title: Brilliant Legacy

text: Eun-sung asked for help from several of her friends, including Hyung-jin, who avoided her because she was no longer rich. She managed to find a job at a nightclub with the help of her friend, Hye-ri. At the nightclub, Eun-sung met Hyung-jin's upperclassman, Park Joon-se (Bae Soo-bin), who was shocked to see her working there. She also met Hwan, who caused her to lose contact with Eun-woo. Realizing that Eun-woo was missing, Eun-sung was devastated and tried searching for her brother but to no avail. With the help of Hye-ri and Joon-se, Eun-sung rented a small room and started a small dumplings stall while continuing her search for Eun-woo.


title: Brilliant Legacy

text: Meanwhile, Sook-ja became deeply disappointed in her grandson as Hwan had no direction in life and did not know how to cherish her company and employees. While pondering over what to do about her grandson, Sook-ja visited a neighborhood that she used to live in when she was poor and encountered Eun-sung, who was selling dumplings. Sook-ja encountered an accident and received help from Eun-sung. Seeing that Eun-sung tried her best to take care of her even when she could not afford her own daily expenses, Sook-ja was touched by Eun-sung's compassion. She brought Eun-sung home, then announced to her family that Eun-sung was going to live with them and that she was going to appoint Eun-sung as the heir of her food company, if she could raise the profits of the sinking second branch by 20%.


title: Brilliant Legacy

text: A Chinese remake titled "My Splendid Life" (我的灿烂人生 "Wo De Can Lan Ren Sheng") starring Jerry Yan and Yedda Chen aired on Dragon TV in 2011.


title: Ladder operator

text: In linear algebra (and its application to quantum mechanics), a raising or lowering operator (collectively known as ladder operators) is an operator that increases or decreases the eigenvalue of another operator. In quantum mechanics, the raising operator is sometimes called the creation operator, and the lowering operator the annihilation operator. Well-known applications of ladder operators in quantum mechanics are in the formalisms of the quantum harmonic oscillator and angular momentum.


title: Ladder operator

text: There is some confusion regarding the relationship between the raising and lowering ladder operators and the creation and annihilation operators commonly used in quantum field theory. The creation operator "a" increments the number of particles in state "i", while the corresponding annihilation operator "a" decrements the number of particles in state "i". This clearly satisfies the requirements of the above definition of a ladder operator: the incrementing or decrementing of the eigenvalue of another operator (in this case the particle number operator).


title: Ladder operator

text: Confusion arises because the term "ladder operator" is typically used to describe an operator that acts to increment or decrement a quantum number describing the state of a system. To change the state of a particle with the creation/annihilation operators of QFT requires the use of "both" an annihilation operator to remove a particle from the initial state "and" a creation operator to add a particle to the final state.


title: Ladder operator

text: The term "ladder operator" is also sometimes used in mathematics, in the context of the theory of Lie algebras and in particular the affine Lie algebras, to describe the su(2) subalgebras, from which the root system and the highest weight modules can be constructed by means of the ladder operators. In particular, the highest weight is annihilated by the raising operators; the rest of the positive root space is obtained by repeatedly applying the lowering operators (one set of ladder operators per subalgebra).


title: Ladder operator

text: In other words, if formula_2 is an eigenstate of "N" with eigenvalue "n" then formula_7 is an eigenstate of "N" with eigenvalue "n" + "c" or it is zero. The operator "X" is a "raising operator" for "N" if "c" is real and positive, and a "lowering operator" for "N" if "c" is real and negative.


title: Ladder operator

text: If "N" is a Hermitian operator then "c" must be real and the Hermitian adjoint of "X" obeys the commutation relation:


title: Ladder operator

text: In particular, if "X" is a lowering operator for "N" then "X" is a raising operator for "N" and vice versa.


title: Ladder operator

text: A particular application of the ladder operator concept is found in the quantum mechanical treatment of angular momentum. For a general angular momentum vector, J, with components, "J", "J" and "J" one defines the two ladder operators, "J" and "J",


title: Ladder operator

text: The commutation relation between the cartesian components of "any" angular momentum operator is given by


title: Ladder operator

text: where "ε" is the Levi-Civita symbol and each of "i", "j" and "k" can take any of the values "x", "y" and "z".


title: Ladder operator

text: The properties of the ladder operators can be determined by observing how they modify the action of the "J" operator on a given state,


title: Ladder operator

text: This illustrates the defining feature of ladder operators in quantum mechanics: the incrementing (or decrementing) of a quantum number, thus mapping one quantum state onto another. This is the reason that they are often known as raising and lowering operators.


title: Ladder operator

text: To obtain the values of "α" and "β" first take the norm of each operator, recognizing that "J" and "J" are a Hermitian conjugate pair (formula_21),


title: Ladder operator

text: The phases of "α" and "β" are not physically significant, thus they can be chosen to be positive and real (Condon-Shortley phase convention). We then have:


title: Ladder operator

text: Many terms in the Hamiltonians of atomic or molecular systems involve the scalar product of angular momentum operators. An example is the magnetic dipole term in the hyperfine Hamiltonian,


title: Ladder operator

text: The angular momentum algebra can often be simplified by recasting it in the spherical basis. Using the notation of spherical tensor operators, the "-1", "0" and "+1" components of J ≡ J are given by,


title: Ladder operator

text: The significance of this expansion is that it clearly indicates which states are coupled by this term in the Hamiltonian, that is those with quantum numbers differing by "m" = ±1 and "m" = ∓1 "only".


title: Ladder operator

text: Another application of the ladder operator concept is found in the quantum mechanical treatment of the harmonic oscillator. We can define the lowering and raising operators as


title: Ladder operator

text: They provide a convenient means to extract energy eigenvalues without directly solving the system's differential equation.


title: Ladder operator

text: There are two main approaches given in the literature using ladder operators, one using the Laplace–Runge–Lenz vector, another using factorization


title: Ladder operator

text: Another application of the ladder operator concept is found in the quantum mechanical treatment of the electronic energy of hydrogen-like atoms and ions.


title: Ladder operator

text: The Laplace–Runge–Lenz vector commutes with the Hamiltonian for an inverse square spherically symmetric potential and can be used to determine ladder operators


title: Ladder operator

text: where formula_38 is the angular momentum, formula_39 is the linear momentum, formula_40 is the reduced mass of the system, formula_41 is the electronic charge, and formula_42 is the atomic number of the nucleus.


title: Ladder operator

text: one obtains (assuming formula_53 is the maximum value of the angular momentum quantum number consonant with all other conditions),


title: Ladder operator

text: for scalars formula_70 and formula_71. The vector formula_72 may be evaluated in two different ways as


title: Ladder operator

text: The degeneracy of the energy levels for the same value of formula_57 but different angular momenta has been identified as the SO(4) symmetry of the spherically symmetric Coulomb potential.


title: Ladder operator

text: There is degeneracy caused from angular momentum; there is additional degeneracy caused by the oscillator potential.


title: Ladder operator

text: The degeneracies of the 3D isotropic harmonic oscillator are related to the special unitary group SU(3)


title: Ladder operator

text: Many sources credit Dirac with the invention of ladder operators. Dirac's use of the ladder operators shows that the total angular momentum quantum number formula_118 needs to be a non-negative "half" integer multiple of .


title: ACARS

text: In aviation, ACARS (; an acronym for Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System) is a digital datalink system for transmission of short messages between aircraft and ground stations via airband radio or satellite. The protocol was designed by ARINC and deployed in 1978, using the Telex format. More ACARS radio stations were added subsequently by SITA.


title: ACARS

text: Prior to the introduction of datalink in aviation, all communication between the aircraft and ground personnel was performed by the flight crew using voice communication, using either VHF or HF voice radios. In many cases, the voice-relayed information involved dedicated radio operators and digital messages sent to an airline teletype system or successor systems.


title: ACARS

text: Further, the hourly rates for flight and cabin crew salaries depended on whether the aircraft was airborne or not, and if on the ground whether it was at the gate or not. The flight crews reported these times by voice to geographically dispersed radio operators. Airlines wanted to eliminate self-reported times to preclude inaccuracies, whether accidental or deliberate. Doing so also reduced the need for human radio operators to receive the reports.


title: ACARS

text: In an effort to reduce crew workload and improve data integrity, the engineering department at ARINC introduced the ACARS system in July 1978, as an automated time clock system. Teledyne Controls produced the avionics and the launch customer was Piedmont Airlines. The original expansion of the abbreviation was "Arinc Communications Addressing and Reporting System". Later, it was changed to "Aircraft Communications, Addressing and Reporting System". The original avionics standard was ARINC 597, which defined an ACARS Management Unit consisting of discrete inputs for the doors, parking brake and weight on wheels sensors to automatically determine the flight phase and generate and send as telex messages. It also contained a MSK modem, which was used to transmit the reports over existing VHF voice radios. Global standards for ACARS were prepared by the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC). The first day of ACARS operations saw about 4,000 transactions, but it did not experience widespread use by the major airlines until the 1980s.


title: ACARS

text: Early ACARS systems were extended over the years to support aircraft with digital data bus interfaces, flight management systems, and printers.


title: ACARS

text: ACARS as a term refers to the complete air and ground system, consisting of equipment on board, equipment on the ground, and a service provider.


title: ACARS

text: On-board ACARS equipment consists of end systems with a router, which routes messages through the air-ground subnetwork.


title: ACARS

text: Ground equipment is made up of a network of radio transceivers managed by a central site computer called AFEPS (Arinc Front End Processor System), which handles and routes messages. Generally, ground ACARS units are either government agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration, an airline operations headquarters, or, for small airlines or general aviation, a third-party subscription service. Usually government agencies are responsible for clearances, while airline operations handle gate assignments, maintenance, and passenger needs.


title: ACARS

text: Ground system provision is the responsibility of either a participating air navigation service provider (ANSP) or an aircraft operator. Aircraft operators often contract out the function to either datalink service provider (DSP) or to a separate service provider. Messages from aircraft, especially automatically generated ones, can be pre-configured according to message type so that they are automatically delivered to the appropriate recipient just as ground-originated messages can be configured to reach the correct aircraft.


title: ACARS

text: The ACARS equipment on the aircraft is linked to that on the ground by the DSP. Because the ACARS network is modeled after the point-to-point telex network, all messages come to a central processing location to be routed. ARINC and SITA are the two primary service providers, with smaller operations from others in some areas. Some areas have multiple service providers.


title: ACARS

text: Control messages are used to communicate between the aircraft and its base, with messages either standardized according to ARINC Standard 633, or user-defined in accordance with ARINC Standard 618. The contents of such messages can be OOOI events, flight plans, weather information, equipment health, status of connecting flights, etc.


title: ACARS

text: A major function of ACARS is to automatically detect and report the start of each major flight phase, called OOOI events in the industry (out of the gate, off the ground, on the ground, and into the gate). These OOOI events are detected using input from aircraft sensors mounted on doors, parking brakes, and struts. At the start of each flight phase, an ACARS message is transmitted to the ground describing the flight phase, the time at which it occurred, and other related information such as the amount of fuel on board or the flight origin and destination. These messages are used to track the status of aircraft and crews.


title: ACARS

text: ACARS interfaces with flight management systems (FMS), acting as the communication system for flight plans and weather information to be sent from the ground to the FMS. This enables the airline to update the FMS while in flight, and allows the flight crew to evaluate new weather conditions or alternative flight plans.


title: ACARS

text: ACARS is used to send information from the aircraft to ground stations about the conditions of various aircraft systems and sensors in real-time. Maintenance faults and abnormal events are also transmitted to ground stations along with detailed messages, which are used by the airline for monitoring equipment health, and to better plan repair and maintenance activities.


title: ACARS

text: Automated ping messages are used to test an aircraft's connection with the communication station. In the event that the aircraft ACARS unit has been silent for longer than a preset time interval, the ground station can ping the aircraft (directly or via satellite). A ping response indicates a healthy ACARS communication.


title: ACARS

text: ACARS interfaces with interactive display units in the cockpit, which flight crews can use to send and receive technical messages and reports to or from ground stations, such as a request for weather information or clearances or the status of connecting flights. The response from the ground station is received on the aircraft via ACARS as well. Each airline customizes ACARS to this role to suit its needs.


title: ACARS

text: ACARS messages may be sent using a choice of communication methods, such as VHF or HF, either direct to ground or via satellite, using minimum-shift keying (MSK) modulation.


title: ACARS

text: ACARS can send messages over VHF if a VHF ground station network exists in the current area of the aircraft. VHF communication is line-of-sight propagation and the typical range is up to 200 nautical miles at high altitudes. Where VHF is absent, an HF network or satellite communication may be used if available. Satellite coverage may be limited at high latitudes (trans-polar flights).


title: ACARS

text: In the wake of the crash of Air France Flight 447 in 2009, there was discussion about making ACARS an "online-black-box" to reduce the effects of the loss of a flight recorder. However no changes were made to the ACARS system.


title: ACARS

text: In March 2014, ACARS messages and Doppler analysis of ACARS satellite communication data played a very significant role in efforts to trace Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 to an approximate location. While the primary ACARS system on board MH370 had been switched off, a second ACARS system called Classic Aero was active as long as the plane was powered up, and kept trying to establish a connection to an Inmarsat satellite every hour.


title: ACARS

text: The ACARS unit on the Airbus A320 of EgyptAir Flight 804 sent ACARS messages indicating the presence of smoke in toilets and the avionics bay prior to the aircraft's crash into the Mediterranean Sea on May 19, 2016, which killed all 66 persons on board.


title: ACARS

text: On 24 February 2021 the ACARS unit of a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport to Brussels sent an ACARS message about an “alpha floor event”, which was activated when the Airbus A340-600's envelope protection system activated to override the pilots to prevent the plane from stalling on take-off.


title: ACARS

text: In 2002, ACARS was added to the NOAA Observing System Architecture. Thus commercial aircraft can act as weather data providers for weather agencies to use in their forecast models, sending meteorological observations like winds and temperatures over the ACARS network. NOAA provides real-time weather maps.


title: Long Island Medium

text: Long Island Medium is an American reality television series starring Theresa Caputo, a self-professed medium who claims she can communicate with the dead. Much of the program, which premiered on September 25, 2011, takes place in Hicksville, New York, though it often follows Caputo as she meets with clients in other areas.


title: Long Island Medium

text: Scientific skeptics say mediumship performances are a con, and Caputo's specific claims have been deemed fictitious by critics including magician James Randi, "Inside Edition". and "Jezebel".


title: Long Island Medium

text: Each episode focuses on Caputo as she conducts private and group readings with both believers and skeptics. Her husband Larry and two children, Victoria and Larry Jr., have learned to live with her mediumship. In a 2011 interview, Caputo claimed she could communicate with dead people: "Things are just there. When I was younger I used to actually see images and hear things. As I got older and shut down, it has changed. Because it was frightening to see people standing there who actually weren't there."


title: Long Island Medium

text: Scientific skeptics say mediumship performances are a con, and that Caputo's seemingly paranormal performances are simply the result of well-known exploits like the Forer effect, cold reading, selective editing of the show, and her subjects' eagerness to believe.


title: Long Island Medium

text: In 2012, the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) awarded Caputo its Pigasus Award for being, in its view, the "psychic" performer who fooled the greatest number of people with the least effort in the preceding year. A Pigasus award was also given to TLC for continuing to air the show. In an article published by Wired Magazine the organization's founder James Randi explained why he believed shows like "Long Island Medium" were deceptive and potentially harmful to its participants:


title: Long Island Medium

text: In June of that year, Caputo appeared in a commercial for Priceline.com in which she portrayed herself "connecting" with the late Priceline Negotiator character previously played by William Shatner. JREF President DJ Grothe issued a statement asking Priceline.com to prove that Caputo has the abilities that she claims to possess.


title: Long Island Medium

text: "Inside Edition" examined Caputo's claims of being able to talk to the dead and found them lacking as she performed live, saying they "watched her strike out time and again." Mark Edward, who used to portray himself as a medium, gave his opinion that Caputo does not have supernatural powers and explained several common techniques she could be using to pretend to have such abilities. She responded in a statement: "I respect and understand skeptics. I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone, that's not why I do what I do. I feel, and have been told by my clients, that my gift has really helped them, and that's all that matters to me."


title: Long Island Medium

text: Ron Tebo, proprietor of the YouTube debunking channel SciFake, has argued that Caputo engages in several forms of deception, including sending staff members to interview audience members in advance to acquire knowledge to claim communication with the dead.


title: Long Island Medium

text: In March 2018, skeptical activist Susan Gerbic published an article in "Skeptical Inquirer" summarizing several techniques that she says are used by psychics such as Caputo to achieve their effects.


title: Long Island Medium

text: While noting that Caputo's claim of special powers "has been questioned", "Variety"'s Gregg Goldstein described her in generally positive terms in a 2012 article, writing, "In an era of hit reality shows about families and denizens of New Jersey, the series' equally big selling point is the dynamic with her husband and two wisecracking teenagers, making it play like a combination of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" and "Bewitched" – particularly when their frustrations surface over her random communications with what she calls 'Spirit.


title: Long Island Medium

text: In a 2019 segment of "Last Week Tonight", which featured Caputo as well as other prominent TV psychics, John Oliver criticized the media for producing shows such as this because they convince viewers that psychic powers are real, and so enable neighborhood psychics to prey on grieving families. Oliver said, "...when psychic abilities are presented as authentic, it emboldens a vast underworld of unscrupulous vultures, more than happy to make money by offering an open line to the afterlife, as well as many other bullshit services."


title: Thomas Wilson Brown

text: Thomas Wilson Brown (born December 27, 1972) is an American actor, who began his career at the age of 11 by playing "Augie" in the western film "Silverado".


title: Thomas Wilson Brown

text: The son of a cattle rancher and rodeo queen, Brown received his first role by answering a small advertisement in a local Santa Fe, New Mexico, newspaper, which was looking for a young boy who could ride a horse.


title: Thomas Wilson Brown

text: After the completion of "Silverado", Brown worked in a number of films during his teenage years . He is known for his roles as "Jason Lochner" in the television drama "Knots Landing", his notable film role as "Little Russ Thompson" in "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", and for his co-starring role in "Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael".


title: Thomas Wilson Brown

text: In 1993, Brown appeared on "Beverly Hills, 90210" (episode "The Game is Chicken") as the rebellious character Joe. He also had some appearances in TV series like "CSI", "Daybreak", "Nash Bridges", and "Walker, Texas Ranger". He also played a small role in the 2007 Steven Seagal movie "Urban Justice". Smaller roles include "Our House (1986 TV series)".


title: Thomas Wilson Brown

text: In addition to acting, Brown has become a film industry writer, director, and producer, as a co-managing member and co-owner of the independent film production company "Thunder Basin Pictures".


title: Samoyedic languages

text: The Samoyedic () or Samoyed languages () are spoken around the Ural Mountains, in northernmost Eurasia, by approximately 60,000 people altogether. They derive from a common ancestral language called Proto-Samoyedic, and form a branch of the Uralic languages. Having separated perhaps in the last centuries BC, they are not a diverse group of languages, and are traditionally considered to be an outgroup, branching off first from the other Uralic languages.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: The term "Samoyedic" is derived from the Russian term "samoyed" () for some indigenous peoples of Siberia. The term has come to be considered derogatory because it has been interpreted by some ethnologists as originating from Russian "samo-yed" meaning 'self-eater', i.e. 'cannibal'.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: An earlier ethnologist had rejected this etymology, and instead traced the term's origin to the expression "saam-edne", meaning the Land of the Sami peoples.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: Traditionally, Samoyedic languages and peoples have been divided into two major areal groups: Northern Samoyedic (Nenets, Yurats, Enets, Nganasans), and Southern Samoyedic (Selkups) with a further subgroup of Sayan-Samoyedics (Kamasins, Mators) named after the Sayan Mountains. They are however purely geographical, and do not reflect linguistic relations.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: Linguistic genealogical classifications point to an early divergence of Nganasan and (perhaps to a lesser degree) Mator, with Enets–Nenets–Yurats and Kamas–Selkup forming internal branches.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: Samoyedic languages are primarily agglutinative. They have postpositions and suffixes and do not use articles or prefixes. Samoyedic languages also have grammatical evidentiality. Word order in Samoyedic languages is typically subject-object-verb (SOV). Below are two sentences in Nenets that demonstrate SOV word order and case in Samoyedic languages:


title: Samoyedic languages

text: Nouns in Samoyedic languages do not have gender, but they are declined for number (singular, dual, and plural) as well as case. All Samoyedic languages have at least seven noun cases which may include nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, locative, instrumental, lative, and/or prolative depending on the language.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: Many Samoyedic languages have the following three conjugation types: subjective, objective (in which the number of the object is expressed in addition to that of the subject), and reflexive. Verbs in Samoyedic languages have several moods, ranging from at least eight in Selkup to at least sixteen in Nenets. Other forms of verbs that can be found in Samoyedic languages are gerunds, participles, and infinitives. Of the Samoyedic languages, only Selkup has verbal aspect.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: Sonorant-obstruent consonant clusters with two consonants, of which the latter consonant is more sonorous than the former, are the most frequently occurring consonant clusters in several Samoyedic languages. Conversely, consonant clusters ending in glides are not found in any Samoyedic languages.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: Vowel epenthesis is frequently used in Samoyedic languages to break up consonant clusters, particularly in the case of loanwords borrowed from Russian.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: Samoyedic languages have experienced significant language contact with Russian to such an extent that members of the Nenets, Selkup, Nganasan, and Enets ethnic groups now often have Russian as a first language, with speakers of Samoyedic languages primarily belonging to elder age groups.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: At present, Samoyed territory extends from the White Sea to the Laptev Sea, along the Arctic shores of European Russia, including southern Novaya Zemlya, the Yamal Peninsula, the mouths of the Ob and the Yenisei, and into the Taimyr peninsula in northernmost Siberia. They are contiguous with the trans-Ural Ugric speakers and the cis-Ural Komi to the south, but they are cut off from the Baltic Finns by the Russians in the west. To the east traditionally dwell the northern Turkic Sakha. A substantial Samoyed city grew up at Mangazeya in the 16th century as a trade city, but was destroyed at the beginning of the 17th century.


title: Samoyedic languages

text: The Southern Samoyedic languages, of which only the Selkup language has survived to the present day, historically ranged across a wide territory in central Siberia, extending from the basin of the Ob River in the west to the Sayan-Baikal uplands in the east. Records up to the 18th century sporadically report several further entities such as "Abakan", "Kagmasin", "Soyot", though there is no clear evidence for any of these constituting separate languages, and all available data appears to be explainable as these having been simply early forms of Kamassian or Mator.


The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated adventure musical film directed by Roy Allen Smith. It is the second installment and a sequel to the 1988 film "The Land Before Time". It was released six years after the original and was the first in the series to be a direct-to-video production.


title: The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure

text: Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike live a carefree life in the Great Valley under their families' watchful eyes. One day, the gang attempts to get to the sheltering grass to play, but land in the sinking sand surrounding it. The adults rescue them and chastise them for their recklessness. The next night, the children have a secret meeting and decide to prove their bravery and maturity by venturing into the Mysterious Beyond, a location outside the Valley that is inhabited by Sharpteeth. Before they leave, they notice two eggnappers, Ozzy and Strut, stealing an egg from the nest of Ducky's mother. The children pursue the intruders into the Mysterious Beyond. An ensuing landslide damages the Great Wall that surrounds the Valley and protects it from the Sharpteeth, and the stolen egg rolls safely back to the nest, but the group does not notice this in the confusion.


text: In the Mysterious Beyond, the group discover another, larger egg and mistake it for the original. The gang transports the egg into the Valley, and despite finding the original egg back in Ducky's nest, they decide to hatch it. The gang doesn't realize it's from another nest. The egg eventually hatches, revealing a baby Sharptooth. Although Littlefoot's friends are frightened off, Littlefoot quickly realizes that the baby Sharptooth is not yet dangerous, and decides to raise the newly christened "Chomper" as his parent. This task proves difficult as Chomper is not an herbivore, and Littlefoot has no experience raising a child. Ozzy and Strut appear to exact revenge on the group for foiling their earlier theft, but are driven away by Chomper's enlarged shadow, which they mistake for that of an adult Sharptooth. The rest of the gang meets Chomper and they accept him as part of the group until he hungrily bites Cera by accident. The group's knee-jerk reaction causes Chomper to run off in tears. The others follow him to a smoking mountain, where Ozzy and Strut attempt once more to attack the children, but are stopped when the mountain's eruption sends them plummeting down a canyon. After the group escapes, they encounter two adult Sharpteeth, who have managed to enter the Valley through the opening in the Great Wall. The whole Great Valley population drives the Sharpteeth off, and the children make it back to their families, but Chomper feels left out and runs away again.


text: The adults inquire as to how the Sharpteeth entered the Valley, prompting the children to explain the events that resulted in the landslide. The adults set off to put together a plan to close the opening for good, telling the children to stay behind. Littlefoot runs to the forest to find Chomper. After finding him, they are chased and cornered by the two Sharpteeth. Chomper roars at them, and they recognize him as their son and leave with him. Littlefoot is then kidnapped by Ozzy and Strut, who plan to throw him off the Great Wall. Chomper hears Littlefoot screaming and leads his parents to Littlefoot's location. Chomper's parents rescue Chomper from an attempted intervention, and inadvertently do the same thing for Littlefoot by chasing Ozzy and Strut back into the Mysterious Beyond. Littlefoot bids Chomper farewell as he follows his parents, and he returns to the Valley to assist the adults in sealing up the entrance between the Valley and the Mysterious Beyond. Following his experiences, Littlefoot tells his grandparents that being young is not so bad after all, but decides he still looks forward to growing up.


text: In July 1993, Universal Cartoon Studios announced that a direct-to-video sequel to "The Land Before Time" was in development. A release date was not set at that time.


text: This was the film that introduced the musical format to the series and every subsequent film has followed this style ever since. Even though the film features an original score by Michael Tavera, it contains musical cues from James Horner's score of the original film. Tavera has been the main music composer for the sequels ever since.


text: In 2011, "Total Film" ranked it as 7th among the "50 Worst Kids Movies". In August 2014, the "New York Post" ranked each of the 13 "Land Before Time" films released up to that point and placed "The Great Valley Adventure" at number 5. The "New York Post" wrote that out of each film, "The Great Valley Adventure" "does the best job of maintaining some of the darker tone of the original movie while broadening its humor for younger audiences. But it's also responsible for introducing the musical format, so, boo." The film received a nomination for "Best Animated Video Production" at the 23rd Annie Awards in 1995, losing to "The Gate to the Mind's Eye".


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks is a book about cocktails by David A. Embury, first published in 1948. The book is noteworthy for its witty, highly opinionated and conversational tone, as well as its categorization of cocktails into two main types: aromatic and sour; its categorization of ingredients into three categories: the base, modifying agents, and special flavorings and coloring agents; and its 1:2:8 ratio (1 part sweet, 2 parts sour, 8 parts base) for sour type cocktails.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: Embury stresses frequently that the drink will never be any better than the quality of the cheapest ingredient in it, and hence he stresses constantly the need for the highest quality spirits, liqueurs, cordials, and modifiers (fresh squeezed lemons, etc.). He also repeatedly stresses that a cocktail, in the classic sense (a before-dinner drink) should have no more than the slightest touch of sweetness to it, and deplores the use of drinks like the Brandy Alexander as pre-prandial cocktails, as they dull rather than sharpen the appetite. He does not denigrate sweet drinks as such, but rather points out that they are excellent after dinner or mid-afternoon drinks accompanying cake or chocolate cookies, but they are anathema as a "cocktail" before a large meal.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: In terms of IBA Official Cocktails, Embury describes classic Before-Dinner Cocktails, which whet the appetite, not other categories.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: The base is the principal ingredient of the cocktail. It is typically a single spirit such as rum, gin, or whiskey, and typically makes up 75 percent or more of the total volume of the cocktail before icing.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: The modifying agent is the ingredient that gives the cocktail its character. Its function is to soften the raw alcohol taste of the base while enhancing its natural flavor. Typical modifying agents are aromatic wines (such as vermouth) and spirits (such as Fernet Branca or Amer Picon), bitters, fruit juices and "smoothing agents" such as sugar, eggs, and cream.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: Special flavoring and coloring agents include liqueurs (such as Grand Marnier or Chartreuse), Cordials, bitters like Angostura Bitters, etc. and non-alcoholic flavored syrups (such as grenadine or orgeat syrup). These are typically used in place of simple syrup, and are to be used sparingly.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: Cocktails of the Sour Type use as modifying agents a fruit juice (typically, lemon or lime) and sugar. For these a ratio of 1 part sweet to 2 parts sour to 8 parts base is generally recommended. However, Embury makes it very clear that he thinks the idea that a drink "must" be made according to one exact recipe preposterous, and that the final arbiter is always "your" taste. He suggests trying different ratios, finding the one that is most pleasing to you, and sticking with it.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: Once one understands the basic components of each type of drink, new cocktails can be created by substituting a different base or modifying agent or by adding a special flavoring or coloring agent. A daiquiri, for example, is nothing more than a whiskey sour with rum substituted for whiskey as the base and lime juice substituted for lemon juice as a modifying agent. An entire chapter of the book ("Roll Your Own") is dedicated to this premise.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: Embury's six basic drinks are the Daiquiri, the Jack Rose, the Manhattan, the Martini, the Old Fashioned, and the Sidecar. Embury's preferred recipe for each is:


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: Shake vigorously with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon, if desired.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, twist lemon peel over the top and serve garnished with an olive, preferably one stuffed with any kind of nut. Embury also states that sherry is a nice substitute for vermouth.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: In an old-fashioned glass, add bitters to simple syrup and stir. Add about 1 ounce of whiskey and stir again. Add two cubes of cracked, but not crushed, ice and top off with the rest of the whiskey. Twist lemon peel over the top and serve garnished with the lemon peel and a maraschino cherry.


title: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

text: The book gained immediate popularity and quickly became one of the most referenced and cited cocktail books. In modern times, the book has been described as "famous" and a "Bible" for crafting cocktails.


title: Essex girl

text: Essex girl, as a pejorative stereotype in the United Kingdom, applies to a woman viewed as promiscuous and unintelligent, characteristics jocularly attributed to women from the county of Essex. It is applied widely throughout the country and has gained popularity over time, dating from the 1980s and 1990s.


title: Essex girl

text: The stereotypical image formed as a variation of the dumb blonde/bimbo persona, with references to the Estuary English accent, white stiletto heels, mini skirts, silicone-augmented breasts, peroxide blonde hair, over-indulgent use of fake tan (lending an orange appearance), promiscuity, racism, loud verbal vulgarity, and socialising at downmarket nightclubs.


title: Essex girl

text: In 2004, Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester in Essex, appealed for debate in the House of Commons on the issue, encouraging a boycott of "The People" tabloid, which has printed several derogatory references to girls from Essex.


title: Essex girl

text: The Essex Women's Advisory Group was set up in 2010 to combat the negative stereotyping of girls living in Essex by supporting Essex-based women's charities helping those in need as well as by funding projects that promote women's and girls' learning and success in science, technology, the arts, sports and business. The charitable fund is administered by the Essex Community Foundation.


title: Essex girl

text: On 6 October 2016, Juliet Thomas and Natasha Sawkins of The Mother Hub launched a campaign on social media to draw attention to the negative definition of Essex girl in the "Oxford English Dictionary" and "Collins Dictionary". Their main goal was to raise awareness and to open a dialogue around the derogatory "Essex girl" stereotype. Their campaign centred on changing the definition of "Essex girl" to "a girl from or living in Essex" by encouraging women to use the hashtag #IAmAnEssexGirl and included a petition to change or remove the dictionary definitions. The campaign reached the national press. In December 2020, after campaigning by the "Essex Girls Liberation Front", the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, used to teach non-native English speakers, removed the term.


title: Creature 3D

text: Creature 3D is a 2014 Indian 3D monster-horror film directed by Vikram Bhatt. It is produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar and co-produced by Ajay Kapoor under the banner of T-Series in association with BVG Films. It stars Bipasha Basu and Imran Abbas in lead roles. The film marks the Bollywood debut of Pakistani actor Imran Abbas. The film also stars Mukul Dev and Deepraj Rana in supporting roles.


title: Creature 3D

text: The film released threatically on 12 September 2014 with received negative reviews from critics upon its release and turned out to be a box office failure.


title: Creature 3D

text: Ahana opens a hotel in Glendale, Himachal Pradesh. She requires manpower, furniture and various other items for her hotel. She talks to a driver to transport the items quickly. However, the driver is stuck in the middle of the forest and his truck is damaged. During the conversation the driver hears strange noises coming from the surrounding area. Upon investigating he sees a monster and runs back to the truck, locking himself in the back. The monster first lands on the roof of the truck and tears it open. It then attacks the driver and kills him.


title: Creature 3D

text: On the day of the opening party, Ahana meets Kunal Anand, a novelist, and are attracted to each other. One day, a chef of Ahana's hotel is killed by that beast. A newly married couple staying in Ahana's hotel go for a picnic in the forest and the man is killed by the monster while his wife gets severely injured and later recovered by authorities. Similar incidents then follow in which other people die. The chief suspect of the incidents is believed to be an animal, leading to the capture of a leopard. Ahana is relieved as a result, though it turns out that it was not the creature and she doesn't know that the creature was responsible for it. One particular night the beast enters Ahana's hotel. Upon seeing the behemoth, the people inside the hotel panic and run away but the beast manages to kill and injured several people. Just when it was about to kill Ahana, Kunal manage to save her but the beast manages to get hold of them. Just when it was about to make its final move, a scientist enters the scene and scares away the monster with fire. The people realize that it is scared of fire and is, in fact, a Brahmarakshasa. Due to the havoc caused by it, Ahana’s hotel loses its reputation and almost goes out of business.


title: Creature 3D

text: There are few customers in Ahana's hotel and she is on the verge of getting bankrupt, which will result in the bank seizing the hotel. They meet a scientist, the same one from before, who reveals that it is a Brahmarakshasa, a man-eating demonic entity conceived through the corruption of Brahmins upon death. He informs them that such demons still lurk in dense forests of India, but their sightings are as presumed to be sightings of UFOs. He suggests Ahana and Kunal to leave if they wish to stay alive. Ahana refuses to leave the hotel, determined to fight back.


title: Creature 3D

text: Ahana, Kunal and the professor are joined in the fight by two cops, Inspector Rana and Inspector Chaubey, but the creature soon kills Chaubey. They learn that a Sarpanch filed a report of a monster sighting a few years back and go to meet him. He tells them that decades ago, a hunter killed a creature just like the one they encountered. He also informs them that the only person who can help them now is Dr. Moga, the son of the late hunter. Kunal and Ahana set for Shimla to meet him. On the way, Kunal reveals his true identity as Karan Malhotra, the chairman of the builder group that compelled Ahana's father to commit suicide. He tells her that he felt guilty and wanted to apologize. Heartbroken, Ahana breaks up with Karan.


title: Creature 3D

text: Dr. Moga explains that the creature can be killed by a weapon dipped in the temple pond of the Brahma Temple in Pushkar but is effective only if dipped into the pond on night of Kartik Purnima. Since Kartik Purnima is many days away, Dr. Moga gives Ahana an old rifle with which his father had killed one of the creature. Dr. Moga tells Ahana that his father and his friends dipped 30 bullets in the pond on the night of Kartik Purnima, but they used up 23 bullets and still all the friends of his father died and only his father was left. He then hands over the left seven bullets to Ahana. Ahana, the professor, and Rana enter the den of the behemoth; Rana and the professor are killed by the beast, and when it tries to attack Ahana, Karan saves her. With Karan's help, Ahana manages to kill the creature with the last bullet in the rifle.


title: Creature 3D

text: A few days later, the hotel is ready to be reopened. Ahana forgives Karan, and they rekindle their relationship.


title: Creature 3D

text: The soundtrack and the lyrics of the film were written by Mithoon, except for "Sawan Aaya Hai" which has music and lyrics by Tony Kakkar. and sung by Arijit Singh. The film's soundtrack officially released on 31 July 2014. Koimoi stated that the soundtrack had received a good reception.


title: Creature 3D

text: The trailer of the movie was released in July 2014. Koimoi negatively reviewed it as being "a half baked trailer that relies solely on 3D".


title: Creature 3D

text: Vinayak Chakravorty of "India Today" gave two stars out of five to the movie stating that it suffered from budget constraints, and "serves little intrigue and banks on the sporadic jolts courtesy (of the) loud music." Anupama Chopra said, "This is the type of film in which the human beings are so annoying that you are actually rooting for the creature that kills them. In fact, the creature had more personality than all of them put together. In an effective opening sequence, Vikram introduces him to us by only showing us isolated parts; his talons, monstrous eyes, powerful tail. I think this Creature should have demanded a better script."


title: Creature 3D

text: "India Today" reports that the film had a budget of Rs.180 million with an additional Rs.70 million spent on a marketing campaign.


title: Creature 3D

text: Koimoi reported the film opened on 1400 screens, with an average occupancy. The film returned the financials but did not make a big impact making it just a hit.


title: History of baptism

text: John the Baptist, who is considered a forerunner to Christianity, used baptism as the central sacrament of his messianic movement. Christians consider Jesus to have instituted the sacrament of baptism. The earliest Christian baptisms were by immersion. By the third and fourth centuries, baptism involved catechetical instruction as well as chrismation, exorcisms, laying on of hands, and recitation of a creed. In the West, affusion became the normal mode of baptism between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries, though immersion was still practiced into the sixteenth. In the sixteenth century, Martin Luther retained baptism as a sacrament, but Swiss reformer Huldrych Zwingli considered baptism and the Lord's supper to be symbolic. Anabaptists denied the validity of infant baptism, which was the normal practice when their movement started and practiced believer's baptism instead. Several groups related to Anabaptism, notably the Baptists and Dunkards, soon practiced baptism by immersion as following the Biblical example.


title: History of baptism

text: Although the term "baptism" is not used to describe the Jewish rituals, the purification rites in Halakha, Jewish law and tradition, called "tvilah", have some similarity to baptism, and the two have been linked. The "tvilah" is the act of immersion in naturally-sourced water, called a "mikva". In the past Hebrew Bible and other Jewish texts, immersion in water for ritual purification was established for restoration to a condition of "ritual purity" in specific circumstances. For example, Jews who (according to the Law of Moses) became ritually defiled by contact with a corpse had to use the mikvah before being allowed to participate in the Holy Temple. Immersion is required for converts to Judaism. Immersion in the mikvah represents a change in status in regards to purification, restoration, and qualification for full religious participation in the life of the community, ensuring that the cleansed person will not impose uncleanness on property or its owners. It did not become customary, however, to immerse converts to Judaism until after the Babylonian Captivity (586–539 BCE). This change of status by the mikvah could be obtained repeatedly, while Christian baptism, like circumcision, is, in the general view of Christians, unique and not repeatable. Even the so-called rebaptism by some Christian denominations is not seen by them as a repetition of an earlier valid baptism and is viewed by them as not itself repeatable.


title: History of baptism

text: During the Second Temple period ( 516 BCE–70 CE), the Greek noun "baptmos" was used to refer to ritual washing in Hellenistic Judaism.


title: History of baptism

text: Hemerobaptists (Heb. "Tovelei Shaḥarit"; 'Morning Bathers') were an ancient religious sect that practiced daily baptism. They were likely a division of the Essenes. In the "Clementine Homilies" (ii. 23), John the Baptist and his disciples are mentioned as Hemerobaptists. The Mandaeans have been associated with the Hemerobaptists on account of both practicing frequent baptism and Mandaeans believing they are disciples of John.


title: History of baptism

text: Mandaeans revere John the Baptist and practice frequent full immersion baptism ("masbuta") as a ritual of purification, not of initiation. Mandaeans abhor circumcision and are possibly the earliest people to practice baptism and may have originated Gnosticism. Early religious concepts and terminologies recur in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and "yardena" (Jordan) has been the name of every baptismal water in Mandaeism. The Mandaic language is a dialect of southeastern Aramaic with Palestinian and Samaritan Aramaic, as well as Akkadian influences and is closely related to Syriac and especially Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. They formally refer to themselves as "Nasurai" (Nasoraeans). According to Mandaean sources such as the Haran Gawaita, the "Nasurai" inhabited the areas around Jerusalem and the River Jordan in the 1st century CE.


title: History of baptism

text: The Elkesaites were a Judeo-Christian baptismal sect that originated in the Transjordan and were active between 100 to 400 CE. The members of this sect, like the Mandaeans, performed frequent baptisms for purification and had a Gnostic disposition. The sect is named after its leader "Elkesai".


title: History of baptism

text: The Sethians were one of the main currents of Gnosticism during the 2nd and 3rd century CE. According to John D. Turner, it originated in the 2nd-century CE as a fusion of two distinct Hellenistic Judaic philosophies and was influenced by Christianity and Middle Platonism. The Sethian baptismal rite is known as the Five Seals, in which the initiate is immersed five times in running water. According to Buckley (2010), "Sethian Gnostic literature ... is related, perhaps as a younger sibling, to Mandaean baptism ideology."


title: History of baptism

text: Valentinianism was one of the major Gnostic Christian movements. Founded by Valentinus in the 2nd century CE, its influence spread widely, not just within Rome but also from Northwest Africa to Egypt through to Asia Minor and Syria in the East.


title: History of baptism

text: A Mandaean baptismal formula was adopted by Valentinian Gnostics in Rome and Alexandria in the 2nd century CE.


title: History of baptism

text: John the Baptist adopted baptism as the central sacrament in his messianic movement, seen as a forerunner of Christianity.


title: History of baptism

text: Baptism has been part of Christianity from the start, as shown by the many mentions in the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline epistles. Christians consider Jesus to have instituted the sacrament of baptism. How explicit Jesus' intentions were and whether he envisioned a continuing, organized Church is a matter of dispute among scholars.


title: History of baptism

text: There is a scholarly consensus that the earliest Christian baptism was normally by immersion, or at least that this is probable. Some interpret this as meaning total immersion or submersion beneath the water. Among those who take this view are Thomas Schreiner, Everett Ferguson, Di Berardino, Tischler, and Lang. Others understand immersion as not necessarily implying submersion beneath the water. Kirsten Marie Hartvigsen distinguishes between immersion and submersion and considers both as possible early-Christian forms of baptism, as does Christian Strecker. Laurie Guy says: "The church most likely practiced full immersion, partial immersion and affusion at various times and places in the early centuries, with sprinkling being practiced rarely (and probably only for medical reasons) during that time period." Robin M. Jensen describes the early Christian baptismal ritual as having for basis "immersion in water (or a thorough soaking by pouring)", and describes the primitive, first-century ritual as having encompassed both "application of water (whether by immersion or by some other means) and an imposition of hands", adding that "'Baptism' originally conveyed the sense of water's application (if not also immersion) in its very definition". Other recent studies that see total immersion (submersion) as not the only form of baptism utilized by early Christians include Steven J. Schloeder, Charles Thomas, Stanley J. Grenz, and also the "Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church", and the "Oxford Dictionary of the Bible".


title: History of baptism

text: The theology of baptism attained precision in the 3rd and 4th centuries. While instruction was at first given after baptism, believers were given increasingly specific instructions before being baptized, especially in the face of heresies in the 4th century. By the fourth and fifth centuries, baptism had become a several-week-long rite leading up to the actual baptismal washing on Easter. During this time, catechumens attended several meetings of intensive catechetical instruction, often by the bishop himself, and often accompanied by special prayers, exorcisms, and other rites. Catechumens recited the Creed on Holy Saturday to show that they had completed their catechetical instruction. At dawn following the Paschal Vigil starting the night of Holy Saturday, they were taken to the baptistry where the bishop consecrated the water with a long prayer recounting the types of baptisms. The catechumens disrobed, were anointed with oil, renounced the devil and his works, confessed their faith in the Trinity, and were immersed in the font. They were then anointed with chrism, received the laying on of hands, clothed in white, and led to join the congregation in the Easter celebration. By then, postponement of baptism had become general, and a large proportion of believers were merely catechumens (Constantine was not baptized until he was dying); but as baptisms of the children of Christians, using an adaptation of the rite intended for adults, became more common than baptisms of adult converts, the number of catechumens decreased.


title: History of baptism

text: As baptism was believed to forgive sins, the issue of sins committed after baptism arose. Some insisted that apostasy, even under threat of death, and other grievous sins cut one off forever from the Church. As indicated in the writings of Saint Cyprian, others favoured readmitting the "lapsi" easily. The rule that prevailed was that they were readmitted only after undergoing a period of penance that demonstrated sincere repentance.


title: History of baptism

text: What is now generally called the Nicene Creed, longer than the text adopted by the First Council of Nicaea of 325, and known also as the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed because of its adoption in that form by the First Council of Constantinople in 381, was probably the baptismal creed then in use in Constantinople, the venue of the 381 Council.


title: History of baptism

text: Whether the earliest Christians practiced infant baptism, and thus whether modern Christians should do so, has remained a subject of debate between Christian scholars at least since the earliest clear reference to the practice by Tertullian in the early third century. Some claim that Biblical baptism can be interpreted and thus relative, others support the Biblical literal baptism as a public and personal testimony, without intermediaries, in the case of infants that cannot talk for themselves yet.


title: History of baptism

text: Against Pelagius, Augustine insisted that baptism was necessary for salvation even for virtuous people and for children. The baptismal rite was significantly simplified during the sixth, seventh, and eighth centuries as fewer and fewer of those baptized were converts from paganism. The rite became much less important and was conducted very quickly. Prebaptismal catechesis was abandoned, and baptism was usually conducted shortly after birth.


title: History of baptism

text: In 895, the provincial Council of Tribur commented on the traditional teaching that the triple immersion in baptism was an imitation of Christ for the three days he spent in the tomb, and the rising from the water an imitation of the resurrection of Jesus. The linking of the baptismal immersion in and rising from the water with the burial and resurrection of Jesus arguably goes back to Saint Paul, and the linking of the triple immersion with the three days in the tomb is found in Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 313–86) and Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 – after 394).


title: History of baptism

text: The 12th century saw the meaning of the word "sacrament" narrowed down and restricted to seven rites, among them that of baptism, while other symbolic rites came to be called "sacramentals".


title: History of baptism

text: In the period between the 12th and the 14th centuries, affusion became the usual manner of administering baptism in Western Europe, though immersion continued to be found in some places even as late as the 16th century. Throughout the Middle Ages, there was therefore considerable variation in the kind of facility required for baptism, from the baptismal pool large enough to immerse several adults simultaneously of the 13th century Baptistery at Pisa, to the half-metre deep basin in the 6th century baptistery of the old Cologne Cathedral.


title: History of baptism

text: Both East and West considered washing with water and the Trinitarian baptismal formula necessary for administering the rite. Scholasticism referred to these two elements as the matter and the form of the sacrament, employing terms taken from the then prevailing Aristotelian philosophy. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, while teaching the necessity of both elements, nowhere uses these philosophical terms when speaking of any of the sacraments.


title: History of baptism

text: In the 16th century, Martin Luther considered baptism to be a sacrament. For the Lutherans, baptism is a "means of grace" through which God creates and strengthens "saving faith" as the "washing of regeneration" in which infants and adults are reborn. Since the creation of faith is exclusively God's work, it does not depend on the actions of the one baptized, whether infant or adult. Even though baptized infants cannot articulate that faith, Lutherans believe that it is present all the same. Because it is faith alone that receives these divine gifts, Lutherans confess that baptism "works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare." In the special section on infant baptism in his Large Catechism, Luther argues that infant baptism pleases God because persons so baptized were reborn and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.


title: History of baptism

text: Swiss Reformer Huldrych Zwingli differed with the Lutherans by denying that baptism conveys grace to the baptized. Zwingli identified baptism and the Lord's supper as sacraments, but in the sense of an initiatory ceremony.


title: History of baptism

text: Anabaptists (a word that means "rebaptizers") rejected so thoroughly the tradition maintained by Lutherans as well as Catholics that they denied the validity of baptism outside their group. They "rebaptized" converts on the grounds that one cannot be baptized without wishing it, and an infant, who does not understand what happens in a baptism ceremony and who has no knowledge of the concepts of Christianity, is not really baptized. They saw as non-biblical the baptism of infants, who cannot confess their faith and who, not having yet committed any sins, are not in the same need of salvation. Anabaptists and other Baptist groups do not consider that they "re"baptize those who have been baptized as infants, since, in their view, infant baptism is without effect. The Amish, Restoration churches (Churches of Christ/Christian Church), Hutterites, Baptists, Mennonites and other groups descend from this tradition. Pentecostal, charismatic and most non-denominational churches share this view as well.


title: History of baptism

text: In Reformed baptismal theology, starting with John Calvin, baptism is seen as primarily God's offer of union with Christ and all his benefits to the baptized. This offer is believed to be intact even when it is not received in faith by the person baptized. Baptism also initiates one into the visible church and the covenant of grace.


title: Nitrification

text: Nitrification is the biological oxidation of ammonia to nitrite followed by the oxidation of the nitrite to nitrate occurring through separate organisms or direct ammonia oxidation to nitrate in comammox bacteria. The transformation of ammonia to nitrite is usually the rate limiting step of nitrification. Nitrification is an important step in the nitrogen cycle in soil. Nitrification is an aerobic process performed by small groups of autotrophic bacteria and archaea.


title: Nitrification

text: The oxidation of ammonia into nitrite (also known as nitritation) is performed by two groups of organisms, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA).


title: Nitrification

text: AOB can be found among the Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. Since discovery of AOA in 2005, two isolates have been cultivated: "Nitrosopumilus maritimus" and "Nitrososphaera viennensis". In soils the most studied AOB belong to the genera "Nitrosomonas" and "Nitrococcus".


title: Nitrification

text: When comparing AOB and AOA, AOA dominate in both soils and marine environments, suggesting that "Nitrososphaerota" (formerly Thaumarchaeota) may be greater contributors to ammonia oxidation in these environments.


title: Nitrification

text: Crenarchaeol, which is generally thought to be produced exclusively by AOA (specifically Nitrososphaerota), has been proposed as a biomarker for AOA and ammonia oxidation. Crenarchaeol abundance has been found to track with seasonal blooms of AOA, suggesting that it may be appropriate to use crenarchaeol abundances as a proxy for AOA populations and thus ammonia oxidation more broadly. However the discovery of Nitrososphaerota that are not obligate ammonia-oxidizers complicates this conclusion, as does one study that suggests that crenarchaeol may be produced by Marine Group II Euryarchaeota.


title: Nitrification

text: The second step, known as nitratation, – oxidation of nitrite into nitrate – is done by bacteria (nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, NOB) from the taxa "Nitrospirota", "Nitrospinota", Pseudomonadota and Chloroflexota. They are present in soil, geothermal springs, freshwater and marine ecosystems.


title: Nitrification

text: Ammonia oxidation to nitrate in a single step within one organism was predicted in 2006 and discovered in 2015 in the species "Nitrospira inopinata". A pure culture of the organism was obtained in 2017, representing a revolution in our understanding of the nitrification process.


title: Nitrification

text: The idea that oxidation of ammonia to nitrate is in fact biological process was first given by Louis Pasteur in 1862. Later in 1875, Alexander Müller during quality assessment of water from wells in Berlin noted that ammonium was stable in sterilized solutions but nitrified in natural waters. A. Müller put forward, that nitrification is thus performed by microorganisms. In 1877, Jean-Jacques Schloesing and Achille Müntz, two French agricultural chemists working in Paris, proved that nitrification is indeed microbially mediated process by the experiments with liquid sewage and artificial soil matrix (sterilized sand with powdered chalk). Their findings were confirmed soon (in 1878) by Robert Warington who was investigating nitrification ability of garden soil at the Rothamsted experimental station in Harpenden in England. R. Warington made also the first observation that nitrification is a two-step process in 1879 which was confirmed by John Munro in 1886. Although at that time, it was believed that two-step nitrification is separated into different life phases or character traits of a single microorganism.


title: Nitrification

text: The first pure nitrifier (ammonia-oxidizing) was most probably isolated in 1890 by Percy Frankland and Grace Frankland, two English scientists from Scotland. Before that, Warington, Sergei Winogradsky and the Frankland's were able to establish only enrichment nitrifying cultures not pure ones. Frankland and Frankland succeeded with a system of serial dilutions with very low inoculum and long cultivation times counting in years. Sergei Winogradsky claimed pure culture isolation in the same year (1890), but his culture was still co-culture of ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. S. Winogradsky succeeded just one year later in 1891.


title: Nitrification

text: In fact, during the serial dilutions ammonia-oxidizers and nitrite-oxidizers were unknowingly separated resulting in pure culture with ammonia-oxidation ability only. Thus Frankland and Frankland observed that these pure cultures lose ability to perform both steps. Loss of nitrite oxidation ability was observed already by R. Warington. Cultivation of pure nitrite oxidizer happened later during 20th century, however it is not possible to be certain which cultures were without contaminants as all theoretically pure strains share same trait (nitrite consumption, nitrate production).


title: Nitrification

text: Both steps are producing energy to be coupled to ATP synthesis. Nitrifying organisms are chemoautotrophs, and use carbon dioxide as their carbon source for growth. Some AOB possess the enzyme, urease, which catalyzes the conversion of the urea molecule to two ammonia molecules and one carbon dioxide molecule. "Nitrosomonas europaea", as well as populations of soil-dwelling AOB, have been shown to assimilate the carbon dioxide released by the reaction to make biomass via the Calvin Cycle, and harvest energy by oxidizing ammonia (the other product of urease) to nitrite. This feature may explain enhanced growth of AOB in the presence of urea in acidic environments.


title: Nitrification

text: In most environments, organisms are present that will complete both steps of the process, yielding nitrate as the final product. However, it is possible to design systems in which nitrite is formed (the "Sharon process").


title: Nitrification

text: Nitrification is important in agricultural systems, where fertilizer is often applied as ammonia. Conversion of this ammonia to nitrate increases nitrogen leaching because nitrate is more water-soluble than ammonia.


title: Nitrification

text: Nitrification also plays an important role in the removal of nitrogen from municipal wastewater. The conventional removal is nitrification, followed by denitrification. The cost of this process resides mainly in aeration (bringing oxygen in the reactor) and the addition of an external carbon source (e.g., methanol) for the denitrification.


title: Nitrification

text: Nitrification can also occur in drinking water. In distribution systems where chloramines are used as the secondary disinfectant, the presence of free ammonia can act as a substrate for ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms. The associated reactions can lead to the depletion of the disinfectant residual in the system. The addition of chlorite ion to chloramine-treated water has been shown to control nitrification.


title: Nitrification

text: Together with ammonification, nitrification forms a mineralization process that refers to the complete decomposition of organic material, with the release of available nitrogen compounds. This replenishes the nitrogen cycle.


title: Nitrification

text: Nitrification is a process of nitrogen compound oxidation (effectively, loss of electrons from the nitrogen atom to the oxygen atoms), and is catalyzed step-wise by a series of enzymes.


title: Nitrification

text: In "Nitrosomonas europaea", the first step of oxidation (ammonia to hydroxylamine) is carried out by the enzyme ammonia monooxygenase (AMO).


title: Nitrification

text: The second step (hydroxylamine to nitrite) is carried out step-wise by two different enzymes. Hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO), converts hydroxylamine to nitric oxide.


title: Nitrification

text: In the marine environment, nitrogen is often the limiting nutrient, so the nitrogen cycle in the ocean is of particular interest. The nitrification step of the cycle is of particular interest in the ocean because it creates nitrate, the primary form of nitrogen responsible for "new" production. Furthermore, as the ocean becomes enriched in anthropogenic CO, the resulting decrease in pH could lead to decreasing rates of nitrification. Nitrification could potentially become a "bottleneck" in the nitrogen cycle.


title: Nitrification

text: Nitrification, as stated above, is formally a two-step process; in the first step ammonia is oxidized to nitrite, and in the second step nitrite is oxidized to nitrate. Different microbes are responsible for each step in the marine environment. Several groups of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are known in the marine environment, including "Nitrosomonas", "Nitrospira", and "Nitrosococcus". All contain the functional gene ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) which, as its name implies, is responsible for the oxidation of ammonia. More recent metagenomic studies and cultivation approaches have revealed that some Thermoproteota (formerly Crenarchaeota) possess AMO. Thermoproteota are abundant in the ocean and some species have a 200 times greater affinity for ammonia than AOB, leading researchers to challenge the previous belief that AOB are primarily responsible for nitrification in the ocean. Furthermore, though nitrification is classically thought to be vertically separated from primary production because the oxidation of nitrate by bacteria is inhibited by light, nitrification by AOA does not appear to be light inhibited, meaning that nitrification is occurring throughout the water column, challenging the classical definitions of "new" and "recycled" production.


title: Nitrification

text: In the second step, nitrite is oxidized to nitrate. In the oceans, this step is not as well understood as the first, but the bacteria "Nitrospina" and "Nitrobacter" are known to carry out this step in the ocean.


title: Nitrification

text: Nitrification inhibitors are chemical compounds that slow the nitrification of ammonia, ammonium-containing, or urea-containing fertilizers, which are applied to soil as fertilizers. These inhibitors can help reduce losses of nitrogen in soil that would otherwise be used by crops. Nitrification inhibitors are used widely, being added to approximately 50% of the fall-applied anhydrous ammonia in states in the U.S., like Illinois. They are usually effective in increasing recovery of nitrogen fertilizer in row crops, but the level of effectiveness depends on external conditions and their benefits are most likely to be seen at less than optimal nitrogen rates.


title: Nitrification

text: The environmental concerns of nitrification also contribute to interest in the use of nitrification inhibitors: the primary product, nitrate, leaches into groundwater, producing acute toxicity in multiple species of wildlife and contributing to the eutrophication of standing water. Some inhibitors of nitrification also inhibit the production of methane, a greenhouse gas.


title: Nitrification

text: The inhibition of the nitrification process is primarily facilitated by the selection and inhibition/destruction of the bacteria that oxidize ammonia compounds. A multitude of compounds that inhibit nitrification, which can be divided into the following areas: the active site of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), mechanistic inhibitors, and the process of N-heterocyclic compounds. The process for the latter of the three is not yet widely understood, but is prominent. The presence of AMO has been confirmed on many substrates that are nitrogen inhibitors such as dicyandiamide, ammonium thiosulfate, and nitrapyrin.


title: Nitrification

text: The conversion of ammonia to hydroxylamine is the first step in nitrification, where AH represents a range of potential electron donors.


title: Nitrification

text: This reaction is catalyzed by AMO. Inhibitors of this reaction bind to the active site on AMO and prevent or delay the process. The process of oxidation of ammonia by AMO is regarded with importance due to the fact that other processes require the co-oxidation of NH for a supply of reducing equivalents. This is usually supplied by the compound hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO) which catalyzes the reaction:


title: Nitrification

text: The mechanism of inhibition is complicated by this requirement. Kinetic analysis of the inhibition of NH oxidation has shown that the substrates of AMO have shown kinetics ranging from competitive to noncompetitive. The binding and oxidation can occur on two different locations on AMO: in competitive substrates, binding and oxidation occurs at the NH site, while in noncompetitive substrates it occurs at another site.


title: Nitrification

text: Mechanism based inhibitors can be defined as compounds that interrupt the normal reaction catalyzed by an enzyme. This method occurs by the inactivation of the enzyme via covalent modification of the product, which ultimately inhibits nitrification. Through the process, AMO is deactivated and one or more proteins is covalently bonded to the final product. This is found to be most prominent in a broad range of sulfur or acetylenic compounds.


title: Nitrification

text: Sulfur-containing compounds, including ammonium thiosulfate (a popular inhibitor) are found to operate by producing volatile compounds with strong inhibitory effects such as carbon disulfide and thiourea.


title: Nitrification

text: In particular, thiophosphoryl triamide has been a notable addition where it has the dual purpose of inhibiting both the production of urease and nitrification. In a study of inhibitory effects of oxidation by the bacteria Nitrosomonas europaea, the use of thioethers resulted in the oxidation of these compounds to sulfoxides, where the S atom is the primary site of oxidation by AMO. This is most strongly correlated to the field of competitive inhibition.


title: Nitrification

text: N-heterocyclic compounds are also highly effective nitrification inhibitors and are often classified by their ring structure. The mode of action for these compounds is not well understood: while nitrapyrin, a widely used inhibitor and substrate of AMO, is a weak mechanism-based inhibitor of said enzyme, the effects of said mechanism are unable to correlate directly with the compound's ability to inhibit nitrification. It is suggested that nitrapyrin acts against the monooxygenase enzyme within the bacteria, preventing growth and CH/NH oxidation. Compounds containing two or three adjacent ring N atoms (pyridazine, pyrazole, indazole) tend to have a significantly higher inhibition effect than compounds containing non-adjacent N atoms or singular ring N atoms (pyridine, pyrrole). This suggests that the presence of ring N atoms is directly correlated with the inhibition effect of this class of compounds.


title: Nitrification

text: Some enzymatic nitrification inhibitors, such as nitrapyrin, can also inhibit the oxidation of methane in methanotrophic bacteria. AMO shows similar kinetic turnover rates to methane monooxygenase (MMO) found in methanotrophs, indicating that MMO is a similar catalyst to AMO for the purpose of methane oxidation. Furthermore, methanotrophic bacteria share many similarities to oxidizers such as Nitrosomonas. The inhibitor profile of particulate forms of MMO (pMMO) shows similarity to the profile of AMO, leading to similarity in properties between MMO in methanotrophs and AMO in autotrophs.


title: Nitrification

text: Nitrification inhibitors are also of interest from an environmental standpoint because of the production of nitrates and nitrous oxide from the process of nitrification. Nitrous oxide (NO), although its atmospheric concentration is much lower than that of CO has a global warming potential of about 300 times greater than carbon dioxide and contributes 6% of planetary warming due to greenhouse gases. This compound is also notable for catalyzing the breakup of ozone in the stratosphere. Nitrates, a toxic compound for wildlife and livestock and a product of nitrification, are also of concern.


title: Nitrification

text: Soil, consisting of polyanionic clays and silicates, generally has a net anionic charge. Consequently, ammonium (NH) binds tightly to the soil but nitrate ions (NO) do not. Because nitrate is more mobile, it leaches into groundwater supplies through agricultural runoff. Nitrates in groundwater can affect surface water concentrations, either through direct groundwater-surface water interactions (e.g., gaining stream reaches, springs), or from when it is extracted for surface use. As an example, much of the drinking water in the United States comes from groundwater, but most wastewater treatment plants discharge to surface water.


title: Nitrification

text: Wildlife such as amphibians, freshwater fish, and insects are sensitive to nitrate levels, and have been known to cause death and developmental anomalies in affected species. Nitrate levels also contribute to eutrophication, a process in which large algal blooms reduce oxygen levels in bodies of water and lead to death in oxygen-consuming creatures due to anoxia. Nitrification is also thought to contribute to the formation of photochemical smog, ground level ozone, acid rain, changes in species diversity, and other undesirable processes. In addition, nitrification inhibitors have also been shown to suppress the oxidation of methane (CH), a potent greenhouse gas, to CO. Both nitrapyrin and acetylene are shown to be especially strong suppressors of both processes, although the modes of action distinguishing them are unclear.


title: Acetabulum

text: The acetabulum (), also called the cotyloid cavity, is a concave surface of the pelvis. The head of the femur meets with the pelvis at the acetabulum, forming the hip joint.


title: Acetabulum

text: There are three bones of the "os coxae" (hip bone) that come together to form the "acetabulum". Contributing a little more than two-fifths of the structure is the ischium, which provides lower and side boundaries to the acetabulum. The ilium forms the upper boundary, providing a little less than two-fifths of the structure of the acetabulum. The rest is formed by the pubis, near the midline.


title: Acetabulum

text: It is bounded by a prominent uneven rim, which is thick and strong above, and serves for the attachment of the acetabular labrum, which reduces its opening, and deepens the surface for formation of the hip joint. At the lower part of the "acetabulum" is the acetabular notch, which is continuous with a circular depression, the acetabular fossa, at the bottom of the cavity of the "acetabulum". The rest of the "acetabulum" is formed by a curved, crescent-moon shaped surface, the lunate surface, where the joint is made with the head of the femur. Its counterpart in the pectoral girdle is the glenoid fossa.


title: Acetabulum

text: The "acetabulum" is also home to the acetabular fossa, an attachment site for the "ligamentum teres", a triangular, somewhat flattened band implanted by its apex into the antero-superior part of the fovea capitis femoris. The notch is converted into a foramen by the transverse acetabular ligament; through the foramen nutrient vessels and nerves enter the joint. This is what holds the head of the femur securely in the acetabulum.


title: Acetabulum

text: The well-fitting surfaces of the femoral head and acetabulum, which face each other, are lined with a layer of slippery tissue called articular cartilage, which is lubricated by a thin film of synovial fluid. Friction inside a normal hip is less than one-tenth that of ice gliding on ice.


title: Acetabulum

text: The acetabular branch of the obturator artery supplies the "acetabulum" through the acetabular notch. The pubic branches supply the pelvic surface of the "acetabulum". Deep branches of the superior gluteal artery supply the superior region and the inferior gluteal artery supplies the postero-inferior region.


title: Acetabulum

text: In reptiles and birds, the "acetabula" are deep sockets. Organisms in the dinosauria clade are defined by a perforate "acetabulum", which can be thought of as a "hip-socket". The perforate "acetabulum" is a cup-shaped opening on each side of the pelvic girdle formed where the ischium, ilium, and pubis all meet, and into which the head of the femur inserts. The orientation and position of the "acetabulum" is one of the main morphological traits that caused dinosaurs to walk in an upright posture with their legs directly underneath their bodies. In a relatively small number of dinosaurs, particularly ankylosaurians (e.g. "Texasetes pleurohalio"), an imperforate "acetabulum" is present, which is not an opening, but instead resembles a shallow concave depression on each side of the pelvic girdle.


title: Acetabulum

text: In infants and children, a 'Y'-shaped epiphyseal plate called the triradiate cartilage joins the ilium, ischium, and pubis. This cartilage ossifies as the child grows.


title: Acetabulum

text: The word "acetabulum" literally means "little vinegar cup". It was the Latin word for a small vessel for serving vinegar. The word was later also used as a unit of volume.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: Ansar al-Sharia in Libya (ASL, , English: Supporters of Islamic Law) was a Salafist Islamist militia and Al-Qaeda-aligned group that advocated the implementation of Sharia law across Libya. Ansar al-Sharia came into being in 2011, during the Libyan Civil War. Until January 2015, it was led by its "Amir", Muhammad al-Zahawi. As part of its strategy, the organization targeted specific Libyan and American civilians for death and took part in the 2012 Benghazi attack. The group was designated as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: On 27 May 2017, the group announced it was formally dissolving itself, amid heavy losses that killed most of its leadership and decimated its fighters.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: Ansar al-Sharia was formed during the First Libyan Civil War and rose to prominence after the killing of Muammar Gaddafi. Made up of former rebels from the Abu Obayda Bin Aljarah Brigade, Malik Brigade and February 17th Martyrs Brigade and several other groups, the Salafist militia initially made their name by posting videos of themselves fighting in the Battle of Sirte, the final battle in the war.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: Their first major public appearance occurred on 7 June 2012, when they led a rally of as many as two hundred pickup trucks mounted with artillery along Benghazi's Tahrir Square and demanded the imposition of Sharia law. According to the "New York Times", "Western diplomats who watched said they were stunned by the scale and weaponry of the display."


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: The leader of Ansar al-Sharia, Sheikh Muhammad al-Zahawi, later gave an interview on a local TV station forbidding participation in Libya's first post-civil war parliamentary elections on the grounds that they were un-Islamic. The militia went on to provide security to some public property in eastern Libya, including Benghazi's Al Jala Hospital. The group is reportedly the military arm of Al-Dawa wa Al-Islah, a charitable organization.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: Noman Benotman, a former member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group and analyst of Libyan Islamism claims that Ansar al-Sharia is less an organization than a term applied to an amorphous coalition of Islamist and Salafist groups active in eastern Libya. The logo of the Ansar al-Sharia is a pair of AK-47 assault rifles, a clenched fist with one finger pointed up, an open Koran, and a black flag.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: Fawzi Bukatef, the leader in Benghazi of the rival Islamist militia February 17th Martyrs Brigade, claimed that members of the organisation had been responsible for the assassination of Abdul Fatah Younis, the commander of rebel forces during the Libyan Civil War.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: Ansar al-Sharia carried out destruction of Sufi shrines in Benghazi, which they regarded as idolatrous. In November 2011, Libyan Salafis engaged in a series of attacks on Sufi shrines all over the country. Mohamed Yousef el-Magariaf, the president of the General National Congress (GNC) denounced the shrine attacks as "disgraceful acts" and said "those involved were criminals who would be pursued."


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: Ansar al-Sharia used its online presence to denounce the 2013 capture and removal from Libya of al-Qaeda operative Abu Anas al-Libi, by American military forces.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: Aside from militant activities, Ansar al-Sharia has attempted to gain local support through Dawah (missionary activities), the provision of social services, ranging from security patrols to garbage collection, and the establishment of medical clinics and religious schools. In January 2015, the group introduced Islamic religious police and a sharia court in parts of Benghazi.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: On 11 September 2012, the United States Department of State Operations Center advised the White House Situation Room and other U.S. security units that Ansar al-Sharia was claiming responsibility for the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi that had just occurred. Witnesses said they saw vehicles with the group's logo at the scene of the assault and that fighters there acknowledged at the time that they belonged to Ansar al-Sharia. Witnesses also said they saw Ahmed Abu Khattala, a commander of Ansar al-Sharia, leading the embassy attack, a claim Khattala denied. According to longwarjournal.org, the group issued a statement asserting that it "didn't participate as a sole entity" and that the attack "was a spontaneous popular uprising" to the film trailer of "Innocence of Muslims", widely condemned as anti-Islamic.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: As of 6 August 2013, U.S. officials confirmed that Ahmed Abu Khattala, the Libyan leader of Ansar al-Sharia, has been charged with playing a significant role in the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi. According to NBC, the charges were filed under seal in Washington, D.C. in late July. Khattalah was arrested by U.S. Delta Force special operations personnel in a raid in Libya on 15 June 2014. He was transported to the United States aboard the USS "New York" transport dock and is expected to face trial in a U.S. criminal court.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: On 21 September 2012, after massive anti-militia protests in Benghazi which largely blamed Ansar al-Sharia for the mission attack, hundreds of protesters stormed the militia headquarters, pulled down flags of the militia and torched a vehicle inside the base. The group was forced out of its bases in Benghazi the next day.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: A few hours after the attack, Martyrs of 17 February, together with Bou Salim Martyrs brigade, allegedly agreed to disband, however about 150-200 militiamen moved from Benghazi to Jebel Akhdar area.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: As of December 2012, the group still existed, although it had adopted a low-key position. By March 2013, the group had returned to Benghazi and began patrolling hospitals and manning checkpoints, as well as providing humanitarian services to residents. By late 2013, the group had opened up a branch in Derna, under the slogan "A step toward building the Islamic state". The group also established a presence in the Libyan cities of Ajdabiya and Sirte.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: Following prolonged tensions between Islamists and non-Islamists in Libya, on 16 May 2014 military forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar launched a large-scale air and ground offensive codenamed Operation Dignity on Islamist militia groups in Benghazi, including Ansar al-Sharia. The offensive caused a country-wide military escalation that led to the beginning of the Second Libyan Civil War.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: After initial reverses, Ansar al-Sharia, and other Islamist and jihadist militias fighting together as the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, launched a counteroffensive against units loyal to Haftar in the following months, largely driving them out of the city by August of the same year. After capturing several army bases in this offensive, Ansar al-Sharia posted images on the internet of the weapons and equipment that had been seized, including D-30 Howitzers, multiple rocket launchers, Strela 2 man-portable air-defense systems, large quantities of ammunition and vehicles.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: In late 2014, the group's leader, Mohamed al-Zahawi, died of wounds he had received from the fighting. In the months that followed, many members of Ansar al-Sharia, including the majority of its organisation in Sirte, reportedly defected to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Libya. On 30 March 2015, the group's chief Sharia jurist, Abu Abdullah Al-Libi, pledged allegiance to ISIL, and defected with a number of fighters. Ansar al-Sharia quickly announced that Abu Tamim al Libi had been selected as his replacement. For several years thereafter the group retained its independence from ISIL, but continued losses through casualties in fighting the Libyan National Army under Khalifa Haftar and further defections to ISIL, brought them to dissolution in 2017, with many of the remaining fighters going to ISIL.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: The 2015 kidnapping and beheading of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya for being "people of the cross, followers of the hostile Egyptian [Coptic] church," has been blamed on Ansar al-Sharia by Carol E.B. Choksy and Jamsheed K. Choksy of World Affairs.


title: Ansar al-Sharia (Libya)

text: The United States officially listed Ansar al-Sharia as a terrorist organization in January 2014. The United Kingdom also did that in November.


title: NLC India Limited

text: NLC India Limited (NLC) (formerly Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited) is a central public sector undertaking under the administrative control of the Ministry of Coal, Government of India. It annually produces about 30 million tonnes of Lignite from opencast mines at Neyveli in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India and at Barsingsar in Bikaner district of Rajasthan state. The lignite is used at pithead thermal power stations of 3640 MW installed capacity to produce electricity. Its joint venture has a 1000 MW thermal power station using coal. Lately, it has diversified into renewable energy production and installed 1404 MW solar power plant to produce electricity from photovoltaic (PV) cells and 51 MW electricity from windmills.


title: NLC India Limited

text: It was incorporated in 1956 and was wholly owned by the Government of India. A small portion of its stock was sold to the public to list its shares on stock exchanges where its shares are traded.


title: NLC India Limited

text: Lignite deposit was found by chance when some 'brown substance' gushed out with water in Rao Bahadur M. Jambulingam Mudaliar's 620 acre own farm artesian well during 1934. He acted swiftly and contacted the then British Raj, which sent geologists to Neyveli. It was later identified as 'Lignite'. He generously extended substantial portion of the sprawling land-bank for soil exploration. Through his effort and donated his 620 acres land to the Madras Government.


title: NLC India Limited

text: NLC has been a forerunner in the country in the energy sector for 62 years, contributing a lion's share in lignite production and significant share in thermal power generation. It was inaugurated by the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1956.


title: NLC India Limited

text: NLC operates four opencast lignite mines of a total capacity of 30.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) at Neyveli and Barsingsar; Six lignite based pithead thermal power stations with an aggregate capacity of 3640 MW – at Neyveli and Barsingsar; and a 1000 MW coal based thermal power Station at Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu through its subsidiary, NLC Tamil Nadu Power Limited (NTPL), a joint venture between NLC and TANGEDCO (equity participation in the ratio of 89:11). NLC recently commissioned a 1x500 MW unit at Neyveli which is also Asia's largest lignite fired boiler.


title: NLC India Limited

text: NLC has also forayed into renewable energy sector with commissioning of a 141 MW Solar Photo Voltaic Power Plant including 1 MW rooftop project at Neyveli and a 51 MW wind energy plant at Kazhuneerkulam village of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu. The company is also setting up 1209 MW Solar Power Projects at Tirunelveli, Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram districts of Tamil Nadu, of which, 300 MW have been commissioned. NLC is aiming to achieve a total renewable energy capacity of 4251 MW.


title: NLC India Limited

text: NLCIL has a target of becoming a 20,000+ MW company by 2025. Works are under progress for the lignite based Neyveli New Thermal Power Plant (1000 MW), Bithnok TPS and Barsingsar TPS Expansion (each 250 MW). Further, NLC, jointly with the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (UPRVUNL), is setting up a 3x660 MW coal based thermal power plant at Ghatampur in Uttar Pradesh, through its subsidiary company Neyveli Uttar Pradesh Power Limited (NUPPL) (equity participation in the ratio of 51:49). Apart from the above, the addition of thermal capacity to the tune of 6040 MW by way of installation of new plants and acquisition of power assets to the tune of 3000 MW is in the pipeline.


title: NLC India Limited

text: NLC has also contributed significantly to the socio-economic development for more than half a century.


title: NLC India Limited

text: NLC India has five pithead Thermal Power Stations with an aggregate capacity of 4240 MW. Further, NLC India has so far installed 51 wind turbine generators of capacity 1.50 MW each and also commissioned 140 MW solar photo voltaic power plant in Neyveli, resulting in an overall power generating capacity of 4431 MW (excl. JVs).


title: NLC India Limited

text: The 600 MW Neyveli Thermal Power Station-I in which the first unit was synchronized in May 1962 and the last unit in September 1970 consists of six units of 50 MW each and three units of 100 MW each. Power generated from Thermal Power Station-I after meeting NLC's requirements is supplied to TANGEDCO, Tamil Nadu which is the sole beneficiary. Due to the aging of the equipments / high-pressure parts, the Life extension programme has been approved by the Indian Government in March 1992 and was completed in March 1999 thus extending the life by 15 years. Given the high grid demand in this region, this power station is being operated after conducting the Residual Life Assessment (RLA) study. Indian Government has sanctioned a 2x500 MW Power Project (Neyveli New Thermal Power Plant – NNTPS) in June 2011 as a replacement for existing TPS-I.


title: NLC India Limited

text: The 1470 MW Second Thermal Power Station consists of 7 units of 210 MW each. In February 1978, the Government of India sanctioned the Second Thermal Power Station of 630 MW capacity (3 X 210 MW) and in February 1983, the Government of India sanctioned the Second Thermal Power Station Expansion from 630 MW to 1470 MW with addition of 4 units of 210 MW each. The first 210 MW unit was synchronized in March 1986 and the last unit (Unit-VII) was synchronized in June 1993. The power generated from Second Thermal Power Station after meeting the needs of Second Mine is shared by the Southern states viz., Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Union Territory of Puducherry.


title: NLC India Limited

text: Thermal Power Station-I has been expanded (2 x 210 MW) using the lignite available from Mine-I expansion. The scheme, TPS I Expansion, was sanctioned by the Government of India in February 1996. Unit-I was synchronized in October 2002 and Unit-II in July 2003. The power generated from this Thermal Power Station, after meeting the internal requirements, is shared by the Southern States viz., Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Union Territory of Puducherry.


title: NLC India Limited

text: The Government of India sanctioned the Barsingsar Thermal Power Station 250 MW (2 X 125 MW) in October 2004. The units were commissioned in December 2011 and in January 2012. The power generated from this Thermal Power Station after meeting internal requirements is shared by the DISCOMS of the state of Rajasthan.