title: Boron carbide

text: Boron carbide (chemical formula approximately BC) is an extremely hard boron–carbon ceramic, a covalent material used in tank armor, bulletproof vests, engine sabotage powders,


title: Boron carbide

text: as well as numerous industrial applications. With a Vickers hardness of >30 GPa, it is one of the hardest known materials, behind cubic boron nitride and diamond.


title: Boron carbide

text: Boron carbide was discovered in the 19th century as a by-product of reactions involving metal borides, but its chemical formula was unknown. It was not until the 1930s that the chemical composition was estimated as BC.


title: Boron carbide

text: Controversy remained as to whether or not the material had this exact 4:1 stoichiometry, as, in practice the material is always slightly carbon-deficient with regard to this formula, and X-ray crystallography shows that its structure is highly complex, with a mixture of C-B-C chains and B icosahedra.


title: Boron carbide

text: Because of the B structural unit, the chemical formula of "ideal" boron carbide is often written not as BC, but as BC, and the carbon deficiency of boron carbide described in terms of a combination of the BC and BCBC units.


title: Boron carbide

text: Boron carbide has a complex crystal structure typical of icosahedron-based borides. There, B icosahedra form a rhombohedral lattice unit (space group: "Rm" (No. 166), lattice constants: "a" = 0.56 nm and "c" = 1.212 nm) surrounding a C-B-C chain that resides at the center of the unit cell, and both carbon atoms bridge the neighboring three icosahedra. This structure is layered: the B icosahedra and bridging carbons form a network plane that spreads parallel to the "c"-plane and stacks along the "c"-axis. The lattice has two basic structure units – the B icosahedron and the B octahedron. Because of the small size of the B octahedra, they cannot interconnect. Instead, they bond to the B icosahedra in the neighboring layer, and this decreases bonding strength in the "c"-plane.


title: Boron carbide

text: Because of the B structural unit, the chemical formula of "ideal" boron carbide is often written not as BC, but as BC, and the carbon deficiency of boron carbide described in terms of a combination of the BC and BC units. Some studies indicate the possibility of incorporation of one or more carbon atoms into the boron icosahedra, giving rise to formulas such as (BC)CBC = BC at the carbon-heavy end of the stoichiometry, but formulas such as B(CBB) = BC at the boron-rich end. "Boron carbide" is thus not a single compound, but a family of compounds of different compositions. A common intermediate, which approximates a commonly found ratio of elements, is B(CBC) = BC. Quantum mechanical calculations have demonstrated that configurational disorder between boron and carbon atoms on the different positions in the crystal determines several of the materials properties - in particular, the crystal symmetry of the BC composition and the non-metallic electrical character of the BC composition.


title: Boron carbide

text: Boron carbide is known as a robust material having extremely high hardness (about 9.5 up to 9.75 on Mohs hardness scale), high cross section for absorption of neutrons (i.e. good shielding properties against neutrons), stability to ionizing radiation and most chemicals. Its Vickers hardness (38 GPa), Elastic Modulus (460 GPa) and fracture toughness (3.5 MPa·m) approach the corresponding values for diamond (1150 GPa and 5.3 MPa·m).


title: Boron carbide

text: , boron carbide is the third hardest substance known, after diamond and cubic boron nitride, earning it the nickname "black diamond".


title: Boron carbide

text: Boron carbide is a semiconductor, with electronic properties dominated by hopping-type transport. The energy band gap depends on composition as well as the degree of order. The band gap is estimated at 2.09 eV, with multiple mid-bandgap states which complicate the photoluminescence spectrum. The material is typically p-type.


title: Boron carbide

text: Boron carbide was first synthesized by Henri Moissan in 1899, by reduction of boron trioxide either with carbon or magnesium in presence of carbon in an electric arc furnace. In the case of carbon, the reaction occurs at temperatures above the melting point of BC and is accompanied by liberation of large amount of carbon monoxide:


title: Boron carbide

text: If magnesium is used, the reaction can be carried out in a graphite crucible, and the magnesium byproducts are removed by treatment with acid.


title: Boron carbide

text: The ability of boron carbide to absorb neutrons without forming long-lived radionuclides makes it attractive as an absorbent for neutron radiation arising in nuclear power plants and from anti-personnel neutron bombs. Nuclear applications of boron carbide include shielding.


title: Quake Champions

text: Quake Champions is a first-person arena shooter developed by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fifth main entry in the "Quake" series, following 2005's "Quake 4". The game was first released in early access on August 22, 2017; since August 10, 2018, the game has been free-to-play. The game's full version was released on August 18, 2022.


title: Quake Champions

text: "Quake Champions" was announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2016. The game features a large quantity of playable characters, with each having access to one or more 'passive abilities', and one 'active ability' that must be triggered by a key-press . The game was promised to be a "fast paced arena based shooter". It will not be released on consoles due to hardware limitations.


title: Quake Champions

text: At QuakeCon 2016, creative-director Tim Willits revealed that "Quake Champions" does not run on the id Tech 6 game engine, but instead works on a hybrid engine made up of id tech and Saber tech, which means a number of the features seen in "Doom" are not native to "Quake Champions", such as virtual reality, Vulkan API, SnapMaps and mod support, although mod support is potentially planned after initial release. It was revealed that "Quake Champions" was originally considered as an expansion to "Quake Live", a revamped version of "Quake III Arena" released in 2010. The game went into closed beta on April 6, 2017 and was released onto Steam's early access program on August 22.


title: Quake Champions

text: It is stated that the game would feature a free-to-play option, allowing players to play as Ranger, with additional characters available for purchase, similar to the model used in "Killer Instinct".


title: Quake Champions

text: At E3 2018, Bethesda announced the availability of a free-to-play trial that is downloadable on Steam. Players who sign up during the free trial period will be able to keep playing for free after the game launch. Early access to the game was available for purchase at $30 on Steam.


title: Quake Champions

text: Andrew Hulshult announced on his Twitter that he will be composing new music for the game. Hulshult previously composed music for the modification "Brutal Doom" and Apogee Software titles like 2013's "Rise of the Triad" and 3D Realms' "Bombshell".


title: Quake Champions

text: During Quakecon 2018, it was announced that "Quake Champions" would be free-to-play and open to all players on August 10. At launch, the game made use of loot boxes containing random cosmetic items. It later transitioned to a battle pass model in December, with players earning "shards" from weekly challenges to unlock new cosmetics.


title: Quake Champions

text: The game has been well-received by fans of the "Quake" series, but has failed to keep the player's attention for longer than other free-to-play games.


title: Quake Champions

text: The game was nominated for "Fan-favorite Shooter Game" at the Gamers' Choice Awards, and for "Best Action Game" at the Titanium Awards.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The Nationalist Party (, PN) is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Malta, along with the Labour Party.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: It is a Christian-democratic, and conservative political party, and it has been also described as centrist or centre-right on the political spectrum. It is supportive of Malta's membership in the European Union. It is currently in opposition to the Labour Party. Since independence in 1964, the Nationalist Party has won six out of the thirteen general elections, in 1966, 1987, 1992, 1998 and 2003. In 2008 it won with a paper-thin majority of around 1500 votes.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: Malta's Nationalist Party is the successor to the Anti-Reform Party founded by Fortunato Mizzi in 1883, opposing taxation policies decreed by the British authorities and measures to anglicise the educational and judicial systems during the "Language Question" period.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: This would lead to the party openly siding with General Franco's fascist army in the Spanish Civil War. This is still seen by the historical iconography that stayed on the party, including the proto-Fascist imagery of the party logo is a shield set against a black background (black being the heraldic colour chosen by Mussolini, as evidenced by his "Blackshirts"), the PN's official anthem, which is still sung during mass meetings, being similar to the official anthem of Mussolini's Fascist party, "La Giovinezza", and also the name of the party itself, which in itself includes the term "nazionale" for the first time, which was inspired by Italian nationalism.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The party supported human rights, so long as they were in line with Roman Catholicism. In 2011 it was noted that its party platform was "far to the right of most other Christian Democratic parties, the Bavarian Christian Social Union in Germany included". In the following years, the party moved towards more centrist positions and became more progressive. The Nationalist Party opposed the introduction of divorce in Malta in 2011. However, since then, it has changed to a position of support for it and for other liberal ideas.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: Factions within the Nationalist party do not tolerate LGBT rights statutes; despite this, the majority of its parliamentary group voted in favour of gay marriage in 2017. The party has become very diverse in the last few years. The party calls itself a mosaic of people and ideologies. The party recruited a non-binary member, Mark Josef Rapa, for their pro-LGBT group, FOIPN, and a transgender member, Freddie Gerada, for their youth group, Team Start. Apart from that, there is a growing number of LGBT and openly pro-choice people in the party.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: A clause in the party statute dating back to 1991 bans active or former Freemasons from taking active roles, including casting a democratic vote, within the parameters controlled by the party itself.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The Party structures are the General, Executive and Administrative Councils, the Parliamentary Group, the District Fora and Sectional Committees, the College of Local Councillors and a number of Party branches.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: Party officials include the Leader, two Deputy Leaders, Secretary-General, President of the Party's General Councils and Presidents for each of the Executive and Administrative Committees, Treasurer, International Secretary and Parliamentary Group Whip.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The General Council is made up of delegates and representatives from other Party structures, the largest number being delegates elected by the Sectional Committees. The General Council elects and approves the Party Leader and two Deputy Leaders, approves the electoral programme, approves the Secretary-General's report on the state of the Party and amends the Party Statute. The executive committee is made up of the Party's most senior officials, representatives of the General Council, the Parliamentary Group, Sectional Committees and the Party branches. The executive committee is the political and policy making body of the Party and, amongst other things, elects most of the Party officials, approves candidates, drafts the electoral programme and lays out the broad policy guidelines. The Administrative Committee is made up of Party officials, Presidents of all of the Party's branches and deals with organisational and administrative issues.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The Party is organised geographically in Sectional Committees which are then organised in District Fora with special provisions applying for Party organisation in Gozo. The Parliamentary Group and the College of Local Councillors bring together the Party's elected representatives in parliament and local councils. The Party's branches include an equal opportunities section, as well as youth, women's, seniors, workers, professionals, entrepreneurs, local councillors, candidates and former MPs sections.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: Although not directly part of the Party's structure, the Party owns the television station NET Television, the online news portal netnews.com.mt, Net FM radio station, and the "In-Nazzjon" and "Il-Mument" newspapers through its holding company Media.link Communications.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The Nationalist Party's roots lie in the important language question of the late 19th century, when the colonial government in Malta tried to give the English language the importance Italian had held in schools, administration, and law courts. Fortunato Mizzi, who was a lawyer at the time, strongly opposed these reforms, and in 1880, he set up the "Partito Anti-Riformista" (Anti-Reform Party). He and his followers also wanted a better constitution for the island, as the one imposed at the time had been granted by governor Richard More O'Ferrall in 1849, and gave the Maltese little power. This was because the governor was to appoint more members to the council of government than there were to be elected by the voters.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: Against the Anti-Reform Party stood the Reform Party, founded by Sigismondo Savona in 1879. The Reform Party was in favour of the language reforms being imposed.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: In 1886, Fortunato Mizzi, together with Gerald Strickland (another anti-reformist at the time), went to London to demand a new constitution for the islands, which would give them representative government. This constitution was granted in 1887 (known as the Knutsford Constitution), and added more elected members to the council of government than official (appointed) members.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: During the next few years, the party was divided between abstentionists and anti-abstentionists. The abstentionists would immediately resign their post in the Council of Government immediately upon election as a protest against the token representation of the electorate on the council; the anti-abstentionists favoured co-operation with the colonial authorities in order to work for a better constitution.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: This practice of abstentionism led to the 1887 constitution being withdrawn, and in 1903, a new one was given instead, similar to that of 1887.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: Following the First World War a broader and more moderate coalition, the Maltese Political Union (UPM), was formed but a more radical and pro-Italian group, the Democratic Nationalist Party (PDN), split from the main party. The two groups contested the first legislative elections of 1921 but in separate constituencies so as not to damage each other's chances. However, after elections the UPM, which emerged as the largest Party in the Legislative Assembly, chose Labour as its coalition partner.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The parties again contested the 1924 elections separately although this time they did form a coalition, eventually merging in 1926 under the old name of Nationalist Party. It lost its first elections as a re-unified Party in 1927 to the "Compact", an electoral alliance between the Constitutional Party and Labour.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: A constitutional crisis, resulting from a dispute between the Church and the Constitutional Party, meant that elections were suspended in 1930. They were held again in 1932 when the Nationalists emerged victorious (21 seats out of 32). However, the Nationalists did not last long in government. The colonial authorities, concerned at the rise of fascist Italy in the Mediterranean and Africa, suspended the government and the constitution on the pretext that government's measures to strengthen instruction of Italian in schools violated the Constitution.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The Nationalists received what could have been their coup de grâce during the War. Their association with Italy, the wartime enemy, antagonised them with the electorate, and their leader Enrico Mizzi (son of Fortunato) was first interned and then exiled to Uganda during the War along with other supporters of the Party. The Party did not even contest the 1945 elections for the Council of Government which for the first time raised the Labour Party from third-party status to that of a major party at the expense of the Constitutionals.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: Notwithstanding, the Nationalist Party survived and in its first major electoral test, the legislative elections of 1947, it managed to stay ahead of various splinters that had formed from people who did not want to be associated with the main party. In the following 1950 elections, a very damaging split occurred in the ranks of the governing Labour Party resulting in two parties: the Malta Labour Party (MLP) and the Malta Workers' Party (MWP). This helped the Nationalists become the largest party in the Legislative Assembly and form a minority government which, though short-lived, re-established the Nationalist Party as a major political party. Enrico Mizzi was sworn in as Prime Minister, but died after three months in December.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: Two subsequent elections were held in 1951 and 1953 where the Nationalists formed short-lived coalitions with the Malta Workers Party (which, over the years, eventually disintegrated). The Party lost the 1955 elections to Labour and the following years it led the campaign against the Labour Government's proposal for integration with Britain. Integration failed largely because Britain lost interest after the Suez fiasco and the constitution was again revoked in 1958 following massive disturbances over redundancies at the Malta Drydocks.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: A new constitution was enacted in 1961. The Nationalists, led by George Borg Olivier won the 1962 elections, fought largely over the issue of independence and having as a backdrop a second politico-religious crisis this time between the Church and the Labour Party. Independence was achieved in 1964 and the Party was returned to office in elections in 1966. It lost the 1971 elections by a narrow margin and lost again in 1976.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: In the elections of 1981 the party, led by Eddie Fenech Adami achieved an absolute majority of votes for the first time since 1933 but it did not gain a parliamentary majority and so remained in the opposition. A crisis followed with the party MPs refusing to take their seats. Amendments to the constitution in 1987 meant that the party was voted into office that same year after 16 years in opposition.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: In 1990 the government formally applied to join the European Community. A wide-ranging programme of liberalisation and public investments meant the return to office with a larger majority in 1992. However, the party was defeated in the 1996 elections. The stint in opposition would last only 22 months as the government soon lost its one-seat majority. The party won the 1998 elections convincingly, a feat that was repeated in 2003 following the conclusions of accession negotiations with the European Union in 2002.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The Nationalist Party proposed Malta's accession to the European Union, a question which was put forward in the 2003 Maltese European Union membership referendum. Those in favour were 53% of eligible voters, a result that prompted the 2003 snap election in order to confirm the mandate. Malta joined the European Union in 2004.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The Nationalist Party won narrowly the general election of 2008. It lost the 2013 election and is currently in opposition.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: After the most recent Nationalist government, led by Lawrence Gonzi, lost its majority in parliament in the final year of the legislature, the same government fell when the budget vote (also a vote of confidence) was defeated, thus meaning it was the first Nationalist government since Independence to fall from power.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: After approximately 23 years in government (With Labour's short 2-year stint between 1996 and 1998 being in between two stints of PN governance) the Nationalist Party took a major defeat in the Maltese general elections of 2013, losing several districts and resulting in a nine-seat deficit in parliament between it as the opposition and the elected Government. the win is considered to have been the biggest victory any party has had since Malta's Independence with the opposing Labour party taking 55% of the votes with a difference of 35,000 votes between the two parties.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The Nationalist Party again suffered a loss in the European Parliament election of 2014 against the governing Labour Party by over 34,000 votes, but managed to elect its third MEP for the first time since Malta's entrance in the EU, namely Roberta Metsola, David Casa and Therese Comodini Cachia.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: In the 2015 local council elections, the Nationalist Party increased its vote percentage from 41% in 2012 to 45%.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: In the lead-up to the 2017 general election the Nationalist Party negotiated for a coalition with two never-elected third parties in Malta, all under the campaign Forza Nazzjonali: the newly formed centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and the green Democratic Alternative (AD). Under an agreement reached with PD leader and former Labour and Nationalist MP Marlene Farrugia, PD candidates contested the 2017 general election under the Nationalist banner with the added notation "tal-orange" (referring to the PD's party colour) and any elected PD members would participate in a future Nationalist-led government. Negotiations with the AD were unsuccessful due to the AD wanting all three parties to run candidates under a new name, Qawsalla ("Rainbow"), with unified policy platforms rather than simply as Nationalists with an added notation.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: The Party formed a coalition list called Forza Nazzjonali together with the Democratic Party. Nevertheless, this was not successful and the party, under Forza Nazzjonali, was defeated again in the 2017 snap election.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: After the election, Simon Busuttil resigned from the position of leader of the party alongside the deputy leaders of his administration. A new election for the leadership role was decided in which for the first time, paid PN supporters can vote as well as the executive. The four candidates in the first round were Adrian Delia, Chris Said, Alex Perici Calascione and Frank Portelli. Alex Perici Calascione and Frank Portelli were the two candidates who did not pass through the first phase. In the second round Adrian Delia emerged as the winner of the leadership election, in which he gained 7,734 votes (52.7% of the vote), to Said's 6,932 votes.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: In Adrian Delia's first European election as party leader in 2019 the party took an even bigger defeat than before, with a 43,000 vote difference separating the two parties. this would lead to the party losing another seat while the Labour party gained another seat.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: Former Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta Louis Galea has suggested that the party rebrand, possibly under the new name People's National Party (), in order to avoid association with other contemporary "nationalist" parties in Europe, which tend to be positioned on the far-right.


title: Nationalist Party (Malta)

text: Roberta Metsola, a member of PN, was elected President of the European Parliament in January 2022 following the unexpected death of David Sassoli.


title: Mary Spender

text: Spender writes and performs original songs. Her guitar style has been described as "crisp" with a "harmonically rich, percussive style" and her songwriting as "confessional" and "sultry". Her music has been broadcast on various radio stations including BBC Radio.


title: Mary Spender

text: Her YouTube channel is themed on music and music technology. It has included interviews with guitarists KT Tunstall, Jen Majura, James Valentine, Devin Townsend, Kaki King, Reina del Cid, and Tomo Fujita. She has also appeared on other YouTube channels such as "Andertons", "Adam Neely" and "That Pedal Show".


title: Mary Spender

text: Spender was born at the British Military Hospital in Rinteln, Germany, the daughter of a British Army officer. She studied classical music at the University of Bristol, including playing the viola and classical singing.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: Angiotensin-converting enzyme (), or ACE, is a central component of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS), which controls blood pressure by regulating the volume of fluids in the body. It converts the hormone angiotensin I to the active vasoconstrictor angiotensin II. Therefore, ACE indirectly increases blood pressure by causing blood vessels to constrict. ACE inhibitors are widely used as pharmaceutical drugs for treatment of cardiovascular diseases.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: Other lesser known functions of ACE are degradation of bradykinin, substance P and amyloid beta-protein.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: ACE hydrolyzes peptides by the removal of a dipeptide from the C-terminus. Likewise it converts the inactive decapeptide angiotensin I to the octapeptide angiotensin II by removing the dipeptide His-Leu.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: ACE is a central component of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS), which controls blood pressure by regulating the volume of fluids in the body.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: Angiotensin II is a potent vasoconstrictor in a substrate concentration-dependent manner. Angiotensin II binds to the type 1 angiotensin II receptor (AT1), which sets off a number of actions that result in vasoconstriction and therefore increased blood pressure.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: ACE is also part of the kinin-kallikrein system where it degrades bradykinin, a potent vasodilator, and other vasoactive peptides.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: Kininase II is the same as angiotensin-converting enzyme. Thus, the same enzyme (ACE) that generates a vasoconstrictor (ANG II) also disposes of vasodilators (bradykinin).


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: ACE is a zinc metalloproteinase. The zinc center catalyses the peptide hydrolysis. Reflecting the critical role of zinc, ACE can be inhibited by metal-chelating agents.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: The E384 residue is mechanistically critical. As a general base, it deprotonates the zinc-bound water, producing a nucleophilic Zn-OH center. The resulting ammonium group then serves as a general acid to cleave the C-N bond.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: The function of the chloride ion is very complex and is highly debated. The anion activation by chloride is a characteristic feature of ACE. It was experimentally determined that the activation of hydrolysis by chloride is highly dependent on the substrate. While it increases hydrolysis rates for e.g. Hip-His-Leu it inhibits hydrolysis of other substrates like Hip-Ala-Pro. Under physiological conditions the enzyme reaches about 60% of its maximal activity toward angiotensin I while it reaches its full activity toward bradykinin. It is therefore assumed that the function of the anion activation in ACE provides high substrate specificity. Other theories say that the chloride might simply stabilize the overall structure of the enzyme.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: The ACE gene, "ACE", encodes two isozymes. The somatic isozyme is expressed in many tissues, mainly in the lung, including vascular endothelial cells, epithelial kidney cells, and testicular Leydig cells, whereas the germinal is expressed only in sperm. Brain tissue has ACE enzyme, which takes part in local RAS and converts Aβ42 (which aggregates into plaques) to Aβ40 (which is thought to be less toxic) forms of beta amyloid. The latter is predominantly a function of N domain portion on the ACE enzyme. ACE inhibitors that cross the blood–brain barrier and have preferentially selected N-terminal activity may therefore cause accumulation of Aβ42 and progression of dementia.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: ACE inhibitors are widely used as pharmaceutical drugs in the treatment of conditions such as high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetic nephropathy, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: ACE inhibitors inhibit ACE competitively. That results in the decreased formation of angiotensin II and decreased metabolism of bradykinin, which leads to systematic dilation of the arteries and veins and a decrease in arterial blood pressure. In addition, inhibiting angiotensin II formation diminishes angiotensin II-mediated aldosterone secretion from the adrenal cortex, leading to a decrease in water and sodium reabsorption and a reduction in extracellular volume.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: ACE's effect on Alzheimer's disease is still highly debated. Alzheimer patients usually show higher ACE levels in their brain. Some studies suggest that ACE inhibitors that are able to pass the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) could enhance the activity of major amyloid-beta peptide degrading enzymes like neprilysin in the brain resulting in a slower development of Alzheimer's disease. More recent research suggests that ACE inhibitors can reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease in the absence of apolipoprotein E4 alleles (ApoE4), but will have no effect in ApoE4- carriers. Another more recent hypothesis is that higher levels of ACE can prevent Alzheimer's. It is assumed that ACE can degrade beta-amyloid in brain blood vessels and therefore help prevent the progression of the disease.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: A negative correlation between the ACE1 D-allele frequency and the prevalence and mortality of COVID-19 has been established.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: Studies have shown that different genotypes of angiotensin converting enzyme can lead to varying influence on athletic performance.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: The rs1799752 I/D polymorphism consists of either an insertion (I) or absence (D) of a 287 base pair alanine sequence in intron 16 of the gene. The DD genotype is associated with higher plasma levels of the ACE protein, the DI genotype with intermediate levels, and II with lower levels. During physical exercise, due to higher levels of the ACE for D-allele carriers, hence higher capacity to produce angiotensin II, the blood pressure will increase sooner than for I-allele carriers. This results in a lower maximal heart rate and lower maximum oxygen uptake (VO). Therefore, D-allele carriers have a 10% increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, the D-allele is associated with a greater increase in left ventricular growth in response to training compared to the I-allele. On the other hand, I-allele carriers usually show an increased maximal heart rate due to lower ACE levels, higher maximum oxygen uptake and therefore show an enhanced endurance performance. The I allele is found with increased frequency in elite distance runners, rowers and cyclists. Short distance swimmers show an increased frequency of the D-allele, since their discipline relies more on strength than endurance.


title: Angiotensin-converting enzyme

text: The enzyme was reported by Leonard T. Skeggs Jr. in 1956. The crystal structure of human testis ACE was solved in the year 2002 by R. Natesh in the lab of K. Ravi Acharya. It is located mainly in the capillaries of the lungs but can also be found in endothelial and kidney epithelial cells.


title: Paschen's law

text: Paschen's law is an equation that gives the breakdown voltage, that is, the voltage necessary to start a discharge or electric arc, between two electrodes in a gas as a function of pressure and gap length. It is named after Friedrich Paschen who discovered it empirically in 1889.


title: Paschen's law

text: Paschen studied the breakdown voltage of various gases between parallel metal plates as the gas pressure and gap distance were varied:


title: Paschen's law

text: For a given gas, the voltage is a function only of the product of the pressure and gap length. The curve he found of voltage versus the pressure-gap length product "(right)" is called Paschen's curve. He found an equation that fit these curves, which is now called Paschen's law.


title: Paschen's law

text: At higher pressures and gap lengths, the breakdown voltage is approximately "proportional" to the product of pressure and gap length, and the term Paschen's law is sometimes used to refer to this simpler relation. However, this is only roughly true, over a limited range of the curve.


title: Paschen's law

text: Early vacuum experimenters found a rather surprising behavior. An arc would sometimes take place in a long irregular path rather than at the minimal distance between the electrodes. For example, in air, at a pressure of one atmosphere, the distance for minimal breakdown voltage is about 7.5 μm. The voltage required to arc this distance is 327 V, which is insufficient to ignite the arcs for gaps that are either wider or narrower. For a 3.5 μm gap, the required voltage is 533 V, nearly twice as much. If 500 V were applied, it would not be sufficient to arc at the 2.85 μm distance, but would arc at a 7.5 μm distance.


title: Paschen's law

text: where formula_2 is the breakdown voltage in volts, formula_3 is the pressure in pascals, formula_4 is the gap distance in meters, formula_5 is the secondary-electron-emission coefficient (the number of secondary electrons produced per incident positive ion), formula_6 is the saturation ionization in the gas at a particular formula_7 (electric field/pressure), and formula_8 is related to the excitation and ionization energies.


title: Paschen's law

text: The constants formula_6 and formula_8 are determined experimentally and found to be roughly constant over a restricted range of formula_7 for any given gas. For example, air with an formula_7 in the range of 450 to 7500 V/(kPa·cm), formula_6 = 112.50 (kPa·cm) and formula_8 = 2737.50 V/(kPa·cm).


title: Paschen's law

text: The graph of this equation is the Paschen curve. By differentiating it with respect to formula_15 and setting the derivative to zero, the minimal voltage can be found. This yields


title: Paschen's law

text: and predicts the occurrence of a minimal breakdown voltage for formula_15 = 7.5×10 m·atm. This is 327 V in air at standard atmospheric pressure at a distance of 7.5 μm.


title: Paschen's law

text: The composition of the gas determines both the minimal arc voltage and the distance at which it occurs. For argon, the minimal arc voltage is 137 V at a larger 12 μm. For sulfur dioxide, the minimal arc voltage is 457 V at only 4.4 μm.


title: Paschen's law

text: For air at standard conditions for temperature and pressure (STP), the voltage needed to arc a 1-metre gap is about 3.4 MV. The intensity of the electric field for this gap is therefore 3.4 MV/m.


title: Paschen's law

text: The electric field needed to arc across the minimal-voltage gap is much greater than what is necessary to arc a gap of one metre. At large gaps (or large pd) Paschen's Law is known to fail. The Meek Criteria for breakdown is usually used for large gaps.


title: Paschen's law

text: It takes into account non-uniformity in the electric field and formation of streamers due to the build up of charge within the gap that can occur over long distances. For a 7.5 μm gap the arc voltage is 327 V, which is 43 MV/m. This is about 14 times greater than the field strength for the 1.5-metre gap. The phenomenon is well verified experimentally and is referred to as the Paschen minimum.


title: Paschen's law

text: and incorrectly predicts an infinite arc voltage at a gap of about 2.7 micrometres. Breakdown voltage can also differ from the Paschen curve prediction for very small electrode gaps, when field emission from the cathode surface becomes important.


title: Paschen's law

text: The mean free path of a molecule in a gas is the average distance between its collision with other molecules. This is inversely proportional to the pressure of the gas, given constant temperature. In air at STP the mean free path of molecules is about 96 nm. Since electrons are much smaller, their average distance between colliding with molecules is about 5.6 times longer, or about 0.5 μm. This is a substantial fraction of the 7.5 μm spacing between the electrodes for minimal arc voltage. If the electron is in an electric field of 43 MV/m, it will be accelerated and acquire 21.5 eV of energy in 0.5 μm of travel in the direction of the field. The first ionization energy needed to dislodge an electron from nitrogen molecule is about 15.6 eV. The accelerated electron will acquire more than enough energy to ionize a nitrogen molecule. This liberated electron will in turn be accelerated, which will lead to another collision. A chain reaction then leads to avalanche breakdown, and an arc takes place from the cascade of released electrons.


title: Paschen's law

text: More collisions will take place in the electron path between the electrodes in a higher-pressure gas. When the pressure–gap product formula_15 is high, an electron will collide with many different gas molecules as it travels from the cathode to the anode. Each of the collisions randomizes the electron direction, so the electron is not always being accelerated by the electric field—sometimes it travels back towards the cathode and is decelerated by the field.


title: Paschen's law

text: Collisions reduce the electron's energy and make it more difficult for it to ionize a molecule. Energy losses from a greater number of collisions require larger voltages for the electrons to accumulate sufficient energy to ionize many gas molecules, which is required to produce an avalanche breakdown.


title: Paschen's law

text: On the left side of the Paschen minimum, the formula_15 product is small. The electron mean free path can become long compared to the gap between the electrodes. In this case, the electrons might gain large amounts of energy, but have fewer ionizing collisions. A greater voltage is therefore required to assure ionization of enough gas molecules to start an avalanche.


title: Paschen's law

text: To calculate the breakthrough voltage, a homogeneous electrical field is assumed. This is the case in a parallel-plate capacitor setup. The electrodes may have the distance formula_4. The cathode is located at the point formula_21.


title: Paschen's law

text: To get impact ionization, the electron energy formula_22 must become greater than the ionization energy formula_23 of the gas atoms between the plates. Per length of path formula_24 a number of formula_25 ionizations will occur. formula_25 is known as the first Townsend coefficient as it was introduced by Townsend.


title: Paschen's law

text: Neglecting possible multiple ionizations of the same atom, the number of created ions is the same as the number of created electrons:


title: Paschen's law

text: formula_30 is the ion current. To keep the discharge going on, free electrons must be created at the cathode surface. This is possible because the ions hitting the cathode release secondary electrons at the impact. (For very large applied voltages also field electron emission can occur.) Without field emission, we can write


title: Paschen's law

text: where formula_31 is the mean number of generated secondary electrons per ion. This is also known as the second Townsend coefficient. Assuming that formula_32, one gets the relation between the Townsend coefficients by putting () into () and transforming:


title: Paschen's law

text: What is the amount of formula_25? The number of ionization depends upon the probability that an electron hits a gas molecule. This probability formula_34 is the relation of the cross-sectional area of a collision between electron and ion formula_35 in relation to the overall area formula_6 that is available for the electron to fly through:


title: Paschen's law

text: As expressed by the second part of the equation, it is also possible to express the probability as relation of the path traveled by the electron formula_24 to the mean free path formula_38 (distance at which another collision occurs).


title: Paschen's law

text: formula_39 is the number of molecules which electrons can hit. It can be calculated using the equation of state of the ideal gas


title: Paschen's law

text: The adjoining sketch illustrates that formula_40. As the radius of an electron can be neglected compared to the radius of an ion formula_41 it simplifies to formula_42. Using this relation, putting () into () and transforming to formula_38 one gets


title: Paschen's law

text: The alteration of the current of not yet collided electrons at every point in the path formula_24 can be expressed as


title: Paschen's law

text: According to its definition formula_25 is the number of ionizations per length of path and thus the relation of the probability that there was no collision in the mean free path of the ions, and the mean free path of the electrons:


title: Paschen's law

text: It was hereby considered that the energy formula_49 that a charged particle can get between a collision depends on the electric field strength formula_50 and the charge formula_51:


title: Paschen's law

text: For the parallel-plate capacitor we have formula_52, where formula_53 is the applied voltage. As a single ionization was assumed formula_51 is the elementary charge formula_55. We can now put () and () into () and get


title: Paschen's law

text: Putting this into (5) and transforming to formula_53 we get the Paschen law for the breakdown voltage formula_57 that was first investigated by Paschen in


title: Paschen's law

text: Plasma ignition in the definition of Townsend (Townsend discharge) is a self-sustaining discharge, independent of an external source of free electrons. This means that electrons from the cathode can reach the anode in the distance formula_4 and ionize at least one atom on their way. So according to the definition of formula_25 this relation must be fulfilled:


title: Paschen's law

text: Different gases will have different mean free paths for molecules and electrons. This is because different molecules have different diameters. Noble gases like helium and argon are monatomic and tend to have smaller diameters. This gives them greater mean free paths.


title: Paschen's law

text: Ionization potentials differ between molecules, as well as the speed that they recapture electrons after they have been knocked out of orbit. All three effects change the number of collisions needed to cause an exponential growth in free electrons. These free electrons are necessary to cause an arc.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: People Like Us (known during production as Welcome to People) is a 2012 American drama film directed by Alex Kurtzman in his directorial debut. The film was written by Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert, and stars Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Michael Hall D'Addario and Michelle Pfeiffer. A. R. Rahman composed the soundtrack. The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through Touchstone Pictures on June 29, 2012.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: Sam Harper, a struggling corporate trader in New York City, may have violated federal law and faces a possible Federal Trade Commission investigation. Sam's boss urges him to bribe federal officials. Returning home, Sam's girlfriend Hannah informs him that his estranged father, Jerry, has died. Sam and Hannah fly to Los Angeles, where he has a tense reunion with his mother, Lillian.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: Jerry's lawyer and friend, Ike, tells Sam he will not inherit any money. The lawyer hands him a shaving kit containing $150,000 in cash and a note stipulating that the money be delivered to Josh Davis.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: Josh is a troubled 11-year-old boy whose bartender mother, Frankie Davis, is a recovering alcoholic. Sam secretly follows Frankie to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He learns she is Jerry's illegitimate daughter, making Frankie Sam's paternal half-sister, and Josh his nephew. When Sam tells Hannah he intends to keep the money, Hannah, disgusted, returns to New York.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: Sam introduces himself to Frankie as a visiting fellow alcoholic, and soon becomes involved in their life, gradually growing closer. He learns that Jerry visited Frankie and her mother on Sundays, and that Frankie has never met her father's wife and son. Meanwhile, Sam broods over his deepening legal troubles. Frankie does not want Sam around Josh anymore because she fears he will return to New York, upsetting Josh. Sam decides to leave, but returns to pick up Josh from school. Frankie later calls Sam, telling him Josh has been in a fight.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: Sam eventually reveals that he is Jerry's son, resulting in Frankie exploding in anger and ordering him to leave. Later, Lillian is hospitalized following a heart condition. Hannah finds Sam in the waiting room, and they reconcile. Hannah has enrolled into UCLA's law program to remain close to Sam after realizing he wants to be with his family. Meanwhile, Frankie receives Jerry's money through a lawyer. Frankie quits her job, enrolls in school, and move into a suburban neighborhood with Josh. She cuts contact with Sam.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: After being discharged from the hospital, Lillian tells Sam that she forced Jerry to choose their family over Frankie and her mother. She was protecting Sam, but Jerry instead rejected his son because he was a reminder of the daughter he abandoned. One day, Josh, who is having difficulty adjusting to Sam's absence, tries to find him after obtaining Lillian's address.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: When Sam visits Frankie, he asks her forgiveness and wants to be her brother and Josh's uncle and father figure. He shows her an old film reel that Jerry shot of a young Sam at a playground. In the film, a girl joins Sam, and Frankie realizes that Jerry had regularly brought her and Sam to play together and thus loved both his children. At this recognition, Frankie accepts Sam as her brother.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: The soundtrack for the film was composed by Academy Award Winner A. R. Rahman. The film marks his first collaboration with Alex Kurtzman. In an interview, Rahman quoted the director's words on film's music: "Alex said [the music] can't be epic, it can't be world music... I was following his vision, while at the same time sticking to something that I wanted to do." The soundtrack was released 19 June 2012 via Lakeshore Records.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: In the movie, when Sam first puts on one of Jerry's records, the song "Fast as a Shark" can be heard in the background.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: "People Like Us" was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download on 2 October 2012 from Touchstone Home Entertainment. The release was produced in two different physical packages: a 2-disc combo pack (Blu-ray and DVD), and a 1-disc DVD.


title: People Like Us (2012 film)

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 53% based on 120 reviews, with an average score of 5.70/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Though calculated and melodramatic, "People Like Us" benefits from a pair of solid leads and its rare screenplay that caters to adult filmgoers." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 49 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".


title: Bio Booster Armor Guyver

text: The manga was originally serialized in Tokuma Shoten's "Monthly Shōnen Captain", the first appearance being in the February 18 magazine beginning in 1985. When "Shōnen Captain" was discontinued in 1997, the manga was picked up by Kadokawa Shoten who subsequently re-released all of the previous tankōbon originally published by Tokuma. The manga is currently serialized in Kadokawa's "Young Ace" magazine. It has been licensed by Viz Media, Star Comics and Chuang Yi Publishing.


title: Bio Booster Armor Guyver

text: Guyver has been adapted into a single OVA titled "" (1986, based loosely on the first volume), a (1989 to 1992, based on the first four volumes), two live action movies (1991's "The Guyver" and 1994's "") as well as a (2005 to 2006, based on the first ten volumes).There was also a novel released in 1989 and two light novels in 1995


title: Bio Booster Armor Guyver

text: A test type Zoanoid escapes from the Cronos Corporation with three Guyver Units. Cronos soldiers pursue the test type into some woods to recover the units from him, but when they corner the test type, he detonates a bomb he had with him. The Guyver Units are scattered in the blast. One of the lost Guyver Units, known as "Unit I", lands near two young high school students, Shō Fukamachi and Tetsurō Segawa. The second one is retrieved by Cronos and merges with Oswald A. Lisker to become the second Guyver later on. The final unit falls into the hands of Agito Makishima, who merges with it at an unspecified time. Shō accidentally activates the unit which then painfully merges with him.


title: Bio Booster Armor Guyver

text: Over time, Shō learns more about the Guyver and its abilities. The Guyver is virtually invulnerable, with its only weak point being the Control Metal. With this part intact, it can rebuild the host from their data it stores within, but if this part is critically damaged, the host will be eaten alive by the unit and perish. This is disconcerting and Shō starts to question whether he will ever be free from the Guyver. The situation gets worse with the fact that Cronos is continuously sending more and more powerful Zoanoids to retrieve the Guyver. This makes it increasingly difficult for Shō to protect his vulnerable friends.


title: Bio Booster Armor Guyver

text: As the story progresses it also takes a startling turn, in which Cronos succeeds in taking over the world and reshaping it according to its ideals. The Guyvers are then labeled to the public as a "vanguard of alien invaders".


title: Bio Booster Armor Guyver

text: "Guyver: Out of Control" is a 1986 short horror original video animation based on the manga. It was produced in Japan by Bandai, Studio Live, Network, Animate and Movic and in association with AIC, Artland, Studio Victory, Wave and Only For A Lite. It was released in the U.S. and Canada in 1993 by L.A. Hero under the Dark Image Entertainment label. It has since been out of print in North America. The story follows high school students Shō Fukamachi and Mizuki Segawa who accidentally discover one of three Bio Booster Armor units stolen from the Chronos Corporation. When Shō and Mizuki are attacked by a Zoanoid, the unit comes into contact with Shō and bonds with him, transforming him into Guyver I and promptly destroying the Zoanoid assailant. Meanwhile, a female Chronos agent named Valcuria acquires a second unit and becomes Guyver II. She then abducts Mizuki in order to challenge Shō for the Guyver I unit. On Anime News Network, Justin Sevakis called it an "extremely dated piece of pulp that still somehow manages to be fun".


title: Ikaruga

text: Development on "Ikaruga" began during director Hiroshi Iuchi's off-hours while Treasure was busy developing "Sin and Punishment" (2000). Titled "Project RS2", the game began as a sequel to "Radiant Silvergun", and borrows many elements from it as well as the polarity mechanism from Treasure's "Silhouette Mirage" (1997). During the game's prototype stages, the player's ammo was limited. The bullet absorption mechanism was used as a means to refill ammo, however, this was found to be weak as it created too many breaks in the action. In tradition with Treasure's game design philosophy, "Ikaruga" was intentionally crafted to challenge the conventions of standard game design and develop a new type of shooting game. All together, five Treasure staff worked on "Ikaruga", as well as three support staff from G.rev.


title: Ikaruga

text: Upon its initial release in Japanese arcades, reception was mixed. Treasure staff explained this was due to players expecting a more standard shooter offering but instead being greeted with a different game system that featured more puzzle-like elements rather than the twitch gameplay of bullet-dodging. In 2002, "Ikaruga" was ported to the Dreamcast in Japan and began to grow a cult following from import gamers worldwide. It was later released in the West in 2003 on the GameCube, receiving positive reviews. Critics praised the graphics as well as the art and sound design. Some criticism was directed towards its difficulty. Most critics felt the unique game design choices were innovative, while some believed they stifled many of the classic shooter elements. "Ikaruga" was later ported to the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. In retrospect, "Ikaruga" is regarded by critics as one of the best shoot 'em ups of all time and one of Treasure's greatest works.


title: Ikaruga

text: "Ikaruga" is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up. The game features five stages, three levels of difficulty, and supports single-player or two-player cooperative modes. The player pilots the Ikaruga fighter, moving to avoid obstacles and other danger. A key gameplay feature to "Ikaruga" is its polarity system. The player can press a button at any time to switch the polarity of their ship between black and white. When white, the ship will absorb white bullets fired by enemies and store their power until released with a special attack. However, if the ship is white and hit by black bullets, it will be destroyed. The opposite is true when the ship is black. Enemy fighters also have black and white polarities. If the player ship is white and the enemy is black, the player's bullets will do twice the damage than if their ship was black. If an enemy is destroyed with the same polarity as the player, the ship will expel energy which can be absorbed or, if the player changes polarities too quickly, present a fatal danger.


title: Ikaruga

text: "Ikaruga" does not feature any pick-ups or power-ups, instead, the player can only rely on their standard firing weapon and a homing laser. Absorbed bullets contribute to building the player's homing laser attack. The power of the attack increases one level for every 10 enemy bullets absorbed. Each level is equal to one laser, with a maximum of 12 which can be stored. A homing laser is 10 times more powerful than a standard shot. The game's scoring system is based upon chaining attacks to earn bonuses. Destroying three enemy fighters of the same color in a row will earn the player a chain bonus. The player will earn 100 points for their first chain bonus, and double the amount for each bonus thereafter. These bonuses can be multiplied up to a maximum of 25,600, but if interrupted by destroying an enemy out of order, the bonus will be reset.


title: Ikaruga

text: Home console ports of "Ikaruga" feature additional gameplay modes apart from the standard arcade mode. Modes are available that allow players to practice single stages they have unlocked at normal or slow speeds. A challenge mode is available which logs players' scores and compares them to others worldwide. If certain conditions are met, a prototype mode is unlocked which limits the number of bullets the player has. Bullets must be absorbed to keep ammo in stock. In an alternative way to play the standard game called "Bullet Eater", the player does not fire any shots and instead navigates through all the stages by absorbing bullets.


title: Ikaruga

text: Several years prior, the ruler of the small island nation of Horai, Tenro Horai, discovered an incredible magical power deep within the ground that gave him god-like strength, the Ubusunagami Okinokai. Tenro and his followers used this power to conquer other nations. A rebel federation called Tenkaku emerged to challenge the Horai. They fought to free the world of Horai's conquests, but lost battle after battle. Eventually they were almost completely wiped out, except one young man who survived named Shinra. Shinra set off to battle Horai again, but he was shot down and crashed in a remote village called Ikaruga. The village was inhabited by people exiled due to the Horai expansion. The village inhabitants saved Shinra from the plane wreckage and nursed him back to health. After healing, Shinra stated that he was still determined to continue the battle against Horai. The villagers entrusted him with a fighter plane they had built themselves called the Ikaruga, which was specially designed and hidden away in a secret underground location beneath the village. It was the first ship built to utilize and switch between two energy polarities, black and white.


title: Ikaruga

text: Development of "Ikaruga" began while Treasure's "Sin and Punishment" (2000) was still in development. "Ikaruga" was self-funded (and later self-published). Since company resources were allocated for "Sin and Punishment", director Hiroshi Iuchi worked on "Ikaruga" at home on his spare time and developed a prototype with help from programmer Atsutomo Nakagawa. "Ikaruga" shares basic shooter gameplay elements with an earlier Treasure shooter, "Radiant Silvergun" (1998). Additionally, the polarity elements are similar to those in their earlier game "Silhouette Mirage" (1997). Another source of inspiration was the defense system in "Shinrei Jusatsushi Taromaru" (1997) for the Sega Saturn. Iuchi reused sprites from "Radiant Silvergun" so he could finish the prototype quickly. A unique feature to the original design was a limited ammo supply. The player's stock was replenished by absorbing enemy bullets. This mechanism was seen as weak since it created gaps in the action when no bullets could be fired. Gameplay ideas in the prototype version were later included in a special bonus mode in the final game. After further testing and consultation between team members, the final gameplay system was implemented.


title: Ikaruga

text: "Ikaruga" has been described as a spiritual sequel to "Radiant Silvergun". Originally, "Radiant Silvergun" was intended to be a trilogy, and "Ikaruga" began development as a direct sequel, codenamed "Project RS-2". The concept theme for "Radiant Silvergun" was “World”, and for Ikaruga it was “Will”. In keeping with Treasure's game design philosophy, "Ikaruga" was intentionally designed to challenge the conventions of standard game design and develop a new type of shooting game. The game's difficulty lies in the puzzle-like elements of changing polarities rather than bullet-dodging. Unlike "Radiant Silvergun", the scoring system was not tied to gameplay. In this way, the game was designed to appeal to both players who play for score and those who did not. In the beginning, the stages were designed with the combo system in mind, however this made the optimal route too obvious. Instead, the team redesigned the stages and enemies so it would be more difficult for player to determine the route for the most optimal score. The game's pacing follows a "mountain" and "valley" approach, in which the music and action will peak, followed by a melancholy atmosphere, only to built up tempo again. By the time development was finished, 5 Treasure staff had worked on the game, as well as 3 support staff from G.rev which was raising funds to develop its own shooter, "Border Down" (2003).


title: Ikaruga

text: "Ikaruga" was targeted to Treasure's core fanbase, as pleasing them was the team's first priority. Although the game was primarily being developed for the Sega NAOMI arcade platform, it was standard for NAOMI games to be ported to the Dreamcast, and so the development team had this in mind. The NAOMI version was bug checked on a Dreamcast, so porting was very easy. "Ikaruga" was first released in arcades in Japan on 20 December 2001. A Dreamcast port was released exclusively in Japan on 5 September 2002. Although not yet published in the West, "Ikaruga" began to garner a cult following in North America among import gamers. On 16 January 2003, Infogrames published "Ikaruga" for the GameCube in Japan under their Atari label. Later that month Infogrames confirmed the GameCube version of "Ikaruga" would come to North America and Europe, with Infogrames representatives citing the popularity of "Ikaruga" in Japan and growing fan base around the world. The game was finally released on 15 April 2003 In North America and 9 May 2003 in Europe.


title: Ikaruga

text: On 12 September 2007, Microsoft announced they were planning on releasing "Ikaruga" on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360. It was released on 9 April 2008, and included new features such as leaderboards, achievements, and the ability to record and replay playthroughs. Treasure later released "Ikaruga" on the arcade distribution platform, NESiCAxLive, on 8 August 2013. In October 2013, Treasure placed the title into the Steam Greenlight process to bring the game (based on the Xbox 360 version) to Microsoft Windows, with hopes to bring their other titles to the platform later. The game was released on Steam on 18 February 2014. It was also published by Nicalis for the Nintendo Switch on 29 May 2018, supporting both horizontal and vertical screen orientations. In June 2018, "Ikaruga" was also released on the PlayStation 4. On 22 November 2019, Nicalis announced that physical copies were in production for both the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 4.


title: Ikaruga

text: Initial reception of "Ikaruga" in Japan was mixed. Players praised the visuals and music, but opinions were divided on the gameplay system. Director Hiroshi Iuchi noted that players would tell him “this isn’t an arcade game...make it more thrilling and fast-paced.” Both Iuchi and producer Masoto Maegawa stated that this mixed reception was due to players expecting a more standard shooter offering. They both felt "Ikaruga" was a brand new type of shooter and that bringing variety was important to the growth of game centers. In February 2002, "Game Machine" listed the game as being the fifth most popular arcade game in Japan at the time. The original Dreamcast port of "Ikaruga" was well received by Greg Kasavin of "GameSpot". He praised the game for its visuals, sound, and challenging difficulty. He also praised the game for bringing back a dead genre to the forefront, saying ""Ikaruga" takes 20 years of great ideas in game design and somehow manages to put an entirely new spin on them...for the sake of making a game that's both familiar and utterly unique."


title: Ikaruga

text: The GameCube release received generally favorable reviews by western critics. The visuals, art design, and sound were universally praised and some criticism was directed towards the game's short length. Critics agreed that "Ikaruga"s game design was "innovative", "clever", and "unique". The difficulty was both highlighted for being inviting to old-school shooter fans, but was also criticized for building a barrier to genre newcomers. Tyrone Rodriguez of "IGN" called it "a shooter-fan's shooter," and Corbie Dillard of Nintendo Life stated "if you're a shooter fan, you absolutely must own at least one version of this masterpiece." "IGN" listed "Ikaruga" as their Game of the Month for April 2003, while "GameSpot" named it the best GameCube title of that month. Reception of the Xbox 360 and Windows ports was similar to the GameCube version. Topher Cantler of "Destructoid" gave "Ikaruga" a perfect score and dubbed it a "work of art". Although most critics still agreed that "Ikaruga"s unique game design was a positive characteristic, Simon Parkin of "Eurogamer" offered a counterpoint that its fresh design is also its weakness, in that it stifles many of the other elements that define shoot 'em ups and morph it into something different and "inscrutable." Reviews of the Switch port were also positive.


title: Ikaruga

text: "Ikaruga" continues to be one of the most revered shooters of all time. The Xbox 360, Windows, and Switch ports have received positive reviews.


title: Ikaruga

text: "IGN" voted "Ikaruga" the 3rd greatest 2D shooter of all time. Adam Smith of "Rock, Paper, Shotgun" called "Ikaruga" one of Treasure's greatest works and "one of the most perfect games [he] ever played." Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 shared similar sentiments, calling it one of Treasure's most popular games, and "one of the most remarkable shooters of all time."


title: Ikaruga

text: The Dreamcast and GameCube versions sold 33,860 physical units in Japan. The Xbox Live Arcade version sold 137,088 digital units on the Xbox 360, . The PC version has sold 128,543 digital units on Steam, .


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Smyrna is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It is located northwest of Atlanta, and is in the inner ring of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. It is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs–Alpharetta MSA, which is included in the Atlanta–Athens-Clarke–Sandy Springs CSA.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: From 2000 to 2012, Smyrna grew by 28%. Historically it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, and one of the most densely populated cities in the metropolitan area. In the 2020 Census, Smyrna's population was 55,663.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Smyrna was ranked #44 in "Money"s 2018 survey of "The Best Places to Live in America" for balancing economic growth, affordability, and quality of life.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Pioneers began settling the area in 1832. By the late 1830s, a religious encampment called Smyrna Camp Ground had become a popular travel destination and was well known throughout Georgia. It is a Greek name for the Biblical city of Smyrna, modern day Izmir in Turkey, the home of the Christian martyr Polycarp. After the completion of the Western and Atlantic Railroad in 1842, the area began to grow. It was known by several names until 1872—Varner's Station, Ruff's Siding, Neal Dow, and Ruff's Station. The city was incorporated with the name Smyrna in 1872.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Two Civil War battles occurred in the area, the Battle of Smyrna Camp Ground and the Battle of Ruff's Mill, both on July 4, 1864. The area's businesses, homes, and 1849 covered bridge (since rebuilt and still in use today) were burned by Sherman's troops.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: The nearby Bell Bomber plant that produced B-29 bombers during World War II was reopened by Lockheed in 1951, and became a catalyst for growth. The city's population grew during the next two decades, from 2,005 in 1950 to almost 20,000 by 1970.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Smyrna is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, located about northwest of the Atlanta city limits, and with Smyrna's downtown approximately 16 miles (25.7 km) from downtown Atlanta. Smyrna is located just west of the northern intersection of I-285 and I-75, which is the site of the edge city Cumberland and the Cobb Galleria.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Smyrna is bordered by Vinings to the east, Marietta to the north and west, and Mableton to the south and southwest. The city of Sandy Springs and the affluent Atlanta neighborhoods of Paces and Buckhead are approximately within 10 miles of Smyrna's center.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.23%, is water. The general terrain of the area is characteristic of the Piedmont region of Georgia, characterized by hills with broad ridges, sloping uplands, and relatively narrow valleys.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: The city's official symbol is the jonquil (a flower). Known as the "Jonquil City", it derives this name from the thousands of jonquils that flourish in gardens and along the streets in early spring.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: As of the 2020 United States census, there were 55,663 people, 24,736 households, and 13,669 families residing in the city.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: At the 2018 census, there were 56,271 people, with 35% growth since 2000. There were 23,002 households. The population density was . The racial make-up of the city was 29.3% African American, 46% White, 0.4% Native American, 7.71% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander and 3.1% from two or more races. 14.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: The population was distributed by age as follows: 22.6% under the age of 18, 18.8% from 18 to 29, 20% from 30 to 39, 14.9% from 40 to 49, 14.2% from 50–64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: In 2012, 52.2% of Smyrna residents had a college degree and 91.3% of residents had a high school diploma. This is one of the highest rates in the state of Georgia.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: The city is governed by a seven-member council, elected by wards, and a mayor elected at-large. Max Bacon served as the mayor of Smyrna starting in 1985; in July 2019 he announced his retirement from city politics. The current mayor is Derek Norton, who took office January 6, 2020. Norton previously served on the City Council since 2015.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: The city operates the Smyrna Public Library, the only library in the county which is not a part of the Cobb County Public Library System.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: The median household income in 2018 was $73,788. The per capita income was $44,823, a 24.7% increase from 2000.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: In 2018, the place with the highest median household income in Smyrna was census tract 312.09, with a value of $143,443, followed by census tracts 311.12 and 311.17, with respective values of $108,229 and $89,769.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Companies with an office include Eaton Corporation and IBM. Smyrna was the site of the corporate offices of the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: According to the City's "2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report", the top employers in the city are:


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: On October 31, 2014, Emory Healthcare closed the Emory Adventist Hospital at Smyrna. They have since announced plans to renovate and reopen the hospital.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: In 1991, the city began a community redevelopment project known as "Market Village," in order to create a well-defined downtown. Included were a community center and public library. A mixed retail and residential district was modeled after an early 1900s city village, including a square with a fountain. This, and other expansions have revitalized the downtown area. Further redevelopment has occurred throughout the city—including thousands of new homes – mostly cluster homes, townhouse and condo communities replacing older neighborhoods. The population has risen as a result of redevelopment, a few annexations, and Smyrna's location as a residential suburb in the Northwest center of metro Atlanta.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: There are additional mixed retail/residential/office redevelopments near the city center, including Jonquil Plaza, Belmont Hills plaza, and The Crossings.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: In September 2019, the James M. Cox Foundation gave $6 million to the PATH Foundation, which will connect the Silver Comet Trail terminus in Smyrna to the Atlanta Beltline. It is expected to be completed by 2022. The combined length of the Silver Comet and the Beltline will make it the longest paved trail surface in the U.S., totaling approximately 300 miles (480 kilometers); one could travel from Atlanta to Anniston, Alabama via the trail alone.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Smyrna and Vinings' community newspaper is "The Bright Side". It is dedicated to publishing positive events that occur in Cobb County.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Public schooling in Smyrna falls under the jurisdiction of the Cobb County School District. The city's students are served by 12 of the district's schools. The largest schools by enrollment are:


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Several private schools are inside Smyrna's city limits, including Covenant Christian School, Whitefield Academy, and a satellite campus of Buckhead Preparatory Academy.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Market Village in the city center often has open-air concerts and festivals. There are also various small parks such as Cobb Park, public pools such as Aline Wolfe Center for the elderly and Tolleson park pool for all ages, tennis courts and playgrounds and a linear park with walking trail along Spring Road.


title: Smyrna, Georgia

text: Several major roadways, such as I-285, Cobb Parkway (U.S. Route 41), Atlanta Road (Old State Route 3), and South Cobb Drive (State Route 280), pass through the municipality.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: The East Harlem Purple Gang was a gang or organized crime group consisting of Italian-American hit-men and heroin dealers who were semi-independent from the Italian-American Mafia and, according to federal prosecutors, dominated heroin distribution in East Harlem, Italian Harlem, and the Bronx during the 1970s and early 1980s in New York City. Though mostly independent of the Italian-American Mafia and not an official Mafia crew, the gang was originally affiliated with and worked with the Lucchese crime family and later with the Bonanno crime family and Genovese crime family. It developed its "closest ties" with the Genovese family, and its remnants or former members are now part of the Genovese family's 116th Street Crew.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: They allegedly named their group the 'Purple Gang' as a tribute to a Prohibition Era gang (Purple Gang) that dominated organized crime activities in Detroit for a time fifty years earlier. Membership in the group was restricted to Italian-Americans who grew up on Pleasant Avenue between 114th and 120th Streets, just east of 1st Avenue, also known as Italian Harlem. In the late 1970s, at the peak of its strength, the Purple Gang had about 30 members according to police reports and 80 associates, with higher numbers placing the gang's membership at over 100 (though this may include associates). By 1977, law enforcement claimed that the Purple Gang had committed at least 17 homicides, some on behalf of 'organized crime principals', though dozens of other murders in the 1970s and 1980s have since been attributed to Purple Gang members.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: The Purple Gang originated in Italian Harlem as an Italian-American youth street gang and were involved in various robberies and assaults before engaging in more organized criminal activity. Many of its founding members were related, some as brothers or cousins. When they first drifted into the narcotics business, the gang originally acted only as "delivery boys" or "spotters" (i.e. lookouts) for local established Italian mafiosi involved with the drug trade. However, the Purple Gang eventually rose to power in the Harlem drug trafficking business and subsequently graduated to committing murders following the 1973 arrests and convictions of several powerful Italian-American Mafia figures who had until then been dominating heroin and narcotics distribution in East Harlem. The 1973 arrests largely involved high-ranking mafiosi involved in the so-called "French Connection" heroin smuggling ring, such as Louis Inglese and Lucchese boss Carmine Tramunti. In the wake of these arrests, the Purple Gang filled the power vacuum created within the drug trade in East Harlem, eventually dominating the heroin trade in Harlem and the South Bronx and becoming not only major independent drug distributors but also major drug distributors for New York's "Five Families." In addition to drug trafficking and murder, the Purple Gang's other activities included kidnapping rival drug dealers for ransom, collecting loansharking debts, extortion, and labor racketeering, sometimes carrying out these activities independently and sometimes acting on behalf of one of the Five Families.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: Throughout the 1970s, Italian-American and African-American organized crime groups both controlled narcotics trafficking in Harlem and much of New York City, and the two ethnic crime groups often cooperated or worked closely together in the drug trade business. The Italian-American Purple Gang was especially closely connected with African-American organized crime groups in Harlem. The Purple Gang eventually began supplying heroin to infamous Harlem drug kingpin Leroy Barnes and his organized crime network. After the arrest of Leroy Barnes, who was at the time one of the top heroin dealers in Harlem, the Purple Gang began supplying heroin to his remaining network of African-American dealers in Harlem at $75,000 per kilogram.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: The Purple Gang became increasingly involved with murder, sometimes acting independently and sometimes as contract killers for the Mafia, and they became renowned for their "enormous capacity for violence." By 1977, law enforcement claimed that the Purple Gang had committed at least 17 homicides, with many of these murders committed on behalf of 'organized crime principals' (i.e., Italian-American Mafia families.) Many of the murders attributed to the Purple Gang were exceedingly grisly, with some involving decapitation, dismemberment, or multiple stab wounds. The gang is also suspected to be involved in a rash of killings during the 1970s of various mobsters and people with organized crime connections, with the murders notably involving .22 caliber firearms. Dismemberment and .22 caliber killings subsequently became known in the underworld as the trademark of the Purple Gang.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: According to police reports, at the peak of its strength in 1977 the Purple Gang consisted of approximately 30 members and over 80 associates, with higher numbers placing the gang's membership as over 100 (though this may include associates). Most of the gang's members were younger men in their 20s or 30s, many of whom were considered by the Mafia to be too reckless or "uncontrollable" for membership in the Mafia.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: Although an independent gang that operated largely outside the constraints and structure of the established "Five Families" of the New York Italian-American Mafia, the Purple Gang was closely tied to the Italian-American Mafia and would often freelance as "muscle" or hit-men for the larger New York families. Many Purple Gang members were in fact relatives of established Italian-American Mafia members. However, it remains unclear what activities the gang performed independently and what activities the gang carried out for certain Mafia families. For instance, several members were notably arrested in Monroe, New York in Upstate New York for assaulting private sanitation workers, suggesting the gang may have been involved in labor corruption or extortion within the sanitation business, either independently or as enforcers for the New York Mafia. Though the gang often worked for the Five Families and frequently acted as drug distributors for the Five Families, they were also noted for their "lack of respect for other members of organized crime," and they just as often competed with the Mafia or disregarded the Mafia's turf claims and orders, sometimes moving in on Mafia drug territory. In fact, law enforcement at one point feared that a mob war would break out between the Purple Gang and certain Mafia families, specifically Carmine Galante's Bonanno Crime Family, and the gang became so powerful and feared that it was sometimes referred to as New York City's "Sixth Family."


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: Law enforcement speculated that during the late 1970s, the Purple Gang developed a relationship with Nicaraguan drug dealers, trading firearms for drugs. The firearms were apparently sent to Latin American narcoterrorists through connections in Florida in exchange for smuggled drugs. The Purple Gang was also suspected of having ties to the Cuban Mafia in Florida.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: The Purple Gang disintegrated during the late 1970s and early 1980s and was absorbed into the current 116th Street Crew. Some members were invited to join the Mafia and became made men, including Angelo Prisco and Daniel Leo who became the acting boss of the Genovese crime family in 2005. Bonanno alleged boss Michael Mancuso was also an associate of the Purple Gang. On November 13, 2013, Michael Meldish, a reported leader of the gang, was killed in Throggs Neck, ordered by Lucchese acting boss Matthew Madonna, and carried out by Christopher Londonio and Terrence Caldwell; the three were sentenced to life in prison for the murder on July 27, 2020.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: Pleasant Avenue, a six-block stretch in East Harlem, is one of the incubators of the Italian Mafia in New York City. Anthony 'Fat Tony' Salerno ran the Genovese crime family from Pleasant Avenue.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: Anthony Loria, Sr., a longtime partner of Vincent Papa who masterminded the "Who Stole The French Connection" corruption scandal, was born and raised on Pleasant Avenue. This scheme involved corrupt NYPD and law officials who allowed the drug lords to steal an estimated 70 million dollars of narcotics from the NYPD property room at 400 Broome Street in the late 1960s and early 1970s.


title: East Harlem Purple Gang

text: The Purple Gang's longtime association with Pleasant Avenue is shown in the 1993 film "Carlito's Way". In the film, the titular character (Al Pacino) refers to the gang as "The Pleasant Avenue bunch" when its members come to kill him.


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: An anti-aliasing filter (AAF) is a filter used before a signal sampler to restrict the bandwidth of a signal to satisfy the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem over the band of interest. Since the theorem states that unambiguous reconstruction of the signal from its samples is possible when the power of frequencies above the Nyquist frequency is zero, a brick wall filter is an idealized but impractical AAF. A practical AAF makes a trade off between reduced bandwidth and increased aliasing. A practical anti-aliasing filter will typically permit some aliasing to occur or attenuate or otherwise distort some in-band frequencies close to the Nyquist limit. For this reason, many practical systems sample higher than would be theoretically required by a perfect AAF in order to ensure that all frequencies of interest can be reconstructed, a practice called oversampling.


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: The Pentax K-3 from Ricoh introduced a unique sensor-based anti-aliasing filter. The filter works by micro vibrating the sensor element. The user can turn the vibration on or off, selecting anti-aliasing or no anti-aliasing.


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: In the case of optical image sampling, as by image sensors in digital cameras, the anti-aliasing filter is also known as an optical low-pass filter (OLPF), blur filter, or AA filter. The mathematics of sampling in two spatial dimensions is similar to the mathematics of time-domain sampling, but the filter implementation technologies are different.


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: The typical implementation in digital cameras is two layers of birefringent material such as lithium niobate, which spreads each optical point into a cluster of four points. The choice of spot separation for such a filter involves a tradeoff among sharpness, aliasing, and fill factor (the ratio of the active refracting area of a microlens array to the total contiguous area occupied by the array). In a monochrome or three-CCD or Foveon X3 camera, the microlens array alone, if near 100% effective, can provide a significant anti-aliasing function,


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: while in color filter array (e.g. Bayer filter) cameras, an additional filter is generally needed to reduce aliasing to an acceptable level.


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: Anti-aliasing filters are used at the input of an analog-to-digital converter. Similar filters are used as reconstruction filters at the output of a digital-to-analog converter. In the latter case, the filter prevents imaging, the reverse process of aliasing where in-band frequencies are mirrored out of band.


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: With oversampling, a higher intermediate digital sample rate is used, so that a nearly ideal digital filter can sharply cut off aliasing near the original low Nyquist frequency and give better phase response, while a much simpler analog filter can stop frequencies above the new higher Nyquist frequency. Because analog filters have relatively high cost and limited performance, relaxing the demands on the analog filter can greatly reduce both aliasing and cost. Furthermore, because some noise is averaged out, the higher sampling rate can moderately improve signal-to-noise ratio.


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: Alternatively, a signal may be intentionally sampled at a higher rate to reduce the requirements on the anti-alias filter. For example, CD audio typically extends up to 20 kHz, but is sampled with a 22.05 kHz Nyquist rate. By sampling at a rate 2.05 kHz higher than the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem calls for, both aliasing and attenuation of higher audio frequencies can be prevented even with less than ideal filters.


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: Often, an anti-aliasing filter is a low-pass filter; this is not a requirement, however. Generalizations of the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem allow sampling of other band-limited passband signals instead of baseband signals.


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: For signals that are bandwidth limited, but not centered at zero, a band-pass filter can be used as an anti-aliasing filter. For example, this could be done with a single-sideband modulated or frequency modulated signal. If one desired to sample an FM radio broadcast centered at 87.9 MHz and bandlimited to a 200 kHz band, then an appropriate anti-alias filter would be centered on 87.9 MHz with 200 kHz bandwidth (or passband of 87.8 MHz to 88.0 MHz), and the sampling rate would be no less than 400 kHz, but should also satisfy other constraints to prevent aliasing.


title: Anti-aliasing filter

text: It is very important to avoid input signal overload when using an anti-aliasing filter. If the signal is strong enough, it can cause clipping at the analog-to-digital converter, even after filtering. When distortion due to clipping occurs after the anti-aliasing filter, it can create components outside the passband of the anti-aliasing filter; these components can then alias, causing the reproduction of other non-harmonically related frequencies.


title: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

text: John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band is an American rock band from Rhode Island which began its career in 1972, and achieved mainstream success in the 1980s. Originally known as simply Beaver Brown, they got their name from a paint can. The classic lineup of the group (consisting of John Cafferty on vocals and guitar, Gary Gramolini on lead guitar, Pat Lupo on bass, Kenny Jo Silva on drums, Bobby Cotoia on keyboards, and Michael "Tunes" Antunes on saxophone) started out as a New England bar band based in Narragansett, Rhode Island and established a following up and down the Northeast corridor with strongholds in the beach resort towns of Narragansett and Misquamicut, Rhode Island; New York City; New Haven, Connecticut; Boston, Massachusetts; and Asbury Park, New Jersey.


title: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

text: They first achieved success with a 1980 self-released single pairing two of their songs, "Wild Summer Nights" and "Tender Years", which sold over 10,000 copies and had radio play up and down the Atlantic seaboard. Despite their success, the act was ignored by the major labels due to persistent critical comparisons to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. They finally achieved international success when producer Kenny Vance, a longtime fan, offered them the score to a movie soundtrack he was helming based on a best-selling novel about a legendary bar band, "Eddie and the Cruisers". Thanks to frequent airings of the film on HBO and the purchase of the soundtrack album by their established fanbase, as well as hundreds of thousands of new converts, "Eddie and the Cruisers: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" reached the top 10 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, and produced a number 7 hit single ("On the Dark Side") on the "Billboard" Hot 100. "On the Dark Side" also held number-one on the Album Rock Tracks chart for five weeks. The album was eventually certified triple platinum by the RIAA.


title: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

text: The group's follow-up album "Tough All Over" (1985) made the top 40, enjoying great sales for "C-I-T-Y" and the title track, which became their second number-one single on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Another song from that album, "Voice of America's Sons", was the featured theme song on the official soundtrack of the action movie "Cobra" (1986), starring Sylvester Stallone, and Cafferty's solo track "Heart's on Fire" was featured in another Stallone movie, "Rocky IV" (1985).


title: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

text: The band's next album, the self-produced "Roadhouse", sold well to their fan base but did not reach the sales heights of "Tough All Over". In 1989, they followed it with the score to an "Eddie" sequel, "" which became their last major label release of new material.


title: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

text: Several personnel changes occurred over the next few years with Kenny Jo Silva departing in 1992 and Pat Lupo in 1994 to be replaced, respectively, by Jackie Santos, formerly of Tavares, and Dean Cassell. Bobby Cotoia had been forced to retire from the road during the 1990s due to illness, but remained an active member of the group in the studio. His on-stage replacement was Steve Burke who remains in the line-up. Cotoia died from liver disease on September 3, 2004, leaving behind a wife and two children. On many of the band's shows over the past decade, drummer Don "DC" Culp has filled the role when Santos is not available.


title: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

text: In 2016, "Rolling Stone" ranked the fictional Eddie and the Cruisers at No. 18 in their list of 25 Greatest Movie Bands.


title: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

text: John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band continue to tour. Their music has appeared on the soundtracks of several major motion pictures including "There's Something About Mary" (1998) and "Dumb and Dumber To" (2014).


title: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

text: In August 2021, the band were the headline performers at the Providence Performing Arts Center's first in-person event since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the previous year, sharing the bill with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.


title: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band

text: In September 2022, the band celebrated its 50th anniversary with the release of its first Greatest Hits album.


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: The "līmes" is often associated with Roman forts, but the concept could apply to any adjoining area the Romans exercised loose control with military forces.


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: The Roman frontier stretched for more than from the Atlantic coast of northern Britain, through Europe to the Black Sea, and from there to the Red Sea and across North Africa to the Atlantic coast. The remains of the "limites" today consist of vestiges of walls, ditches, forts, fortresses, and civilian settlements. Certain elements of the frontier have been excavated, some reconstructed, and a few destroyed. The two sections of "limes" in Germany cover a length of from the north-west of the country to the Danube in the south-east. The 118 km long Hadrian's Wall was built on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian c. AD 122 at the northernmost limits of the Roman province of Britannia. It is a striking example of the organization of a military zone and illustrates the defensive techniques and geopolitical strategies of ancient Rome. The Antonine Wall, a 60 km-long fortification in Scotland, was started by Emperor Antoninus Pius in AD 142 as a defense against the "Barbarians" of the north. It constitutes the northwesternmost portion of the Roman "Limes".


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: The soldiers at a "līmes" were referred to as "līmitāneī". Compared to the regular Roman military, they tended to be more likely to be of local descent (rather than Italians), be paid less, and be overall less prestigious. However, they were not expected to win large-scale wars, but rather to deter small-to-medium-sized raiders.


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: The stem of "limes", "limit"-, which can be seen in the genitive case, "limitis", marks it as the ancestor of an entire group of words in many languages related to Latin; for example, English "limit" or French "limite". The Latin noun "līmes" (; Latin  "") had a number of different meanings: a path or balk delimiting fields; a boundary line or marker; any road or path; any channel, such as a stream channel; or any distinction or difference. The term was also commonly used after the 3rd century AD to denote a military district under the command of a "dux limitis".


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: An etymology by Julius Pokorny in "Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch" says that "limes" comes from Indo-European "el-", "elei-", "lei-", "to bow", "to bend", "elbow". According to Pokorny, Latin "limen", "threshold", is related to "limes", being the stone over which one enters or leaves the house. Some scholars have viewed the frontier as a threshold. The Merriam–Webster dictionaries take this view, as does J. B. Hofmann in "Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Griechischen" under "leimon". "The White Latin Dictionary" denies any connection, deriving "limen" from *"ligmen", as in "lien" from *leig-, "tie". In this sense, the threshold ties together the doorway. W. Gebert also wrote an article discussing the term.


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: Some experts suggested that the Germanic "limes" may have been called "Munimentum Traiani" (Trajan's Bulwark) by contemporaries, referring to a passage by Ammianus Marcellinus, according to which emperor Julian had reoccupied this fortification in 360 AD.


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: The "limes" in Britain ("Limes Britannicus") is on the territory of the present-day United Kingdom in England, Scotland and Wales. From the 1st to the 2nd century, the Gask Ridge and the Stanegate, with their chains of Roman camps and watchtowers, marked the northern boundary of Britannia. Later the isthmuses in the north between the Firth of Forth and Firth of Clyde were guarded by the defences of the Antonine Wall and the line between the mouth of the Tyne and Solway Firth by Hadrian's Wall. The perimeter defence of Hadrian's Wall was achieved through the construction of camps ("castella") on the lowlands, which were built along the most important roads in the north. Security and monitoring on the coasts in the west and southeast was achieved by camps and by chains of watchtowers or signal towers, both along the coastline and along main roads in the interior.


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: The occupying forces, "Exercitus Britannicus", consisted mostly of cohorts of auxilia. The strategic reserve comprised three legions based in Eburacum (York), Isca Silurum and Deva. The observation and surveillance of the waters around the British Isles was the responsibility of the "Classis Britannica", whose headquarters was in "Rutupiae" (Richborough). Legions auxilia cohorts and the fleet were commanded by the provincial governors. From the 3rd century, units of "comitatenses, limitanei" and "liburnaria" (marines) came under the command of two generals:


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: This "limes" of the Late Antiquity ran through the territory of the present-day United Kingdom and France. In the 3rd century, a separate military district, the "Litus Saxonicum", was established on the British side of the English Channel between the estuaries of the Wash and the Solent, to repel Saxon pirates and plunderers. The Gallic side of the English Channel and Atlantic coast were included therein. Monitoring and coastal surveillance were carried out by a chain of watchtowers or signal towers, camps and fortified ports (Gaul). Most of the Saxon Shore camps probably served as naval bases.


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: The garrisons of the camps were composed of infantry and several cavalry regiments. Monitoring and surveillance of the Channel were the responsibility of the "Classis Britannica" and "Classis Sambrica", whose headquarters were in "Locus Quartensis" (Port d'Etaple), guarding the mouth of the River Somme. The units of "comitatenses, limitanei" and "liburnaria" in this area came under the command of three generals:


title: Limes (Roman Empire)

text: This section of "limes" existed from the 1st to the 5th century AD and ran through the province of Lower Germania ("Germania Inferior").