text:
Greatest Hits (Phil Ochs album)

Greatest Hits is Phil Ochs' seventh album and final studio album released in his lifetime, released in 1970 on A&M Records. Contrary to its title, it offered ten new tracks of material, mostly produced by Van Dyke Parks.

Music and lyrics
Focusing more on country music than any other album in Ochs' canon, the album included members of The Byrds and Elvis Presley's backing group, alongside mainstays Lincoln Mayorga and Bob Rafkin. His lyrics were at their most self-referential, with only one overtly political song appearing, "Ten Cents A Coup," which included a spoken introduction strung together from two anti-war rallies. The song is an ironic tribute to Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew, who Ochs wryly suggests are more laughable than Laurel and Hardy.

Among the self-referential tracks was "Chords of Fame", which warned against the dangers of cult of personality. "Boy in Ohio" saw Ochs looking back nostalgically at his childhood. "Jim Dean of Indiana" is a tribute to James Dean's life, written after Ochs had visited Dean's grave. "No More Songs" was the most telling, as Ochs would only release five more studio tracks in his lifetime after 1970, never completing another studio album.

Cover
The cover of the album is an homage to Elvis Presley's 1959 album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong. The back cover of Greatest Hits featured the phrase "50 Phil Ochs Fans Can't Be Wrong". Ochs wore a gold lamé suit inspired by similar suits made famous by Presley, and hired Nudie Cohn, who made Presley's suits, to make his.

During his show at Carnegie Hall, which was recorded to be released as a live album, Ochs told the audience a story explaining his choice to wear the suit. He told them he had died in Chicago, in reference to the violence he witnessed during the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. He said God gave him a chance to come back to earth as anyone he wanted and Ochs chose Presley. He added that if there was any hope for America it "relies on getting Elvis Presley to become Che Guevara". The suit is now part of the Phil Ochs archives at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Track listing
All songs by Phil Ochs.

Side One
 * 1) "One Way Ticket Home" – 2:40
 * 2) "Jim Dean of Indiana" – 5:05
 * 3) "My Kingdom For A Car" – 2:53
 * 4) "Boy In Ohio" – 3:43
 * 5) "Gas Station Women" – 3:31

Side Two
 * 1) "Chords of Fame" – 3:33
 * 2) "Ten Cents A Coup" – 3:14
 * 3) "Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Me" – 5:05
 * 4) "Basket in the Pool" – 3:40
 * 5) "No More Songs" – 4:31

Personnel (partial list)

 * Phil Ochs - guitar, piano, harmonica, vocals
 * Van Dyke Parks - producer, keyboards
 * Andrew Wickham - co-producer on "Gas Station Women" and "Chords of Fame"
 * Clarence White - guitar, backing vocals
 * Laurindo Almeida - guitar
 * James Burton - guitar
 * Bob Rafkin - guitar, bass
 * Chris Ethridge - bass
 * Kenny Kaufman - bass
 * Gene Parsons - drums
 * Kevin Kelley - drums
 * Earl Ball - piano, arrangements
 * Lincoln Mayorga - keyboards
 * Mike Rubini - keyboards
 * Richard Rosmini - pedal steel, harmonica
 * Ry Cooder - mandolin on "One Way Ticket Home"
 * Don Rich - fiddle
 * Gary Coleman - percussion
 * Tom Scott - tenor saxophone
 * Bobby Bruce - violin
 * Anne Goodman - cello
 * Merry Clayton, Sherlie Matthews and Clydie King - backing vocals
 * Bobby Wayne and Jim Glover - harmony vocals
 * Bob Thompson - arrangements

title: Greatest Hits (Phil Ochs album)


text: User talk:219.88.181.233

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

title: User talk:219.88.181.233


text:
John Wick (game designer)

John Wick is an American role-playing game designer best known for his creative contributions to the tabletop role playing games Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea. He self-published Orkworld under the Wicked Press banner, and later co-founded the Wicked Dead Brewing Company with Jared Sorensen. His games under that company include Cat, Schauermärchen, Enemy Gods, and Thirty. He has won the Origins Award for Best Role-Playing Game and Best Collectible Card Game twice (for both the Legend of the Five Rings and 7th Sea role-playing games and collectible card games).

He has also written for White Wolf, Inc., Pinnacle Entertainment Group, and worked for various video game companies, providing storyline and dialogue. He has written two regular online columns: The Game Designer's Journal (for The Gaming Outpost) and Play Dirty (for Pyramid Magazine).

Legend of the Five Rings
In 1995, Wick was a freelance writer living in Southern California. He had submitted articles to Shadis Magazine, Alderac Entertainment Group's independent game magazine, attracting the attention of the magazine's assistant editor, D.J. Trindle. He was brought on as a staff writer at D.J.'s request. Soon after joining AEG, he got involved with the production and design of the Legend of the Five Rings Collectible Card Game, along with the rest of the company. He worked with Matthew D. Wilson, the game's art director and David Williams, the game's lead designer. He served as "Continuity Editor", which meant that he was responsible for the game's characters and plot details.

Wick served as L5R's Continuity Editor for the Emerald Edition, Obsidian Edition, and Jade Edition sets, including the Shadowlands, Forbidden Knowledge, Anvil of Despair, Crimson & Jade, and Time of the Void expansions. He was also the primary source for storyline, flavor text and character for The Scorpion Coup set.

Wick also led the design team that created the Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game (1997).

Wick left the L5R design team shortly thereafter to work on AEG's forthcoming 7th Sea project.

7th Sea
7th Sea (1998), the second RPG published by AEG, was designed by John and Jennifer Wick, and Kevin Wilson. 7th Sea is AEG's swashbuckling setting. Initially proposed by Wick and his wife Jennifer, the game was intended to be self-contained, but quickly evolved into a much larger project. Telling the story of the world of Théah, a fantasy amalgam of Restoration Age Europe, 7th Sea included pirates, musketeers, explorers and magic.

Wick wrote and developed much of the project, including the 7th Sea Players Guide, Game Masters Guide, Avalon Sourcebook, GM screen, and Knights of the Rose and Cross sourcebook. He left AEG after his work on the Avalon Sourcebook was finished.

On November 3, 2015, AEG announced that it had sold the rights to the 7th Sea property back to Wick, and entered a partnership with him to publish certain licensed games using the property.

On April 2, 2019, Chaosium announced on their official blog their acquisition of the rights to the 7th Sea product line from John Wick.

Orkworld
After leaving AEG, he acquired a position at Totally Games, helping develop an Xbox launch title. He also wrote, designed, and developed Orkworld, a reverse-fantasy game where orks are the heroes and the "monsters" are humans, dwarves, and elves. The game was released the same year as Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition and garnered an Origins Award nomination for Best Game Fiction.

The game was illustrated by Thomas Denmark.

Neopets
After spending time in San Francisco, he returned to Los Angeles and began working at Neopets, writing stories for the Neopedia. He also helped develop the Neopets CCG.

Upper Deck
Wick was also a major contributor to the award-winning Vs. System CCG (Marvel TCG and DC Comics TCG) published by The Upper Deck Company.

The Wicked Dead Brewing Company
Wick began a new publishing venture with his friend Jared Sorensen. Calling their joint venture the Wicked Dead Brewing Company (based on Wick's previous publishing venture Wicked Press and Sorenson's Memento Mori Theatricks), they began in 2004 and have published over a dozen roleplaying games, board games, and books. He self-published a novel titled No Loyal Knight through the Wicked Dead Brewing Company.

Wick published a number of fantasy indie role-playing games using dice-pool mechanics, including Enemy Gods (2004) and Cat (2006).

John Wick Presents
Wick started a new company—John Wick Presents—in 2009 when he kicked off his partnership with Cubicle 7 by reissuing his 2008 RPG Houses of the Blooded. He also released Curse of the Yellow Sign and Blood & Honor through this company.

Houses of the Blooded
In 2007, Wick announced a return to "big game design" in his LiveJournal. The game, called Houses of the Blooded, was released at the 2008 Origins Game Fair. The game focuses on "the ven" (a race of magically created humanoids) and the world of Shanri (both of which have showed up in a previous game, Enemy Gods).

The pre-order for the limited edition version of Houses of the Blooded sold out in exactly one week. There were 100 copies available on the Indie Press Revolution website on May 5, 2008, and they were all gone by May 12. Wick was apparently surprised by this turn of events.

Wick released a soundtrack with the new game, focusing on "ven blood opera," an in-game element. Songs from the opera can be heard on the Houses of the Blooded website.

Wick is keeping an open log of his design of this game in his LiveJournal. He has stated his intention to release several stand alone supplements that will detail various aspects of the world of Shanri. Each book would allow players to play a different role in Shanri and, as he stated in his livejournal, "almost feel as if they're playing a different game." The books mentioned so far are a 'Slumming' book where players play ven nobles from cities (as opposed to 'country' ven detailed in the main book), a Wilderness book where vassals of the ven nobles fight off ork, explore dungeons, and possibly kill dragons, as well as a Suaven book where details regarding the Ancestor worship religion of the ven will be revealed.

Wick teamed up with British games publisher Cubicle 7 Entertainment for a mass market release of the game in September 2009.

Freemasonry
In November 2005, Wick became a Freemason, joining Liberal Arts Lodge of Los Angeles, California. He is a Master Mason.

The Awful Lot
Wick was a founding member and the drummer for the band The Awful Lot.

Awards
Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game (Author and Lead Designer)

1997 Origins Award Best Roleplaying Game

1997 RPGA Gamer's Choice Award Best Roleplaying Game

Legend of the Five Rings Collectible Card Game (Design Team and Story Editor)

1996 Origins Award Best Collectible Card Game (Battle at Beiden Pass)

1997 Origins Award Best Collectible Card Game Expansion (Time of the Void)

7th Sea Roleplaying Game (Creator, Co-Author, Lead Designer)

1999 Origins Award Best Roleplaying Game

7th Sea Collectible Card Game (Co-Creator, Design Team, Story Editor)

1999 Origins Award Best Collectible Card Game

Orkworld (Author and Designer)

2000 Best Game Fiction (How Bashthraka Lost His Spear) (nominated)

2017 ENNIE Awards

7th Sea: Best Game (Silver), Best Rules (Gold), Best Free Product Free Rules (Gold), Best Supplement Pirate Nations (Silver), Product of the Year (Silver)

Commercial and professional sites

 * John Wick Presents (Official Website and Webstore)
 * Houses of the Blooded website and forums

Interviews

 * Interview with James Maliszewski
 * Interview with Sons of Kryos and Game Design Seminar
 * Interview with Paul Tevis
 * Interview on Endgameradio
 * Interview with Mark Kinney for GenCon (Almost) Live
 * Interview on Pulp Gamer
 * Interview at Theory from the Closet
 * The Game's the Thing RandomCon 2009
 * The Game's the Thing RinCon 2008 Wrap Up

Articles

 * Blowing Out the Nostalgia Candle
 * Hit 'em Where It Hurts
 * Five Favorite Roleplaying Games

title: John Wick (game designer)


text:
Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome

Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome (JLNS) is a rare type of long QT syndrome associated with severe, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Those with JLNS are at risk of abnormal heart rhythms called arrhythmias, which can lead to fainting, seizures, or sudden death. JLNS, like other forms of long QT syndrome, causes the cardiac muscle to take longer than usual to recharge between beats. It is caused by genetic variants responsible for producing ion channels that carry transport potassium out of cells. The condition is usually diagnosed using an electrocardiogram, but genetic testing can also be used. Treatment includes lifestyle measures, beta blockers, and implantation of a defibrillator in some cases. It was first described by Anton Jervell and Fred Lange-Nielsen in 1957.

Symptoms and signs
Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome causes severe sensorineural hearing loss from birth, affecting both ears. Those affected have a prolonged QT interval on an electrocardiogram and are at risk of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), which can cause dizziness, blackouts, or seizures. In general, JLNS affects the heart more severely than other forms of long QT syndrome. 90% of those with JLNS experience arrhythmias, with 50% becoming symptomatic by the age of 3. In some cases these arrhythmias lead to sudden death.

Genetics
Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome is caused by mutations in the KCNE1 and KCNQ1 genes. The proteins produced by these two genes work together to form a potassium channel that transports positively charged potassium ions out of cells, which is called the slow delayed rectifier potassium current. The movement of potassium ions through these channels is critical for maintaining the normal functions of the inner ear and cardiac muscle. JLNS is an autosomal recessive disorder meaning that two copies of the genetic mutation are required to produce the full syndrome. Mutations in the same genes can produce milder Romano-Ward forms of long QT syndrome if only a single copy of the genetic mutation has been inherited.

About 90% of cases of Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome are caused by mutations in the KCNQ1 gene, leading to Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome type 1 (JLNS1). KCNE1 mutations are responsible for the remaining 10% of cases, causing Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome type 2 (JLNS2). Mutations in these genes alter the usual structure and function of potassium channels or prevent the assembly of normal channels. These changes disrupt the flow of potassium ions in the inner ear and in cardiac muscle, leading to the hearing loss and irregular heart rhythm characteristic of Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome.

Diagnosis
The sensorineural hearing loss in Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome is present from birth and can be diagnosed using audiometry or physiological tests of hearing. The cardiac features of JLNS can be diagnosed by measuring the QT interval corrected for heart rate (QTc) on a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). The QTc is less than 450 ms in 95% of normal males, and less than 460 ms in 95% of normal females. In those with Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome the QTc is typically greater than 500 ms.

Other factors beyond the QT interval should be taken into account when making a diagnosis, some of which have been incorporated into scoring systems such as the Schwartz score. These factors include a history of characteristic abnormal heart rhythms (Torsades de Pointes), unexplained blackouts (syncope), and a family history of confirmed LQT syndrome. Genetic testing to identify variants in the KCNQ1 or KCNE1 genes can also be used.

Treatment
The risk of arrhythmias can be reduced in several ways. Medications that further prolong the QT interval such as sotalol should be avoided, as should very strenuous or competitive exercise. Blood potassium levels should be kept within the normal range. Potassium supplements may be used at times when potassium is being lost such as when experiencing diarrhoea or vomiting, but medications that encourage the retention of potassium such as spironolactone or amiloride may also be required. Beta blockers such as propranolol or nadolol reduce the risk of arrhythmias.

An implantable defibrillator, a small device that monitors the heart rhythm and can automatically deliver an electric shock to restart the heart, may be used. These devices are recommended for those with JLNS who have experienced a cardiac arrest or a blackout whilst taking beta blockers. Due to the higher risk of arrhythmias associated with JLNS than other forms of long QT syndrome, a defibrillator may be considered even in those without any symptoms.

In those who experience recurrent arrhythmias despite medical therapy, a surgical procedure called sympathetic denervation can be used to interrupt the nerves that stimulate the heart.

Prognosis
The risk of arrhythmias is higher for those with Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome than other forms of long QT syndrome. Although this risk is dependent on the underlying genetic defect and degree of QT prolongation, without treatment more than 50% of those affected will die before the age of 15. However, treatment with beta blockers markedly reduces the risk of death, as does, in selected cases, implantation of a defibrillator.

Epidemiology
Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome affects an estimated one in 166,000 to 625,000 children, and is responsible for less than 10% of all cases of long QT syndrome. It has a markedly higher incidence in Norway and Sweden at up to one per 200,000.

title: Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome


text:
Steve Fonyo

Stephen Charles Fonyo Jr. (June 29, 1965 – February 18, 2022) was a Canadian runner with an artificial leg who was a nationally renowned fundraiser for cancer research and treatment, and a former Member of the Order of Canada.

Journey for Lives
At age 12, Fonyo's left leg was amputated above the knee to prevent the spread of bone cancer. He left school in grade 10 to work in a lawnmower and chainsaw shop. In 1980, Fonyo saw a speech delivered by Terry Fox at Stanley Park. When Fox died the following year, Fonyo had what he described as an epiphany come to him to run across Canada, stating, "It came to me overnight. It was like a dream or something, like another force.” The idea would not leave his head despite his own admission of not being athletic or particularly interested in raising money in a cross-country trip, saying, "My heart wasn’t there, not like Terry Fox’s. I always was a nice guy—I like helping people—but I wasn’t interested in any way in running across Canada.”

In 1984, at age 18, he embarked on a run across Canada entitled Journey for Lives to raise funds for cancer research. The Canadian Cancer Society (specifically the BC chapter) were wary of any attempts that might taint the image of them or Fox's legacy in their rejection of Fonyo. Regardless, on March 31, he began his journey in St. John’s, Newfoundland. In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of Terry Fox. Fonyo began his run on March 31, 1984, and completed it 425 days later on May 29, 1985, covering 7924 km, and raising $14 million. Unlike Fox, who had to abandon the Marathon of Hope when his cancer returned, Fonyo completed the coast-to-coast run. He also completed a run across the United Kingdom.

He was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 1985, the youngest person ever given that status at the time. This achievement was marred by grief, as his father Steve Fonyo Sr. died of lung cancer the same year.

Later life and legal troubles
At some point, Fonyo began abusing alcohol and drugs. His first conviction for driving under the influence had come in 1982, although the report surfaced to the public only after successive convictions for drunk driving six years later. He repeatedly ran afoul of the law, and was charged and convicted of various crimes.

In 1996, Fonyo pleaded guilty to 16 charges for offences in Edmonton, including assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, fraud for writing bad cheques totalling $10,000 to supermarkets, and possession of a stolen vehicle. He was also convicted at least five times of impaired driving, and seven times of driving without a licence, most recently in the fall of 2008. On August 13, 2009, Fonyo, last known to have been working as a heavy-machinery mechanic, appeared in BC Provincial Court in Surrey charged with one count of assault. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one day in jail. He was credited for ten days already served. He was also subject to a one-year probation order. But just five days later, the 44-year-old was back in court, having breached his conditions. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 days in jail.

His membership in the Order of Canada was revoked on December 10, 2009. On January 27, 2010, Fonyo gave a brief telephone interview to CTV News from the Surrey Remand Centre, where he was serving the balance of his sentence on an assault charge after breach of his parole. Fonyo stated it was wrong to have his Order of Canada revoked, as it was given to him for something he had previously done.

On August 6, 2010, he was again arrested for fraud. On August 28, 2010, Fonyo married Lisa Greenwood.

On December 7, 2010, Fonyo pleaded guilty to threatening Greenwood and to unrelated charges of fraud, credit card fraud, and driving with a suspended licence. By 2013, he had stated he had stopped drinking while contending that he was not an alcoholic.

In February 2015, friends and family reported to news media that Fonyo was in an induced coma in Royal Columbian Hospital after being stabbed by three assailants at his home in Whalley, a neighbourhood of Surrey. Doctors placed Fonyo in a medically induced coma for a month after the attack. Fonyo ended up having a traumatic brain injury, which led to him being prescribed medication to prevent possible seizures.

Death and legacy
While in the Vancouver area to have repairs made on his prosthetic foot, Fonyo died in a Burnaby hotel room, just after midnight on February 18, 2022, at the age of 56. Fonyo's partner since 2015, Lisa Marie Herbert, believed he had had a seizure, which his ex-wife thought was related to his traumatic brain injury. The cause of death is still awaiting an examination by the coroner.

Steve Fonyo Drive in Kingston, Ontario, is named after him, as is Steve Fonyo Beach in Victoria, British Columbia, where he ended his run and where he was later married in 2010. Fonyo Road was also named in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

In 2015, Fonyo was the subject of Alan Zweig's documentary film Hurt which covered Fonyo's decline into addiction and homelessness. It won the Platform Prize at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2015 Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary Zweig followed up Hurt with the sequel Hope, released in 2017.

Film producer and screenwriter Greg Klymkiw, who wrote an open letter calling for Fonyo to be reinstated into the Order of Canada, said "I was frankly appalled that some persnickety pencil-pushers in the governor-general's office would have chosen to rescind this great honour for something absolutely amazing that Steve did at the age of 19. They looked at 30 years of Steve's (post-marathon) life when he was suffering from depression, mental illness and addiction, and essentially, because he was ill, they used this against him".

Hamilton Spectator sports columnist Scott Radley wrote "Yet at a time we're supposed to be more enlightened about addiction and possibly mental health problems, the near-complete purge of Fonyo from the public narrative somehow seems unfair. Especially when you wonder if this would've happened to him had he not faced the pressures of fame and expectations he was obviously ill-equipped to handle. All in the pursuit of raising money for charity."

title: Steve Fonyo


text:
Dina Powell

Dina Powell, also known as Dina Powell McCormick (née Habib, دينا حبيب; born June 12, 1973) is an American financial executive, philanthropist, and political advisor, best known for having been the United States Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy to President Donald Trump.

Born in Cairo, Egypt, she came to the United States as a child. A lifelong member of the Republican Party, she became involved in Texas-oriented Republican politics during and following her time at the University of Texas at Austin. During the George W. Bush administration, Powell served in several roles, first as an Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel and then as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs and Deputy Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy. In 2007, Powell joined Goldman Sachs, where she became a managing director and eventually a partner at the firm, as well as president of its non-profit subsidiary, the Goldman Sachs Foundation. In that capacity she ran the foundation's 10,000 Women program.

Powell joined the Trump administration during the transition period and remained thereafter. As a Deputy National Security Advisor she had a role in determining the first year of the administration's foreign policy, especially in regard to Middle East policy. She was also an Assistant to the President and Senior Counselor for Economic Initiatives, a position – demanding about 20 percent of her time – that continued after her security appointment.

She left the administration in early 2018, returning to work for Goldman Sachs, where she was a Partner and served on the Management Committee. In October 2018, Powell was a leading candidate for the position of United States Ambassador to the United Nations, but withdrew from consideration and remained with the financial firm. In 2022 she was named the new chair of the Robin Hood Foundation, to begin in 2023. Powell departed Goldman Sachs in 2023 to join BDT & MSD Partners.

Early life and education
Dina Habib was born in Cairo, Egypt to a middle-class, Coptic Christian family. Her father was a captain in the Egyptian Army, and her mother had attended American University in Cairo. Her parents brought her younger sister and her to the United States as children. Habib arrived knowing no English.

The Habib family settled in Dallas, Texas, where they had relatives within the Coptic community. The parents ran a convenience store, and her father also worked at times as a bus driver and in real estate, while her mother sometimes pursued a career in social work. A third daughter was born once the family was in North America.

Habib learned English at school, but her family insisted that she be raised with Egyptian culture and language, hence, she is fluent in Arabic. Of her parents' actions, she later said, "I so desperately wanted a turkey and cheese sandwich with potato chips, and instead I always got grape leaves and hummus and falafel, not even in a cool brown paper bag. And now, of course, I appreciate so much that I did." Each of the family members born abroad became a naturalized citizen of the United States. She attended the prep school for girls Ursuline Academy of Dallas, from which she was graduated in 1991.

She then attended the University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts where she enrolled in the Plan I Honors program. She performed community service as part of her program and joined the Delta Delta Delta sorority.

Habib helped pay for school by working as a legislative assistant for two Republican members of the Texas State Senate: Ike Harris and Jerry E. Patterson. With them, she worked on a number of policy matters, including juvenile justice reform. Her family strongly identified with the Republican Party and greatly admired Ronald Reagan. She adopted the same views, later recalling that "... when I started to work with Republicans I realised that I agree with the views of personal empowerment, of less government involvement, of having the ability to talk about things without the government necessarily being involved. And on the economic side I'm definitely a believer that people should spend more of their money and spend it the way they think so and invest it wisely."

For her honors thesis, she wrote about the value of mentoring juvenile delinquents. She graduated from the University of Texas with honors with a bachelor's degree in humanities from its College of Liberal Arts in 1995.

Early political career
Habib had applied to, and had been accepted by, a law school. However, in part due to her Arabic fluency, she received an offer of a year-long internship with the U.S. Senator from Texas, Kay Bailey Hutchison. She deferred the school and accepted the internship, moving to Washington, D.C. in the process. She never returned to law school.

After the year-long internship concluded, she took a job with Dick Armey, the Republican Majority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. There, she worked as a member of his leadership staff. This role lasted four years.

After that, she took a job with the Republican National Committee where she was Director of Congressional Affairs and helped to find positions for Republicans in lobbying firms. As part of this role she became involved in the George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2000.

First marriage and family
Powell married Richard C. Powell on January 10, 1998. A public relations professional, he became a managing director of the Washington-based Quinn Gillespie & Associates and later became employed by Teneo as the president of Teneo Strategy. Following the marriage she began to use his last name professionally.

The couple had two daughters, born in 2001 and 2006. In 2007 the couple had purchased a $3.85 million condominium apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

White House Personnel Office
While working at the RNC, Powell was spotted by Clay Johnson III, who would come to be in charge of hiring for the George W. Bush administration. The day after the election Johnson called Powell regarding the presidential transition. Once in office, Johnson took her on as a Deputy Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel.

Beginning in January 2003, Johnson moved up and elsewhere in the administration and Powell took on his role, thereby serving as the Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, a senior staff position at the White House. In this role, she was responsible for assisting the President on the appointments of the cabinet, subcabinet and ambassadorial positions across the U.S. Government. She had a staff of 35 reporting to her; once the second term of the Bush presidency began in January 2005, was part of hiring some 4,000 people. She participated in some of the recommendations process as well as processing the applications. At age 29, she was the youngest person ever to hold this position.

Some of the recommendations she made for the U.S. State Department put her in good stead with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Department of State
In March 2005, Powell was nominated as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, an assignment that included becoming an ambassador to the Arabic-speaking world. News of the nomination landed on the front page of Al-Ahram and made her notable in Egypt. Powell served in that position from July 11, 2005, through June 6, 2007. Powell was also designated by Secretary Rice to the office of Deputy Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. In addition, Powell led the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, in whose responsibility fell the Fulbright Program and similar foreign endeavors. In her role, Powell traveled worldwide with Secretary Rice, but mostly focused on going to the Middle East.

During this period, Powell established several public-private partnerships between American corporations and foreign entities, including a U.S.-Lebanon partnership in the wake of the 2006 war that sought to help rebuild the local economy. These may have been under the protection of the Middle East Partnership Initiative. She helped create some cultural exchanges between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, including Iranian doctors coming west and a U.S. wrestling team going east. She was also responsible for bringing in scholars from other nation-states. Powell worked to establish the Fortune/U.S. State Department Global Women's Mentoring Partnership, which connected up-and-coming female leaders with the community of Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, a joint venture between the State Department and Fortune magazine that received praise over the next decade.

In 2007, she left the White House and government service, saying "It's the right time for me and my family." She had been the highest-ranking Arab-American in the Bush administration. The Washington Post assessed that Dina Habib Powell had "played a critical role in the administration's efforts to bolster public diplomacy in the face of the wave of anti-Americanism that has swept the Arab world since the U.S. invasion of Iraq." Powell would later join the Advisory Council of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

Goldman Sachs
Powell joined Goldman Sachs in 2007 as a managing director, having been hired by John F. W. Rogers, a longtime Goldman figure with experience with past Republican administrations. Powell was then named partner in 2010, Powell has conceded that she joined Goldman Sachs despite having no background in the subject of finance, but has said that her entire career has been guided by the notion of not planning a lot but rather "just taking that leap of faith."

Powell oversaw the firm's impact investing business and served as the president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation beginning in 2010. This was in addition to her responsibilities as global head of the Office of Corporate Engagement and a member of the Goldman Sachs Partnership Committee.

As the leader of Goldman Sachs Impact Investing, Powell was responsible for a business with more than $4 billion in housing and community development investments across the United States.

In her role as president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, Powell led one of the world's largest corporate foundations. Powell helped build and was responsible for all the Foundation's initiatives supporting and developing entrepreneurs around the world, including 10,000 Women and 10,000 Small Businesses. 10,000 Women provides women entrepreneurs in developing countries with business education, access to capital and mentors. Under Powell, Goldman Sachs partnered with International Finance Corporation and Overseas Private Investment Corporation to raise 600 million dollars, to provide access to capital for more than 100,000 women worldwide. To realize this project, Powell worked closely with the State Department.

Powell also led Goldman Sachs Gives, a fund established in 2007 and structured as a vehicle to consolidate Goldman Sachs partners' charitable giving.

During her time at Goldman Sachs, Powell joined the boards of directors or trustees of Harvard Kennedy School's Social Enterprise Initiative, the American University in Cairo, the Center for Global Development, Vital Voices, and the Nightingale-Bamford School. Powell is listed as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the Trilateral Commission.

Powell has worked with Democrats such as Obama administration advisors Valerie Jarrett and Gene Sperling.

Senior advisor
Powell had no relationship with the incoming President or his family until after the 2016 United States presidential election. Powell received a call from Ivanka Trump, who was interested in the metrics by which the success of 10,000 Women had been judged. She thus became involved with the incoming administration's transition period, particularly with regard to the empowerment of women and girls and the potential of female entrepreneurship.

Starting January 20, 2017, Powell began serving as Senior Advisor to the President for Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth and the Empowerment of Women. In doing so she became one of the few Bush administration officials to join this new administration. Powell relocated from New York City to Washington as part of taking this job. Powell intended to only join the administration for one year. As part of this change of path she became divested of her interest in Goldman Sachs.

Powell led a joint American-Canadian program to advance the role of women in business, making reference to what was formally called the United States-Canada Council for the Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. This effort involved Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well. Another Powell endeavor involved a listening session on the related topics of domestic and international human trafficking.

Powell was visible outside that scope of her role when she was part of a meeting between the president and the Saudi defense minister Mohammed bin Salman. She subsequently shared responsibility for overseeing a $200 billion amount of U.S.-Saudi arms deals. She continued to assist Ivanka Trump. Powell's network of contacts in the financial, corporate, and governmental worlds was considered a valuable asset for the new administration and she assisted in a few of the early hires.

Even after being appointed deputy national security advisor in March 2017, Powell still spent 20 percent of her time in this, her initial role.

In June 2017, Powell was a key advisor on a trip to Canada to improve economic issues with the nation.

Powell was on the short list for White House Chief of Staff to replace Reince Priebus. Ivanka and her husband were pushing for Powell. Reportedly the president was happy with Powell's performance so far and considered the idea, but in July 2017 chose Homeland Security Secretary and former General John F. Kelly.

National Security Council

On March 15, 2017, Powell was named to the post of Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy, all the while retaining her economic position as well. The impetus for this assignment came from the recently named national security advisor, H. R. McMaster, who himself was responding to people outside the administration suggesting her name.

In April 2017 The New York Times labeled Powell a "rising star" in the national security establishment, an appellation echoed by Vogue magazine, while the Associated Press wrote that "Dina Powell has quietly established herself as a White House power." Additionally, The Washington Post wrote that "she is one of the most interesting figures in the new administration." In part this level of attention was because in that month, McMaster elevated the Deputy for Strategy position to a higher role within the NSC, meaning that Powell came to attend both the Principals Committee and National Security Council Deputies Committee. For her part, Powell assisted McMaster in his development of working relationships with various members of the Cabinet. In addition, Powell attempted to guide McMaster on the best ways to have useful interchanges with the chief executive himself.

Regarding the May 2017 report of a Donald Trump revelation of classified information to Russia, during which Powell was present in the room, she stated: "This story is false." However this soon-to-be infamous, unannounced meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak was as it happened where Trump was later revealed to have disclosed Israeli intelligence. While she dissembled to cover up the president's error, he later admitted to having revealed these secrets.

She was among the top officials escorting the chief executive on his first foreign trip, which in May 2017 started with a two-day stay in Saudi Arabia. She had been heavily involved in the planning for the Middle Eastern portion of the trip. She was involved in several negotiations with Middle Eastern parties, where she was sometimes the only woman at the table. She also ensured that one of the headliner speeches made reference to women's rights in Saudi Arabia. Powell's prior experience in government and her set of contacts in the Arab world played a key role in making the first part of the trip a successful venture, and she had done some of advance work prior to the trip.

Powell was one of the key figures in securing the release of Egyptian aid worker Aya Hijazi. In July 2017, she was one of those accompanying on the trip to Poland and Germany en toward the 2017 G20 Hamburg summit. She then went to the Middle East on the next Kushner peace process trip. This took place in late August 2017 and also made the involvement of envoy Jason Greenblatt. By this time the likes of Bannon and Gorka were gone from the White House while Powell was still an ascendant force there. The trip was viewed positively within the Administration, which continued to think that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal was achievable. This was followed by a secret trip to the Middle East made by Kushner, Powell, and others. By November 2017 she was part of a "core four" drafting a plan for a comprehensive Middle East peace, along with Kushner, Greenblatt, and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David M. Friedman. Given that the other three were Orthodox Jews with various ties to Israel, Powell was the only native-born Egyptian.

A major accomplishment of Powell in December 2017, was the completion of the administration's National Security Strategy document. She worked on it intensively with McMaster and senior NSC staffer Nadia Schadlow. In doing so they talked with numerous national security experts and stakeholders as well as gaining the buy-in of Cabinet-level officials.

Departure
On December 8, 2017, it was announced that Powell would be leaving the administration in early 2018, subsequently elaborated to be after a delayed vice presidential trip to the Middle East had been initiated. Powell planned to return to her life in New York, with a goal of spending more time with her family.

White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated that Powell is a "trusted advisor", said that Powell had only ever planned to stay for a year, and indicated that Powell would "continue to support the President's agenda and work on Middle East policy."

Four administration officials indicated that the decision to leave really was hers. Several officials viewed her departure as a significant loss for the White House. NSC staffer Nadia Schadlow was chosen to replace Powell.

Possibilities of returning
In October 2018, following the sudden resignation of Nikki Haley as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Powell was reported to be one of the leading candidates to replace her. Indeed, the President said so explicitly, that she was under consideration among others. The possibility of appointing Powell faced significant opposition from some within the Administration, including Bolton. Some of the arguments against her revolved around her globalist orientations, with the allegation that she was not fully aligned with the president's "America First" approach. Also, Powell was reportedly leery of going through a likely contentious confirmation hearing before the United States Senate. Ultimately, Powell announced to friends the time was not right for her family or Goldman Sachs, and by October 11 she told the White House that she was withdrawing from consideration.

However, after picked Heather Nauert withdrew from consideration in February 2019 due to nanny issues, Powell's name once again emerged as a possible choice for the position. One report had her as one of the two leading candidates. However Kelly Knight Craft was chosen and it was unclear if Powell was ever interested or in serious consideration.

Also around this time, Powell was also considered to become the first female president of the World Bank. She was also under consideration for White House Chief of Staff.

Harvard Kennedy School fellow
On February 12, 2018, it was announced that Powell would be joining the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs within the bounds of the Harvard Kennedy School. Her mission would be to teach diplomacy and ideas and practices of foreign affairs, and her capacity would be that of a non-residential senior fellow.

Return to Goldman Sachs
Later in February 2018 it was announced that Powell would return to Goldman Sachs. The position would be on the firm's Management Committee.

In the following years she was made Goldman’s global head of sustainability and inclusive growth. She was also made head of the firm's Sovereign Fund, a role that per the firm involves her being "responsible for helping build and enhance the firm’s relationships with global sovereign clients." She played a key part in Goldman Sachs' role for the massive 2019 initial public offering of Saudi Aramco. The Wall Street Journal wrote that "Dina Powell McCormick has been a critical link between Goldman Sachs and sovereign-wealth funds, particularly those in the Middle East."

Powell departed Goldman Sachs in May 2023 to join BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank. She became partner there. Her title was of vice chairman and president of global client services.

In 2023, Powell was elected to ExxonMobil's board of directors.

Second marriage and role in husband's career
Dina and Richard Powell divorced in 2017.

By 2018, Powell was engaged to financier and former government official David McCormick. In 2019, she and McCormick were married. At times, Powell subsequently went by the name Dina Powell McCormick.

In 2022, however, David McCormick became a top contender for the Republican nomination in the 2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania. Powell became strongly involved, accompanying him to Mar-a-Lago in an attempt to secure an endorsement for him from her former boss, the former president. Powell's ties to the former president were considered crucial in potentially counteracting some negative remarks that McCormick had made about the former president in the past. There were reports in the press, denied by some, that Powell hinted that McCormick's rival Dr. Oz would be unelectable due to his Muslim background. Some of those close to Powell expressed dismay that she would make such an argument, given her own background. The couple also emphasized the fact of Oz's dual citizenship. The efforts did not have success, as the endorsement went to Oz.

The Republican primary election was very close and went to a recount phase, but in the end McCormick lost to Oz. Oz proceeded to lose the general election the Democrat, John Fetterman.

On September 21, 2023, McCormick announced his second campaign for the 2024 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania; he is expected not to face strong primary opposition as he had the previous time. Powell was part of his September 2023 campaign announcement.

Foundation chair
In October 2022, Powell was named the new chair of the Robin Hood Foundation, a venture philanthropy that seeks to alleviate poverty in New York. She is to take the position effective early 2023. She had previously been vice chair of the fund, and helped it coordinate response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Awards and honors
Dina Habib Powell was selected as one of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders. The selection happened sometime prior to or in 2010.

She received the Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award, associated with the University of Texas, in 2006.

In 2007, Powell was presented with an American by Choice Award during a special naturalization ceremony performed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; the award recognizes outstanding achievements of naturalized U.S. citizens.

In 2008, she received the inaugural Young Alumna Award from Ursuline Academy of Dallas.

In 2009, Powell was named a Great Immigrant by the Carnegie Corporation of New York for her role in public service and contributions to American life.

In 2017, she was the honored speaker for a State Department dinner in acknowledgment of the Fortune/U.S. State Department Global Women's Mentoring Partnership. At the same time Working Mother named her as one of the 50 Most Powerful Moms of 2017.

title: Dina Powell


text:
Elizabeth Farren

Elizabeth Farren (c. 1759 – 23 April 1829) was an Irish actress of the late 18th century. Born in Cork in 1759, her father, George Farren was a surgeon. His drinking habits brought on early death and his widow returned to Liverpool. Her mother went on the stage to support herself and her children. Elizabeth first appeared on the London stage in 1777 as Miss Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer and the following year appeared at Drury Lane which, along with the Haymarket Theatre became her primary venues for the rest of her acting career. She had over 100 characters in her repertoire including Shakespeare and various contemporary comedies and dramas. She was often compared to Frances Abington, who was her only real rival. Her last appearance was in April 1797, two months before her marriage to Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby. They had one daughter.

Early life
Elizabeth (sometimes Eliza) Farren was the daughter of George Farren of Cork, Ireland, a surgeon and apothecary, later an actor, and his wife (née Wright) of Liverpool, the daughter of a publican or brewer. The actress Margaret Farren was her sister. At a very early age, Farren performed at Bath and elsewhere in juvenile parts. In 1774, she was acting with her mother and sisters at Wakefield under Tate Wilkinson's opponent, Whiteley, when she played Columbine and sang. At the age of fifteen, at Liverpool, she played Rosetta in Love in a Village and subsequently her best known role of Lady Townly in The Provoked Husband by Colley Cibber.

London career
She was introduced by Younger, her Liverpool manager, to George Colman and made her first appearance in London at the Haymarket on 9 June 1777, playing Miss Hardcastle. Her performance was favourably received, and, after playing Maria in Murphy's Citizen, Rosetta, and Miss Tittup in Garrick's Bon Ton, she was cast as Rosina in the Spanish Barber, or the Useless Precaution, his adaptation from Beaumarchais' The Barber of Seville. She also spoke the epilogue to the play. On 11 July 1778, she was the original Nancy Lovel in Colman's Suicide. This was a "breeches" part, to which her figure was unsuited, and she was subjected to some satire for shapelessness. Performances as Lady Townly, and Lady Fanciful in the Provoked Wife restored her to public favour.

In September 1778, she made her first appearance at Drury Lane, as Charlotte Rusport in the West Indian. She performed primarily at this theatre (where she was the successor to Frances Abington when the latter left in 1782) or at the Haymarket for the rest of her stage career, with occasional performances in the provinces and at Covent Garden. She had over 100 characters in her repertoire, including Berinthia in Sheridan's Trip to Scarborough, Belinda in Murphy's All in the Wrong, Angelica in Love for Love, Elvira in Spanish Friar, Hermione in the Winter's Tale, Olivia in Twelfth Night, Portia, Lydia Languish, Millamant in The Way of the World, Statira, Juliet, and Lady Betty Modish. She "created" few original parts: Lady Sash in The Camp, assigned to Sheridan, Drury Lane, 15 October 1778; Mrs Sullen in Colman's Separate Maintenance, Drury Lane, 31 August 1779; Cecilia in Miss Lee's Chapter of Accidents, Haymarket, 5 August 1780; Almeida in Pratt's The Fair Circassian, 27 November 1781; and the heroines of various comedies and dramas of Mrs. Cowley, Mrs. Inchbald, General Burgoyne, Miles Peter Andrews, and of other writers. The last original part she played was the heroine of Holcroft's Force of Ridicule, 6 December 1796, which was unfavourably received on its first night and remains unprinted. On her last appearance, 8 April 1797, she played Lady Teazle; a large audience was attracted, and Farren, after speaking the farewell lines of her part, burst into tears.

The Shakespearean parts of Hermione, Portia, Olivia and Juliet were in her repertory, but comedy parts such as Lady Betty Modish, Lady Townly, Lady Fanciful and Lady Teazle were her favourites. Farren had a slight figure and was above average height. Her face was expressive and animated, she had blue eyes, a winning smile, and a sweet, cultivated voice. In manner and bearing she appears to have had no rival except Frances Abington, with whom she was often compared.

Retirement and later life

On 1 May 1797 she married Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby (1752–1834) by whom she had a daughter, Lady Mary Margaret Stanley, who married Thomas Egerton, 2nd Earl of Wilton. She died on 23 April 1829 at Knowsley Park, Lancashire.

She had a short sentimental attachment to John Palmer and was admired and followed by Charles Fox. Lord Derby reportedly treated her with more respect than was sometimes given to ex-actresses. Hazlitt speaks of "Miss Farren, with her fine-lady airs and graces, with that elegant turn of her head and motion of her fan and tripping of her tongue" (Criticisms and Dramatic Essays, 1851, p. 49). Richard Cumberland (Memoirs, ii. 236) mentions her style as "exquisite." George Colman the younger (Random Recollections, 1. 251) says of "the lovely and accomplished Miss Farren" that "No person ever more successfully performed the elegant levies of Lady Townly." Tate Wilkinson credits her with "infinite merit" (Wandering Patentee, iii. 42). Boaden (Life of Siddons, ii. 318) says that after her retirement comedy degenerated into farce. Horace Walpole spoke of her as the most perfect actress he had ever seen, and Mrs. Siddons, on the day of Farren's marriage, commiserated the loss of "our comic muse."

Farren reportedly had an affair with Anne Seymour Damer.

Portraits
A life-size portrait of her by Sir Thomas Lawrence, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was shown at the Royal Academy annual exhibition in 1790. Another portrait of her was in the Mathews collection in the Garrick Club c. 1900.

[Works cited; Memoirs of the Present Countess of Derby, late Miss Farren, by Petronius Arbiter, esq., London, quarto, n.d. (1797); The Testimony of Truth to the Exalted Merit, or a Biographical Sketch of the Countess of Derby, London, quarto, 1797 (a reply to the preceding); John Genest, Account of the English Stage; Monthly Mirror, April 1797; Thespian Dictionary; Tea-Table Talk, by Mrs. Mathews, 1857.]

Selected roles

 * Louisa Freemore in The Double Deception by	Elizabeth Richardson (1779)
 * Cecilia in The Chapter of Accidents by Sophia Lee (1780)
 * Macaria in The Royal Suppliants by John Delap (1781)
 * Almeida in The Fair Circassian by Samuel Jackson Pratt (1781)
 * Ophelia Wyndham in The School for Vanity by Samuel Jackson Pratt (1783)
 * Lady Paragon in The Natural Son by Richard Cumberland (1784)
 * Florinda in Tit for Tat by George Colman the Elder (1786)
 * Baroness of Bruschal in The Disbanded Officer by James Johnstone (1786)
 * Lady Emily in The Heiress by John Burgoyne (1786)
 * Donna Seraphina in 'A School for Greybeards by Hannah Cowley (1786)
 * Lady Charlotte Courteney in The New Peerage by Harriet Lee (1787)
 * Lady Rustic in The Country Attorney by Richard Cumberland (1787)
 * Lady Morden in Seduction by Thomas Holcroft (1787)
 * Eliza Moreton in The Sword of Peace by Mariana Starke (1788)
 * Countess in False Appearances by Henry Seymour Conway (1789)
 * Constance in False Colours by Edward Morris (1793)
 * Louisa Ratcliffe in The Jew by Richard Cumberland (1794)
 * Lady Bellair in The Welch Heiress by Edward Jerningham (1795)
 * Emily Tempest in The Wheel of Fortune by Richard Cumberland (1795)
 * Jane in The Dependent by Richard Cumberland (1795)
 * Lady Ruby in First Love by Richard Cumberland (1795)
 * Lady Helen in The Iron Chest by George Colman the Younger (1796)
 * Olivia The Man of Ten Thousand by Thomas Holcroft (1796)

title: Elizabeth Farren


text:
Talk:Alexander Abaza

Old talk
I'm a little light on appropriate references for this. I picked up most of this in passing from Adler, Jacob, A Life on the Stage: A Memoir, translated and with commentary by Lulla Rosenfeld, Knopf, New York, 1999, ISBN 067941351, 157-158; Adler mentions crossing paths with "Count Abaza" and gives a few details; Rosenfeld fleshes it out a little in her commentary. I got a fuller name & birth/death dates from http://www.emich.edu/public/history/moss/names.htm. But clearly this is a figure that merits a proper article, with references more relevant than two passing mentions. -- Jmabel | Talk 04:49, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)

I added some dates and some nuances. I took these from Marks, Road to Power: The Trans-Siberian Railroad and the Colonisation of Asiatic Russia (1991). [25 may 2006].

title: Talk:Alexander Abaza


text: User talk:69.142.118.107

title: User talk:69.142.118.107


text:
Confluent hypergeometric function

In mathematics, a confluent hypergeometric function is a solution of a confluent hypergeometric equation, which is a degenerate form of a hypergeometric differential equation where two of the three regular singularities merge into an irregular singularity. The term confluent refers to the merging of singular points of families of differential equations; confluere is Latin for "to flow together". There are several common standard forms of confluent hypergeometric functions:

 * Kummer's (confluent hypergeometric) function $M(a, b, z)$, introduced by, is a solution to Kummer's differential equation. This is also known as the confluent hypergeometric function of the first kind. There is a different and unrelated Kummer's function bearing the same name.
 * Tricomi's (confluent hypergeometric) function $U(a, b, z)$ introduced by, sometimes denoted by $Ψ(a; b; z)$, is another solution to Kummer's equation. This is also known as the confluent hypergeometric function of the second kind.
 * Whittaker functions (for Edmund Taylor Whittaker) are solutions to Whittaker's equation.
 * Coulomb wave functions are solutions to the Coulomb wave equation.

The Kummer functions, Whittaker functions, and Coulomb wave functions are essentially the same, and differ from each other only by elementary functions and change of variables.

Kummer's equation
Kummer's equation may be written as:

 * $$z\frac{d^2w}{dz^2} + (b-z)\frac{dw}{dz} - aw = 0,$$

with a regular singular point at $z = 0$ and an irregular singular point at $z = ∞$. It has two (usually) linearly independent solutions $M(a, b, z)$ and $U(a, b, z)$.

Kummer's function of the first kind $M$ is a generalized hypergeometric series introduced in, given by:

 * $$M(a,b,z)=\sum_{n=0}^\infty \frac {a^{(n)} z^n} {b^{(n)} n!}={}_1F_1(a;b;z),$$

where:

 * $$a^{(0)}=1,$$
 * $$a^{(n)}=a(a+1)(a+2)\cdots(a+n-1)\, ,$$

is the rising factorial. Another common notation for this solution is $Φ(a, b, z)$. Considered as a function of $a$, $b$, or $z$ with the other two held constant, this defines an entire function of $a$ or $z$, except when $b = 0, −1, −2, ...$ As a function of $b$ it is analytic except for poles at the non-positive integers.

Some values of $a$ and $b$ yield solutions that can be expressed in terms of other known functions. See. When $a$ is a non-positive integer, then Kummer's function (if it is defined) is a generalized Laguerre polynomial.

Just as the confluent differential equation is a limit of the hypergeometric differential equation as the singular point at 1 is moved towards the singular point at ∞, the confluent hypergeometric function can be given as a limit of the hypergeometric function

 * $$M(a,c,z) = \lim_{b\to\infty}{}_2F_1(a,b;c;z/b)$$

and many of the properties of the confluent hypergeometric function are limiting cases of properties of the hypergeometric function.

Since Kummer's equation is second order there must be another, independent, solution. The indicial equation of the method of Frobenius tells us that the lowest power of a power series solution to the Kummer equation is either 0 or $1 − b$. If we let $w(z)$ be
 * $$w(z)=z^{1-b}v(z)$$

then the differential equation gives
 * $$z^{2-b}\frac{d^2v}{dz^2}+2(1-b)z^{1-b}\frac{dv}{dz}-b(1-b)z^{-b}v + (b-z)\left[z^{1-b}\frac{dv}{dz}+(1-b)z^{-b}v\right] - az^{1-b}v = 0$$

which, upon dividing out $z^{1−b}$ and simplifying, becomes

 * $$z\frac{d^2v}{dz^2}+(2-b-z)\frac{dv}{dz} - (a+1-b)v = 0.$$

This means that $z^{1−b}M(a + 1 − b, 2 − b, z)$ is a solution so long as $b$ is not an integer greater than 1, just as $M(a, b, z)$ is a solution so long as $b$ is not an integer less than 1. We can also use the Tricomi confluent hypergeometric function $U(a, b, z)$ introduced by, and sometimes denoted by $Ψ(a; b; z)$. It is a combination of the above two solutions, defined by

 * $$U(a,b,z)=\frac{\Gamma(1-b)}{\Gamma(a+1-b)}M(a,b,z)+\frac{\Gamma(b-1)}{\Gamma(a)}z^{1-b}M(a+1-b,2-b,z).$$

Although this expression is undefined for integer $b$, it has the advantage that it can be extended to any integer $b$ by continuity. Unlike Kummer's function which is an entire function of $z$, $U(z)$ usually has a singularity at zero. For example, if $b = 0$ and $a ≠ 0$ then $Γ(a+1)U(a, b, z) − 1$ is asymptotic to $az ln z$ as $z$ goes to zero. But see for some examples where it is an entire function (polynomial).

Note that the solution $z^{1−b}U(a + 1 − b, 2 − b, z)$ to Kummer's equation is the same as the solution $U(a, b, z)$, see.

For most combinations of real or complex $a$ and $b$, the functions $M(a, b, z)$ and $U(a, b, z)$ are independent, and if $b$ is a non-positive integer, so $M(a, b, z)$ doesn't exist, then we may be able to use $z^{1−b}M(a+1−b, 2−b, z)$ as a second solution. But if $a$ is a non-positive integer and $b$ is not a non-positive integer, then $U(z)$ is a multiple of $M(z)$. In that case as well, $z^{1−b}M(a+1−b, 2−b, z)$ can be used as a second solution if it exists and is different. But when $b$ is an integer greater than 1, this solution doesn't exist, and if $b = 1$ then it exists but is a multiple of $U(a, b, z)$ and of $M(a, b, z)$ In those cases a second solution exists of the following form and is valid for any real or complex $a$ and any positive integer $b$ except when $a$ is a positive integer less than $b$:
 * $$M(a,b,z)\ln z+z^{1-b}\sum_{k=0}^\infty C_kz^k$$

When a = 0 we can alternatively use:
 * $$\int_{-\infty}^z(-u)^{-b}e^u\mathrm{d}u.$$

When $b = 1$ this is the exponential integral $E_{1}(−z)$.

A similar problem occurs when $a−b$ is a negative integer and $b$ is an integer less than 1. In this case $M(a, b, z)$ doesn't exist, and $U(a, b, z)$ is a multiple of $z^{1−b}M(a+1−b, 2−b, z).$ A second solution is then of the form:
 * $$z^{1-b}M(a+1-b,2-b,z)\ln z+\sum_{k=0}^\infty C_kz^k$$

Other equations
Confluent Hypergeometric Functions can be used to solve the Extended Confluent Hypergeometric Equation whose general form is given as:
 * $$z\frac{d^2w}{dz^2} +(b-z)\frac{dw}{dz} -\left(\sum_{m=0}^M a_m z^m\right)w = 0$$

Note that for $M = 0$ or when the summation involves just one term, it reduces to the conventional Confluent Hypergeometric Equation.

Thus Confluent Hypergeometric Functions can be used to solve "most" second-order ordinary differential equations whose variable coefficients are all linear functions of $z$, because they can be transformed to the Extended Confluent Hypergeometric Equation. Consider the equation:

 * $$(A+Bz)\frac{d^2w}{dz^2} + (C+Dz)\frac{dw}{dz} +(E+Fz)w = 0$$

First we move the regular singular point to $0$ by using the substitution of $A + Bz ↦ z$, which converts the equation to:

 * $$z\frac{d^2w}{dz^2} + (C+Dz)\frac{dw}{dz} +(E+Fz)w = 0$$

with new values of $C, D, E$, and $F$. Next we use the substitution:

 * $$ z \mapsto \frac{1}{\sqrt{D^2-4F}} z$$

and multiply the equation by the same factor, obtaining:

 * $$z\frac{d^2w}{dz^2}+\left(C+\frac{D}{\sqrt{D^2-4F}}z\right)\frac{dw}{dz}+\left(\frac{E}{\sqrt{D^2-4F}}+\frac{F}{D^2-4F}z\right)w=0$$

whose solution is

 * $$\exp \left ( - \left (1+ \frac{D}{\sqrt{D^2-4F}} \right) \frac{z}{2} \right )w(z),$$

where $w(z)$ is a solution to Kummer's equation with

 * $$a=\left (1+ \frac{D}{\sqrt{D^2-4F}} \right)\frac{C}{2}-\frac{E}{\sqrt{D^2-4F}}, \qquad b = C.$$

Note that the square root may give an imaginary or complex number. If it is zero, another solution must be used, namely

 * $$\exp \left(-\tfrac{1}{2} Dz \right )w(z),$$

where $w(z)$ is a confluent hypergeometric limit function satisfying

 * $$zw''(z)+Cw'(z)+\left(E-\tfrac{1}{2}CD \right)w(z)=0.$$

As noted below, even the Bessel equation can be solved using confluent hypergeometric functions.

Integral representations
If $Re b > Re a > 0$, $M(a, b, z)$ can be represented as an integral

 * $$M(a,b,z)= \frac{\Gamma(b)}{\Gamma(a)\Gamma(b-a)}\int_0^1 e^{zu}u^{a-1}(1-u)^{b-a-1}\,du.$$

thus $M(a, a+b, it)$ is the characteristic function of the beta distribution. For $a$ with positive real part $U$ can be obtained by the Laplace integral

 * $$U(a,b,z) = \frac{1}{\Gamma(a)}\int_0^\infty e^{-zt}t^{a-1}(1+t)^{b-a-1}\,dt, \quad (\operatorname{Re}\ a>0) $$

The integral defines a solution in the right half-plane $Re z > 0$.

They can also be represented as Barnes integrals

 * $$M(a,b,z) = \frac{1}{2\pi i}\frac{\Gamma(b)}{\Gamma(a)}\int_{-i\infty}^{i\infty} \frac{\Gamma(-s)\Gamma(a+s)}{\Gamma(b+s)}(-z)^sds$$

where the contour passes to one side of the poles of $Γ(−s)$ and to the other side of the poles of $Γ(a + s)$.

Asymptotic behavior
If a solution to Kummer's equation is asymptotic to a power of $z$ as $z → ∞$, then the power must be $−a$. This is in fact the case for Tricomi's solution $U(a, b, z)$. Its asymptotic behavior as $z → ∞$ can be deduced from the integral representations. If $z = x ∈ R$, then making a change of variables in the integral followed by expanding the binomial series and integrating it formally term by term gives rise to an asymptotic series expansion, valid as $x → ∞$:

 * $$U(a,b,x)\sim x^{-a} \, _2F_0\left(a,a-b+1;\, ;-\frac 1 x\right),$$

where $$_2F_0(\cdot, \cdot; ;-1/x)$$ is a generalized hypergeometric series with 1 as leading term, which generally converges nowhere, but exists as a formal power series in $1/x$. This asymptotic expansion is also valid for complex $z$ instead of real $x$, with $|arg z| < 3π/2.$

The asymptotic behavior of Kummer's solution for large $|z|$ is:

 * $$M(a,b,z)\sim\Gamma(b)\left(\frac{e^zz^{a-b}}{\Gamma(a)}+\frac{(-z)^{-a}}{\Gamma(b-a)}\right)$$

The powers of $z$ are taken using $−3π/2 < arg z ≤ π/2$. The first term is not needed when $exp(iπa)$ is finite, that is when $Γ(b − a)$ is not a non-positive integer and the real part of $a$ goes to negative infinity, whereas the second term is not needed when $b − a$ is finite, that is, when $z$ is a not a non-positive integer and the real part of $a$ goes to positive infinity.

There is always some solution to Kummer's equation asymptotic to $Γ(a)$ as $e^{z}z^{a−b}$. Usually this will be a combination of both $z → −∞$ and $M(a, b, z)$ but can also be expressed as $U(a, b, z)$.

Relations
There are many relations between Kummer functions for various arguments and their derivatives. This section gives a few typical examples.

Contiguous relations
Given $e^{z} (−1)^{a-b} U(b − a, b, −z)$, the four functions $M(a, b, z)$ are called contiguous to $M(a ± 1, b, z), M(a, b ± 1, z)$. The function $M(a, b, z)$ can be written as a linear combination of any two of its contiguous functions, with rational coefficients in terms of $z$, and $a, b$. This gives $M(a, b, z)$ relations, given by identifying any two lines on the right hand side of

 * $$\begin{align}

z\frac{dM}{dz} = z\frac{a}{b}M(a+,b+) &=a(M(a+)-M)\\ &=(b-1)(M(b-)-M)\\ &=(b-a)M(a-)+(a-b+z)M\\ &=z(a-b)M(b+)/b +zM\\ \end{align}$$

In the notation above, $(4 2) = 6$, $M = M(a, b, z)$, and so on.

Repeatedly applying these relations gives a linear relation between any three functions of the form $M(a+) = M(a + 1, b, z)$ (and their higher derivatives), where $z$, $m$ are integers.

There are similar relations for $n$.

Kummer's transformation
Kummer's functions are also related by Kummer's transformations:

 * $$M(a,b,z) = e^z\,M(b-a,b,-z)$$
 * $$U(a,b,z)=z^{1-b} U\left(1+a-b,2-b,z\right)$$.

Multiplication theorem
The following multiplication theorems hold true:

 * $$\begin{align}

U(a,b,z) &= e^{(1-t)z} \sum_{i=0} \frac{(t-1)^i z^i}{i!} U(a,b+i,z t)\\ &= e^{(1-t)z} t^{b-1} \sum_{i=0} \frac{\left(1-\frac 1 t\right)^i}{i!} U(a-i,b-i,z t). \end{align}$$

Connection with Laguerre polynomials and similar representations
In terms of Laguerre polynomials, Kummer's functions have several expansions, for example

 * $$M\left(a,b,\frac{x y}{x-1}\right) = (1-x)^a \cdot \sum_n\frac{a^{(n)}}{b^{(n)}}L_n^{(b-1)}(y)x^n$$

or
 * $$\operatorname{M}\left( a;\, b;\, z \right) = \frac{\Gamma\left( 1 - a \right) \cdot \Gamma\left( b \right)}{\Gamma\left( b - a \right)} \cdot \operatorname{L_{-a}^{b - 1}}\left( z \right)$$

Special cases
Functions that can be expressed as special cases of the confluent hypergeometric function include:
 * Some elementary functions where the left-hand side is not defined when $U$ is a non-positive integer, but the right-hand side is still a solution of the corresponding Kummer equation:
 * $$M(0,b,z)=1$$
 * $$U(0,c,z)=1$$
 * $$M(b,b,z)=e^z$$
 * $$U(a,a,z)=e^z\int_z^\infty u^{-a}e^{-u}du$$ (a polynomial if $b$ is a non-positive integer)
 * $$\frac{U(1,b,z)}{\Gamma(b-1)}+\frac{M(1,b,z)}{\Gamma(b)}=z^{1-b}e^z$$
 * $$M(n,b,z)$$ for non-positive integer $a$ is a generalized Laguerre polynomial.
 * $$U(n,c,z)$$ for non-positive integer $n$ is a multiple of a generalized Laguerre polynomial, equal to $$\tfrac{\Gamma(1-c)}{\Gamma(n+1-c)}M(n,c,z)$$ when the latter exists.
 * $$U(c-n,c,z)$$ when $n$ is a positive integer is a closed form with powers of $n$, equal to $$\tfrac{\Gamma(c-1)}{\Gamma(c-n)}z^{1-c}M(1-n,2-c,z)$$ when the latter exists.
 * $$U(a,a+1,z)= z^{-a}$$
 * $$U(-n,-2n,z)$$ for non-negative integer $z$ is a Bessel polynomial (see lower down).
 * $$M(1,2,z)=(e^z-1)/z,\ \ M(1,3,z)=2!(e^z-1-z)/z^2$$ etc.
 * Using the contiguous relation $$aM(a+)=(a+z)M+z(a-b)M(b+)/b$$ we get, for example, $$M(2,1,z)=(1+z)e^z.$$

 * Bateman's function
 * Bessel functions and many related functions such as Airy functions, Kelvin functions, Hankel functions. For example, in the special case $M(a + m, b + n, z)$ the function reduces to a Bessel function:
 * $${}_1F_1(a,2a,x)= e^{x/2}\, {}_0F_1 \left(a+\tfrac{1}{2}; \tfrac{x^2}{16} \right) = e^{x/2} \left(\tfrac{x}{4}\right)^{1/2-a}\Gamma\left(a+\tfrac{1}{2}\right)I_{a-1/2}\left(\tfrac{x}{2}\right).$$
 * This identity is sometimes also referred to as Kummer's second transformation. Similarly
 * $$U(a,2a,x)= \frac{e^{x/2}}{\sqrt \pi} x^{1/2-a} K_{a-1/2} (x/2),$$
 * When $n$ is a non-positive integer, this equals $b = 2a$ where $a$ is a Bessel polynomial.

 * The error function can be expressed as
 * $$\mathrm{erf}(x)= \frac{2}{\sqrt{\pi}}\int_0^x e^{-t^2} dt= \frac{2x}{\sqrt{\pi}}\ {}_1F_1\left(\tfrac{1}{2},\tfrac{3}{2},-x^2\right).$$

 * Coulomb wave function
 * Cunningham functions
 * Exponential integral and related functions such as the sine integral, logarithmic integral
 * Hermite polynomials
 * Incomplete gamma function
 * Laguerre polynomials
 * Parabolic cylinder function (or Weber function)
 * Poisson–Charlier function
 * Toronto functions
 * Whittaker functions $2^{−a}θ_{−a}(x/2)$ are solutions of Whittaker's equation that can be expressed in terms of Kummer functions $θ$ and $M$ by
 * $$M_{\kappa,\mu}(z) = e^{-\tfrac{z}{2}} z^{\mu+\tfrac{1}{2}}M\left(\mu-\kappa+\tfrac{1}{2}, 1+2\mu; z\right)$$
 * $$W_{\kappa,\mu}(z) = e^{-\tfrac{z}{2}} z^{\mu+\tfrac{1}{2}}U\left(\mu-\kappa+\tfrac{1}{2}, 1+2\mu; z\right)$$

 * The general $U$-th raw moment ($p$ not necessarily an integer) can be expressed as
 * $$\begin{align}

\operatorname{E} \left[\left|N\left(\mu, \sigma^2 \right)\right|^p \right] &= \frac{\left(2 \sigma^2\right)^{p/2} \Gamma\left(\tfrac{1+p}{2}\right)}{\sqrt \pi}  \ {}_1F_1\left(-\tfrac p 2, \tfrac 1 2, -\tfrac{\mu^2}{2 \sigma^2}\right)\\ \operatorname{E} \left[N \left(\mu, \sigma^2 \right)^p \right] &= \left (-2 \sigma^2\right)^{p/2} U\left(-\tfrac p 2, \tfrac 1 2, -\tfrac{\mu^2}{2 \sigma^2} \right) \end{align}$$
 * In the second formula the function's second branch cut can be chosen by multiplying with $M_{κ,μ}(z), W_{κ,μ}(z)$.

Application to continued fractions
By applying a limiting argument to Gauss's continued fraction it can be shown that

 * $$\frac{M(a+1,b+1,z)}{M(a,b,z)} = \cfrac{1}{1 - \cfrac

{1 + \cfrac {1 - \cfrac {1 + \cfrac{1 - \ddots}}}}} $$

and that this continued fraction converges uniformly to a meromorphic function of $p$ in every bounded domain that does not include a pole.

title: Confluent hypergeometric function


text:
Basalt fiber

Basalt fibers are produced from basalt rocks by melting them and converting the melt into fibers. Basalts are rocks of igneous origin. The main energy consumption for the preparation of basalt raw materials to produce of fibers is made in natural conditions. Basalt fibers are classified into 3 types: Basalt continuous fibers (BCF), used for the production of reinforcing materials and composite products, fabrics, and non-woven materials; Basalt staple fibers, for the production of thermal insulation materials; and Basalt superthin fibers (BSTF), for the production of high quality heat- and sound-insulating and fireproof materials.

Manufacturing process
The technology of production of basalt continuous fiber (BCF) is a one-stage process: melting, homogenization of basalt and extraction of fibers. Basalt is heated only once. Further processing of BCF into materials is carried out using "cold technologies" with low energy costs.

Basalt fiber is made from a single material, crushed basalt, from a carefully chosen quarry source. Basalt of high acidity (over 46% silica content ) and low iron content is considered desirable for fiber production. Unlike with other composites, such as glass fiber, essentially no materials are added during its production. The basalt is simply washed and then melted.

The manufacture of basalt fiber requires the melting of the crushed and washed basalt rock at about 1500 °C. The molten rock is then extruded through small nozzles to produce continuous filaments of basalt fiber.

The basalt fibers typically have a filament diameter of between 10 and 20 μm which is far enough above the respiratory limit of 5 μm to make basalt fiber a suitable replacement for asbestos. They also have a high elastic modulus, resulting in high specific strength—three times that of steel. Thin fiber is usually used for textile applications mainly for production of woven fabric. Thicker fiber is used in filament winding, for example, for production of compressed natural gas (CNG) cylinders or pipes. The thickest fiber is used for pultrusion, geogrid, unidirectional fabric, multiaxial fabric production and in form of chopped strand for concrete reinforcement. One of the most prospective applications for continuous basalt fiber and the most modern trend at the moment is production of basalt rebar that more and more substitutes traditional steel rebar on construction market.

Properties
The table refers to the continuous basalt fiber specific producer. Data from all the manufacturers are different, the difference is sometimes very large values.

Comparison:

History
The first attempts to produce basalt fiber were made in the United States in 1923 by Paul Dhe who was granted. These were further developed after World War II by researchers in the US, Europe and the Soviet Union especially for military and aerospace applications. Since declassification in 1995 basalt fibers have been used in a wider range of civilian applications.

Schools

 * 1) RWTH Aachen University. Every two year RWTH Aachen University's Institut für Textiltechnik hosts the International Glass Fibers Symposium where basalt fiber is devoted a separate section. The university conducts regular research to study and improve basalt fiber properties. Textile concrete is also more corrosion-resistant and more malleable than conventional concrete. Replacement of carbon fibers with basalt fibers can significantly enhance the application fields of the innovative composite material that is textile concrete, says Andreas Koch.
 * 2) The Institute for Lightweight Design at the TU Berlin
 * 3) The Institute for Lightweight Design Materials Science at the University of Hannover
 * 4) The German Plastics Institute (DKI) in Darmstadt
 * 5) The Technical University of Dresden had contributed in the studying of basalt fibers. Textile reinforcements in concrete construction - basic research and applications. The Peter Offermann covers the range from the beginning of fundamental research work at the TU Dresden in the early 90s to the present. The idea that textile lattice structures made of high-performance threads for constructional reinforcement could open up completely new possibilities in construction was the starting point for today's large research network. Textile reinforcements in concrete construction - basic research and applications. As a novelty, parallel applications to the research with the required approvals in individual cases, such as the world's first textile reinforced concrete bridges and the upgrading of shell structures with the thinnest layers of textile concrete, are reported.
 * 6) University of Applied Sciences Regensburg, Department of Mechanical Engineering. Mechanical characterization of basalt fibre reinforced plastic with different fabric reinforcements – Tensile tests and FE-calculations with representative volume elements (RVEs). Marco Romano, Ingo Ehrlich.

Uses

 * Heat protection
 * Friction materials
 * Windmill blades
 * Lamp posts
 * Ship hulls
 * Car bodies
 * Sports equipment
 * Speaker cones
 * Cavity wall ties
 * Rebar
 * Load bearing profiles
 * CNG cylinders and pipes
 * Absorbent for oil spills
 * Chopped strand for concrete reinforcement
 * High pressure vessels (e.g. tanks and gas cylinders)
 * Pultruded rebar for concrete reinforcement (e.g. for bridges and buildings)

Russia
Since October 18, 2017, JV 297.1325800.2017 "Fibreconcrete constructions with nonmetallic fiber has been put into operation. Design rules, "which eliminated the legal vacuum in the design of basalt reinforced fiber reinforced concrete. According to paragraph 1.1. the standard extends to all types of non-metallic fibers (polymers, polypropylene, glass, basalt and carbon). When comparing different fibers, it can be noted that polymer fibers are inferior to mineral strengths, but their use makes it possible to improve the characteristics of building composites.

title: Basalt fiber


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Ashton Altham

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was DELETE. jni 09:27, 25 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Ashton Altham
tell me again why speedy wasn't expanded for obvious vanity. Wolfman 04:55, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC) This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.
 * Good question. An awful lot of time is wasted voting, counting, deciding on this garbage. Delete.  Vanity, self promotion. HowardB 05:43, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * While a lot of time is spent on vanity articles, some articles that start off as vanity are actually about notable subjects, and it takes a VfD to determine that. This, however, is not about a notable subject, so delete, but not speedily. --Deathphoenix 06:41, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. "Ashton would like Wikipedia not to delete this page because, there is nothing rude or offensive in it." But Ashton, there is nothing notable about you to be in Wikipedia. Zzyzx11 06:44, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, not notable, vanity. Megan1967 06:49, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. CSD should be expanded to cover obvious crap like this. jni 08:27, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Sorry Ashton. Thanks for contributing to Wikipedia, but we can only accept articles on certain topics. Not everyone in the world is entitled to an article. Certainly not me and probably none of the people who've voted on this page. If we created articles on ourselves they would be deleted. There is also a message that comes up above the edit box when you create a page. It says something along the lines of "don't create an article to promote yourself." I'm afraid this article falls under that category. We appreciate that you haven't put anything rude or offensive in it, but that doesn't mean it belongs in Wikipedia. Good luck with the moped. Trilobite (Talk) 10:53, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Vanity Simon 23:00, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Jayjg (talk) 05:21, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. I agree that CSD should allow for deletion of crap like this. Carrp | Talk 06:53, 21 Feb 2005 (UTC)


text:
Database state

Database state may refer to:

 * Database state, in database technology the set of stored data. Entering, modifying, or deleting information changes the database state. *Actual data stored in a particular moment in time.
 * See also State transition system and Finite-state machine models.
 * A state that practices Mass surveillance.

title: Database state


text:
Texture (chemistry)

In physical chemistry and materials science, texture is the distribution of crystallographic orientations of a polycrystalline sample (it is also part of the geological fabric). A sample in which these orientations are fully random is said to have no distinct texture. If the crystallographic orientations are not random, but have some preferred orientation, then the sample has a weak, moderate or strong texture. The degree is dependent on the percentage of crystals having the preferred orientation.

Texture is seen in almost all engineered materials, and can have a great influence on materials properties. The texture forms in materials during thermo-mechanical processes, for example during production processes e.g. rolling. Consequently, the rolling process is often followed by a heat treatment to reduce the amount of unwanted texture. Controlling the production process in combination with the characterization of texture and the material's microstructure help to determine the materials properties, i.e. the processing-microstructure-texture-property relationship. Also, geologic rocks show texture due to their thermo-mechanic history of formation processes.

One extreme case is a complete lack of texture: a solid with perfectly random crystallite orientation will have isotropic properties at length scales sufficiently larger than the size of the crystallites. The opposite extreme is a perfect single crystal, which likely has anisotropic properties by geometric necessity.

Characterization and representation
Texture can be determined by various methods. Some methods allow a quantitative analysis of the texture, while others are only qualitative. Among the quantitative techniques, the most widely used is X-ray diffraction using texture goniometers, followed by the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) method in scanning electron microscopes. Qualitative analysis can be done by Laue photography, simple X-ray diffraction or with a polarized microscope. Neutron and synchrotron high-energy X-ray diffraction are suitable for determining textures of bulk materials and in situ analysis, whereas laboratory x-ray diffraction instruments are more appropriate for analyzing textures of thin films.

Texture is often represented using a pole figure, in which a specified crystallographic axis (or pole) from each of a representative number of crystallites is plotted in a stereographic projection, along with directions relevant to the material's processing history. These directions define the so-called sample reference frame and are, because the investigation of textures started from the cold working of metals, usually referred to as the rolling direction RD, the transverse direction TD and the normal direction ND. For drawn metal wires the cylindrical fiber axis turned out as the sample direction around which preferred orientation is typically observed (see below).

Common textures
There are several textures that are commonly found in processed (cubic) materials. They are named either by the scientist that discovered them, or by the material they are most found in. These are given in Miller indices for simplification purposes.
 * Cube component: (001)[100]
 * Brass component: (110)[-112]
 * Copper component: (112)[11-1]
 * S component: (123)[63-4]

Orientation distribution function
The full 3D representation of crystallographic texture is given by the orientation distribution function (ODF) which can be achieved through evaluation of a set of pole figures or diffraction patterns. Subsequently, all pole figures can be derived from the ODF.

The ODF is defined as the volume fraction of grains with a certain orientation $$\boldsymbol{g}$$.
 * $$\text{ODF}(\boldsymbol{g})=\frac{1}{V} \frac{dV(\boldsymbol{g})}{d g}.$$

The orientation $$\boldsymbol{g}$$ is normally identified using three Euler angles. The Euler angles then describe the transition from the sample’s reference frame into the crystallographic reference frame of each individual grain of the polycrystal. One thus ends up with a large set of different Euler angles, the distribution of which is described by the ODF.

The orientation distribution function, ODF, cannot be measured directly by any technique. Traditionally both X-ray diffraction and EBSD may collect pole figures. Different methodologies exist to obtain the ODF from the pole figures or data in general. They can be classified based on how they represent the ODF. Some represent the ODF as a function, sum of functions or expand it in a series of harmonic functions. Others, known as discrete methods, divide the ODF space in cells and focus on determining the value of the ODF in each cell.

Origins

In wire and fiber, all crystals tend to have nearly identical orientation in the axial direction, but nearly random radial orientation. The most familiar exceptions to this rule are fiberglass, which has no crystal structure, and carbon fiber, in which the crystalline anisotropy is so great that a good-quality filament will be a distorted single crystal with approximately cylindrical symmetry (often compared to a jelly roll). Single-crystal fibers are also not uncommon.

The making of metal sheet often involves compression in one direction and, in efficient rolling operations, tension in another, which can orient crystallites in both axes by a process known as grain flow. However, cold work destroys much of the crystalline order, and the new crystallites that arise with annealing usually have a different texture. Control of texture is extremely important in the making of silicon steel sheet for transformer cores (to reduce magnetic hysteresis) and of aluminium cans (since deep drawing requires extreme and relatively uniform plasticity).

Texture in ceramics usually arises because the crystallites in a slurry have shapes that depend on crystalline orientation, often needle- or plate-shaped. These particles align themselves as water leaves the slurry, or as clay is formed.

Casting or other fluid-to-solid transitions (i.e., thin-film deposition) produce textured solids when there is enough time and activation energy for atoms to find places in existing crystals, rather than condensing as an amorphous solid or starting new crystals of random orientation. Some facets of a crystal (often the close-packed planes) grow more rapidly than others, and the crystallites for which one of these planes faces in the direction of growth will usually out-compete crystals in other orientations. In the extreme, only one crystal will survive after a certain length: this is exploited in the Czochralski process (unless a seed crystal is used) and in the casting of turbine blades and other creep-sensitive parts.

Texture and materials properties
Material properties such as strength, chemical reactivity, stress corrosion cracking resistance, weldability,  deformation behavior,  resistance to radiation damage,  and magnetic susceptibility can be highly dependent on the material’s texture and related changes in microstructure. In many materials, properties are texture-specific, and development of unfavorable textures when the material is fabricated or in use can create weaknesses that can initiate or exacerbate failures. Parts can fail to perform due to unfavorable textures in their component materials. Failures can correlate with the crystalline textures formed during fabrication or use of that component. Consequently, consideration of textures that are present in and that could form in engineered components while in use can be a critical when making decisions about the selection of some materials and methods employed to manufacture parts with those materials. When parts fail during use or abuse, understanding the textures that occur within those parts can be crucial to meaningful interpretation of failure analysis data.

Thin film textures
As the result of substrate effects producing preferred crystallite orientations, pronounced textures tend to occur in thin films. Modern technological devices to a large extent rely on polycrystalline thin films with thicknesses in the nanometer and micrometer ranges. This holds, for instance, for all microelectronic and most optoelectronic systems or sensoric and superconducting layers. Most thin film textures may be categorized as one of two different types: (1) for so-called fiber textures the orientation of a certain lattice plane is preferentially parallel to the substrate plane; (2) in biaxial textures the in-plane orientation of crystallites also tend to align with respect to the sample. The latter phenomenon is accordingly observed in nearly epitaxial growth processes, where certain crystallographic axes of crystals in the layer tend to align along a particular crystallographic orientation of the (single-crystal) substrate.

Tailoring the texture on demand has become an important task in thin film technology. In the case of oxide compounds intended for transparent conducting films or surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices, for instance, the polar axis should be aligned along the substrate normal. Another example is given by cables from high-temperature superconductors that are being developed as oxide multilayer systems deposited on metallic ribbons. The adjustment of the biaxial texture in YBa2Cu3O7−δ layers turned out as the decisive prerequisite for achieving sufficiently large critical currents.

The degree of texture is often subjected to an evolution during thin film growth and the most pronounced textures are only obtained after the layer has achieved a certain thickness. Thin film growers thus require information about the texture profile or the texture gradient in order to optimize the deposition process. The determination of texture gradients by x-ray scattering, however, is not straightforward, because different depths of a specimen contribute to the signal. Techniques that allow for the adequate deconvolution of diffraction intensity were developed only recently.

title: Texture (chemistry)


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/William A. Jones III

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was speedy delete. —Korath (Talk) 17:56, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)

William A. Jones III
high school student. has a web page about christmas. Wolfman 04:58, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Vanity, self promotion. HowardB 05:41, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. To Mr. Jones: Many people think that causes such as yours should think more about using other forums too promote themselves. Zzyzx11 06:14, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete vanity ad. --Deathphoenix 06:46, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, not notable, vanity, website advertisement. Megan1967 06:50, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete for above reasons. jni 08:28, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Wikipedia is not the place for this. Trilobite (Talk) 10:53, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Speedy delete. This is just nonsense and I'm speedying it. Deb 13:00, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.


text:
125th Street

125th Street may refer:

Art, entertainment, and media

 * 125th Street (musical), a stage show which opened in September 2002 at London's Shaftesbury Theatre

Roads, bridges, and train stations

 * 125th Street (Manhattan), a street in Manhattan, New York City
 * Florida State Road 822 in Miami-Dade County, locally known as 125th Street
 * Harlem–125th Street station, a commuter railroad station in Manhattan
 * Stations of the New York City subway and its predecessors:
 * 125th Street station (IND Eighth Avenue Line), at St. Nicholas Avenue; serving the trains
 * 125th Street station (IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line), at Broadway; serving the train
 * 125th Street station (IRT Lenox Avenue Line), at Malcolm X Boulevard; serving the trains
 * 125th Street station (IRT Lexington Avenue Line), at Lexington Avenue; serving the trains
 * 125th Street station (IRT Ninth Avenue Line), at Eighth Avenue (demolished)
 * 125th Street station (IRT Second Avenue Line), at Second Avenue (demolished)
 * 125th Street station (IRT Third Avenue Line), at Third Avenue (demolished)

title: 125th Street


text: Category:Philosophy of music

title: Category:Philosophy of music


text:
Giant retinal ganglion cells

Giant retinal ganglion cells are photosensitive ganglion cells with large dendritic trees discovered in the human and macaque retina by Dacey et al. (2005).

Giant retinal ganglion cells contain a photo-pigment, melanopsin, allowing them to respond directly to light. They also receive connections from rods and cones, allowing them to encode colour and spatial information. Dacey et al. found the giants' receptive field sizes to be about three times the diameter of those of parasol ganglion cells.

When a giant is responding directly to light, Dacey et al. found its spectral sensitivity function to be similar in shape to those of rods and cones, but with a peak at 482 nm, in between S cones and rods. Dacey et al. also found giants' dynamic range to be 3-4 log units, far larger than any other photoreceptor type's and covering nearly the entire range of illuminations of natural daylight. Under naturalistic lighting conditions, responses to the rods and cones are superimposed on the melanopsin response of giant retinal ganglion cells. Giants encode colour via an S-Off, (L + M)-On opponency. Their spatial modulation transfer function is low-pass, with an upper limit of about 0.6 cycles per degree.

Dacey et al. propose that the giants subserve the subconscious, 'non-image-forming' functions of circadian photoentrainment and pupillary diameter, and via the rod and cone inputs, may help mediate conscious perception of irradiance.

title: Giant retinal ganglion cells


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Hilary Mutch

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was Speedy delete.
 * Closed by Uncle G. Reviewed by AllyUnion -- AllyUnion (talk) 08:56, 23 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Hilary Mutch
Per the deletion log:

 * 08:13, 2005 Feb 17 Gadfium deleted Hilary Mutch (Repeat of previously speedy deleted article)
 * 19:40, 2005 Feb 16 Rje deleted Hilary Mutch (content was: 'Highly intelligent human being, of extreme power. One of the best thinkers in the universe, Hilary spends her time reading poetry and tr...' )
 * 19:37, 2005 Feb 16 Rje deleted Hilary Mutch (content was: 'Highly intelligent human being, of extreme power. One of the best thinkers in the universe, Hilary spends her time reading poetry and trying to find o...')
 * 19:33, 2005 Feb 16 Rje deleted Hilary Mutch (content was: 'Highly unintelligent human being, of extreme power. One of the worst thinkers in the universe, Hilary spends her time reading poetry and trying to fin...')
 * 19:31, 2005 Feb 16 Rje deleted Hilary Mutch (content was: 'Highly unintelligent human being, of extreme power. One of the worst thinkers in the universe, Hilary spends her time reading poetry and trying to fin...')

"Hilary Mutch although unknown ...." Wolfman 05:10, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Vanity. Unknown, as she admits.  HowardB 05:39, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Hilary: People will never believe that you will be one of the best thinkers in this world if you keep on posting vanity-filled, non-notable articles on inappropriate web sites. Zzyzx11 06:19, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete vanity. Good luck and we look forward to hearing about you in the near future. --Deathphoenix 06:44, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)
 * Speedy deleted several times before by other admins, so I've speedy deleted it again.-gadfium 08:14, 17 Feb 2005 (UTC)

This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.