Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia. About 450,000 people live there. It used to be called Pressburg (German) or Pozsony (Hungarian) and by some other names. Bratislava is the seat of the national government, the presidency, and the parliament. It has several museums, galleries, and other educational, cultural, and economic institutions.

There is a small Old Town and a castle called Bratislavský Hrad. The Danube river goes through Bratislava.

Etymology
Bratislava had many names through its history. Here are some of them:

 German: Preßburg (now spelled Pressburg)
 Slovak: Prešporok, from German name
 Hungarian: Pozsony (still used today by Hungarians)
 Greek (medieval): Istropolis (meaning the Danube City)
 Latin: Posonium
 English: Pressburg(h)/Pressborough

and many others.

Geography
Bratislava is in the extreme southwest of Slovakia, on the borders with Austria and Hungary, and not far from the Czech Republic border. It is on the Morava and Danube rivers.

History
People have lived here since the Neolithic age. The Celts inhabited this area from 400 BC-50 BC. The Roman Empire set up border military camps near Bratislava from the 1st century until the 5th century, for example,"Gerulata." The Slavs started moving here in the 6th century. Bratislava was part of the Slavic empire called Great Moravia in the 9th century. From the second half of the 10th century until 1918, it was part of the Kingdom of Hungary, with some exceptions. It was even the capital of the Kingdom between 1524 and 1830/1848. After the World War I ended in 1918, it was part of newly founded Czechoslovakia until 1939, when it became the capital of World War II the Slovak Republic until 1945. After 1945, it was part of Czechoslovakia again, becoming the capital of Slovak Socialist Republic (which was still part of Czechoslovakia) in 1968. After the event called Velvet Divorce, when Czechoslovakia broke up, Bratislava became the capital of Slovakia.

Sightseeing

List of notable structures:

 Bratislava Castle
 St. Martin's Cathedral
 Primate's Palace
 Bratislava town hall
 Michael's Gate
 Grassalkovich Palace
 Nový Most (New Bridge)
 Kamzík TV Tower
 Devín Castle

Economy
The economy of Bratislava is prosperous and based on the automobile industry, chemical industry, and services. Unemployment (people without work) is the lowest in Slovakia (around 2%, compared to the national average of 7%). Approximately 250,000 people from all over Slovakia travel to Bratislava for work.

Transport

The position of Bratislava made it a natural crossroads for international traffic. It is a motorway and rail junction with its own international airport. The international river traffic passes along the Danube through Bratislava, with its own river port.

Bratislava has its own public transport system, with buses, trams and trolleybuses.

Territorial division

Bratislava is divided into 5 national districts and 17 city parts:

 District I: Staré mesto (Old Town)
 District II: Ružinov, Vrakuňa, Podunajské Biskupice
 District III: Rača, Nové mesto (New Town), Vajnory
 District IV: Karlova Ves, Dúbravka, Devín, Devínska Nová Ves, Záhorská
 District V: Petržalka, Jarovce, Rusovce, Čunovo''

Further it is divided into 20 cadastral areas, which are identical with the city parts with 2 exceptions:

 Nové mesto = Nové mesto + Vinohrady
 Ružinov = Ružinov + Nivy + Trnávka

Twin towns
  Yerevan, Armenia
  Vienna, Austria
  Ruse, Bulgaria
  Larnaka, Cyprus
  Prague, Czech Republic
  Alexandria, Egypt
  Turku, Finland
  Bremen, Germany
  Ulm, Germany
  Thessaloniki, Greece
  Székesfehérvár, Hungary
  Perugia, Italy
  Rotterdam, Netherlands
  Kraków, Poland
  Ljubljana, Slovenia
  İzmir, Turkey
  Kiev, Ukraine
  Cleveland, USA

Pictures

References

Other websites

 Bratislava City Guide prepared by locals
 ŠÚ SR - Statistical office of the Slovak Republic

Bratislava


Nandrolone phenylpropionate (NPP), or nandrolone phenpropionate, sold under the brand name Durabolin among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which has been used primarily in the treatment of breast cancer and osteoporosis in women. It is given by injection into muscle once every week. Although it was widely used in the past, the drug has mostly been discontinued and hence is now mostly no longer available.

Side effects of NPP include symptoms of masculinization like acne, increased hair growth, voice changes, and increased sexual desire. The drug is a synthetic androgen and anabolic steroid and hence is an agonist of the androgen receptor (AR), the biological target of androgens like testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It has strong anabolic effects and weak androgenic effects, which give it a mild side effect profile and make it especially suitable for use in women and children. NPP is a nandrolone ester and a long-lasting prodrug of nandrolone in the body.

NPP was first described in 1957 and was introduced for medical use in 1959. It was the first nandrolone ester to be introduced, followed by nandrolone decanoate in 1962, and has been one of the most widely used nandrolone esters. However, in more recent times, the drug has been largely superseded by nandrolone decanoate, which is longer-acting and more convenient to use. In addition to its medical use, NPP is used to improve physique and performance. The drug is a controlled substance in many countries and so non-medical use is generally illicit.

Medical uses

NPP has been used mainly in the treatment of advanced breast cancer in women and as an adjunct therapy for the treatment of senile or postmenopausal osteoporosis in women. Historically, it has also had a variety of other uses. Because of its reduced androgenic effects, the drug has not generally been used in androgen replacement therapy for androgen deficiency in men and has instead been used for solely for anabolic indications. However, nandrolone esters have more recently been proposed for the treatment of androgen deficiency in men due to favorable properties including their high ratio of anabolic to androgenic effects and consequent much lower risk of prostate enlargement, prostate cancer, and scalp hair loss relative to testosterone.

Available forms
NPP is or has been available 25 mg/mL and 50 mg/mL formulations in oil solution for intramuscular injection.

Non-medical uses

NPP is used for physique- and performance-enhancing purposes by competitive athletes, bodybuilders, and powerlifters. Nandrolone esters have been said to be the most popular AAS used by bodybuilders and in sports. This is in part due to the high ratio of anabolic to androgenic effect of nandrolone and its weak propensity for androgenic and estrogenic side effects.

Side effects

The most common side effects of NPP consist of virilization (masculinization) in women, including symptoms such as acne, hirsutism (increased body/facial hair growth), hoarseness of the voice, and voice deepening. However, relative to most other AAS, NPP has a greatly reduced propensity for virilization and such side effects are relatively uncommon at recommended dosages. At higher dosages and/or with long-term treatment they make increase in incidence and magnitude however. A variety of uncommon and rare side effects may also occur.

Interactions
Antiestrogens like aromatase inhibitors (e.g., anastrozole) and selective estrogen receptor modulators (e.g., tamoxifen, raloxifene) can interfere with and prevent the estrogenic effects of NPP. 5α-Reductase inhibitors like finasteride and dutasteride can prevent the inactivation of nandrolone in so-called "androgenic" tissues like the skin, hair follicles, and prostate gland and may therefore considerably increase its androgenic side effects. This is opposite to the case of most other AAS, which are either potentiated by 5α-reductase in such tissues or are not metabolized by 5α-reductase. Antiandrogens like cyproterone acetate, spironolactone, and bicalutamide can block both the anabolic and androgenic effects of NPP.

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

NPP is a nandrolone ester, or a prodrug of nandrolone. As such, it is an androgen and anabolic steroid, or an agonist of the androgen receptor, the biological target of androgens like testosterone. Relative to testosterone, NPP has enhanced anabolic effects and reduced androgenic effects. In addition to its anabolic and androgenic activity, NPP has low estrogenic activity (via its metabolite estradiol) and moderate progestogenic activity. Like other AAS, NPP has antigonadotropic effects, which are due to both its androgenic and progestogenic activity.

Pharmacokinetics
NPP is converted into nandrolone in the body, which is the active form of the drug. It has an extended elimination half-life in the body when administered via intramuscular injection. Its duration of action is approximately one week and it is administered once every few days to once per week. The elimination half-life and duration of action of NPP are much shorter than those of nandrolone decanoate.

Chemistry

Nandrolone phenylpropionate, or nandrolone 17β-phenylpropionate, is a synthetic estrane steroid and a derivative of testosterone. It is an androgen ester; specifically, it is the C17β phenylpropionate ester of nandrolone (19-nortestosterone), which itself is the 19-demethylated analogue of testosterone.

History
NPP was first described in 1957 and was introduced for medical use in 1959. It was initially used for a wide variety of indications, but starting in the 1970s its use became more restricted and its main uses became the treatment of breast cancer and osteoporosis in women. Today, NPP is scarcely available. The drug was the first form of nandrolone to be introduced, and was followed by nandrolone decanoate in 1962, which has been more widely used in comparison.

Society and culture

Generic names
Nandrolone phenylpropionate is the generic name of the drug and its  while nandrolone phenpropionate is its . It has also been referred to as nandrolone phenylpropanoate or as nandrolone hydrocinnamate.

Brand names
NPP is or has been marketed under a variety of brand names including Durabolin, Fenobolin, Activin, Deca-Durabolin, Evabolin, Grothic, Hybolin Improved, Metabol, Nerobolil, Neurabol, Norabol, Noralone, Sintabolin, Strabolene, and Superanabolon.

Availability
NPP is or has been marketed in many countries throughout the world, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

United States

NPP was marketed previously in the United States but is no longer available in this country. Nandrolone decanoate, conversely, is one of the few AAS that remains available for medical use in this country.

Legal status
NPP, along with other AAS, is a schedule III controlled substance in the United States under the Controlled Substances Act.

References

Further reading

External links

Alkene derivatives
Androgens and anabolic steroids
Appetite stimulants
Enones
Estrogens
Nandrolone esters
Phenylpropionate esters
Progestogens

Nandrolone phenylpropionate


The Uzbeks (Uzbek: Oʻzbek, Ўзбек, اۉزبېک, plural: Oʻzbeklar, Ўзбеклар, اۉزبېکلر) were one of the first Karluk Turks to arrive in the modern-day region of Pakistan, they ruled the area of Pakhli (modern-day Hazara) for over 200 years from 1472 to 1703. Uzbeks form a significant minority group in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and FATA (Federally administrated Tribal areas) of Pakistan.

There are many Uzbek immigrants in Pakistan from Central Asian countries, mainly Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Around 2.3% of the Afghans residing in Pakistan are ethnic Uzbeks. The Afghan War drove them to Pakistan. In 1981, many Afghan Uzbek refugees in Pakistan moved to Turkey to join the existing communities based in Kayseri, Izmir, Ankara and Zeytinburnu. The Uzbeks can be found mainly in north-west Pakistan, comprising the areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (in particular Peshawar), Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan. Additionally, Uzbek militants allied to al-Qaeda from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Islamic Jihad Union are believed to reside in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Their number at their height was predicted to be anywhere from 500 to 5,000. Now, only a few hundred foreign militants of various nationalities are thought to remain in Pakistan – the majority either having been killed by the Pakistani military's Zarb-e-Azb operation launched in 2014 or shifting to other theaters of jihadist conflicts, such as Syria.

History

Timurid Empire

The empire was founded by Timur (also known as Tamerlane) who was born in modern day Uzbekistan, a warlord of Turco-Mongol lineage, who established the empire between 1370 and his death in 1405. The Timurid empire included many parts of modern day Pakistan, such as Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakthunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir and left a lasting impact to this region culturally and ethnically. He envisioned himself as the great restorer of the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan, regarded himself as Genghis's heir, and associated closely with the Borjigin. Timur continued vigorous trade relations with Ming China and the Golden Horde, with Chinese diplomats like Ma Huan and Chen Cheng regularly traveling west to Samarkand to buy and sell goods. The empire led to the Timurid Renaissance, particularly during the reign of astronomer and mathematician Ulugh Begh.

By 1467, the ruling Timurid dynasty, or Timurids, had lost most of Persia to the Aq Qoyunlu confederation. However, members of the Timurid dynasty continued to rule smaller states, sometimes known as Timurid emirates, in Central Asia and parts of India. In the 16th century, Babur, a Timurid prince from Ferghana (modern Uzbekistan), invaded Kabulistan (modern Afghanistan) and established a small kingdom there. Twenty years later, he used this kingdom as a staging ground to invade the Delhi Sultanate in India and establish the Mughal Empire.

Mughal Empire

The Mughal empire is conventionally said to have been founded in 1526 by Babur, a warrior chieftain from what is today Uzbekistan, who employed aid from the neighboring Safavid and Ottoman empires, to defeat the Sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi, in the First Battle of Panipat, much of what is modern day Pakistan was under the Mughal empire, until its collapse. The Mughal imperial structure, however, is sometimes dated to 1600, to the rule of Babur's grandson, Akbar. This imperial structure lasted until 1720, shortly after the death of the last major emperor, Aurangzeb, during whose reign the empire also achieved its maximum geographical extent. Reduced subsequently to the region in and around Old Delhi by 1760, the empire was formally dissolved by the British Raj after the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

The Mughal designation for their own dynasty was Gurkani (). The use of "Mughal" and "Moghul" derived from the Arabic and Persian corruption of "Mongol", and it emphasised the Mongol origins of the Timurid dynasty. The term gained currency during the 19th century, but remains disputed by Indologists. Similar transliterations had been used to refer to the empire, including "Mogul" and "Moghul". Nevertheless, Babur's ancestors were sharply distinguished from the classical Mongols insofar as they were oriented towards Persian rather than Turco-Mongol culture. The Mughals themselves claimed ultimate descent from Mongol Empire founder Genghis Khan.

See also
 2014 Karachi airport attack
 Mohammad Rozi
 Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan

Notes

References

Sources

External links

 Who are the Uzbeks launching terror strikes in Pakistan?

Ethnic groups in Pakistan

Pakistan–Uzbekistan relations
Afghan diaspora in Pakistan

Uzbeks in Pakistan


The Guarantee Clause, also known as the Republican Form of Government Clause, is in Article IV, Section 4 of the United States Constitution, and requires the United States to guarantee every state a republican form of government and provide protection from foreign invasion and domestic violence.

Text
Article IV, Section 4:

History
The original substance of the clause was first proposed at the Constitutional Convention as part of the Virginia Plan, presented by Edmund Randolph.

The Guarantee Clause reflects a founding understanding of republicanism, which entails governments based on majority rule. As written in the Federalist No. 57: "The elective mode of obtaining rulers is the characteristic policy of republican government." Quoting Montesquieu, James Madison wrote in Federalist No. 43 that "should a popular insurrection happen in one of the States, the others are able to quell it. Should abuses creep into one part, they are reformed by those that remain sound."

At the time of the founding, however, states restricted the right to vote based on race, sex, and property ownership. Madison suggested that these existing practices in the states, which he called "existing republican forms", may be continued. Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution explicitly gave the states power to decide voting qualifications, although Article I, Section 4 gives Congress authority to regulate the time, place, and manner of federal elections.

Beginning in the aftermath of the Civil War, subsequent amendments broadened the right to vote and restricted discriminatory state laws. These include the Fifteenth (no denial of right to vote based on race), Nineteenth (no denial of right to vote based on sex), Twenty-Fourth (no poll tax), and the Twenty-Sixth Amendment (reducing the voting age to eighteen).

Interpretation
It is understood that the Guarantee Clause requires states to produce governments by electoral processes, as opposed to inherited monarchies, dictatorships, or military rule.

Judicial interpretation
In cases such as Luther v. Borden (1849) and Pacific States Telephone and Telegraph Co. v. Oregon (1912), the Supreme Court held that the enforcement of the Guarantee Clause is a nonjusticiable political question, to be decided by Congress or the President instead of the courts.

At the time of Luther, Rhode Island was the last state that did not adopt a constitution. Instead, it continued to rely on the 1663 royal charter issued by King Charles II, and restricted the franchise to men who owned more than $134 in land. A rival government attempted to adopt a constitution by convention but was quashed by the existing charter government. In Luther, the Supreme Court refused to decide whether Rhode Island's charter government was illegitimate because of its limitations on voting rights.

In Pacific States Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. Oregon, the Supreme Court was asked to invalidate referendums (a form of direct democracy rather than representative democracy) permitted by state law, on the ground that they violate the Guarantee Clause's republican form of government requirement. The court refused to invalidate referendums.

Scholars have commented that these decisions are consistent with the statement in Federalist No. 43 that "States may choose to substitute other republican forms, they have a right to do so, and to claim the federal guaranty for the latter."

In Colegrove v. Green (1946), a challenge of state legislative apportionments, the Supreme Court declared that the republican form of government clause cannot be used as a basis to challenge state electoral malapportionment in court. However, the court clarified in Baker v. Carr (1962) that legislature malapportionment claims can be decided in court under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, as the equal protection issue was separate from the Guarantee Clause challenge.

In 2019, the Supreme Court reiterated in Rucho v. Common Cause (a case about political gerrymandering) that the Guarantee Clause is not a justiciable issue capable of being litigated in court.

Congressional interpretation
Cases such as Luther v. Borden held the Guarantee Clause to be a political question to be resolved by Congress. Relying on that understanding, the Reconstruction era Congress disestablished ten state governments during peacetime and placed them under military rule. The law, known as the First Reconstruction Act, found those states to be unrepublican under the Guarantee Clause. The Supreme Court acquiesced to the disestablishment in Georgia v. Stanton (1868). Later, Congress also excluded elected legislators (a power recognized in Luther) when it faced "an election dispute created by state measures to suppress black voter turnout."

References

External links
The "Guarantee Clause" at harvardlawreview.org

Federalism in the United States
Article Four of the United States Constitution
Clauses of the United States Constitution

Guarantee Clause


The Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando () formerly Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is a neo-classical church in the  City of San Fernando, in Pampanga Province of the Philippines. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of San Fernando.

History
In 1755 the first structure of wood and thatch was built on this site by the Augustinian friars under the patronage of San Fernando III, King of Castile. Fray Sebastian Moreno, O.S.A. was its first cura parroco. On October 17, 1757, townsfolk petitioned the governor-general for exemptions from tribute to enable them to build the church and convent.

It was transferred to the care of secular priests in 1788. The construction of the present style church started during the same year under the supervision Fr. Manuel Canlas, its first secular cura parroco, and a committee composed of the principales of the town.  They were led by gobernadorcillo Bernabe Pamintuan. Construction was completed in 1808. The church was rededicated to the Assumption of Our Lady.

The church measures 70m. long, 13m. wide and 11m. high. The round majestic dome rising from the rotunda of the transept is reminiscent of the Baroque style with some Renaissance elements.

President Emilio F. Aguinaldo and his cabinet viewed the Philippine Revolutionary Army from the windows of the convento on October 9, 1898. On orders of Gen. Antonio Luna, the Philippine Revolutionary Army burned the church and convento on May 4, 1899.

20th century
The church was destroyed by fire again in 1939, and restored by Pampango Architect Fernando H. Ocampo in 1948.

In 1948 the church was elevated to Cathedral when it became the seat of the Diocese of San Fernando, canonically created by Pope Pius XII.

In 1975, the diocese was elevated by Pope Paul VI, to Archdiocese of San Fernando. Its first bishop was Monsignor Cesar Ma. Guerrero, D.D. He was followed by the Most Reverend Emilio A. Cinense, D.D., who became its first archbishop. He was succeeded by the Most Reverend Oscar V. Cruz, D.D. in 1978.  The third archbishop of San Fernando is the Most Reverend Paciano B. Aniceto, D.D. Pamp, and the current is Most Rev. Florentino Lavarias, D.D.

Rectors
Very Rev. Msgr. Prudencio David, VG                              1918–1952.
Very Rev. Msgr. Bartolome Zabala                                 1952–1958.
Very Rev. Msgr. Pedro Puno, VG                                   1958–1969.
Very Rev. Msgr. Diosdado Victorio, VG                            1969–1974.
Very Rev. Msgr. Serafin Ocampo                                   1974–1981.
Very Rev. Msgr. Jesus Galang                                     1981–1992.
Most Rev. Paciano Aniceto, D.D.                                  1992–1995.
Very Rev. Msgr. Eugenio Mercado, VF                              1995–2002.
Very Rev. Msgr. Cenovio Lumanog, VG                              2002–2007.
Very Rev. Msgr. Ricardo Jesus Serrano, SLD                       2007–2013.
Very Rev. Msgr. Eugenio Reyes, JCD, PA 2013–2018.
Rev. Fr. Ricarthy D. Macalino,                             2018–2019.
Rev. Fr. Marius Roque, 2019-2021.
Rev. Fr. Manuel C. Sta Maria, 2021–present.

Image gallery

References

External links

San Fernando
Roman Catholic churches in Pampanga
Buildings and structures in San Fernando, Pampanga
National Historical Landmarks of the Philippines
Spanish Colonial architecture in the Philippines
Neoclassical church buildings in the Philippines
Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando

San Fernando Cathedral (Pampanga)


Stephen Szu Shiang Chang (15 August 1918 – 16 December 1996) was a Chinese-born American food scientist who was involved in the research of lipids and flavors in food, including the development of technology transfer between the United States and Taiwan.

Early career
Born in China, Chang received his B.S. degree in 1941 from the National Jinan University in Shanghai before emigrating to the United States in 1947. He then earned his M.S. degree in organic chemistry in 1949 at Kansas State University and his Ph.D. in food science in 1952 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He married his wife Lucy the same year he earned his Ph.D., and worked several years in the food industry before joining the faculty at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1960.

Rutgers career
At Rutgers, Chang eventually rose to the position of Department Chair, where he served from 1977 to 1986. Writing over 100 research papers and earning 15 patents, he retired from teaching in 1988. He was also active in the American Oil Chemists' Society, Chinese American Food Society (CAFS) (President: 1975-6), and the Institute of Food Technologists.

Retirement
After his retirement, Chang worked as a consultant in the food industry and was involved in the successful technology transfer of food science with both China and Taiwan. He and his wife Lucy also established awards in Chang's honor both at the American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).

Death
Chang died in 1996. His papers were donated to the library at Rutgers.

Honors and awards
AOCS Alton E. Bailey Award - 1974
AOCS Supelco/Nicholas Pelik - AOCS research - 1979
AOCS Stephen S. Chang Award - First awarded in 1991
CAFS Professional Achievement Award - 1983 (First award winner)
IFT Fellow - 1974
IFT Nicholas Appert Award - 1983
IFT International Award - 1989
IFT Stephen S. Chang Award for Lipid or Flavor Science - First awarded in 1993
The Chang Science Library was established in 1995 at Rutgers at the first floor of Foran Hall at Cook College to support research in agriculture, aquaculture, food science, ecology, and environmental science.

References

Biography on Stephen S. and Lucy Chang
Rutgers University Chang library description
Rutgers University papers on Stephen S. and Lucy Chang: 1933-2001
Chinese American Food Society award winners
Chinese American Food Society past presidents
American Oil Chemists Society Alton E. Bailey Award
American Oil Chemists Society Supelco/Nicholas Pelik Award
American Oil Chemists Society Stephen S. Chang Award
Institute of Food Technologists award winners
Institute of Food Technologists Fellows

1918 births
1996 deaths
American food scientists
Chinese food scientists
Fellows of the Institute of Food Technologists
Kansas State University alumni
People from Champaign County, Illinois
People from Manhattan, Kansas
People from New Jersey
Rutgers University faculty
Jinan University alumni
University of Illinois College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences alumni
Educators from Shanghai
Scientists from Shanghai
Chinese emigrants to the United States

Stephen S. Chang


Perhaps Transparent is a Jersey City, New Jersey based independent record label founded by Gabriel Walsh and Stephen Connolly. The label releases psychedelic and psychedelic folk. Artists on this label tend to include song, narrative or conceptual structures that are deliberately complicated and/or obscure – Your Team Ring buries puzzles in its albums, Flaming Fire utilizes classic Greek theater elements, Pothole Skinny experiment in the sounds of psychedelic folk, IE: the woods-folk-avant-dark-strings, and Irene Moon's music is principally about her interests and research in entomology. PG Six, aka Pat Gubler from Tower Recordings explores song craft through the resurgence of 1960's British Follk revival and experimental bray harp drones. Through live CD-R releases, and the vinyl versions of his Amish Records releases, one can get a keen glimpse of Pat's Musical journey.

Artists on this label
 American Watercolor Movement
 Calvin, Don't Jump!
 Flaming Fire
 Irene Moon
 PG Six
 Outhern Acific
 Pothole Skinny
 Stephen Connolly
 Your Team Ring
 Fireworks Collage Project with Daniel Carter

See also
 List of record labels

External links
 Official site
 Emusic Download page

American independent record labels
New Jersey record labels
Psychedelic rock record labels
Psychedelic folk record labels
Mass media in Hudson County, New Jersey

Perhaps Transparent


Janusz Żurakowski (12 September 1914 – 9 February 2004) was a Polish fighter and test pilot. At various times in his life he lived and worked in Poland, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Early life
Żurakowski was born in 1914 to Polish parents in Ryżawka near Uman, which had been a village in the Russian Empire since 1793, when it was removed from Poland in the Second Partition. In 1921, following the Polish–Soviet War, the Treaty of Riga established the frontier between Soviet Russia and the Second Polish Republic. The new border placed Ryżawka in Soviet territory. So the Żurakowski family left their home and escaped into the newly established Polish Republic.

Żurakowski was educated at a high school in Lublin, where he learned to fly gliders. In 1934, he joined the Polish Air Force and entered the Polish Air Force Officers' School. After learning to fly powered aircraft, he graduated in 1935 as a sub-lieutenant. He went on to serve as a fighter pilot posted to 161 Fighter Squadron in Lwów, and in 1939 he served as a flying instructor at Dęblin.

Second World War
In September 1939, "Black September", Żurakowski had his combat debut in an outmoded PZL P.7 trainer against a squadron of seven German Dornier 17s attacking Dęblin on 2 September. He was able to damage one of the Do 17s but was forced to break off combat when his guns jammed.

Following the defeat of Poland, Żurakowski made his way to England via Romania and France. Like many of his compatriots, he was smuggled out of the war zone with false documents and a new identity as a forester. Thousands of the Polish Air Force pilots who had made their way to France fought against Luftwaffe forces in the Battle of France. Żurakowski was originally posted to a fighter unit in France before he was selected to train as a bomber pilot in England. Once he arrived in England, the RAF changed its mind and sent him and the first group of Poles to fighter squadrons, which were rapidly being deployed in anticipation of an attack on Britain in 1940.

Żurakowski was first posted as a pilot officer to 152 Squadron before joining No. 234 Squadron initially stationed at RAF St Eval, Cornwall, a town named after the patron saint of flight testing. The squadron was moved forward to RAF Middle Wallop on 13 August 1940. He flew the Supermarine Spitfire Mk. 1 against the Luftwaffe, shooting down a Messerschmitt Bf 110 over the Isle of Wight on 15 August 1940. After being shot down nine days later, he returned to duty, shooting down two Messerschmitt Bf 109Es on the 12th and 13th day after that. Near the conclusion of the Battle of Britain, he scored a "probable" over a Bf 110C on 29 September 1940. Following the decimation of 234 Squadron and its transfer to the north, Żurakowski asked for a transfer to No. 609 Squadron RAF, a Spitfire unit still in the front lines. From there he was reposted as a flight instructor to a succession of Flight Training Units, where he passed on his knowledge of combat flying to a new group of fighter pilots.

In 1942, now Flying Officer Żurakowski flew again with his countrymen on Spitfire IIs in No. 315 Squadron, rising to the post of squadron leader of No. 316 Polish Fighter Squadron and deputy wing leader of Polish No. 1 Fighter Wing stationed at RAF Northolt. He often escorted USAAF bombers on daylight bombing raids. Żurakowski scored a probable over a Messerschmitt Bf 109G on 17 May 1943 while acting as the wing gunnery officer. He was awarded the Virtuti Militari, the Polish equivalent of the Victoria Cross in 1943. He also received the Polish Cross of Valour () and Bar (1941) and Second Bar (1943).

Postwar
After the war, Żurakowski, among many other Polish veterans, chose to stay in Britain. In 1944, he was posted to the Empire Test Pilots' School, graduating from No. 2 Course on 5 January 1945. From 1945 to 1947, Żurakowski worked as a test pilot with "C" Squadron of the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at RAF Boscombe Down, testing naval aircraft for the Air Ministry. Never having landed an aircraft on a carrier before, he practised landing on a deck painted on a runway at Naval Air Station East Haven. Following a brief training period, he proceeded to land the Supermarine Seafire, a navalised Spitfire, on the deck of HMS Ravager without incident.

While still at Boscombe Down, Żurakowski flew over 30 different types of aircraft, including the Vampire, the de Havilland Hornet, and the Gloster Meteor. He never let pass "an opportunity to give the staff a display that included single engine aerobatics". Acknowledged as one of the best aerobatic pilots in the UK, he gave a spectacular display at the Farnborough Airshow in June 1946 with the Martin-Baker MB 5, a piston-engined fighter designed too late to enter war production.

Retiring from the RAF as squadron leader in 1947, Żurakowski was employed as chief experimental test pilot for Gloster Aircraft Company under Chief Test Pilot Bill Waterton. When Waterton was in Canada on assignment, Żurakowski assumed the role of acting chief test pilot. Żurakowski tested the many experimental versions of the Gloster Meteor, Javelin, and Gloster E.1/44 fighters. He set an international speed record: London–Copenhagen–London, 4–5 April 1950. The attempt was organised by Gloster to sell the Meteor IV to the Danish Air Force, and it succeeded.

At the 1951 at Farnborough Airshow, Żurakowski demonstrated a new aerobatics manoeuvre, the "Zurabatic cartwheel", in which he suspended the Gloster Meteor G-7-1 prototype he was flying in a vertical cartwheel. "This jet manoeuvre was the first new aerobatic in 20 years." The cartwheel used the dangerously asymmetric behaviour the Meteor had with one engine throttled back. It started with a vertical climb to , by which point the aircraft had slowed to only . Cutting the power of one engine caused the Meteor to pivot. When the nose was pointing downwards, the second engine was throttled back. The aircraft continued to rotate through a further 360 degrees on momentum alone, having lost nearly all vertical velocity. Carrying out the cartwheel and recovering from it without entering an inverted spin (which the Meteor could not be brought out of) required great skill.

In April 1952, Żurakowski and his family left for Canada, where he became a test pilot for A.V. Roe Canada, concentrating on experimental testing. He broke the sound barrier on 18 December 1952 as a first pilot in Canada, diving the CF-100 fighter, the first straight-winged jet aircraft to achieve this feat. While testing an experimental rocket pack on 23 August 1954, Zura survived an explosion that killed his observer, John Hiebert.

During the Avro Canada years, Żurakowski continued to fly as an aerobatic display pilot with spectacular results. Especially successful was the 1955 Farnborough Airshow, where he displayed the CF-100 in a "falling-leaf". He was acclaimed again as the "Great Zura" by many aviation and industry observers. In 1958, he was chosen as the chief development test pilot of the new CF-105 Avro Arrow programme. On 25 March 1958, with Żurakowski at the controls, Arrow RL 25201 took off from Malton, Ontario for its first flight. The flight lasted 35 minutes and was problem-free. Żurakowski continued in the flight test program. He flew Arrows RL 201, 202, and 203 over a total of 21 flights, for 23.75 hours, reaching speeds of Mach 1.89 and an altitude of .

After flying Arrow 203 on 26 September 1958, Żurakowski decided to give up test flying for good, fulfilling a promise he had made to his wife to stop experimental flying once he reached the age of 40, although he had already exceeded that age.

Later life
Żurakowski retired from active test flying in November 1958 but continued with the Avro Aircraft company as an engineer in the Flight Test Office. On 20 February 1959, the infamous "Black Friday", Żurakowski, along with the approximately 15,000 employees of Avro and Orenda plants, learned that the Diefenbaker government had precipitously cancelled the Avro Arrow programme and its Orenda Iroquois engine. The five flying examples and the newly constructed RL-206 (slated for a run at world air speed and altitude records) along with all the assorted factory jigs and tools were broken up. Only the nose of Arrow 206 and sections of other Arrows remain. They are currently on display at the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa.

After deciding to leave the aviation world altogether, Żurakowski and his family moved to Barry's Bay, Ontario to build Kartuzy Lodge (located near Clayfarm Bay at Kartuzy Road and Arrow Drive). He and his family operated this small tourist lodge and resort for over 40 years. During this period, he resorted to his engineering background, "tinkering" with a number of sailboats, catamarans, and ice-boats of his own design and construction. Two of his hydrofoil boats are still used by Kartuzy Lodge renters.

Following a lingering battle with myelodysplasia, Żurakowski died at Kartuzy Lodge on 9 February 2004.

Honours
In recognition of his contributions to Canadian aviation, Żurakowski was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 1973. He was further honoured in 1996 by the Royal Canadian Mint's release of a commemorative coin, the Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck, which featured an insert of Janusz Żurakowski. In 1997, he was inducted into the Western Canada Aviation Museum "Pioneers of Canadian Aviation" annals. He was profiled the following year in the documentary film "Straight Arrow". On 23 July 1999, CFB Cold Lake (Alberta) Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment named its new facility, the "Żurakowski Building". And in September 2000, he became an honorary fellow of the Society of Experimental Test pilots, joining the ranks of Charles Lindbergh, Neil Armstrong, and Igor Sikorsky, among numerous other luminaries.

Żurakowski received the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in 1999.

His adopted hometown built Żurakowski Park in 2003, recognizing his contributions to the community and to the world. Two imposing statues of Janusz Żurakowski and his beloved Avro Arrow dominate the arrow-shaped Żurakowski Park (an elongated triangle evocative of the Avro Arrow's profile). It is located at the crossroads of two main streets in Barry's Bay, Ontario. A future museum and visitor's commemorative centre consisting of a gazebo and display area will be located at Żurakowski Park.

The former Gloster Aircraft company airfield site at Brockworth has become a residential area in Gloucester, UK and has a Zura Avenue.

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

 Hamilton-Paterson, James. Empire of the Clouds: When Britain's Aircraft Ruled the World. London: Faber & Faber, 2010. .
 Kusiba, Marek. Janusz Żurakowski: From Avro Arrow to Arrow Drive. Toronto: Address Press, 2003. .
 Rossiter, Sean. The Chosen Ones: Canada's Test Pilots in Action. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2002. .
 Sutherland, Alice Gibson. Canada's Aviation Pioneers: 50 Years of McKee Trophy Winners. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., 1978. .
 Waterton, Bill. The Quick and the Dead. London: Frederick Mueller, 1958.
 Wujastyk, Stanisław.  Czasy i Przyjaźnie. Lublin: Zaklad Literatury Wspólczesnej, 2010. .
 Ziółkowska-Boehm, Aleksandra. Amerykanie z wyboru. Warszawa: 1998. .
 Ziółkowska-Boehm, Aleksandra. The Roots Are Polish. Toronto: Canadian Polish Research Institute, 2004. .
 Zuk, Bill. The Avro Arrow Story: The Impossible Dream. Calgary: Altitude Publishing, 2006. .
 Zuk, Bill. The Avro Arrow Story: The Revolutionary Airplane and its Courageous Test Pilots. Calgary: Altitude Publishing, 2005. .
 Zuk, Bill. Janusz Zurakowski: Legends in the Sky. St. Catharine's, Ontario: Vanwell, 2004. .

External links
 Peter Wieslaw Grajda: Web site dedicated to Janusz Zurakowski & the Canadian aircraft Avro Arrow CF105
 Zurakowski Park, Barry's Bay official website
 "Zurabatics" a 1951 Flight advertisement for the Meteor

1914 births
2004 deaths
Aviation history of Canada
Aerobatic pilots
The Few
Polish aviators
Polish aviation record holders
Polish military personnel of World War II
Polish test pilots
Polish World War II pilots
Polish emigrants to Canada
Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
Recipients of the Virtuti Militari
Recipients of the Cross of Valour (Poland)
Royal Air Force officers
Royal Air Force pilots of World War II
Deaths from leukemia
Deaths from cancer in Ontario
People from Cherkasy Oblast
People from Renfrew County

Janusz Żurakowski


Alessio Tramello (1455–1535) was an Italian Renaissance architect who mostly designed churches and civic works.

He began his activity in Piacenza and his work uses forms of Gothic architecture. Two works from Piacenza stand out in design. The first, Santa Maria di Campagna was built (1522–1528), in an example of symmetric centrally-planned Renaissance architecture. He also directed design of the church of San Sisto (1499–1511).

External links
 Discover Italy
 Old Masters
 William Stout Architectural Books
  Opere di Alessio Tramello, architetto piacentino

1455 births
1535 deaths
16th-century Italian architects
Italian ecclesiastical architects

Alessio Tramello


The Billboard Hot 100 is a chart that ranks the best-performing singles of the United States. Its data, published by Billboard magazine and compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, is based collectively on each single's weekly physical and digital sales, as well as airplay and streaming. Throughout a year, Billboard will publish an annual list of the 100 most successful songs throughout that year on the Hot 100 chart based on the information. For 2013, the list was published on December 13, calculated with data from December 1, 2012, to November 30, 2013.

"Thrift Shop" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz topped the Year-End Hot 100 chart, with a total of 7,208,000 copies sold in the US. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's single "Can't Hold Us" featuring Ray Dalton also appeared in the list at number five, making the duo the fourth act to have two singles in the top five of the Year-End Hot 100 list. The second best-selling single of 2013 was "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell, having sold 6,380,000 copies in the country. Meanwhile, "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons and "Harlem Shake" by Baauer was listed on the list at number three and four, respectively.

List

See also
 2013 in American music
 List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 2013
 List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 2013

References

United States Hot 100 Year-End
Lists of Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles

Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2013


Jiří Hájek (; 6 June 1913 in Krhanice near Benešov – 22 October 1993 in Prague) was a Czech politician and diplomat. Together with Václav Havel, Zdeněk Mlynář, and Pavel Kohout, Hájek was one of the founding members and architects of Charter 77.

Early political career
Hájek studied and worked as a lawyer in the Charles University. From a young age he was a member of the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party. During World War II Hájek was imprisoned (1939–1945). After the war he became a member of parliament for the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party (1945–1948) and probably also a secret member of the Communist Party (code name E-22). During 1948 – 1969 he was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, during 1950 – 1953 he was the rector of the University of Economics.

Diplomacy
From 1955 Hájek worked in diplomacy: in 1955–1958 as an ambassador in Britain, in 1958–1962 as a deputy of the minister of foreign affairs, and in 1962–1965 he represented Czechoslovakia in United Nations. Between 1965 and 1968 he was the minister of education. From April to September 1968, he served as the minister of foreign affairs in Dubček's government. After the Soviet Union army took control over Czechoslovakia (21 August 1968) he protested against this in a speech at the United Nations (where he used the word occupation) – this caused his dismissal from high offices and even from the communist party (1970).

Charter 77
Until 1973 Hájek worked in the Historical Institute of Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.

Together with Václav Havel, Zdeněk Mlynář, and Pavel Kohout, Hájek was one of the founding members and architects of Charter 77.

Jiří Hájek emerged as one of three leading spokesmen of Charter 77, thus becoming the target of police interrogations and threats. He was a strong defender of this uncompromising document, which voiced the principles of universal human rights. In 1987, Hájek was awarded the first ever Professor Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize.

After the fall of socialism in Czechoslovakia (1989) Hájek served as an advisor of Alexander Dubček (1990–1992) but was unable to obtain significant political influence.

Death
He died of an unspecified cancer on 22 October 1993.

External links

 Biography at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (in Czech)
 Biography (in Czech)

References

1913 births
1993 deaths
People from Benešov District
People from the Kingdom of Bohemia
Czech Social Democratic Party politicians
National Labour Party (1938) politicians
Members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia
Foreign ministers of Czechoslovakia
Government ministers of Czechoslovakia
Members of the Interim National Assembly of Czechoslovakia
Members of the National Assembly of Czechoslovakia (1948–1954)
Permanent Representatives of Czechoslovakia to the United Nations
Ambassadors of Czechoslovakia to the United Kingdom
Czechoslovak diplomats
Charter 77 signatories
People of the Velvet Revolution
Charles University alumni

Jiří Hájek


Fred Horlacher (March 1910 – 17 March 1943) was an Irish footballer who played for Bohemians in the League of Ireland during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. As an international, Horlacher represented both Ireland teams. He played as a senior for the FAI XI and as an amateur for the IFA XI. Horlacher died from pneumonia at the age of 33.

Bohemians
Horlacher was born in Blackrock, Dublin to German immigrants. He made his debut for Bohemians against Fordsons in September 1928. During over a decade at Bohs, he made over 430 appearances, 193 in the league. He also scored 159 goals, including 85 in the league. His best season came in 1935–36 when he netted 28 times in all competitions, including 13 in the league, helping Bohs win the league title for the third time. Fred played his last game for Bohemians on 6 February 1943 in a FAI Cup tie against Shamrock Rovers.

He is currently joint third with Turlough O'Connor in Bohemians all-time FAI Cup goalscoring list with 14 strikes in that competition.

Irish international
When Horlacher played international football between 1930 and 1936, there were in effect, two Ireland teams, chosen by two rival associations. Both associations, the Northern Ireland – based IFA and the Irish Free State – based FAI claimed jurisdiction over the whole of Ireland and selected players from the whole island. As a result, several notable Irish players from this era, including Horlacher played for both teams.

FAI XI
Between 1930 and 1936 Horlacher made seven senior appearances and scored 2 goals for the FAI XI. He made his debut for the FAI XI on 11 May 1930 in a 3–1 away win against Belgium. His teammates on the day included, among others, Tom Farquharson, Mick O'Brien, Harry Duggan, Jimmy Dunne, fellow Bohs player Jack McCarthy and his future coach at Bohs, Bill Lacey. On 8 April 1934, Horlacher became the FAI XI's first ever substitute when in a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands he replaced another Bohs player Billy Jordan. The game ended in a 5–2 defeat. On 8 December 1935, in a friendly against Netherlands at Dalymount Park, together with Bill McGuire, Paddy Andrews and Plev Ellis he was one of four Bohemian players in the FAI XI. Ellis scored the FAI XI's opener before Horlacher then scored both of his international goals, giving them a 3–2 half-time lead. Despite this the FAI XI still lost 5–3. Horlacher and Ellis both retained their places for a 1–0 friendly win against Switzerland on 17 March 1936. Their combined efforts set up Jimmy Dunne for the winner. This proved to be Horlacher's last cap.

IFA XI
In 1930, together with fellow Bohs, Jimmy Bermingham and Alec Morton, Horlacher also played for an IFA Amateur XI in a 3–1 win against England Amateurs. The trio played against the wishes of the FAI and were subsequently suspended by the FAI for three months.

Other interests
Horlacher was also a noted Water Polo player and was a member of the successful Sandycove Water Polo team. A prolific sportsman he also was an accomplished tennis player at the Monkstown Lawn Tennis Club and was also a talented amateur golfer.

Honours

Bohemians
 League of Ireland: 1929–30, 1933–34, 1935–36
 FAI Cup: 1935
 League of Ireland Shield: 1929, 1934
 Dublin City Cup: 1936

References

External links

1910 births
1943 deaths
Sportspeople from Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown
Republic of Ireland men's association footballers
Men's association football forwards
Men's association football midfielders
Republic of Ireland men's international footballers
Northern Ireland men's amateur international footballers
League of Ireland players
League of Ireland XI players
Bohemian F.C. players
Association footballers from County Dublin
Irish people of German descent
Irish male water polo players
People educated at Wesley College, Dublin
Deaths from pneumonia in the Republic of Ireland

Fred Horlacher


The National Museum of Pakistan () is located in Karachi, Pakistan.

History
The National Museum of Pakistan was established in Frere Hall in 1951, replacing the defunct Victoria Museum. Frere Hall itself was built in 1865 as a tribute to Sir Bartle Frere, a commissioner of Sind during the 19th century. Once the museum was inaugurated the government of Pakistan deemed it wise to constitute an Advisory Council in 1950 with a primary duty to counsel the museum on the issues of enriching its collection through new acquisitions and purchase of antiquities and works of arts. The museum was shifted to the present premises, located in Burns Garden, in 1970.

Galleries

In 1970 there were only four galleries in the museum. Over time the museum grew, with the building currently housing a total of eleven galleries including a "Quran Gallery". The National Museum has more than 300 copies of the Quran, out of which around 52 rare manuscripts are on display. The museum also contains an important collection of items relating to Pakistan's cultural heritage. Some other galleries display Indus civilization artifacts, Gandhara civilization sculptures, Islamic art, miniature paintings, ancient coins and manuscripts documenting Pakistan's political history. There is also an Ethnological Gallery with life size statues of different ethnicities living in the four provinces of modern-day Pakistan.

The museum has a collection of seals and statues found at the Mohenjo-daro site. The statues include the so-called Priest-King, terracotta toys and many stamp seals. It also shows some ancient coins found in those Hijri and some belongings of the national heroes of Pakistan: Quaid-e-Azam's pen, cuffs, and sword; Allama Iqbal's personal chair and pen; and Liaqat Ali Khan's personal itar bottle, watch and walking stick. There are galleries that show the clothing Muslims used to make, pottery work done by people, glasses made by Muslims, and the apparatus that was used.

Collection
The museum has a collection of 58,000 old coins (some dating from 74 Al-Hijra), and hundreds of well-preserved sculptures. Some 70,000 publications, books and other reading material of the Archeology and Museums Department were also shifted to the National Museum so that general public could see them. Every year National Museum holds around a dozen exhibitions on National Days and other occasions.

Facilities
For the preservation of the collection, a conservation laboratory is also a part of the museum. There is an auditorium on the museum premises with a 250 seating capacity.

See also
 Brahma from Mirpur-Khas
List of museums in Pakistan

References

External links

National Museum of Karachi
The National Museum of Pakistan
Report of Daily Dawn on National Museum

1950 establishments in Pakistan
Pakistan
Museums in Karachi
Pakistan federal departments and agencies
Auditoriums in Pakistan
Museums in Pakistan

National Museum of Pakistan


Barn-owls (family Tytonidae) are one of the two families of owls, the other being the true owls or typical owls, Strigidae. They are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long, strong legs with powerful talons. They also differ from the Strigidae in structural details relating in particular to the sternum and feet.

Barn-owls are a wide-ranging family, although they are absent from northern North America, Saharan Africa, and large parts of Asia. They live in a wide range of habitats from deserts to forests, and from temperate latitudes to the tropics. Within these habitats, they live near agricultural areas with high amounts of human activity. The majority of the 20 living species of barn-owls are poorly known. Some, like the red owl, have barely been seen or studied since their discovery, in contrast to the common barn-owl, which is one of the best-known owl species in the world. However, some subspecies of the common barn-owl possibly deserve to be separate species, but are very poorly known.

Five species of barn-owl are threatened, and some island species went extinct during the Holocene or earlier (e.g., Tyto pollens, known from the fossil record of Andros Island in the Bahamas, and possibly the basis for the mythical chickcharney). Barn-owls are mostly nocturnal and generally non-migratory, living in pairs or singly.

Taxonomy and systematics
Barn-owls consist of two extant subfamilies: the Tytoninae or Tyto owls (including the common barn owl) and the Phodilinae or bay owls. The modern genera Tyto and Phodilus are thought to have originated from a common ancestor from the Oligocene period. It is believed the modern genus Tyto descended from large nocturnal birds in the West Indies during the Quaternary. The systematics of this group began with the discovery of Tyto ostologa (now extinct), whose remains were found in north-central Haiti. This discovery led to the finding of Tyto pollens, Tyto noeli, and Tyto riveroi in nearby cave deposits, all of which are now extinct and were also considered giant. The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy unites the Caprimulgiformes with the owl order; here, barn-owls are a subfamily, Tytoninae. This is unsupported by more recent research (see Cypselomorphae), but the relationships of the owls in general are still unresolved.

Extant genera
Two extant genera are recognized:
 Genus Tyto – true barn-owls, grass owls and masked owls (17 species)
 Genus Phodilus – bay owls (2 species)

Genus Tyto

Some of the Tyto species that exist include the common barn owl (Tyto alba), the American barn owl (Tyto furctata), the Australian barn owl (Tyto delicatula), and the Eastern Barn Owl (T. javanica). Within each of these species, there are many subspecies. Of the common barn owl there are 10 subspecies: T. alba affinis, T. alba alba, T. alba erlangeri, T. abla ernesti, T. alba gracilirostris, T. alba guttata, T. alba hypermetra, T. alba javanica, T. alba schmitzi, and T. alba stertens. Of the American barn owl, there are 5 subspecies: T. furcata attempta, T. furcata furcata, T. furcata hellmayri, T. furcata pratincola, and T. furcata tuidara. Of the Australian barn owl, there are 4 subspecies: T. delicatula delicatula, T. delicatula interposita, T. delicatula meeki, and T. delicatula sumbaensis.

The common barn owl (T. alba) can be found in Africa and parts of Asia, including Eurasia. The American barn owl (T. furcata) can be found from North to South America. Lastly, the Australian barn owl (T. delicatula) can be found in Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia, and Asia.

Genus Phodilus
This genus includes the Oriental bay owls (P. badius) and the Sri Lanka bay owls (P. assimilis). Bay owls have a much smaller distribution than genus Tyto, with Oriental bay owls (P. badius) found in tropical Asia and Sri Lanka bay owls (P. assimilis) found in Sri Lanka and southwestern India.

Extinct genera
The fossil record of barn-owls goes back to the Eocene, with the family eventually losing ground to the true owls after the radiation of rodents and owls during the Neogene epoch. Two subfamilies are known only from the fossil record: the Necrobyinae and the Selenornithinae. At least four extinct genera of barn-owls have been described:
 Genus Nocturnavis (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) – includes Bubo incertus
 Genus Necrobyas (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene – Late Miocene, France) – includes Bubo arvernensis and Paratyto
 Genus Selenornis (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Quercy, France) – includes Asio henrici
 Genus Prosybris (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Quercy(?) – Early Miocene of France and Austria)

Placement unresolved
 Tytonidae gen. et sp. indet. "TMT 164" (Middle Miocene of Grive-Saint-Alban, France) - Prosybris?
 Genus Palaeotyto (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) from Quercy, France. Placement in this family is tentative, it may instead belong to the family Sophiornithidae.
 Genus Palaeobyas (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) from Quercy, France. Placement in this family is tentative, it may instead belong to the family Sophiornithidae.

Former genera
The supposed "giant barn-owl" Basityto from the Early Eocene of Grafenmühle (Germany) was actually a crowned crane (Balearica); the presumed "Easter Island barn-owl", based on subfossil bones found on Rapa Nui, has turned out to be a procellarid; and the specimen originally described as the fossilized Pliocene Lechusa stirtoni was later determined to be recent remains of a modern-day American barn owl.

Description
The barn-owl's main characteristic is the heart-shaped facial disc, formed by stiff feathers which serve to amplify and locate the source of sounds when hunting. Further adaptations in the wing feathers eliminate sound caused by flying, aiding both the hearing of the owl listening for hidden prey and keeping the prey unaware of the owl. Barn-owls overall are darker on the back than the front, usually an orange-brown colour, the front being a paler version of the back or mottled, although considerable variation is seen even within species.

Bay owls closely resemble the Tyto owls, but have a divided facial disc, ear tufts, and tend to be smaller.

References

External links

Barn owls on the Internet Bird Collection

Owls

Extant Eocene first appearances
Taxa named by Robert Ridgway

Barn-owl


António Henrique Rodrigo de Oliveira Marques (23 August 1933 – 23 January 2007) was a Portuguese historian.

Life
Oliveira Marques was born in the 'freguesia' of S. João do Estoril, Cascais.

He studied history and philosophy and graduated in 1956 from the University of Lisbon with a thesis entitled A Sociedade em Portugal nos Séculos XII a XIV (Portuguese Society from 12th to 14th Centuries). After training in the University of Würzburg, in Germany, he would start teaching the following year at the University of Lisbon and received his doctorate in 1960. His PhD dissertation was entitled Hansa e Portugal na Idade Média (Hanseatic League and Portugal in the Middle Ages).

In 1962, his participation in student strikes against the right-wing regime of Oliveira Salazar resulted in his dismissal from the university as a scholar. He left for the United States where he taught history at a number of universities (Auburn, Florida, Columbia, Minnesota and Chicago) between 1965 and 1970.

Oliveira Marques returned to Portugal in 1970, but only resumed teaching at Portuguese universities in 1974, the year in which the Carnation Revolution ended almost five decades of the Estado Novo regime.

From October 1974 to April 1976, he was director of the National Library of Lisbon.

In 1998, he was granted the Grand Cross of the Order of Liberty, a state accolade which distinguishes figures who have made a contribution to the values of civilization.

Work
Considered one of Portugal's greatest experts on Portuguese Medieval history, he wrote more than 60 books and numerous articles. One of his most famous works, A History of Portugal, is translated into several languages.

Some of his works include:
 A Sociedade em Portugal nos Séculos XII a XIV
 Hansa e Portugal na Idade Média
 Introdução à História da Agricultura em Portugal
 A Sociedade Medieval Portuguesa: aspectos da vida quotidiana
 Guia do Estudante de História Medieval Portuguesa
 História de Portugal (A History of Portugal, has been translated to English, French, Japanese, Polish and Spanish.)
 Nova História de Portugal (coordinator, with Joel Serrão)
 Nova História da Expansão Portuguesa (coordinator, with Joel Serrão)
 História dos Portugueses no Extremo Oriente (coordinator)
 História da Maçonaria em Portugal

References
Joao Pedro Ferro, ed.,  A. H. de Oliveira Marques: o homem e o historiador (Lisbon, 1994)

1933 births
2007 deaths
20th-century Portuguese historians
Auburn University faculty
Columbia University faculty
Historians of Europe
People from Cascais
Portuguese anti-fascists
Portuguese medievalists
University of Chicago faculty
University of Florida faculty
University of Minnesota faculty

A. H. de Oliveira Marques


Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and aquarium in Clearwater, Florida. It is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of sick and injured marine animals, public education, conservation, and research.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium opened in 1972 at its current location on Clearwater Beach, in a former water treatment plant (the large pools being well-suited for rehabilitation operations).

Numerous forms of marine life are permanent residents at the aquarium, all of which have serious injuries that prevent their return to the wild.

The aquarium's best-known permanent resident was Winter, a bottlenose dolphin who was rescued in December 2005 after having her tail caught in a crab trap.  Her injuries caused the loss of her tail, and the aquarium fitted her with a prosthetic tail which brought worldwide attention to the facility. Winter later starred in the 2011 film, Dolphin Tale, and the sequel, Dolphin Tale 2, shot partially on location at the aquarium.

History
In 1972, a group of private volunteers decided it was time to establish a permanent marine biology learning center in the Clearwater area. They were incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under the name Clearwater Marine Science Center (CMSC). In 1978, the city of Clearwater agreed to donate the aquarium's current facility, an abandoned water treatment plant, to CMSC. With its huge holding pools and bayside location, the building was a perfect fit for a marine facility's needs. In 1979, marine biologist Dennis Kellenberger was hired as CMSC's Executive Director. Kellenberger's main duties were teaching summer camp classes for children and spearheading a massive remodeling effort of the facility.

Gradually, the cement and steel building was modified for aquarium purposes and in 1980 was granted a USDA Research Facility permit, allowing it to prepare two 65,000 gallon pools for the rehabilitation of dolphins and sea turtles. In 1981, the first exhibit room was opened to the public. The room featured old exhibits from the Sea-Orama, a mounted fish exhibit which was formerly on display at the Clearwater Marina. Over the next few years, thanks to individual and corporate donations and immense volunteer efforts, CMSC continued to grow. In 1984, CMSC rescued a stranded Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named "Sunset Sam." This was the first dolphin in Florida to survive a beaching. However, due to chronic liver problems, Sunset could not be released into the wild and became CMSC's first resident dolphin. Sunset Sam was taught how to paint as a form of animal enrichment, and the sales of his paintings were used to fund the CMSC's operations and stranding program.

In the 1990s, as renovations continued to provide more public area and education programs, the facility's name was changed to Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) to reflect the increasing level of community interaction. In 2005, CMA's most famous permanent resident, a bottlenose dolphin named Winter, was rescued by CMA after being discovered entangled in the ropes of a crab trap. The ropes cut off the blood supply to the dolphin's tail, and resulted in its loss. To give Winter the ability to swim normally, CMA worked with a team of experts to create a prosthetic silicone and plastic tail for her. Winter's story brought international recognition to CMA and inspired two major films, Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2, each of which was partially filmed at the aquarium.

Animals
Clearwater Marine Aquarium currently is home to North American river otters, Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Rough-toothed dolphins, green sea turtles, Kemp's ridley sea turtles, cownose rays, southern stingrays, nurse sharks, great white pelicans, and other fish, including gag, hogfish, and red drum. Each permanent resident was deemed non-releasable by National Marine Fisheries and unable to return to the wild due to injuries or other impairments. Once deemed non-releasable, National Marine Fisheries then selected CMA as the best location for their permanent home due to the staff and facilities CMA is able to provide.

Dolphins (bottlenose dolphins and rough toothed dolphins)

Winter

Winter, the most famous aquarium resident, was a female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin who was rescued in 2005 by Clearwater Marine Aquarium team members and other partners from the Southeast Standing Network after being found caught in a crab trap. She lost her tail due to her injuries. Winter developed a way to swim without a tail in an unnatural side to side motion, but because this was damaging her spinal cord, a prosthetic tail was made especially for her by Kevin Carroll and a team of experts from Hanger, Inc. Winter starred in the 2011 movie Dolphin Tale and the 2014 sequel Dolphin Tale 2, which was inspired by her story and the sequel inspired on Hope's story. She resided in the Ruth & J.O Stone Dolphin Complex with other bottlenose dolphins Hope, PJ, Nicholas and Hemingway. On November 11, 2021, Winter died at the age of 16.

Hope

Hope is a resident dolphin at CMA. In December 2010, she was discovered in the shallows of Indian River Lagoon as an orphaned 2-month-old calf, still attempting to nurse from her mother, who had died after becoming beached. It was ultimately determined that Hope did not make a good candidate for release because she was very young and had not learned the necessary survival skills to be out in the wild. Hope currently resides in the same area as Winter, and co-starred in Dolphin Tale 2, a sequel to the original movie which dramatized her rescue.

Nicholas
Nicholas is an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. For many years, he was the only male dolphin currently residing at CMA. On December 24, 2002, he was rescued with his mother as a 6-month-old calf after both became stranded near Gibsonton, Florida. The mother dolphin died three days later due to respiratory illness. Nicholas remained in critical condition, suffering both from malnourishment and severe sunburns which covered over thirty percent of his body. CMA provided 24-hour care for Nicholas for several months, bottlefeeding him and providing wound care. Nicholas was eventually weaned by the animal care staff at CMA, and his wounds completely healed.

Like Hope, it was determined that Nicholas did not make a suitable candidate for release because of his dependent status at the time of his stranding and rehabilitation. He lacks the necessary survival skills, which he could only learn from his mother, to survive in the wild. Nicholas lives in the Ruth & J.O. Stone Dolphin Complex with other bottlenose dolphins Hemingway, Winter (deceased), Hope, and PJ. Nicholas featured briefly in the movie Dolphin Tale, playing a female dolphin alongside Panama named Christa. He appears in Dolphin Tale 2, portraying Mandy. He is known for his ability to select the winners of sports match-ups which is part of his enrichment.

PJ
PJ (short for Panama Junior, because she has the same hearing problem as former resident Panama) was a female Atlantic bottlenose dolphin who was rescued in August 2018. At approximately 51 years old, she was the oldest of the rescued dolphins at CMA. PJ was found in shallow water in Old Tampa Bay. Although she recovered well, she was deemed unreleasable due to numerous medical issues, including hearing and vision loss, worn teeth, and arthritis. She lived together with Hope. In October 2022 PJ died of natural causes at the age of 51.

Hemingway
Hemingway was a male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin who was found stranded at Fiesta Key, Florida in 2019. After receiving treatment at SeaWorld, he was transferred to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Hemingway, who was estimated to be 26 years old, became a permanent resident at CMA due to health issues and hearing loss. He died in 2023.

Apollo
Apollo is a male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin who was found stranded at Playalinda, Florida in May 2021. He was transported to SeaWorld for rehabilitation because he was thin and had parasites on his dorsal fin, pectoral fins, and fluke at the time of his rescue. During a hearing test administered by the National Marine Mammal Foundation, it was discovered that Apollo suffered from hearing loss. In December 2021, he was transferred to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and became a permanent resident there. At approximately 2 years old, he is currently the youngest of the rescued dolphins at CMA.

Rex and Rudolph
Rex and Rudolph were the aquarium's first rough-toothed dolphins. Rudolph is a juvenile male who stranded off Sanibel Island in late 2019. He became a permanent resident because he did not have the hearing range required for echolocation. Rex was discovered on St. George Island in April 2019; he was about 5 to 7 years old. Because of significant hearing loss, Rex became a permanent resident at the aquarium. Rex died in 2023.

Izzy
Izzy is Clearwater Marine Aquariums' newest dolphin resident as of November 2022. Estimated to be 5 years old, she was rescued in June 2022 in Texas, after several years of illegal human interactions, which caused her health to decline, and needing to be taken out of the wild. On November 4th, 2022, she arrived at Clearwater Marine Aquarium and started to settle in.

Sharks
The aquarium is home to one fully-grown nurse shark, Thelma. A private collector illegally took the shark out of the wild as a young pup. When Thelma outgrew her tank, the collector could no longer care for her and donated Thelma to CMA. At the aquarium, she shares an exhibit with hogfish, red drum, gag grouper, mangrove snapper, black sea bass, common snook, pinfish, red grouper, lookdown, and white grunt.

Sea turtles
Clearwater Marine Aquarium currently has one loggerhead, seven green sea turtles, and three Kemp's ridley sea turtles.  Many of them were rescued by CMA after being hit by boats, entangled in fishing line, or sustaining other permanent injuries that prevent their return to the wild. They permanently reside in the "Turtle Cove", "Turtle Bayou", and "Mavis's Hideaway" exhibits.

North American river otters
The aquarium currently has two North American river otters.  Walle was rescued from the wild as an orphaned pup by a private individual, and was transferred to CMA after becoming too dependent on humans.  He currently resides in the Otter Oasis exhibit at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Walle has a new friend Boomer who has come to the Aquarium to be his best friend and keep him company.

Pelicans
Four great white pelicans, currently reside at the aquarium Ricky, Tyndall, Skylar and Matthew. They are the only aquarium residents that are not native to Florida. Ricky was trained by a film company to play the role of "Rufus" for the films Dolphin Tale and Dolphin Tale 2.

Rays
Twelve cownose rays and two southern stingrays currently reside in the Stingray Beach and Touch Tank exhibits, where they can be touched and fed by aquarium visitors.

Expansion
Clearwater Marine Aquarium's expansion allows for the rescue and rehabilitation of more marine life, creates an enhanced living habitat for the resident non-releasable animals, and provide more space for guests. The expansion triples rescued dolphin habitat space consisting of 5 connecting pools, with approximately  of water, nearly triple the previous amount. This enhanced, more natural habitat is home to non-releasable dolphins Winter, Hope, PJ, Nicholas, and Hemingway. New expanded education areas with total new guest space of 103,000 sq feet, including a new cafe and retail area. CMA is currently researching the ways in which it can utilize the adjacent waterway for rescue and rehabilitation work. There is a new parking garage consisting of 400 parking spots. The new expansions were opened in October 2020. There is another expansion coming to Clearwater Marine Aquarium soon which is a manatee rehab site, this change is supposed to happen in the next 3 years.

References
Notes

Sources
"Sea turtle restored to health at Clearwater aquarium released back in Gulf"
"Clearwater Marine Aquarium gets $50M project under way"
"City leaders host groundbreaking expansion for Clearwater Marine Aquarium"
Aquarium 2012 Annual Report

External links

External links

Aquaria in Florida
Buildings and structures in Clearwater, Florida
Dolphinariums
Marine conservation organizations
Non-profit organizations based in Florida
Educational institutions established in 1972
Environmental organizations established in 1972
Zoos established in 1972
1972 establishments in Florida
Tourist attractions in Pinellas County, Florida

Clearwater Marine Aquarium


Area codes 514, 438, and 263 are telephone area codes of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for Montreal and most of its on-island suburbs, specifically the Island of Montreal and Île Perrot in the Canadian province of Quebec.

Area code 514 was one of the original North American area codes assigned by AT&T in 1947. The original numbering plan area (NPA) was split twice: in 1957 to create area code 819 and in 1998 to create area code 450. In 2006, the entire remaining 514 area was assigned a second area code, 438, in an overlay plan that made ten-digit dialing mandatory in the Montreal area. Area code 263 was added to the overlay in October 2022.

The incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) in the service area is Bell Canada. The major competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) are Vidéotron, Telus, and Rogers.

History

When Montreal's local calls were handled manually by operators, the caller requested the destination by name, before the first (four-digit) local telephone numbers were assigned in July 1881. In 1898, exchange names Main, Westmount, Uptown, and East, were added before the number. The initial rotary dial exchange, Lancaster, was deployed on April 25, 1925. Subscribers dialled two letters of an exchange name and four digits (2L+4N) and so "Lancaster 1234" was dialled as LA-1234 (52-1234).

The initial area codes were created in 1947 as routing codes for operator-assisted calls. Quebec and Ontario were the only provinces that received multiple area codes. Quebec was split between area codes 514 and 418. Area code 514 was originally assigned to the entire western half of Quebec from the Canada–US border to the Hudson Strait. The area nominally included several remote areas in the far northern portion of the province that at the time did not have telephone service. When the Bell System implemented direct distance dialing (DDD) for content-wide service using a seven-digit local telephone number, prefixed by a three-digit area code, Montreal and Toronto, the largest Canadian cities, still used six-digit (2L-4N) numbering plans. Between 1951 and 1958, telephone numbers were lengthened by adding one digit (2L-5N) to be compatible. Numbering plan area code 514 was split in 1957 to create area code 819 for most of western Quebec, from Estrie (Sherbrooke) to the Ontario border, with the unserved far northern portion nominally added to 418 (and later moved to 819). Area code 514 was reduced to the region surrounding Montreal.

That configuration remained unchanged for 41 years. In 1998, the off-island suburbs (Laval, Montérégie, etc.) received area code 450, which now completely surrounds 514. That left 514 as the Island of Montreal and a few surrounding smaller islands, which makes it one of the six pairs of doughnut area codes in the numbering plan and one of two in Canada, the other being Toronto's area code 416.

The 1998 split was intended as a long-term solution to a shortage of available numbers in Canada's second-largest toll-free calling zone. However, within less than a decade, 514 was close to exhaustion because of the proliferation of computer, pager, and cell phone technologies. The problem was exacerbated by Canada's inefficient system of number allocation. Unlike the United States, Canada does not use number pooling as a relief measure. Every competing carrier is assigned blocks of 10,000 telephone numbers, which correspond to a single central office prefix, in every rate centre in which it plans to offer service. Once a telephone number is allocated to a carrier and rate centre, it cannot be reused elsewhere, even when a rate centre has more than enough numbers to serve it. That resulted in thousands of wasted telephone numbers. Many larger cities have multiple rate centres, which have never been amalgamated. Montreal is an exception since it is Canada's second-largest rate centre.

The number allocation problem was not as severe in Montreal as in other areas of Canada since numbers tend to be used up fairly quickly. However, numbers from the suburban areas to Montreal could not be reassigned, and it became apparent that the area needed another area code. On November 4, 2006, numbering plan area 514 was overlaid with area code 438, which required ten-digit dialing for all subscribers in the Montreal area, even for local calls. By then, overlays had become the preferred relief measure in Canada, as they affect existing subscribers the least and provide a workaround for the number allocation problem. No area codes have been split in Canada since 1999.

The number allocation problem is still unaddressed, but under current projections, Montreal will not need another area code until 2023. Despite Montreal's continued growth, 514/438 is nowhere near exhaustion.

Area code 438 was considered for overlaying 450 as well, but a later decision determined instead that 579 would be the overlay code.

In February 2017, area code 263 was reserved as the third area code in the region, and was placed in service on October 22, 2022.

Service area
 Côte Saint-Luc, Hampstead, L'Île-Dorval, Montreal, Montréal-Est, Montreal West, Mount Royal, Westmount — most of (514)/(438) except as listed below
 Dollard-des-Ormeaux — (514) 309, 421, 472, 491, 533, 542, 545, 613, 615, 676, 683, 684, 685, 752, 763, 822 (438) 894
 Dorval — (514) 300, 307, 403, 420, 422, 469, 471, 492, 532, 538, 552, 556, 600, 631, 633, 634, 636, 637, 639, 780, 828, (438) 264, 600, 819, 891
 L'Île-Perrot, Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot, Pincourt, Terrasse-Vaudreuil — (514) 320, 425, 446, 453, 477, 478, 536, 539, 612, 646, 901, 902, (438) 257, 638, 700, 890
 Baie-d'Urfé, Beaconsfield, Kirkland, Pointe-Claire, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Senneville — (514) 319, 426, 427, 428, 457, 459, 500, 505, 534, 541, 558, 630, 671, 674, 693, 694, 695, 697, 782, 783, 900, (438) 265, 500, 538, 893

A few western Montreal neighbourhoods were never combined into the main Montreal rate centre and therefore have a reduced subset of the Montreal local calling area.

 Île Bizard, Pierrefonds, Roxboro, Sainte-Geneviève — (514) 305, 308, 479, 535, 547, 551, 565, 620, 624, 626, 675, 696, 700, 784, 785, (438) 818, 895
 Lachine — see Dorval

References

External links
CNA exchange list for area +1-438
CNA exchange list for area +1-514
Official planning letter on NANPA's website.
Area Code Map of Canada

514
Communications in Quebec
Montreal
1947 establishments in Quebec

Area codes 514, 438, and 263


Phenylephrine is a medication used as a decongestant for uncomplicated nasal congestion, used to dilate the pupil, used to increase blood pressure (given intravenously in cases of low blood pressure), and used to relieve hemorrhoids. It can be taken by mouth, given by injection into a vein or muscle, or applied to the skin.

Common side effects when taken by mouth or injected include nausea, vomiting, headache, and anxiety. Use on hemorrhoids is generally well tolerated. Severe side effects may include a slow heart rate, intestinal ischemia, chest pain, kidney failure, and tissue death at the site of injection. It is unclear whether its use during pregnancy and breastfeeding is safe. Phenylephrine is a selective α1-adrenergic receptor agonist with minimal to no β-adrenergic receptor agonist activity. It causes constriction of both arteries and veins.

Phenylephrine was patented in 1927 and came into medical use in 1938. It is available as a generic medication. Unlike pseudoephedrine, abuse of phenylephrine is very uncommon. Its effectiveness as a nasal decongestant has been questioned. In 2023, a Food and Drug Administration panel concluded that the drug was ineffective as a nasal decongestant when taken orally.

Medical uses

Decongestant
Phenylephrine is used as an alternative to pseudoephedrine as a decongestant, whose availability has been restricted due to a potential for use in the illicit synthesis of methamphetamine. Its efficacy as an oral decongestant has been questioned, with several independent studies finding that it provided no more relief to sinus congestion than a placebo.

A 2007 meta-analysis concluded that the evidence for its effectiveness is insufficient, though another meta-analysis published shortly thereafter by researchers from GlaxoSmithKline found the standard 10-mg dose to be more effective than a placebo; however, the fact that GSK markets many products containing phenylephrine has raised some speculation regarding selective publishing and other controversial techniques. A 2007 study by Wyeth Consumer Healthcare notes that 7 studies available in 1976 support the efficacy of phenylephrine at a 10 mg dosage. The Food and Drug Administration withdrew the indication "for the temporary relief of nasal congestion associated with sinusitis" in 2007.

Two studies published in 2009, examined the effects of phenylephrine on symptoms of allergic rhinitis by exposing people to pollen in a controlled, indoor environment. Neither study was able to distinguish between the effects of phenylephrine or a placebo. Pseudoephedrine and loratadine–montelukast therapy were found to be significantly more effective than both phenylephrine and placebo.

Pseudoephedrine was previously much more commonly available in the United States, however, provisions of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 placed restrictions on the sale of pseudoephedrine products to prevent the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine. Since 2004, phenylephrine has been increasingly marketed as a substitute for pseudoephedrine; some manufacturers have changed the active ingredients of products to avoid the restrictions on sales. Phenylephrine has been off-patent for some time, and many generic brands are available.

In September 2023, an independent advisory committee to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) unanimously agreed that there is insufficient evidence showing that "orally administered phenylephrine is effective as a nasal decongestant". The committee also unanimously believes that this does not need further study. The FDA responded to the committee, stating it would take its advice under advisement.

Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are caused by swollen veins in the rectal area. Phenylephrine can be used topically to prevent symptoms of hemorrhoids. Phenylephrine causes the constriction of vascular smooth muscle and is often used in the treatment of hemorrhoids presumably to narrow the swollen veins and relieve the attendant pain. However, veins—unlike arteries—contain less vascular smooth muscle in their walls so the mechanism by which pain relief is achieved is likely related to something other than vascular change alone. Products for treatment may also include substances that will form a protective barrier over the inflamed area, resulting in less pain when feces are passed.

Pupil dilation

Phenylephrine is used as an eye drop to dilate the pupil to facilitate visualization of the retina. It is often used in combination with tropicamide as a synergist when tropicamide alone is not sufficient. Narrow-angle glaucoma is a contraindication to phenylephrine use. As a mydriatic, it is available in 2.5% and 10% minims. Phenylephrine eye drops are applied to the eye after a topical anesthetic is applied.

Intraocular bleeding
Phenylephrine has been used as an intracameral injection into the anterior chamber of the eye to arrest intraocular bleeding occurring during cataract and glaucoma surgery.

Vasopressor
Phenylephrine is commonly used as a vasopressor to increase the blood pressure in unstable patients with hypotension, especially resulting from septic shock. Such use is common in anesthesia or critical-care practices; it is especially useful in counteracting the hypotensive effect of epidural and spinal anesthesia, as well as the vasodilating effect of bacterial toxins and the inflammatory response in sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome. The elimination half life of phenylephrine is about 2.5 to 3.0 hours.

Because of its vasoconstrictive effect, phenylephrine can cause severe necrosis if it infiltrates the surrounding tissues. Because of this, it should be given through a central line if at all possible. Damage may be prevented or mitigated by infiltrating the tissue with the alpha blocker phentolamine by subcutaneous injection.

Phenylephrine hydrochloride at 0.25% is used as a vasoconstrictor in some suppository formulations.

Priapism
Phenylephrine is used to treat priapism. It is diluted with normal saline and injected directly into the corpora cavernosa. The mechanism of action is to cause constriction of the blood vessels entering into the penis, thus causing decreased blood flow and relieving the priapism.

Side effects
Phenylephrine may cause side effects such as headache, reflex bradycardia, excitability, restlessness and cardiac arrhythmias. Phenylephrine is not suggested for use in people with hypertension.

Heart
The primary side effect of phenylephrine is high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are typically advised to avoid products containing it. Because this medication is a sympathomimetic amine without β-adrenergic receptor agonist activity, it does not increase contractility force and output of the cardiac muscle. It may increase blood pressure resulting in a slow heart rate through stimulation of vascular (likely carotid) baroreceptors. A common side effect during IV administration is reflex bradycardia. The low concentration eye drops do not cause blood pressure changes and the changes with the higher dose drops do not last long.

Other
Prostatic hyperplasia can also be worsened by use, and chronic use can lead to rebound hyperemia. People with a history of anxiety or panic disorders, or on anticonvulsant medication for epilepsy should not take this substance. The drug interaction might produce seizures. Some patients have been shown to have an upset stomach, severe abdominal cramping, and vomiting issues connected to taking this drug.

Phenylephrine is pregnancy category C. Due to the lack of studies done in animals and in humans, it is not known whether there is harm to the fetus. Phenylephrine should only be given to pregnant women who have a clear need.

Extended use may cause rhinitis medicamentosa, a condition of rebound nasal congestion.

Interactions
The increase in blood pressure effect of phenylephrine may be increased by drugs such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, and hydrocortisone. Patients taking these medications may need a lower dose of phenylephrine to achieve a similar increase in blood pressure.

Drugs that may decrease the effects of phenylephrine may include calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors and benzodiazepines. Patients taking these medications may need a higher dose of phenylephrine to achieve a comparable increase in blood pressure.

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics
Phenylephrine is a sympathomimetic drug, which means that it mimics the actions of epinephrine (commonly known as adrenaline) or norepinephrine. Phenylephrine selectively binds to α1-adrenergic receptors which causes venous and arterial vasoconstriction.

Whereas pseudoephedrine causes both vasoconstriction and increase of mucociliary clearance through its non-specific adrenergic activity, phenylephrine's selective α1-adrenergic receptor agonism causes vasoconstriction alone, creating a difference in their methods of action.

Pharmacokinetics
Oral phenylephrine is extensively metabolized by monoamine oxidase, an enzyme that is present on the mitochondrial membrane of cells throughout the body. Compared to intravenous pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine has a reduced and variable bioavailability; only up to 38%.

References

Alpha-1 adrenergic receptor agonists
Amines
Cardiac stimulants
Phenylethanolamines
Phenols
Rhinology
Topical decongestants
Vasoconstrictors
Wikipedia medicine articles ready to translate

Phenylephrine


The original Brady Hotel, a three-story wood-frame building, was built in 1903 at Archer and North Main in Tulsa, Oklahoma by W. Tate Brady. It was the first hotel in Tulsa with baths, conveniently located to the Frisco railroad depot, and very popular among the oil men attracted by the new oil discoveries at Glen Pool. This was also the meeting place where Charles N. Haskell announced his candidacy to become the first  governor of the new state of Oklahoma. It also served as a meeting place for Democrats, who laid the groundwork to control the Constitutional Convention and maintain segregation.

The main competition for the Brady Hotel before statehood was the Robinson Hotel, located a short distance south on Main Street. According to a later article in the Tulsa World, the two were rivals, calling themselves, "The best hotel in Indian Territory." When the Robinson added a fourth floor, the Brady added a third floor plus an elevator. When the Robinson added a fifth floor, the Brady added not only a fourth floor, and an eight-story annex.

Fire
By 1910, Brady had added a high-rise annex, connected to the original hotel by a wooden passageway. The annex, advertised as fireproof, was constructed of steel and concrete. Unfortunately, a fire that broke out in the original building on January 23, 1935, also burned through the passageway and ignited the furnishings of the annex, which were not fireproof.

Demolition
After the fire had been extinguished, nothing was left except the gutted annex. No attempt was made to rebuild the hotel. By that time, its location was no longer advantageous. The center of Tulsa's business district had already moved farther south, away from Union Depot, and businessmen increasingly traveled more by air than by railroad. Other hotels (e.g., Mayo, Adams, Tulsa) had been built that catered to the needs of these travelers  and were more conveniently located. According to the Tulsa World, Goodwill Industries bought the Brady building in 1943 and used it for some operations for 30 years. The derelict structure remained until it was demolished in 1975 as part of the Tulsa Urban Renewal project. It had stood more years (40) as a wreck than it had as a useful building.

References

Hotel buildings completed in 1903
Buildings and structures in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Buildings and structures demolished in 1975
Defunct hotels in the United States
Hotel fires in the United States
Burned hotels in the United States
Demolished buildings and structures in Oklahoma

Brady Hotel (Tulsa)


The Gaspar Strait () is a strait separating the Indonesian islands Belitung () and Bangka. It connects the Java Sea with the South China Sea.

Etymology
The strait is named after a Spanish captain, who passed through it in 1724 en route from Manila to Spain.

Geography
The strait lies off the east coast of Sumatra, and is formed between the large islands Bangka and Belitung. Pulau Lait, or Middle Island, separates the strait into two principal branches.

The western branch, between PulU Lait and the southeastern part of Bangka, is often called Macclesfield Strait. The eastern branch, between Middle Island, and Long Island, near Belitung, is generally called Clements' Strait, after Captain Clements, who commanded the fleet from China that went through it in July 1781.

Gaspar Island, or Pulau Gelasa, , lies approximately 24 miles north of Middle Island  and approximately 18 miles from Tanjung Berikat . The largest islands in the strait are Lepar, Pongok and Mendanau.

History
Prior to the Spanish captain's passage through the strait in 1724, Captain Hurle, returning from China in the British East India Company ship , had passed through, in March 1701.

Over time, the strait came to be part of the main shipping route between Singapore and the Sunda Strait (which separates Sumatra from Java, and is an entrance to the Indian Ocean). The waters in and around the strait had many navigational hazards, and the strait itself, although frequently used, was considered to be especially perilous. According to the Great Britain Hydrographic Department's The China Sea Directory, vol. 1 (1878):

On 6 February 1822, the Tek Sing, a large three-masted Chinese ocean-going junk, sank in an area of the South China Sea known as the Belvidere Shoals, near the northern entrance to the strait.

In 1854, the British Admiralty first issued an Admiralty chart of the strait. It was based on surveys conducted by the United States Navy. The chart was continually updated, most notably following surveys conducted by W. Stanton, a Royal Navy a sailing master, in 1861, and with the assistance of Dutch charts, prepared by the then colonial ruler of the then Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia).

Wreck discovery
In 1998, fishermen discovered a block of coral encrusted with pieces of ceramic, at the depth of about 16 meters.  From a large jar they removed several bowls intact.  These divers by chance had just made  the greatest underwater archeological discovery ever made in Southeast Asia: a 9th-century Arab dhow, loaded with over 60,000 gold and silver objects, and manufactured ceramics under the Tang dynasty.  The boat and its cargo, dubbed Belitung shipwreck, testified that Tang China was producing mass-produced commercial items that it exported by sea. Arab sailors were clearly traveling along the maritime silk route, trading at a great scale and over long distances.  The port of departure and the destination of the dhow are unknown.  Most scholars believe dhow was heading to the Middle East, probably from Guangzhou (Canton), the largest port on the Silk Road.  Many Arabs and Persians lived in Guangzhou in the 9th century.  Among the tens of thousands of bowls found in the wreck, one bore this inscription: The sixteenth day of the seventh month of the second year of the reign of Baoli,  or 826 apr.  The mass-produced nature of the cargo and the geographical diversity of its production suggest that it was an export item made to order.

Notes

Straits of Indonesia
Landforms of the Bangka Belitung Islands
Java Sea
Straits of the South China Sea
Straits of the Indian Ocean

Gaspar Strait