TestDaF

The TestDaF, formally Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache ("Test of German as a foreign language"), is a standardised language test of German proficiency for non-native German speakers. It aims at people who would like to study at, or academics and scientists who want to work in, German universities. The test is run by the TestDaF-Institut.
The test can be taken in 95 different countries around the world. The test covers listening comprehension, reading comprehension, writing and speaking, and is recognised by German universities as proof of prospective students' ability.
The grades of candidates are marked in terms of three levels, TDN 3 — 5, which correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages levels B2–C1.
The certificate is valid for an unlimited period of time.
History.
A standardised language examination for foreign students enrolling in German universities was first proposed in 1996 during the Conference of the Cultural Minister ("Kultusministerkonferenz").
In early 1998, the financial support from Foreign Office (Auswärtigen Amt) and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) became available and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) was commissioned to hold a bidding for the project to develop a central language examination. In the same year, the contract was awarded to a consortium composed of the University of Hagen, the Department of Linguistic Research of Ruhr-University Bochum, Goethe-Institut and the Carl Duisberg Centre in Cologne.
The project began on 1 August 1998. Before 31 July 2000 three modal tests had been drafted and were tested worldwide. The performance description, marking criteria and evaluation procedures were worked out and an item bank for prototype, a database of participants and a test database were all set up.
On 26 April 2001, the TestDaF was taken for the first time.
Supporting organisations.
The tasks of the TestDaF have been developed by the TestDaF-Institut, which is an institution run by the Society for Academic Study Preparation and Test Development ("Gesellschaft für Akademische Studienvorbereitung und Testentwicklung e.V."). It is also supported by, among others, the German Rectors’ Conference ("Hochschulrektorenkonferenz"), German Academic Exchange Service and the Goethe-Institut.
Target group.
The primary target group of the TestDaf examination is the student applicants who have obtained their qualification in foreign countries but want to continue their study in Germany. In accordance to the Law of Higher Education ("Landeshochschulgesetz"), they need a proof of their proficiency in German in order to fulfil the language requirement, and thus TestDaF would be a useful.
There are also other target groups who would be interested to take the exam:
As TestDaf does not offer examinations in different levels, the question paper for all candidates are the same. Therefore, TestDaF is only suitable for advanced learners but not beginners.
Examination.
All the topics and tasks in the test are set within the general context of higher education. They are intended for candidates of all disciplines and academic backgrounds.
The examination consists of 4 parts:
The examination as a whole lasts for 3 hours 10 minutes, not including the breaks. The first three parts of the exam are tested in a classroom context, while the oral examination is done by speaking to a computer.
Grading.
The result of TestDaf is not marked as simply "pass" or "fail". Since the question papers are the same for candidates, and the test needs to separate the examinees into different levels, the results of the examinees are given in three different levels:
If the candidate does not reach the lowest level, "unter TDN 3" (lower than TDN 3) is printed on the certificate.
The test consists of four parts. Each part is separately graded and the sub-grades are also shown on the certificate. Some universities demand their applicants to get a certain grade in all parts of the exam (the grade is depended on the applied programme and subject), but some count the marks just in total. When a candidate fails to reach the required grade, they can re-take the exam.
The exam is marked centrally by well-trained markers.
The three TestDaF levels are designed in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) as well as the performance descriptions set by the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE). TDN 3 and the lower half of TDN 4 correspond to the B2 level in CEFR, and the upper half of TDN 4 and TDN 5 correspond to the C1 level.
Certificate.
Within six weeks the candidates receive a certificate issued by the Test Centre. The certificate shows the grades of all parts of the examination and the detailed description of the reached level can be read at the back side of the certificate. If the candidate has not reached the lowest level, i.e. TDN 3, then "unter TDN 3" (lower than TDN 3) would be shown on the certificate. The certificate is valid for an unlimited period of time.
University enrollment.
In general students must get TDN 4 in all parts of the examinations in order to be admitted into universities in Germany. But since every university in Germany has its own admissions policy, it is at the discretion of individual universities to admit applicants whose scores are below TDN 4 to their courses of study, depending on factors such as the course subject, type of degree awarded and course duration.
If the candidate gets a score of TDN 5, it shows that they have a very good knowledge of German, above that required at the beginning of their studies.
Test centres.
There are approximately 450 test centres in 95 countries worldwide, offering the TestDaf exams six times a year. the officially approved test centres, which are managed by TestDaF-Institut, are usually located at German and foreign universities and other higher education institutes, DAAD editorial offices, Goethe-Institut, as well as the Adult high schools ("Volkshochschule") and language schools in Germany. The test centres are responsible for:
Preparation for TestDaF.
There are many preparation courses for TestDaF in Germany as well as foreign countries. These courses are offered by official test centres as well as other language schools. Relevant information can be obtained at the official website of TestDaf.
At the website of TestDaF, tips for the examination are available and sample papers can also be downloaded.
Sometimes, new tests of TestDaF need to be tested, and if possible, there are chances that one can register to do the new test under test in order to be familiar with the test format.
Before registering for the exam, it is also possible to do a placement test at the website of TestDaF, so as to check the level of one's language and decide if it is suitable to register for the examination at that time.
The TestDaF-Institut, however, does not release the test to the public, making it very hard to study alone, and most of the time, acquire a preparation course which could get expensive, considering the already high price of the test.
Advantages and disadvantages of TestDaF.
TestDaF-Institut claims that there are many advantages for the candidate to decide to sit for the TestDaF:
However, there is also disadvantage of taking the TestDaF, especially when compared with the Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (DSH), where one could also fulfil the language requirement for entering German universities by getting a pass.
Examination fee.
The fee of the examination varies according to the level of development of the country.
Statistics.
The number of TestDaF candidates has increased from 7,498 candidates in 2003 took to 24,261 in 2012. In 2003 there were only 211 test centres but this number had increased to 440 by 2012.


X-ray interferometer

An X-ray interferometer is analogous to a neutron interferometer. It has been suggested that it may offer the very highest spatial resolution in astronomy, though the technology is unproven as of 2008.
One technique is triple Laue interferometry (LLL interferometry).


Latvian units of measurement

A number of units of measurements were used in Latvia to measure length, mass, area, and so on. Russian and local measures were used since 1845, and the former system before those, was that of the Netherlands.
System before metric system.
A number of units were used in Russian and local systems.
Length.
Units included:
1 elle = 0.537 m
1 quartier = elle
1 meile = 7 verste (Russian) = 7.468 km.
Mass.
One pfund was equal to 0.419 kg.
Area.
One kapp was equal to 148.64 2. Some other units included:
1 pourvete = 25 kapp
1 loofstelle = 25 kapp
1 tonnstelle = 35 kapp.
Volume.
One faden was equal to 4.077 m3.
Capacity.
One stoof was equal to 1.2752 l. Some other units included:
1 kanne = 2 stoof
1 kulmet = 9 stoof
1 anker = 30 stoof
1 poure = 54 stoof
1 loof = 54 stoof
1 tonne = 108 stoof.


Giovanni Francesco Zarbula

Giovanni Francesco Zarbula was a mural painter and sundial designer from Piedmont Italy who created a hundred or more vertical and vertical declining sundials in the French and Italian Alpes between 1830 and 1881. He worked exclusively in Savoy, in Piémont, the Valley of the Ubaye, le Queyras and around Briançon.
Laying out the dial.
Zarbula's method was one of observation then geometric construction. He did not need to know the latitude or declination of the wall, he did not use tables or calculations he just worked directly on the wall. All his dial were within 2° of the 45th parallel, simplifying the construction, and all gave five-minute accuracy.
All the rest of the dial was laid out using a 45° square, with a 15° measure at the end.
The colours.
Zarbula treated his paintings as frescos so the body colour was embedded in the supporting lime mortar. He didn't use organic pigments, just oxides. These do not fade in the strong alpine sunlight.
Existing Dials (cadrans).
Of the hundred dials by Zarbula, about 50 have survived, and a further dozen show visible traces.
In Hautes-Alpes, seven dials are protected as "monument historique".
His dials can be divided into three specific styles Öiseau (Birds), Geometric, Baroque. The birds that appear in the dials of the early 1840s include toucans, jabirus, parakeets and other exotic birds not seen in these mountains. The geometric works of the late 1840s and 1850s are noted or their simplicity, and contain a little "trompe-l'œil" to give the design some artificial depth. The baroque dials are contain birds, vases, full "trompe-l'œil" and false-marbling. They contain the symbols of the Second Empire (1852-1870) and Napoleon III particularly the Imperial Eagle. The dials produced after 1865 include the Masonic device of the Square and Compasses: this is co-incidental to the rise and acceptance of masonry on both sides of the Italian French border.


Accretionary wedge

An accretionary wedge or accretionary prism forms from sediments accreted onto the non-subducting tectonic plate at a convergent plate boundary. Most of the material in the accretionary wedge consists of marine sediments scraped off from the downgoing slab of oceanic crust, but in some cases the wedge includes the erosional products of volcanic island arcs formed on the overriding plate.
An accretionary complex is a current (in modern use) or former accretionary wedge. Accretionary complexes are typically made up of a mix of turbidites of terrestrial material, basalts from the ocean floor, and pelagic and hemipelagic sediments. For example, most of the geological basement of Japan is made up of accretionary complexes.
Materials within an accretionary wedge.
Accretionary wedges and accreted terranes are not equivalent to tectonic plates, but rather are associated with tectonic plates and accrete as a result of tectonic collision. Materials incorporated in accretionary wedges include:
Elevated regions within the ocean basins such as linear island chains, ocean ridges, and small crustal fragments (such as Madagascar or Japan), known as terranes, are transported toward the subduction zone and accreted to the continental margin. Since the Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous periods, some 360 million years ago, subduction beneath the western margin of North America has resulted in several collisions with terranes, each producing a mountain-building event. The piecemeal addition of these accreted terranes has added an average of in width along the western margin of the North American continent.
Geometry.
The topographic expression of the accretionary wedge forms a lip, which may dam basins of accumulated materials that, otherwise, would be transported into the trench from the overriding plate. Accretionary wedges are the home of mélange, intensely deformed packages of rocks that lack coherent internal layering and coherent internal order.
The internal structure of an accretionary wedge is similar to that found in a thin-skinned foreland thrust belt. A series of thrusts verging towards the trench are formed with the youngest most outboard structures progressively uplifting the older more inboard thrusts.
The shape of the wedge is determined by how readily the wedge will fail along its basal decollement and in its interior; this is highly sensitive to pore fluid pressure. This failure will result in a mature wedge that has an equilibrium triangular cross-sectional shape of a critical taper. Once the wedge reaches a critical taper, it will maintain that geometry and grow only into a larger similar triangle.
Impacts of accretionary wedges.
The small sections of oceanic crust that are thrust over the overriding plate are said to be obducted. Where this occurs, rare slices of ocean crust, known as ophiolites, are preserved on land. They provide a valuable natural laboratory for studying the composition and character of the oceanic crust and the mechanisms of their emplacement and preservation on land. A classic example is the Coast Range ophiolite of California, which is one of the most extensive ophiolite terranes in North America. This oceanic crust likely formed during the middle Jurassic Period, roughly 170 million years ago, in an extensional regime within either a back-arc or a forearc basin. It was later accreted to the continental margin of Laurasia.
Longitudinal sedimentary tapering of pre-orogenic sediments correlates strongly with curvature of the submarine frontal accretionary belt in the South China Sea margin, suggesting that pre-orogenic sediment thickness is the major control on the geometry of frontal structures. The preexisting South China Sea slope that lies obliquely in front of the advancing accretionary wedge has impeded the advancing of frontal folds resulting in a successive termination of folds against and along strike of the South China Sea slope. The existence of the South China Sea slope also leads the strike of impinging folds with NNW-trend to turn more sharply to a NE-strike, parallel to strike of the South China Sea slope. Analysis shows that the pre-orogenic mechanical/crustal heterogeneities and seafloor morphology exert strong controls on the thrust-belt development in the incipient Taiwan arc-continent collision zone.
In accretionary wedges, seismicity activating superimposed thrusts may drive methane and oil upraising from the upper crust.
Mechanical models that treat accretionary complexes as critically tapered wedges of sediment demonstrate that pore pressure controls their taper angle by modifying basal and internal shear strength. Results from some studies show that pore pressure in accretionary wedges can be viewed as a dynamically maintained response to factors which drive pore pressure (source terms) and those that limit flow (permeability and drainage path length). Sediment permeability and incoming sediment thickness are the most important factors, whereas fault permeability and the partitioning of sediment have a small effect. In one such study, it was found that as sediment permeability is increased, pore pressure decreases from near-lithostatic to hydrostatic values and allows stable taper angles to increase from ∼2.5° to 8°–12.5°. With increased sediment thickness (from ), increased pore pressure drives a decrease in stable taper angle from 8.4°–12.5° to <2.5–5°. In general, low-permeability and thick incoming sediment sustain high pore pressures consistent with shallowly tapered geometry, whereas high-permeability and thin incoming sediment should result in steep geometry. Active margins characterized by a significant proportion of fine-grained sediment within the incoming section, such as northern Antilles and eastern Nankai, exhibit thin taper angles, whereas those characterized by a higher proportion of sandy turbidites, such as Cascadia, Chile, and Mexico, have steep taper angles. Observations from active margins also indicate a strong trend of decreasing taper angle (from >15° to <4°) with increased sediment thickness (from <1 to 7 km).
Rapid tectonic loading of wet sediment in accretionary wedges is likely to cause the fluid pressure to rise until it is sufficient to cause dilatant fracturing. Dewatering of sediment that has been underthrust and accreted beneath the wedge can produce a large steady supply of such highly overpressured fluid. Dilatant fracturing will create escape routes, so the fluid pressure is likely to be buffered at the value required for the transition between shear and oblique tensile (dilatant) fracture, which is slightly in excess of the load pressure if the maximum compression is nearly horizontal. This in turn buffers the strength of the wedge at the cohesive strength, which is not pressure‐dependent, and will not vary greatly throughout the wedge. Near the wedge front the strength is likely to be that of the cohesion on existing thrust faults in the wedge. The shear resistance on the base of the wedge will also be fairly constant and related to the cohesive strength of the weak sediment layer that acts as the basal detachment. These assumptions allow the application of a simple plastic continuum model, which successfully predicts the observed gently convex taper of accretionary wedges.
Pelayo and Weins have postulated that some tsunami events have resulted from rupture through the sedimentary rock along the basal decollement of an accretionary wedge.
Backthrusting of the rear of the accretionary wedge, arcward over the rocks of the forearc basin, is a common aspect of accretionary tectonics. An older assumption that backstops of accretionary wedges dip back toward the arc, and that accreted material is emplaced below such backstops, is contradicted by observations from many active forearcs that indicate (1) backthrusting is common, (2) forearc basins are nearly ubiquitous associates of accretionary wedges, and (3) forearc basement, where imaged, appears to diverge from the sedimentary package, dipping under the wedge while the overlying sediments are often lifted up against it. Backthrusting may be favored where relief is high between the crest of the wedge and the surface of the forearc basin because the relief must be supported by shear stress along the backthrust.


Ethel Gilbert

Ethel S. Gilbert is an American biostatistician and an expert in the risks of radiation-induced cancer, including cancers in nuclear workers and second cancers in radiation therapy patients.
Education and career.
Gilbert is a graduate of Oberlin College, and completed a Ph.D. in biostatistics at the University of Michigan.
She has worked at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, and at the National Cancer Institute from 1996 until her 2016 retirement.
She also held a faculty position in biostatistics and biomathematics at the University of Washington.
Recognition.
Gilbert won the George W. Snedecor Award of the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies in 1981 for her work on "the assessment of risks from occupational exposure to ionizing radiation".
She became a Fellow of the American Statistical Association in 1988.
She won the NIH MERIT award in 2003, and the National Cancer Institute gave her their Director's Award in 2015. In 2016, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences gave Gilbert their Gold Medal for Radiation Protection.


New York Film Festival Downtown

New York Film Festival Downtown was a New York based film festival founded by Tessa Hughes-Freeland and Ela Troyano in 1984.
Known for its independent and "positively avante-garde" programming, the festival came to prominence in the East Village art scene. The New York Film Festival Downtown ran for five years, ending in 1988.


7S (music)


Q-statistic

The Q-statistic is a test statistic output by either the Box-Pierce test or, in a modified version which provides better small sample properties, by the Ljung-Box test. It follows the chi-squared distribution. See also Portmanteau test.
The q statistic or studentized range statistic is a statistic used for multiple significance testing across a number of means: see Tukey–Kramer method.


Pocket comparator

A pocket comparator is an optical device for measuring and inspection comprising a loupe and a reticle. The instrument was developed and manufactured by the Bell & Howell Company, but similar instruments of other names are made by other manufacturers.
It is used for:
Measurements are performed by bringing the surface of the reticle as close as possible to the work inspected.


2260 Neoptolemus

2260 Neoptolemus is a large Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 26 November 1975, by astronomers at the Purple Mountain Observatory in Nanking, China. The dark D-type asteroid is one of the 50 largest Jupiter trojans and has a rotation period of 8.18 hours. It was named after Neoptolemus from Greek mythology.
Orbit and classification.
"Neoptolemus" is a dark Jovian asteroid orbiting in the leading Greek camp at Jupiter's Lagrangian point, 60° ahead of its orbit in a 1:1 resonance "(see Trojans in astronomy)". It is also a non-family asteroid in the Jovian background population.
This asteroid orbits the Sun at a distance of 5.0–5.4 AU once every 11 years and 10 months (4,326 days; semi-major axis of 5.2 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.04 and an inclination of 18° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with its first observation as "" at McDonald Observatory in December 1951, almost 24 years prior to its official discovery observation at Nanking.
Physical characteristics.
In the SDSS-based taxonomy, "Neoptolemus" is a dark D-type asteroid. It has also been characterized as a D-type by the survey conducted by Pan-STARRS, while in the Tholen classification the body's spectral type is ambiguous, closest to a D-type and somewhat similar to a T-type asteroid, with a spectrum flagged as unusual and moderately noisy (DTU:).
Rotation period.
In August 1995, and in March 2002, two rotational lightcurves of "Neoptolemus" were obtained from photometric observations by Italian astronomer Stefano Mottola using the Bochum 0.61-metre Telescope at La Silla Observatory, Chile, and the 1.52-meter Loiano Telescope at the Observatory of Bologna, Italy, respectively. Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 8.180 hours and a brightness variation of 0.20 and 0.32 magnitude, respectively ().
Follow-up observation by Robert Stephens at the Center for Solar System Studies in 2015, and 2016, gave a concurring period of 8.18 and 8.199 hours with a corresponding amplitude of 0.14 and 0.03 magnitude ().
Diameter and albedo.
According to the surveys carried out by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite IRAS, the Japanese Akari satellite and the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, "Neoptolemus" measures between 71.65 and 81.28 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo between 0.051 and 0.0650.
The "Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link" adopts the results obtained by IRAS, that is, an albedo of 0.0650 and a diameter of 71.65 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 9.31.
Naming.
This minor planet was named from Greek mythology after the Greek warrior Neoptolemus, son of Achilles and Deidameia, who was brought to Troy by Odysseus in the last year of the Trojan War. Neoptolemus was one of the Greeks who were hiding in the wooden Trojan Horse. He brutally killed King Priam and several other princes during the destruction of the city of Troy.
The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 1 August 1981 ().


Statute mile


Common Eligibility Test

The Common Eligibility Test (or CET), is an upcoming examination in India to be started from year 2021 for recruitment of staff to non-gazetted posts in the central government and public sector banks and Indian Railways. The test will be conducted by National Recruitment Agency which will function as a central agency of Indian Government . The setting up of the National Recruitment Agency for replacing multiple entrance examination with a single examination was approved by Union Cabinet of India on 19 August 2020..
The National Recruitment Agency shall conduct a separate CET each for the three levels of graduate, higher secondary (12th pass), and the matriculate (10th pass) candidates for various non-technical posts. Presently such tests are being conducted by SSC, IBPS, Railways, and various other organizations.
History.
Presently multiple examinations by various agencies viz. Railways, IBPS, SSC are held for recruiting group B and C staff for various organizations of central govt. In the budget speech of 2020-21, the finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman proposed setting up National Recruitment Agency in order to replace multiple examinations for various govt. job recruitment in India by Central Govt. The upcoming CET will replace all these exams, which will save job seekers time and energy from filling multiple forms and focusing on all the examinations.
Salient Features of NRA and CET.
The CET will be held twice a year and the scores will be valid for the next three years from the date of declaration of result. The best of CET scores will be considered as the current score of the candidate.
Mode of Examination.
The examination will be conducted as online examination, also the candidates will have to apply online for this examination.
This test will be based on a multiple-choice objective type question paper.
No. of Attempts.
There will be no limit on the number of attempts for taking this examination, but the upper age limit will be there. However, the relaxation in the upper age limit shall be given to candidates of SC/ST/OBC and other categories as per the extant policy of the Government.
Exams Replaced by CET.
Here are the top three government exams by which the Common Eligibility Test gets replaced.
Staff Selection Commission (SSC),
NTPC Railway Recruitment Board (RRB), and
Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS).
Medium of Examination.
The examination will be conducted in 12 languages that are in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
Examination Centers.
For the ease of the candidates, each district will have at least one examination center, and in total around 1000 examination centers will be made.
Other features.
The scores of CET will be with central government, state government, union territories, public sector undertakings and private sector, and it can be used for recruitment in their respective departments and agencies /companies.


223 Rosa

Rosa (minor planet designation: 223 Rosa) is a large Themistian asteroid. It is classified as a combination of C-type and P-type asteroids, so it is probably composed of carbonaceous material rich in water ice. It was discovered by Johann Palisa on 9 March 1882, in Vienna. The origin of the name is not known.
Photometric observations made in 2011–2012 at the Organ Mesa Observatory in Las Cruces, New Mexico, produced a light curve with a period of 20.283 ± 0.002 hours and a brightness variation of 0.13 ± 0.02 in magnitude. The curve has two asymmetrical maxima and minima per 20.283-hour cycle.


Nishtala Appala Narasimham

Prof. Nishtala Appala Narasimham, shortly N. A. Narasimham M.Sc., Ph.D. (15 August 1922 – 8 April 2002) was an Indian physicist and eminent Spectroscopist.
He was born at Parlakimidi on 15 August 1922. He was graduated in Physics (B.Sc.) from Andhra University in 1942 and M.Sc. in Physics from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in 1945. He passed both the examinations with first-class. He has worked as lecturer in Physics in Mrs. A.V.N. College, Visakhapatnam and at Bijapur between 1945 and 1949.
He has joined with R. K. Asundi at BHU in 1949 and obtained his Ph.D. in 1952.
He died in Mumbai on 2002 at the age of 79 years. He is survived by wife Kamala and son Prasad.


C-flat major

C-flat major (or the key of C-flat) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has seven flats. The direct enharmonic equivalent of C-flat major is B major, a key signature with five sharps.
The C-flat major scale is:
C-flat major is the only major or minor key, other than theoretical keys, which has "flat" or "sharp" in its name, but whose tonic note is the enharmonic equivalent of a natural note (a white key on a keyboard instrument).
Its relative minor is A-flat minor (or enharmonically G-sharp minor), and its parallel minor is C-flat minor, usually replaced by B minor, since C-flat minor's three double-flats make it impractical to use.
Use in harp music.
C-flat major is the home key of the harp, with all its pedals in the top position, and it is considered the most resonant key for the instrument. Thus, in Richard Strauss's "Ein Heldenleben", the first cue for the harps is written in C-flat major even though the rest of the orchestra, having previously played in E-flat major, retains a 3-flat key signature and is now playing in B major, marked with the necessary sharps and naturals as accidentals.
This use of C-flat major in harp parts when the rest of the orchestra is playing in B major is not exceptional: it is standard practice in orchestral music written in B major for harp parts to be notated in C-flat major. In Arnold Bax's symphonic poem "Tintagel", the key is B major and again the harp part is always notated in C-flat major; but in this case the harp's key signature contains only 6 flats, and the necessary Fs are notated with accidentals. In Claude Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp, the second movement has a middle section in B major, for which the harp part is notated in C-flat major with seven flats. In Reinhold Glière's Harp Concerto in E-flat major, the middle movement is a set of variations in C-flat major. Sometimes harp parts are also written in G-flat major when the rest of the orchestra is notated in F-sharp major. Harp parts can also be written in A-flat minor when the rest of the orchestra is notated in G-sharp minor.
Music in C-flat major.
Although most composers prefer to use the enharmonic equivalent B major, since it only contains five sharps as opposed to C-flat major's seven flats, the middle section of Frédéric Chopin's "Contredanse" in G-flat major is written in C-flat major, as are the middle (Trio) sections of two of Ernesto Nazareth's Brazilian tangos for piano, "Chave de Ouro" and "Labirinto" (both with a home key of G-flat major), as well as the final half (last two themes) of William Bolcom's rag for piano, "Seabiscuits".
There is a brief passage in the first movement, "Evocación", of "Iberia" by Isaac Albéniz which suggests the key of C-flat minor by adding the necessary three double-flats as accidentals. The surrounding passages are in C-flat major, with a 7-flat key signature. The movement is in sonata form, in the key of A-flat minor, so this places the second theme in the orthodox relative major key (and in the also-orthodox tonic major key of A-flat major when it reappears near the end of the piece).
The slow movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 12 has a principal theme that modulates from A-flat minor to C-flat major, before moving to what would theoretically be C-flat minor, but is notated as B minor (every note in this passage requires an accidental, due to the key signature of seven flats). A few other works by Beethoven have significant passages in C-flat major, although they usually notate this with accidentals in some other key signature, because Beethoven found C-flat major's seven flats to be a difficult key; for example:
C-flat major is used for Benjamin Britten's "Interlude" in C-flat major for harp, several of Max Reger's Canons in All Major and Minor Keys (Book 1 Nos. 62 and 63, and Book 2 No. 48), and No. 29 from the "Thirty Preludes in All Major and Minor Keys" by Christian Heinrich Rinck.
In some scores, the C-flat major key signature in the bass clef is written with the flat for the F on the second line from the top. This can be seen, for example, in the Albéniz example given above: Iberia, 1st movement: "Evocación", about two-thirds of which is in 7 flats, and every bass-clef staff of which shows this variant. This is also seen in the second movement of the Beautiful Danube waltz in the Boosey & Hawkes concert band edition.


Ideain

Ideain, the cyanidin 3-O-galactoside, is an anthocyanin, a type of plant pigment.
Natural occurrences.
Ideain is the main anthocyanin in red-skinned or red-fleshed (for example Weirouge) apple varieties. It is also found in Chinese hawthorn fruits ("Crataegus spp.").
While it is only one in the many anthocyanins present in bilberries ("Vaccinium myrtillus") and cranberries ("Vaccinium macrocarpon"), it is the main anthocyanin in lingonberries ("Vaccinium vitis-idaea").
"Quintinia serrata", the tawheowheo, a species of evergreen trees endemic to New Zealand, has different patterns of anthocyanins (cyanidin 3-O-glucoside and cyanidin 3-O-galactoside) in its leaves to protect the shade-adapted chloroplasts from direct sun light.


Decimal dozen


Equivalent Full-Time Student Load


October Revolution in Jazz

The October Revolution in Jazz was a four-day festival of new jazz music which took place at the Cellar Café in New York City. It occurred from October 1–4, 1964, and was organized by composer and trumpeter Bill Dixon. The success of the festival was directly responsible for the formation of the Jazz Composers Guild.
Background.
During a trip to Helsinki, Finland with Archie Shepp in the summer of 1962, Dixon began to develop embouchure difficulties. The situation deteriorated to the point where, by the following summer, Dixon stopped playing in public in order to focus on correcting the issue. He also began concentrating on writing and arranging. Shepp, meanwhile, began collaborating with John Tchicai, with whom he would soon form the New York Contemporary Five. Dixon composed and arranged a number of the pieces that would be performed and recorded by the NYCF, and also managed their weekly rehearsals. By early 1964, Dixon had recovered to the point where he was able to record the A side of the album "Bill Dixon 7-tette/Archie Shepp and the New York Contemporary 5", a split LP with the NYCF that came about in order to fulfill Dixon's and Shepp's contractual obligations to Savoy Records. Dixon, however, was still unhappy with his sound, and stated: "After that record date, when I started freelancing, I needed things to do to make money. I can transcribe, so I began to transcribe Savoy's gospel music to create lead sheets..."
In April 1964, while Dixon was living on 103rd Street in Manhattan and working on the gospel transcriptions, he stumbled on the Cellar Café, a coffee shop located at 251 West 91st Street. The Café, run by Peter Sabino, had opened in late February, and "was serving up an eclectic and inchoate fare of poetry, film, folk music, and jazz for an audience largely of Columbia University students." Dixon recalled: "I happened to come down to 91st Street and saw the Cellar Café. You actually went into the cellar coming off the street. I would have walked on past, but they had a sign up that read 'JAZZ TONIGHT', with the name of a very fine musician, [alto saxophonist] Bobby Brown. So I went in, and Bobby Brown never showed. That's how I met [the club's manager Peter Sabino...]" Dixon described the atmosphere as "very relaxed, like a Viennese coffee house, lots of things going on."
After discussions with Sabino, Dixon soon began arranging and producing concerts at the Café. Between May and September, 1964, Dixon staged a series of concerts at 4 p.m. on Sundays, featuring Paul Bley, the Free Form Improvisation Ensemble, Jimmy Giuffre, and Sun Ra. Dixon stated: "I had let people know when I started doing things at the Cellar that the only groups that I was interested in were those with no other place to play... if they weren't allowed to work anywhere else, the Cellar was open to them. It wasn't up to me to say that these players were either good or bad. I had to have a place where people could come and hear what the musical ferment of their time comprised." Trombonist Roswell Rudd remarked: "You know, they could pay their money and take their chances at the commercial... clubs. But at least here, they were guaranteed a taste of the unexpected, the unforeseen." Dixon also recalled: "You had to have two things to run a club successfully: you had to make it so people could afford to go to the place, and so musicians were comfortable enough to play and not bullshit the public. So right away I let musicians play as long as they wanted... So the place developed an ambience of the music being carried out with integrity." In addition, the Café allowed musicians to rehearse there during the day; according to Dixon, "There wasn't that much work at the time, but people rehearsed incessantly. Rehearsing "was" the work."
At this point, Dixon began planning something more substantial:
One day I went to the operator of the Cellar, Peter Sabino, and he and I came up with the idea for this thing. Sabino and I were going to go into business; we would get a liquor license and open this place as a club, and he wanted to do a concert. I told him everyone does a concert; why don't we do a week-long event, a festival? The festival was going to be an official opening for the club. We had no money, so I got on the phone. For that first festival I ran my telephone bill up to an unheard of amount of $500.00 and stalled the telephone company from turning my service off. I went one solid year without paying my rent. I owed every grocer in the West Village. I was a believer; I believed in this stuff and poured everything I could into the festival and (later) into the Guild operation.
Regarding his motivations, Dixon stated:
I did the "October Revolution" completely by myself – irrespective of what anyone says. I did it for a single reason. I had a point that I had to prove to people. All these writers... were telling me that this music I saw wasn't worth anything, that no one could be interested in it. I knew people could be interested in anything if it was presented to them in the proper way. I "knew" that. And of the people I admired who were in the first wave of this music, the only person who ever lent any moral or philosophical support for the new music was John Coltrane. The rest of them were negative or jealous; they wouldn't help us or endorse what we did..."
By the third week of September, Dixon had finalized the schedule and personnel for the four-day "October Revolution in Jazz", named after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. This gave him time to place advance notices in newspapers such as the Columbia Daily Spectator, the Villager, and the Village Voice. The festival was also included in the concert listings of the New York Times, and was mentioned in the October 8 issue of DownBeat. Performances would begin at 4:00 p.m. each day, ending at midnight, at which point there would be panel discussions, moderated by Dixon, with topics such as "Jim Crow and Crow Jim," "The Economics of Jazz," "The Rise of Folk Music and the Decline of Jazz," and "Jazz Composition."
Event schedule.
The following performers appeared at the event:
Reception.
The "October Revolution" was a success on a number of levels. On the afternoon of the first concert, Dixon received a call from Sabino:
[H]e says, "Bill, can you get over here right away?" I said, "Why?" He says, "Just get over here right away." So I went over, and I got downstairs, and there was this huge crowd in the street, between Broadway and West End. So I said, "Gee, I wonder what happened." I got to the Cellar, I walked in, and Peter said, "They're all trying to get in!" That's the way it was, for the entire thing.
According to Val Wilmer, "Dixon had maintained that there was an audience for the new music, at that time still in its infancy, and the nightly turnout that squeezed into the club and spilled out on the sidewalk confirmed this." Total attendance over the four days was roughly seven hundred people. Bernard Gendron wrote:
With advanced advertising in the Village Voice, each of the four nights drew capacity crowds with long lines of people waiting their turn in these marathon events. The audience included a number of jazz musicians, some who came without prompting (Ornette Coleman and Gil Evans), and others who came to participate in the panel discussions (Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, and Steve Lacy, among others). Though spearheaded by relatively unknown musicians performing in an out-of-the-way place, the "October Revolution" created enough of a stir to merit two substantial reviews by DownBeat writers Martin Williams and Dan Morgenstern, in side by side columns...
Writer A. B. Spellman noted: "Almost everybody who's doing anything at all in the way of avant-garde jazz in New York passed through the Cellar during these programs, if not to play, then to participate in the panels or to listen." Roswell Rudd recalled: "I just remember it... [being] very professional. The players were seriously digging in... Serious business... And I don't mean to make it sound like a funeral. It was anything but. What I mean by the word 'focused' is a lot of humor, good feeling, certain amount of good competitiveness. My recollection is very positive." Ekkehard Jost wrote:
With his festival Bill Dixon was able to show, first of all, that there was an enormous pool of musicians in New York who deserved a hearing, and second, that there was a (predominantly young) public which was just as fed up with ossified musical norms – and with the commercial hustle of established jazz clubs too – as were the musicians themselves. The "October Revolution" did nothing to relieve the financial insecurity of free jazz musicians at first. But it did indicate how musicians could take the initiative into their own hands and secure for themselves what the establishment – content to earn on Brubeck and Peterson – denied them.
Impact.
Writer Bill Shoemaker called the "October Revolution in Jazz" "arguably the most seminal jazz concert series ever held" and stated that it "marked the beginning of the Golden Era of do-it-yourself jazz culture in the U.S." The success of the "October Revolution" led directly to the formation of the Jazz Composers Guild. Val Wilmer wrote: "Dixon discussed with Cecil Taylor the possibilities of forming an organization that would protect the jazz musician/composer from the exploitation that had hitherto prevailed. 'You can't kill an organisation, but you can kill an individual,' said Dixon..." Dixon also declared that the purpose of the Guild was "to establish the music to its rightful place in society; to awaken the musical conscience of the masses of people to that music which is essential to their lives; to protect musicians and composers from the existing forces of exploitation; to provide an opportunity for the audience to hear the music; to provide facilities for the proper creation, rehearsal, performance, and dissemination of the music." In mid-October, the following announcement appeared:
THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION CONTINUES: musicians-composers Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra, Mike Mantler, Burton Greene, Roswell Rudd, John Tchicai, and Bill Dixon have united as the JAZZ COMPOSERS GUILD with the idea in mind that the music as represented by the above-named and others must and will no longer remain a part of the "underground" scene.
(These musicians, along with Paul and Carla Bley, would form the core membership of the Jazz Composers Guild.) The following weeks saw a series of Guild-sponsored concerts, featuring the Sun Ra Arkestra, the Roswell Rudd-John Tchicai Quartet (later renamed the New York Art Quartet), the Paul Bley Quintet, the Alan Silva Quartet, the Cecil Taylor Unit, the Bill Dixon Sextette, the Free Form Improvisation Ensemble, and the Archie Shepp Septette, at the Cellar Café and several other locations. One of these concerts, called the "Pre-Halloween Jazz Party," ran from 9:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m. on October 30–31 and was put on "to raise funds to provide a permanent home for the Guild." These concerts were followed by the Guild's most visible event, a four-day series called "Four Days in December", running from December 28–31 at Judson Hall. Participants were the Cecil Taylor Unit, the Bill Dixon Sextette, the Paul Bley Quintet, the Jazz Composer's Guild Orchestra, the Free Form Improvisation Ensemble, the Archie Shepp Quartet, the Roswell Rudd-John Tchicai Quartet, and the Sun Ra Arkestra. According to Ingrid Monson, "The first night pulled a standing-room-only crowd of 300, while the remaining nights drew about 150 each. In any case, the success of these two concert series served as a basis for optimism about the possibilities of alternative means of organizing musical events."
The Guild soon abandoned the Cellar Café when the owner of the building more than doubled the rent. The Café was also issued a summons for presenting music without a proper license, and closed its doors. The Guild itself proved to be short-lived, but did "light the way for the organisations that were to follow," such as the Jazz and People's Movement, the Collective Black Artists group, and the AACM.
Tributes.
In 1994, in celebration of the thirty-year anniversary of the "October Revolution in Jazz", Rashied Ali (who had participated in the 1964 concerts), Borah Bergman, Joe McPhee, Wilber Morris, and the Myra Melford Trio recorded an album titled "The October Revolution", released on the Evidence label.


Fourth (angle)


Yuma Proving Ground

Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) is a United States Army proving ground and one of the largest military installations in the world. It is a subordinate command of the Army Test and Evaluation Command.
Located in southwestern La Paz County and western Yuma County in southwestern Arizona, United States, approximately north-east of the city of Yuma, it encompasses 1,307.8 square miles (3,387.2 km²) in the northwestern Sonoran Desert.
Overview.
The proving ground conducts tests on nearly every weapon in the ground combat arsenal. Nearly all the long-range artillery testing for U.S. ground forces takes place here in an area almost completely removed from urban encroachment and noise concerns. Restricted airspace controlled by the test center amounts to over . Yuma Proving Ground has the longest overland artillery range () in the nation, the most highly instrumented helicopter armament test range in the Department of Defense, over of improved road courses for testing tracked and wheeled military vehicles, over of fiber-optic cable linking test locations, and the most modern mine and demolitions test facility in the western hemisphere. Realistic villages and road networks representing urban areas in Southwest Asia have been constructed and are used for testing counter-measures to the threat of roadside bombs.
The General Motors Desert Proving Ground – Yuma opened at the proving ground in late July 2009. General Motors built the facility at a cost of more than $100 million after closing its desert automotive test facility in Mesa, Arizona, that had been in operation since 1953. The new facility allows Army automotive testers to test their wheeled vehicles all year-round. It is estimated that the track can be used to test about 80 percent of the Army's wheeled vehicle fleet.
More than 3,000 people, mostly civilians, work at the proving ground, which is the largest employer in Yuma County.
In a typical year, over 500,000 artillery, mortar and missile rounds are fired, 36,000 parachute drops take place, are driven on military vehicles, and over 4,000 air sorties are flown from the proving ground's Laguna Army Airfield.
About 10 percent of the proving ground's workload is training. In a typical year, dozens of units come to the facility for realistic desert training, especially before deploying overseas.
Yuma Proving Ground's clean air, low humidity, skimpy rainfall – only about per year – and annual average of 350 sunny days, add up to almost perfect testing and training conditions. Urban encroachment and noise concerns are nonexistent problems, unlike at many other military installations.
Of the four extreme natural environments recognized as critical in the testing of military equipment, three fall under the management authority of Yuma Proving Ground. Realistic natural environment testing ensures that American military equipment performs as advertised, wherever deployed around the world. The proving ground manages military equipment and munitions testing at three locations: The Cold Regions Test Center (CRTC) at Fort Greely, Alaska; the Tropic Regions Test Center (TRTC) operating in Panama, Honduras, Suriname, and Hawaii; and at the Yuma Test Center (YTC) located at Yuma Proving Ground. The common link between these test centers is "environmental testing," which makes the proving ground the Army's environmental test expert.
Yuma Proving Ground tests improvised explosive devices, commonly known as IEDs, the number-one killer of American service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hundreds of unmanned aerial vehicles fly at the proving ground each year from the six airfields located at the proving ground, as do helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft conducting personnel and cargo parachute drops.
Many friendly foreign nations also visit the proving ground to conduct test programs.
History.
The presence of the U.S. Army in Yuma goes back to 1850, when Fort Yuma was constructed on a hill overlooking the important Yuma crossing of the Colorado River. Soldiers at Fort Yuma maintained peace and protected the important Yuma crossing, which was used by thousands of travelers each year.
The Army constructed a second facility in 1865, the Yuma Quartermaster Depot, to act as a supply base for Army posts throughout Arizona and parts of New Mexico. Supplies were delivered by riverboats and transported from the depot to military outposts by wagon. After Fort Yuma and the Yuma Quartermaster Depot closed in the 1880s, the Army did not return to Yuma on a permanent basis until World War II.
Yuma Proving Ground traces its history to Camp Laguna and the Army Corps of Engineers Yuma Test Branch, both activated in 1943. Located on the Colorado River, the Yuma Test Branch conducted testing on combat bridges, amphibious vehicles, and boats. Tens of thousands of mechanized and infantry soldiers were trained at Camp Laguna for duty at combat fronts throughout the world, from North Africa to the South Pacific. Abandoned campsites and tank trails can still be found on the proving ground.
Camp Laguna lasted only until the end of World War II. The Yuma Test Branch was closed in 1949 and reactivated two years later as the Yuma Test Station, under the operational control of the Sixth U.S. Army. In 1962, the station was named Yuma Proving Ground and reassigned to the U. S. Army Materiel Command as an important component of the Test and Evaluation Command. On July 26, 1973, it officially received its full name – U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground. The following year it was designated as a Department of Defense Major Range and Test Facility Base.
Since its early days, Yuma Proving Ground has been a desert environmental test center for all types of military equipment and materiel. However, developmental and a variety of other types of testing of artillery systems and ammunition, aircraft armament and targeting systems, mobility equipment, and air delivery systems, not necessarily desert environmental-related, now comprise the bulk of the workload. A heavy investment in technology and a highly skilled soldier-civilian workforce makes the proving ground a significant social and economic component of the local community.
Yuma Test Center.
YTC offers the following for test, evaluation, and training purposes:


Triple beam balance

The triple beam balance is an instrument used to measure mass very precisely. Such devices typically have a reading error of ±0.05 grams. Its name refers to its three beams, where the middle beam is the largest, the far beam of medium size, and the front beam the smallest. The difference in size of the beams indicates the difference in weights and reading scale that each beam measures. Typically, the reading scale of the middle beam reads in 100 gram increments, the far beam in 10 gram increments, and the front beam can read from 0 to 10 grams. The triple beam balance can be used to measure mass directly from the objects, find mass by difference for liquid, and measure out substances.
Parts of a triple beam balance.
The parts of triple beam balance are identified as the following.
Before using triple beam balance, the scale pointer should be at zero. The zero adjustment knob can be used to adjust the scale pointer. Place the objects on the pan and adjust the riders. The hundred rider should be initially adjusted and follow by the tens rider. Adjust the ones rider until the scale pointer is at zero again.


Gouy balance

The Gouy balance, invented by Louis Georges Gouy, is a device for measuring the magnetic susceptibility of a sample.
Background.
Amongst a wide range of interest in optics, Brownian motion, and experimental physics, Gouy also had a strong intrigue for the phenomena of magnetism. Gouy derived a mathematical expression showing that force is proportional to volume susceptibility for the interaction of material in a uniform magnetic field in 1889. From this derivation, Gouy proposed that balance measurements taken for tubes of material suspended in a magnetic field could evaluate his expression for volume susceptibility. Though Gouy never tested the scientific suggestion himself, this simple and inexpensive method became the foundation for measuring magnetic susceptibility and the blueprint for the Gouy balance.
Procedure.
The Gouy balance measures the apparent change in the mass of the sample as it is repelled or attracted by the region of high magnetic field between the poles. Some commercially available balances have a port at their base for this application.
In use, a long, cylindrical sample to be tested is suspended from a balance, partially entering between the poles of a magnet. The sample can be in solid or liquid form, and is often placed in a cylindrical container such as a test tube. Solid compounds are generally ground into a fine powder to allow for uniformity amongst the sample. The sample is suspended between the magnetic poles through an attached thread or string.
The experimental procedure requires two separate reading to be performed. An initial balance reading is performed on the sample of interest without a magnetic field (m a). A subsequent balance reading is taken with an applied magnetic field (mb). The difference between these two readings relates to the magnetic force on the sample (mb – ma).
Concept.
The apparent change in mass from the two balance readings is a result of magnetic force on the sample. The magnetic force is applied across the gradient of a strong and weak magnetic field. A sample with a paramagnetic compound will be pulled down towards the magnetic, and provide a positive difference in apparent mass mb – ma. Diamagnetic compounds can either exhibit no apparent change in weight or a negative change as the sample is slightly repelled by the applied magnetic field. With a paramagnetic sample, the magnetic induction is stronger than the applied field and magnetic susceptibility is positive. A diamagnetic sample has a magnetic induction much weaker than the applied field, and a respective negative magnetic susceptibility. The following mathematical equation relates the apparent change in mass to the volume susceptibility of the sample:
formula_1
Instrument.
In a practical device, the whole assembly of balance and magnet is enclosed in a glass box to ensure that the weight measurement is not affected by air currents. The sample can also be enclosed in a thermostat in order to make measurements at different temperatures. Since it requires a large and powerful electromagnet, the Gouy balance is a stationary instrument permanently set up on a bench. The apparatus is often placed on a marble balance table in a non-ventilated room to minimize the vibrations and disruption from the environment. The stationary magnetic of a Gouy balance is often an electromagnet connected to a power source, since balance recordings with and without the applied magnetic field are required of the procedure.


List of largest lakes of the United States by area

The following is a list of the largest 100 lakes of the United States by normal surface area. The top twenty lakes in size are as listed by the "National Atlas of the United States", a publication of the United States Department of the Interior. The area given is the normal or average area of the lake. The area of some lakes fluctuates substantially. For those lakes partially in Canada or Mexico the area given for the lake is the total area, not just the part of the lake in the United States. Of the top 100 lakes, 55 are man-made and 45 are natural. Three lakes in the top 100 are primarily salt water.


Romanian major

Romanian major, also known as lydian dominant flat 2 or flat 9, is a musical scale, noted for its flattened 2nd and sharpened fourth degrees, the latter a distinctive feature of Romanian traditional music. A C Romanian major scale has the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B, which is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Though it is called a major scale, it is typically played over a C13 (9) (11) (also F major over C) dominant chord.
The 5th mode, Jazz minor flat 5, also known as Jeth's Mode, is a jazz minor or melodic minor scale with a flattened 5th, and is named after Dutch composer Willem Jeths. It can also be thought of as a whole half diminished scale omitting the augmented fifth. It can be used for soloing instead of regular jazz minor. The Jazz minor flat 5 mode in C contains the notes C, D, E, F, G , A, B, which has the formula 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Modes.
The scale contains the following modes:


Indonesian units of measurement

A number of units of measurement were used in Indonesia to measure length, mass, capacity, etc. Metric system adopted in 1923 and has been compulsory in Indonesia since 1938.
System before metric system.
Old Dutch and local measures were used under Dutch East Indies. Local measures were very variable, and later they have been legally defined with their metric equivalents.
Length.
A number of units were used to measure length. One depa was equal to 1.70 m by its legal definition. Some other units and their legal equivalents are given below:
1 hasta = depa
1 kilan = depa.
Mass.
A number of units were used to measure mass.
Ordinary.
One pikol (or one pecul) was equal to kg by its legal definition. Some other units and their legal equivalents are given below:
1 thail = pikol
1 catti = pikol
1 kabi = pikol
1 kulack = 0.0725 pikol
1 amat = 2 pikol
1 small bahar = 3 pikol
1 large bahar = 4.5 pikol
1 timbang = 5 pikol
1 kojang (Batavia) = 27 pikol = 1667.555 kg
1 kojang (Semarang) = 28 pikol = 1729.316 kg
1 kojang (Soerabaya) = 30 pikol = 1852.839 kg.
For precious metals.
One thail was equal to 54.090 kg by its legal definition. Some other units and their legal equivalents are given below:
1 wang = thail
1 tali = thail
1 soekoe = thail
1 reaal = thail.
For opium.
One thail was equal to 38.601 kg by its legal definition. Some other units and their legal equivalents are given below:
1 tji = thail
1 tjembang Mata = thail
1 hoen = thail.
Area.
Several units were used to measure area. One bahoe (or 1 bouw) was equal to 7096.5 m2 and lieue2 (Geographic) was equal to 55.0632 km by its legal definition.
Capacity.
Two systems, dry and liquid, were used to measure capacity.
Dry.
Several units were used to measure dry capacity. One kojang was equal to 2011.2679 l by its legal definition. One pikol was equal to kojang.
Liquid.
A number of units were used to measure liquid capacity. Some other units and their legal equivalents are given below:
1 takar (for oil) = 25.770 l
1 kit (for oil) = 15.159 l
1 koelak (for oil) = 3.709 l
1 kan (for various products) = 1.575 l
1 mutsje (for various products) = 0.1516 l
1 pintje (for oil) = 0.0758 l.
Sumatra.
Several local units were used in Sumatra.
Length.
Units for length included:
1 etto = 2 jankal
1 hailoh = 2 etto
1 tung = 4 hailoh = 12 feet.
Capacity.
Units for capacity included:
1 koolah = 2.1173 bushel
1 pakha = 0.14535 gallon.
Mass.
Units for mass included:
1 catoy = 2.118 lb
1 maund = 77 lb
1 pecul = lb
1 candil = lb
1 ootan (for camphor) = 4 lb.
Java.
Several local units were used in Java. Old Dutch units too were in use, and other units were varied for example one town to another.:
Length.
One covid was equal to yard and other units were Dutch.
Mass.
Units for mass included:
1 gantang (for coffee) = 10 catties
1 pecul = 100 catties = 135.6312 lb
1 bahar (at Bantam) = 396 lb
1 bahar (at Bantam; used for pepper) = 406.78 lb
1 bahar (at Batavia) = 610.17 lb
1 timbang (for grain) = 677.9625 lb
1 tael (at Bantam) = 0.1511 lb
1 tael (at Batavia) = 0.0847 lb.
Capacity.
Units for capacity included:
1 kanne = 0.394 gallons
1 legger (for arrack) = 160.0 gallons
1 bambou (at Bantam) = 0.09223 bushels
1 koyang = 147.568 bushels
1 koyang (at Batavia; measure for rise) = bushels.
Celebes (Modern Sulawesi).
Units were resemble or identical with the units of neighbouring islands under Netherlands.
Mass.
One pecul was equal to 135.64 lb.
Molucca Islands.
Dutch units and other units resembling the units in Java, Sumatra, etc. were used.
Amboyna.
Mass.
Units included:
1 bahar = 597.61 lb
1 mace = grain
1 tael = 55.3371 bushel.
Ternate.
Mass.
One catty was equal to 1.3017 lb.


Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations

OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations) is an examination board that sets examinations and awards qualifications (including GCSEs and A-levels). It is one of England, Wales and Northern Ireland's five main examination boards.
OCR is based in Cambridge, with an office in Coventry. It is part of the University of Cambridge's Cambridge Assessment, which operates in over 160 countries and celebrated its 160th anniversary in 2018. OCR delivers GCSE and A Level examinations in the United Kingdom whereas for other countries Cambridge Assessment operates the examination board Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). An important distinction between OCR and CIE is that the British exam board OCR is required to comply with UK government regulations and CIE with international GCSEs and GCE A Levels is not.
History.
The name OCR reflects the fact that it was created in 1998 through the amalgamation of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) and the Royal Society of Arts Examinations Board (RSAEB). At the time of the merger, UCLES's qualifications were offered by two wholly owned subsidiaries: the Oxford and Cambridge Examinations and Assessments Council (OCEAC) for A Level and the Midland Examining Group (MEG) for GCSE and Certificate of Achievement. RSAEB offered vocational qualifications. After the merger, the OCR name replaced all previous names. The overall supervisor for the merger was Joseph Dudley.
UCLES had previously taken over the University of Oxford Delegacy of Local Examinations (founded 1857) and the Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examinations Board (founded 1873). Both were acquired by UCLES in 1995; earlier, it had taken over the Southern Universities Joint Board (SUJB). The acquisition of RSAEB was completed in 1998 and brought a new range of qualifications and activities to the UCLES Group because RSEAB's principal activity was in vocational qualifications.
The formation of OCR represented the culmination of several decades of corporate activity on the part of UCLES, activity that came about as a response to the policies of successive British governments towards public examinations and the provision of qualifications as well as moves to strengthen the regulatory framework.
Cambridge Assessment is a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge, making Cambridge the only British University to maintain a direct link with a school exam board.
OCR have gained a reputation over the years for significant mistakes and inaccuracies its work, these range from inaccurate or even fictitious content in subject specifications, to errors in exam papers.
Controversies.
1998: All the UK schools examinations and vocational qualifications of the UCLES Group were transferred to OCR. Subsequent Physics syllabuses released by OCR included the fictional units the "Ocrawatt" and "Ocrajoule" due to overzealous find-and-replace on MEG's part (in previous and later syllabuses, the units were correctly written as "Megawatt" and "Megajoule".)
2008: The answer to one question in a GCSE Music paper was given away by accident in the copyright declaration printed on the back of the question paper.
2011: OCR set an impossible maths question. In addition, there were errors in Section B of the Latin Literature paper, confusing names of both authors and characters. 2011 also saw the start of, by now regular, social media protests against the content in exam papers. An A2 Biology paper on Control, Genomes and Environment (F215) had a large emphasis on Ecology, deemed by many students to be ‘unfair’. This issue was made public on a Facebook page which generated support from thousands of students. "The Times" and "The Times Educational Supplement" reported on this story.
2012: A Channel 4 News investigation revealed that examiners were making the most basic errors, such as wrongly adding up marks on hundreds of papers, which in some cases led to candidates in 2011 getting an incorrect grade. A senior supervisor at OCR, David Leitch, ordered his team perform supplementary checks on scripts by the same markers, and found hundreds of errors. This led to OCR ordering these additional checks to stop, and to only inform those schools which had specifically requested scripts to be re-marked. David Leitch was suspended from OCR, after reporting the incident to Ofqual, and informing 30 schools about the mistakes himself. Ofqual have said to have subsequently investigated the exam board, and asked the exam board "to carry out extended checks, identify the weaknesses in its processes and to put these right in time for the January exams". The Department for Education said the level of error was "simply unacceptable".
2015: The then Chief Executive of OCR suggested that students should be allowed to use Google and the Internet to research information during examinations. This statement evoked a heated debate with support on the one hand and criticism on the other.
2017: A question in the reformed OCR GCSE English Literature exam, sat by over ten thousand students, swapped the surnames of the families in the play Romeo and Juliet, asking how Tybalt's hatred of the Capulets influenced the outcome of the play, when in fact, Tybalt is a Capulet himself. OCR apologised, undertook to ensure no candidates would be disadvantaged while the regulator Ofqual stated it was "very disappointed to learn of the error". OCR also apologised for "poorly wording" an A Level Psychology Paper and assured candidates that it could correct it in its marking. Ofqual asked OCR to go through all its remaining papers again to make sure there were no further errors. OCR was eventually fined £175,000 for their error on the English Literature exam, which Ofqual deemed not fit for purpose, as the question was "unanswerable".
Social media was again widely used by students to express concern that the formula for [null standard] deviation was not included in the A Level Biology paper.
2019: After a leak of the A-Level Grade Boundaries ahead of results day, it emerged that in order to pass the new specification Mathematics A-Level (H240), candidates needed to score 13% (40 marks out of 300) to pass. Edexcel (another British exam board) also had similarly low grade boundaries. After these extremely low grade boundaries added flavour to many news headlines, Ofqual said that they were confident the grade boundaries this year were "sound", so shifted their focus onto the previous year's grade boundaries for the new Mathematics A-Level for the 2,000 students who sat it after studying it for one year. Ofqual said "We want to understand why the grade boundaries were so different between the two years.", and had called the significant shifts in boundaries "unusual". None of the exam boards decided to re-open the 2018 award, after being asked to look at them again by the regulator. This could potentially result in students who sat the new specification Mathematics A-Level in 2018 having their results changed.
The exams regulator, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) reports on the frequency of errors from all exam boards annually.


Case study in psychology

Case study in psychology refers to the use of a descriptive research approach to obtain an in-depth analysis of a person, group, or phenomenon. A variety of techniques may be employed including personal interviews, direct-observation, psychometric tests, and archival records. In psychology case studies are most often used in clinical research to describe rare events and conditions, which contradict well established principles in the field of psychology. Case studies are generally a single-case design, but can also be a multiple-case design, where replication instead of sampling is the criterion for inclusion. Like other research methodologies within psychology, the case study must produce valid and reliable results in order to be useful for the development of future research. Distinct advantages and disadvantages are associated with the case study in psychology. The case study is sometimes mistaken for the case method, but the two are not the same.
Advantages.
One major advantage of the case study in psychology is the potential for the development of novel hypotheses for later testing. Second, the case study can provide detailed descriptions of specific and rare cases
Disadvantages.
Case studies cannot be used to determine causation.
References.
^ Schultz & Schultz, Duane (2010). Psychology and work today. New York: Prentice Hall. pp. 201–202. .


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International English Language Testing System

The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS (), is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge Assessment English, and was established in 1989. IELTS is one of the major English-language tests in the world.
IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian, European, Irish and New Zealand academic institutions, by over 3,000 academic institutions in the United States, and by various professional organisations across the world.
IELTS is the only Secure English Language Test approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) for visa customers applying both outside and inside the UK. It also meets requirements for immigration to Australia, where Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and Pearson Test of English Academic are also accepted, and New Zealand. In Canada, IELTS, TEF, or CELPIP are accepted by the immigration authority.
No minimum score is required to pass the test. An IELTS result or Test Report Form is issued to all test takers with a score from "band 1" ("non-user") to "band 9" ("expert user") and each institution sets a different threshold. There is also a "band 0" score for those who did not attempt the test. Institutions are advised not to consider a report older than two years to be valid, unless the user proves that they have worked to maintain their level.
In 2017, over 3 million tests were taken in more than 140 countries, up from 2 million tests in 2012, 1.7 million tests in 2011 and 1.4 million tests in 2009. In 2007, IELTS administered more than one million tests in a single 12-month period for the first time ever, making it the world's most popular English language test for higher education and immigration.
History.
The English Language Testing Service (IELTS), as IELTS was then known, was launched in 1980 by Cambridge English Language Assessment (then known as UCLES) and the British Council. It had an innovative format, which reflected changes in language learning and teaching, including the growth in ‘communicative’ language learning and ‘English for specific purposes’. Test tasks were intended to reflect the use of English language in the ‘real world’.
During the 1980s, test taker numbers were low (4,000 in 1981 rising to 10,000 in 1985) and there were practical difficulties administering the test. As a result, the IELTS Revision Project was set up to oversee the redesign of the test. In order to have international participation in the redesign, the International Development Program of Australian Universities and Colleges (IDP), now known as IDP: IELTS Australia, joined Cambridge English Language Assessment and the British Council to form the international IELTS partnership which delivers the test to this day. This international partnership was reflected in the new name for the test: The International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
IELTS went live in 1989. Test takers took two non-specialised modules, Listening and Speaking, and two specialised modules, Reading and Writing. Test taker numbers rose by approximately 15% per year and by 1995 there were 43,000 test takers in 210 test centres around the world.
IELTS was revised again in 1995, with three main changes:
Further revisions went live in 2001 (revised Speaking Test) and 2005 (new assessment criteria for the Writing test).
IELTS characteristics.
IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training are designed to cover the full range of ability from non-user to expert user. The Academic version is for test takers who want to study at tertiary level in an English-speaking country or seek professional registration. The General Training version is for test takers who want to work, train, study at a secondary school or migrate to an English-speaking country.
The difference between the Academic and General Training versions is the content, context and purpose of the tasks. All other features, such as timing allocation, length of written responses and reporting of scores, are the same.
IELTS Academic and General Training both incorporate the following features:
IELTS test structure.
Modules.
There are two modules of the IELTS:
There's also a separate test offered by the IELTS test partners, called IELTS Life Skills:
The four parts of the IELTS test.
The test total time is: 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Listening, Reading and Writing are completed in one sitting. The Speaking test may be taken on the same day or up to seven days before or after the other tests.
All test takers take the same Listening and Speaking tests, while the Reading and Writing tests differ depending on whether the test taker is taking the Academic or General Training versions of the test.
Listening.
The module comprises four sections, with ten questions in each section. It takes 40 minutes: 30 - for testing, plus 10 for transferring the answers to an answer sheet.
Sections 1 and 2 are about every day, social situations.
Sections 3 and 4 are about educational and training situations
Each section begins with a short introduction telling the test taker about the situation and the speakers. Then they have some time to look through the questions. The questions are in the same order as the information in the recording, so the answer to the first question will be before the answer to the second question, and so on. The first three sections have a break in the middle allowing test takers to look at the remaining questions. Each section is heard only once.
At the end of the test students are given 10 minutes to transfer their answers to an answer sheet. Test takers will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.
Reading.
The Reading paper has three sections and texts totalling 2,150-2,750 words. There will be a variety of question types, such as multiple-choice, short-answer questions, identifying information, identifying writer's views, labelling diagrams, completing a summary using words taken from the text and matching information/headings/features in the text/sentence endings. Test takers should be careful when writing down their answers as they will lose marks for incorrect spelling and grammar.
Texts in IELTS Academic
Texts in IELTS General Training
Writing.
The Writing paper has two tasks which must both be completed. In task 1 test takers write at least 150 words in about 20 minutes. In task 2 test takers write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. Test takers will be penalised if their answer is too short or does not relate to the topic. Answers should be written in full sentences (test takers must not use notes or bullet points).
IELTS Academic
IELTS General Training
Speaking.
The speaking test is a face-to-face interview between the test taker and an examiner.
The speaking test contains three sections.
Scoring.
Test takers receive a score for each test component – Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The individual scores are then averaged and rounded to produce an Overall Band Score.
Band scale.
There is no pass or fail. IELTS is scored on a nine-band scale, with each band corresponding to a specified competence in English. Overall Band Scores are reported to the nearest half band.
The following rounding convention applies: if the average across the four skills ends in .25, it is rounded up to the next half band, and if it ends in .75, it is rounded up to the next whole band.
The nine bands are described as follows:
Conversion table.
This table can be used to convert raw scores (out of 40) to band scores (out of 9). This helps test takers understand how many correct answers they need to achieve a particular band score. This chart is a guide only because sometimes the scores adjust slightly depending on how difficult the test is.
Results.
For a computer-delivered test, results are released between 3–5 days. For a paper-based test, a Test Report Form is posted to test takers 13 days after their test. It shows:
Test takers receive one copy of their Test Report Form, apart from test takers who are applying to the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) or UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) who receive two copies.
Test Report Forms are valid for two years.
Locations and test dates.
Test takers can take IELTS in more than 140 countries and in over 1,600 locations.
There are up to 48 test dates available per year. Each test centre offers tests up to four times a month depending on local demand. The Academic version is available on all 48 dates per year and the General Training version is available on 24 dates.
There used to be a minimum time limit of 90 days before which a person was not allowed to retake the test. However this restriction has been withdrawn and currently there is no limit for applicants to retake the test.
Global test scores.
In 2019, approximately 77% of test takers took the Academic version and 23% of test takers took the General Training version. The average overall score in the Academic version was 6.04 for male test takers and 6.10 for female test takers. In the General Training version, it was 6.57 for male test takers and 6.63 female test takers.
Countries with highest average scores (Academic).
In 2019, of the 40 most common places of origin, the countries ranked in the top five for mean band scores for the Academic IELTS test were:
Countries with highest average scores (General Training).
In 2018, of the 40 most common places of origin, the countries ranked in the top five for mean band scores for the General Training IELTS test were:
Results by first language of test taker (Academic).
In 2019, of the 40 most common self-reported first language backgrounds, the countries ranked in the top five in the Academic IELTS test were from test takers whose first languages were:
Results by first language of test taker (General Training).
In 2019, of the 40 most common self-reported first language backgrounds, the countries ranked in the top five in the General Training IELTS test were from test takers whose first languages were:
Level required by academic institutions for admission.
Just over half (51%) of test takers take IELTS to enter higher education in a foreign country. The IELTS minimum scores required by academic institutions and by course vary. As a general rule, the top ranked universities in the United States tend to require a higher IELTS band (typically 7.0). Most universities accept scores between 6-7 as being suitable for undergraduate study in English.
IELTS is used by over 9,000 educational institutions worldwide. This section provides just a few examples of IELTS requirements in different countries. Full details about the organizations which accept IELTS and the scores they require can be found on the IELTS Global Recognition System.
United States.
IELTS is accepted by over 3,000 U.S. institutions. The highest IELTS Band required by a university is 8.5, by the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.
Most top ranked U.S. universities, as listed by the TES 2015 World University Rankings, require a minimum score of around 7.0. For example:
United Kingdom.
Most top ranked UK universities, as listed by the THE 2020 World University Rankings, require a minimum score of 6.5-7.0. For example:
Canada.
Most top ranked Canadian universities, as listed by the TES 2015 World University Rankings, require a minimum score of 6.5 with a minimum subscore of 6.0 for each individual part.
Australia.
Most top ranked Australian universities, as listed by the TES 2015 World University Rankings, require a minimum score of approximately 6.5. For example:
Along with the universities, the test results are directly relevant for applying a student Visa (Subclass 500). The candidates need at least an IELTS score of 5.5. The precise requirements depend on the university.
Non-native English speaking countries.
Most top ranked universities in non-native English speaking countries, as listed by the TES 2015 World University Rankings, require a minimum score between 6.0-7.0 For example:
IELTS use for immigration purposes.
A number of Commonwealth countries use IELTS scores as a proof of prospective immigrants' competence in English.
Australia.
Australia's immigration authorities have used IELTS to assess English proficiency of prospective migrants since May 1998, when this test replaced the access: test that had been previously used.
There are different IELTS score requirements for different types of visa.
New Zealand.
New Zealand has used the IELTS test since 1995. There are different IELTS score requirements for different types of visa and type of applicant.
Originally, applicants who could not achieve the required score could pay a NZ$20,000 fee instead, which would be fully or partially refunded later if the migrant were able to successfully take the test within a certain period (3 to 12 months) after his or her arrival to the country. A few years later, the policy was changed: the fee was reduced, and, instead of being potentially refundable, it became treated as a "pre-purchase" of post-arrival ESL tuition.
Canada.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) uses IELTS and/or TEF as evidence of one's ability to communicate in English and/or French. The CELPIP (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program) test scores are an alternative to IELTS.
The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) are the national standards used in Canada for describing, measuring and recognizing the English language proficiency of prospective immigrants. The following table shows the IELTS scores needed for each CLB level.
There are different language requirements for different types of immigration program as shown below:
Submitting one's IELTS scores is also one of the several ways to prove one's proficiency in an official language when applying for Canadian citizenship (minimum of CLB level 4 required).
United Kingdom.
On 6 April 2015, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) changed its English language requirements for UK visa and immigration applications. IELTS tests are now one of only two exams included on the UK government list of Secure English Language Tests (SELTs).
IELTS assesses all four language skills and is accepted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) at levels B1 to C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
A new test, IELTS Life Skills, assesses Speaking and Listening at CEFR level A1 and at CEFR Level B1. IELTS Life Skills can be used to meet the English language requirements for some classes of visa application, including 'family of a settled person' visas and indefinite leave and citizenship.
To be used for visa and immigration purposes, IELTS and IELTS Life Skills must be taken in test centres approved by the UKVI.
For UK visa purposes the test is designed to meet certain administrative requirements specified by UKVI. These Test Report Forms are slightly different, to show that the test taker has taken the test at an IELTS UKVI session. The actual test taken is the same – same content, examiners, format, level of difficulty, scoring and so on.


La Vie nouvelle

A New Life (French: La Vie nouvelle) is a 2002 French experimental film directed by Philippe Grandrieux and starring Zachary Knighton and Anna Mouglalis.
Plot.
The story involves a young American who falls obsessively in love with a mysterious courtesan named Melania against the backdrop of a dilapidated Eastern European landscape.


Amorfon

Amorfon is a Japanese experimental music record label, located in Tokyo. Founded in 2004 by Yoshio Machida. Amorfon releases experimental and avant-garde music from all genres - from Electronica to World music.


Roll hardness tester

A roll hardness tester is a device to measure the roll hardness, hardness profile and hardness variation of paper rolls.
Method.
In the preparation phase, the plunger, guide bar and guide disk are pushed forward by the compression spring. At the end of the movement the hammer mass is hooked by the pawl. During the loading phase the hammer is pushed towards the surface in a controlled movement. The hammer mass remains locked in place by the pawl. This has the effect of stretching the impact spring to put it under tension.
Impact Rebound: At the very end of the movement, the pawl spring releases the hammer mass. The impact spring contracts causing the hammer mass to strike against the plunger. This is the impact. The hammer mass then rebounds back to the body of the hammer and distance travelled is recorded on the scale.
The rebound distance depends directly on the hardness of the roll under test:
A softer roll will absorb more of the impact energy and the rebound distance will be less.
A harder roll will reflect more of the impact energy and the rebound distance will increase.
Application.
Roll hardness is one of the most important parameters when deciding whether a paper roll is good or bad. A roll that is wound too softly can go out of round when handled. A roll that is wound too hard, on the other hand, can crack during transportation. These variations are difficult to detect. Above all, it is typically the variation in hardness across a given roll that relates most directly to such converting issues with soft edges being perhaps the biggest contributor.


Ritual Productions

Ritual Productions is a London-based independent record label launched in 2010.
Biography.
On the summer solstice of 2010, Ritual put out their first release, Ramesses' "Take the Curse". The album artwork features images by Jake and Dinos Chapman of their work "Fucking Hell", from the 2008 "If Hitler Had Been a Hippy How Happy Would We Be" exhibition at London's White Cube Gallery. Additionally, Ramesses have released the following albums on Ritual Productions: "Chrome Pineal", "Possessed By The Rise Of Magik" (with the LP featuring remixes from Justin Broadrick) and re-issues of "We Will Lead You to Glorious Times," "The Tomb", and "Misanthropic Alchemy".
Drone rock band Bong have too released numerous albums with Ritual Productions: "We Are, We Were and We Will Have Been", "Beyond Ancient Space", "Mana-Yood Shushai", "Stoner Rock", "Thought and Existence" and a re-issue of the band’s rare debut "S/T", which came with a previously unreleased bonus track.
During 2013, Ritual released "Superunnatural" by new psychedelic rock group 11PARANOIAS, followed by "Spectralbeastiaries" in 2014 and "Stealing Fire From Heaven" in 2015. The band released their latest full-length, "Reliquary For A Dreamed Of World" in October 2016. The LP and CD formats for "Reliquary For A Dreamed Of World" came with a ‘Multi-Dimensional Paranoid Vision Key’ – based on the RGB colour model, a set of three coloured filters reveals different layers to the album artwork. 2019 saw the band release a new album, 'Asterismal', with artwork courtesy of contemporary British artist Toby Ziegler.
2015 saw heavy rock improv duo GHOLD release ‘Of Ruin’ – their debut on Ritual Productions. A second full-length for Ritual Productions, PYR, was released in 2016 and included an expanded line-up with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Oliver Martin.
2016 further saw three new bands, and their subsequent releases, added to the Ritual Productions roster. The Poisoned Glass from Seattle/Atlanta, consisting of Edgy59 and G. Stuart Dahlquist, released their debut album "10 SWORDS"; Horse Latitudes from Helsinki released "Primal Gnosis" – their first on the Ritual Productions label - and NYC's Thralldom released their first music in over a decade, titled "Time Will Bend Into Horror", the latter being only available on digital formats.
New band, Ancient Lights, signed to Ritual Productions in summer 2017. The band is composed of Adam Richardson (11PARANOIAS, Ramesses), Ben Carr (INTRCPTR, 5ive) and Tim Bertilsson (Switchblade). The band met in the early 2000s whilst playing shows together, eventually recording their debut album in North London during 2017.
In 2018, Ritual Productions announced the signing of Drug Cult, a four-piece occultist doom collective hailing from Mullumbimby, Australia. The band's debut rite was released in June 2018.
2019 saw the label re-release Brazilian band Basalt's debut album, 'O Coração Negro da Terra' on digital formats. The album has been exclusively remastered by labelmate Adam Richardson (11PARANOIAS, Ancient Lights, Ramesses).
Ritual Productions further released the album by Italian psychedelic black/doom metal trio,'Salbrox' in May 2019.
In collaboration with Diagonal Records, Ritual Productions released electronic noise artist Viviankrist's 2019 LP 'Cross Modulation'.
2020 saw Ritual Productions release Basalt's new album, 'Silêncio Como Respiração', their first full-length for the label. The year further included the release of Viviankrist's 'Cross Modulation - Bootleg Remixes' and a cassette tape boxset comprising four Viviankrist albums; 'Live in Studio 2018', 'Pop Incentive', 'Heavy Sleep' and 'Alabaster White'.
Ritual Productions sees all of its releases as serious artistic processes which deserve and get the utmost care and attention to detail, only releasing the best quality products.
To date, 5 Ritual Productions artists have appeared at the esteemed Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands.
Discography.
Ritual Production's catalogue is available for order or digital download.


CAPLE

CAPLE (Centro de Avaliação de Português Língua Estrangeira or Centre for Evaluation of Portuguese as a Foreign Language) is a certificate of proficiency in Standard European Portuguese as a second language offered in Portugal and 45 other countries and territories. The official CAPLE examinations and certificates/diplomas are developed, delivered, and accredited by a tri-partite collaboration in Portugal between the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Lisbon and the Instituto Camões, which administers the examination procedures on behalf of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Eligibility.
To take the test, applicants must be at least 14 years of age, be a national of a country where Portuguese is not an official language, or, if they are from a country whose official language is Portuguese, they must meet two of the following conditions:
Levels.
CAPLE exams take place in May, July, and November in all testing centres, in addition to February, March, August, September, and October in Lisbon only. CAPLE exams are offered at six levels; however, there are a few places that may not offer the ACESSO level.
Test Format.
There are four parts of evaluation in every level that tests all four major language abilities - reading, writing, listening, and speaking. There is also an additional part called "Competência Estrutural" that appears on only the DIPLE, DAPLE, and DUPLE tests. The weight and amount of time allocated for each section varies by level.
Scoring.
The minimum passing mark to receive the certificate or diploma for any test is 55%. Four categories of results dictate how well a candidate does.
Recognition.
CAPLE certificates/diplomas do not expire over time and are recognized across Portugal by various national and international institutions for the benefit of foreigners looking to:
See also.
CELPE-Bras - Exam of Brazilian Portuguese for Foreigners developed by the Brazilian Ministry of Education
TELC - The European Language Certificates (Portuguese available at Level B1 only)


Scituate Proving Ground

Scituate Proving Ground was a proving ground of the United States Army located in Scituate, Massachusetts. It became operational in 1918, when 115.25 acres were purchased between June and July. In November 1919 the site was declared excess, and it was used as a storing ground until June 1921. During its brief period of operation it was intended to proof fire the production of 155mm and 240mm howitzer carriages that were built elsewhere in Massachusetts. The proving grounds in Scituate did not have the ability to test the projectiles or fuses, so it was used to test cartridge cases, primer and powder. The grounds had its own heating and power plants as well as a garrison of 10 officers and 130 enlisted men. Recently, the site was used for housing, although former structures dating from the use of the grounds could be seen up until 2018, when the Toll Brothers began to develop the site. Toll Brothers plans to build "Seaside at Scituate", which will have 142 townhouses in a condo setting for people 55 years and older when completed.


White Hole (film)

 is a 1979 Japanese experimental film by Toshio Matsumoto. The music was composed by Joji Yuasa.
Summary.
A mesmerizing trip through the psychedelic vastness of space.