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Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu or Te Kura (formerly The Correspondence School) is New Zealand's largest school with around 25,000 students enrolled each year, from early childhood to secondary level. It is headquartered in Portland Crescent in Thorndon, Wellington. In addition to its ordinary full-time students, Te Kura provides programmes to students at other state-owned schools where a subject is unavailable, and to adults. Te Kura is Ministry of Education funded.

Early history
The school began in 1922 with 100 primary level students, expanding into secondary education in 1928 with 50 students and into early childhood education in 1976. When the school was first established in the 1920s, parliamentarians referred to the founding vision as "a school for the benefit of the most isolated children, for example of lighthouse keepers and remote shepherds living upon small islands or in mountainous districts". The same parliamentary debate on TCS also described it as "a school of last resort, ensuring that no matter where he lived every child should have as full an education as he was capable of achieving".

Recent developments
The school began a significant review of its services under the leadership of Debbie Francis (CEO January 2004 – July 2006) during which time the school was restructured. A $6 million annual deficit was corrected primarily through reducing the number of salaried staff – amongst other strategies. Further to this, the school developed a Differentiated Services Model for its full-time students.

Mike Hollings commenced in the position of CEO from August 2006 after completing a contract as the CEO of New Zealand Education Review Office (ERO). Further restructuring was undertaken at the end of 2007 when the school commenced the adoption of a more regionally focused model.

Notable staff

 * Arthur Gordon Butchers (1885–1960), principal, educationalist and historian
 * Louise Henderson (1902–1994), artist and painter
 * Trish McKelvey (born 1942), former cricketer, cricket administrator, and educator
 * Apirana Mahuika (1934–2015), Māori tribal leader
 * Te Paekiomeka Joy Ruha (1931–2011), prominent Māori leader and teacher

Notable alumni

 * Courtney McGregor (born 1998), representative artistic gymnast
 * Nico Porteous (born 2001), represented New Zealand and won bronze at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
 * Miguel Porteous (born 1999) represented New Zealand at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu


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Ys (series)

Ys (イース) is a series of action role-playing games developed by Nihon Falcom. The series chronicles the life of the adventurer, Adol Christin.

The first game in the series, Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished, was released on the NEC PC-8801 in 1987. Ys games have since been ported and released on many other platforms. As of 2017, Ys had sold over 4.8 million copies worldwide.

Plot
The Ys series chronicles the life of Adol Christin, a young man obsessed with adventure. Gameplay usually revolves around Adol, though his comrade, Dogi, is a frequent companion in his travels. More recent games in the series include several other playable party members.

A feature of the early Ys games is the Darm Tower. In the story, it is an unfinished and deserted tower, built with the intention of touching the sky. The tower houses a small annex, titled "the Tower of Rado" (or simply "Rado's Annex" ) three quarters of the way up. According to in-game lore, the normally immortal ancient Ys aged because humans overused the magic power of an ancient artifact, known as the Black Pearl. The result of this misuse was evil magical energy bringing forth millions of cruel demons. The people of Ys fled to the Palace of Solomon and used the Black Pearl to lift the palace into the sky, creating a safe haven. The demons, focused on controlling the Black Pearl for their own intentions, began building the Darm Tower, day and night, attempting to connect to the Palace of Solomon with their construction. As in-game-events transpired, however, the demons' efforts were thwarted. Later games feature a variety of plots but frequently begin with a shipwreck, with a stranded Adol getting involved in the new area's events.

Gameplay
In early games, the player uses only the directional pad to fight. The player must run Adol into enemies, hitting them on the side, back or slightly off-center of the front. This was created with accessibility in mind; while other RPGs at the time had either turn-based combat or a manually activated sword, Ys had Adol automatically attack when walking into enemies. While most Ys titles do not use the 'bump attack' system, it has become one of the series' defining features. Falcom staff have compared this style of gameplay to the enjoyment of popping air bubble sheets, in the sense that it took the tedious task of level-grinding and turned it into something similar to a high-score-based arcade game.

A feature that has been used in nearly every Ys title is the health regeneration mechanism, which had previously only been used in the Hydlide series. Recharging health has since become a common mechanism used in many video games today.

Ys II introduced magic spells to the series (e.g. shooting fireballs), and the ability to transform into a monster, which allows the player to both scare human non-player characters for unique dialogues, and interact with non-boss monsters.

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys adopted side-scrolling action-adventure gameplay, similar to Falcom's own Dragon Slayer series and Nintendo's Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, with an attack button and a variety of different attacks.

Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys and Ys IV: Mask of the Sun returned to the original control scheme, while Ys IV: Mask of the Sun-A New Theory requires the player to press buttons to attack.

Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand uses a top-down viewpoint and requires the player to press buttons to attack or defend with a shield.

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim graphically departed from its predecessors, using a mix of three-dimensional graphics and sprites. Gameplay is hack and slash generally without the ability to actively block. Ys: The Oath in Felghana and Ys: Origin share this gameplay style.

Ys Seven brought back the ability to actively block, with skills, stun meters for enemies, weapon types, super combos known as EXTRA skills, and the ability to parry hits from attacks with a flash guard system. Failed flash guards result in the player character taking extra damage compared to failing to defend at all. Memories of Celceta introduces a flash dodge where a player character dodges just before a hit. Ys VIII and IX continued this style.

Games
The Ys series has its roots in the Japanese computer system NEC PC-8801. Each of the first three games was released on that platform first. Ports of the games to console platforms have usually been handled by various other licensee companies, such as Hudson Soft, Tonkin House and Konami.

The first two games in the series were originally intended as a single game, but the creators Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki eventually decided to split it into two separate games: Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished (1987) and Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter (1988). They were later re-released together in the enhanced remake Ys I & II (1989). It was one of the first video games to use CD-ROM, which was utilized to provide enhanced graphics, animated cutscenes, a Red Book CD-DA soundtrack, and voice acting. Its English localization was also one of the first to use voice dubbing. The game received the Game of the Year award from OMNI Magazine in 1990, as well as many other awards. The Sharp X68000 remake of Ys I released in 1991 was notable for its early use of 3D pre-rendering for the boss sprites. An MS-DOS remake called Ys II Special was also released exclusively for the South Korean market in 1994; it was a mash-up of Ys II with the anime Ys II: Castle in the Heavens (1992) along with a large amount of new content.

After completing Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (1989), Hashimoto and Miyazaki left Nihon Falcom and founded Quintet. Two versions of the fourth game were released, and Falcom licensed both versions out: the Super Famicom version to Tonkin House (who had handled the Super NES port for Ys III), titled Ys IV: Mask of the Sun; and the PC Engine CD version to Hudson Soft (who had ported all three previous games to that platform), titled Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys. Hudson Soft took certain liberties with the game, and as a result, it is very different from Mask of the Sun. They share the same setting, cast, and much of the basic plot, but the actual structure of the story plays out in a completely different manner, as do the game's levels and enemies. Mask of the Sun is the official continuation of the series, while Falcom have deemed The Dawn of Ys to be essentially an "alternate universe" take on the events in Celceta. A PS2 remake of Mask of the Sun was released in May 2005, further subtitled "A New Theory".

Falcom released Ys V as a Super Famicom exclusive. A standalone title, it gave Adol a jump and manual attack. It was criticized as being too easy; in response to this, Falcom put out Ys V Expert, a harder version of the game. A PS2 remake of Ys V by Taito was released 2006 in Japan.

After this, the series remained dormant for eight years (except for remakes such as Ys Eternal), during which time Falcom abandoned console development altogether, choosing instead to focus on the Windows platform. The sixth game in the series, entitled Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, was released in September 2003. Ys: The Oath in Felghana, a remake of Ys III, was released in 2005. A spin-off game called Ys Strategy was released in March 2006 in Japan for the Nintendo DS. Unlike the rest of the series, it is a real-time strategy game. It received lackluster reviews and general disdain from fans.

Ys Origin was released in December 2006. It takes place 700 years before the events of the first game, following the separation of Ys from Esteria. The two initial playable characters are Yunica Tovah and Hugo Fact. The two characters' stories play out somewhat differently during character interactions. Adol appears only as a hidden bonus character. Falcom has since released a new version of the game that required a copy's registration serial number sent to Falcom along with shipping charges to get an extra enhancement disc for the game. With this disc the player would be able to play as Adol, along with various other new features. Ys Seven was released in Japan in 2009 for the PlayStation Portable. Unlike the previous entries in the series, this time the player has a party of characters fighting simultaneously against enemies on the field, and can change the controlled character on the fly with the press of a button. This system has been maintained in all subsequent games in the series. The graphics also had a significant upgrade compared to Ys Origin.

In September 2012, Ys: Memories of Celceta was released for the PlayStation Vita. Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was released in Japan in July 2016 for the PlayStation Vita, and was later ported to the PlayStation 4, Windows, and Nintendo Switch. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox was released on the PlayStation 4 in Japan in September 2019. It was released in North America and Europe in 2021. Ys X: Nordics was released in Japan for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in September 2023. It features naval exploration and combat for the first time in the series.

English releases
Until 2005, only three Ys games were available in North America: Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished (Master System, MS-DOS, Apple IIGS), Ys I & II (TurboGrafx CD), and Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (SNES, Genesis, TurboGrafx CD). The original PC-8801, PC-9801, X1 and MSX2 versions, as well as the Famicom ports remain exclusive to Japan. English ports of the Japanese PC game Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim were released by Konami in 2005 and 2006 for the PS2 and PSP, respectively, marking the first English release of the series in 13 years.

At one point, NEC Interchannel proposed bringing DigiCube's Ys Eternal Story to North America, but the idea was rejected by Sony Computer Entertainment America.

The original Windows PC remakes were Ys Eternal and Ys II Eternal. Later, there was a compiled re-release called Ys I & II Complete, which bumped up Ys Eternal visuals to Ys II Eternal level (more color depth, primarily) and made the soundtrack sound more cohesive between the two. Once this was out of print, Falcom began selling the two separately again, as Ys I Complete and Ys II Complete. Falcom changed the "Eternal" to "Complete" on all external packaging and advertisements, but not in the actual games themselves. In one of the English patches, the internal bitmaps are edited to reflect the external change for the packages.

In 2002, Nicolas Livaditis, an avid Ys fan and software engineer, spearheaded an English fan translation project for the first PC remake, Ys I Complete. This led to other projects for Ys II Complete, Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys, Ys: The Ark of Napishtim, Ys: The Oath in Felghana and Ys Origin, though not all were completed; the Ys VI project for example, was cancelled to respect Konami's licensing rights. Completed translation patches were made for Ys I & II Complete and Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys. In 2010, Xseed Games purchased the fan-translated script for Ys: The Oath in Felghana from Jeff Nussbaum, the actual translator, an act considered historic and unprecedented, as unlicensed translations are technically copyright infringements as unauthorized derivative works. XSEED went on to purchase three more fan-translated scripts for Ys I, Ys II, and Ys Origin.

Nintendo added Ys Book I & II to the US Virtual Console in August 2008, the first release of the Ys series on a 7th generation home console. Atlus released the games in one package entitled Legacy of Ys: Books I & II in February 2009 on the Nintendo DS.

Xseed Games localized the PlayStation Portable games Ys I & II Chronicles, Ys: The Oath in Felghana, and Ys Seven in North America. As of 2011, all games have been released.

In 2012, Xseed Games began publishing Japanese PC games through Steam, starting with the PC version of Ys: The Oath in Felghana on 19 March. On 31 May, Xseed Games released an English version of Ys Origin on Steam. Ys I & II were also released via Steam in February 2013 as Ys I & II Chronicles+ – XSEED's Steam programmer Sara managed to combine Falcom's PC port of Ys I & II Chronicles with the earlier fan-favorite PC release Ys I & II Complete, effectively mixing all the best features of both versions like selectable soundtracks (PC-88 original, Complete and Chronicles) and art styles from both Chronicles and Complete, alongside the visual flexibility of Complete, such as greater viewing area, togglable screen frame and support for windowed mode.

Ys: Memories of Celceta was released in North America in November 2013 by Xseed Games. The American release was also released as a very limited edition called Silver Anniversary Edition, which features a 3-CD collection of both original and arranged music spanning the history of the franchise, a cloth map of the land of Celceta, a logo-emblazoned compass and Adol's Travel Journal, containing around 120+ pages of adventuring strategies and artwork. Ys: Memories of Celceta was released by NIS America in Europe in February 2014.

MMORPG
Ys Online ~ The Call of Solum, developed by the South Korean game maker CJ Internet and taking place more than a hundred years after the main series, was launched on 5 November 2007 in South Korea, and in 2009 as an open beta for Chinese, Japanese and European players, but was discontinued in all regions in October 2012.

Animation
There are two separate OVA series of Ys, with the first spanning seven episodes and covering the events of the first game, and the second running for four episodes and loosely covering the events of the second game. The first anime expands on the relatively thin storyline of Ys I, including a retelling and expansion of the prologue found in the game's original Japanese manual.

Both series were released on DVD in English by Media Blasters' anime label "AnimeWorks", packaged both separately and in a three-disc box set. The dubbed/audio tracks have changes to some character names ("Dark Fact" becoming "Dark Factor", "Adol" becoming "Adle", and "Lilia" becoming "Lillian", for instance). Pronunciations of various names are inconsistent, sometimes within the same scene.

Included on one of the discs is what appears to be a preview for an anime based around Ys IV: Dawn of Ys. This was created by Falcom as a "pitch" trailer to shop around to various animation studios to see if anyone was interested in producing the series; however, they had no takers, so this trailer is all that exists of the rumored Ys IV: Dawn of Ys anime.

Music
The first two games were composed by Yuzo Koshiro, Mieko Ishikawa, and Hideya Nagata, whereas Mieko Ishikawa handled the soundtrack for Ys III. The composers' works have been remixed for each subsequent release, for instance, by Japanese musician Ryo Yonemitsu for Hudson Soft's Ys I & II, Ys III: Wanderers from Ys and Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys releases for TurboGrafx-CD. The TurboGrafx versions made use of Red Book audio.

The Ys series is seen in the video game music industry as some of the finest and most influential role-playing video game scores of all time, demonstrated by an extensive series of CD releases based on the series' music, with numerous variations on its themes. It has also inspired video game composers outside Japan, such as German musician Chris Huelsbeck.

The later games in the series were composed by Falcom Sound Team jdk, the collective name of Falcom's internal sound production staff (not to be confused with the jdk Band – a band made of freelance musicians who works for Falcom and performs Sound Team jdk's music live and for arranged albums).

title: Ys (series)


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Talk:Optimal solutions for the Rubik's Cube

I don't think the cube on the picture is correct. It is not an original Rubik's due to the center pieces and even then it's not solvable since the green/white corner must have orange as third colour and faces in the wrong direction after rotating. Luigi173 —Preceding undated comment added 23:21, 23 September 2016 (UTC)

http://cubezzz.homelinux.org/drupal/?q=node/view/117 Credibility? Update needed or not?Ithy (talk) 03:43, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

I changed the link from mathematical constructivism to constructive proof because, although IANAM, I feel the notion of constructive vs. non-constructive proofs does not depend on the philosophy of constructivism, and the latter is not really relevant to the topic at hand. Unfortunately I don't think I'm up to actually writing the article on constructive proofs... :(

There needs to be a 2x2 part — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.170.251.28 (talk) 14:11, 19 June 2022 (UTC)

Oh goody, Gandalf61 just did :)

24 quarter turns changed to 26 quarter turns by anonymous editor, can anyone cofirm? Κσυπ Cyp    22:51, 20 Jan 2004 (UTC)

I can confirm it. On the following page http://www.math.ucf.edu/~reid/Rubik/x_symmetric.html there is a positions that needs 26 quarter turns. Here is the solution U2 D2 L F2 U' D R2 B U' D' R L F2 R U D' R' L U F' B' User:Sander123 3 febuary 2004.

 * I am not convinced this is correct. Reid's x_symmetric.html page is stating that his best algorithm (the optimal cube solver) needs 26 quarter turns to reach that position.  This is not a proof that no algorithm can reach that position in fewer turns.  For the superflip position the situation is different: as stated, Jerry Bryan has proved by brute-force search through depth 11 (exploiting the symmetry of superflip) that 24 is a real lower bound (http://www.math.rwth-aachen.de/~Martin.Schoenert/Cube-Lovers/Jerry_Bryan__Qturn_Lengths_of_M-Symmetric_Positions.html). Without a similar proof for the 26 quarter turn position (and if so, please give a reference), it is not a lower bound.  Jim Mahoney 18:05, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

 * After looking around further and re-reading the primary sources, I'm even more unconvinced. http://www.fact-index.com/o/op/optimal_solutions_for_rubik_s_cube.html states that the bounds are 20 for the face metric, and 24 for the quarter turn metric, both based on the superflip position.  I'm therefore going to change the front page lower bound back to 24 for the quarter turn metric.  Jim Mahoney 18:45, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

 * On this page he claims that the solver he used is optimal, ie it may never give a solution, but if it will it is an optimal one. Sander123 10:48, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

 * Update, I have a reference for the lower bound of 26q. See      (dated august 2 1998, subject: superflip  composed with  four spot)

Hmm. In this article http://www.americanscientist.org/template/BookReviewTypeDetail/assetid/25829;jsessionid=baa4XNTR6LdtGz it is claimed that there are also positions that need 21 face turns. I haven't found one yet though. User:Sander123 3 febuary 2004.

A position with 21 face turns has not been discovered up to now. User:Herbert Kociemba 9 febuary 2004.

The mathematics concerning Thistlethwaites and my algorithm was not correct. The subgroups there definitely are not normal and so the coset spaces are no groups! I changed it. User:Herbert Kociemba

The article Rubik's Cube says that "all cubes can be solved in 23 moves or fewer." Is this correct? Does it need to updated changed? Is this perhaps the correct number? (The Swami 05:54, 11 November 2005 (UTC))

According to the 6 Step Solution Guide that is included in all recent Rubik's Cubes sold today, all cubes can be solved in 20 twists or less. "RUBIK Fact: Most cubes can be solved in only 17 moves with the aid of a computer, and theoretically there is no cube that requires more than 20 twists to solve. Some people can solve the cube in under 45 moves from any scrambled positon; and a few can even solve the cube blindfolded!" This may prove to be a valuable addition to the article.User:Ring-Ding July 29, 2006.

Though 20 twist is suspected to be the actual lower bound, this has not been proven, afaik. Sander123 11:52, 31 July 2006 (UTC)

"How to solve the Rubik's Cube" Link
How to solve the Rubik's Cube is no longer a valid link. Was that article deleted, or moved, or merged? This article seems to build off of that old one, so if it was deleted, at least a little information of it should be merged into this one. If it was moved, the link should be changed too. Fieari 06:51, July 23, 2005 (UTC)

It got moved to wikibooks:How to solve the Rubik's Cube -- Spoon! 05:19, 8 August 2005 (UTC)

Dedmore?
Why does no one speak of the excellent solution by Denny Dedmore? I have learned it this way, and it is much easier as a beginner's soulution, but can be executed quite quickly. Plus, it is highly visual and easy to understand, utilizing move sequences for the posistion of cubies on the cube face.Fishdert 22:46, 25 February 2007 (UTC)Fishdert —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Fishdert (talk • contribs) 22:45, 25 February 2007 (UTC).
 * Because this page is about solution that are optimal. I don't know dedmore's method but very likely it can't solve a cube in worst case 27 turns. The solutions on this page are not intended to be used by humans for solving cubes in practice. Bye. Sander123 15:32, 26 February 2007 (UTC)

Scientist Solves Rubik's Cube In 26 Moves
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070531131326.htm

"It’s a toy that most kids have played with at one time or another, but the findings of Northeastern University Computer Science professor Gene Cooperman and graduate student Dan Kunkle are not child’s play. The two have proven that 26 moves suffice to solve any configuration of a Rubik's cube – a new record.  Historically the best that had been proved was 27 moves."

Thank you 129.71.94.254 for deleting that awful overview paragraph. --72.192.8.238 (talk) 20:50, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Lower Bounds section
Isn't this

"In 1998 Michael Reid found a new position requiring more than 24 quarter turns to solve. The position, named by him as 'superflip composed with four spot' needs 26 quarter turns. [2]"

in the Lower Bounds section now incorrect, because of http://arxivblog.com/?p=332, which shows that 25 moves is the (currently known) lower bound? Mattack (talk) 00:37, 28 March 2008 (UTC)

 * There are two ways to count the number of moves: counting each quarter turn as a move, and one counting each face turn as a move. Using the face turn metric one gets lower numbers than using the quarter turn metric. Reid's position is the currently worsed known position in terms of the number of quarter turns needed. Most of the work on lower bounds focusses on the face turn metric. This difference is not always explicit in the article. Sander123 (talk) 05:20, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

What is "optimal"?
It's perhaps obvious to some, but the article should make clear what an optimal algorithm is. I'd guess: an algorithm that is guaranteed to take the minimal number of steps to solve a cube from any starting position. pgr94 (talk) 12:33, 5 August 2010 (UTC)

Possible New Solution
I don't feel qualified to edit this page, so instead am simply including this link: http://www.cube20.org/  I think some mention of this "claim" should be included in this article, but unfortunately, there don't seem to be any citations on that page. They claim to have shown, using multiple computers at Google labs, that every unique position on a cube can be solved in 20 moves or less, using the face metric. ETomeny (talk) 14:38, 9 August 2010 (UTC)  ETomeny, are you saying that they haven't been published so they shouldn't be mentioned? 24.163.17.26 (talk) 21:36, 10 August 2010 (UTC)     Well, I guess the big question is, is it true? Does the information at cube20 provide sufficient detail to at least convince that it might be true? The names they mention are at least people known from the field, but really anybody can put up a web site. Sander123 (talk) 06:52, 11 August 2010 (UTC) The issue that Sander123 raised is what I was discussing. Anyone could have put up that website. There are no citations whatsoever. However, I don't see why this article can't mention "A website appeared in July, 2010 claiming that several notable people had managed, using computer time at Google, to prove that any configuration of a Rubik's Cube can be solved in 20 moves or less. The website, however, provided no citations." Is this type of thing allowed in a Wikipedia article? ETomeny (talk) 18:44, 11 August 2010 (UTC)

Sure, its relevant, and people can make up their own minds whether they want to believe the claim or not. Sander123 (talk) 13:07, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

Quarter Turn vs. Face Metric
I think the article needs a more detailed discussion, or perhaps needs to be split into two sections, to highlight the differences between the quarter turn metric and face metric. The upper and lower bounds will be different depending upon which metric you use, no? Apparently (see my previous discussion topic) it has been shown that the upper and lower bounds are 20 using the face metric (i.e. this discussion has been "solved" for the face metric, see http://www.cube20.org/) but I'm not familiar enough with the cube to know whether this means it has been solved for the quarter turn metric as well. It seems to me that there would be a different "God's Number" for that metric. ETomeny (talk) 14:41, 9 August 2010 (UTC)

I agree. I would like to see the move count for each solution (upper bound vs. lower bound) in the same metric so that they can be compared. Perhaps everything could be listed in face turn metric with quarter turn metric in parentheses. --68.97.85.136 (talk) 17:44, 2 October 2010 (UTC)

New low number of moves for solving Rubik's cube?
The following web page:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-many-moves-to-solve-rubiks-cube/

says that a new low has been found, but I don't trust the page - it looks like a blog pretending to be news.

I am listing it here in case someone can find a reliable source to cite. Guy Macon (talk) 11:30, 18 June 2011 (UTC)

 * It looks like you're right about that being nothing but SEOslop.
 * However, the result they were (poorly) reporting on, Kunkle & Cooperman 2007, was legitimate, published by the ACM (https://doi.org/10.1145%2F1277548.1277581) and has since been properly integrated into the page. So this subthread can probably be archived. 50.4.94.103 (talk) 01:19, 12 May 2023 (UTC)

Title is not quite right
Is the title "Optimal solutions for Rubik's Cube" correct? The article is about finding God's number, not optimal solutions to random states (although there is section "Korf's algorithm" about it). Kociemba's algorithm is not optimal, and Thistlethwaite's algorithm was used only to prove certain upper bound.

Maybe something like "Mathematics of the Rubik's Cube" would be better? Stuff like could be also included here in that case. Stannic (talk) 02:19, 28 July 2013 (UTC)

Unclear phrasing in Korf's algorithm
“Although this algorithm will always find optimal solutions, there is no worst case analysis. It is not known how many moves this algorithm might need.”

This is not at all clear. God's number is 20, so a trivial “worst case analysis” reveals that of course this algorithm has to find sequences that are no longer than 20, no?

If not “moves”, what does that sentence actually refer to? Algorithmic iterations?

50.4.94.103 (talk) 01:10, 12 May 2023 (UTC)


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Conrad Kain

Conrad Kain (10 August 1883, Nasswald – 2 February 1934, Cranbrook, British Columbia ) was an Austrian mountain guide who guided extensively in Europe, Canada, and New Zealand, and was responsible for the first ascents of more than 60 routes in British Columbia. He is particularly known for pioneering climbs in the Purcell Mountains and the first ascents of Mount Robson (1913), Mount Louis (1916) and Bugaboo Spire (1916).

Life
Kain was born in poverty in a small village in Lower Austria. His father was a miner who died when Kain was 8. In his youth he worked as a goatherd in the Rax Alps and from 1898 to 1904 he worked at stone quarries in Veitsch and Hirschwang. His free time he spent climbing, and by 1904 he guided his first clients, becoming an officially recognized professional guide in 1906. He guided his clients not only in Austria (including the Dolomites), but also in Switzerland and France, including the Matterhorn, La Meije and several first ascents.

Dissatisfied with his life in Austria, he planned to emigrate and in 1908 he took lessons in English in Vienna for that purpose. In June 1909 he moved to Canada with the promise of employment as the Alpine Club of Canada's first professional guide, changing his name from Konrad to Conrad. In the summer of 1910 he surveyed the Purcell Mountains and in 1911 he explored the Banff area, making a number of first ascents already. In 1912 he joined an exploration in Siberia's Altai Mountains, after which he returned to Austria where he spent several months with his mother. He then traveled to New Zealand where he was a guide in the winter of 1913. He was encouraged to return to Canada again to be a guide for two mountaineering camps, one based at Lake O'Hara camp and another at Robson Pass. The next three years he would guide respective summers in both Canada and New Zealand, completing many first ascents in both countries.

Conrad Kain is credited with 69 first ascents in Canada alone, including Resplendent Mountain and Whitehorn Mountain (1911), Nasswald Peak (named after his hometown) and Mount Robson (1913), Mount Farnham (1915), Mount Louis, Howser Spire and Bugaboo Spire (1916), North Twin Peak and Mount Saskatchewan (1923), Mount Hooker and Mount Fraser (1924) and Peyto Peak and Trapper Peak (1933). Between 1914 and 1916 he made about 30 first ascents in New Zealand as well.

While he considered his climb of Bugaboo Spire the most challenging, and it was considered the most difficult alpine climb in Canada until the 1940s, his most notable first ascent was that of Mount Robson in July 1913. He guided de:Albert MacCarthy and William Wasbrough Foster over the northeast face by hacking hundreds of steps and famously told his clients at the top "Gentlemen, that's so far as I can take you." During the ascent, Kain was under the assumption that Mount Robson had been climbed in 1909 by George Kinney and Curly Phillips, but on their return to the campsite at Robson Pass, Phillips, who was outfitter of the expedition, revealed that he and Kinney had actually fallen short of reaching the summit in their heroic effort over the west face four years before.

Conrad Kain climbed Mount Louis for the last time on his 50th birthday. He fell ill in October of that year in Wilmer, British Columbia, and died six months later of encephalitis in a hospital in Cranbrook. The marker on his grave in Cranbrook reads "A guide of great spirit".

Legacy
Kain wrote an autobiography titled Where the Clouds Can Go where he describes his tough years while growing up in Austria as well as his 25 years working variously as a guide for The Alpine Club of Canada, a hunter outfitter, and an assistant to Arthur O. Wheeler for the Geographic Survey of Canada.

In 1911, A. O. Wheeler named Mount Kain after him, when Kain had pointed at the mountain and exclaimed "Ach, that is my peak!" a few days after he had come to Wheeler's rescue after slipping on a descent from Lynx Mountain. Near the Bugaboos there is the Conrad Group, with the Conrad Icefield, Conrad Glacier and with Mount Conrad (3271 m) as highest point. The latter previously unclimbed peak was the last mountain Kain climbed (in September 1933). Since 1970, the Alpine Club of Canada maintains an alpine hut named Conrad Kain hut centrally located in the Bugaboos, where Kain made many first ascents. In New Zealand there is also a Mount Conrad (2,598 m) named after him, lying in the Liebig Range above the Murchison Glacier in the Southern Alps.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Kain's arrival in Canada, the Conrad Kain Centennial Society was formed in the upper Columbia Valley in 2007 to celebrate his achievements and to develop legacy projects in his memory.

title: Conrad Kain


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The London Gazette

The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published. The Gazette is not a conventional newspaper offering general news coverage. It does not have a large circulation.

Other official newspapers of the UK government are The Edinburgh Gazette and The Belfast Gazette, which, apart from reproducing certain materials of nationwide interest published in The London Gazette, also contain publications specific to Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively. In turn, The London Gazette carries not only notices of UK-wide interest, but also those relating specifically to entities or people in England and Wales. However, certain notices that are only of specific interest to Scotland or Northern Ireland are also required to be published in The London Gazette.

The London, Edinburgh and Belfast Gazettes are published by TSO (The Stationery Office) on behalf of His Majesty's Stationery Office. They are subject to Crown copyright.

The London Gazette claims to be the oldest surviving English newspaper and the oldest continuously published newspaper in the UK, having been first published on 7 November 1665 as The Oxford Gazette. The claim to being oldest is also made by the Stamford Mercury (1712) and Berrow's Worcester Journal (1690).

Current publication
The London Gazette is published each weekday, except for bank holidays. Notices for the following, among others, are published:

 * Granting of royal assent to bills of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly
 * The issuance of writs of election when a vacancy occurs in the House of Commons
 * Appointments to certain public offices
 * Commissions in the Armed Forces and subsequent promotion of officers
 * Corporate and personal insolvency
 * Granting of awards of honours and military medals
 * Changes of names or of coats of arms
 * Royal proclamations and other declarations

His Majesty's Stationery Office has digitised all issues of The Gazette, and these are available online.

The official Gazettes are published by The Stationery Office. The content is available in a number of machine-readable formats, including XML (delivery by email/FTP) and XML/RDFa via Atom feed.

History

The London Gazette was first published as The Oxford Gazette on 7 November 1665. Charles II and the Royal Court had moved to Oxford to escape the Great Plague of London, and courtiers were unwilling to touch London newspapers for fear of contagion. The Gazette was "Published by Authority" by Henry Muddiman, and its first publication is noted by Samuel Pepys in his diary. The King returned to London as the plague dissipated, and the Gazette moved too, with the first issue of The London Gazette (labelled No. 24) being published on 5 February 1666. The Gazette was not a newspaper in the modern sense: it was sent by post to subscribers, not printed for sale to the general public.

Her Majesty's Stationery Office took over the publication of the Gazette in 1889. Publication of the Gazette was transferred to the private sector in 2006, under government supervision, when HMSO was sold and renamed The Stationery Office.

Dates before 1 January 1752
Until Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 came into effect on 1 January 1752(N.S.), the Gazette was published with a date based on the Julian calendar with the start of year as 25 March. (Modern secondary sources may adjust the start of the calendar year during this period to 1 January, while retaining the original day and month. Using this adjustment, an issue with a printed date of 24 March 1723(O.S.) will be reported as being published in 1724 – the same solar year as an issue published two days later, on 26 March 1724.)

"Gazetted"
In time of war, dispatches from the various conflicts are published in The London Gazette. Soldiers who are mentioned in despatches will also be named in the Gazette. When members of the armed forces are promoted, and these promotions are published here, the person is said to have been "gazetted".

Being "gazetted" (or "in the gazette") also meant having official notice of one's bankruptcy published, as in the classic ten-line poem comparing the stolid tenant farmer of 1722 to the lavishly spending faux-genteel farmers of 1822:

Notices of engagement and marriage were also formerly published in the Gazette.

Colonial gazettes
Gazettes, modelled on The London Gazette, were issued for most British colonial possessions. Many of these continued after independence, and to the present day.

title: The London Gazette


text:
Surreal

Surreal may refer to:

 * Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art
 * "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki
 * "Surreal", a 2023 song by Luísa Sonza and Baco Exu do Blues
 * Surreal (album), an album by Man Raze
 * Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor
 * Surreal numbers, a superset of the real numbers in mathematics
 * Surreal Software, an American video game studio

title: Surreal


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Yellowhead Highway

The Yellowhead Highway (Route Yellowhead) is a major interprovincial highway in Western Canada that runs from Winnipeg to Graham Island off the coast of British Columbia via Saskatoon and Edmonton. It stretches across the four western Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and is part of the Trans-Canada Highway system and the larger National Highway System, but should not be confused with the more southerly, originally-designated Trans-Canada Highway. The highway was officially opened in 1970. Beginning in 1990, the green and white Trans-Canada logo is used to designate the roadway.

The highway is named for the Yellowhead Pass, the route chosen to cross the Canadian Rockies. The pass and the highway are named after a fur trader and explorer named Pierre Bostonais. He had yellow streaks in his hair, and was nicknamed "Tête Jaune" (Yellowhead). Almost the entire length of the highway is numbered as 16, except for the section in Manitoba that is concurrent with Trans-Canada Highway 1.

The highway number "16" is also the number given to a branch of the Trans-Canada in New Brunswick; Route 16. However, the numeric designation is strictly coincidental, and New Brunswick Route 16 is not part of the Yellowhead.

British Columbia and Alberta
In the west, the highway begins at Masset, British Columbia, on Haida Gwaii, heading south along Graham Island for 101 km to Skidegate. It then connects via a 172 km ferry route to Prince Rupert, then passes southeastward for 724 km through to Prince George, before travelling another 268 km eastward through to Tête Jaune Cache.

A spur of the Yellowhead Highway, Highway 5, also known as the Southern Yellowhead Highway, connects the main highway at Tête Jaune Cache midway between the Alberta-British Columbia border and Prince George. The highway continues past Kamloops before following the Coquihalla Highway to Hope. Unlike Highway 16, route 5 is not branded as being part of the Trans-Canada system and retains the original Yellowhead signage (whereas Highway 16 uses the Trans-Canada Highway logo).

The highway enters Alberta through the Rocky Mountains near Jasper, 100 km from Tête Jaune Cache, passes through Edmonton 366 km further east, and travels another 250 km before entering Saskatchewan at Lloydminster. The highest point on the highway, at 1163.9 m, is Obed Summit near Obed, Alberta.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba
The highway travels southeast for 282 km to Saskatoon, passing through North Battleford about halfway in between. From Saskatoon, the Yellowhead Highway continues its southeastern journey through the province for 329 km to Yorkton. The highway continues for another 90 km from Yorkton and enters Manitoba 16 km northwest of Russell.

Within Manitoba, the highway travels 273 km before meeting the main Trans-Canada Highway near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, where it ends its Highway 16 designation. It then overlaps the TCH into Winnipeg as an unnumbered highway. Officially, the eastern end of the Yellowhead Highway is at the corner of Portage Avenue and Main Street in Winnipeg. The total length of the Yellowhead Highway, including ferries, is 2960 km.

History

The main Yellowhead Highway has been designated as Highway 16 for its entire length since 1977. Prior to this, only the Alberta and British Columbia portions of the highway were designated with this number. The Manitoba portion from the Trans-Canada Highway 10 km west of Portage la Prairie to the Saskatchewan border was designated as PTH 4 (redesignated PTH 16 in 1977), while the Saskatchewan portion (which was redesignated as Highway 16 in 1976) had two numbers designated. From the Manitoba border to Saskatoon, the highway was designated as Highway 14 while the portion from Saskatoon to Lloydminster and the Alberta border was designated as Highway 5. Prior to the opening of the Yellowhead Highway, Highways 5 and 14 both ran the width of Saskatchewan; the respective eastern and western portions of these highways retain their original designations. Prior to the highway retaining the number 16 designation, a very small section of the highway along Idylwyld Drive in Saskatoon was not designated with a number, as Highway 14 redirected on to 22 Street and Highway 5 would redirect on to Idylwyld Drive from 23 Street. Currently, the Yellowhead Highway remains unnumbered between Winnipeg and PTH 16, although it shares the roadway with PTH 1.

While the beginnings of the Yellowhead Highway can be traced back to 1819 when Iroquois Metis Pierre Bostonais, nicknamed Tête Jaune/Yellow Head, was engaged by the Hudson's Bay Company to guide them westward through the Rocky Mountains, the impetus for the building of the highway began in 1921 when a group from Edmonton formed to advocate for a driveable road from Edmonton to Jasper.

Much of the Yellowhead Highway between Edmonton and BC Interior is built on former railway lines. In the early 1900s, both the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) and the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTPR) built lines leading to the Yellowhead Pass. In 1917 the Canadian government compelled the two railways to share one line between Red Pass Junction and Lobstick, and portions of both railways were abandoned. Rails pulled from the abandoned sections were sent to France during the Great War. The CNoR was nationalized in 1918, and in 1919 the GTPR was nationalized as well. One of the engineers working on the crew that pulled up the rails was Fred Driscol. He had the idea to convert the rail bed into a road, and his proposal was endorsed by the Edmonton Automobile and Good Road Association (forerunner of today's Alberta Motor Association) and became that organizations main object of advocacy for the next fifteen years. Despite the E.A.& G.R.A.'s lobbying efforts the successor railway (the Canadian National) would not give up the right-of-way. Therefore, a different route to Jasper was assembled from old cart path, with the club paying for some sections to be built themselves. The E.A.& G.R.A. offered a $100 prize to the first motorists to reach Jasper from Edmonton. The prize was claimed by stunt driver Charley Neimeyer and mechanic Frank Silverthorne in an Overland in June 1922 just beating out George Gordon and J.E. Sims in a Ford by a few days. Both parties continued all the way to the coast and each also received a gold medal from the City of Victoria for being the first to reach that city by motorcar from across the Rockies, Neimeyer and Silverthorne though Washington State, and Gordon and Sims via the Fraser Canyon.

Work continued on the cart path upgrades with many sections also built on rail beds without formal permission from Canadian National. Finally, CN and the federal government agreed to a lease of the right-of-way backdated to 1923. In 1966, the provincial government received title to the entire stretch of abandoned rails. there were 71 mi of the Edmonton-to-Jasper section of the highway on former railway grades.

In 1936 the advocacy around the highway was formalized with the formation of the Yellowhead Highway Association which later, in 1947, was reformed as the Trans-Canada Highway System Association and a submission was made to Prime Minister Mackenzie King to advocate for the construction of the highway. The Association was renamed the Trans Canada Yellowhead Highway Association (TCYHA) in 2000 to better reflect its roots. The iconic Yellowhead Highway signage seen along the highways is trademarked to the TCYHA. The Yellowhead Highway was officially opened in Western Canada in 1970; in 1978 all four Western Provinces agreed to use #16 for the highway. In 1986, the Yellowhead Highway received the designation of a Trans Canada Highway with Highway #5 in BC, from Tête Jaune to Hope, remaining named just the Yellowhead Highway.

The Highway 5 in British Columbia used to be designated as part of the Yellowhead Highway only between Tête Jaune Cache and Kamloops, with Highway 5 south of Kamloops being signed with the standard BC highway shield. In the 2000s, route markers along the Coquihalla Highway were changed to reflect Yellowhead Highway 5.

title: Yellowhead Highway


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Common redpoll

The common redpoll or mealy redpoll (Acanthis flammea) is a species of bird in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs.

Taxonomy
The common redpoll was listed in 1758 by Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Fringilla flammea. The current genus name Acanthis is from the Ancient Greek akanthis, a name for a small now-unidentifiable bird, and flammea is the Latin for "flame-coloured".

The common redpoll was previously placed in the genus Carduelis. Molecular phylogenetic studies showed that the Arctic and common redpolls formed a distinct lineage, so the two species were grouped together in the resurrected genus Acanthis.

Subspecies
The nominate subspecies A. f. flammea, the mealy redpoll, breeds across the northern parts of North America and the Palearctic. There is also a subspecies that breeds in Iceland called the Icelandic redpoll (A. f. islandica), and one that breeds in Greenland and Baffin Island called the Greenland redpoll (A. f. rostrata). Many taxonomic authorities consider the lesser redpoll a subspecies of the common redpoll. Together, the Icelandic and Greenland forms are sometimes known as the 'northwestern redpolls'. All the subspecies migrate south into Canada, the northern U.S., or Eurasia. These birds are remarkably resistant to cold temperatures and winter movements are mainly driven by the availability of food. There are two distinct populations (one lighter, one darker) united in islandica, the relationships of which are unresolved.

Description
The common redpoll is a small brownish-grey finch with dark streaks and a bright red patch on its forehead. It has a black bib and two pale stripes on the wings. Males often have their breasts suffused with red. It is smaller, browner and more streaked than the generally similar Arctic redpoll, adults measuring between 11.5 and 14 cm in length and weighing between 12 and 16 g. Wingspan ranges from 7.5 to 8.7 in (19-22 cm). The rump is streaked and there is a broad dark brown streak across the vent. It has brown legs, dark-tipped yellowish bills and dark brown irises.

Similar species
The mealy redpoll is larger and paler than the lesser redpoll with which it often mixes, apparently without significant interbreeding, though sympatry was established too recently to draw firm conclusions. The male mealy redpolls are darker than the similarly sized Arctic redpolls, but the females are almost identical.

Behaviour
The range of the common redpoll extends through northern Europe and Asia to northern North America, Greenland and Iceland. It is a partial migrant, moving southward in late autumn and northward again in March and April. Its typical habitat is boreal forests of pines, spruces and larches. It feeds mainly on seeds, principally birch and alder seeds in the winter.

The common redpoll builds its nest low down in a tree or bush. The nest has an outer layer of thin twigs, a middle layer of root fibres, fragments of juniper bark and lichens and an inner layer of down, willow buds and reindeer hair. Three to seven speckled eggs are laid and incubated by the female. They hatch after about 11 days and the young fledge in about a further 13 days.

title: Common redpoll


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Arctic redpoll

The Arctic redpoll or hoary redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni) is a bird species in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in tundra birch forest. It has two subspecies, A. h. hornemanni (Greenland or Hornemann's Arctic redpoll) of Greenland and neighbouring parts of Canada, and A. h. exilipes (Coues' Arctic redpoll), which breeds in the tundra of northern North America and the Palearctic. Many birds remain in the far north; some birds migrate short distances south in winter, sometimes travelling with common redpolls.

The genus name Acanthis is from the Ancient Greek akanthis, a name for a small now-unidentifiable bird, and hornemanni commemorates the Danish botanist Jens Wilken Hornemann. The name "arctic redpoll" is used in Europe and "hoary redpoll" in North America.

Description
The Arctic redpoll is similar in appearance to the common redpoll but generally paler. It may be distinguished from that species by the unstreaked pale rump patch and the uniformly pale vent area. The Greenland race is a very large, pale bird, with the male sometimes described as a "snowball", but both forms are pale with small beaks, white rumps and often more yellow than grey-brown tones in their plumage. They have black bibs, orangish forehead patches and two light-coloured stripes on each wing. The females are more streaked on their breasts, sides and rumps, but are still pale. Adults are about 12 to 14 cm in length and weigh about 12 to 16 g. Wingspan ranges from 20 to 25 cm.

Behaviour
The Arctic redpoll is partially migratory and tends to move southwards in November and north again in March and April. It feeds mainly on seeds, particularly of alder and birch trees.

Breeding takes place from May to July. The nest is built low down in a tree or bush and is neatly built with an outer layer of twigs, a middle layer of root fibres, fragments of juniper bark and lichens and an inner layer of down, willow buds and reindeer hair. Three to seven pale blue eggs with light reddish speckling are laid and incubated by the female. They hatch after about eleven days and the young fledge in about a further thirteen days.

title: Arctic redpoll


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Lesser redpoll

The lesser redpoll (Acanthis cabaret) is a small passerine bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. It is the smallest, brownest, and most streaked of the redpolls. It is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the common redpoll (Acanthis flammea) but has recently been split from that species by most taxonomies including Clements and the British Ornithologists' Union. It is native to Europe and has been introduced to New Zealand. Many birds migrate further south in winter, but the mild climate means that it can be found all year round in much of its range, and may be joined by the other two redpoll species in winter.

Taxonomy
The genus name Acanthis is from the Ancient Greek akanthis, a name for a small now-unidentifiable bird, and cabaret is the French name for a type of finch. Redpolls were also previously placed in the genus Carduelis but were moved to their own genus along with a number of other changes in the genus.

The relationships among the redpolls are unresolved. The lesser redpoll co-occurs with the mealy redpoll (subspecies flammea of the common redpoll) in southern Norway, apparently without significant interbreeding, though sympatry was established too recently to draw firm conclusions.

Description
It is a small, short-tailed finch, 11.5 – long with a wingspan of 20 – and a weight of 9 –. The bill is short, conical and sharply pointed and is pale yellow with a dark tip. The adult male is largely brown above with darker streaks. It has a red forehead, a black chin and, during the breeding season, pink on the breast and face. The flanks are buff with dark streaks and the belly and undertail-coverts are whitish. There are two pale bars on the wing. The adult female is similar but lacks the pink on the breast and face and has less streaking on the flanks. The juvenile has a pale head with no red forehead and less black on the chin.

The commonest call is a harsh, metallic, staccato chuch-uch-uch-uch given in flight or while perched. It also has a plaintive alarm call. The trilling song combines the flight call with a buzzing rattle and is often given in an undulating song-flight around the territory.

The mealy redpoll is similar to the lesser redpoll, but larger and paler with whiter underparts. The upperparts are more buff and the rump is pale with dark streaks.

Distribution and habitat
It was formerly almost restricted to Ireland, most of Great Britain, and the Alps, but its range has expanded considerably across central and northern Europe in recent decades. It is a widespread breeding bird in Great Britain and Ireland, although absent from parts of southern and central England. It nests along the North Sea coast from northeastern France to Germany and has spread into Denmark, southern Norway, and southwestern Sweden. The Alpine population has increased and spread into neighbouring regions. The bird now nests as far east as southern Poland, Slovakia, and northern Romania.

It is a short-distance migrant, with many birds spending the winter within the breeding range. Alpine birds often move to lower elevations. In Great Britain, it becomes more widespread in lowland areas in winter. Some British birds move south to mainland Europe, occasionally reaching as far as Iberia.

This species was first introduced to New Zealand in 1862 as part of a shipment of birds to Nelson. Several further introductions followed and it has become widely established. It is most common on the South Island and at higher altitudes and has colonised many offshore islands. It has spread to the Australian territory of Macquarie Island and has occurred as a vagrant to Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.

It inhabits open woodland, scrubland, farmland, and dunes. Its spread has been aided by an increase in conifer plantations.

Behaviour
It is a sociable bird which usually forages in flocks. It feeds mainly in trees, but also feeds on the ground, especially in winter as the supply of seeds becomes reduced. The diet is mostly composed of small seeds, such as those of birch, alder, and grasses. Fruit, buds, and invertebrates are also eaten.

Breeding pairs form in late winter. The breeding territory and several pairs will often nest close together in a loose colony. The cup-shaped nest is built by the female, usually in a shrub or tree. It is made of twigs and plant stems, with an inner layer of roots, grass, moss, leaves, and other vegetation and a lining of feathers, wool, and hair. Two to seven eggs are laid. They are pale bluish or greenish, with reddish or brownish blotches and streaks. The female incubates the eggs for 12–15 days, while being fed by the male. The young birds are fed by both parents and fledge after 9–15 days.

Cited texts

 * Snow, D. W. & Perrins, C. M. (1998) Birds of the Western Palearctic: Concise Edition, Vol. 2, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

title: Lesser redpoll


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Exquisite corpse (disambiguation)

Exquisite corpse is a surrealist technique.

Exquisite corpse may also refer to:

Literature

 * Exquisite Corpse (magazine), edited by Andrei Codrescu
 * Exquisite Corpse (novel), a 1996 novel by Poppy Z. Brite
 * Exquisite Corpse, a novel by Robert Irwin
 * The Exquisite Corpse, a novel by Alfred Chester

Music

 * eXquisite CORpsE, a musical group related to Psychick Warriors ov Gaia
 * Exquisite Corpse (album), by Daedelus
 * Exquisite Corpse (EP), a 2009 EP by Warpaint
 * "Exquisite Corpse" (Bauhaus song), from the album The Sky's Gone Out
 * "Exquisite Corpse" (Shriekback song), from the album Sacred City
 * "Exquisite Corpse" (Stephen Trask song), from the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch
 * "Exquisite Corpse" (George Watsky song), bonus track from the album x Infinity

Film

 * Exquisite Corpse (film), a 2010 horror film

title: Exquisite corpse (disambiguation)


text:
Twite

The twite (Linaria flavirostris) is a small brown passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is a partially migratory species that is found in northern Europe and across the Palearctic to China. It mainly feeds on small seeds but occasionally also feeds on insects.

Taxonomy
In 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus included the twite in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Fringilla flavirostris. The twite and the closely related linnets were at one time placed in the genus Carduelis but were moved to the resurrected genus Linaria based on a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences that was published in 2012. The genus had originally been introduced in 1802 by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein. The genus name linaria is the Latin for a linen-weaver, from linum, "flax". The specific epithet flavirostris means "yellow-billed".

Nine subspecies are recognised:
 * L. f. pipilans (Latham, 1787) – north Ireland and north Britain (includes bensonorum)
 * L. f. flavirostris (Linnaeus, 1758) – north Scandinavia and northwest Russia
 * L. f. brevirostris (Bonaparte, 1855) – Turkey, the Caucasus and north Iran
 * L. f. kirghizorum (Sushkin, 1925) – north, central Kazakhstan
 * L. f. korejevi (Zarudny & Härms, 1914) – northeast Kazakhstan to northwest China
 * L. f. altaica (Sushkin, 1925) – southwest Siberia and north, west Mongolia
 * L. f. montanella (Hume, 1873) – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, north Afghanistan and northwest Pakistan to northwest China (includes pamirensis)
 * L. f. miniakensis (Jacobi, A, 1923) – east Tibet and west China
 * L. f. rufostrigata (Walton, 1905) – west, south Tibet, north India and north Nepal

Description
The twite is similar in size and shape to a linnet, at 13 to 13.5 cm long. It lacks the red head patch and breast shown by the linnet and the redpolls. It is brown streaked with black above, and a pink rump. The underparts are buff to whitish, streaked with brown. The conical bill is yellow in winter and grey in summer. The call is a distinctive twit, from which its name derives, and the song contains fast trills and twitters. Twites can form large flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with other finches on coasts and salt marshes. They feed mainly on seeds.

Distribution and habitat
The twite breeds in northern Europe and across the Palearctic to Siberia and China. Treeless moorland is favoured for breeding. It is partially resident and in winter many birds migrate further south, or move to the coasts. It has declined sharply in parts of its range, notably in Ireland.

Breeding
The female builds a nest either on the ground or low down in a bush, laying 3–6 eggs. The eggs are light or dark blue in colour with variable dark purplish-brown specs or blotches which are mainly concentrated around the broad end. They are laid daily and measure 17.4 x. They are incubated by the female for 12–13 days. The young are fed and cared for by both parents and fledge when aged 11 to 12 days. They continue to be fed for a further two weeks after leaving the nest.

In the UK, the twite is the subject of several research projects in the Pennines, the Scottish Highlands and on the North Wales and Lancashire coastlines. Records show that the birds to the east of the Pennine hills move to the southeast coast in winter and those to the west winter between Lancashire and the Hebrides. The Welsh population winters almost exclusively in Flintshire. Ringing data has revealed that twite breeding in different parts of Britain use different non‐breeding areas, and that non-breeding areas of British twite do not overlap with non-breeding areas of continental twite.

title: Twite


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Mount Kain

Mount Kain is a mountain located in the Fraser River Valley of Mount Robson Provincial Park, Canada. Mt. Kain was named during a survey of the Mt. Robson region conducted by the Alpine Club of Canada during the summer of 1911. While surveying from a nearby peak, the party noticed the mountain and guide Conrad Kain exclaimed "Ach! That is my peak." Trip leader Arthur Oliver Wheeler recorded the peak as Mt. Kain.

title: Mount Kain


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Aristolochic acid

Aristolochic acids are a family of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and nephrotoxic phytochemicals commonly found in the flowering plant family Aristolochiaceae (birthworts). Aristolochic acid (AA) I is the most abundant one. The family Aristolochiaceae includes the genera Aristolochia and Asarum (wild ginger), which are commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine. Although these compounds are widely associated with kidney problems, liver and urothelial cancers, the use of AA-containing plants for medicinal purposes has a long history. The FDA has issued warnings regarding consumption of AA-containing supplements.

Early medical uses
Birthwort plants, and the aristolochic acids they contain, were quite common in ancient Greek and Roman medical texts, well-established as an herb there by the fifth century BC. Birthworts appeared in Ayurvedic texts by 400 AD, and in Chinese texts later in the fifth century. In these ancient times, it was used to treat kidney and urinary problems, as well as gout, snakebites, and a variety of other ailments. It was also considered to be an effective contraceptive. In many of these cases, birthworts were just some of the many ingredients used to create ointments or salves. In the early first century, in Roman texts, aristolochic acids are first mentioned as a component of frequently ingested medicines to treat things such as asthma, hiccups, spasms, pains, and expulsion of afterbirth.

Kidney damage
Aristolochic acid poisoning was first diagnosed at a clinic in Brussels, Belgium, when cases of nephritis leading to rapid kidney failure were seen in a group of women who had all taken the same weight-loss supplement, Aristolochia fangchi, which contained aristolochic acid. This nephritis was termed “Chinese herbs nephropathy” (CHN) due to the origin of the weight-loss supplement. A similar condition previously known as Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), first characterized in the 1950s in southeastern Europe, was later discovered to be also the result of aristolochic acid (AA) consumption. BEN is more slowly progressive than the nephritis that is seen in CHN, but is likely caused by low-level AA exposure, possibly from contamination of wheat flour seeds by a plant of the birthwort family, Aristolochia clematitis. CHN and BEN fall under the umbrella of what is now known as aristolochic acid nephropathy, the prevalent symptom of AA poisoning.

Liver cancer
A study reported in the Science Translational Medicine journal in October 2017 reported high incidents of liver cancer in Asia, particularly Taiwan, which bore the "well-defined mutational signature" of aristolochic acids. The same link was found in Vietnam and other South-east Asian countries. This was compared with much lower rates found in Europe and North America.

Biosynthesis
The herbal drug known as aristolochic acid contains a mixture of numerous structurally related nitrophenanthrene carboxylic acids generally consisting of two major compounds: aristolochic acid I (AA-I) and aristolochic acid II (AA-II). The biosynthesis of these compounds has been of considerable interest due in large part to the inclusion of both an aryl carboxylic acid and an aryl nitro functionality (uncommon in natural products) within their structures, which suggested an apparent biogenetic relationship to the well-known aporphine alkaloids. Furthermore, this association thereby suggested a biosynthetic relationship with norlaudanosoline (tetrahydropapaveroline) or related benzylisoquinoline precursors, which in turn are derived from tyrosine (2). Feeding studies (Aristolochia sipho) independently using uniquely 14C-labeled compounds [3-14C]-tyrosine, [2-14C]-dopamine and [2-14C]-dihydroxyphenylalanine resulted in the isolation of [14C]-AA-I in each case, which illustrated that the aporphine alkaloid stephanine (11) could be a precursor of AA-I since tyrosine, L-DOPA (3) and dopamine (4) were known precursors of norlaudanosoline: tyrosine (2) is metabolized to L -DOPA (3) which is  converted into dopamine (4) which is metabolized to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde (DOPAL); cyclization of these two compounds results in the formation of norlaudanosoline via a Pictet-Spengler like condensation catalyzed by norlaudanosoline synthetase.

Subsequent feeding studies that used (±)‑[4‑14C]-norlaudanosoline also resulted in the formation of 14C‑labeled-AAI, further suggesting that norlaudanosoline and stephanine (11) could have a possible intermediacy in the biosynthesis of AA-I. Degradation studies of the isolated 14C-labeled AA-I demonstrated that the carbon atom at ring position C4 of the benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline norlaudanosoline was incorporated exclusively in the carboxylic acid moiety of AAI. When this study was repeated but using [4‑14C]-tetrahydropapaverine no labeled AAI was isolated; this observation established that a phenol oxidative reaction was required for the biosynthesis of AA-I from norlaudanosoline, further supporting the intermediacy of aporphine intermediates. The results of a feeding experiment (A. sipho) with (±)‑[3‑14C, 15N]-tyrosine followed by degradation of the isolated doubly labeled AA-I provided evidence that the nitro group of AA-I originates from the amino group of tyrosine.

Confirmation of the involvement of aporphine intermediates in the biogenetic route from norlaudanosoline to AA-I was obtained some two decades later through a series of feeding studies (Aristolochia bracteata) using several labeled hypothetical benzyltetrahydroisoquinoline and aporphine precursors. Feeding experiments with (±)‑[5’,8‑3H2; 6-methoxy‑14C]-nororientaline resulted in the isolation of the doubly labeled AA-I. Cleavage of the methylenedioxy group with trapping of the resulting 14C‑labeled formaldehyde confirmed that this functionality was formed from the o‑methoxyphenol segment of the tetrahydroisoquinoline ring of nororientaline. (±)‑[5’,8‑3H2]‑Orientaline was also incorporated into AA-I. These observations implied that the aporphine prestephanine (10) would be an obligatory intermediate in the biosynthesis, which would involve the intermediacy of the proaporphines orientalinone (8) and orientalinol (9) via the known intramolecular dienone-dienol-phenol sequence for the transformation of benzyltetrahydroisoquinolines to aporphines. A potential role for CYP80G2, a cytochrome P450 that has been demonstrated to catalyze the intramolecular C-C phenol coupling of several benzyltetrahydroisoquinolines, in this orientaline (7) to prestephanine (10) transformation has been suggested. (±)‑[aryl‑3H]‑Prestephanine was incorporated into AA-I confirming its intermediacy in the biosynthesis; and also (±)‑[aryl‑3H]‑stephanine was incorporated into AA-I. This final transformation, that is stephanine (11) to AA-I (12), involves an uncommon oxidative cleavage of the B ring of the aporphine structure to give a nitro substituted phenanthrene carboxylic acid. Hence, taken together these experiments support the sequence outlined for the biosynthesis of aristolochic acid I from norlaudanosoline.

Symptoms and diagnosis
Exposure to aristolochic acid is associated with a high incidence of uroepithelial tumorigenesis, and is linked to urothelial cancer. Since aristolochic acid is a mutagen, it does damage over time. Patients are often first diagnosed with aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN), which is a rapidly progressive nephropathy and puts them at risk for renal failure and urothelial cancer. However, urothelial cancer is only observed long after consumption. One study estimated, on average, detectable cancer develops ten years from the start of daily aristolochic acid consumption.

A patient thought to have AAN can be confirmed through phytochemical analysis of plant products consumed and detection of aristolactam DNA adducts in the renal cells. (Aristolochic acid is metabolised into aristolactam.) Additionally, mutated proteins in renal cancers as a result of transversion of A:T pairings to T:A are characteristically seen in aristolochic acid-induced mutations. In some cases, early detection resulting in cessation of aristolochia-product consumption can lead to reverse of the kidney damage.

Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion
Once orally ingested, aristolochic acid I is absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract into the blood stream. It is distributed throughout the body via the blood stream. Aristolochic acids are metabolized by oxidation and reduction pathways, or phase I metabolism. Reduction of aristolochic acid I produces aristolactam I which has been observed in the urine. Further processing of aristolactam I by O-demethylation results in aristolactam Ia, the primary metabolite. Additionally, nitroreduction results in an N-acylnitrenium ion, which can form DNA-base adducts, thus giving aristolochic acid I its mutagenic properties.

Aristolactam I adducts that are bound to DNA are extremely stable; they have been detected in patient biopsy samples taken 20 years after exposure to plants containing aristolochic acid.

Excretion of aristolochic acids and their metabolites is through the urine.

Mechanism of action
The exact mechanism of action of aristolochic acid is not known, especially in regards to nephropathy. The carcinogenic effects of aristolochic acids are thought to be a result of mutation of the tumor suppressor gene TP53, which seems to be unique to aristolochic acid-associated carcinogenesis. Nephropathy caused by aristolochic acid consumption is not mechanistically understood, but DNA adducts characteristic of aristolochic acid-induced mutations are found in the kidneys of AAN patients, indicating these might play a role.

Regulation
In April 2001, the Food and Drug Administration issued a consumer health alert warning against consuming botanical products, sold as "traditional medicines" or as ingredients in dietary supplements, containing aristolochic acid. The agency warned that consumption of aristolochic acid-containing products was associated with "permanent kidney damage, sometimes resulting in kidney failure that has required kidney dialysis or kidney transplantation. In addition, some patients have developed certain types of cancers, most often occurring in the urinary tract."

In August 2013, two studies identified an aristolochic acid mutational signature in upper urinary tract cancer patients from Taiwan. The carcinogenic effect is the most potent found thus far, exceeding the amount of mutations in smoking-induced lung cancer and UV-exposed melanoma. Exposure to aristolochic acid may also cause certain types of liver cancer.

title: Aristolochic acid


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Paccar

Paccar Inc. (stylized as PACCAR) is an American company primarily focused on the design and manufacturing of large commercial trucks through its subsidiaries DAF, Kenworth and Peterbilt sold across markets worldwide. The company is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, in the Seattle metropolitan area, and was founded in 1971 as the successor to the Pacific Car and Foundry Company, from which it draws its name. The company traces its predecessors to the Seattle Car Manufacturing Company formed in 1905. In addition to its principal business, the company also has a parts division, a financial services segment, and manufactures and markets industrial winches. The company's stock is a component of the Nasdaq-100 and S&P 500 stock market indices.

History

The company was founded by William Pigott Sr. as Seattle Car Manufacturing Company in 1905, with a capitalization of $10,000. Its original business was the production of railway and logging equipment. The company built a new factory in Renton in 1909 after its Duwamish facility was destroyed in fire as well as to fulfill large number of orders. In 1917 it merged with a Portland firm, Twohy Brothers, which was its only competitor on the west coast at the time and company was renamed as Pacific Car and Foundry Company. The company manufactured horse or oxen-drawn logging trucks built specifically to address the dense, hilly forests in which the Northwest logging industry operated to transport massive logs. The following years the company specialized in designing air brakes, open cars, refrigerated boxcars for shipment of perishable items and the universal trailer which could be pulled by a truck. The company also manufactured structural steel that was finished by hand that was used to create columns and girders that went into many Seattle-area buildings. In 1924, the founder, William Pigott sold a controlling interest in the company to American Car and Foundry Company. However, his son, Paul Pigott reacquired a significant interest in the company from American Car and Foundry Company in 1934.

During the Great Depression in 1930 despite the stock market crash, the company's earnings rose; but as the Great Depression deepened, Pacific Car and Foundry became one of the most depressed businesses in the Northwest. During the late 1930s, Pacific Car and Foundry received government contracts for steel fabrication for construction of Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge as well as orders from other companies.

During World War II
During World War II, Pacific Car and Foundry's sales grew due to an increased demand for steel used in airplanes, airports, bridges, naval ships, highways and other equipment that helped build America's infrastructure to support the war effort. Pacific Car also sub-contracted for Boeing, building aluminum wing spars for B-17 bombers. During 1942 and 1943 the company also built M4A1 Sherman tanks for the U.S. Army. The company was able to cast almost all the parts for the tanks at its own foundry. Other notable vehicles that were built included the M25 Tank Transporter, known as the "Dragon Wagon," and the T28 Super Heavy Tank. Everett-Pacific Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company was established in 1942 that built ships and other marine products for the US Navy in Port Gardner Bay in Everett. It was bought by Pacific Car and Foundry in 1944.

Post-war
After World War II ended, Pacific Car was a part of the federal government's Mobilization Planning Program, which meant that it promised to devote 100 percent of its facilities to military production in the event of a national emergency. The company was a prime contractor during the Korean War for producing tanks. Pacific Car chose to subcontract many of the necessary parts, boosting smaller businesses in the state. In 1945 Pacific Car purchased the Kenworth Motor Truck Corporation which was named after the stockholders Harry Kent and Edgar Worthington. Kenworth had been producing trucks in Seattle since it was incorporated in 1923. During World War II, Kenworth produced trucks, airplane assemblies and sub-assemblies for the United States military. As the war drew to an end Kenworth shifted attention to production of commercial trucks for the postwar market. In 1956 Kenworth lost independent status and became a division directly under Pacific Car and Foundry.

In 1954, Pacific Car acquired the Dart Truck Company of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Peterbilt Motors Company, of Oakland, California. Dart built primarily heavy off-highway dump trucks and specialty vehicles. Peterbilt had been a major competitor with Kenworth, producing many kinds of trucks and buses. Peterbilt operated as Pacific Car's wholly owned subsidiary until 1960, following which it was dissolved and made a division of Pacific Car and Foundry. Pacific Car's structural steel division made the steel used to build the 50-story Seattle-First National Bank headquarters and to build Seattle's Space Needle in 1961. The firm provided 5,668 steel panels, weighing 58,000 tons, which formed a major part of the load bearing walls for New York City's World Trade Center twin towers. The World Trade Center, like the Sea-First building, bore the building's load on the exterior walls rather than on an interior structural skeleton. The steel panels were shipped by rail from Seattle to New York City on more than 1,600 railcars. Pacific Car was the largest contractor of the 13 steel fabricators that provided steel for the World Trade Center towers.

The 1970s to 1990s
In 1970 PACCAR created an overseas manufacturing facility at Bayswater, Melbourne Australia producing Kenworth Trucks to serve the growing developing local and S.E Asian Markets which still trade strongly today, with the first completed locally built truck rolling off the production line in March 1971 with the Australian made vehicle exports commencing in 1975. Despite a serious slowdown due to recessions during 1974, PACCAR continued to generate increasing sales throughout the 1970s. PACCAR purchased Wagner Mining Company in 1975, which built underground Mining Vehicles, International Car Company in 1975 and Foden Trucks a British truck manufacturer in 1980. Fodens sold trucks in Europe and Africa. Paccar International was formed in 1972 that promoted exports worldwide. Paccar Technical Center was established in 1980 in Mount Vernon, Washington, as a research and testing facility. The facility included test tracks, engine test cells, materials test laboratories and structural laboratories. The tech center conducts an Open House event every April that coincides with the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. In 1983 the International Car Co Division in Kenton Ohio, which had been acquired on December 1, 1975, was disbanded. In 1983 the Paccar Rail Leasing Inc subsidiary in Renton WA and the RAILEASE Inc subsidiary in Bellevue WA were disbanded. In 1986 the Pacific Car and Foundry subsidiary in Renton WA was renamed to Paccar Defense Systems Division. In 1984 PACCAR posted record sales in its history of $2.25 billion.

In the mid-1980s, PACCAR share of Class 8 trucks dropped to about 18% owing to aggressive competition from Freightliner Trucks, which is a subsidiary of Daimler AG and the merged operations of Volvo White and General. This competition forced PACCAR to close its Kenworth assembly plant in Kansas City in April, 1986 and its Peterbilt plant in Newark, California, the following October. PACCAR acquired Trico Industries in 1986 which was a manufacturer of oil exploration equipment based in Gardena, California, for $65 million in order to reduce its dependence on the Class 8 Truck market. During the mid-80's PACCAR was negotiating with the Rover Group, for acquiring its British Leyland truck division. However, Rover management decided to sell the truck division to DAF Trucks which was a Dutch automotive concern. Its Dart Truck Company and Wagner Mining Equipment Company were sold in 1984 and 1989 in order to remain profitable. In 1987, PACCAR acquired Al's Auto Supply and Grand Auto Incorporated which led to its entry into the automotive parts & accessories retail market that gave the company greater ability to weather periods of national economic downturn.

The 1990s and beyond
Paccar Parts was created in 1992 in Renton, Washington. The building it was housed in occupied part of the company's historic Pacific Car and Foundry site. In the same year, PACCAR purchased a 21 percent stake in Wood Group ESP which added to its oil field equipment manufacturing. In 1993, PACCAR acquired a line of winches from heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar. The same year it brought a new plant in Washington on line to help meet the increased demand for trucks. In 1994 the company began selling in New Zealand for the first time and entered new countries in Asia and Central and South America. The company made its Mexican joint venture VILPAC, S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary in 1995. PACCAR's Winch division was one of the world's largest manufacturer of industrial winches by 1994.

Paccar International marketed trucks to more than 40 countries, and was one of the largest exporters of capital goods in North America by 1995. Kenworth truck factory in Renton, Washington, was opened on June 4, 1993. In 1997 Mark Pigott assumed PACCAR's presidency as Charles Pigott retired in 1997. In 1996, the company spent $543 million to acquire DAF Trucks N.V. based in the Netherlands, an acquisition it first pursued back in the mid-1980s. The acquisition was funded in part by the sale of Trico Industries to EVI in 1997. Financial and leasing subsidiaries also performed well in the late 1990s. In 1998, PACCAR acquired UK-based Leyland Trucks Ltd, a manufacturer known for its light and medium truck (6 to 44 metric tons) design and manufacture capability. With its Peterbilt, Kenworth, and DAF nameplates, PACCAR ranks second in production numbers in the United States and third in production numbers globally in "big rig" truck production; behind Daimler AG in the US market. Other major heavy-truck competitors include Navistar International and AB Volvo.

Subsidiaries

 * Peterbilt
 * Kenworth
 * DAF Trucks
 * Leyland Trucks
 * Paccar Winch (Braden, Carco and Gearmatic)
 * PacLease
 * Paccar Parts
 * Paccar Financial Corp
 * Paccar Global Sales
 * Paccar ITD (Information Technology Division)
 * Dynacraft
 * Paccar Technical Center

Former subsidiaries

 * Pacific Car and Foundry: Railroad freight cars and cabooses, and military vehicles manufactured at 1400 N 4th Street, Renton Washington.
 * International Car Co Division: Railroad cabooses and freight cars manufactured at 31 Bales Road, Kenton Ohio.

Criticism
In December 2011, the organization Public Campaign criticized PACCAR for spending $0.76 million on lobbying and not paying any taxes during 2008–2010, instead getting $112 million in tax rebates, despite making a profit of $465 million.

title: Paccar