Anarchism.

In 1922 or 1923, Ascaso would meet Juan Garcia Oliver and Buenaventura Durruti, and soon form the Los Solidarios in response to the execution of the anarchist Francisco Ferrer. The group would become involved in the deaths in many prominent leaders of the time such as Spanish Prime Minister Eduardo Dato. Ascaso and Durruti would soon begin a lifelong friendship. Ascaso was drawn to Durruti for their shared disdain for the "bolshevization", bureaucracy and false hoods" of the Russian Revolution.  Ascaso and Oliver soon moved to Manresa in order to avoid detection from police. Upon arriving they were imprisoned on suspected drug trafficking. Although they were capable of convincing the police captain that they were just there to file papers for legal emigration and therefore avoided incarceration. While living in Manresa, Ascaso learned of Durruti arrest and trial. He would gather the funds of the Los Solidarios and travel to San Sebastián hoping to aid Durruti in achieveing a pardon however this would not happen. Ascaso and Oliver decieded that to remain within Manresa would be unwise and so moved to Zaragoza. Ascaso and Oliver become embroiled in a conspiracy to assassinate then Archbishop of Zaragoza Juan Soldevilla y Romero which they would successfully excute on June 23, 1923.  Ascaso was arrested for his involvement however he escaped prison with the aid of Durruti and In June 1923, Ascaso and Durruti fled to France in protest of the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera, Eduardo Dato's successor and then Prime Minister of Spain. Ascaso and Durruti would go onto support the Revolutionary Committee in France at the time as a way of "organzing a revolutionary center in France". Ascaso's method of organization also included the gathering of comrades and arms to futherr their ideals. In late December, 1924, Ascaso and Durruti were informed of the Revolutionary Committee's dire financial situation and so were instructed to travel to Latin America which they prompetly did with the intention of collecting funds.  Ascaso and Durruti spent time in the Caribbean Island, Havana at the house of a young libertarian, J.A. J.A would often engage with Ascaso and Durruti on the topic of anarchism, encouraging them to spread anarchist theory, Ascaso and Durruti ― who believed that propaganda was a necessary element of anarchism ― agreed. They soon left Havana fearing harassment from the police. In late March 1925 Ascaso and Durruti were seeking refuge in Mexico City however soon left, feeling guilty over living in a luxruy hotel juxtaposed to the poor neighborhoods. By late February 1926 Ascaso set off to Europe specifically, France. They arrived on April 30, 1926.  On June 25, 1926 Ascaso was arrested by French Police, sentenced to six months, with intent to harm the King of Spain who was visiting France at the time. Upon being arrested Ascaso alongside Durruti and Jover Cortes were informed that they would be handed over to the Argentina government. An initiative entitled the Durruti-Ascaso-Jover Asylum Support Committee by The Anarcho-Communist Union was formed intending for the three men's release. They staged protests and hunger strikes against the police. Although the French government remained firm in their goals. While negotiating for their delivery talks began to become troublesome with both governments accusing each other of neglience. After a period of time the talks fell through and by May 27, 1927 all three men were freed and deported to Belgium.  In November 1927 Ascaso and Durruti arrived in Lyon, France. In January 1928 Ascaso and Durruti traveled to Paris for the purpose of meeting with Joaquín Cortés as well as anarchist groups of the time. They were soon arrested upon arrival "infractions of the law on foreginers". They were sentenced to six monthes and were released in early October 1928 and arrived in Berlin by Late October. The two men lived with Agustin Souchy. Soon Paul Kampfmeyer, a former anarchist and member of the Berlin Social Democratic party who had previously aided anarchists Nestor Makhon and Emma Goldman escape Russia, came in contact with the two men aiming to provide them with residency permits. During their time in Berlin fear of arrest was omnipresent so the men began to plot leaving. Soon they were able to gather enough funds and left Berlin, arriving in Belgium by early 1929. They were later implicated in a conspiracy to attack Princess María José and Italian Prince Umberto of Piedmont. By 1931 Ascaso had returned to Spain although he was soon deported to Africa in 1932 where he became the editor of Solidaridad Obrera (Workers' Solidarity) and as secretary of the Catalan CNT frequently criticising the policies of the Asturian CNT.  During the Spanish Civil War, while living in Barcelona, Ascaso would form the Antifascist Militias Committee. Ascaso alongside Durruti and the CNT would attack army depots and the prison ship "Uruguay" with home-made grenades and improvised armoured cars. Ascaso was one of the 500 to die in the assault of Atarazanas barracks. Ascaso was buried in Montjuïc Cemetery alongside Durruti.

Legacy.

He was remembered as a "saint" of anarchist movement and as a hero of the Catalan proletariat.

Personal life.

Ascaso's was the brother of fellow anarchists Alejandro Ascaso and Domingo Ascaso who all frequently work togethered. Alejandro was born on October 17, 1889. Domingo was killed during the May Riots in 1937. He also had a sister named Maria. In 1927 he started a relationship with Berthe Favert. In 1924 Ascaso settled in paris and worked in a plumbing factory which aggravated his respiratory problems.

Francisco Ascaso Abadía (Almudévar April 1, 1901 – Barcelona July 20, 1936) was the cousin of Joaquín Ascaso, the President of the Regional Defence Council of Aragon, a carpenter and a prominent Anarcho-syndicalist figure in Spain.

Francisco Ascaso Abadía (Almudévar, – Barcelone, ) est un militant anarcho-syndicaliste espagnol membre de la Confederación Nacional del Trabajo (CNT).


Regulations.

The final regulations for the event were not completed by Charles Faroux and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) until February 1923. All cars had to be standard 4-seater production models, except those under 1100cc which could be 2-seaters where at least thirty cars had been built. The vehicle had to carry 60kg lead ballast for each passenger space aside from the driver. A maximum of two drivers were allowed (but not riding together), and they alone could replenish the fluids (petrol, oil and water), although there was no minimum distance between refills as in later years. The fuel was to be supplied by the ACO. Engines had to be turned off at pit-stops, and only re-started with an onboard starter.  All cars had to have standard touring equipment, such as wheel wings, hood (if a convertible), running boards, headlights, a rear-view mirror and ‘warning devices’ (horn). None of the entered cars had window-wipers.  There was an "hors course" rule such that every car had to meet a certain ratio of their minimum distance at the 6, 12, and 18-hour marks or face disqualification. The ratios were 80%, 85% and 90% respectively. The final minimum distances were on a sliding scale based on engine capacity that were kept deliberately lenient for the first race. The distances included the following:  To encourage future entries and manufacturer commitment to the event, the sponsors, wheel supplier Rudge-Whitworth, put up a trophy for the manufacturer whose best-performed car had completed the furthest distance in 24 hours over three consecutive years. So, in effect, there was no prize for the individual race win. Curiously, the weekend chosen for the event was also when the French moved to "summer time" so clocks were moved forward an hour at 11 pm, therefore the race started at 4 pm Saturday but finished at 5 pm on Sunday.

Track.

Automobile racing was well established in the Sarthe region, with races since 1906 with the very first French Grand Prix. The post-war circuit had hosted a number of races since 1920 and was in length. From the outskirts of Le Mans city, it ran on the main road southwards to the village of Mulsanne and back. The start/finish line was two-thirds of the back on the return leg on land rented for the event. The "depôts" (pits) consisted of wooden counters with canvas-roofed areas behind for each car. A race-control tower and two 44m wooden grandstands were built opposite the pits. A footbridge sponsored by Meyrel was built just after the start-line. The track was very narrow in places, including the country roads from Mulsanne to Arnage and from the start-line to Pontlieue hairpin  For the spectators’ comfort and entertainment through the event, cafés and a dancefloor with jazz-band were set up behind the stands. There was also an area for people to use radios to pick up classical music broadcast from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Generators provided power for the public address system and lighting around the spectator area, and a long scoreboard was manually maintained giving the cars’ positions and laps completed and target distance.  Although most of the track was fenced from the spectators, the roads were not tar-sealed. Roading engineers were employed before the race to apply a temporary mixture of gravel, dirt and tar to the road surface. Acetylene floodlights from the army were set up at the tight corners of Pontlieue, Mulsanne and Arnage.

Entries.

For this first endurance trial there were 37 entries, all submitted by the manufacturers rather than individual drivers. Only the 2-car Avions Voisin team were late scratchings. With the cars all painted in their national racing colours, there was a predominance of French blue cars except for a single green Bentley from Great Britain and two Belgian Excelsiors in yellow. The cars were assigned their numbers in the order of their engine size. Many of the car models were co-identified with the French CV-system of automotive horsepower tax.  The biggest-engined cars in the field were the 5.3-litre Excelsiors, luxury car-makers from Belgium founded in 1903. Success in racing and sales to the Belgian royal family established the company. The 1922 Adex C had a straight-six engine putting out 130 bhp and could reach 145 km/h (90 mph), however its hefty weight impeded its acceleration rate. It had perhaps the first anti-roll bar suspension running on Belgian Englebert tyres. Works drivers, Belgians Nicolas Caerels and André Dills, were pre-war veteran riding mechanics from Grand Prix and Indianapolis.  La Lorraine-Dietrich had been founded as a locomotive manufacturer in 1884 in Alsace-Lorraine, moving to automobiles in 1896 entering the early inter-city road-races. At war's-end the factories but soon resumed car production. The B3-6 appeared in 1922 with a straight-6 engine and 3-speed gearbox and three body-style variants were sent to Le Mans under competition director Maurice Leroux. The fastest was the lightened Torpédo bodystyle, capable of almost 145 kam/h (90 mph).  Delage was another famous French car company with a strong pre-war motor-racing pedigree already, including winning the 1914 Indianapolis 500, and quickly resumed racing after the war with its big 5- and 6-litre racing cars. The DE raced at Le Mans was a 1-off special of the current popular production model fitted with its engine modified to carry an overhead-valve cylinder head. It was raced by new works driver Paul Torchy and test driver Belbeu.  Chenard-Walcker was a major Parisian automotive company, established in 1899 and one of the city's biggest suppliers of taxis. They had a close relationship with coachbuilding company FAR who built their bodywork, led by André Lagache and Raymond Glaszmann (both keen racers). Lucien Chenard, son of the founder, had set up a works racing team in 1921 with the company test-driver René Léonard. Active in post-war racing they sent a trio of cars with the latest Torpédo bodystyle from FAR. Two had the new U3 3-litre engine that put out 90 bhp, driven by Léonard with Lagache, and Glaszmann with Fernand Bachmann. The third car, with a less powerful U2 engine was run by Bachmann's brother Raoul with veteran Christian Dauvergne. They were supported by a well-drilled pit crew to assist the drivers.  The sole British entry was a privately-owned Bentley with a small support team from the factory. W. O. Bentley had founded his own company straight after the war in January 1919 and regularly raced his 3-litre Sports. John Duff was Bentley's new London agent, who had set almost 40 international records at Brooklands. He had then broken both ankles there at the end of 1922 when he crashed, going over its banking. Duff's was the first entry received by the ACO for the race. Bentley was not convinced, but released his test driver Frank Clement as co-driver. Duff drove the car to Newhaven then Clement took it to Le Mans, with two Bentley mechanics, their luggage and tools in the back seats. Unlike most other of the leading teams, the Bentley only had rear drum brakes. It ran special long-endurance tyres, designed by Lionel Rapson, convincing Duff he could get away without the weight of carrying a spare wheel.  The biggest entry came from Rolland-Pilain, who presented four cars. The innovative company from Tours was founded in 1905. Émile Pilain filed patents for a hydraulic braking system and a Sleeve valve engine. The four cars were all different. There was the B22 with a Torpédo open-top body and an R Berline saloon. Both had pushrod engines, and hydraulic front brakes with Dunlop tyres. The smaller RP models (Torpédo and Berline variants) had 1.9-litre side-valve engines, cable-brakes on the rear and Michelin tyres.  Ford had a major automotive plant at Bordeaux producing around cars per year by 1923. Charles Montier was Ford's agent in France and a skilled engineer who specialised in building high-performance specials. His Le Mans entry was based on the abundant Ford Model T with his own engine design and sturdier mechanical parts. Racing his own car, he also added two rear seats hanging over the back of the rear axle to comply with the ACO regulations.  Brasier had a strong racing heritage in the pre-war inter-city races, winning the last two Gordon Bennett Cups in 1904 and 1905. The brand-new TB4 model had a 2062cc engine, 4-speed gearbox and Rudge wheels. In contrast, Marius Berliet had little racing experience and saw Le Mans as a good opportunity to raise his company's profile. His Lyon-based factory had made huge numbers of trucks during the war. Two of the new VH model were at Le Mans, with 2617cc engines, 4-speed gearboxes, and again, Rudge wire-wheels.  Corre La Licorne had grown from the company originally founded by former professional cyclist Jean-Marie Corre. Its cars had raced with moderate success before the war. Two models arrived for the race. The popular B7 tourer with a 2-litre Ballot engine and the new V14 with smaller 1.4-litre SCAP engine. In a similar fashion, Vinot-Deguingand had started building bicycles in 1898 before moving onto "voiturettes" and then automobiles, raced for the Parisian company by the brothers Léon and Lucien Molon. One of the new BP models, with an 1847cc engine, was brought to Le Mans, again to be driven by the Molon brothers.  Jacques Bignan was a Parisian engineer who expanded and founded his own automobile company in 1918. It was initially subcontracted by Automobiles Grégoire to build cars for British importer Malcolm Campbell. Two of their successful 11CV cars were entered, one with a special Desmodromic valve engine developed by French race-driver Albert Guyot and engineer Némorin Causan. The complex valve-system gave the 2-litre engine 75 bhp instead of 70 bhp but had a far better acceleration curve. It was driven by Paul Gros and Baron de Tornaco.  Georges Irat was a decorated French pilot from the war who moved from being a foreign-car importer in Paris to setting up his own company in 1921 with Maurice Gaultier, an engine designer from Delage. Two of the latest Torpédo-bodied versions of their Type A were entered. The 1995cc engine put out about 50 bhp.  Salmson had been formed in 1890 as a pump and compressor-manufacturer. After being one of the earliest makers of air engines (in 1908), it had been an important French aircraft manufacturer during the war. In 1919, it converted its Paris factories to car and cyclecar production. The works racing team, formed in 1921, had been dominant in the small-engine classes led by former fighter pilot Robert Benoist. Lucien Desvaux, Benoist and Georges Casse had just finished 1–2–3 at the single-driver 24-hour Bol d’Or cyclecar race the weekend before Le Mans. Two VAL-3 "voiturettes" were entered for Desvaux / Casse and the other regular team driver Luis Ramon Bueno, who drove with Maurice Benoist (Robert's brother).  Bugatti was still a small company, yet to achieve its great fame. Recently relocated back to Molsheim when the Alsace was ceded to France after the war, Ettore Bugatti was still only producing small touring cars. The two T22 "Brescia Bugattis" were privately owned, fitted with the new 1495cc engine capable of 95 km/h (50 mph). However the cars were heavy and further stymied by the 180kg of required passenger-ballast to be carried for a 4-seat car.  SARA was a new Parisian company, only formed a year earlier to build cars based around the pioneering new pressurised air-cooling system of August Tisserant. The new ATS 2-seater model had the only French 4-cylinder air-cooled engine, and produced 30 bhp and two cars were entered. French financier and company co-owner François Piazzoli drove a lightened version without running boards. Amilcar was another new Parisian company formed in 1921 producing small-engined cars and cyclecars. Their CC model won Europe's first 24-hour event at the 1922 Bol d’Or, beating Salmson. An entry to Le Mans was filed at the behest of privateer owners Maurice Boutmy and Jérôme Marcandanti to race the new CV model. The 1004cc engine produced just 18 bhp. But as a 2-seater it was also given the smallest target distance of just 48 laps.

Practice.

With no official practice session, some teams (including La Lorraine, Chenard-Walcker and Bignan) arrived earlier in the week before Friday scrutineering to learn the track. For the standing start, the cars were lined up on the front straight two-by-two with engines off. Pictures show them in numerical order, although the "Autocar" review of the time says it was in the order their entries were received by the ACO.  Salmson's race engineer Émile Petit was furious when he arrived at the track to find company director André Lombard had changed the cars’ electrics to a new supplier.

Race.

Start.

In an inauspicious omen, the early summertime start of the first 24 Hours of Le Mans at 4 pm began just after a hailstorm, in cold rain and wind. The honour to drop the flag to start the race fell to "Monsieur" Carpé, the ACO chief timekeeper. The big Belgian Excelsiors were overtaken from the start by Robert Bloch's Lorraine-Dietrich. What was supposed to be an "endurance trial" soon became a race along the narrow country roads. It was perhaps surprising then that throughout the rain that lasted the first four hours, there were no major incidents. It was soon apparent that the quickest cars were the Chenard-Walcker team, the Bentley, one of the Excelsiors, and one of the 2-litre Bignans. The first pitstops for fuel and driver-changes did not start until after 7 pm. The 38-year-old Lagache and veteran Dauvergne bought their Chenard-Walckers in with a good lead. The Belgian-driven Excelsior gradually lost time with its sluggish acceleration rate. After a brief respite the rain and wind returned making for very difficult night-driving, especially as most cars chose not to run with their hoods up, as it compromised top speed and fuel economy. Most drivers were not wearing goggles despite the rain and all the mud-splatter coming off the cars ahead of them.

Night.

The roads were soon getting muddy and rutted. A number of cars had headlamp failures as water got into their acetylene and electrical systems, particularly the two SARAs. Indeed, the lights went out on the Piazzali/Marandet SARA just as it was cornering. Running off the road, it was too badly damaged to continue, becoming the first retirement in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours. Convoys would form as those cars followed ones with functioning lights. The Chenard drivers were equipped with hand-operated acetylene spotlamps to help with their main lights.  During the night a stone struck René Marie's Bugatti and punctured the fuel tank. The car came to a halt near Arnage and Marie walked the 5km back to the pits. The officials had not anticipated this circumstance in their regulations that fuel could only be added in the pits, as it was accidental rather than a miscalculation. They agreed he would be allowed to carry two fuel tanks back to the car to get it going again. He got back to the pits, made the repairs and was able to continue the race. Just before midnight the Bentley was delayed by an errant stone smashing a headlamp. Not thinking to bring a spare, the team was sportingly offered one by the Chenard team. But the time needed to fit the lamp was deemed too long and the car continued with just the one. Later in the night, the Bentley had a very near miss avoiding Paul Gros’ Bignan that had burst a tyre approaching Mulsanne corner. Both cars braked hard and swerved onto the grass, ending up only inches apart. Another incident occurred when the French-driven Excelsior went off the road into a sand-trap, taking an hour to dig it out, relatively undamaged.  At the half-way point, at 5 am, the Chenard-Walcker of Léonard/Lagache had a two-lap lead over the Bentley (assisted by their car's better brakes) and the other two Chenards and the Bignan. The rain finally eased off as dawn came.

Morning.

Superior pitwork by their well-drilled team got all three Chenard-Walckers a three-lap lead over the Bentley in the early morning. But as the roads gradually dried out, the Bentley was able to put in quicker lap-times. Lagache and Léonard in turn picked up their pace setting new lap records, even though Duff was able to get one of the laps back.  Then just before midday the Bentley came to a stop at Arnage, after another stone had hit it. Like the Bugatti, the fuel tank had been punctured and the petrol had drained out. Clement walked back to the pits, and using the Bugatti precedent earlier, was allowed to use a "gendarme's" bicycle with two fuel tanks over his shoulder to refill the Bentley enough to get it back to the pits (and return the bicycle).

Finish and post-race.

It took two and a half hours to get the Bentley back and repaired with a cork in the hole. He then went out and set the fastest lap of the race in the drying conditions. However, the Chenard-Walckers could not be caught and eased off to score a decisive 1–2 victory on distance. Third was the Bignan of Gros/de Tornaco comfortably winning the 2-litre category by 8 laps from its team-mate. But there was a bad incident after the end of the race. Paul Gros left his Bignan and was crossing the circuit to shake the hand of a friend, when he was struck by the car of second-place Raoul Bachmann. Bachmann's was the last car to complete the final lap and when he arrived the finish line was already full of cars and spectators. He braked hard and swerved, and fortunately Gros only suffered a broken arm and bruises.  Fourth equal on distance, having all completed 91 laps were the Bentley, the lead Excelsior driven by the Belgians Caerels and Dills, and the second Bignan of de Marne and Martin.  The Chenard-Walcker of Léonard and Lagache is often cited as the inaugural winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, which it was on distance. However, the regulations stipulated it was merely the first of three annual races with the winner being the one who exceeded their minimum stipulated by the greatest ratio. In fact, the leader at this first stage of the event (and awarded the Coupe Interim) was the 1.1-litre Salmson of Desvaux and Casse that finished 12th but had exceeded its target distance by 46 laps.  It was a remarkable testament to the endurance of the cars that, despite some having time-consuming engine issues, only 3 cars were not running at the end. Indeed, the 90% finish ratio was the best for many years and it was not until 1993 that as many as 30 cars finished a Le Mans. Despite the weather, it was a record distance for a 24-hour race. The Bentley went through on one set of its Rapson tyres, as did the Berliet, and the smaller Corre-La Licorne was the only tourer to drive with its hood up for the race's duration.  The Rolland-Pillain team caused the scorekeepers some confusion on the Sunday. Firstly, the target laps required that was set on the scoreboard was transposed between the bigger- and smaller-engined cars and then the scorers may have confused the two open-top cars and credited laps by Marinier/Robin to Delalande/Marguenat. Or the bigger-engine cars in the team were assigned the lower numbers by mistake. Despite issues with leaks from the hydraulic brake system, all four cars reached their target distances. Similarly, the leading Bugatti apparently covered an impossible number of laps on Sunday afternoon (to complete 40 laps in the same time as the leader only managed 32), credited for laps at the expense of the delayed Pichard/Marie team car.  The Georges-Irat team had requested the ACO to monitor their fuel consumption through the race, and officials came back with figures of 32.7 mpg (8.65 litres/100km) for their best-finishing car. By contrast, the SARA that covered the least distance in the 24 hours had an economy of 47 mpg (6.0 litres/100km). Excelsior were not convinced they could win the Coupe Rudge-Whitworth and did not return, however they had further success in their local endurance race, the Spa 24 Hours. Delage also would not return for over a decade, choosing instead to concentrate on a new Grand Prix racing team.  After the major argument at Salmson before the race, Lombard left the company and the successful race-team was disbanded at the end of the year. Although now well-placed to win the Triennial Cup, they would not return until 1926.  Repusseau & Cie, French agents for the American Hartford Suspension Company, had set up a dining area for the drivers and pit crews. They later reported that 150 gallons of onion soup, 50 chickens, 450 bottles of champagne (and an unspecified quantity of red and white wine) had been consumed over the weekend by the racing personnel.

Official results.

Finishers.

Results taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO Although there were no official engine classes, the highest finishers in unofficial categories aligned with the Index targets are in Bold text.

Statistics.

Taken from Quentin Spurring's book, officially licensed by the ACO

The 1923 24 Hours of Le Mans, officially the 24 Hours Grand Prix of Endurance (), was the inaugural Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on 26 and 27 May 1923.

Les 24 Heures du Mans 1923 (Grand Prix d'Endurance de 24 Heures) sont la des 24 Heures du Mans et se déroule les 26 et 27 mai 1923 sur le circuit de la Sarthe.


Career.

Netherlands.

Vonk began his career at RKC Waalwijk where he made 25 appearances in 3 seasons. He became first-choice goal keeper for FC Wageningen, but was forced to leave after just one season, when the club went bankrupt and ceased to exist. Vonk returned to Noord-Brabant where he played for FC Den Bosch, before joining his first club RKC, this time as their first keeper. His breakthrough came with his transfer to sc Heerenveen, a club on the rise. They reached a domestic cup final in 96/97 and finished second in the league in 99/00, resulting in Champions League football the next season. After 8 years, Vonk was approaching the autumn of his career. He left sc Heerenveen to become third-choice goalkeeper for Ajax behind Maarten Stekelenburg and Bogdan Lobonț. In a surprising turn of events, Vonk managed to play 26 games in 2 seasons.

First stint at South Africa.

After 18 years of professional playing Vonk left the Netherlands to return to his country of birth, and played 2 seasons for Ajax' satellite club, Ajax Cape Town. He was terminated from his contract after a conflict with the coach of Ajax Cape Town, which made him a free agent.

Return to Netherlands.

Ajax signed him due to injury problems with their current goalkeepers Maarten Stekelenburg and Dennis Gentenaar, leaving the Amsterdam club with only 1 professional goalkeeper left: Kenneth Vermeer. In the winter transfer window of '08/'09, with the regular Ajax keepers back in shape, he once again moved to an old club, sc Heerenveen to become second-choice goalkeeper behind Brian Vandenbussche. He soon took over Vandenbussche's spot and played several league games, and another cup final, which sc Heerenveen won.

Second spell at Ajax Cape Town.

Continuing his tour amongst clubs he'd already played for, Vonk once again moved, this time back to his homeland South Africa, to play for Ajax Cape Town, citing family reasons, as well as sensing an opportunity to make the Bafana Bafana World Cup 2010 squad.

International.

Vonk played once for the Netherlands national under-20 football team in a 3-1 win against Denmark. He played the second half coming on as a substitute for John Karelse.  Vonk made his debut for the South African national team in May 1998 and was first choice goalkeeper for the 1998 FIFA World Cup as well as an unused substitute for Andre Arendse at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Vonk announced his retirement for Bafana Bafana in 2005 after South Africa failed to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, after earning a total of 43 caps.

Johannes Adrianus "Hans" Vonk (; born 30 January 1970) is a retired South African professional football goalkeeper of Dutch parentage who last played for Ajax Cape Town FC.

Hans Vonk (né le à Alberton) est un footballeur sud-africain. Il s'agit d'un gardien de but possédant également la double-nationalité néerlandaise et qui a évolué en tant que titulaire dans certains clubs du Championnat des Pays-Bas.


History.

The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on January 4, 1873, with territory partitioned from Buffalo County. It was not organized at that date, and was not attached to another county for judicial or administrative purposes. It was named for Joseph Rolette Jr., a fur trader and political figure from Pembina. The county government was effected on October 14, 1884, with Dunseith as the county seat. In 1885 the county seat was assigned to Saint John, and in 1889 it was assigned to Rolla.  The county boundaries were adjusted in 1883 and in 1887. It has retained its present boundary configuration since 1887.  The International Peace Garden is located in the northwest corner of the county along the Canada–United States border with Manitoba.

Geography.

Rolette County lies on the northern border of North Dakota with Canada. Gimby Creek and Wakopa Creek flow into the county from Canada. The terrain consists of dry rolling hills in the south, and more verdant low hills in the north and northwest, dotted with lakes and ponds.  Part of the Turtle Mountain plateau lies in the northwestern part of the county. The terrain slopes to the south and east; its highest point is its northwest corner, at 2,195' (669m) ASL.  The Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation is in the NE part of Rolette County.  Rolette County has an area of, of which is land and (3.9%) is water.

Demographics.

2000 census.

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 13,674 people, 4,556 households, and 3,366 families in the county. The population density was 15.1/sqmi (5.85/km2). There were 5,027 housing units at an average density of 5.57/sqmi (2.15/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 25.12% White, 0.07% Black or African American, 73.01% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. 0.80% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 9.3% were of Norwegian and 7.4% German ancestry. 94.6% spoke English, 1.3% Ojibwa, 1.0% French Cree and 1.0% Cree as their first language.  There were 4,556 households out of which 43.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.00% were married couples living together, 22.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.10% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.45.  The county population contained 36.50% under the age of 18, 9.50% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 18.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 97.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.  The median income for a household in the county was $26,232, and the median income for a family was $29,744. Males had a median income of $24,288 versus $20,383 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,873. About 28.00% of families and 31.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 39.20% of those under age 18 and 19.60% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census.

As of the 2010 census, there were 13,937 people, 4,783 households, and 3,413 families in the county. The population density was 15.4/sqmi (5.96/km2). There were 5,372 housing units at an average density of 5.95/sqmi (2.30/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 77.2% American Indian, 20.3% white, 0.2% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 48.5% were French Canadian, 7.0% were German, 6.8% were Norwegian, and 0.3% were American.  Of the 4,783 households, 44.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 28.6% were non-families, and 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.39. The median age was 30.5 years.  The median income for a household in the county was $28,265 and the median income for a family was $35,523. Males had a median income of $35,595 versus $27,459 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,632. About 25.9% of families and 31.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.5% of those under age 18 and 24.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics.

Probably due to its Native American majority population, Rolette County voters are historically Democratic, more consistently so than other such counties in North Dakota. Since 1928 the only Republican to carry the county was Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952. It was the only county in the state to support George McGovern in 1972 and is additionally the only North Dakota county to have supported Jimmy Carter in 1980. In each of the five presidential elections from 1996 to 2012, the Democratic candidate received over 60% of the vote, with Barack Obama winning 75.1% in 2008 and 74.0% in 2012. In 2016, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton received 57.3% of the county's votes, one of the two North Dakota counties that she carried.

Rolette County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 13,937. Its county seat is Rolla.

Le comté de Rolette est un des 53 comtés du Dakota du Nord, aux États-Unis. Il a été nommé en hommage au pionnier « Jolly Joe » Rolette (1820-1871).


Structure.

Intestinal glands are found in the epithelia of the small intestine, namely the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, and in the large intestine (colon), where they are sometimes called "colonic crypts". Intestinal glands of the small intestine contain a base of replicating stem cells, Paneth cells of the innate immune system, and goblet cells, which produce mucus. In the colon, crypts do not have Paneth cells.

Function.

The enterocytes in the small intestinal mucosa contain digestive enzymes that digest specific foods while they are being absorbed through the epithelium. These enzymes include peptidase, sucrase, maltase, lactase and intestinal lipase. This is in contrast to the gastric glands of the stomach where chief cells secrete pepsinogen.  Also, new epithelium is formed here, which is important because the cells at this site are continuously worn away by the passing food. The basal (further from the intestinal lumen) portion of the crypt contains multipotent stem cells. During each mitosis, one of the two daughter cells remains in the crypt as a stem cell, while the other differentiates and migrates up the side of the crypt and eventually into the villus. Goblet cells are among the cells produced in this fashion. Many genes have been shown to be important for the differentiation of intestinal stem cells.  Loss of proliferation control in the crypts is thought to lead to colorectal cancer.

Intestinal juice.

"Intestinal juice ("also called "succus entericus") refers to the clear to pale yellow watery secretions from the glands lining the small intestine walls. The Brunner's glands secrete large amounts of alkaline mucus in response to (1) tactile or irritating stimuli on the duodenal mucosa; (2) vagal stimulation, which increases Brunner's glands secretion concurrently with increase in stomach secretion; and (3) gastrointestinal hormones, especially secretin.  Its function is to complete the process begun by pancreatic juice; the enzyme trypsin exists in pancreatic juice in the inactive form trypsinogen, it is activated by the intestinal enterokinase in intestinal juice. Trypsin can then activate other protease enzymes and catalyze the reaction pro-colipase → colipase. Colipase is necessary, along with bile salts, to enable lipase function.  Intestinal juice also contains hormones, digestive enzymes, mucus, substances to neutralize hydrochloric acid coming from the stomach and erepsin which further digests polypeptides into amino acids, completing protein digestion.

Colonic crypts.

The intestinal glands in the colon are often referred to as colonic crypts. The epithelial inner surface of the colon is punctuated by invaginations, the colonic crypts. The colon crypts are shaped like microscopic thick-walled test tubes with a central hole down the length of the tube (the crypt lumen). Four tissue sections are shown here, two (A and B) cut across the long axes of the crypts and two (C and D) cut parallel to the long axes.  In these images the cells have been stained to show a brown-orange color if the cells produce a mitochondrial protein called cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (CCOI or COX-1). The nuclei of the cells (located at the outer edges of the cells lining the walls of the crypts) are stained blue-gray with haematoxylin. As seen in panels C and D, crypts are about 75 to about 110 cells long. The average crypt circumference is 23 cells. From the images, an average is shown to be about 1,725 to 2530 cells per colonic crypt. Another measure was attained giving a range of 1500 to 4900 cells per colonic crypt. Cells are produced at the crypt base and migrate upward along the crypt axis before being shed into the colonic lumen days later. There are 5 to 6 stem cells at the bases of the crypts.  As estimated from the image in panel A, there are about 100 colonic crypts per square millimeter of the colonic epithelium. The length of the human colon is, on average 160.5 cm (measured from the bottom of the cecum to the colorectal junction) with a range of 80 cm to 313 cm. The average inner circumference of the colon is 6.2 cm. Thus, the inner surface epithelial area of the human colon has an area, on average, of about 995 cm, which includes 9,950,000 (close to 10 million) crypts.  In the four tissue sections shown here, many of the intestinal glands have cells with a mitochondrial DNA mutation in the CCOI gene and appear mostly white, with their main color being the blue-gray staining of the nuclei. As seen in panel B, a portion of the stem cells of three crypts appear to have a mutation in CCOI, so that 40% to 50% of the cells arising from those stem cells form a white segment in the cross cut area.  Overall, the percentage of crypts deficient for CCOI is less than 1% before age 40, but then increases linearly with age. Colonic crypts deficient for CCOI reaches, on average, 18% in women and 23% in men, by 80–84 years of age.  Crypts of the colon can reproduce by fission, as seen in panel C, where a crypt is dividing to form two crypts, and in panel B where at least one crypt appears to be fissioning. Most crypts deficient in CCOI are in clusters of crypts (clones of crypts) with two or more CCOI-deficient crypts adjacent to each other (see panel D).

Clinical significance.

Crypt inflammation is known as "cryptitis" and characterized by the presence of neutrophils between the enterocytes. A severe cryptitis may lead to a crypt abscess.  Pathologic processes that lead to Crohn's disease, i.e. progressive intestinal crypt destruction, are associated with branching of the crypts.  Causes of crypt branching include:

Research.

Intestinal glands contain adult stem cells referred to as intestinal stem cells. These cells have been used in the field of stem biology to further understand stem cell niches, and to generate intestinal organoids.

History.

The eponymous term (crypts of Lieberkühn) is named after the 18th-century German anatomist Johann Nathanael Lieberkühn.

In histology, an intestinal gland (also crypt of Lieberkühn and intestinal crypt) is a gland found in between villi in the intestinal epithelium lining of the small intestine and large intestine (or colon). The glands and intestinal villi are covered by epithelium, which contains multiple types of cells: enterocytes (absorbing water and electrolytes), goblet cells (secreting mucus), enteroendocrine cells (secreting hormones), cup cells, tuft cells, and at the base of the gland, Paneth cells (secreting anti-microbial peptides) and stem cells.

Les cryptes de Lieberkühn, Cryptes du colon (ou glandes intestinales) sont des cellules caliciformes de l'épithélium de l'intestin grêle et du côlon, cellules qui s'invaginent sous forme de cryptes et qui sont des glandes exocrines tubuleuses droites. Le cancer colorectal survient par suite d'une prolifération incontrôlée des cryptes de Lieberkühn. Ce sont des cellules qu'on sait maintenant cultiver.


Origins.

Áed's mother is said to have been Mugain Mór, perhaps an euhemerisation of a Munster sovereignty goddess. This Mugain is called the daughter of Conchrad mac Duach, the king of Osraige. Mugain and Diarmait's marriage is barren, and Mugain is humiliated by Diarmait's chief wife until she is given blessed holy water to drink by Saint Finnian of Moville, after which she gives birth to a lamb, then to a salmon, and finally to Áed.  The two great Southern Uí Néill dynasties of the midlands were the Síl nÁedo Sláine (the Seed of Áedo of Slane), kings of Brega in the east, and the Clann Cholmáin Máir (the Children of Colmán the Great) in Mide with their centre in the heart of modern Westmeath. The former are more prominent in the seventh century, but after the death of Cináed mac Írgalaig in 728 all the high-kings of the Southern Uí Néill come from the Clann Cholmáin except for a brief period between 944 and 956 when the king of Knowth, Congalach Cnogba, restored the high-kingship to the Brega line.  Finnian prophesied that Áed would "surpass his brethren and more kings will come from him than from the sons of others". This prophecy may date to the period before 750, when the Síl nÁedo Sláine were dominant, after which the descendants of Áed's brother Colmán Már—Clann Cholmáin—were clearly the most important group descended from Diarmait mac Cerbaill. A third brother of Áed, Colmán Bec, was also an ancestor figure, but of the less important Caílle Follamain.

Life.

Compared to his father and his sons, relatively little is said of Áed, either in the Irish annals or in other sources such as hagiography or heroic verse.  Adomnán recounts Columba's prophecy to Áed in his "Life of St Columba". Columba told Áed that he would be as great a king as his father—Adomnán calls Diarmait king of Ireland—only if he avoided kinslaying. If he killed a kinsman he would be king only of his own people and that for only a short time.  According to some later king lists, Áed was jointly High King of Ireland with Colmán Rímid of the Cenél nEógain after the death of Áed mac Ainmuirech in 598. Áed mac Ainmuirech died in battle near Baltinglass, modern County Wicklow, fighting against Brandub mac Echach, King of Leinster.  It was to distinguish him from that Áed and from others that Áed mac Diarmato received his cognomen, "Áed of Slane", referring to the Hill of Slane, a prehistoric site near the Hill of Tara, which lay within his lands. Some sources omit Áed from the list of kings, including the earliest, that found in the "Baile Chuind Chétchathaig", a work of dynastic propaganda compiled in the reign of Áed's grandson Fínsnechta Fledach. His omission from this is believed to be a transcription error, and it very likely that he was High King.  In 600 Áed had his nephew, Suibne mac Colmáin Már, killed, "treacherously" says Adomnán. According to Marianus Scotus, Suibne, rather than Áed and Colmán Rímid, had been High King. In 604 both Áed and Colmán Rímid died by violence. Colmán was murdered by a kinsman and Suibne's son Conall Guthbinn killed Áed. This may have happened in battle and Áed may have been allied with the Uí Failgi, neighbours of Conall's. Áed and Colmán Rímid were followed as High King by Áed Uaridnach.  Áed's recorded children are at least six sons, including Diarmait and Blathmac, and a daughter named Rontud. Áed's grandchildren included Fínsnechta Fledach, Sechnassach and Cenn Fáelad. His wife's name is recorded as Eithne.

Áed mac Diarmato (died 604), called Áed Sláine (Áed of Slane), was the son of Diarmait mac Cerbaill. Legendary stories exist of Áed's birth. Saint Columba is said to have prophesied his death. His descendants, the Síl nÁedo Sláine—the seed of Áed of Slane—were prominent in 7th and early 8th century Ireland.

Áed Sláine mac Diarmato est un Ard ri Érenn conjoint, qui régna sur l'Irlande de 598 à 604. Il est une des identifications possible de l' « Aid» du "Baile Chuinn Chétchathaig"


"Ribeiroia" taxonomy.

"Ribeiroia" is a genus of parasites in the class Trematoda, phylum Platyhelminthes. Currently three species and one subspecies of "Ribeiroia" are recognized: "R. ondatrae" in North America, "R. marini" in the Caribbean, "R. m. guadeloupensis" on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, and "R. congolensis" in Africa (Johnson et al. 2004). The trematode "Cercaria lileta" is also closely related to "Ribeiroia", and molecular sequence data indicates that it may be a species of "Ribeiroia" (Johnson et al. 2004). All species of "Ribeiroia" share the distinctive morphological characteristic of esophageal diverticula (i.e., two short dead-end branches that extend laterally from the esophagus). Other genera closely related to "Ribeiroia" include "Cladocystis trifolium", "Cathemasia", and "Echinostoma" (Johnson et al. 2004). See Johnson et al. (2004) for more details on morphological and ecological differences as well as phylogenetic relationships between these species.

Life cycle.

"Ribeiroia ondatrae" has an indirect complex life cycle. The adult worms live inside predatory birds or mammals (the definitive hosts), wherein they reproduce sexually if other worms are present. Mature adults release eggs into the host’s intestinal tract, which are passed with the feces of the host, and to develop need to end up in water. The eggs typically develop in 2–3 weeks, but the time varies depending on water temperature. Eggs hatch into miracidia, a ciliated free-living parasite stage, which infect the first intermediate host, ram’s horn snails in the family Planorbidae, colonizing the snail’s reproductive tissue and eventually forming rediae, a slow-moving worm-like parasite stage. The rediae reproduce asexually, castrating the snail as they feed on its reproductive tissue. The infection becomes mature in about six weeks, when the rediae within the snail begin to release a second free-swimming stage called cercariae. The key identifying characteristic of "Ribeiroia ondatrae" cercariae is the bifurcated esophagus (although this trait can occur in some closely related genera such as "Cladocystis trifolium"). Cercariae infect amphibians or fish (the second intermediate hosts) wherein they encyst in (with amphibians) the limb buds or (with fish) along the lateral line and scales of the head, body and gills. Encysted cercariae become metacercariae, a dormant parasite stage with a thin outer membrane. Metacercariae resemble cercariae without their tails and do not reproduce. The definitive hosts (birds and mammals) become infected when they consume an amphibian or fish that has encysted metacercariae. The life cycle is completed when the metacercariae emerge from their cyst and attach to the definitive host’s intestinal tract and develop into adults, typically in the proventriculus of birds and the stomach of mammals.

Infection and amphibian malformations.

Laboratory studies.

Experimental exposure to "Ribeiroia ondatrae" cercariae has been shown to cause limb malformations in various frog, toad and salamander species, including "Pseudacris regilla, Anaxyrus boreas, Lithobates pipiens, A. americanus, Ambystoma macrodactylum, L. clamitans" and "L. sylvatica". Cercariae appear to prefer to infect in and around the developing limb buds of larval amphibians, which can alter or inhibit limb development. The risk of malformation and mortality varies as a function of parasite exposure level, host development stage, and the amphibian species involved. As expected for macroparasitic infections, a dose-dependent relationship exists between cercariae exposure and pathology, particularly among larval amphibians at pre- or early-limb development stage. Cercarial penetration of host tissue involves proteolytic enzymes. The exact mechanism which alters limb development is unknown, but potential pathways include mechanical disturbance by invading parasites, release of a teratogenic chemical by parasites, or a combination of the two.  Susceptibility to infection and the subsequent pathology differs among amphibian species. For example, gray tree frogs ("Hyla versicolor") are largely resistant to infection, but toads (e.g. "A. americanus") exhibit high frequencies of mortality and malformations following parasite exposure (Johnson and Hartson 2009). The types of limb malformations also vary among species and developmental stage of exposure. The most common errors in development associated with "Ribeiroia" exposure are skin webbings (cutaneous fusion), missing limbs and limb elements (ectromelia and hemimelia), supernumerary limbs and digits (polymelia and polydactyly), and bony triangles. The factors determining variation in susceptibility among species remain poorly understood. However these observations suggest that the type of malformation alone is unlikely to be diagnostic of "Ribeiroia" exposure.

Field studies.

"Ribeiroia" infection has been linked to malformations in naturally occurring amphibian populations, especially in the western and midwestern US. In a large-scale study in the western US, both the presence and abundance of "Ribeiroia" infection predicted higher-than-baseline (e.g. >5%) frequencies of abnormalities in one or more amphibian species. Limb malformations were observed in nine species and ranged in frequency from <5% to nearly 90%. The role of "Ribeiroia" in explaining accounts of amphibian malformations in other regions is varied; "Ribeiroia" has been associated with malformation "hotspots" in the midwestern and northeastern US, but it was not detected in malformation surveys from Vermont, Alaska, Bermuda, and Michigan.

Geographic distribution.

"Ribeiroia ondatrae" is widely distributed across the US, including records from 22 species in 37 states (Johnson and McKenzie 2008). Most records of "Ribeiroia"-associated malformations have been reported from California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Less is known about the distribution of "Ribeiroia" in Canada and Central America. In amphibians, both the abundance of the parasite and the number of observations appear to correlate positively with major bird migratory flyways, with concentrations along the Pacific, Mississippi, and Atlantic flyways (Johnson et al. 2010). This observation suggests definitive (bird) host activity is an important determinant of parasite distribution at the continental scale, but this hypothesis has yet to be rigorously tested. "Ribeiroia ondatrae" is most often recovered from amphibians in lentic habitats, such as ponds, lakes, and wetlands, which support planorbid snails. Other species of Ribeiroia occur in the Caribbean and South America ("R. marini" and "R. marini guadeloupensis") and in Africa ("R. congolensis"). However, whether these species infect amphibians or cause limb malformations has not been explored.

Evidence for emergence.

Dating back over 200 years, there have been reports of amphibian malformations suggesting that the general phenomenon is not a new occurrence in amphibian populations (Ouellet 2000). Despite the historical occurrence of amphibian malformations, the real question is whether such malformations are increasing in prevalence and severity in wild amphibian populations. Limited historical data on malformations and the absence of baseline malformation data has complicated attempts to assess whether malformations are emerging. However, research over the past decade has shown that malformations are emerging in some amphibian populations. For example, the background rate of malformations of northern leopard frogs in Minnesota increased from 0.4% in 1958–1963 to 2.5% in 1996–1997 (Hoppe 2000), with recently observed malformations more severe and more diverse. Similarly, Johnson and Lunde (2005), in a comparison of recent (1990–2000) and historical (1899–1989) publications, found that recent reports document:  For both of these studies, however, the mechanisms driving the apparent increase in malformations were not identified (see Factors influencing emergence). In a more rigorous study, Johnson et al. (2003) confirmed that historical malformations at six of eight sites (1947–1990) were associated with "Ribeiroia" infection. Moreover, three of these sites continued to support limb malformations at frequencies of 7-50% in one or more species. One pond in particular (Jette Pond in western Montana) showed increased prevalence of malformations in "Pseudacris regila" from 20% in 1960 to 46% in 2000, which was correlated with an increased intensity of "Ribeiroia" infection. Although more research is necessary, these studies provide evidence that malformations, especially those linked to "Ribeiroia" infection, are emerging in some amphibian populations.

Factors influencing infection.

Nutrients - Nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment are widespread forms of anthropogenic environmental change that may influence parasite infection (Johnson and Carpenter 2008). Nutrient enrichment leads to eutrophication, which has been linked with emergence of "Ribeiroia ondatrae" through direct and indirect effects on aquatic food webs (Johnson and Chase 2004). The underlying mechanism through which eutrophication can increase infection involves increasing the density of infected first-intermediate snail hosts and by increasing the production of parasites by infected snails (Johnson et al. 2007).  Pesticides - Pesticides are still considered a potential factor influencing amphibian malformations (Johnson et al. 2010). However, recent investigations have focused on the interaction of pesticides with parasite infection (Kiesecker 2002; Rohr et al. 2008). Field experiments indicated a link between agricultural run-off and increased infection (Kiesecker 2002). Laboratory studies further demonstrated that pesticide exposure reduced host immunocompetence against parasites as the biological mechanism (Kiesecker 2002). Furthermore, there may be a link between nutrient addition and pesticide contamination jointly leading to increased infections by simultaneously increasing exposure and suppressing host immune systems (Rohr et al. 2008a, b).  Biodiversity - Host species diversity and community structure have been suggested to influence disease dynamics through a hypothesis termed the ‘dilution effect’ (Ostfeld and Keesing 2000). For "Ribeiroia ondatrae", host species differences in susceptibility can influence infection patterns in multi-species communities (Johnson et al. 2008, Johnson and Hartson 2009). As a result, more diverse larval amphibian communities that include species with differing susceptibilities can alter parasite infection success and the resulting pathology in sensitive host species. For instance, larval toads (a sensitive species) raised experimentally alongside larval gray treefrogs (a resistant species) exhibited 37% less infection and fewer malformations (Johnson et al. 2008).

Parasite-induced malformations and amphibian conservation.

Perhaps the most unexplored, complex and vital aspects of trematode-caused amphibian malformations are the population-level consequences. Do these parasites and the malformations they induce pose a conservation risk? While no direct evidence linking trematode deformities and amphibian population declines exists, there are legitimate reasons for concern (Johnson and McKenzie 2008). For instance, in multiple species of frogs and toads, laboratory studies show that even low levels of "Ribeiroia" infection can induce 30-95% mortality (see Johnson et al. 2010). Correspondingly, multi-year field studies show that in localities of high infection and malformations in metamorphosing frogs, <2% of amphibians returning to breed exhibit malformations, suggesting "Ribeiroia" infection and malformations have deleterious consequences for individual survival and fecundity (Johnson et al. 2001). In specific wetlands that have historically exhibited a high prevalence of infection and malformations, several amphibian species have notably declined or disappeared (see Johnson and McKenzie 2008 for review). In light of these data, and the increasing evidence that "Ribeiroia" infections are on the rise (Johnson and McKenzie 2008), it is prudent to treat "Ribeiroia ondatrae" as a threat to amphibian populations and diversity, particularly in combination with other stressors.

Ribeiroia () is a genus of trematode parasites that sequentially infect freshwater snails in the family Planorbidae (ramshorn snails) as first intermediate hosts, fish and larval amphibians as second intermediate hosts, and birds and mammals as definitive hosts (see ). In North America, infection by "Ribeiroia" has been linked to amphibians with limb malformations. The connection between parasitic infection and limb malformations has generated questions about (a) whether parasite-induced malformations in amphibians are increasing (see ), and (b) the consequences of such abnormalities for amphibian population conservation (see ).

Ribeiroia est un genre de vers parasites de la classe des trématodes. La forme d'adulte vit dans les intestins de plus de 40 espèces d'oiseaux et de mammifères.


Etymology.

The common name of the plant originates from the Poor Knights Islands on which it was discovered. The islands, in turn, were so named because of their similarity in shape to the Poor Knights Pudding – a bread-based dish popular at the time of their discovery by Europeans.  The botanical species name means "with a beautiful stamen", referring to the prominent red stamens of the plant's flowers.

Structure.

The green stalks of "Xeronema callistemon" start growing vertically, initially sheathed by overlapping leaves. As the flower emerges, the stalk then turn sideways, growing a red flower raceme with prominent red stamens tipped with orange pollen and resembles a giant bottlebrush or toothbrush. The individual flower tepals are 10–15 mm long, the stamens up to tall, and the length of the brush is usually between and can reach. The plant itself is about tall and wide.

Habitat.

"Xeronema callistemon" usually grows on rhyolite sea cliffs and rocky outcrops and sometimes in forest. It requires much water and is pollinated by birds and butterflies. If its seed falls on a nearby tree, such as "Metrosideros excelsa", then it may grow as an epiphyte on it. The species has no obvious natural enemies and is listed as vulnerable because it grows naturally only on two islands. These islands are protected by the New Zealand Government as nature reserves and have a limited access. However, the plant is becoming popular for cultivation in private gardens. A related species, "Xeronema moorei", is found on the islands of New Caledonia, 1500 km to the northwest.

Growth.

Plants grow from fresh falling seeds. Although they germinate easily, it might take 10–15 years for them to grow into the flowering size. They flower between September and December, peaking in October (spring in New Zealand).

Xeronema callistemon is a species of flowering plant endemic to the Poor Knights Islands and Taranga Island in the north of New Zealand. It was discovered in 1924 and has a common name Poor Knights lily. The plant is listed as vulnerable in the 1997 IUCN Red List of Plants, but as of October 2010 is not listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Xeronema callistemon ("Raupo taranga" en māori) est une plante vivace très rare de la famille des "Liliaceae", ou des "Xeronemataceae" selon la classification phylogénétique. On la trouve dans les îles Poor Knights dans le nord de la Nouvelle-Zélande. Découverte en 1924, cette plante de de hauteur a des feuilles qui la font ressembler à un iris, mais ses fleurs rouges forment un épi en forme de brosse, grâce à une multitude de longues étamines.


Services.

The Park offers a complete set of support services to R&D activities, not only offering research facilities and scientific services, but also flexible and attractive financing solutions, sound project management and results evaluation.  The park is the owner of the Laboratory for Advanced Methodologies (LIMA) which performs exploitation of scientific results in the fields of Chemistry, Molecular Biology, Proteomics and Bioinformatics. LIMA, thanks to its solid co-operation with the University of Turin and CNR ISPA (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche), is also a permanent training site for graduates and researchers.  A University Center in Imaging Technologies (CEIP) managed by University of Torino is also active and is focused on the use of different technologies (MRI, Ultrasound, X-ray, etc.) in order to evaluate new solutions in the diagnosis and assessment of the efficacy and efficiency of drugs.

Start-ups.

In 2005 BiPCa has launched, with the support of Regione Piemonte, the Discovery initiative to identify and select innovative entrepreneurial ideas in the Biotech field. Eight start-ups have already been created from the beginning of the project in partnership with Eporgen venture, a Seed capital company focused on investment in new innovative entrepreneurial projects in the biotech field.

Local cluster.

Bioindustry Park is also acting as system integrator for the development of a local cluster, bioPmed (http://www.biopmed.eu). Since 2009 Bioindustry Park acts as cluster management company for the development of the regional cluster bioPmed (www.biopmed.eu) on biotech and medtech. Created thanks to Regione Piemonte, it gathers more than 60 companies, research centres and three academic institutions (University of Turin, Università del Piemonte Orientale and Turin Polythecnic), who signed an agreement to create, build, support and animate the local cluster.  All the activities are carried out in cooperation with strong local actors, such as Turin Province and Turin Chamber of Commerce, CEIPiemonte, ALPS EEN and Patlib network and synergies with other local R&D initiatives are in place. The cluster is also founding member of the AlpsBioCluster (www.alpsbiocluster.eu) together with Rhône-Alpes Region (France), Lombardy, South Tirol, Bavaria and Western Switzerland that intends to promote and foster transalpine competitiveness in the biotech and medical sciences sectors.

The Bioindustry Park Silvano Fumero (BiPCa) is a Science and Technology Park located in Canavese near Turin in the north-west of Italy. The park was founded to promote and develop biotechnological research, to host companies operating research and development, and pilot production in the life science sector. Companies such as Merck Serono and Bracco chose the Park as the location for their research and development activities.

Le parc national Elk Island est un parc national canadien situé dans à 35 km à l'Est d'Edmonton. Ce parc a pour but de protéger la faune des prairies, notamment le wapiti et le bison.


Plot.

Teenage Lindsay Weir and her younger brother Sam attend William McKinley High School during the 1980–1981 school year. The show is set in the town of Chippewa, Michigan, a fictional suburb of Detroit (named after Chippewa Valley High School, which series creator Paul Feig attended).  Lindsay's friends constitute the title's "freaks" — Daniel Desario, Ken Miller, Nick Andopolis, and Kim Kelly; Sam's friends constitute the "geeks" — Neal Schweiber and Bill Haverchuck. The Weir parents, Harold and Jean, are featured in every episode. Millie Kentner, Lindsay's nerdy and highly religious former best friend, is a recurring character, as is Cindy Sanders, the popular cheerleader on whom Sam has a crush.  Lindsay finds herself attempting to transform her life as an academically proficient student, star "mathlete", and young girl into a rebellious teenager who hangs out with troubled slackers. Her relationships with her new friends, and the friction they cause with her parents and with her own self-image, form one central strand of the show. The other follows Sam and his group of geeky friends as they navigate a different part of the social universe and try to fit in.

Cast and characters.

Guest stars and cameo appearances.

Guest stars included: Samaire Armstrong (as "Deadhead" Laurie), Alexandra Breckenridge (as mathlete Shelly Weaver), Jack Conley (as Kim Kelly's stepfather), Kevin Corrigan (as Millie's delinquent cousin), Allen Covert (as a liquor store clerk), Matt Czuchry (as a student from rival Lincoln High), Alexander Gould (as Ronnie, the boy Lindsay babysits while high), Steve Higgins (as the Geeks' A/V teacher), Rashida Jones (as Kim Kelly's friend Karen Scarfolli), Bianca Kajlich (as a nose piercing punk girl), David Koechner (as a waiter, in an uncredited role), David Krumholtz (as Neal's brother Barry), Shia LaBeouf (as Herbert, the school mascot), Leslie Mann (Judd Apatow's wife) (in episode 13 as a teacher), Ben Stiller (as a Secret Service agent), and Jason Schwartzman (as a student dealing in fake IDs).  The show's producers were resistant to stunt casting. For example, they resisted the network's suggestion that they have Britney Spears appear as a waitress in one episode; they thought such appearances would detract from the show's realism.  Several of the screenwriters appeared on the show. Mike White played Kim Kelly's oft-discussed injured brother, and first appeared in episode 4, "Kim Kelly is My Friend." Paul Feig, Gabe Sachs, and series composer Michael Andrews appear uncredited as members of the fictional band Dimension in "I'm With the Band."

Episodes.

The script for the pilot episode of "Freaks and Geeks" was written by Paul Feig as a spec script. Feig gave the script to producer Judd Apatow, who sold it to DreamWorks, where Apatow was under an overall deal. DreamWorks sold it to NBC, who greenlit a pilot. Before the script was shot, Feig wrote a second episode at the behest of Apatow. He showed this second script to Apatow and pilot director Jake Kasdan, and they suggested that he combine the two episodes to form a stronger pilot. Notable additions include the introduction of Kim Kelly and Lindsay's recollection of her grandmother's death. Feig wrote a final draft after a read-through with the cast, this time incorporating a first meeting between Lindsay and the freaks (in previous drafts, Lindsay was already part of the group).  The show ran for 18 episodes, three of which – "Kim Kelly Is My Friend", "Dead Dogs and Gym Teachers", and "Noshing and Moshing"– were unaired by NBC and not seen until Fox Family ran the show in 2000. The final three episodes premiered at the Museum of Television and Radio, prior to being broadcast on television. The list below is ordered by the chronology of the storyline.

Planned storylines.

In a 2012 interview with "Vanity Fair", Paul Feig detailed what would have happened to the characters in a second season: Lindsay would become a human rights lawyer, years after following the Grateful Dead. Sam would have joined the drama club. Neal would cope with his parents' divorce by joining a swing choir in school. Bill would join the basketball team, becoming a jock and leading to tension with the geeks. Daniel would end up in jail. Kim would become pregnant on tour while following the Grateful Dead. Nick would be pressured by his strict father to join the Army.

Media releases.

DVD and Blu-ray.

On April 6, 2004, a six-DVD "Freaks and Geeks" box set was released through Shout! Factory and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. A limited "yearbook edition" set including two additional discs was also available through the official website for the show. Fans who had signed an online petition to get the show on DVD got priority in purchasing the special set.  On November 25, 2008, the deluxe "Yearbook Edition" boxed set was re-released through Vivendi Entertainment. The set features all of the episodes, commentaries, and special features of the "Complete Series" six-DVD set, plus two extra discs and deluxe packaging. It is packaged as an 80-page color yearbook with essays, pictures, and episode synopses.  In July 2015, Shout! Factory announced it had begun preparing for a Blu-ray release of the series. It was subsequently confirmed in December 2015, that Shout! would release the complete series on Blu-ray on March 22, 2016, and the set contains all special features from the previous releases and the episodes in both its original aspect ratio and widescreen.

Books.

In October 2004, Newmarket Press released two "Freaks and Geeks" books: "Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Scripts, Volume 1" and "Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Scripts, Volume 2". Each book covers nine scripts from the series, compiled by Paul Feig and Judd Apatow. Extra content includes behind-the-scenes memos and notes; photos; additional plot lines; and excerpts from the "Freaks and Geeks" series bibles.

Soundtrack.

"Freaks and Geeks" creators made it a priority to feature genuine, period-specific music that would help to create the show's tone. Clearing such names as Billy Joel, Cheap Trick, the Grateful Dead, Rush, Styx, The Moody Blues, The Who, and Van Halen required much of the show's budget. Eventually, this became an obstacle in releasing the show on DVD due to the difficulty and expense of clearing all of the music rights for the series. Music cues were changed or removed for "Freaks and Geeks" when it aired in reruns on Fox Family. However, "Freaks and Geeks" creators chose to wait to release the DVD until they could find a company willing to pay for the original music. Shout! Factory, a music and video company specializing in comprehensive reissues and compilations, eventually brought "Freaks and Geeks" to DVD with all of its music intact.

Appearances.

In 2000, the cast of "Freaks and Geeks" was featured in an episode of the game show "Family Feud" hosted by Louie Anderson.

Reception.

Critical reception.

At Metacritic, "Freaks and Geeks" has a score of 88 out of 100, based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On Rotten Tomatoes, the show has a score of 100% with an average rating of 9.67 out of 10, based on 27 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, ""Freaks and Geeks" lampoons real-life adolescence while affectionately embracing every growing pain along the way with refreshing honesty."

Ratings.

The show averaged 6.77 million viewers and was #93 in the rankings during its only season.

Awards and nominations.

The series received three Emmy Award nominations: creator Paul Feig was nominated twice for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, for "Pilot" and "Discos and Dragons." It won for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series (Allison Jones, Coreen Mayrs and Jill Greenberg). It was nominated for two Television Critics Association Awards, for New Program of the Year and Outstanding Achievement in Drama. For acting, the series won for Best Family TV Series – Comedy and was nominated for Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble at the Young Artist Awards. For the YoungStar Awards, John Francis Daley and Sarah Hagan were nominated for Best Young Actor/Performance in a Comedy TV Series and the ensemble was nominated for Best Young Ensemble Cast – Television. The series also received several other nominations in other categories.  The series appeared on "Time" magazine's 2007 "100 Greatest Shows of All Time" list, and placed third on the magazine's list of greatest television shows of the 2000s (decade). In 2004 and 2007, "Freaks and Geeks" ranked #25 and #21 on "TV Guide"s Top Cult Shows Ever. In 2008, "Entertainment Weekly" ranked it the 13th-best series of the past 25 years. The same year, AOL TV named it the Best School Show of All Time. In 2013 "TV Guide" included it in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time, and ranked it #1 on their list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon." It launched several of its young actors, such as Rogen and Franco, into successful acting careers.

Cancellation and legacy.

One of the cited reasons for its early cancellation was its inability to gain an audience due to its "erratic scheduling" and poor time slots, competing with the high-rated "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". The producers created a website for the series, but NBC would not share its URL because "they didn't want people to know the Internet existed. They were worried about losing viewers to it" as explained by Judd Apatow. "Freaks and Geeks" was only averaging under 7 million viewers, while other NBC series such as "Frasier" and "Friends" were averaging over 14 million viewers each.  NBC and the creative directors of "Freaks and Geeks" did not have the same vision for the series. After the network picked up the "Freaks and Geeks" pilot, Garth Ancier replaced the old NBC network's president. Ancier "didn't understand public school life" and its relevance because he went to a boarding school and then on to Princeton. Creator Paul Feig expressed the "irony of the situation" as everyone involved wanted "Freaks and Geeks" to be a success, but the network didn't understand the concept of realistically showcasing life as ordinary teenagers. Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow had multiple arguments with the network concerning "lack of victories" in the script and that the characters needed to "be cool." The writers wanted to produce something that would represent the average high school experience, but the network wanted to produce something that would make high school seem cool. Because the network did not think the series would be a success, they let the writers add things to the script that they "wouldn't have if they thought the show would resurface the next season," like the use of the phrase, "ambiguous genitalia." Apatow said in 2014 that "Everything I've done, in a way, is revenge for the people who cancelled "Freaks and Geeks"."

"Undeclared".

In 2001, several of the actors featured in "Freaks and Geeks" appeared in a new Judd Apatow college half-hour comedy "Undeclared", which aired on Fox Network. Apatow fought with the network to include "Freaks and Geeks" actors, but the network only picked up Seth Rogen (who was already committed to the show as a writer) as a regular cast member. However, Jason Segel became a recurring character, and Samm Levine, Busy Philipps, and Natasha Melnick guest-starred in multi-episode arcs, as did prominent "Freaks and Geeks" guest stars Steve Bannos (who played McKinley High math teacher Mr. Frank Kowchevski) and David Krumholtz (who played Neal's older brother, Barry Schweiber). Martin Starr was prominent in another episode, and a scene with Sarah Hagan was shot, although it was cut for television broadcast. The show was also canceled during its first season.

Syndication and cast reunions.

In June 2010, it was announced that IFC had acquired the rights to air both "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared". "Freaks and Geeks"s 18-episode run on IFC finished with all episodes having aired as of October 29, 2010. "Undeclared"s IFC run began on November 5, 2010. Both shows have also joined TeenNick's line-up as of June 13, 2011. "Freaks and Geeks" aired on FXX, from 2013 to 2014.  A reunion of several cast members and producers of both shows took place at the Paley Center for Media's PaleyFest on March 12, 2011.

Documentary.

A documentary directed by Brent Hodge chronicling the history and behind-the-scenes of "Freaks and Geeks" featuring interviews with the cast and crew debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2018. The documentary had its television debut on July 16, 2018, on A&E.

Freaks and Geeks is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show follows gifted high schooler Lindsay Weir, who befriends a gang of slacker "freaks", and her younger brother Sam, as he and his geek friends navigate high school. Eighteen episodes were completed, but the series was canceled after only 12 had aired. A fan campaign persuaded NBC to broadcast three of the remaining episodes in July 2000, with the rest of the unaired episodes airing that fall on Fox Family Channel.

En France, la série a été diffusée à partir du sur Série Club et rediffusée sur Fun TV. Au Québec, elle fut diffusée au cours de l'été 2012 sur VRAK.TV dans le cadre de "VRAK Classique".


Description.

To store matte information, the concept of an alpha channel was introduced by Alvy Ray Smith in the late 1970s and fully developed in a 1984 paper by Thomas Porter and Tom Duff. In a 2D picture element (pixel), which stores a color for each pixel, additional data is stored in the alpha channel with a value ranging from 0 to 1. A value of 0 means that the pixel is transparent and does not provide any coverage information; i.e. there is no occlusion at the image pixel window because the geometry did not overlap this pixel. A value of 1 means that the pixel is fully occluding because the geometry completely overlaps the pixel window.

Straight versus premultiplied.

If an alpha channel is used in an image, there are two common representations that are available: straight (unassociated) alpha, and premultiplied (associated) alpha.  With straight alpha, the RGB components represent the color of the object or pixel, disregarding its opacity.  With premultiplied alpha, the RGB components represent the emission of the object or pixel, and the alpha represents the occlusion. A more obvious advantage of this is that, in certain situations, it can save a subsequent multiplication (e.g. if the image is used many times during later compositing). However, the most significant advantages of using premultiplied alpha are for correctness and simplicity rather than performance: premultiplied alpha allows correct filtering and blending. In addition, premultiplied alpha allows regions of regular alpha blending and regions with additive blending mode to be encoded within the same image, because channel values are usually stored in a fixed-point format which bounds the values to be between 0 and 1.  Assuming that the pixel color is expressed using "straight" (non-premultiplied) RGBA tuples, a pixel value of (0, 0.7, 0, 0.5) implies a pixel that has 70% of the maximum green intensity and 50% opacity. If the color were fully green, its RGBA would be (0, 1, 0, 0.5).  However, if this pixel uses premultiplied alpha, all of the RGB values (0, 0.7, 0) are multiplied, or scaled for occlusion, by the alpha value 0.5, which is appended to yield (0, 0.35, 0, 0.5). In this case, the 0.35 value for the G channel actually indicates 70% green emission intensity (with 50% occlusion). A pure green emission would be encoded as (0, 0.5, 0, 0.5). Knowing whether a file uses straight or premultiplied alpha is essential to correctly process or composite it, as a different calculation is required. It is also entirely acceptable to have an RGBA triplet express emission with no occlusion, such as (0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.0). Fires and flames, glows, flares, and other such phenomena can only be represented using associated / premultiplied alpha.  The only important difference is in the dynamic range of the colour representation in finite precision numerical calculations (which is in all applications): premultiplied alpha has a unique representation for transparent pixels, avoiding the need to choose a "clear color" or resultant artifacts such as edge fringes (see the next paragraphs). In an associated / premultiplied alpha image, the RGB represents the emission amount, while the alpha is occlusion. Premultiplied alpha has some practical advantages over normal alpha blending because interpolation and filtering give correct results.  Ordinary interpolation without premultiplied alpha leads to RGB information leaking out of fully transparent (A=0) regions, even though this RGB information is ideally invisible. When interpolating or filtering images with abrupt borders between transparent and opaque regions, this can result in borders of colors that were not visible in the original image. Errors also occur in areas of semitransparency because the RGB components are not correctly weighted, giving incorrectly high weighting to the color of the more transparent (lower alpha) pixels.  Premultiplication can reduce the available relative precision in the RGB values when using integer or fixed-point representation for the color components, which may cause a noticeable loss of quality if the color information is later brightened or if the alpha channel is removed. In practice, this is not usually noticeable because during typical composition operations, such as OVER, the influence of the low-precision colour information in low-alpha areas on the final output image (after composition) is correspondingly reduced. This loss of precision also makes premultiplied images easier to compress using certain compression schemes, as they do not record the color variations hidden inside transparent regions, and can allocate fewer bits to encode low-alpha areas. The same “limitations” of lower quantisation bit depths such as 8 bit per channel are also present in imagery without alpha, and this argument is problematic as a result.  With the existence of an alpha channel, it is possible to express compositing image operations using a "compositing algebra". For example, given two image elements A and B, the most common compositing operation is to combine the images such that A appears in the foreground and B appears in the background. This can be expressed as A over B. In addition to over, Porter and Duff defined the compositing operators in, held out by (usually abbreviated out), atop, and xor (and the reverse operators rover, rin, rout, and ratop) from a consideration of choices in blending the colors of two pixels when their coverage is, conceptually, overlaid orthogonally:  The over operator is, in effect, the normal painting operation (see Painter's algorithm). The in operator is the alpha compositing equivalent of clipping.  As an example, the over operator can be accomplished by applying the following formula to each pixel value:  where formula_2 is the result of the operation, formula_3 is the color of the pixel in element A, formula_4 is the color of the pixel in element B, and formula_5 and formula_6 are the alpha of the pixels in elements A and B respectively. If it is assumed that all color values are premultiplied by their alpha values (formula_7), we can rewrite the equation for output color as:  and resulting alpha channel value is

Examples of different operations.

Examples of red overlaid with green, with both colours fully opaque:

Analytical derivation of the over operator.

Porter and Duff gave a geometric interpretation of the alpha compositing formula by studying orthogonal coverages. Another derivation of the formula, based on a physical reflectance/transmittance model, can be found in a 1981 paper by Bruce A. Wallace. A third approach is found by starting out with two very simple assumptions. For simplicity, we shall here use the shorthand notation formula_10 for representing the over operator.  The first assumption is that in the case where the background is opaque (i.e. formula_11), the over operator represents the convex combination of formula_12 and formula_13:  The second assumption is that the operator must respect the associative rule:  Now, let us assume that formula_12 and formula_13 have variable transparencies, whereas formula_18 is opaque. We're interested in finding  We know from the associative rule that the following must be true:  We know that formula_18 is opaque and thus follows that formula_22 is opaque, so in the above equation, each formula_23 operator can be written as a convex combination:  Hence we see that this represents an equation of the form formula_25. By setting formula_26 and formula_27 we get  which means that we have analytically derived a formula for the output alpha and the output color of formula_10.  An even more compact representation is given by noticing that formula_30:  The formula_23 operator fulfills all the requirements of a non-commutative monoid, where the identity element formula_33 is chosen such that formula_34 (i.e. the identity element can be any tuple formula_35 with formula_36).

Alpha blending.

Alpha blending is the process of combining a translucent foreground color with a background color, thereby producing a new color blended between the two. The degree of the foreground color's translucency may range from completely transparent to completely opaque. If the foreground color is completely transparent, the blended color will be the background color. Conversely, if it is completely opaque, the blended color will be the foreground color. The translucency can range between these extremes, in which case the blended color is computed as a weighted average of the foreground and background colors.  Alpha blending is a convex combination of two colors allowing for transparency effects in computer graphics. The value of codice_1 in the color code ranges from 0.0 to 1.0, where 0.0 represents a fully transparent color, and 1.0 represents a fully opaque color. This alpha value also corresponds to the ratio of "SRC over DST" in Porter and Duff equations.  The value of the resulting color is given by:  If the destination background is opaque, then formula_38, and if you enter it to the upper equation:  The alpha component may be used to blend to red, green and blue components equally, as in 32-bit RGBA, or, alternatively, there may be three alpha values specified corresponding to each of the primary colors for spectral color filtering.  If premultiplied alpha is used, the above equations are simplified to:

Other transparency methods.

Although used for similar purposes, transparent colors and image masks do not permit the smooth blending of the superimposed image pixels with those of the background (only whole image pixels or whole background pixels allowed).  A similar effect can be achieved with a 1-bit alpha channel, as found in the 16-bit RGBA Highcolor mode of the Truevision TGA image file format and related TARGA and AT-Vista/NU-Vista display adapters' Highcolor graphic mode. This mode devotes 5 bits for every primary RGB color (15-bit RGB) plus a remaining bit as the "alpha channel".

Composing alpha blending with gamma correction.

The RGB values stored in computer images are actually not the real light intensities, but they have been transformed by a gamma correction, in order to optimize the usage of bits when encoding an image.  The gamma correction can be roughly summarised as below:  Then we have the following relation:  Thus, when dealing with computer stored RGB values, alpha blending will look much better (and be more "correct", in a physical sense of additive light) if the gamma correction is unapplied before averaging the images and re-applied afterwards. It is also possible to perform this technique with premultiplied pixels; OpenGL has extensions meant for this operation.  For example, if one wants to superimpose an image named formula_47 with an alpha channel formula_48 onto a background image formula_49, then the resulting image formula_50 can be calculated like this:  Note: formula_52 is the image as it will be stored in the computer memory; and it will be displayed as formula_53 on the computer display.

In computer graphics, alpha compositing is the process of combining one image with a background to create the appearance of partial or full transparency. It is often useful to render picture elements (pixels) in separate passes or layers and then combine the resulting 2D images into a single, final image called the composite. Compositing is used extensively in film when combining computer-rendered image elements with live footage. Alpha blending is also used in 2D computer graphics to put rasterized foreground elements over a background.

En infographie, la simulation de transparence ou alpha blending est une technique graphique consistant à ajouter de la transparence à des images en deux dimensions ou à des objets tridimensionnels. Les deux cas sont semblables étant donné qu'un objet 3D donné est souvent modélisé par des surfaces avec une image servant de texture.


History.

The place dates back to the 14th century. Masilamani nathar (Shiva) temple was built in 1306, in a land given by Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I. As of now, this temple is the oldest monument. Until 1620, when the Danes came, the place was under Thanjavur Nayak kingdom. Danish admiral Ove Gjedde felt the place would be a potential trading centre, made a deal with Raghunatha Nayak and built a fort, which is known as Fort Dansborg.  A Jesuit Catholic congregation in Tranquebar predated the arrival of the Danes by several decades. This congregation descended from Tamil fishermen converted by Portuguese missionaries from Goa. There was also a sizable population of Indo-Portuguese due to their presence nearby in Nagapattinam. The Catholic church was probably demolished to build the fort. This fort was the residence and headquarters of the governor and other officials for about 150 years. It is now a museum hosting a collection of artefacts from the colonial era.  Among the first Protestant missionaries to set foot in India were two Lutherans from Germany, Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Pluetschau, who began work in 1705 in the Danish settlement of Tranquebar. Ziegenbalg translated the Old and New Testaments into Tamil, imported a printing press, and printed the New Testament in Tamil in 1714. The local people were forced to learn the broken Portuguese that was the lingua franca between Indians and Europeans at the time, and later on translated the Bible into the local Tamil language. They also established a printing press, which within a hundred years of its establishment in 1712 had printed 300 books in Tamil. At first they only made little progress in their religious efforts, but gradually the mission spread to Madras, Cuddalore and Tanjore. Today "Bishop of Tranquebar" is the official title of a bishop in the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC) in South India which was founded in 1919 as a result of the German Lutheran Leipzig Mission and Church of Sweden Mission. The seat of the Bishop, the Cathedral and its Church House ("Tranquebar House") is in Tiruchirappalli.  The Zion church was consecrated in 1701, which is the oldest Protestant church in India. In 1718, The New Jerusalem Church was constructed. Moravian Brethren missionaries from Herrnhut, Saxony established the Brethren's Garden at Porayar near Tranquebar and operated it as a missionary centre for a number of years. An Italian Catholic Father Constanzo Beschi, who worked in the colony from 1711 to 1740, found himself in conflict with the Lutheran pioneers at Tranquebar, against whom he wrote several polemical works.  Tranquebar was occupied by the British in February 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars but was restored to Denmark following the Treaty of Kiel in 1814. Along with the Danish settlement of Serampore in Bengal, it was sold to the British in 1845. Tranquebar was then still a busy port, but it later lost its importance after a railway was opened to Nagapattinam.  The Subrahmanya Temple, Perambur, located in the outskirts of the town is one of the most prominent Murugan temples in the region.

Tranquebar Museum.

The 17th and 18th century antiquities and relics from the Vijayanagara empire and Thanjavur Nayak kingdom, which authorized, allowed, and sanctioned the aforementioned Danish port township connected with the colonial period and Danish settlement at Tharangampadi are exhibited. The museum contains porcelain ware, Danish manuscripts, glass objects, Chinese tea jars, steatitle lamps, decorated terracotta objects, figurines, lamps, stones, sculptures, swords, daggers, spears, sudai (stucco) figurines and wooden objects. There is also part of a whale skeleton,a giant sawfish rostrum and small cannonballs.

New Jerusalem Church.

The New Jerusalem Church was built in 1718 by the Royal Danish missionary Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg in the coastal town of Tranquebar, India which was at that time a Danish India Colony. The church is located on King Street, and church services are conducted every Sunday. The church, along with other buildings of the Tranquebar Mission was damaged during the tsunami of 2004, and were renovated at a cost of INR 7 million, and re-consecrated in 2006.

Fort Dansborg.

Construction of Fort Dansborg started in 1620. Many parts of the fort have been reconstructed several times. Dansborg is the second largest Danish fort ever constructed, with Kronborg in Helsingør being the largest. The rampart wall is a fairly large four sided structure, with bastions at each cardinal point. A single storied building was constructed along three inner sides of the rampart, with barracks, warehouse, kitchen, and jail. The rooms on the southern side remain in good condition, but the rooms on the western and northern sides have been substantially damaged. On the eastern side of the fort, there was a two storied building facing the sea. It was the main building of the fort. The vaulted lower storey served as a magazine and a warehouse, while the vaulted upper storey contained the church and the lodgings of the governor, the senior merchants, and the chaplain. The sea on the eastern and western side protected the fort. The fort was surrounded by a moat, access to the fort being over a drawbridge. The moat has completely disappeared.

Demographics.

India census, Tharangambadi had a population of 20,841. Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%. Tharangambadi has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 69%. In Tharangambadi, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Tharangambadi, formerly Tranquebar (), is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast. It lies north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary of the Kaveri River. Tranquebar was established on november 19, 1620 as the first Danish trading post in India. King Christian IV had sent his envoy Ove Gjedde who established contact with Raghunatha Nayak of Tanjore. An annual tribute was paid by the Danes to the Rajah of Tanjore until the colony of Tranquebar was sold to the British East India Company in 1845.

Tharangambadi ou Tranquebar (en danois : ") est une ville indienne située dans l’État du Tamil Nadu. Elle fut une colonie danoise de 1620 à 1845 (excepté de 1801 à 1814 où elle subit l’occupation anglaise en raison de l’alliance du Danemark avec la France napoléonienne), date à laquelle elle fut vendue au Royaume-Uni.


Nomenclature.

"η Pegasi" (Latinised to "Eta Pegasi") is the star's Bayer designation.  It bore the traditional name "Matar", derived from the Arabic سعد المطر "Al Saʽd al Maṭar", meaning "lucky star of rain". In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organized a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalogue and standardize proper names for stars. The WGSN approved the name "Matar" for this star on 21 August 2016 and it is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names.  In Chinese, (), meaning "Resting Palace", refers to an asterism consisting η Pegasi, λ Pegasi, μ Pegasi, ο Pegasi, τ Pegasi and ν Pegasi. Consequently, η Pegasi itself is known as (), "the Fourth Star of Resting Palace".

Namesake.

USS Matar (AK-119) was a United States Navy Crater class cargo ship named after the star.

Properties.

The Eta Pegasi system consists of a pair of stars in a binary orbit with a period of 813 days and an eccentricity of 0.183. The primary component is a bright giant star with a stellar classification of G2 II and about three and a half times the mass of the Sun. The interferometry-measured angular diameter of this star, after correcting for limb darkening, is, which, at its estimated distance, equates to a physical radius of more than 24 times the radius of the Sun. It is radiating 331 times the luminosity of the Sun from its expanded outer envelope at an effective temperature of 4,970 K. The rotation rate of the star slowed as it expanded, so it has a projected rotational velocity of 1.7 km s with an estimated rotation period of 818 days.  The secondary component is an F-type main sequence star with a classification of F0 V. The secondary star is 3.56 magnitudes fainter that the primary star at 700 nm. There are also 2 class G stars further away that may or may not be physically related to the main pair.

Eta Pegasi (η Pegasi, abbreviated Eta Peg, η Peg), formally named Matar, is a binary star in the constellation of Pegasus. The apparent visual magnitude of this star is +2.95, making it the fifth-brightest member of Pegasus. Based upon parallax measurements, the distance to this star is about from the Sun.

Eta Pegasi (η Peg / η Pegasi, ) est une étoile de la constellation de Pégase. Elle porte également le nom traditionnel Matar (« l'épaule »).