De facto official versions of PDDL.

PDDL1.2.

This was the official language of the 1st and 2nd IPC in 1998 and 2000 respectively. It separated the model of the planning problem in two major parts: (1) domain description and (2) the related problem description. Such a division of the model allows for an intuitive separation of those elements, which are (1) present in every specific problem of the problem-domain (these elements are contained in the domain-description), and those elements, which (2) determine the specific planning-problem (these elements are contained in the problem-description). Thus several problem-descriptions may be connected to the same domain-description (just like several instances may exist of a class in OOP (Object Oriented Programming) or in OWL (Web Ontology Language) for example). Thus a domain and a connecting problem description forms the PDDL-model of a planning-problem, and eventually this is the input of a planner (usually domain-independent AI planner) software, which aims to solve the given planning-problem via some appropriate planning algorithm. The output of the planner is not specified by PDDL, but it is usually a totally or partially ordered plan (a sequence of actions, some of which may be executed even in parallel sometimes). Now lets take a look at the contents of a PDDL1.2 domain and problem description in general...(1) The domain description consisted of a domain-name definition, definition of requirements (to declare those model-elements to the planner which the PDDL-model is actually using), definition of object-type hierarchy (just like a class-hierarchy in OOP), definition of constant objects (which are present in every problem in the domain), definition of predicates (templates for logical facts), and also the definition of possible actions (operator-schemas with parameters, which should be grounded/instantiated during execution). Actions had parameters (variables that may be instantiated with objects), preconditions and effects. The effects of actions could be also conditional (when-effects).(2) The problem description consisted of a problem-name definition, the definition of the related domain-name, the definition of all the possible objects (atoms in the logical universe), initial conditions (the initial state of the planning environment, a conjunction of true/false facts), and the definition of goal-states (a logical expression over facts that should be true/false in a goal-state of the planning environment). Thus eventually PDDL1.2 captured the "physics" of a deterministic single-agent discrete fully accessible planning environment.

PDDL2.1.

This was the official language of the 3rd IPC in 2002. It introduced numeric fluents (e.g. to model non-binary resources such as fuel-level, time, energy, distance, weight,...), plan-metrics (to allow quantitative evaluation of plans, and not just goal-driven, but utility-driven planning, i.e. optimization, metric-minimization/maximization), and durative/continuous actions (which could have variable, non-discrete length, conditions and effects). Eventually PDDL2.1 allowed the representation and solution of many more real-world problems than the original version of the language.

PDDL2.2.

This was the official language of the deterministic track of the 4th IPC in 2004. It introduced derived predicates (to model the dependency of given facts from other facts, e.g. if A is reachable from B, and B is reachable from C, then A is reachable from C (transitivity)), and timed initial literals (to model exogenous events occurring at given time independently from plan-execution). Eventually PDDL2.2 extended the language with a few important elements, but wasn't a radical evolution compared to PDDL2.1 after PDDL1.2.

PDDL3.0.

This was the official language of the deterministic track of the 5th IPC in 2006. It introduced state-trajectory constraints (hard-constraints in form of modal-logic expressions, which should be true for the state-trajectory produced during the execution of a plan, which is a solution of the given planning problem) and preferences (soft-constraints in form of logical expressions, similar to hard-constraints, but their satisfaction wasn't necessary, although it could be incorporated into the plan-metric e.g. to maximize the number of satisfied preferences, or to just measure the quality of a plan) to enable preference-based planning. Eventually PDDL3.0 updated the expressiveness of the language to be able to cope with recent, important developments in planning.

PDDL3.1.

This was the official language of the deterministic track of the 6th and 7th IPC in 2008 and 2011 respectively. It introduced object-fluents (i.e. functions' range now could be not only numerical (integer or real), but it could be any object-type also). Thus PDDL3.1 adapted the language even more to modern expectations with a syntactically seemingly small, but semantically quite significant change in expressiveness.

Current situation.

The latest version of the language is PDDL3.1. The BNF (Backus–Naur Form) syntax definition of PDDL3.1 can be found among the resources of the IPC-2011 homepage or the IPC-2014 homepage.

Successors/variants/extensions of PDDL.

PDDL+.

This extension of PDDL2.1 from around 2002–2006 provides a more flexible model of continuous change through the use of autonomous processes and events. The key this extension provides is the ability to model the interaction between the agent's behaviour and changes that are initiated by the agent's environment. Processes run over time and have a continuous effect on numeric values. They are initiated and terminated either by the direct action of the agent or by events triggered in the environment. This 3-part structure is referred to as the "start-process-stop model". Distinctions are made between logical and numeric states: transitions between logical states are assumed to be instantaneous whilst occupation of a given logical state can endure over time. Thus in PDDL+ continuous update expressions are restricted to occur only in process effects. Actions and events, which are instantaneous, are restricted to the expression of discrete change. This introduces the before mentioned 3-part modelling of periods of continuous change: (1) an action or event starts a period of continuous change on a numeric variable expressed by means of a process; (2) the process realizes the continuous change of the numeric variable; (3) an action or event finally stops the execution of the process and terminates its effect on the numeric variable. Comment: the goals of the plan might be achieved before an active process is stopped.

NDDL.

NDDL (New Domain Definition Language) is NASA's response to PDDL from around 2002. Its representation differs from PDDL in several respects: 1) it uses a variable/value representation (timelines/activities) rather than a propositional/first-order logic, and 2) there is no concept of states or actions, only of intervals (activities) and constraints between those activities. In this respect, models in NDDL look more like schemas for SAT encodings of planning problems rather than PDDL models. Because of the mentioned differences planning and execution of plans (e.g. during critical space missions) may be more robust when using NDDL, but the correspondence to standard planning-problem representations other than PDDL may be much less intuitive than in case of PDDL.

MAPL.

MAPL (Multi-Agent Planning Language, pronounced "maple") is an extension of PDDL2.1 from around 2003. It is a quite serious modification of the original language. It introduces non-propositional state-variables (which may be n-ary: true, false, unknown, or anything else). It introduces a temporal model given with modal operators (before, after, etc.). Nonetheless in PDDL3.0 a more thorough temporal model was given, which is also compatible with the original PDDL syntax (and it is just an optional addition). MAPL also introduces actions whose duration will be determined in runtime and explicit plan synchronization which is realized through speech act based communication among agents. This assumption may be artificial, since agents executing concurrent plans shouldn't necessarily communicate to be able to function in a multi-agent environment. Finally, MAPL introduces events (endogenous and exogenous) for the sake of handling concurrency of actions. Thus events become part of plans explicitly, and are assigned to agents by a control function, which is also part of the plan.

OPT.

OPT (Ontology with Polymorphic Types) was a profound extension of PDDL2.1 by Drew McDermott from around 2003–2005 (with some similarities to PDDL+). It was an attempt to create a general-purpose notation for creating ontologies, defined as formalized conceptual frameworks for planning domains about which planning applications are to reason. Its syntax was based on PDDL, but it had a much more elaborate type system, which allowed users to make use of higher-order constructs such as explicit λ-expressions allowing for efficient type inference (i.e. not only domain objects had types ("level 0 types"), but also the functions/fluents defined above these objects had types in the form of arbitrary mappings ("level 1 types"), which could be generic, so their parameters (the domain and range of the generic mapping) could be defined with variables, which could have an even higher level type ("level 2 type") not to speak of that the mappings could be arbitrary, i.e. the domain or range of a function (e.g. predicate, numeric fluent) could be any level 0/1/2 type. For example, functions could map from arbitrary functions to arbitrary functions...). OPT was basically intended to be (almost) upwardly compatible with PDDL2.1. The notation for processes and durative actions was borrowed mainly from PDDL+ and PDDL2.1, but beyond that OPT offered many other significant extensions (e.g. data-structures, non-Boolean fluents, return-values for actions, links between actions, hierarchical action expansion, hierarchy of domain definitions, the use of namespaces for compatibility with the semantic web).

PPDDL.

PPDDL (Probabilistic PDDL) 1.0 was the official language of the probabilistic track of the 4th and 5th IPC in 2004 and 2006 respectively. It extended PDDL2.1 with probabilistic effects (discrete, general probability distributions over possible effects of an action), reward fluents (for incrementing or decrementing the total reward of a plan in the effects of the actions), goal rewards (for rewarding a state-trajectory, which incorporates at least one goal-state), and goal-achieved fluents (which were true, if the state-trajectory incorporated at least one goal-state). Eventually these changes allowed PPDDL1.0 to realize Markov Decision Process (MDP) planning, where there may be uncertainty in the state-transitions, but the environment is fully observable for the planner/agent.

APPL.

APPL (Abstract Plan Preparation Language) is a newer variant of NDDL from 2006, which is more abstract than most existing planning languages such as PDDL or NDDL. The goal of this language was to simplify the formal analysis and specification of planning problems that are intended for safety-critical applications such as power management or automated rendezvous in future manned spacecraft. APPL used the same concepts as NDDL with the extension of actions, and also some other concepts, but still its expressive power is much less than PDDL's (in hope of staying robust and formally verifiable).

RDDL.

RDDL (Relational Dynamic influence Diagram Language) was the official language of the uncertainty track of the 7th IPC in 2011. Conceptually it is based on PPDDL1.0 and PDDL3.0, but practically it is a completely different language both syntactically and semantically. The introduction of partial observability is one of the most important changes in RDDL compared to PPDDL1.0. It allows efficient description of Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) and Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) by representing everything (state-fluents, observations, actions,...) with variables. This way RDDL departs from PDDL significantly. Grounded RDDL corresponds to Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs) similarly to PPDDL1.0, but RDDL is more expressive than PPDDL1.0.

MA-PDDL.

MA-PDDL (Multi Agent PDDL) is a minimalistic, modular extension of PDDL3.1 introduced in 2012 (i.e. a new codice_1 requirement) that allows "planning by and for" multiple agents. The addition is compatible with all the features of PDDL3.1 and addresses most of the issues of MAPL. It adds the possibility to distinguish between the possibly different actions of different agents (i.e. different capabilities). Similarly different agents may have different goals and/or metrics. The preconditions of actions now may directly refer to concurrent actions (e.g. the actions of other agents) and thus actions with interacting effects can be represented in a general, flexible way (e.g. suppose that at least 2 agents are needed to execute a codice_2 action to lift a heavy table into the air, or otherwise the table would remain on the ground (this is an example of constructive synergy, but destructive synergy can be also easily represented in MA-PDDL)). Moreover, as kind of syntactic sugar, a simple mechanism for the inheritance and polymorphism of actions, goals and metrics was also introduced in MA-PDDL (assuming codice_3 is declared). Since PDDL3.1 assumes that the environment is deterministic and fully observable, the same holds for MA-PDDL, i.e. every agent can access the value of every state fluent at every time-instant and observe every previously executed action of each agent, and also the concurrent actions of agents unambiguously determine the next state of the environment. This was improved later by the addition of partial-observability and probabilistic effects (again, in form of two new modular requirements, codice_4 and codice_5, respectively, the latter being inspired by PPDDL1.0, and both being compatible with all the previous features of the language, including codice_1).

Example.

This is the domain definition of a STRIPS instance for the automated planning of a robot with two gripper arms. And this is the problem definition that instantiates the previous domain definition with a concrete environment with two rooms and two balls.

The Planning Domain Definition Language (PDDL) is an attempt to standardize Artificial Intelligence (AI) planning languages. It was first developed by Drew McDermott and his colleagues in 1998 (inspired by STRIPS and ADL among others) mainly to make the 1998/2000 International Planning Competition (IPC) possible, and then evolved with each competition. ""The adoption of a common formalism for describing planning domains fosters far greater reuse of research and allows more direct comparison of systems and approaches, and therefore supports faster progress in the field. A common formalism is a compromise between expressive power (in which development is strongly driven by potential applications) and the progress of basic research (which encourages development from well-understood foundations). The role of a common formalism as a communication medium for exchange demands that it is provided with a clear semantics.""

En intelligence artificielle, et plus précisément en planification, PDDL (Planning Domain Description Language) est une tentative pour standardiser les données d'entrée d'un planificateur. Il a été développé en 1998 par Drew McDermott et ses collègues, en s'inpirant des langages STRIPS et ADL. Il a rendu possible la compétition de planificateurs (IPC) : ""The adoption of a common formalism for describing planning domains fosters far greater reuse of research and allows more direct comparison of systems and approaches, and therefore supports faster progress in the field. A common formalism is a compromise between expressive power (in which development is strongly driven by potential applications) and the progress of basic research (which encourages development from well-understood foundations). The role of a common formalism as a communication medium for exchange demands that it is provided with a clear semantics.""


Club "brand update".

In conjunction with the recruitment of Pep Guardiola, the manager whom City's executives had sought to hire since they joined the club four years previously and the man synonymous with the style of football they wanted the club to espouse, Manchester City announced a series of adjustments to the club's "brand" as of the start of the season.  On 15 October 2015, the club announced that they intended to enter into a consultation with their fans over the designing of a new badge to replace the design that had been brought in 1997 and which had largely been unpopular since. The result of the online-based consultation was a design bearing many of the hallmarks of the crest replaced in 1997, plus some elements of the style established by the other club badges of fellow City Football Group teams Melbourne City FC and New York City FC. While many praised the logo for its simplicity and similarity to the beloved previous design, it was criticised from other corners for its slightly amateurish appearance, its removal of the words "Football Club" and for its failure to more closely replicate the earlier badge.  On 30 June 2016, the club unexpectedly announced the renaming of their Twitter accounts and website. Replacing the old "branding" of MCFC (the initials of the club), both social media outlets were rechristened "ManCity". While the move was popular among many, especially the club's more recent foreign fans for whom the styling was already their preferred abbreviation of the club's name, the change provoked another mixed reaction from the Manchester-based core supporter base, with many criticising the decision to use a wording often used by the club's rivals, as well as highlighting the decision to again remove the "Football Club" wording.

Non-competitive.

Pre-season.

On 20 July 2016, Manchester City began their pre-season with a 0–1 defeat against Bayern Munich. Due to weather during the International Champions Cup, the derby against Manchester United was cancelled, and City went on to play Borussia Dortmund in their next cup match, which they would go on to win 6–5 on penalties after drawing 1–1 at the end of regular time. A match was played on 7 August against Arsenal in the 2016 Supermatchen, which ended 3–2 to Arsenal. To replace the game against Manchester United, which was cancelled, City arranged a friendly against St Johnstone, which was played behind closed doors.

Competitions.

Overall.

Premier League.

Matches.

38 matches are played, 2 against each other team in the league; one at home and one away.

FA Cup.

As a Premier League club, Manchester City entered the competition in the third round, drawing West Ham United away from home.

League Cup.

As a European club, Manchester City entered the competition in the third round, drawing Swansea City away from home.

UEFA Champions League.

Play-off Round.

The draw for the Champions League play-off round took place on 5 August 2016. Manchester City were a seeded team in the league route. They were drawn against Steaua București of Romania.

Group stage.

The group stage draw was made on 25 August 2016 in Monaco. Manchester City were drawn with Barcelona (pot 1), Borussia Mönchengladbach (pot 3), and Celtic (pot 4).

Squad information.

First team squad.

Awards.

Premier League "Player of the Month" award.

"Awarded monthly to the player who was chosen by a panel assembled by the Premier League's sponsor"

Premier League "Manager of the Month" award.

"Awarded monthly to the manager who was chosen by a panel assembled by the Premier League's sponsor"

Etihad "Player of the Month" awards.

"Awarded to the player that receives the most votes in a poll conducted each month on the club's official website"

Etihad "Player of the Season".

"In association with the Official Manchester City Supporters Club"

Transfers and loans.

Transfers in.

Total spending: £171,500,000

Transfers out.

Total earnings: £28,000,000

The 2016–17 season was Manchester City's 115th season of competitive football, 88th season in the top division of English football and 20th season in the Premier League since the league was first created with City as one of the original 22 founder-members. They competed in all three domestic competitions, as well as the UEFA Champions League for the sixth year in a row.

La saison 2016-2017 de Manchester City est la professionnelle du club, la en première division anglaise et sa en Premier League. Pour la première saison de Pep Guardiola à la tête du club, l'entraîneur espagnol tentera de gagner le titre de Champion d'Angleterre.


Plot.

A burglar, Scott Muller (Steven Bauer), teams up with Buddy Calamara (David Caruso), a valet at a high-society restaurant. Buddy keeps an eye on Mickey and Ray Davis, a rich married couple, while Scott robs their home.  One night, one of the items Scott takes is a diary belonging to the wife (Barbara Williams). Scott reads the diary and discovers that the wife, Mickey, an interior designer, yearns for a more interesting life. He quickly becomes infatuated with her. The diary is full of her fantasies and dreams, so Scott plans to turn these into reality.  Mickey's husband, children's book author Ray Davis (John Getz), gets too involved in his work and neglects his wife's needs. Scott uses his inside knowledge to seduce her, using the pretext of needing someone to re-design his apartment, and posing as a school supply company CEO. The forbidden romance soon blossoms into a passionate sexual relationship, as Ray becomes suspicious.  During another robbery, Buddy kills a policeman who spotted them. Scott becomes more and more tense when Mickey starts asking questions about him and his past. Ray decides to follow Scott with his friend and publisher Marty Morrison (George Wendt). They snoop around the building used by the robbers and find out Scott is the thief who stole his belongings.  Buddy sees Ray there. He tells Scott, who, visibly agitated, goes to see Mickey, asking her to leave the city with him, revealing he was the one who stole her diary. Her husband arrives and fights with Scott, and when Mickey comes to her husband's aid, Scott leaves.  When the Davises go to a restaurant, Scott breaks into their home and reads Mickey's latest diary entry. Buddy intends to rob them again and Scott tries to stop him. They fight and one gets stabbed with Buddy's knife. The married couple come home to find the last standing intruder still in the house.  Mickey gets out her pistol and aims at the masked man. A gunshot is heard and the man stumbles down. The police arrives and it is revealed that the man shot was Buddy. Mickey goes to the bedroom and finds out that Scott is there, alive but wounded. Rather than be arrested for having shot Buddy, he escapes from the police through the window as Mickey watches him running in the dark.

DVD release.

Thief of Hearts was released on DVD on April 16, 2002. The DVD release is heavily edited, especially the gun range scene.

Production.

Douglas Day Stewart wrote and directed the film off the back of his successful scripts for "The Blue Lagoon" and especially "An Officer and a Gentleman". The latter was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer who produced "Thief of Hearts". Stewart called the film "an unusual romantic drama best described as an American "Last Tango in Paris"... I never try to write to the market. I just write love-themed material. I think my last project shows there has been terrible starvation for love themed projects in the movies."  Stewart said "The story started for me about 12 years ago, when I was robbed. You start to try to put faces to the people that came in and walked around and lifted your personal possessions. They might have touched the bed where you slept, or looked at that intimate photo in that drawer. That was the beginning of the story, but I didn't quite have a handle on it for many years until I added the element of the journals."  Stewart says "read all those books about women's sexual fantasies. I talked to women about their fantasies. I read journal entries. It proved to me that women lived so much inside their fantasies that men didn't realize it."  Stewart estimated he did 23 drafts. Filming started 13 February 1984 in San Francisco. It was made by the team of Simpson-Bruckheimer who were coming off a big success with "Flashdance".

Reception.

The film was the only flop from Simpson and Bruckheimer in their early days. Simpson later dismissed Stewart in an interview as "a man with nice hair. He should probably stick to writing."

Thief of Hearts is a 1984 film erotic drama film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It was written and directed by Douglas Day Stewart.

Voleur de désirs (titre original : "Thief of Hearts") est un film américain de Douglas Day Stewart sorti en 1984.


Early studies.

From 1945 to 1956, Vazsonyi attended the Franz Liszt Academy of Music from which he earned an Artist Diploma. He made his debut in Budapest at age 12 with the F minor Concerto of J.S. Bach. On 15 December 1956, Vazsonyi fled Budapest on foot for Austria, where he became a pianist in the refugee Philharmonia Hungarica under conductor Antal Doráti. He studied at the Vienna Music Academy with Professor Richard Hauser from 1957–58 and made his Western debut in the Großer Musikvereinssaal, Vienna in January 1958 as soloist with L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under conductor Volkmar Andreae. In 1960, upon receiving a scholarship to study with Ernő Dohnányi at the School of Music at Florida State University, Vazsonyi moved to the United States, earning a Master of Music degree. Among the last pupils of the master, Vazsonyi became one of the last links in a tradition that stretched back to Franz Liszt. At FSU, he met another Dohnányi student, Barbara Whittington, whom he married on 26 February 1960.

Early career.

From 1960 to 1962, Vazsonyi resided in Zürich, Switzerland and in Wiesbaden, Germany, giving concerts and recording in Europe. From 1962-64, he became Pianist-in-Residence at the newly formed Interlochen Arts Academy where his son, Nicholas Vazsonyi, was born in 1963. He became an American citizen in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1964 and was awarded the Liberty Bell Award the same year. In 1964-78, Vazsonyi moved to London, England with his family for private studies with pianist Dame Myra Hess, from 1964 to her death in 1965. London remained his home base for concertizing in Europe, England, America, and South Africa, recording, and presiding over master classes at Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, New England Conservatory, Catholic University, Peabody, and the University of Washington.

Professorship.

From 1978 to 1984, Vazsonyi was invited to be Professor of Music at Indiana University, Bloomington School of Music where, as well as having a private piano studio, he conducted all doctoral seminars in Piano Literature. In 1982, while still teaching at Indiana University, Bloomington, Balint Vazsonyi earned a Ph.D in History from the University of Budapest, based in part on his seminal monograph of Ernő Dohnányi, which resulted in a street next to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest being named for his mentor as well as an official absolving (2002) of false Nazi-sympathizer charges against Ernő Dohnányi made after World War II. While a professor at Indiana University School of Music, Vazsonyi held a master class in piano performance. In this weekly seminar, performances were offered critical comments from students and from Professor Vazsonyi. No stranger to the political arena, he exposed his piano students to the realities of the international political climate.

Entrepreneurship – Telemusic, Inc..

In 1983-92, Vazsonyi, founder/CEO of Telemusic, Inc., wrote/produced, along with video conceptualizer and director Nicholas Vazsonyi, four TV/Home Video/DVD films on the lives of Mozart (scripted by Nicholas Vazsonyi), Beethoven (European portions directed by Cash Baxter), Schubert, and Brahms (see TV/Video titles below). With the English actor Sir Anthony Quayle, he leads the viewer through cities of Europe in search of the life and soul of these composers, using costume drama, music video, and musical selections.

Mayoral run.

In 1991, Bloomington, Indiana's Republican mayoral candidate having stepped down with 100 days (31⁄2 months) remaining, Vazsonyi, based on several articles published in Bloomington's "The Herald-Times" regarding the First Gulf War, was recruited to run. Although his opponent won, he claimed the experience taught him how the U.S. works full circle.

Deanship.

In 1993, Balint Vazsonyi became Dean of Music at the New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida. In 1995, he was appointed Senior Fellow to the Potomac Foundation in McLean, Virginia and wrote his first political treatise, "The Battle for America's Soul". Between 1993-95, he was Honorary Cultural Counselor in America for Hungary (The Republic of Hungary), and a member of the Board of Directors of the Chopin Foundation of the United States and of the Washington Bach Consort.

Political philosopher.

In 1995–2003, he moved to Washington, D.C. as Senior Fellow of the McLean, Virginia think tank, Potomac Foundation. He then co-founded and became Director of the Center for the American Founding. Vazsonyi stated: ""We advocate and practice discussion of national issues as they relate to America's founding principles. For continued success, we believe this nation needs to return to the Rule of Law, Individual Rights, the Security of Property, and the same American Identity for all its citizens... As time progressed, the creation of commissar positions in America acquired the dimensions of a growth industry. The avalanche began with affirmative action officers, equal opportunity officers, judicial inquiry officers, and civil rights divisions. These positions exist for the sole purpose of enforcing a political agenda - an occupation at odds with the very nature of America. Certain college and university departments - departments of education, of communications, of journalism, social studies, and urban planning - became the reliable producers of commissars. Law schools, too, began to churn out graduates trained to serve a specific political agenda, rather than jurisprudence... Soon, entire government departments were created to function as Commissariats, such as the Department of Education, Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Commerce. Several other federal agencies, such as the National Endowment for the Arts, and its sister outfit, for the Humanities, fall into the same category. All these agencies offer services people find useful and employ many capable professionals along with commissars. But they are of the same cloth, for they provide a platform for commissars, lack constitutional legitimacy, and are virtually immune to citizen complaints. Eventually, commissar types found their way into legislatures, the Supreme Court, and the White House. The recent acquisition of the Department of justice as a commissariat, and the growing multitude of commissar judges on federal benches, complete this massive force whose effectiveness - unlike the armies and submarines of the Third Reich or the ICBMs of the Soviet Union - has proved a match for America's awesome industrial, financial, and spiritual strength.""

Last years.

During those years he published and lectured extensively on cultural and political subjects, appeared in "The Wall Street Journal" and "National Review". He wrote a bi-weekly column for "The Washington Times", and wrote a weekly, nationally syndicated column for Scripps Howard. His proposals for the application of America's founding principles to the national debates have been printed in the "Congressional Record", "Heritage Foundation", and "Representative American Speeches". His book, "America's 30 Years War: Who is Winning?", defining the source of alien ideas subverting America's culture and society, was published by Regnery in 1998. He was a frequent guest on national talk radio and appeared on television shows such as "NBC Today", "Booknotes" on C-SPAN with Brian Lamb, "Washington Journal", MSNBC, and "Insights" with Robert Novak. In 2000, he toured the nation's capitals to promote a national conversation he called Re-Elect America!. The one-hour television documentary about the tour has been aired on WETA-TV, Washington's PBS station.

Death.

Vazsonyi died on 17 January 2003, aged 66, survived by his wife, the couple's son Nicholas and daughter-in-law, Agnes, and several grandchildren. According to his "Washington Times" obituary, he once played all of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas in the order they were composed over the course of a single weekend.

Balint Vázsonyi (7 March 193617 January 2003) was a Hungarian-born naturalized American pianist, educator, international recitalist/soloist with leading orchestras, and political activist and journalist. He made performance history in playing chronological cycles of all 32 piano sonatas by Beethoven over two days in New York, Boston, and London. During the last six years of his life, he became a commentator in Washington, D.C., on the state of American politics.

Bálint Vázsonyi (Budapest, – Washington, ) est un pianiste et journaliste politique américain, d'origine hongroise. Il fait en concert une lecture chronologique du cycle des 32 sonates pour piano par Beethoven sur deux jours, à New York, à Boston et Londres. Durant les six dernières années de sa vie, il est commentateur de l'état de la politique américaine à Washington.


Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. v. Connectix Corp.

Background of the case.

In July 1998, Connectix started the development of the Virtual Game Station (VGS) as a Macintosh software application that emulates Sony's popular PlayStation video games console's hardware and firmware. This would make it possible for VGS users to play games developed for the PlayStation on Macintosh hardware, with plans to release a Windows PC compatible version at a later date. Connectix's development strategy was based upon reverse engineering the PlayStation's BIOS firmware, first by using the unchanged BIOS to develop emulation for the hardware, and then by developing a BIOS of their own using the original firmware as an aid for debugging. During the development work, Connectix contacted Sony, requesting "technical assistance" for completing the VGS, but this request was eventually declined in September 1998.  The Video Game Station development reached completion in December 1998, with the software being commercially released in the following month, January 1999. Sony perceived the VGS as a threat to its video game business, and filed a complaint alleging copyright infringement as well as violations of intellectual property against Connectix on January 27, 1999. Sony drew support from fellow video game hardware manufacturers Nintendo, Sega, and 3dfx Interactive, while Connectix was backed by fellow software firms and trade associations.  The district court awarded Sony an injunction blocking Connectix  The district court also impounded all of Connectix's copies of the Sony BIOS and all copies of works based upon or incorporating Sony BIOS. Connectix then successfully appealed the ruling, with the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversing the earlier decision.

The court's decision.

The Ninth Circuit Court's 3-0 ruling centered on deciding whether or not Connectix's copying of the PlayStation firmware while reverse engineering it had been protected by fair use. The court relied heavily on the similar case between Sega Enterprises Ltd. v. Accolade Inc. in 1992, where the key finding relating to Connectix v. Sony was that copying for the purpose of reverse engineering was within fair use.  Each of the four components of fair use were considered by the court individually. The components are the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount and substantiality of the portion used, the purpose and character of the use and the effect of the use on the potential market.

1. Nature of the copyrighted work.

While the Ninth District Court did acknowledge that software code does deserve copyright protection, the court, following the precedent of Sega vs. Accolade, deemed that the PlayStation firmware fell under a lowered degree of copyright protection because it contained unprotected parts (functional elements) that could not be examined without copying. The court also rejected the semantic distinction between "studying" and "use" made by the district court, finding it to be artificial. The court case states, "[T]hey disassembled Sony's code not just to study the concepts. They actually used that code in the development of [their] product."

2. Amount and substantiality of the portion used.

The court saw this criterion as being of little significance to the case at hand. While Connectix did disassemble and copy the Sony BIOS repeatedly over the course of reverse engineering, the final product of the Virtual Game Station contained no infringing material. As a result, "this factor [held]... very little weight." in determining the decision.

3. Purpose and character of the use.

Sony had argued that Connectix infringed Sony's copyright by making numerous intermediate copies (that is, copies of copyrighted computer code created to aid the development of a non-infringing product) of the PlayStation BIOS during the reverse engineering process. The court rejected this notion, ruling that such a copy-grounded basis for what qualified as fair use would result in software engineers choosing inefficient engineering methods that minimized the number of intermediate copies. Preventing such "wasted effort", they argued, was the very purpose of fair use.  In addition, the court found that the ultimate purpose and character of Connectix's use of Sony's BIOS - in that it created a new platform for Sony PlayStation games - qualified as "modestly transformative." This factor of fair use, therefore, lay in Connectix's favor.

4. Effect of the use upon the potential market.

The court held in favor of Connectix on this point as well. While the Virtual Game Station might very well lower Sony's PlayStation console sales, its transformative status- allowing PlayStation games to be played on Mac - rendered it a legitimate competitor in the market for Sony and Sony-licensed games: "For this reason, some economic loss by Sony as a result of this competition does not compel a finding of no fair use. Sony understandably seeks control over the market for devices that play games Sony produces or licenses. The copyright law, however, does not confer such a monopoly."  The Ninth Circuit Court also reversed the district court's ruling that the Video Game Station tarnished Sony's "PlayStation" trademark. Sony had to show that (1) the PlayStation "mark is famous"; (2) Connectix is "making commercial use of the mark"; (3) Connectix's "use began after the mark became famous"; and that (4) Connectix's "use of the mark dilutes the quality of the mark by diminishing the capacity of the mark to identify and distinguish goods and services." As the first three points were not under debate (Connectix conceded points (1) and (3) ), the court addressed only the fourth point.  The court also took the opinion that the provided studies were lacking sufficient evidence of diluting the PlayStation trademark: "The evidence here fails to show or suggest that Sony's mark or product was regarded or was likely to be regarded negatively because of its performance on Connectix's Virtual Game Station. The evidence is not even substantial on the quality of that performance.... Sony's tarnishment claim cannot support the injunction."

Conclusion and aftermath.

The Ninth Circuit Court reversed the district court's decision both on the copyright infringement and the trademark tarnishing claims, lifting the injunction against Connectix. Connectix immediately filed a motion with the district court to summarily dismiss Sony's lawsuit. After a failed attempt by Sony to appeal the case to the Supreme Court, the two companies settled out of court about a year later. On March 15, 2001, Sony purchased the VGS rights from Connectix. They discontinued the product June 30 of that year. Connectix itself closed in August 2003.  Video game emulation advocates have asserted that Sony vs. Connectix established the legality of emulators within the United States.

Sony Computer Entertainment v. Connectix Corporation, 203 F.3d 596 (2000), is a decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which ruled that the copying of a copyrighted BIOS software during the development of an emulator software does not constitute copyright infringement, but is covered by fair use. The court also ruled that Sony's PlayStation trademark had not been tarnished by Connectix Corp.'s sale of its emulator software, the Virtual Game Station.

Sony Computer Entertainment v. Connectix Corporation, 203 F.3d 596 (2000) est une décision de la cour d'appel des États-Unis pour le neuvième circuit qui statue que la copie d'un BIOS protégé sous copyright pour le développement d'un émulateur ne constitue pas une violation du copyright mais est protégé par la doctrine du "". Cette décision note également que la marque déposée Sony n'a pas été terni par Connectix Corp. via la vente de son émulateur, la.


Early life.

Dumas was born in Ghana and spent her early childhood in Accra, Ghana. She had her basic education at Morning Star School and proceeded to the Archbishop Porter Girls High School where she became the Entertainment Prefect. Joselyn furthered her studies in the United States where she studied to earn a Degree in Administrative Law.

Career.

TV career.

Joselyn Dumas was a practicing paralegal until she relocated to Ghana to follow her dreams of becoming a Television personality. She made her debut on Television as the host of Charter House's "Rhythmz", an entertainment show, which saw her interview many celebrities. She was head hunted by the defunct TV Network, ViaSat 1 to host their first own produced flagship Talk show, "The One Show", which was aired from 2010 to 2014. She was the host for the TV talk show "At Home with Joselyn Dumas" which was aired across Africa and parts of Europe

Film career.

Her role in "Perfect Picture", made a lasting impression on the director which led to subsequent key roles in other movies. Her big break came two years later in the Shirley Frimpong-Manso movie series "Adams Apples". The role of "Jennifer Adams" in "Adams Apples" got her nominated for Best Actress in a lead role alongside Hollywood Actress Kimberly Elise at the 2011 Ghana Movie Awards. Ever since Joselyn Dumas came unto the acting scene in Ghana. She has played key roles in movies and series such as "Love or Something Like That", "A Sting in a Tale", "Perfect Picture", "A Northern Affair" and "Lekki Wives". She has starred alongside some of Africa's actors, including John Dumelo, Majid Michel of Ghana and OC Ukeje of Nigeria.

Producer.

She co-produced Miss Malaika Ghana, one of the most prestigious beauty pageant in Ghana, from 2008 to 2010. She is also the founder and CEO of Virgo Sun Company Limited, a production entity which under her directorship, has already co-produced its first movie "Love or Something Like that", endorsed by the UNAIDS. She hopes to produce as well as invest in more television programs or series like "V Republic", an edgy television series produced by Sparrow Productions with Executive Production by VirgoSun.

Special Appearance.

Dumas featured as the bride in Lynxx hit song "Fine Lady" featuring Wizkid.

Endorsements.

She is currently the Brand ambassador of Range Rover Evoque Ghana and Jobberman Ghana, a jobs advertisement company.

Events and shows.

She was a co-host with Ayo Makun at the 2018 Golden Movie Awards Africa held at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra on June 2, 2018, Ghana

Foundation.

She believes in giving back to society, especially where children are concerned. Her passion for philanthropic work led to the establishment of The Joselyn Canfor-Dumas Foundation (JCDF) to help address the needs of vulnerable children from all backgrounds and regions of Ghana. The JCD foundation is currently undertaking a project with focus on Autism.

Joselyn Dumas (; born 31 August) is a Ghanaian television host and actress. In 2014 she starred in a "A Northern Affair", a role that earned her a Ghana Movie Award and an Africa Movie Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Joselyn Canfor-Dumas, nom de scène Joselyn Dumas, née le, est une présentatrice de télévision et une actrice ghanéenne. En 2014, elle joue dans le film, rôle pour lequel elle est nominée en tant que meilleure actrice au et au Africa Movie Academy Award de la meilleure actrice.


Career.

Buck began his career as a sitcom writer. He joined the staff of "Six Feet Under" as a writer and supervising producer in 2002 for the show's second season. He wrote the second season episode "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". He remained a supervising producer for the third season in 2003 and wrote two further episodes "You Never Know" and "Everyone Leaves". He was promoted to co-executive producer for the fourth season in 2004. He wrote two more episodes "That's My Dog" and "Bomb Shelter". He was nominated for both an individual WGA award, as well as WGA awards for Best Writing Staff. He received a Peabody Award for his work on Six Feet Under. He remained a co-executive producer for the fifth and final season in 2005 and contributed two more episodes – "Dancing for Me" and "Singing For Our Lives". He contributed seven episodes to the series in total.  Buck worked as a co-executive producer on the second season of HBO's "Rome" in 2007. He wrote two episodes for the series ("These Being the Words of Marcus Tullius Cicero" and "Death Mask") before it was canceled.  He moved on to work as a co-executive producer and writer on the second season of Showtime's "Dexter" later in 2007, remaining as a co-executive producer for the third season in 2008, and an executive producer for the fourth season in 2009. In 2008, 2009 and 2010, "Dexter" was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Dramatic Series (with the writing team including Buck credited on the nomination) but lost to "The Wire" and "Mad Men". Buck was promoted to showrunner in season six of "Dexter", and served in that role for the show's last three seasons.  In December 2015, Buck was hired to serve as showrunner and executive producer for the Marvel and Netflix television series "Iron Fist". Netflix reported that "Iron Fist" was their most-binged drama premiere. In December 2016, Buck was named showrunner and executive producer for the Marvel, IMAX Corporation, and ABC television series "Inhumans". "Inhumans" premiered in September 2017, and ran for one season of a planned three before cancellation.

Scott Randall Buck is an American television writer. Buck has written for several television series including HBO's "Six Feet Under", "Rome", Showtime's "Dexter", "Everybody Loves Raymond", "Coach", "Inhumans", "The Oblongs" and "Iron Fist".

Scott Buck est un scénariste et producteur de télévision américain. Il est connu pour avoir écrit des scénarios d'épisodes pour "Six Feet Under", "Rome", "Dexter" et "Everybody Loves Raymond".


Development.

The 9M113 Konkurs was developed by the Tula Machinery Design Bureau (Tula KBP). Development began with the aim of producing the next generation of SACLOS anti-tank missiles, for use in both the man-portable role and the tank destroyer role. The 9M113 Konkurs was developed alongside the 9M111; the missiles use similar technology, differing only in size.  The original 9M113 with a single-charge warhead can penetrate 600 mm of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA).  The missile entered service in 1974. Iran bought a license for the Konkurs in 1991 and began producing a copy, the Tosan (not to be confused with the Toophan), sometime around 2000.

Description.

The missile is designed to be fired from vehicles, although it can also be fired from the later models of 9M111 launchers. It is an integral part of the BMP-2, BMD-2 and BRDM-2 vehicles. The missile is stored and carried in a fiberglass container/launch tube.  The system uses a gas generator to push the missile out of the launch tube. The gas also exits from the rear of the launch tube in a similar manner to a recoilless rifle. The missile leaves the launch tube at 80 meters per second, and is quickly accelerated to 200 meters per second by its solid fuel motor. This initial high speed reduces the missile's deadzone, since it can be launched directly at the target, rather than in an upward arc. In flight, the missile spins at between five and seven revolutions per second.  The launcher tracks the position of an incandescent infrared bulb on the back of the missile relative to the target and transmits appropriate commands to the missile via a thin wire that trails behind the missile. The system has an alarm that activates when it detects jamming from a system like Shtora. The operator can then take manual control, reducing the missile to MCLOS. The SACLOS guidance system has many benefits over MCLOS. The system's accuracy is quoted in some sources as 90%, though its performance is probably comparable to the BGM-71 TOW or later SACLOS versions of the 9K11 Malyutka.

The 9M113 "Konkurs (; ; NATO reporting name AT-5 "Spandrel) is a Soviet SACLOS wire-guided anti-tank missile. A development of the 9K111 Fagot with greater firepower, the 9M113 Konkurs can use the same launchers and is very similar visually, distinguishable only by a slight bulge towards the end of the Konkurs' missile tube.

Le 9M113 "Konkurs ( ; traduction ; ) est un missile antichar filoguidé SACLOS de l'Union soviétique. « 9M113 » est la désignation du pour ce type de missile. Son code OTAN est AT-5 "Spandrel.


History.

The first suggestion of ADP-ribosylation surfaced during the early 1960s. At this time, Pierre Chambon and coworkers observed the incorporation of ATP into hen liver nuclei extract. After extensive studies on the acid insoluble fraction, several different research laboratories were able to identify ADP-ribose, derived from NAD+, as the incorporated group. Several years later, the enzymes responsible for this incorporation were identified and given the name poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Originally, this group was thought to be a linear sequence of ADP-ribose units covalently bonded through a ribose glycosidic bond. It was later reported that branching can occur every 20 to 30 ADP residues.  The first appearance of mono-ADP-ribosylation occurred a year later during a study of toxins: corynebacterium diphtheria diphtheria toxin was shown to be dependent on NAD+ in order for it to be completely effective, leading to the discovery of enzymatic conjugation of a single ADP-ribose group by mono-ADP-ribosyl transferase.  It was initially thought that ADP-ribosylation was a post translational modification involved solely in gene regulation. However, as more enzymes with the ability to ADP-ribosylate proteins were discovered, the multifunctional nature of ADP-ribosylation became apparent. The first mammalian enzyme with poly-ADP-ribose transferase activity was discovered during the late 1980s. For the next 15 years, it was thought to be the only enzyme capable of adding a chain of ADP-ribose in mammalian cells. During the late 1980s, ADP-ribosyl cyclases, which catalyze the addition of cyclic-ADP-ribose groups to proteins, were discovered. Finally, sirtuins, a family of enzymes that also possess NAD+-dependent deacylation activity, were discovered to also possess mono-ADP-ribosyl transferase activity.

Catalytic mechanism.

The source of ADP-ribose for most enzymes that perform this modification is the redox cofactor NAD. In this transfer reaction, the N-glycosidic bond of NAD that bridges the ADP-ribose molecule and the nicotinamide group is cleaved, followed by nucleophilic attack by the target amino acid side chain. ADP-ribosyltransferases can perform two types of modifications: mono-ADP ribosylation and poly-ADP ribosylation.

Mono ADP-ribosylation.

Mono-ADP ribosyltransferases commonly catalyze the addition of ADP-ribose to arginine side chains using a highly conserved R-S-EXE motif of the enzyme. The reaction proceeds by breaking the bond between nicotinamide and ribose to form an oxonium ion. Next, the arginine side chain of the target protein then acts a nucleophile, attacking the electrophilic carbon adjacent to the oxonium ion. In order for this step to occur, the arginine nucleophile is deprotonated by a glutamate residue on the catalyzing enzyme. Another conserved glutamate residue forms a hydrogen bond with one of the hydroxyl groups on the ribose chain to further facilitate this nucleophilic attack. As a result of the cleavage reaction, nicotinamide is released. The modification can be reversed by ADP-ribosylhydrolases, which cleave the N-glycosidic bond between arginine and ribose to release ADP-ribose and unmodified protein; NAD+ is not restored by the reverse reaction.

Poly ADP-ribosylation.

Poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) are found mostly in eukaryotes and catalyze the transfer of multiple ADP-ribose molecules to target proteins. As with mono-ADP ribosylation, the source of ADP-ribose is NAD. PARPs use a catalytic triad of His-Tyr-Glu to facilitate binding of NAD and positioning of the end of the existing poly-ADP ribose chain on the target protein; the Glu facilitates catalysis and formation of a (1->2) O-glycosidic linkage between two ribose molecules. There are several other enzymes that recognize poly-ADP ribose chains, hydrolyse them or form branches; over 800 proteins have been annotated to contain the loosely defined poly ADP-ribose binding motif; therefore, in addition to this modification altering target protein conformation and structure, it may also be used as a tag to recruit other proteins or for regulation of the target protein.

Amino acid specificity.

Many different amino acid side chains have been described as ADP-ribose acceptors. From a chemical perspective, this modification represents protein glycosylation: the transfer of ADP-ribose occurs onto amino acid side chains with a nucleophilic oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur, resulting in N-, O-, or S-glycosidic linkage to the ribose of the ADP-ribose. Originally, acidic amino acids (glutamate and aspartate) were described as the main sites of ADP-ribosylation. However, many other ADP-ribose acceptor sites such as serine, arginine, cysteine, lysine, diphthamide, phosphoserine, and asparagine have been identified in subsequent works.

Function.

Apoptosis.

During DNA damage or cellular stress PARPs are activated, leading to an increase in the amount of poly-ADP-ribose and a decrease in the amount of NAD+. For over a decade it was thought that PARP1 was the only poly-ADP-ribose polymerase in mammalian cells, therefore this enzyme has been the most studied. Caspases are a family of cysteine proteases that are known to play an essential role in programmed cell death. This protease cleaves PARP-1 into two fragments, leaving it completely inactive, to limit poly-ADP-ribose production. One of its fragments migrates from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and is thought to become a target of autoimmunity.  During caspase-independent apoptosis, also called parthanatos, poly-ADP-ribose accumulation can occur due to activation of PARPs or inactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase, an enzyme that hydrolyses poly(ADP-ribose) to produce free ADP-ribose. Studies have shown poly-ADP-ribose drives the translocation of the apoptosis inducing factor protein to the nucleus where it will mediate DNA fragmentation. It has been suggested that if a failure of caspase activation under stress conditions were to occur, necroptosis would take place. Overactivation of PARPs has led to a necrotic cell death regulated by the tumor necrosis factor protein. Though the mechanism is not yet understood, PARP inhibitors have been shown to affect necroptosis.

Gene regulation.

ADP-ribosylation can affect gene expression at nearly every level of regulation, including chromatin organization, transcription factor recruitment and binding, and mRNA processing.  The organization of nucleosomes is key to regulation of gene expression: the spacing and organization of nucleosomes changes what regions of DNA are available for transcription machinery to bind and transcribe DNA. PARP1, a poly-ADP ribose polymerase, has been shown to affect chromatin structure and promote changes in the organization of nucleosomes through modification of histones. PARPs have been shown to affect transcription factor structure and cause recruitment of many transcription factors to form complexes at DNA and elicit transcription. Mono ADP-ribosyltransferases are also shown to affect transcription factor binding at promoters. For example, PARP14, a mono ADP-ribosyltransferase, has been shown to affect STAT transcription factor binding.  Other ADP-ribosyltransferases have been shown to modify proteins that bind mRNA, which can cause silencing of that gene transcript.

DNA repair.

Poly-ADP-ribose polymerases (PARPs) can function in DNA repair of single strand breaks as well as double strand breaks. In single-strand break repair (base excision repair) the PARP can either facilitate removal of an oxidized sugar or strand cleavage. PARP1 binds the single-strand breaks and pulls any nearby base excision repair intermediates close. These intermediates include XRCC1 and APLF and they can be recruited directly or through the PBZ domain of the APLF. This leads to the synthesis of poly-ADP ribose. The PBZ domain is present in many proteins involved in DNA repair and allows for the binding of the PARP and thus ADP-ribosylation which recruits repair factors to interact at the break site. PARP2 is a secondary responder to DNA damage but serves to provide functional redundancy in DNA repair.  There are many mechanisms for the repair of damaged double stranded DNA. PARP1 may function as a synapsis factor in alternative non-homologous end joining. Additionally, It has been proposed that PARP1 is required to slow replication forks following DNA damage and promotes homologous recombination at replication forks that may be dysfunctional. It is possible that PARP1 and PARP3 work together in repair of double-stranded DNA and it has been shown that PARP3 is critical for double-stranded break resolution. There are two hypotheses by which PARP1 and PARP3 coincide. The first hypothesis states that the two ADP-ribosyltransferases serve to function for each other's inactivity. If PARP3 is lost, this results in single-strand breaks, and thus the recruitment of PARP1. A second hypothesis suggests that the two enzyme work together; PARP3 catalyzes mono-ADP ribosylation and short poly-ADP ribosylation and serves to activate PARP1.  The PARPs have many protein targets at the site of DNA damage. KU protein and DNA-PKcs are both double-stranded break repair components with unknown sites of ADP-ribosylation. Histones are another protein target of the PARPs. All core histones and linker histone H1 are ADP-ribosylated following DNA damage. The function of these modifications is still unknown, but it has been proposed that ADP-ribosylation modulates higher-order chromatin structure in efforts to facilitate more accessible sites for repair factors to migrate to the DNA damage.

Protein degradation.

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) figures prominently in protein degradation. The 26S proteasome consists of a catalytic subunit (the 20S core particle), and a regulatory subunit (the 19S cap). Poly-ubiquitin chains tag proteins for degradation by the proteasome, which causes hydrolysis of tagged proteins into smaller peptides.  Tankyrase (TNKS), an ADP-ribosyltransferase, interacts with proteasome regulator PI31. Evidence in "Drosophila" and human cell lines demonstrates that the Ankyrin domain (ANK) of TNKS facilitates interaction with the N-terminal TNKS-binding motif and C-terminal HbYX domain of PI31. This promotes ADP-ribosylation of PI31 by the PARP domain of TNKS. In addition, it was shown that treatment of "Drosophila" cells with a TNKS inhibitor, XAV939, attenuated 26S proteasome activity. Moreover, ADP-ribosylation of PI31 has been demonstrated to block PI31-mediated inhibition of α-subunits of the 20S particle. Therefore, a working hypothesis is that tankyrase-mediated ADP-ribosylation reduces PI31's activity, which in turn decreases protein degradation performed by the proteasome.

Clinical significance.

Cancer.

PARP1 is involved in base excision repair (BER), single- and double-strand break repair, and chromosomal stability. It is also involved in transcriptional regulation through its facilitation of protein–protein interactions. PARP1 uses NAD+ in order to perform its function in apoptosis. If a PARP becomes overactive the cell will have decreased levels of NAD+ cofactor as well as decreased levels of ATP and thus will undergo necrosis. This is important in carcinogenesis because it could lead to the selection of PARP1 deficient cells (but not depleted) due to their survival advantage during cancer growth.  Susceptibility to carcinogenesis under PARP1 deficiency depends significantly on the type of DNA damage incurred. There are many implications that various PARPs are involved in preventing carcinogenesis. As stated previously, PARP1 and PARP2 are involved in BER and chromosomal stability. PARP3 is involved in centrosome regulation. Tankyrase is another ADP-ribose polymerase that is involved in telomere length regulation.  PARP1 inhibition has also been widely studied in anticancer therapeutics. The mechanism of action of a PARP1 inhibitor is to enhance the damage done by chemotherapy on the cancerous DNA by disallowing the reparative function of PARP1 in BRCA1/2 deficient individuals.  PARP14 is another ADP-ribosylating enzyme that has been well-studied in regards to cancer therapy targets; it is a signal transducer and activator of STAT6 transcription-interacting protein, and was shown to be associated with the aggressiveness of B-cell lymphomas.

Bacterial toxins.

Bacterial ADP-ribosylating exotoxins (bAREs) covalently transfer an ADP-Ribose moiety of NAD+ to target proteins of infected eukaryotes, to yield nicotinamide and a free hydrogen ion. bAREs are produced as enzyme precursors, consisting of a "A" and "B" domains: the "A" domain is responsible for ADP-Ribosylation activity; and, the "B" domain for translocation of the enzyme across the membrane of the cell. These domains can exist in concert in three forms: first, as single polypeptide chains with A and B domains covalently linked; second, in multi-protein complexes with A and B domains bound by non-covalent interactions; and, third, in multi-protein complexes with A and B domains not directly interacting, prior to processing.  Upon activation, bAREs ADP-ribosylate any number of eukaryotic proteins; such mechanism is crucial to the instigation of the diseased states associated with ADP-ribosylation. GTP-binding proteins, in particular, are well-established in bAREs pathophysiology. For examples, cholera and heat-labile enterotoxin target the α-subunit of Gs of heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins. As the α-subunit is ADP-ribosylated, it is permanently in an "active", GTP-bound state; subsequent activation of intracellular cyclic AMP stimulates the release of fluid and ions from intestinal epithelial cells. Furthermore, C. Botulinum C3 ADP-ribosylates GTP-binding proteins Rho and Ras, and Pertussis toxin ADP-Ribosylates Gi, Go, and Gt. Diphtheria toxin ADP-ribosylates ribosomal elongation factor EF-2, which attenuates protein synthesis.  There are a variety of bacteria which employ bAREs in infection: CARDS toxin of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, cholera toxin of vibrio cholera; heat-labile enterotoxin of E.Coli; Exotoxin A of Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pertussis toxin of B. Pertussis; C3 toxin of C. botulinum; and Diphtheria toxin of Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

ADP-ribosylation is the addition of one or more ADP-ribose moieties to a protein. It is a reversible post-translational modification that is involved in many cellular processes, including cell signaling, DNA repair, gene regulation and apoptosis. Improper ADP-ribosylation has been implicated in some forms of cancer. It is also the basis for the toxicity of bacterial compounds such as cholera toxin, diphtheria toxin, and others.

L'ADP-ribosylation est une modification post-traductionnelle de certaines protéines consistant à leur adjoindre une ou plusieurs unités ADP-ribose<ref name="10.1016/j.tibs.2006.11.006"> <ref name="10.1046/j.1432-1327.2000.01187.x">. Il s'agit d'une modification réversible intervenant dans de nombreux processus des cellules vivantes, notamment la signalisation cellulaire, la réparation de l'ADN, la régulation de l'expression génétique (épigénétique) et l'apoptose<ref name="10.1016/j.tibs.2004.01.007"> <ref name="10.1093/emboj/cdg209 ">. Certaines formes de cancer ont été associées à une ADP-ribosylation incorrecte<ref name="10.1111/febs.12290">. Cette modification est également à la base du mécanisme d'action de certaines toxines bactériennes telles que la toxine cholérique et la toxine diphtérique.


International nature parks.

The first international nature park in Europe, the present-day Pieniny National Park was founded jointly by Poland and Slovakia in 1932.

Nature parks by country.

Austria.

There are currently 47 nature parks in Austria with a total area of around 500,000 ha (as at April 2010). They are host to nearly 20 million visitors annually. The designation of "nature park" is awarded by the respective state governments. To achieve this award, the 4 pillars of a nature park have to be met: conservation, recreation, education and regional development.

Association of Austrian Nature Parks (VNÖ).

In 1995 all the Austrian nature parks agreed to be represented by the Association of Austrian Nature Parks ("Verband der Naturparke Österreichs") or VNÖ.  Currently there are nature parks in the following states:

Belgium.

In Belgium, there are two different structures. In Flanders, their name is Regionale Landschappen and in Wallonia, the Natural Parks. There are 17 Regionale Landschappen in Flanders and 9 Natural Parks in Wallonia.

Croatia.

In Croatia there is a total of eight national parks and twelve nature parks. Under nature park protection are the following regions:

Czech Republic.

In the Czech Republic a Nature Park (Přírodní Park) is defined as a large area serving the protection of a landscape against activities that could decrease its natural and esthetic value. They can be established by any State Environment Protection body.

Germany.

The "Nature park" is one of the options for area-based nature conservation provided for under the Federal Nature Conservation Act (the "BNatSchG"). On 6 June 1956 in the former capital city of Bonn at the annual meeting of the Nature Reserve Association (in the presence of President Theodor Heuss and Minister Heinrich Lübke)., the environmentalist and entrepreneur, Alfred Toepfer, presented a programme developed jointly with the Central Office for Nature Conservation and Landscape Management and other institutions to set up (initially) 25 nature parks in West Germany. Five percent of the area of the old Federal Republic of Germany was to be spared from major environmental damage as a result.

Definition of nature parks in Germany.

The definition of the category of nature park is laid down in federal law (§ 27 of the BNatSchG). Details, especially with regard to the identification, investigation or recognition as a nature park vary in each state depending on the provisions of local conservation law.  § 27 of the BnatSchG determines that natural parks are large areas that are to be developed and managed as a single unit, that consist mainly of protected landscapes or nature reserves, that have a large variety of species and habitats and that have a landscape that exhibits a variety of uses.  In nature parks, the aim is to strive for environmentally sustainable land use and they should be especially suitable for recreation and for sustainable tourism because of their topographical features.  The underlying idea is a "protection through usage", so the acceptance and participation of the population in the protection of the cultural landscape and nature is very important. In doing so the nature conservation and the needs of recreation users should be linked so that both sides benefit: sustainable tourism with respect for the value of nature and landscape is paramount.  Basically all actions, interventions and projects that would be contrary to the purpose of conservation are prohibited.  Nature parks are to be considered in zoning and must be represented and considered in local development plans. This is called an acquisition memorandum. They are binding and cannot be waived because of a higher common good.  The sponsors of nature parks are usually clubs or local special purpose associations.  The German nature parks come together in the Association of German Nature Parks.  In Germany today there are 101 nature parks (as at: March 2009), that occupy some 25% of the land area. They are an important building block for nature conservation and help to preserve the sites of natural beauty, cultural landscapes, rare species and biotopes and to make them accessible to later generations.

Italy.

South Tyrol has 8 nature parks and part of a national park

Philippines.

In the Philippines, Natural Parks are a type of protected area. They are defined by Republic Act No. 7586 as: "relatively large areas not materially altered by human activity where extractive resource uses are not allowed and maintained to protect outstanding natural and scenic areas of national or international significance for scientific, educational and recreational use."  They include:

Switzerland.

In Switzerland the establishment of regional nature parks is regulated by the Federal Act on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage. The three categories are:  National parks and nature experience parks have very strict protected areas, something which does not exist in regional nature parks. The latter focus much more on striking a balance in the level of support between nature conservation and the regional economy.

A nature park, or sometimes natural park, is a designation for a protected landscape by means of long-term planning, sustainable use and agriculture. These valuable landscapes are preserved in their present state and promoted for tourism purposes.

Un parc naturel est un territoire dont l'aménagement est prévu à long terme, notamment l'utilisation des sols et les changements dans leur affectation, via la régulation de l'emprise de l'agriculture, des activités industrielles, de l'artificialisation des sols due notamment à l'étalement urbain, etc. Les milieux naturels (faune, flore, etc.) y sont généralement pour partie protégés, par la législation (dépendant de chaque pays), des activités humaines pouvant leur nuire. Un parc naturel peut également avoir une vocation touristique.


Club career.

Cagliari.

Born in Cagliari, Barella is a youth exponent from Cagliari Calcio. He made his Serie A debut on 4 May 2015 against Parma, replacing Diego Farias after 68 minutes in a 4–0 home win.  In January 2016, he was sent on loan to Como in Serie B, where he played as a first choice for the second part of the season.  On 17 September 2017, he scored his first professional and Serie A goal against SPAL in a 2–0 home win.

Inter Milan.

On 12 July 2019 Barella joined Inter Milan on a year-long deal with an obligation to buy with four-year contract to take effect after the loan period. He made his club debut on 26 August against Lecce; he came off the bench in the second half for Matías Vecino, and later helped set-up Antonio Candreva's goal in an eventual 4–0 home win in Inter's opening match of the 2019–20 Serie A season. He made his Champions League debut on 17 September against Slavia Prague; after coming off the bench for Marcelo Brozović in the second half, he scored an injury-time equalising goal to help Inter to a 1–1 home draw, which was his first goal both in the competition and for Inter. On 9 November, he scored his first league goal for the club as Inter came from behind to achieve a 2–1 home win over Verona. He scored his first goal in the Coppa Italia on 29 January 2020, in 2–1 home win over Fiorentina, in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

International career.

With the Italy U19 team, Barella took part at the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, finishing in second place.  With the Italy U20 he took part at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, finishing in third place.  Barella made his debut with the Italy U21 team on 1 September 2017, in a 3–0 friendly defeat against Spain.  Barella was called up to the senior Italy squad by manager Gian Piero Ventura for the team's 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia and Albania in October 2017.  Barella made his debut for the Italy senior side on 10 October 2018, under manager Roberto Mancini, in a 1–1 friendly draw against Ukraine in Genoa. On 23 March 2019, Barella scored his first goal for Italy in a 2–0 home win over Finland in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match.  He took part with the U21 side in the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Style of play.

Barella is considered a promising and highly talented young midfielder in the European sports media. He was named the best young Italian player born in 1997 for two consecutive years between 2012 and 2013. Italian football journalist Mina Rzouki described him as an intelligent, promising, and composed midfielder, despite his young age, with a wide range of skills. She also commented that Barella "...can dribble through a defence, score volleys and start counter-attacks. He knows how to find the right passes and is box-to-box. Most importantly he can win back possession quickly and recover the ball." Barella's performances have also been praised by Italian former footballers Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro Del Piero. The Italian sports newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport" has compared him to Steven Gerrard, describing him as a player with good technique, vision, stamina, and physical strength, despite his relatively short stature, as well as an ability to win balls, which enables him to break down possession and subsequently start quick attacking plays. A versatile player, he is capable of playing anywhere in midfield, and has even been used as an attacking midfielder or as a defensive midfielder, but his favoured role is as a right-sided, offensive-minded central midfielder, known as a "mezzala" in Italy. Known for his eye for goal, he possesses a good shot from outside the area, and is known for his ability to make late attacking runs from behind into the penalty area. He is also an accurate set piece and penalty taker. He is known for his strong character, leadership qualities, competitive spirit, and winning mentality, but has also drawn criticism at times in the press for protesting or arguing excessively with officials during matches.

Honours.

International.

Italy U19

Nicolò Barella (; born 7 February 1997) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan on loan from Cagliari and the Italy national team.

Nicolò Barella, né le à Cagliari, est un footballeur international italien. Il évolue au poste de milieu de terrain à l'Inter Milan.


Life.

Education and priesthood.

Maximiano María Antonio Miguel Valdés Subercaseaux was born on 23 September 1908 in San Miguel in the Santiago Province as the second of five children to Horacio Valdés Ortúzar (12.3.1878-22.6.1957) and Blanca Subercaseaux Errázuriz (1885-???). His parents were married on 12 September 1906 and were devout Christians. His siblings were: His brother Gabriel served as the Foreign Minister and later the Senate President while his son (Valdés' nephew) Juan Gabriel serves as the current Chilean ambassador to the United States of America since 2014. His baptism was celebrated on 24 September.  He received a special dispensation from Pope Pius X to have his First Communion before the required age and the celebration was held on 30 March 1913 while he received his Confirmation on 11 April 1914 from Archbishop Juan Ignacio González Eyzaguirre. Valdés began his schooling at the San Ignacio school.  In 1925 he travelled to Europe with his parents where he first felt called to the priesthood and to the religious life. On 26 January 1930 he became the first native from his nation to join the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin when he was received into their novitiate and he was given the religious name of "Francisco of San Miguel de Santiago". He began his ecclesial studies in Rome in 1927 at the Pontifical Latin American college and the Pontifical Gregorian in Rome before he received his ordination to the priesthood on 17 March 1934 in Venice from Bishop Giovanni Jeremich. He had received a philosophical doctorate from the Gregorian in 1929 and later earned one for theological studies during the 1930s. Valdés made his first vows into the order on 27 January 1931 and continued his formation across both Germany and Italy before he made his perpetual and solemn profession on 2 February 1934.  In 1935 - now back in Chile - he was assigned to the Apostolic Vicariate of Araucanía - a remote region - and served as a professor of philosophical studies at San Fidel in San José de la Mariquina. He served as the parish priest for Pucón between 1943 and 1956. During that period he helped to establish a convent for the Capuchin Poor Clares in his parish while also working and maintaining close ties with the Mapuche people.

Episcopate.

Pope Pius XII appointed Valdés as the first Bishop of Osorno on 20 June 1956 with Sebastiano Baggio conferring upon him episcopal consecration on 16 September. Valdés attended all sessions of the Second Vatican Council from 11 October 1962 to 8 December 1965 as a Council Father. He was an ardent supporter and staunch advocate for dialogue and peace between Chile and Argentina in their border dispute and made repeated calls for fraternal negotiations aimed at ensuring better cooperation and coexistence between the two nations. Valdés loved sacred music and liturgical celebrations and in 1966 presided over an Episcopal Commission on liturgical celebration to better enhance such celebrations as an expression of faith. He inaugurated the new diocesan cathedral in 1977 after the previous one had fallen during the Valdivia earthquake in 1960.

Death.

Valdés was diagnosed in 1981 with gastric cancer. He spent his last months with the Capuchin friars of Araucanía. He died in 1982 at the San Francisco Hospital in Pucón; his last words were: "I offer my life to the pope, to the Church, to the Diocese of Osorno, to the poor, to the peace between Chile and Argentina, and to the triumph of love". He was buried in the diocesan cathedral.

Beatification process.

The beatification process for the late friar commenced under Pope John Paul II on 25 September 1998 after the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued the official edict of "nihil obstat" (nothing against the cause) and titled him as a Servant of God. The investigation commenced in Osorno in a diocesan process that collected testimonies and documents and the C.C.S. later validated this process in Rome on 7 June 2002 after determining the process did all that was required of it. The postulation appointed a relator who would assist in preparing the Positio dossier in an effort to collate all available evidence to attest to the friar's saintliness and this was submitted to the C.C.S. on 29 November 2012.  Theologians evaluated the contents of the dossier and issued their approval for the cause on 18 March 2014 while the cardinal and bishop members of the C.C.S. likewise assented to the cause's continuation in their meeting on 4 November 2014. The cause culminated on 7 November 2014 after Pope Francis confirmed that Valdés lived a model life of heroic virtue and named him as Venerable.  The current postulator for this cause is the Franciscan priest Carlo Calloni.

Failed miracle.

His beatification depended on a miracle being approved and one such case had been investigated in the diocese of its origin; the C.C.S. later validated this in Rome on 16 November 2007 but could not investigate it further until Valdés had been proclaimed Venerable as was the requirement. The medical experts advising the C.C.S. met on 21 May 2015 to determine if the healing was a miracle but found it was not a miracle due to a scientific explanation being evident for such a healing.

Maximiano Valdés Subercaseaux (23 September 1908 – 4 January 1982) - in religious Francisco - was a Chilean Roman Catholic prelate who was a professed member from the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and served as the first Bishop of Osorno from 1956 until his death. Valdés discerned his call to the priesthood while with his parents in Europe and was ordained as a priest in Venice after completing his studies in Rome but continued further formation amongst the Franciscans in Europe before making his return to Chile. He was the first Chilean to have become a Capuchin friar. Valdés dedicated his episcopal career to the poor and he often visited the poor regions around his diocese while remaining a staunch advocate for a peaceful resolution to the Chile-Argentina border disputes; his last words also contained a desire for there to be peace between the two feuding nations.

Francisco Valdés Subercaseaux (1908 - 1982), est un prêtre et missionnaire catholique, appartenant à l'Ordre des Frères mineurs capucins, dont il fut le premier religieux chilien, et premier évêque du diocèse d'Osorno. La cause pour sa béatification est en cours, et il est reconnu vénérable par l'Église catholique.


Background.

Under Vander Zalm's leadership, Socred's control shifted from urban fiscal conservatives to social conservatives. Vander Zalm seemingly cruised to victory in the 1986 provincial election, held just a month after he was sworn in. In truth, however, a number of more moderate Socreds were not at home with the party's rightward turn on social issues, and began defecting to the Liberals.  This process was exacerbated by Vander Zalm's eccentricity, and the constant scandals that plagued his government. As well, Vander Zalm allowed his principal secretary, David Poole, to amass a substantial amount of power, despite being unelected.  Vander Zalm resigned in April 1991 amid a conflict of interest scandal surrounding the sale of a theme park that he owned. Socred members elected the lesser-known Deputy Premier Rita Johnston, a close ally of Vander Zalm, to be their new leader, over Grace McCarthy, a longtime associate of former Premier Bill Bennett. Many viewed this as a mistake, as Johnston was close to the Vander Zalm legacy; even NDP leader Mike Harcourt admitted later that he preferred Johnston over McCarthy, as the latter would be a much tougher opponent in an election.

Campaign.

Johnston had little time to make up ground in the polls or distance herself from the now-detested Vander Zalm. Additionally, the Socreds were still bitterly divided over the bruising leadership contest.  The Liberals, who had not been represented in the legislature since 1979, gained slightly in the polls due to great resentment against the ruling Socreds and skepticism towards the NDP. A turning point came when Wilson successfully took legal action to be included in the televised leaders' debate, which took place on 8 October. During the debate Johnston and Harcourt exchanged many bitter attacks, while Wilson, still not considered a serious contender, was able to successfully portray himself as an "outsider" who was above the partisan bickering of the other two parties. Liberal support surged dramatically as a result of Wilson's performance. One of the memorable moments of the debate came as Harcourt and Johnston argued loudly amongst each other, when Wilson pointed towards them and declared, "Here's a classic example of why nothing ever gets done in the province of British Columbia."

Results.

The Socreds were swept from power in a massive NDP landslide. This was not due to the NDP winning a higher percentage of the vote as much as it was due to Socred support collapsing in favour of the BC Liberals, splitting the vote. The defeat was magnified by moderate Socred supporters voting Liberal, continuing a shift that dated to early in Vander Zalm's tenure. The combined effect was to decimate the Socred caucus, which was reduced from 47 members to only seven—only three over the minimum for official party status. Johnston herself lost her own seat in Surrey-Newton to NDP challenger Penny Priddy, and all but five members of her cabinet were defeated.  The Liberals returned to the legislature as the official opposition after a 12-year absence, replacing Social Credit as the main alternative to the NDP in the province.  Notes: x - less than 0.005% of the popular vote.  <nowiki>*</nowiki> Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election.

Legacy.

This was considered a realigning election due to the high turnover in MLAs and the effective end of the Socreds as a political force. The party was completely shut out of the legislature in the 1996 election, never to return. Meanwhile, the Liberals replaced them as the main non-socialist party in British Columbia. The NDP and Liberals have been the two main parties in the province since then.  However, neither Harcourt, Wilson, or Johnston would contest the subsequent 1996 election as leaders of the major parties, with Johnston and Harcourt having retired from politics by that campaign. Johnston, having lost her seat, resigned the leadership of the Socreds immediately in early 1992. Harcourt resigned as premier in 1996 due to a scandal among the MLAs in his caucus. Wilson proved unable to consolidate the party's leadership due to inexperience and he was eventually deposed in 1993, and he crossed to the NDP in 1997 after a brief spell as founder, leader and sole MLA of the Progressive Democratic Alliance. He served as an MLA and minister until his defeat in 2001. Wilson was also a candidate for the NDP's leadership in 2000, won by Ujjal Dosanjh.

The 1991 British Columbia general election was the 35th provincial election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 19, 1991, and held on October 17, 1991. The incumbent Social Credit Party of British Columbia, which had been beset by scandals during Bill Vander Zalm's only term as premier, was defeated by the New Democratic Party of Mike Harcourt. Liberal Party leader Gordon Wilson surprised observers by leading his party to winning one-third of the votes cast, and forming the official opposition in the legislature. The new legislature met for the first time on March 17, 1992.

L'Élection générale britanno-colombienne de 1991 fut la provinciale en Colombie-Britannique, Canada. On procéda à l'élection pour élire des membres de l'Assemblée législative de la Colombie-Britannique. L'élection fut déclenchée le 19 septembre 1991, et eut lieu le 17 octobre 1991. Le Parti Crédit social de la Colombie-Britannique titulaire, qui avait été assailli de scandales pendant le seul terme de Bill Vander Zalm comme premier fut vaincu par le Nouveau Parti démocratique de Michael Harcourt. Le chef du Parti libéral Gordon Wilson surprit les observateurs en menant son parti a gagner un tiers des voix, formant l'opposition parlementaire du corps législatif. La nouvelle assemblée législative se rencontra pour la première fois le 17 mars 1992.


Personal life.

Born in Bristol, his father Adam Norris is a retired pensions manager, one of Bristol's richest people and 501st richest in the country.  Norris was privately educated at Millfield School in Street, Somerset, leaving school before taking his GCSEs. During that time he studied physics and mathematics with a full-time personal tutor. His family later also moved to Glastonbury to allow him to become a day boarder, and hence pursue his racing career.  His mother is from Belgium, and he is known to speak small amounts of Flemish Dutch, stating that English is his main language. Norris holds both British and Belgian citizenship.  Norris has a passion for sim racing. He plays iRacing at a high level. He often streams this on Twitch.tv where he has amassed over 400,000 followers and over 4000 subscribers.

Racing career.

Early career.

After initially developing an interest in motorcycle racing, Norris's attention switched from two wheels to four after his father took him and his brother to watch a round of the Super 1 National Kart Championships at his local kart track. He started his racing career at the age of seven when he claimed pole position at his first national event. In 2013, Norris won in the World Karting Championships held in Bahrain, the WSK Euro Series and the CIK-FIA European and CIK-FIA Supercup titles. The following year he won the CIK-FIA KF World Championship, with Ricky Flynn Motorsport, thereby making him the youngest karting world championship winner. In 2014, Norris made his debut in the Ginetta Junior Championship, a support series to the BTCC where he finished third overall, winning the Rookie Cup in his first year out of karts. For 2015, Norris signed with Carlin Motorsport to drive in the newly established MSA Formula series. Norris would win the series with eight wins, ten pole positions and 14 podiums. He also made occasional appearances in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship and the Italian Formula 4 Championship with Mücke Motorsport where he enjoyed even more successes, picking up six podiums from eight starts in the former and a single podium in the latter.  For 2016, it was announced that Norris would be driving for M2 Competition in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand. Norris achieved six wins throughout the season, including the New Zealand Grand Prix and won the championship on his first attempt. Norris took part in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and Formula Renault 2.0 NEC series driving for Josef Kaufmann Racing in which he finished first in both series. As well as embarking on a campaign in the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship with Carlin, where he finished 8th on a part-time schedule. He also took part in the final round of the European Formula 3 Championship and the Macau Grand Prix with Carlin, finishing eleventh in the latter.  Norris raced full-time with Carlin in the 2017 European Formula 3 Championship. He clinched the title in the first of three races at the Hockenheimring finale, and finishing 53 points ahead of runner-up Joel Eriksson.  He also raced for Carlin in the 2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship and came close to winning the title but ended up finishing runner-up to fellow Brit George Russell.

Formula One.

In early 2017, Norris was signed as a junior driver with McLaren. Later that year, Norris tested for McLaren in a scheduled mid-season test. He set the second fastest lap in the second day of testing at the Hungaroring. In late 2017, Norris became the official McLaren test and reserve driver for the 2018 season. Norris participated in his first official practice session at the Belgian Grand Prix. He ran 26 laps in the session, and finished the session in 18th position out of 20 cars, also outperforming the best lap time of the other McLaren car, driven by full-time McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne.

McLaren (2019–present).

Norris was contracted to drive for McLaren for the 2019 Formula One World Championship, partnering Carlos Sainz Jr.  Norris qualified 8th on his debut race in Australia, finishing the race in 12th place. At the next race in Bahrain he produced a strong drive to finish 6th, scoring his first Formula One points. The Chinese Grand Prix was the first of Norris' retirements that season, after damage from a first lap collision caused him to retire later in the race. His next retirement came two races later in Spain after a collision with Lance Stroll. After an 8th-place finish at the next race in Azerbaijan, Norris suffered another retirement in Canada after his car suffered a suspension failure causing a brake fire.  Norris was on course to finish 7th in France before hydraulic problems late in the race caused him to fall to 10th, eventually being classified 9th after a penalty for Daniel Ricciardo. This was followed by a 6th-place finish in Austria. In Germany, Norris was forced to start from the back of the grid due to an engine penalty. He would later retire from the race after a power failure. Norris produced another points finish in Hungary, starting 7th and finishing 9th. At the Belgian Grand Prix, he made his way from 11th up to 5th in the early stages of the race. He looked on course for the best finish of his career thus far, maintaining his 5th place until he suffered a power failure on his final lap, eventually being classified outside the points in 11th.  Three consecutive points finishes followed. In Japan, Norris was running in 5th place at the beginning of the race before Alexander Albon collided with him during an overtake attempt. Norris' pace suffered for the rest of the race due to the resulting floor damage and he eventually finished in 11th place. At the next race in Mexico, Norris' bad luck continued. Whilst making his pit stop from 7th place, a wheel was fitted incorrectly and after almost exiting the pits, he stopped and was pushed back into his pit box by his mechanics for them to fit the wheel correctly. He spent almost two minutes in the pits and eventually withdrew later in the race after being far behind the other drivers. Norris ended the season with another three strong drives resulting in consecutive points finishes.  Norris finished his debut season in Formula One in 11th place in the championship with 49 points. This was considerably behind teammate Sainz, however Norris out-qualified Sainz 11-10 over the course of the season. During his debut year, Norris signed a multi-year contract to stay with McLaren for the 2020 season until.. Norris is due to be joined at McLaren by Daniel Ricciardo for 2021 who will replace Carlos Sainz Jr.

Racing record.

Career summary.

<nowiki>†</nowiki> As Norris was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.<br><nowiki>*</nowiki> Season still in progress.

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results.

<nowiki>†</nowiki> Driver did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.<br> <nowiki>‡</nowiki> As Norris was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Complete Formula One results.

Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.<br><nowiki>*</nowiki> Season still in progress.

Lando Norris (born 13 November 1999) is a racing driver with British-Belgian dual nationality. Currently competing in Formula One, for McLaren, he races under the British flag. He won the MSA Formula championship in 2015, and the Toyota Racing Series, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup in 2016. He also received the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award that year. He subsequently won the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He was a member of the McLaren Young Driver Programme.

Lando Norris, né le à Bristol, est un pilote automobile britannique. Champion de F3 Européenne en 2017, il fait ses débuts en Formule 1 en 2019 chez McLaren aux côtés de Carlos Sainz Jr. et marque ses premiers points à l'arrivée de sa deuxième course, en se classant sixième du Grand Prix de Bahreïn.