, when significant petroleum reserves in the central regions near Shibam and Mukalla were discovered. Foreign aid was minimal, as the British government did not fulfill promises of aid and the Soviet Union offered only US$152 million from 1969 to 1980.


title: South Yemen

text: The main sources of income were agriculture, mostly fruit, cereal crops, cattle and sheep, and fishing. The government guaranteed full employment in agriculture for rural citizens, and established a number of collective farms, however, those set up following the Soviet model produced poorer results than cooperative-run farms.


title: South Yemen

text: The national budget was 13.43 million dinars in 1976, and the gross national product was US$150 million. The total national debt was $52.4 million.


title: South Yemen

text: Since 2007, some Southerners have been actively protesting for independence, in a movement known as 'Al Hirak' or the Southern Movement. During the Yemen Civil War 2015, in response to incursions by the Houthis and military forces loyal to deposed Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, members of the Southern Movement formed 'Popular Resistance' militias. Since the Battle of Aden, these armed groups have sought to defend the South against Houthi/Saleh attempts to take over the country and have taken the current state of civil war as an opportunity to further their struggle for independence.


title: South Yemen

text: In late January 2018, separatists loyal to the Southern Transitional Council successfully seized control of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government headquarters in Aden in an apparent coup d'état against the Hadi government.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of muscular dystrophy that primarily affects boys. Muscle weakness usually begins around the age of four, and worsens quickly. Muscle loss typically occurs first in the thighs and pelvis followed by the arms. This can result in trouble standing up. Most are unable to walk by the age of 12. Affected muscles may look larger due to increased fat content. Scoliosis is also common. Some may have intellectual disability. Females with a single copy of the defective gene may show mild symptoms.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: The disorder is X-linked recessive. About two thirds of cases are inherited from a person's mother, while one third of cases are due to a new mutation. It is caused by a mutation in the gene for the protein dystrophin. Dystrophin is important to maintain the muscle fiber's cell membrane. Genetic testing can often make the diagnosis at birth. Those affected also have a high level of creatine kinase in their blood.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Although there is no known cure, physical therapy, braces, and corrective surgery may help with some symptoms. Assisted ventilation may be required in those with weakness of breathing muscles. Medications used include steroids to slow muscle degeneration, anticonvulsants to control seizures and some muscle activity, and immunosuppressants to delay damage to dying muscle cells. Gene therapy, as a treatment, is in the early stages of study in humans. A small initial study using gene therapy has given some children improved muscle strength, but long term effects are unknown as of 2020.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Various figures of the occurrence of DMD are reported. One source reports that it affects about one in 3,500 to 6,000 males at birth. Another source reports DMD being a rare disease and having an occurrence of 7.1 per 100,000 male births. A number of sources referenced in this article indicate an occurrence of 6 per 100,000.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: It is the most common type of muscular dystrophy. The life expectancy is 26; however, with excellent care, some may live upto their 30s or 40s. The disease is much more rare in girls, occurring approximately once in 50,000,000 live female births.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: DMD causes progressive muscle weakness due to muscle fiber disarray, death, and replacement with connective tissue or fat. The voluntary muscles are affected first, especially those of the hips, pelvic area, thighs, calves. It eventually progresses to the shoulders and neck, followed by arms, respiratory muscles, and other areas. Fatigue is common.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Signs usually appear before age five, and may even be observed from the moment a boy takes his first steps. There is general difficulty with motor skills, which can result in an awkward manner of walking, stepping, or running. They tend to walk on their toes, in part due to shortening of the Achilles tendon, and because it compensates for knee extensor weakness. Falls can be frequent. It becomes harder and harder for the boy to walk; his ability to walk usually completely disintegrates before age 13. Most men affected with DMD become essentially "paralyzed from the neck down" by the age of 21. Cardiomyopathy, particularly dilated cardiomyopathy, is common, seen in half of 18-year-olds. The development of congestive heart failure or arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) is only occasional. In late stages of the disease, respiratory impairment and swallowing impairment can occur, which can result in pneumonia.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: A classic sign of DMD is trouble getting up from lying or sitting position, as manifested by a positive Gowers's sign. When a child tries to arise from lying on his stomach, he compensates for pelvic muscle weakness through use of the upper extremities: first by rising to stand on his arms and knees, and then "walking" his hands up his legs to stand upright. Another characteristic sign of DMD is pseudohypertrophy (enlarging) of the muscles of the tongue, calves, buttocks, and shoulders (around age 4 or 5). The muscle tissue is eventually replaced by fat and connective tissue, hence the term pseudohypertrophy. Muscle fiber deformities and muscle contractures of Achilles tendon and hamstrings can occur, which impair functionality because the muscle fibers shorten and fibrose in connective tissue. Skeletal deformities can occur, such as lumbar hyperlordosis, scoliosis, anterior pelvic tilt, and chest deformities. Lumbar hyperlordosis is thought to be compensatory mechanism in response to gluteal and quadriceps muscle weakness, all of which cause altered posture and gait (e.g.: restricted hip extension).


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Non musculoskeletal manifestations of DMD occur. There is a higher risk of neurobehavioral disorders (e.g., ADHD), learning disorders (dyslexia), and non-progressive weaknesses in specific cognitive skills (in particular short-term verbal memory), which are believed to be the result of absent or dysfunctional dystrophin in the brain.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: DMD is caused by a mutation of the dystrophin gene, located on the short arm of the X chromosome (locus Xp21) that codes for dystrophin protein. Mutations can either be inherited or occur spontaneously during germline transmission, causing to a large reduction or absence of dystrophin, a protein that provides structural integrity in muscle cells. Dystrophin is responsible for connecting the actin cytoskeleton of each muscle fiber to the underlying basal lamina (extracellular matrix), through a protein complex containing many subunits. The absence of dystrophin permits excess calcium to penetrate the sarcolemma (the cell membrane). Alterations in calcium and signalling pathways cause water to enter into the mitochondria, which then burst.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: In skeletal muscle dystrophy, mitochondrial dysfunction gives rise to an amplification of stress-induced cytosolic calcium signals and an amplification of stress-induced reactive-oxygen species production. In a complex cascading process that involves several pathways and is not clearly understood, increased oxidative stress within the cell damages the sarcolemma and eventually results in the death of the cell. Muscle fibers undergo necrosis and are ultimately replaced with adipose and connective tissue.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: DMD is inherited in an X-linked recessive pattern. Females typically are carriers of the genetic trait while males are affected. A female carrier will be unaware she carries a mutation until she has an affected son. The son of a carrier mother has a 50% chance of inheriting the defective gene from his mother. The daughter of a carrier mother has a 50% chance of being a carrier and a 50% chance of having two normal copies of the gene. In all cases, an unaffected father either passes a normal Y to his son or a normal X to his daughter. Female carriers of an X-linked recessive condition, such as DMD, can show symptoms depending on their pattern of X-inactivation.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: DMD is extremely rare in females (about 1 in 50,000,000 female births). It can occur in females with an affected father and a carrier mother, in those who are missing an X chromosome, or those who have an inactivated X chromosome (the most common of the rare reasons). The daughter of a carrier mother and an affected father will be affected or a carrier with equal probability, as she will always inherit the affected X-chromosome from her father and has a 50% chance of also inheriting the affected X-chromosome from her mother.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Genetic counseling is advised for people with a family history of the disorder. DMD can be detected with about 95% accuracy by genetic studies performed during pregnancy. Creatine kinase (CPK-MM) levels in the bloodstream are extremely high. An electromyography (EMG) shows that weakness is caused by destruction of muscle tissue rather than by damage to nerves.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: The muscle-specific isoform of the dystrophin gene is composed of 79 exons, and DNA testing (blood test) and analysis can usually identify the specific type of mutation of the exon or exons that are affected. DNA testing confirms the diagnosis in most cases.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: If DNA testing fails to find the mutation, a muscle biopsy test may be performed. A small sample of muscle tissue is extracted using a biopsy needle. The key tests performed on the biopsy sample for DMD are immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, and immunoblotting for dystrophin, and should be interpreted by an experienced neuromuscular pathologist. These tests provide information on the presence or absence of the protein. Absence of the protein is a positive test for DMD. Where dystrophin is present, the tests indicate the amount and molecular size of dystrophin, helping to distinguish DMD from milder dystrophinopathy phenotypes. Over the past several years, DNA tests have been developed that detect more of the many mutations that cause the condition, and muscle biopsy is not required as often to confirm the presence of DMD.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Prenatal tests can tell whether the unborn child has one of the most common mutations. Many mutations are responsible for DMD, and some have not been identified, so genetic testing may be falsely negative if the suspected mutation in the mother has not been identified.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Prior to invasive testing, determination of the fetal sex is important; while males are sometimes affected by this X-linked disease, female DMD is extremely rare. This can be achieved by ultrasound scan at 16 weeks or more recently by free fetal DNA (cffDNA) testing. Chorion villus sampling (CVS) can be done at 11–14 weeks, and has a 1% risk of miscarriage. Amniocentesis can be done after 15 weeks, and has a 0.5% risk of miscarriage. Non invasive prenatal testing can be done around 10–12 weeks. Another option in the case of unclear genetic test results is fetal muscle biopsy.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: No cure for DMD is known, and an ongoing medical need has been recognized by regulatory authorities. Gene therapy has shown some success.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Treatment is generally aimed at controlling symptoms to maximize the quality of life which can be measured using specific questionnaires, and include:


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: The medication eteplirsen, a Morpholino antisense oligo, has been approved in the United States for the treatment of mutations amenable to dystrophin exon 51 skipping. The US approval has been controversial as eteplirsen failed to establish a clinical benefit; it has been refused approval by the European Medicines Agency.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: The antisense oligonucleotide golodirsen (Vyondys 53) was approved for medical use in the United States in 2019, for the treatment of cases that can benefit from skipping exon 53 of the dystrophin transcript.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: The Morpholino antisense oligonucleotide viltolarsen (Viltepso) was approved for medical use in the United States in August 2020, for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in people who have a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene that is amenable to exon 53 skipping. It is the second approved targeted treatment for people with this type of mutation in the United States. Approximately 8% of people with DMD have a mutation that is amenable to exon 53 skipping.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Casimersen (Amondys 45) was approved for medical use in the United States in February 2021, and it is the first FDA-approved targeted treatment for people who have a confirmed mutation of the DMD gene that is amenable to exon 45 skipping.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Comprehensive multidisciplinary care guidelines for DMD have been developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and were published in 2010. An update was published in 2018.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Physical therapists are concerned with enabling patients to reach their maximum physical potential. Their aim is to:


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: There is no cure for any of the muscular dystrophies. Several drugs designed to address the root cause are under development, including gene therapy (Microdystrophin), and antisense drugs (Ataluren, Eteplirsen etc.). Other medications used include corticosteroids (Deflazacort), calcium channel blockers (Diltiazem) to slow skeletal and cardiac muscle degeneration, anticonvulsants to control seizures and some muscle activity, and immunosuppressants (Vamorolone) to delay damage to dying muscle cells. Physical therapy, braces, and corrective surgery may help with some symptoms while assisted ventilation may be required in those with weakness of breathing muscles. Outcomes depend on the specific type of disorder.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: A paper published by Stanford University on 10 March 2022, demonstrated that patients with muscular dystrophies could benefit from new therapies targeting the specific pathways contributing directly to muscle disorders. Three recent advances are likely to enhance the landscape of treatments for muscular dystrophies such as DMD. First, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) allow researchers to design effective treatment strategies. Second, artificial intelligence (AI) can help identify therapeutic targets. Third, a high volume of multi-omics data gathered from diverse sources through disease models can provide valuable information about converging and diverging pathways.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare progressive disease which eventually affects all voluntary muscles and involves the heart and breathing muscles in later stages. Life expectancy is estimated to be around 25–26, but this varies. With excellent medical care, affected men often live into their 30s. David Hatch of Paris, Maine, may be the oldest person in the world with the disease; as of 2021, he was 58.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: The most common direct cause of death in people with DMD is respiratory failure. Complications from treatment, such as mechanical ventilation and tracheotomy procedures, are also a concern. The next leading cause of death is cardiac-related conditions such as heart failure brought on by dilated cardiomyopathy. With respiratory assistance, the median survival age can reach up to 40. In rare cases, people with DMD have been seen to survive into their forties or early fifties, with proper positioning in wheelchairs and beds, and the use of ventilator support (via tracheostomy or mouthpiece), airway clearance, and heart medications. Early planning of the required supports for later-life care has shown greater longevity for people with DMD.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Curiously, in the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the lack of dystrophin is associated with increased calcium levels and skeletal muscle myonecrosis. The intrinsic laryngeal muscles (ILMs) are protected and do not undergo myonecrosis. ILMs have a calcium regulation system profile suggestive of a better ability to handle calcium changes in comparison to other muscles, and this may provide a mechanistic insight for their unique pathophysiological properties. The ILM may facilitate the development of novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of muscle wasting in a variety of clinical scenarios. In addition, patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy also have elevated plasma lipoprotein levels, implying a primary state of dyslipidemia in patients.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: DMD is the most common type of muscular dystrophy; it affects about one in 5,000 males at birth. DMD has an incidence of one in 3,600 male infants.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: In the US, a 2010 study showed a higher amount of those with DMD age ranging from 5 to 54 who are Hispanic compared to non-Hispanic Whites, and non-Hispanic Blacks.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: The disease was first described by the Neapolitan physician Giovanni Semmola in 1834 and Gaetano Conte in 1836. However, DMD is named after the French neurologist Guillaume-Benjamin-Amand Duchenne (1806–1875), who in the 1861 edition of his book "Paraplegie hypertrophique de l'enfance de cause cerebrale", described and detailed the case of a boy who had this condition. A year later, he presented photos of his patient in his "Album de photographies pathologiques". In 1868, he gave an account of 13 other affected children. Duchenne was the first to do a biopsy to obtain tissue from a living patient for microscopic examination.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Alfredo ("Dino", "Alfredino") Ferrari (born January 1932 in Modena), the son of Enzo Ferrari, designed the 1.5 L DOHC V6 engine for the model F2 at the end of 1955. But Dino never saw the engine produced: he died on 30 June 1956, in Modena at the age of 24, before his namesakes Dino and Fiat Dino were made.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Rapper Darius Weems had the disease and used his notoriety to raise awareness and funds for treatment. He died at the age of 27 (his brother also had the disease, until his death at the age of 19). The film "Darius Goes West" documents Weems's journey of growth and acceptance of having the disease.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Jonathan Evison's novel, "The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving", published in 2012, depicted a young man affected by the disease. In 2016, Netflix released "The Fundamentals of Caring", a film based on the novel.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: "Salaam Venky" is a 2022 Indian, Hindi-language film about a true story of a mother and her son, Venky, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Current research includes exon-skipping, stem cell replacement therapy, analog up-regulation, gene replacement, and supportive care to slow disease progression.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Efforts are ongoing to find medications that either return the ability to make dystrophin or utrophin. Other efforts include trying to block the entry of calcium ions into muscle cells.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Antisense oligonucleotides (oligos), structural analogs of DNA, are the basis of a potential treatment for 10% of people with DMD. The compounds allow faulty parts of the dystrophin gene to be skipped when it is transcribed to RNA for protein production, permitting a still-truncated but more functional version of the protein to be produced. It is also known as nonsense suppression therapy.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Two kinds of antisense oligos, 2'-O-methyl phosphorothioate oligos (like drisapersen) and Morpholino oligos (like eteplirsen), have tentative evidence of benefit and are being studied. Eteplirsen is targeted to skip exon 51. "As an example, skipping exon 51 restores the reading frame of ~ 15% of all the boys with deletions. It has been suggested that by having 10 AONs to skip 10 different exons it would be possible to deal with more than 70% of all DMD boys with deletions." This represents about 1.5% of cases.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: People with Becker's muscular dystrophy, which is milder than DMD, have a form of dystrophin which is functional even though it is shorter than normal dystrophin. In 1990 England "et al." noticed that a patient with mild Becker muscular dystrophy was lacking 46% of his coding region for dystrophin. This functional, yet truncated, form of dystrophin gave rise to the notion that shorter dystrophin can still be therapeutically beneficial. Concurrently, Kole "et al." had modified splicing by targeting pre-mRNA with antisense oligonucleotides (AONs). Kole demonstrated success using splice-targeted AONs to correct missplicing in cells removed from beta-thalassemia patients Wilton's group tested exon skipping for muscular dystrophy.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Researchers are working on a gene editing method to correct a mutation that leads to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Researchers used a technique called CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing, which can precisely remove a mutation in the dystrophin gene in DNA, allowing the body's DNA repair mechanisms to replace it with a normal copy of the gene. The benefit of this over other gene therapy techniques is that it can permanently correct the "defect" in a gene rather than just transiently adding a "functional" one.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Genome editing through the CRISPR/Cas9 system is not currently feasible in humans. However, it may be possible, through advancements in technology, to use this technique to develop therapies for DMD in the future. In 2007, researchers did the world's first clinical (viral-mediated) gene therapy trial for Duchenne MD.


title: Duchenne muscular dystrophy

text: Biostrophin is a delivery vector for gene therapy in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Becker muscular dystrophy.


title: Martin Mull

text: Martin Eugene Mull (born August 18, 1943) is an American actor, comedian and musician who has appeared in many television and film roles. He is also a painter and recording artist. As an actor, he first became known in his role on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and its spin-off "Fernwood 2 Night". Among his other notable roles are Colonel Mustard in the 1985 film "Clue", Leon Carp on "Roseanne", Willard Kraft on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch", Vlad Masters/Plasmius on "Danny Phantom", and Gene Parmesan on "Arrested Development". He had a recurring role on "Two and a Half Men" as Russell, the drug-using, humorous pharmacist.


title: Martin Mull

text: Mull was born in Chicago, the son of Betty Mull, an actress and director, and Harold Mull, a carpenter. He moved with his family to North Ridgeville, Ohio, when he was two years old. They lived there until he was 15 years old, when his family moved to New Canaan, Connecticut. There he attended and graduated from New Canaan High School. He studied painting and graduated in 1965 from the Rhode Island School of Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts; in 1967, he earned a Master of Fine Arts in painting, also from RISD.


title: Martin Mull

text: Mull broke into show business as a songwriter, penning Jane Morgan's 1970 country single, "A Girl Named Johnny Cash", which peaked at No. 61 on "Billboard"s country charts. Shortly thereafter, he began his own recording career.


title: Martin Mull

text: Throughout the 1970s, and especially in the first half of the decade, Mull was best known as a musical comedian, performing satirical and humorous songs both live and in studio recordings. Rather than the stage trappings of most musical acts, Mull would decorate his stage with comfortable thrift store furniture. Notable live gigs included opening for Randy Newman and Sandy Denny at Boston Symphony Hall in 1973; Frank Zappa at Austin's Armadillo World Headquarters in 1973; Billy Joel in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1974; and for Bruce Springsteen at the Shady Grove Music Fair in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in October 1974. His self-titled debut album, released by Capricorn in 1972, featured many noteworthy musicians, including Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Levon Helm from The Band, Keith Spring of NRBQ and Libby Titus.


title: Martin Mull

text: Elvis Costello and Gary Sperrazza attribute the remark "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture" to Martin Mull.


title: Martin Mull

text: Mull's first well-known acting role was as Garth Gimble in the 1976 television nighttime absurdist soap opera "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman". This led to work in the spin-off comedy talk shows "Fernwood 2 Night" (1977) and "America 2-Night" (1978), in which he played talk show host Barth Gimble (Garth Gimble's twin brother), opposite Fred Willard, as sidekick Jerry Hubbard. Mull also played the neurotic disc jockey Eric Swan in the 1978 movie "FM", his feature film debut.


title: Martin Mull

text: In 1979, Mull appeared in the "Taxi" episode "Hollywood Calling". He created, wrote for and starred in the short-lived 1984 CBS sitcom "Domestic Life", with Megan Follows playing his teenaged daughter. In one episode of "The Golden Girls", he played a hippie who was afraid of the outside world. He had a long-running role as Leon Carp, Roseanne Conner's gay boss (and later business partner) on the TV series "Roseanne".


title: Martin Mull

text: During the 1980s, Mull played supporting roles in the films "Mr. Mom" and "Clue". He also starred in a series of commercials for Michelob and Pizza Hut, and in a series of television and radio commercials for Red Roof Inn with Fred Willard. He appeared in the Pecos Bill episode of the Shelley Duvall TV series "Tall Tales & Legends". He also did the voice of Vlad Masters/Vlad Plasmius, the main villain in "Danny Phantom".


title: Martin Mull

text: Mull has appeared as a guest star on the game show "Hollywood Squares", appearing as the center square in the show's final season, from 2003 to 2004. In late 2004 and in 2013's Netflix-produced Season 4, he portrayed Gene Parmesan, a private investigator, on the TV series "Arrested Development". During 2008 and 2009, Mull guest starred in two episodes of the television series "Gary Unmarried," as Allison's father.


title: Martin Mull

text: Mull also starred in the Fox sitcoms "Dads" and "The Cool Kids", the latter with David Alan Grier, Vicki Lawrence, and Leslie Jordan.


title: Martin Mull

text: Mull has been a painter since the 1970s, and his work has appeared in group and solo exhibits. He participated in the June 15, 1971 exhibit "Flush with the Walls" in the men's room of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to protest the lack of contemporary and local art in the museum. His work often combines photorealist painting, and the pop art and collage styles. He published a book of some of his paintings, titled "Paintings Drawings and Words", in 1995. One of his paintings was used on the cover for the 2008 Joyce Carol Oates novel "My Sister, My Love". Another painting, titled "After Dinner Drinks" (2008), which is owned by Steve Martin, was used for the cover of "Love Has Come for You", an album by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.


title: Martin Mull

text: Twice divorced, Mull is married to singer Wendy Haas. They have a daughter, Maggie, who as of 2021 is a co-executive producer for "Family Guy".


title: Martin Mull

text: In a 2010 interview on "The Green Room with Paul Provenza", Mull identified himself as an agnostic, saying "I certainly don't begrudge someone else their choice to follow whatever they do, it's just for me, it doesn't make a lot of sense. I think more harm has come to this planet through organized religion, probably, than any single situation that we've invented."


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (C199 / R199 / Z199) is a grand tourer jointly developed by German automotive manufacturer Mercedes-Benz and British automobile manufacturer McLaren Automotive and sold from 2003 to 2009. When the car was developed, Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group and the car was produced in conjunction between the two companies.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: SLR is an abbreviation for "Sport Leicht Rennsport" (Sport Light Racing), a homage to the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR which served as the car's inspiration. The car was offered in coupé, roadster and speedster bodystyles with the latter being a limited edition model.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: At the 1999 North American International Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz presented their Vision SLR concept, inspired both by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR "Uhlenhaut Coupé" of 1955, which was a modified Mercedes-Benz W196S race car, and the design of closed-wheel Formula One cars, a field in which they had prior experience from Mercedes-Benz competing in Formula One in the past as constructor also winning back to back championships in their debut season 1954 then 1955. Also during the jointly developed project of Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren in 2003 Mercedes-Benz acquiring 40 percent ownership of McLaren Group competed in Formula One as partnership with the McLaren Formula One Team, and were developing powertrains and electronics for McLaren's Formula One cars. The car was presented as ""Tomorrow Silver Arrow"" in a clear reference to the Silver Arrows of the golden age of Mercedes in competition during the fifties. Later that year, during the Frankfurt Motor Show, a roadster version of the SLR concept was presented. The concept car was fitted with a 5.0-litre supercharged AMG V8 engine able to generate a power output of and of torque at 4,000 rpm, mated to a 5-speed automatic gearbox with Touchshift control.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: Wanting to bring the concept to production following its positive reception, Mercedes joined forces with their Formula One partner, McLaren, thus creating the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Mercedes did the styling on the car while McLaren was fully responsible for everything else, from the design and the engineering to the manufacture and the testing of each car at the production line. The production version of the car was unveiled to the general public on 17 November 2003 having some major design adjustments in respect of the initial design. In order to give the car the performance that Mercedes wanted, McLaren had to radically alter the concept for better weight distribution, including moving the engine almost a meter back and lowering the fuel tank. Smaller adjustments included more complex vents on both sides of the car, a redesigned front with the three pointed star plunged in the nose and red tinted rear lights.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren saw a production run of over six years. On 4 April 2008, Mercedes announced it would discontinue the SLR. The last of the coupés rolled off the production line at the end of 2009 and the roadster version was dropped in early 2010.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: Due to the automatic gear box, front mid-engine arrangement, and its driving characteristics, some automotive journalists classify the SLR McLaren as a grand tourer.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The SLR features Sensotronic Brake Control, a type of brake-by-wire system. The brake discs are carbon-ceramic units and provide better stopping power and fade resistance than steel discs when operating under ideal working temperature. Mercedes-Benz claims these discs are fade resistant to . The front discs are internally vented and measure in diameter; eight-piston callipers are used. Rear discs are in diameter with four-piston callipers. During wet conditions the callipers automatically skim the surface of the discs to keep them dry.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The SLR features active aerodynamics; there is a spoiler mounted on the rear integral air brake flap. The spoiler increases downforce depending on its angle of elevation (angle of attack). At a set speed, the spoiler/brake automatically raises to 10 degrees (15 degrees in the 722 edition), when demanded via the driver's switch, the elevation can be increased to 30 degrees (35 degrees in the 722 edition) for increased rear downforce, at the cost of increased steady state drag. The car has a flat underbody and a rear diffuser for improved downforce. Due to this, there was no other place for the exhaust pipes to exit, other than the sides of the car, making it another unique feature of the SLR.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The SLR has a hand-built supercharged all-aluminium alloy, SOHC 3 valves per cylinder 90° V8 engine, with a bore and stroke of and with a compression ratio of 8.8:1. The engine is lubricated via a dry sump system. The Lysholm-type twin-screw supercharger rotates at a maximum of 23,000 rpm and produces of boost. The compressed air is then cooled via two intercoolers. The engine generates a maximum power output of at 6,500 rpm and maximum torque of between 3,250 and 5,000 rpm.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: McLaren took the original concept car designed by Mercedes and moved the engine behind the front bumper, around behind the front axle. They also optimised the design of the centre firewall.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The SLR uses the AMG SPEEDSHIFT R five-speed automatic transmission with three manual modes. For durability, Mercedes selected a five-speed transmission rather than their seven-speed transmission which was more complex and used more parts.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The car uses carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) construction in an attempt to keep the weight low. Despite CFRP materials, the total curb weight is . The SLR could attain a top speed of .


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: "Road And Track" tested the car in their July 2005 Road Test and reached from a standstill in 3.5 seconds. The 0 to sprint was achieved in 7.5 seconds and a run was completed in 11.5 seconds at .


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: A new version of the SLR was introduced in 2006, called the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition. The "722" refers to the victory by Stirling Moss and his co-driver Denis Jenkinson in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR with the starting number 722 (indicating a start time of 7:22 a.m.) at the Mille Miglia in 1955.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The "722 Edition" includes a modified version of the engine used in the SLR generating a power output of at 6,500 rpm and at 4,000 rpm. 19-inch light-alloy wheels were used to reduce unsprung mass, while modifications were also made to the suspension, with a stiffer damper setup and lower ride height introduced for improved handling. Larger diameter front brakes and a revised front air dam and rear diffuser were fitted.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: Other exterior changes include red "722" badging, harking back to the original 722 racer, black tinted tail lights and headlamps. The interior has carbon fibre trim and black leather upholstery combined with Alcantara.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The SLR 722 can accelerate from 0 to in 3.6 seconds, 0 to in 10.2 seconds and in 27.6 seconds, and can attain a top speed of , faster than the standard Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Production of the 722 Edition was limited to 150 units.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: A roadster version of the SLR went on sale in September 2007. It uses the same engine as its coupé sibling, generating a power output of , to propel it to a top speed of and a 0 to acceleration time of 3.6 seconds.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: However, as a convertible, the roadster was burdened with extra weight, which affected performance and handling. The Roadster's roof is made from a "newly developed material" and does not take the form of a folding metal arrangement, as is common on many modern cars. Following a manual unlatching, it takes ten seconds to fold away electrically. According to an official Mercedes document, the cabin of the roadster is capable of allowing conversation between driver and passenger up to a speed of with the roof retracted. The SLR Roadster was aimed to compete against other luxurious sports cars such as the Pagani Zonda F Roadster.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The Roadster variant of the 722 Edition was unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. The roadster has the same engine and suspension setup as the coupé along with the folding roof mechanism shared with the standard SLR roadster. It can accelerate to from standstill in 3.1 seconds and has top speed of .


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The 722 GT is a racing version of the SLR 722 which was developed for a one-make racing series called the SLR Club. The cars were built by Ray Mallock Ltd. following requests from enthusiasts with approval from Mercedes-Benz. The car has new wider bodywork to accommodate OZ racing wheels. The front grill vents are removed and larger, free flowing air extractors sit on the hood and flank the side of the car. The rear now has a fixed racing wing and diffuser.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: Under the body, the car has shed of weight and reduced its dry weight to . The engine remains in relatively stock specification but now generates a power output of and of torque at 1.75 bar (175 kPa) of boost and is equipped with a new racing filter and exhaust system. The car has a modified Eibach racing suspension with a modified stabiliser at the front that improves handling. An adjustable wheel camber along with shock absorbers with variable compression and rebound settings allows the suspension setup to be configured for different race tracks. New 18-inch OZ racing wheels with central locking nuts allow for faster tyre changes while a pneumatic jack system aids further in the process. The stock carbon ceramic braking system has been replaced with an FIA approved racing brake system with steel brake discs having a modified cooling system and balance that ensure improved stopping power. The transmission from the standard car is retained but is now configured for race use.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: Inside, the car is stripped out with only the essential functions being available, controlled from a carbon fibre binnacle. The stock steering wheel has been replaced with a racing steering wheel with paddle shifters and a gear change indicator, the heated leather seats have also been removed in favour of Recaro racing bucket seats with six-point racing harness and the gauges have been replaced with a digital racing display. New carbon fibre door panels, plexiglass windows and a full roll cage complete the transformation. Production was limited to just 21 units.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The 722 GT could accelerate from in 3.3 seconds and could attain a top speed of , which is less than the standard SLR due to added aerodynamic drag.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The SLR McLaren 722 GT was available to the North American market exclusively through their dealerships by Renntech.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: Named after the British racing driver of the same name, the SLR Stirling Moss is a limited edition variant unveiled at the 2009 North American International Auto Show, which uses a speedster styling that does not include a roof or a windscreen. The car is designed by Korean designer Yoon Il-hun and is inspired by the 300 SLR race car. The interior was designed by Dutch designer Sarkis Benliyan. The SLR Stirling Moss was to be the last series of the McLaren SLR built under the partnership between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren, until McLaren announced their own final Edition of the SLR in late 2010.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The supercharged 5.4-litre SLR AMG V8 engine is rated at . The SLR Stirling Moss could attain a top speed of with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) achieved in 3 seconds. The car is approximately lighter than the regular model due to carbon fibre construction and speedster styling.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: The SLR Stirling Moss began production in June 2009, after the SLR Roadster was discontinued in May 2009. All 75 cars planned to be produced were completed by December 2009. The SLR Stirling Moss was available only to the existing SLR owners and each car cost in excess of US$1 million.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: In December 2010, more than a year after the SLR was officially discontinued, McLaren Special Operations (MSO) announced a bespoke program for the SLR. The McLaren Edition is based on all variants of the SLR with the exclusion of Stirling Moss and includes revised bodywork (front and rear bumper, grille, top shell, side grills, rear diffuser, wheels) and interior parts, along with upgraded steering and suspension components and a new titanium sports exhaust. The cars were modified exactly to the owner's specifications and due to this no car was similar to the other. The personalisation cost GB£150,000 and was offered for only 25 cars.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: Total sales were 615 units in 2005, 261 units in 2006, and 275 units in 2007, falling well below Mercedes-McLaren's goal of selling 500 units annually.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: When the SLR was first announced, Mercedes said total production would be limited to 3,500 units. 1,400 units had been sold by the end of 2007. The factory confirmed that production would halt at the end of 2009.


title: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

text: Spencer Pumpelly entered an SLR McLaren in the Speed World Challenge GT class, driving for TRG Motorsports.


title: Davis Cup

text: The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organisers as the "World Cup of Tennis", and the winners are referred to as the World Champion team. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Great Britain and the United States. By 2016, 135 nations entered teams into the competition.


title: Davis Cup

text: The most successful countries over the history of the tournament are the United States (winning 32 titles and finishing as runners-up 29 times) and Australia (winning 28 titles, including six with New Zealand as Australasia, and finishing as runners-up 19 times). The current champions are Canada, who beat Australia to win their first title in 2022.


title: Davis Cup

text: The women's equivalent of the Davis Cup is the Billie Jean King Cup, formerly known as the Fed Cup. Australia, Russia, the Czech Republic, and the United States are the only countries to have won both Davis Cup and Fed Cup titles in the same year.


title: Davis Cup

text: The Davis Cup allowed only amateurs and national registered professional players (from 1968) to compete until 1973, five years after the start of the Open Era.


title: Davis Cup

text: The idea for a tournament pitting the best British and Americans in competition against one another was probably first conceived by James Dwight, the first president of the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association when it formed in 1881. Desperate to assess the development of American players against the renowned British champions, he worked tirelessly to engage British officials in a properly sanctioned match, but failed to do so. He nevertheless tried to entice top international (particularly British) talent to the U.S. and sanctioned semi-official tours of the top American players to Great Britain. Diplomatic relations between Great Britain and the United States on the tennis front had strengthened such that, by the mid-1890s, reciprocal tours were staged annually between players of the two nations, and an ensuing friendship between American William Larned and Irishman Harold Mahony spurred efforts to formalize an official team competition between the two nations.


title: Davis Cup

text: International competitions had been staged for some time before the first Davis Cup match in 1900. From 1892, England and Ireland had been competing in an annual national-team-based competition, similar to what would become the standard Davis Cup format, mixing single and doubles matches, and in 1895 England played against France in a national team competition. During Larned's tour of the British Isles in 1896, where he competed in several tournaments including the Wimbledon Championships, he was also a spectator for the annual England vs. Ireland match.


title: Davis Cup

text: He returned to exclaim that Britain had agreed to send a group of three to the U.S. the following summer, which would represent the first British lawn tennis "team" to compete in the U.S. Coincidentally, some weeks before Larned left for his British tour, the idea for an international competition was discussed also between leading figures in American lawn tennis—one of whom was tennis journalist E.P. Fischer—at a tournament in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.


title: Davis Cup

text: Dwight F. Davis was in attendance at this tournament, and was thought to have got wind of the idea as it was discussed in the tournament's popular magazine, and Davis's name was mentioned as someone who might 'do something for the game ... put up some big prize, or cup'. Larned and Fischer met on several occasions that summer and discussed the idea of an international match to be held in Chicago the following summer, pitting six of the best British players against six of the best Americans, in a mixture of singles and doubles matches. This was discussed openly in two articles in the "Chicago Tribune", but did not come to fruition.


title: Davis Cup

text: Nevertheless, the following summer, Great Britain—though not under the official auspices of the Lawn Tennis Association—sent three of its best players to compete in several US tournaments. Their relative poor performances convinced Dwight and other leading officials and figures in American lawn tennis that the time was right for a properly sanctioned international competition. This was to be staged in Newcastle in July 1898, but the event never took place as the Americans could not field a sufficiently strong team. A reciprocal tour to the U.S. in 1899 amounted to just a single British player travelling overseas, as many of the players were involved in overseas armed conflicts.


title: Davis Cup

text: It was at this juncture, in the summer of 1899, that four members of the Harvard University tennis team—Dwight Davis included—travelled across the States to challenge the best west-coast talent, and upon his return, it apparently occurred to Davis that if teams representing regions could arouse such great feelings, then why wouldn't a tennis event that pitted national teams in competition be just as successful. He approached James Dwight with the idea, which was tentatively agreed, and he ordered an appropriate sterling silver punchbowl trophy from Shreve, Crump & Low, purchasing it from his own funds for about US$1,000. They in turn commissioned a classically styled design from William B. Durgin's of Concord, New Hampshire, crafted by the Englishman Rowland Rhodes.


title: Davis Cup

text: Beyond donating a trophy for the competition, Davis's involvement in the incipient development of the tournament that came to bear his name was negligible, yet a persistent myth has emerged that Davis devised both the idea for an international tennis competition and its format of mixing singles and doubles matches. Research has shown this to be a myth, similar in its exaggeration of a single individual's efforts within a highly complex long-term development to the myths of William Webb Ellis and Abner Doubleday, who have both been wrongly credited with inventing rugby and baseball, respectively. Davis nevertheless went on to become a prominent politician in the United States in the 1920s, serving as US Secretary of War from 1925 to 1929 and as Governor-General of the Philippines from 1929 to 1932.


title: Davis Cup

text: The first match, between the United States and Britain (competing as the "British Isles"), was held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Massachusetts in 1900. The American team, of which Dwight Davis was captain, surprised the British by winning the first three matches. The following year the two countries did not compete, but the US won the match in 1902 and Britain won the following four matches. By 1905 the tournament expanded to include Belgium, Austria, France, and Australasia, a combined team from Australia and New Zealand that competed together until 1914.


title: Davis Cup

text: The tournament was initially titled the "International Lawn Tennis Challenge" although it soon became known as the "Davis Cup", after Dwight Davis' trophy. The Davis Cup competition was initially played as a challenge cup. All teams competed against one another for the right to face the previous year's champion in the final round.


title: Davis Cup

text: Beginning in 1923, the world's teams were split into two zones: the "America Zone" and the "Europe Zone". The winners of the two zones met in the "Inter-Zonal Zone" ("INZ") to decide which national team would challenge the defending champion for the cup. In 1955 a third zone, the "Eastern Zone", was added. Because there were three zones, the winner of one of the three zones received a bye in the first round of the INZ challenger rounds. In 1966, the "Europe Zone" was split into two zones, "Europe Zone A" and "Europe Zone B", so the winners of the four zones competed in the INZ challenger rounds.


title: Davis Cup

text: Beginning in 1972, the format was changed to a knockout tournament, so that the defending champion was required to compete in all rounds, and the Davis Cup was awarded to the tournament champion.


title: Davis Cup

text: Up until 1973, the Davis Cup had only ever been won by the United States, Great Britain/British Isles, France and Australia/Australasia. Their domination was eventually broken in 1974 when South Africa and India made the final; however, the final was scratched and South Africa awarded the cup after India refused to travel to South Africa in protest of South Africa's apartheid policies. The following year saw the first actual final between two "outsider" nations, when Sweden beat Czechoslovakia 3–2, and since then, many other countries have gone on to capture the trophy.


title: Davis Cup

text: All contract professionals were not allowed to play in the Davis Cup until 1973. The tennis stars who turned professional prior to the Open Era (pre-1968) were not allowed to compete in the Davis Cup despite the fact that the Grand Slam tournaments and most tennis tournaments became Open Era events in 1968. From 1968 national registered professionals were allowed to compete under the control of their national tennis associations. In 1973 Australian players like Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall were allowed to play in the Davis Cup for the first time since 1962 (for Laver) and since 1956 (for Rosewall).


title: Davis Cup

text: In 1981, a tiered system of competition was created, in which the 16 best national teams compete in the "World Group" and all other national teams compete in one of four groups in one of three regional zones. In 1989, the tiebreak was introduced into Davis Cup competition, and from 2016 it is used in all five sets.


title: Davis Cup

text: In 2018, the ITF voted to change the format of the competition from 2019 onwards, changing it to an 18-team event to happen at the end of the season, with 71% of ITF member federations voting in favour of the change. The new format, backed by footballer Gerard Piqué and Japanese businessman Hiroshi Mikitani, was likened to a world cup of tennis and was designed to be more attractive to sponsors and broadcasters. Opposing federations included those from Australia, Germany, and Great Britain. Support for the reform was also mixed among current and former players, with some such as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal being in favour of the new format, but others such as Rod Laver, Lucas Pouille and Roger Federer being opposed.


title: Davis Cup

text: The 18 best national teams are assigned to the World Group and compete annually for the Davis Cup. Nations which are not in the World Group compete in one of three regional zones (Americas, Asia/Oceania, and Europe/Africa). The competition is spread over four weekends during the year. Each elimination round between competing nations is held in one of the countries, and is played as the best of five matches (4 singles, 1 doubles). The ITF determines the host countries for all possible matchups before each year's tournament.


title: Davis Cup

text: The World Group is the top group and includes the world's best 18 national teams. Teams in the World Group play a four-round elimination tournament. Teams are seeded based on a ranking system released by the ITF, taking into account previous years' results. The defending champion and runner-up are always the top two seeds in the tournament. The losers of the first-round matches are sent to the World Group playoff round, where they play along with winners from Group I of the regional zones. The playoff round winners play in the World Group for the next year's tournament, while the losers play in Group I of their respective regional zone.


title: Davis Cup

text: Each of the three regional zones is divided into four groups. Groups I and II play elimination rounds, with the losing teams facing relegation to the next-lower group. The teams in Groups III and those in Group IV play a round-robin tournament with promotion and relegation.


title: Davis Cup

text: For the 2019 edition, the format of the cup is changed. The main modification is the World Group taking place at one location and in one week, with eighteen teams divided in six round-robin groups of three teams each, with the winners of the groups and the two best second places advancing to quarterfinals. The series between the teams in this stage will feature two singles matches and one doubles match, instead of the best-of-5 series, with the matches changing from best of 5 sets to best of 3. As the World Group will now take place as one single tournament, this event has been named as the Davis Cup Finals. The lower zone groups I and II will be composed of single ties deciding promotion or relegation.


title: Davis Cup

text: Note: The total number of nations in Group One is 24. However, the distribution among the three zones may vary each year, according to the number of nations promoted or relegated between Group One and the World Group. The number of nations in the World Group and Group One together is 22 from Euro/Africa Zone, 9 from Americas Zone and 9 from Asia/Oceania Zone.


title: Davis Cup

text: As in other cup competitions "tie" is used in the Davis Cup to mean an elimination round. In the Davis Cup, the word "rubber" means an individual match.


title: Davis Cup

text: In the annual World Group competition, 16 nations compete in eight first-round ties; the eight winners compete in four quarterfinal ties; the four winners compete in two semifinal ties; and the two winners compete in the final tie.


title: Davis Cup

text: Each tie consists of five rubbers, which are played in three days (usually on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). The winner of the tie is the nation which wins three or more of the five rubbers in the tie. On the first day, the first two rubbers are singles, which are generally played by each nation's two best available singles players. On the second day, the doubles rubber is played. On the third day, the final two rubbers are typically "reverse singles", in which the first-day contestants usually play again, but they swap opponents from the first day's singles rubbers. However, in certain circumstances, the team captain may replace one or two of the players who played the singles on Friday by other players who were nominated for the tie. For example, if the tie has already been decided in favour of one of the teams, it is common for younger or lower-ranked team members to play the remaining "dead rubbers" in order for them to gain Davis Cup experience.


title: Davis Cup

text: Since 2011, if a nation has a winning 3–1 lead after the first reverse single match and that match has gone to four sets or more, then the remaining reverse single match which is a dead rubber is not played. All five rubbers are played if one nation has a winning 3–0 lead after the doubles match.


title: Davis Cup

text: Ties are played at a venue chosen by one of the competing countries. The right of choice is given on an alternating basis. Therefore, countries play in the country where the last tie between the teams was not held. In case the two countries have not met since 1970, lots are drawn to determine the host country.


title: Davis Cup

text: Venues in the World Group must comply with certain minimum standards, including a minimum seating capacity as follows:


title: Davis Cup

text: Prior to each tie, the captain (non-playing coach appointed by the national association) nominates a squad of four players and decides who will compete in the tie. On the day before play starts, the order of play for the first day is drawn at random. In the past, teams could substitute final day singles players only in case of injury or illness, verified by a doctor, but current rules permit the captain to designate any player to play the last two singles rubbers, provided that no first day matchup is repeated. There is no restriction on which of the playing team members may play the doubles rubber: the two singles players, two other players (usually doubles specialists) or a combination.


title: Davis Cup

text: Each rubber is normally played as best of five sets. Since 2016, all sets use a tiebreak at 6–6 if necessary (formerly, the fifth set usually had no tiebreaker, so play continued until one side won by two games e.g. 10–8). However, if a team has clinched the tie before all five rubbers have been completed, the remaining rubbers may be shortened to best of three sets, with a tiebreak if necessary to decide all three sets.


title: Davis Cup

text: In Group III and Group IV competitions, each tie consists only of three rubbers, which include two singles and one doubles rubber, which is played in a single day. The rubbers are in the best of three sets format, with a tie breaker if necessary to decide all three sets.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cricket in India founded Ranji trophy in 1935, since then it is annually organised across various grounds and stadiums in India. The competition currently consists of 38 teams, with all 28 states in India and four of the eight union territories having at least one representation. The competition is named after Ranjitsinhji who is the first Indian cricketer who played international cricket, he was also known as 'Ranji'.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: Madhya Pradesh cricket team is present title holder by winning 2021–22 Ranji Trophy. It defeated Mumbai cricket team in the final.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: The competition was launched following a meeting in July 1934, with the first fixtures taking place in 1934–35. The trophy was donated by Bhupinder Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala in memory of Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji, Jam Sahib of Nawanagar who had died the previous year. The first match of the competition was held on 4 November 1934 between Madras and Mysore at the Chepauk ground in Madras. Mumbai (Bombay) have won the tournament the most times with 41 wins including 15 back-to-back wins from 1958–59 to 1972–73.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: The 2020–21 Ranji Trophy tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first season since the tournament's inception that it was not held.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: State teams and cricket associations and clubs with first-class status are qualified to play in the Ranji Trophy. While most associations are regional (i.e. the Karnataka State Cricket Association and Mumbai Cricket Association), two, Railways and Services, are pan-Indian.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: From the Ranji Trophy's inception until the 2001 season (with the exception of 1948–49 season), the teams were grouped geographically into four or five zones – North, West, East, and South, with Central added in 1952–53. Initial matches were played within the zones on a knock-out basis until 1956–57, and thereafter on a league basis, to determine a winner; then, the five individual zone winners competed in a knock-out tournament, leading to a final which decided the winner of the Ranji Trophy. From the 1970–71 season, the knock-out stage was expanded to the top two teams from each zone, a total of ten qualifying teams. This was expanded again to the top three from each zone in 1992–93, a total of fifteen qualifying teams; between 1996–97 and 1999–2000, the fifteen qualifying teams competed in a secondary group stage, with three groups of five teams, and the top two from each group qualified for a six-team knock-out stage; in all other years until 2001–02, a full fifteen-team knock-out tournament was held.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: The format was changed in the 2002–03 season with the zonal system abandoned and a two-division structure adopted – the Elite Group, containing fifteen teams, and the Plate Group, containing the rest. Each group had two sub-groups which played a round-robin; the top two from each Elite sub-group then contested a four-team knock-out tournament to determine the winner of the Ranji Trophy. The team which finished last in each Elite sub-group was relegated, and both Plate Group finalists were promoted for the following season. For the 2006–07 season, the divisions were re-labelled the Super League and Plate League respectively.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: In the 2008–09 season, this format was adjusted to give both Super League and Plate League teams an opportunity to contest the Ranji Trophy. The top two from each Plate sub-group contested semi-finals; the winners of these two matches then joined the top three from each Super League sub-group in an eight-team knock-out tournament. The winner of this knock-out tournament then won the Ranji Trophy. Promotion and relegation between Super League and Plate League continued as before. In the 2010–11 season, Rajasthan won the Ranji Trophy after beginning the season in the Plate League.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: From the 2012–13 season, this format was adjusted slightly. The Super League and Plate League names were abandoned, but the two-tier system remained. The top tier expanded from fifteen teams to eighteen teams, in two sub-groups of nine (known as Group A and Group B, and considered equal in status); and the second tier was reduced to nine teams in a single group (known as Group C). The top three teams from Groups A and B and the top two from Group C contest the knockout phase. The lowest placed team in each of Group A and Group B is relegated to Group C, and the top two from Group C are promoted to the top tier.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: For the 2017–18 season, the two-tier system was abandoned to have 4 groups of seven teams each and two quarter-finalists from each group.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: From the 2018–19 season, the teams contested in three-tiers. Five teams will qualify for the quarter-finals from the top tier (known as Elite Group A and Group B). Two teams will qualify from the second-tier (Elite Group C) and one team from the lower-tier (Plate Group) for the quarter-finals.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: Round-robin matches are four days in length; knockout matches are played for five days. Throughout its history, if there is no outright result in a Ranji Trophy knock-out match, the team leading after the first innings is the winner.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: Prior to the 2016–17 season, matches were played at the home ground of one of the two teams taking part. For the 2016–17 competition, the BCCI decided that all games would be staged at a neutral venue.


title: Ranji Trophy

text: Mumbai/Bombay have played in 46 of the 86 finals till 2016–17 and have won total 41 Ranji Trophy championships, the most by any team.


title: Eion Bailey

text: He stars as Jim Matthews in the epix horror series "From". He played Pvt. David Kenyon Webster in the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers" and appeared in the films "Fight Club", "Center Stage", "Mindhunters", and "Sexual Life". He had a recurring role on the USA Network TV series "Covert Affairs" and played August (Pinocchio) in the ABC TV series "Once Upon a Time". He also had a recurring role as Ray, a psychopathic killer in the CBS series "Stalker".


title: Eion Bailey

text: Bailey married Weyni Mengesha, an award-winning Canadian theatre director, in 2011. The couple have two children.


title: Eion Bailey

text: Bailey struggled in school until he found his calling in his high school's drama department. He was soon performing in each school play and went on to study formally at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. He briefly attended Santa Barbara City College. He appeared in "Almost Famous", portraying Jann Wenner. He was seen in "Center Stage", "Fight Club", Catherine Jelski's "The Young Unknowns", "The Scoundrel's Wife", "Seven and a Match", Renny Harlin's "Mindhunters" for Miramax, and the independent feature "Sexual Life" for director Ken Kwapis. He auditioned for the role of Bruce Wayne in "Batman Begins" (2005).


title: Eion Bailey

text: His television appearances include "Dawson's Creek", HBO's highly acclaimed series "Band of Brothers" produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, and the HBO original film "And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself" opposite Antonio Banderas.


title: Eion Bailey

text: Onstage, Bailey appeared in "Equus" at the Pasadena Playhouse, as well as "Spoon River Anthology", "Look Homeward, Angel", and "Dinner at Eight" at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, "Desire and I" at the Access Theatre Santa Barbara, and "Icarus' Mother" at the SBCC Studio Theatre.


title: Eion Bailey

text: In 2007, Bailey was awarded a Daytime Emmy for his performance in "Life of the Party". Bailey had recurring guest-starring roles on the TV series "Dawson's Creek" and "ER".


title: Eion Bailey

text: In 2010, Bailey had a recurring role in USA Network's "Covert Affairs" as Ben Mercer, Annie's ex-boyfriend, who was being targeted by the CIA, before returning to the Agency near the end of Season 1. Bailey had a guest role on "30 Rock" in 2011 as Anders, a love interest of Liz Lemon's who is "definitely not a Swiss prostitute that Martha Stewart recommended." In 2012, Bailey started recurring on "Once Upon a Time" as August Booth.


title: Eion Bailey

text: On May 1, 2013, Bailey guest-starred in "Traumatic Wound" on "" as Frank Patterson, an Iraq war veteran with PTSD who becomes a key witness in an investigation of a sexual assault in a nightclub.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: The Mass Rapid Transit system, locally known by the initialism MRT, is a rapid transit system in Singapore and the island country's principal mode of railway transportation. The system commenced operations in November 1987 after two decades of planning with an initial stretch consisting of five stations. The network has since grown to span the length and breadth of the country's main island – with the exception of the forested core and the rural northwestern region – in accordance with Singapore's aim of developing a comprehensive rail network as the backbone of the country's public transportation system, averaging a daily ridership of 3.4 million in 2019.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: The MRT network encompasses of grade-separated route on standard gauge. There are 134 operational stations (30 of which are interchange stations) dispersed across six lines arrayed in a circle-radial topology. The network is scheduled to double in length to about by 2040 as a result of ongoing extension works to its existing lines and the construction of three new lines. The island-wide heavy rail network interchanges with a series of automated guideway transit networks localised to select suburban towns—collectively known as the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system—that complement the mainline by providing a last mile link between MRT stations and HDB public housing estates.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: The MRT is the second oldest, busiest, and most comprehensive metro system in Southeast Asia. Capital expenditure on its rail infrastructure reached a cumulative S$150 billion in 2021, making the network one of the world's costliest on both a per-kilometre and absolute basis. The system is managed in conformity with a semi-nationalised hybrid regulatory framework; construction and procurement fall under the purview of the Land Transport Authority (LTA), a statutory board of the government that allocates operating concessions to the for-profit private corporations SMRT and SBS Transit. These operators are responsible for asset maintenance on their respective lines, and also run bus services, facilitating operational synchronicity and the horizontal integration of the broader public transportation network.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: The MRT is fully automated and is the most extensive driverless rapid transit system in the world. Asset renewal works are periodically carried out to modernise the network and ensure its continued reliability; all stations feature platform screen doors, Wi-Fi connectivity, lifts, climate control, and accessibility provisions, among others. Much of the early network is elevated above ground on concrete viaducts, with a small portion running at-grade; newer lines are largely subterranean, incorporating several of the lengthiest continuous subway tunnel sections in the world. A number of underground stations double as purpose-built air raid shelters under the operational authority of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF); these stations incorporate deep-level station boxes cast with hardened concrete and blast doors fashioned out of reinforced steel to withstand conventional aerial and chemical ordnance.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: The origins of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) are derived from a forecast by city planners in 1967 which stated the need for a rail-based urban transport system by 1992. However, opposition from the government on the feasibility of the MRT from prominent ministers, among them Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee and Trades and Industry Minister Tony Tan, nearly shuttered the program due to financial grounds and concerns of jobs saturation in the construction industry. Dr Goh instead endorsed the idea of an all-bus system recommended by Harvard University specialists, who argued would reduce the cost by 50% compared to the proposed MRT system. Public opinion was split on the matter, with several expressing concerns on the high cost and others being more focused on increasing the standard of living. Following a debate on whether a bus-only system would be more cost-effective, Communications Minister Ong Teng Cheong came to the conclusion that an all-bus system would be inadequate, as it would have to compete for road space in a land-scarce country. Ong was an architect and town planner by training and through his perseverance and dedication became the main figure behind the initial construction of the system.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: Singapore's MRT infrastructure is built, operated, and managed in accordance with a hybridised quasi-nationalised regulatory framework called the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF), in which the lines are constructed and the assets owned by the Land Transport Authority, a statutory board of the Government of Singapore.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: The network was planned to be constructed and opened in stages, even as plans had already indicated the decision for two main arterial lines. The North South Line was given priority because it passed through the Central Area that has a high demand for public transport. The Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC)—later renamed SMRT Corporation—was established on 14 October 1983 and took over the roles and responsibilities of the former provisional Mass Rapid Transit Authority. On 7 November 1987, the first section of the North South Line started operations, consisting of five stations over six kilometres. Within a year, 20 more stations had been added to the network and a direct service existed between Yishun and Lakeside stations, linking up Central Singapore to Jurong in the west by the end of 1988. The direct service was eventually split into the North South and East West lines after the latter's completion of the eastern sector to Tanah Merah station. By the end of 1990, the Branch line has further linked Choa Chu Kang to the network while the inauguration of Boon Lay station on 6 July 1990 marked the completion of the initial system two years ahead of schedule.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: The MRT has been continuously expanded ever since. On 10 February 1996, a S$1.2 billion expansion of the North South Line into Woodlands was completed, merging the Branch Line into the North South Line and joining Yishun and Choa Chu Kang stations. The concept of having rail lines that bring people almost directly to their homes led to the introduction of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines connecting with the MRT network. On 6 November 1999, the first LRT trains on the Bukit Panjang LRT went into operation. The Expo and Changi Airport stations were opened on 10 January 2001 and 8 February 2002 respectively. The very first infill station of the MRT network to be built on an existing line, Dover station opened on 18 October 2001.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: The North East Line, the first line operated by SBS Transit, opened on 20 June 2003, is one of the first fully automated heavy rail lines in the world. On 15 January 2006, after intense two-and-a-half years lobbying by the public, Buangkok station was opened, followed by Woodleigh station much later on 20 June 2011. The Boon Lay Extension of the East West Line, consisting of Pioneer and Joo Koon stations, opened on 28 February 2009.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: The Circle Line opened in four stages with Stage 3 on 28 May 2009, Stages 1 and 2 on 17 April 2010, Stages 4 and 5 on 8 October 2011 and the Marina Bay Extension on 14 January 2012. Stage 1 of Downtown line opened on 22 December 2013 with its official opening made on 21 December 2013 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Stage 2 opened on 27 December 2015, after being officially opened on 26 December by Prime Minister Lee. The Tuas West Extension of the East West Line, consisting of Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent, Tuas West Road, and Tuas Link stations, opened on 18 June 2017. Stage 3, the final stage of the Downtown Line, opened on 21 October 2017 with its official opening made on 20 October 2017 by Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan. The second infill station, Canberra station opened on 2 November 2019. Stage 1 of the Thomson–East Coast Line opened on 31 January 2020. Stage 2 of the Thomson–East Coast Line opened on 28 August 2021, extending the line from Woodlands South to Caldecott. Stage 3 of the Thomson–East Coast Line opened on 13 November 2022, extending the line from Caldecott to Gardens by the Bay.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: The lines are named based on its directions and location. The names were envisioned to be user-friendly, as shown in a survey in which 70% of the respondents expressed such a preference. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) in July 2000 has considered other naming methods, whether by name, color or numbers. After the survey, however, the naming scheme was retained and used for subsequent future MRT lines.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: Except for the partly at-grade Bishan MRT station (North South Line), the entirety of the MRT is either elevated or underground. Most below-ground stations are deep and hardened enough to withstand conventional aerial bomb attacks and to serve as bomb shelters. Mobile phone, 3G and 4G services are available in every part of the network. Underground stations and trains are air-conditioned, while above-ground stations have ceiling fans installed.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: Every station is equipped with General Ticketing Machines (GTMs), a Passenger Service Centre and LED or plasma displays that show train service information and announcements. All stations are equipped with restrooms and payphones; some restrooms are located at street level. Some stations, especially the major ones, have additional amenities and services, such as retail shops and kiosks, supermarkets, convenience stores, automatic teller machines, and self-service automated kiosks for a variety of services. Most heavy-duty escalators at stations carry passengers up or down at a rate of 0.75 m/s, which is 50% faster than conventional escalators. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced a plan to introduce dual speeds to escalators along the North South and East West lines, to make it safer for senior citizens using them. As a result, all escalators on the two lines, through a refurbishment programme, will be able to operate at a different speed of 0.5 m/s during off-peak hours, with completion being targeted for 2022.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: All stations constructed before 2001 initially lacked barrier-free facilities and wider AFC faregates such as lifts, ramps and tactile guidance systems for the elderly and disabled. A retrofitting programme was completed in 2006, with every station provided with at least one barrier-free access route. Over the years, additional barrier-free facilities have been constructed in stations. Since 2020, newer MRT stations have been fitted with a minimum of two lifts.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: Operators and authorities have stated that numerous measures had been taken to ensure the safety of passengers, and SBS Transit publicised the safety precautions on the driverless North East line before and after its opening. Safety campaign posters are highly visible in trains and stations, and the operators frequently broadcast safety announcements to passengers and to commuters waiting for trains. Fire safety standards are consistent and equivalent with the guidelines of the National Fire Protection Association in the United States.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: Full-height platform screen doors were already installed in underground stations since 1987, supplied by Westinghouse. There were calls for platform screen doors to be installed at elevated stations after several incidents in which passengers were killed by oncoming trains when they fell onto the railway tracks at elevated stations. The authorities initially rejected such calls by casting doubts over functionality and concerns about the high installation costs. Nevertheless, the LTA reversed its decision and made plans to install half-height platform screen doors in all elevated stations on 25 January 2008. The first platform screen doors by ST Electronics were installed at Jurong East, Pasir Ris, and Yishun stations in 2009 under trials to test their feasibility.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: By 14 March 2012, all elevated stations have been retrofitted with the doors and are operational. These doors prevent suicides and unauthorised access to restricted areas. Under the "Rapid Transit Systems Act", acts such as smoking, eating or drinking in stations and trains, the misuse of emergency equipment and trespassing on the railway tracks are illegal, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment.


title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)

text: There were a few major incidents in the history of the MRT, which opened in 1987. On 5 August 1993, two trains collided at Clementi station because of an oil spillage on the track, which resulted in 132 injuries. During the construction of the Circle Line on 20 April 2004, a tunnel being constructed under Nicoll Highway collapsed and led to the deaths of four workers. On 15 November 2017, two trains, one being empty, collided at low speed at Joo Koon station due to a malfunction with the communications-based train control (CBTC).