title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: Before being revealed to Robin and Batman, Stephanie works freelance for the Penguin and gets information that helps him in his gang wars. She abruptly stops aiding him, after which he loses the advantage and leaves Gotham. She sends Penguin a note apologizing for leaving him when he needed her the most.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: During the "Batman R.I.P." storyline, Stephanie played the role of both ally and betrayer to Robin. Following Batman's disappearance and descent into madness, Robin attempts to balance his search for Bruce with his attempts to maintain control over Gotham's criminals. Tim asks that Stephanie help him locate Batman, but having anticipated his downfall, Batman has ordered Stephanie to hinder the investigation, believing that Tim needs to learn how to handle things on his own. Tim discovers the deception, and pulls away from his relationship with Stephanie. Unbeknownst to Tim, Batman has also ordered Stephanie to make Robin a stronger hero by challenging him, so Stephanie hires the Scarab, an assassin she encountered while she was Robin. After ordering the Scarab to use non-lethal methods, she also begins working with Tim's enemy, the General, who eventually tries to kill her. Her martial arts skills were able to save her from getting shot in the head—she is instead shot in the shoulder, escaping just in time to save Tim's life when the Scarab goes rogue.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: The General, now using the identity of Anarky, decides to plunge Gotham into anarchy by starting a citywide gang war, and Stephanie aids Robin in keeping order and defeating the General. Afterward, Robin reveals that he is aware that Stephanie had worked with the villains to help him become a better Robin under Batman's orders. He notes that her actions were successful, but her methods were questionable. No longer in love with Stephanie, Robin orders her to abandon the Spoiler identity as he can no longer trust her.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: In "Batman and the Outsiders" (vol. 2) #13, Batgirl recruits Spoiler and Vigilante to a new network of heroes that will replace Batman, who is missing after the "Batman R.I.P." storyline. She is able to turn completely invisible while fighting the Vigilante, though Fabian Nicieza, current writer of the "Robin" title, said he knew nothing about it. However, in "Gotham Gazette: Batman Alive", Nicieza incorporates the new ability, with Robin stating she stole the technology to make herself invisible.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: In "Teen Titans" (vol. 3) #66, Stephanie appeared as one of the potential candidates to help fill Miss Martian's vacant seat on the team's roster. She was drawn into a fight with Bombshell, who mocked her and accused her of being a coward. In the end, Robin revealed that Stephanie had not come to join the Titans, but instead to help him with his preparations to leave the team.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: In the "Red Robin" series, Stephanie and Dick Grayson (now, the new Batman, following Bruce Wayne's apparent death) become concerned about Tim after Dick transfers the mantle of Robin from Tim to Damian Wayne. Furious, Tim comes to believe that Bruce is still alive, and goes in search of him under the guise of Red Robin. When he cuts off all communication with the Bat-Family and the Teen Titans, Stephanie approaches Tim in his private base. This action, however, only infuriates Tim more. Kicking her in the chest after she sneaks up on him, he reiterates that he cannot trust her and orders her not to follow him on his mission, leading her to return to Gotham.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: Stephanie Brown graduates from high school off-panel, is a student at Gotham University, and is still living with her mother. Cassandra Cain has apparently become disillusioned following Bruce Wayne's apparent death and gives Stephanie her Batgirl costume. After operating as the new Batgirl in Cain's costume, Stephanie is confronted by Barbara Gordon who was notified of her activities by Dick Grayson. Barbara tried to reason with Stephanie to get her to stop being a vigilante, as she still saw Stephanie as an impetuous youth, remembering her role in causing a citywide gang war and her near-death experience at Black Mask's hands. However, a new type of recreational drug is hitting the streets of Gotham known as "Thrill", which they discover was manufactured by the Scarecrow and the second Black Mask, and the two women need each other to stop the drug trade. Stephanie eventually confronts and defeats the Scarecrow, impressing Barbara and proving that she now has the maturity and the responsibility to face her fears and failures. Barbara decides to allow Stephanie to continue on as Batgirl. Barbara later takes a job as an assistant professor at Stephanie's school in order to continue to keep in contact with her. Barbara also designs a costume for Stephanie to replace Cassandra's tattered costume, incorporating various elements of both the Spoiler and previous Batgirl costumes.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: As Stephanie is taking steps to balance her double-life as a college student and a vigilante, Barbara makes a test run on Stephanie's Batsuit, which includes monitoring Stephanie's vital signs and allowing both women to communicate through wireless links. After some warm-up against minor criminals, Stephanie finds herself against Livewire who causes a blackout in the city while draining its power. Fortunately, Stephanie's costume is insulated, and she is able to overpower the villainess. Stephanie also develops an attraction to Gotham PD's newest young recruit who just transferred from Coast City PD, Detective Nicholas "St. Nick" Gage, who is also attracted to her as Batgirl. However, this budding romance is complicated by Commissioner Gordon, who is trying to set the young detective up on a blind date with Barbara. The Commissioner finds their mutual attraction unsettling, because despite the fact that Batgirl's identity is yet unknown to him, Gordon knows that the superheroine is still a teenager. Her activities also have led her and Barbara into conflict with the new Dynamic Duo, Batman (Dick Grayson) and Robin (Damian Wayne). However, even though Stephanie and Damian initially do not get along, he is intrigued by her motivations to be a vigilante.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: While meeting a classmate, Francisco, Stephanie is left unconscious after being shot while trying to protect him from a group of kidnappers. Stephanie survives the gunshot wound and it is later revealed that Francisco's real name is Fernando Garcia, a son of a real estate mogul whose father's unethical business practices have led to him becoming a target. Because of Garcia's abduction, Stephanie and Barbara join forces with Batman and Robin, as some of the Gotham rogues are involved in the crime, including Roulette. After they rescue Garcia, Dick, after seeing Stephanie's fight with Roxy Rocket, although still not completely approving of her as Batgirl, realizes that she reminds him of Barbara when she was in the role, so he allows Barbara to continue training Stephanie. Stephanie also receives a new state-of-the-art transportation known as the Ricochet (based from Batman's Batcycle designs) from Barbara.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: Stephanie was later asked by Barbara to shut down the vigilante operations of John Raymond, a wealthy young superhero who had been giving powerful exo-suits to a number of people in hopes of creating a nationwide army of crime-fighters he dubbed "Web Hosts". After being convinced by John that he could keep his Web Hosts in line, Stephanie and Barbara agreed to not only allow him to continue his vigilante actions, but also upgrade the equipment he was using.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: In the first part of the "Red Robin/Batgirl" crossover story "Collision", Tim Drake returns to Gotham with proof that Bruce Wayne is not only still alive but also lost in time. At the same time, immortal terrorist Ra's al Ghul begins his attack to destroy everything the Wayne family has built, in response to Tim crippling his League of Assassins organization during his quest. Tim returns to the Batcave to seek the current Batman's aid, only to find Stephanie as Batgirl. After their confrontation, Stephanie and Tim reluctantly work together to protect Ra's al Ghul's possible targets. After saving Leslie Thompkins from the League, Tim attempts to rekindle his and Stephanie's old romance. She rejects these advances before Prudence, another member of Ra's al Ghul's men, interrupts them with her assignment to target the new Batgirl. Stephanie, however, bested the assassin in combat. Prudence subsequently reveals her true allegiance to Tim, which apparently overcomes her supposed loyalty to The Demon's Head. After narrowly escaping Tim's safehouse (which the League of Assassins had booby-trapped before the three arrived), they encounter members of another organization of assassins, the Council of Spiders. The League of Assassins are eventually defeated after Tim thwarts Ra's al Ghul's plan strategically with Bruce Wayne's will that was made before his disappearance.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: Stephanie would also show up against her mentor's nemesis, the Calculator, with his daughter, Wendy Harris, to rescue Barbara and Gotham itself after the villain injects nanites into the citizens and heroes of the city and controls them.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: In another storyline, Stephanie made a cameo appearance as a member of the assault team led by Dick Grayson to go against the new Black Mask.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: She later appears alongside Batwoman and fellow teen superheroines Stargirl, Supergirl, and Lightning as part of an all-female team created by Wonder Woman to repel Professor Ivo's faux-alien invasion of Washington, D.C.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: After Bruce Wayne's , it is revealed that the true reason Cassandra Cain handed over her Batgirl mantle to Stephanie was that she was acting under her mentor's order in the event of his death or disappearance.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: Around this time, during "The Lesson" arc, Stephanie was forced to deal with a mysterious group known as The Order of the Scythe, who briefly framed her for murdering a student on her campus. During her final adventure as Batgirl, Stephanie confronts her father and is ensnared by a sample of Black Mercy. Stephanie experiences a number of future events, including a time-travelling adventure with Cassandra and Barbara, the Royal Flush Gang attacking her at her college graduation, and eventually training the new Batgirl, a girl named Nell. She ultimately breaks free from the Black Mercy and confides in Barbara that despite the wonderful things she experienced while in the fantasy world, she preferred to live in the here and now.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: During the "Convergence" storyline, Stephanie (who still uses the Batgirl title) is chosen as the champion of her version of Gotham City, and must fight other city's champions if they are to survive.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: In the New 52, a 2011 reboot of the DC Universe, Stephanie Brown's history was completely removed from continuity. She makes her first appearance in the new mainstream continuity as Spoiler in "Batman" (vol. 2) #28 (April 2014), a sneak peek into the future of the "Batman Eternal" series; she is seen tied up in a vault by Selina Kyle, with Kyle stating she is the only one who knows how to stop what is coming next for Gotham. In "Batman Eternal" #3 (July 2014), Stephanie is a purple-clad teen who stumbles into a meeting between her father, the Cluemaster, and his criminal associates. She manages to escape their murderous plot, and over the course of the series, works to "spoil" her father's plans by becoming a vigilante, calling herself the "Spoiler." At first, she merely attempts to spread news of the Cluemaster's plans on the internet, then works actively as a costumed crimefighter to capture and foil him. Following the "Batman Eternal" storyline, Brown as Spoiler helped other teens fight the Joker's chaos in "Detective Comics: Endgame", and sought training from Selina Kyle and Eiko Hasigawa in "Catwoman". In the aftermath of the gang war in that title, Barbara Gordon took Stephanie under her wing for a time. Stephanie also appeared as Spoiler fighting the supervillain Mother alongside the Robins in "Batman and Robin Eternal".


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: In DC Rebirth, the 2016 relaunch of DC Comics, Stephanie was recruited into Batman's emergency response team headed by Batwoman, along with Red Robin, Orphan (Cassandra Cain), and Clayface. After Red Robin is "killed" by Jacob Kane's Colony drones, Stephanie becomes depressed and questions her purpose and the world she wants to live in the "Victim Syndicate" storyline. The story ends with her challenging the rest of the team and threatening to expose their secret identities if they don't give up their vigilantism. After disarming her by refusing her offer, she leaves the team and tells Batman that until he gives up his cowl, she'll be standing in his way. Stephanie actively opposes Batman and his allies in the field, while still fighting criminals like Wrath. It also appears that she is falling under the influence of Anarky, who is attempting to build a (literally) underground society of people who were impacted by Batman's activities. Eventually, Stephanie sees through Anarky's lies and helps Batman apprehend him. However, she walks away from Batman before he can tell her that Tim Drake is still alive.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: After discovering Tim is alive, she briefly rejoins the team to help them stop the Victim Syndicate, but leaves again after the death of Clayface and breaks up with Tim since he was consistently dishonest about his intent to remain Red Robin instead of attending Ivy University. When Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong, the General, infects Tim with the OMAC nanites and threatens to control Gotham, Batman and Cassandra ask Stephanie for help, and she reluctantly agrees. Using her drones, she leads an infiltration into the General's Belfry 2.0 stronghold, and hacks into the system to shut it down. The evil AI Brother Eye confronts her with images of her past in the alternate timeline from which Batman Tim Drake from the future appeared, mocking her as "lesser" than a timeline where she was both Robin and Batgirl. Instead of being cast down, Steph laughs and cracks into the timeline history that Brother Eye and the General have been using to manipulate Tim, showing him the truth, and convincing him to destroy the OMACs himself. After the dust settles, Tim decides to investigate the divergence in timelines Steph discovered, and she joins him in his quest.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: During "The Joker War", Stephanie and Cassandra fight the Hench Master in Bludhaven. At the end of the story, both she and Stephanie reclaim their Bat symbols. Stephanie receives a new costume, which is an amalgamation of her Spoiler outfit and her previous Batgirl suit.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: In Infinite Frontier, Barbara Gordon – now primarily operating as Oracle again – explains to Huntress that Stephanie and Cassandra will share the Batgirl title, but that she reserves the right to occasionally suit up as Batgirl in future. In Batman: Urban Legends, it is revealed Stephanie and Tim broke up and are not speaking, although she is supportive when he comes out as a cinephile under the tutelage of Letterboxd user Noah King. In 2022, Stephanie and Cassandra received a series called "Batgirls" by Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad where they take up residence in one of Gotham's poorer areas after Fear State made them fugitives. Stephanie and Cassandra acquire a new vehicle they name Bondo.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: Like most of the Batman family, Stephanie Brown has no superhuman powers. She has been trained extensively by Batgirl, Batman, and the Birds of Prey in martial arts, acrobatics, strength training, interrogation, and detective skills. She carries a belt similar to that used by other Gotham vigilantes containing a grappling hook, tracking devices, and various other crime-fighting paraphernalia. During "Gotham Underground", the Penguin gave her an unknown device that allowed her to become completely invisible. According to Tim Drake, this "ability" was achieved through stolen technology. According to "Batgirl" writer Bryan Q. Miller, the ability to become invisible has not been incorporated into Stephanie's Batgirl costume.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: After Stephanie took on the Batgirl identity, Barbara Gordon designed a new costume for Stephanie more in line with the rest of the Bat-family's. It is equipped with kevlar and carbon fiber-reinforced polymer to protect against ballistic, flame, and electrical attacks. Stephanie's Batsuit also carries a wireless relay within the cowl, permitting her to remain in contact with Barbara. The suit also allows Barbara to monitor Stephanie's vital signs. Stephanie now also uses a collapsible bo staff, similar to the one that Tim Drake uses. It is implied that she had been trained by Cassandra Cain in using it before assuming the Batgirl mantle.


title: Stephanie Brown (character)

text: "Robin" Vol 4: #15–16; #25–26; #35; #40–41; #43–45; #50; #54; #56–62; #64–65; #74–75; #80; #82–84; #87–88; #92–95; #100–105; #107–113; #116; #119–120


The 2022–23 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round began on 21 June and ended on 24 August 2022.


title: 2022–23 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round

text: A total of 52 teams competed in the qualifying system of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League, which included the qualifying phase and the play-off round, with 42 teams in Champions Path and 10 teams in League Path. The six winners in the play-off round (four from Champions Path, two from League Path) advanced to the group stage, to join the 26 teams that enter in the group stage.


text: The Champions Path included all league champions which did not qualify directly for the group stage, and consisted of the following rounds:


text: All teams eliminated from the Champions Path entered either the Europa League or the Europa Conference League:


text: Below are the participating teams of the Champions Path (with their 2022 UEFA club coefficients), grouped by their starting rounds.


text: The League Path included all league non-champions which did not qualify directly for the group stage, and consisted of the following rounds:


text: Below are the participating teams of the League Path (with their 2022 UEFA club coefficients), grouped by their starting rounds.


text: Each tie, apart from the preliminary round, was played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs advanced to the next round. If the aggregate score was level at the end of normal time of the second leg, extra time was played, and if the same amount of goals were scored by both teams during extra time, the tie was decided by a penalty shoot-out.


text: In the preliminary round, the semi-finals and final were played as a single match hosted by one of the participating teams. If the score was level at the end of normal time, extra time was played, and if the same amount of goals were scored by both teams during extra time, the tie was decided by a penalty shoot-out.


text: The 2022–23 season saw the video assistant referee (VAR) used for the first time during the qualification phase following its introduction in the third qualifying round.


text: In the draws for each round, teams were seeded based on their UEFA club coefficients at the beginning of the season, with the teams divided into seeded and unseeded pots containing the same number of teams. A seeded team was drawn against an unseeded team, with the order of legs (or the administrative "home" team in the preliminary round matches) in each tie decided by draw. As the identity of the winners of the previous round was not known at the time of the draws, the seeding was carried out under the assumption that the team with the higher coefficient of an undecided tie advanced to this round, which means if the team with the lower coefficient was to advance, it simply took the seeding of its opponent. Prior to the draws, UEFA formed "groups" in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee, but they were purely for convenience of the draw and did not resemble any real groupings in the sense of the competition. Teams from associations with political conflicts as decided by UEFA should not be drawn into the same tie. After the draws, the order of legs of a tie could be reversed by UEFA due to scheduling or venue conflicts.


text: The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland).


text: The preliminary round consisted of two semi-finals on 21 June 2022 and the final on 24 June 2022. The draw for the preliminary round was held on 7 June 2022.


text: A total of four teams played in the preliminary round. Seeding of teams was based on their 2022 UEFA club coefficients, with two seeded teams and two unseeded teams in the semi-finals. The matches took place at Víkingsvöllur in Reykjavík, Iceland so the first team drawn in each tie in the semi-finals, and also the final (between the two winners of the semi-finals, whose identity was not known at the time of draw), would be the "home" team for administrative purposes. <section end=PR />


text: The preliminary round matches consisted of two semi-finals on 21 June 2022 and the final on 24 June 2022.


text: <section begin=PR />The winner of the preliminary round final advanced to the first qualifying round. The losers of the semi-finals and final were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.


text: A total of 30 teams played in the first qualifying round: 29 teams which enter in this round, and 1 winner of the preliminary round. Seeding of teams was based on their 2022 UEFA club coefficients. For the winner of the preliminary round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team was used. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed three groups of five seeded teams and five unseeded teams in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team of the first leg.


text: <section begin=Q1 />The first legs were played on 5 and 6 July, and the second legs were played on 12 and 13 July 2022.


text: The winners of the ties advanced to the Champions Path second qualifying round. The losers were transferred to the Europa Conference League Champions Path second qualifying round.


text: Seeding of teams was based on their 2022 UEFA club coefficients. For the winners of the first qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie was used. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed three groups for the champions path draw in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee: two groups that produce three ties each (Groups 1 and 2) and one with four ties (Group 3). The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team of the first leg.


text: The first legs were played on 19 and 20 July, and the second legs were played on 26 and 27 July 2022.


text: The winners of the ties advanced to the third qualifying round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Champions Path third qualifying round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League Main Path third qualifying round.


text: Seeding of teams was based on their 2022 UEFA club coefficients. For the winners of the second qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie was used. Prior to the draw, UEFA formed two groups of three seeded teams and three unseeded teams in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team of the first leg.


text: The winners of the ties advanced to the play-off round of their respective path. The Champions Path losers were transferred to the Europa League play-off round, while the League Path losers were transferred to the Europa League group stage.


text: Seeding of teams was based on their 2022 UEFA club coefficients. For the winners of the third qualifying round, whose identity was not known at the time of draw, the club coefficient of the highest-ranked remaining team in each tie was used. The first team drawn in each tie would be the home team of the first leg.


text: The first legs were played on 16 and 17 August, and the second legs were played on 23 and 24 August 2022.


text: The winners of the ties advanced to the group stage. The losers were transferred to the Europa League group stage.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (released in the United States and Canada as Nanny McPhee Returns) is a 2010 period fantasy comedy film directed by Susanna White, produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Lindsay Doran with music by James Newton Howard and co-produced by StudioCanal, Relativity Media, Working Title Films and Three Strange Angels. It is a sequel to the 2005 film "Nanny McPhee". It was adapted by Emma Thompson from Christianna Brand's "Nurse Matilda" books. Thompson reprises her role as Nanny McPhee, and the film also stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes, Rhys Ifans, Ewan McGregor, Asa Butterfield and Maggie Smith. The film was theatrically released on 20 August 2010 by Universal Pictures.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: The film received positive reviews from critics and it earned $93.2 million on a $35 million budget. It also received a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Performance in a Feature Film. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 19 June 2010.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: Isabel Green is driven to her wit's end by her hectic life while her husband Rory fights in World War II. Between trying to keep the family farm up and running and her job in the village shop, run by the slightly mad Mrs. Docherty, she also has three boisterous children to look after, Norman, Megsie and Vincent. When her children's two wealthy, but pompous and snobby city cousins, Cyril and Celia, are evacuated to live with them in the countryside, they start fighting with them, only adding to Isabel's problems.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: When the magical Nanny McPhee arrives to help, the children at first do not listen and carry on fighting, which she soon puts a stop to with her magic. Meanwhile, Isabel's brother-in-law Phil has gambled away his half of the farm, and is being chased by two hired female assassins working for casino owner Mrs. Biggles. He desperately attempts to make Isabel sell her half of the farm, using mean and spiteful schemes to leave her no choice; one of the schemes, setting loose a litter of piglets to be sold to a neighbouring farmer, is discovered by the children, leading them to bond as they work together to fix it. Isabel takes everyone on a picnic as a show of thanks, during which Mrs. Docherty's ARP Warden husband warns them about bombs and relates how he imagines a pilot might accidentally release one, and Phil subsequently delivers a telegram saying Rory was killed in action. Everyone believes the news except Norman, who is sure his father is alive because he "can feel it in [his] bones". He tells this to Cyril, who at first thinks he is just upset, but then agrees that Norman might be right; the two convince Nanny McPhee to take them to the War Office in London, where Cyril and Celia's father Lord Gray holds an important position, believing he will know the truth.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: At first Lord Gray sneers at Norman's disbelief at his father's death, but after Cyril reveals that he knows he is divorcing their mother and blasts him for his neglect as a parent, Lord Gray investigates what has happened. While he is gone, Norman asks Cyril where he will live following the divorce; upon learning he rarely sees either of his parents, he says that he and Celia are welcome to live permanently with the Greens. Lord Gray returns and tells Norman that his father is merely missing in action, and that there is no record of a telegram being sent to his mother. After the boys leave, Norman deduces that Phil forged the telegram.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: While the older boys are at the War Office, Megsie, Celia and Vincent try to stop Isabel from signing Phil's papers and selling the farm. Just as she is about to finally do so, a German pilot accidentally drops a huge bomb on the Greens' barley field; it does not explode, but the fallout is strong enough to cover Phil's papers with ink. When Nanny McPhee, Norman and Cyril return, Phil admits to Norman's accusation of forgery and is handcuffed to the stove by Isabel. The children go out to watch Mr. Docherty defuse the bomb, but when he faints, Megsie takes over, succeeding with the help of the other children and Nanny McPhee's jackdaw friend Mr. Edelweiss. Nanny McPhee helps to harvest the barley with a little magic, saving Phil from Mrs. Biggles' hitwomen in the process. While everyone celebrates, Mrs. Docherty is revealed to be baby Agatha from the first film and to remember Nanny McPhee, who has been staying with her. As Nanny McPhee walks away from the now-happy Isabel and the children, they chase after her, only to see Rory, with an injured arm, making his way back to them. He runs to his family and they embrace.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: In a mid-credits scene, Ellie, an elephant conjured by Nanny McPhee to share Vincent's bed, is seen enjoying the magically operated Scratch-o-matic invented for the piglets.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: The village in the film is Hambleden in Buckinghamshire, the farm set and scenes were filmed in Hascombe, near Godalming in Surrey and the War Office scenes, both interior and exterior, were filmed at the University of London, and the motorbike scenes on various London roads.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: Dunsfold Aerodrome, the location of Top Gear, name "Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang" as being filmed there, with more filming taking place at Shepperton Studios.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: "Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang" was theatrically released on 20 August 2010 by Universal Pictures (2 April 2010 in the UK).


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK on 19 June 2010. "Nanny McPhee Returns", as the film was renamed for the North American market, was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 14 December 2010.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: Critical response for the film was positive. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 75% based on 121 reviews. The site's critic consensus reads: "Emma Thompson's second labor of love with the Nanny McPhee character actually improves on the first, delivering charming family fare with an excellent cast." Metacritic calculated an average score of 52 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale. "The Independent" also gave a favourable review, with praise given to the actors and Thompson's script."


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: In the UK, the film opened at number one, with £2,586,760, outperforming new release "The Blind Side", grossing a total of £16,211,057. In the United States and Canada, it debuted in seventh position with a $8.4 million. Gross exceeded $27 million.


title: Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang

text: A third film, to be set in 21st-century England, was planned, but the sequel did not meet studio expectations and plans for any future films were cancelled.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sometimes written sodium laurilsulfate, is an organic compound with the formula . It is an anionic surfactant used in many cleaning and hygiene products. This compound is the sodium salt of the 12-carbon an organosulfate. Its hydrocarbon tail combined with a polar "headgroup" give the compound amphiphilic properties that make it useful as a detergent. SDS is also component of mixtures produced from inexpensive coconut and palm oils. SDS is a common component of many domestic cleaning, personal hygiene and cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and food products, as well as of industrial and commercial cleaning and product formulations.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: The critical micelle concentration (CMC) in water at 25 °C is 8.2 mM, and the aggregation number at this concentration is usually considered to be about 62. The micelle ionization fraction (α) is around 0.3 (or 30%).


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: SDS is mainly used in detergents for laundry with many cleaning applications. It is a highly effective surfactant and is used in any task requiring the removal of oily stains and residues. For example, it is found in higher concentrations with industrial products including engine degreasers, floor cleaners, and car exterior cleaners.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: It is a component in hand soap, toothpastes, shampoos, shaving creams, and bubble bath formulations, for its ability to create a foam (lather), for its surfactant properties, and in part for its thickening effect.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: Sodium dodecyl sulfate, appearing as its synonym "sodium lauryl sulfate" (SLS), is considered a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredient for food use according to the USFDA (21 CFR 172.822). It is used as an emulsifying agent and whipping aid. As an emulsifier in or with egg whites the United States Code of Federal Regulations require that it must not exceed 1,000 parts per million (0.1%) in egg white solids or 125 parts per million (0.0125%) in frozen or liquid egg whites and as a whipping agent for the preparation of marshmallows it must not exceed 0.5% of the weight of gelatine. SLS is reported to temporarily diminish perception of sweetness.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: SDS is used in cleaning procedures, and is commonly used as a component for lysing cells during RNA extraction and/or DNA extraction, and for denaturing proteins in preparation for electrophoresis in the SDS-PAGE technique.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: In the case of SDS-PAGE, the compound works by disrupting non-covalent bonds in the proteins, and so denaturing them, i.e. causing the protein molecules to lose their native conformations and shapes. By binding to proteins at a ratio of one SDS molecule per 2 amino acid residues, the negatively charged detergent provides all proteins with a similar net negative charge and therefore a similar charge-to-mass ratio. In this way, the difference in mobility of the polypeptide chains in the gel can be attributed solely to their length as opposed to both their native charge and shape. This separation based on the size of the polypeptide chain simplifies the analysis of protein molecules.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: Sodium lauryl sulfate is a widely used in the pharmaceutical field as an ionic solubilizer and emulsifier that is suitable for applications in liquid dispersions, solutions, emulsions and micro emulsions, tablets, foams and semi-solids such as creams, lotions and gels. Additionally, SLS aids in tablet wettability, as well as lubrication during manufacturing. Brand names of pharma-grade SLS include Kolliphor SLS and Kolliphor SLS Fine.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: SLS is used in an improved technique for preparing brain tissues for study by optical microscopy. The technique, which has been branded as CLARITY, was the work of Karl Deisseroth and coworkers at Stanford University, and involves infusion of the organ with an acrylamide solution to bind the macromolecules of the organ (proteins, nucleic acids, etc.), followed by thermal polymerization to form a "brain–hydrogel" (a mesh interspersed throughout the tissue to fix the macromolecules and other structures in space), and then by lipid removal using SDS to eliminate light scattering with minimal protein loss, rendering the tissue quasi-transparent.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: Along with sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate and Triton X-100, aqueous solutions of SDS are popular for dispersing or suspending nanotubes, such as carbon nanotubes.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: SLS has been proposed as a potentially effective topical microbicide, for intravaginal use, to inhibit and possibly prevent infection by various enveloped and non-enveloped viruses such as the herpes simplex viruses, HIV, and the Semliki Forest virus.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: Liquid membranes formed from SDS in water have been demonstrated to work as unusual particle separators. The device acts as a reverse filter, allowing large particles to pass while capturing smaller particles.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: SDS is synthesized by treating lauryl alcohol with sulfur trioxide, oleum, or chlorosulfuric acid to produce hydrogen lauryl sulfate. Lauryl alcohol can be used in pure form or as a mixtures of fatty alcohols. When produced from these sources, "SDS" products are a mixture of various sodium alkyl sulfates with SDS being the main component. For instance, SDS is a component, along with other chain-length amphiphiles, when produced from coconut oil, and is known as sodium coco sulfate (SCS). SDS is available commercially in powder, pellet, and other forms (each differing in rates of dissolution), as well as in aqueous solutions of varying concentrations.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: SDS is not carcinogenic in low concentrations according to some studies. Like all detergents, sodium lauryl sulfate removes oils from the skin, and can cause skin and eye irritation. It has been shown to irritate the skin of the face, with prolonged and constant exposure (more than an hour) in young adults. SDS may worsen skin problems in individuals with chronic skin hypersensitivity, with some people being affected more than others.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: SDS is a common ingredient in toothpastes due to its low cost, its lack of impact on taste, and its desirable action as a foaming agent.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: SDS may reduce the amount of bad breath-causing volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) in the mouth. A series of small crossover studies (25–34 patients) have supported the efficacy of SLS in the reduction of VSCs, and its related positive impact on breath malodor, although these studies have been generally noted to reflect technical challenges in the control of study design variables.


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: Primary sources from the group of Irma Rantanen at University of Turku, Finland claim that SLS-containing pastes cause more dry mouth (xerostomia) than their proposed alternative. However, a 2011 Cochrane review of these studies, and of the more general area, concludes that there "is no strong evidence… that any topical therapy is effective for relieving the symptom of dry mouth."


title: Sodium dodecyl sulfate

text: A safety concern has been raised on the basis of several studies regarding the effect of toothpaste SDS on aphthous ulcers (more specifically, mouth ulcers or "canker sores"), commonly referred to as canker or white sores. According to the NHS, SLS is a cause for concern for mouth ulcers. As Lippert notes, of 2013, "very few… marketed toothpastes contain a surfactant other than SLS [SDS]," and leading manufacturers continue to formulate their produce with SDS.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: The bishop (♗, ♝) is a piece in the game of chess. It moves and captures along without jumping over intervening pieces. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the and the king, the other between the and the queen. The starting squares are c1 and f1 for White's bishops, and c8 and f8 for Black's bishops.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: The king's bishop is placed between the king and the king's knight, f1 for White and f8 for Black; the queen's bishop is placed between the queen and the queen's knight, c1 for White and c8 for Black.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: The bishop has no restrictions in distance for each move but is limited to diagonal movement. It cannot jump over other pieces. A bishop captures by occupying the square on which an enemy piece stands. As a consequence of its diagonal movement, each bishop always remains on one square color. Due to this, it is common to refer to a bishop as a light-squared or dark-squared bishop.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: A rook is generally worth about two pawns more than a bishop (see Chess piece relative value and The exchange). The bishop has access to only half of the squares on the board, whereas all squares of the board are accessible to the rook. On an empty board, a rook always attacks fourteen squares regardless of position, whereas a bishop attacks no more than thirteen (one of four center squares) and sometimes as few as seven (sides and corners). Also, a king and rook can force checkmate against a lone king, while a king and bishop cannot. However, a king and two bishops on opposite-colored squares can force mate.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: Knights and bishops are each worth about three pawns. This means bishops are approximately equal in strength to knights, but depending on the game situation, either may have a distinct advantage.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: Less experienced players tend to underrate the bishop compared to the knight because the knight can reach all squares and is more adept at forking. More experienced players understand the power of the bishop.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: Bishops usually gain in relative strength towards the endgame as more pieces are captured and more open lines become available on which they can operate. A bishop can easily influence both wings simultaneously, whereas a knight is less capable of doing so. In an open endgame, a pair of bishops is decidedly superior to either a bishop and a knight, or two knights. A player possessing a pair of bishops has a strategic weapon in the form of a long-term threat to trade down to an advantageous endgame.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: Two bishops on opposite-colored squares and king can force checkmate against a lone king, whereas two knights cannot. A bishop and knight can force mate, but with far greater difficulty than two bishops.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: In certain positions a bishop can by itself lose a move (see triangulation and tempo), while a knight can never do so. The bishop is capable of skewering or pinning a piece, while the knight can do neither. A bishop can in some situations hinder a knight from moving. In these situations, the bishop is said to be "dominating" the knight.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: On the other hand, in the opening and middlegame a bishop may be hemmed in by pawns of both players, and thus be inferior to a knight which can jump over them. A knight check cannot be blocked but a bishop check can. Furthermore, on a crowded board a knight has many tactical opportunities to fork two enemy pieces. A bishop can fork, but opportunities are more rare. One such example occurs in the position illustrated, which arises from the Ruy Lopez: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Be7 7.d4 d6 8.c3 Bg4 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 exd4 11.Qg3 g6 12.Bh6


title: Bishop (chess)

text: In the middlegame, a player with only one bishop should generally place friendly pawns on squares of the color that the bishop cannot move to. This allows the player to control squares of both colors, allows the bishop to move freely among the pawns, and helps fix enemy pawns on squares on which they can be attacked by the bishop. Such a bishop is often referred to as a "good" bishop.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: Conversely, a bishop which is impeded by friendly pawns is often referred to as a "bad bishop" (or sometimes, disparagingly, a "tall pawn"). The black light-squared bishop in the French Defense is a notorious example of this concept. A "bad" bishop, however, need not always be a weakness, especially if it is outside its own . In addition, having a "bad" bishop may be advantageous in an opposite-colored bishops endgame. Even if the bad bishop is passively placed, it may serve a useful defensive function; a well-known quip from GM Mihai Suba is that "Bad bishops protect good pawns."


title: Bishop (chess)

text: In the position from the game Krasenkow versus Zvjaginsev, a thicket of black pawns hems in Black's bishop on c8, so Black is effectively playing with one piece fewer than White. Although the black pawns also obstruct the white bishop on e2, it has many more attacking possibilities, and thus is a good bishop vis-à-vis Black's bad bishop. Black resigned after another ten moves.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: A bishop may be fianchettoed, for example after moving the g2 pawn to g3 and the bishop on f1 to g2. This can form a strong defense for the castled king on g1 and the bishop can often exert strong pressure on the long diagonal (here h1–a8). A fianchettoed bishop should generally not be given up lightly, since the resulting in the pawn formation may prove to be serious weaknesses, particularly if the king has castled on that side of the board.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: There are nonetheless some modern opening lines where a fianchettoed bishop is given up for a knight in order to double the opponent's pawns, for example 1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5 4.d5 Bxc3+!? 5.bxc3 f5, a sharp line originated by Roman Dzindzichashvili. Giving up a fianchettoed queen's bishop for a knight is usually less problematic. For example, in Karpov–Browne, San Antonio 1972, after 1.c4 c5 2.b3 Nf6 3.Bb2 g6, Karpov gave up his fianchettoed bishop with 4.Bxf6! exf6 5.Nc3, doubling Black's pawns and giving him a hole on d5.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: An endgame in which each player has only one bishop, one controlling the dark squares and the other the light, will often result in a draw even if one player has a pawn or sometimes two more than the other. The players tend to gain control of squares of opposite colors, and a deadlock results. In endgames with same-colored bishops, however, even a positional advantage may be enough to win.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: Endgames in which each player has only one bishop (and no other pieces besides the king) and the bishops are on opposite colors are often drawn, even when one side has an extra pawn or two. Many of these positions would be a win if the bishops were on the same color.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: The position from Wolf versus Leonhardt (see diagram) shows an important defensive setup. Black can make no progress, since the white bishop ties the black king to defending the pawn on g4 and it also prevents the advance ...f3+ because it would simply the pawn – then either the other pawn is exchanged for the bishop (an immediate draw) or the pawn advances (an easily drawn position). Otherwise the bishop alternates between the squares d1 and e2.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: If two pawns are connected, they normally win if they reach their sixth , otherwise the game may be a draw (as above). If two pawns are separated by one they usually draw, but win if they are farther apart.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: In some cases with more pawns on the board, it is actually advantageous to have the bishops on opposite colors if one side has weak pawns. In the 1925 game Efim Bogoljubov–Max Blümich (see diagram), White wins because of the bishops being on opposite colors making Black weak on the black squares, the weakness of Black's isolated pawns on the , and the weak doubled pawns on the . The game continued:


title: Bishop (chess)

text: In an endgame with a bishop, in some cases the bishop is the "wrong bishop", meaning that it is on the wrong color of square for some purpose (usually promoting a pawn). For example, with just a bishop and a , if the bishop cannot control the promotion square of the pawn, it is said to be the "wrong bishop" or the pawn is said to be the wrong rook pawn. This results in some positions being drawn (by setting up a fortress) which otherwise would be won.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: The bishop's predecessor in medieval chess, shatranj (originally chaturanga), was the alfil, meaning "elephant", which could leap two squares along any diagonal, and could jump over an intervening piece. As a consequence, each fil was restricted to eight squares, and no fil could attack another. The modern bishop first appeared shortly after 1200 in Courier chess. A piece with this move, called a or crocodile, is part of the Grande Acedrex in the compiled in 1283 for King Alfonso X of Castile. The game is attributed to "India", then a very vague term. About half a century later Muḥammad ibn Maḥmud al-Āmulī, in his "Treasury of the Sciences", describes an expanded form of chess with two pieces moving "like the rook but obliquely". The bishop was also independently invented in Japan at about the same time (the 13th century), where it formed part of sho shogi and dai shogi; it remains present in modern shogi as the direct descendant of sho shogi.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: Derivatives of "alfil" survive in the languages of the two countries where chess was first introduced within Western Europe—Italian () and Spanish (). It was known as the in French, or the aufin, alphin, or archer in early English.


title: Bishop (chess)

text: The earliest references to bishops on the chessboard are two 13th-century Latin texts, and . The etymology of "bishop" comes from Old English bisceop "bishop, high priest," from Late Latin episcopus, from Greek episkopos "watcher, overseer." The term "bishop" as applied specifically to the chess piece was first recorded in the 16th century, with the first known written example dating back to the 1560s. In all other Germanic languages, except for Icelandic, it is called various names, all of which directly translate to English as "runner" or "messenger". In Icelandic, however, it is called "", with the same meaning as in English. The use of the term in Icelandic predates that of the English language, as the first mentioning of "" in Icelandic texts dates back to the early part of the 14th century, while the 12th-century Lewis Chessmen portray the bishop as an unambiguously ecclesiastical figure. In the "Saga of Earl Mágus", which was written in Iceland somewhere between 1300–1325, it is described how an emperor was checkmated by a bishop. This has led to some speculations as to the origin of the English use of the term "bishop".


title: Bishop (chess)

text: The canonical chessmen date back to the Staunton chess set of 1849. The piece's deep groove symbolizes a bishop's (or abbot's) mitre. Some have written that the groove originated from the original form of the piece, an elephant with the groove representing the elephant's tusks. The English apparently chose to call the piece a bishop because the projections at the top resembled a mitre. This groove was interpreted differently in different countries as the game moved to Europe; in France, for example, the groove was taken to be a jester's cap, hence in France the bishop is called , the "jester" and in Romania the (madman).


title: Bishop (chess)

text: In some Slavic languages (e.g. Czech/Slovak) the bishop is called "střelec/strelec", which directly translates to English as a "shooter" meaning an archer, while in others it is still known as "elephant" (e.g. Russian ). In South Slavic languages it is usually known as "lovac", meaning "hunter", or "laufer", taken from the German name for the same piece ("laufer" is also a co-official Polish name for the piece alongside "goniec"). An alternative name for bishop in Russian is "officer" (); it is also called () in Greek, () in Belarusian and "oficeri" in Albanian.


title: Tremor

text: A tremor is an involuntary, somewhat rhythmic, muscle contraction and relaxation involving oscillations or twitching movements of one or more body parts. It is the most common of all involuntary movements and can affect the hands, arms, eyes, face, head, vocal folds, trunk, and legs. Most tremors occur in the hands. In some people, a tremor is a symptom of another neurological disorder. A very common tremor is the teeth chattering, usually induced by cold temperatures or by fear.


title: Tremor

text: Tremor is most commonly classified by clinical features and cause or origin. Some of the better-known forms of tremor, with their symptoms, include the following:


title: Tremor

text: Tremor can be a symptom associated with disorders in those parts of the brain that control muscles throughout the body or in particular areas, such as the hands. Neurological disorders or conditions that can produce tremor include multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury, chronic kidney disease and a number of neurodegenerative diseases that damage or destroy parts of the brainstem or the cerebellum, Parkinson's disease being the one most often associated with tremor. Lesions of the Guillain-Mollaret triangle (also called myoclonic triangle or dentato-rubro-olivary pathway) impair the predictions performed by the cerebellum, causing repetitive muscle discharges by triggering oscillatory activity in the central nervous system. Other causes include the use of drugs (such as amphetamines, cocaine, caffeine, corticosteroids, SSRIs) or alcohol, mercury poisoning, or the withdrawal of drugs such as alcohol or benzodiazepine. Tremors can also be seen in infants with phenylketonuria (PKU), overactive thyroid or liver failure. Tremors can be an indication of hypoglycemia, along with palpitations, sweating and anxiety.


title: Tremor

text: Tremor can also be caused by lack of sleep, lack of vitamins, or increased stress. Deficiencies of magnesium and thiamine have also been known to cause tremor or shaking, which resolves when the deficiency is corrected. Tremors in animals can also be caused by some spider bites, e.g. the redback spider of Australia.


title: Tremor

text: During a physical exam, a doctor can determine whether the tremor occurs primarily during action or at rest. The doctor will also check for tremor symmetry, any sensory loss, weakness or muscle atrophy, or decreased reflexes. A detailed family history may indicate if the tremor is inherited. Blood or urine tests can detect thyroid malfunction, other metabolic causes, and abnormal levels of certain chemicals that can cause tremor. These tests may also help to identify contributing causes, such as drug interaction, chronic alcoholism, or another condition or disease. Diagnostic imaging using CT or MRI imaging may help determine if the tremor is the result of a structural defect or degeneration of the brain.


title: Tremor

text: The doctor will perform a neurological examination to assess nerve function and motor and sensory skills. The tests are designed to determine any functional limitations, such as difficulty with handwriting or the ability to hold a utensil or cup. The patient may be asked to place a finger on the tip of her or his nose, draw a spiral, or perform other tasks or exercises.


title: Tremor

text: The doctor may order an electromyogram to diagnose muscle or nerve problems. This test measures involuntary muscle activity and muscle response to nerve stimulation. The selection of the sensors used is important. In addition to studies of muscle activity, tremor can be assessed with accuracy using accelerometers .


title: Tremor

text: The degree of tremor should be assessed in four positions. The tremor can then be classified by which position most accentuates the tremor:


title: Tremor

text: There is no cure for most tremors. The appropriate treatment depends on accurate diagnosis of the cause. Some tremors respond to treatment of the underlying condition. For example, in some cases of psychogenic tremor, treating the patient's underlying psychological problem may cause the tremor to disappear. A few medications can help relieve symptoms temporarily.


title: Tremor

text: Medications remain the basis of therapy in many cases. Symptomatic drug therapy is available for several forms of tremor:


title: Tremor

text: Eliminating tremor "triggers" such as caffeine and other stimulants from the diet is often recommended.


title: Tremor

text: Essential tremor may benefit from slight doses of ethanol, but the potential negative consequences of regular ethanol intake need to be taken into account. Beta blockers have been used as an alternative to alcohol in sports such as competitive dart playing and carry less potential for addiction.


title: Tremor

text: Physical therapy and occupational therapy may help to reduce tremor and improve coordination and muscle control for some patients. A physical therapist or occupational therapist will evaluate the patient for tremor positioning, muscle control, muscle strength, and functional skills. Teaching the patient to brace the affected limb during the tremor or to hold an affected arm close to the body is sometimes useful in gaining motion control. Coordination and balancing exercises may help some patients. Some occupational therapists recommend the use of weights, splints, other adaptive equipment, and special plates and utensils for eating.


title: Tremor

text: Surgical intervention such as thalamotomy and deep brain stimulation may ease certain tremors. These surgeries are usually performed only when the tremor is severe and does not respond to drugs. Response can be excellent.


title: Tremor

text: Thalamotomy, involving the creation of lesions in the brain region called the thalamus, is quite effective in treating patients with essential, cerebellar, or Parkinsonian tremor. This in-hospital procedure is performed under local anesthesia, with the patient awake. After the patient's head is secured in a metal frame, the surgeon maps the patient's brain to locate the thalamus. A small hole is drilled through the skull and a temperature-controlled electrode is inserted into the thalamus. A low-frequency current is passed through the electrode to activate the tremor and to confirm proper placement. Once the site has been confirmed, the electrode is heated to create a temporary lesion. Testing is done to examine speech, language, coordination, and tremor activation, if any. If no problems occur, the probe is again heated to create a 3-mm permanent lesion. The probe, when cooled to body temperature, is withdrawn and the skull hole is covered. The lesion causes the tremor to permanently disappear without disrupting sensory or motor control.


title: Tremor

text: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) uses implantable electrodes to send high-frequency electrical signals to the thalamus. The electrodes are implanted as described above. The patient uses a hand-held magnet to turn on and turn off a pulse generator that is surgically implanted under the skin. The electrical stimulation temporarily disables the tremor and can be "reversed", if necessary, by turning off the implanted electrode. Batteries in the generator last about 5 years and can be replaced surgically. DBS is currently used to treat parkinsonian tremor and essential tremor. It is also applied successfully for other rare causes of tremor.


title: Tremor

text: The most common side effects of tremor surgery include dysarthria (problems with motor control of speech), temporary or permanent cognitive impairment (including visual and learning difficulties), and problems with balance.


title: Tremor

text: As well as medication, rehabilitation programmes and surgical interventions, the application of biomechanical loading on tremor movement has been shown to be a technique that is able to suppress the effects of tremor on the human body. It has been established in the literature that most of the different types of tremor respond to biomechanical loading. In particular, it has been clinically tested that the increase of damping or inertia in the upper limb leads to a reduction of the tremorous motion. Biomechanical loading relies on an external device that either passively or actively acts mechanically in parallel to the upper limb to counteract tremor movement. This phenomenon gives rise to the possibility of an orthotic management of tremor.


title: Tremor

text: Starting from this principle, the development of upper-limb non-invasive ambulatory robotic exoskeletons is presented as a promising solution for patients who cannot benefit from medication to suppress the tremor. In this area robotic exoskeletons have emerged, in the form of orthoses, to provide motor assistance and functional compensation to disabled people. An orthosis is a wearable device that acts in parallel to the affected limb. In the case of tremor management, the orthosis must apply a damping or inertial load to a selected set of limb articulations.


title: Tremor

text: Recently, some studies demonstrated that exoskeletons could achieve a consistent 40% of tremor power reduction for all users, being able to attain a reduction ratio in the order of 80% tremor power in specific joints of users with severe tremor. In addition, the users reported that the exoskeleton did not affect their voluntary motion. These results indicate the feasibility of tremor suppression through biomechanical loading.


title: Tremor

text: The main drawbacks of this mechanical management of tremor are (1) the resulting bulky solutions, (2) the inefficiency in transmitting loads from the exoskeleton to the human musculo-skeletal system and (3) technological limitations in terms of actuator technologies. In this regard, current trends in this field are focused on the evaluation of the concept of biomechanical loading of tremor through selective Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) based on a (Brain-to-Computer Interaction) BCI-driven detection of involuntary (tremor) motor activity.


title: Amblypygi

text: Amblypygi is an ancient order of arachnid chelicerate arthropods also known as African cave-dwelling spiders, whip spiders and tailless whip scorpions (not to be confused with whip scorpions or vinegaroons that belong to the related order Thelyphonida). The name "amblypygid" means "blunt tail", a reference to a lack of the flagellum that is otherwise seen in whip scorpions. Amblypygids possess no silk glands or venomous fangs. They rarely bite if threatened, but can grab fingers with their pedipalps, resulting in thorn-like puncture injuries.


title: Amblypygi

text: As of 2016, 5 families, 17 genera and around 155 species had been discovered and described. They are found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide; they are mainly found in warm and humid environments and like to stay protected and hidden within leaf litter, caves, or underneath bark. Some species are subterranean; all are nocturnal. Fossilized amblypygids have been found dating back to the Carboniferous period, such as "Weygoldtina".


title: Amblypygi

text: Amblypygids range from in legspan. Their bodies are broad and highly flattened, with a solid carapace and a segmented abdomen, or opisthosoma. Most species have eight eyes; a pair of median eyes at the front of the carapace above the chelicerae and 2 smaller clusters of three eyes each further back on each side.


title: Amblypygi

text: Amblypygids have raptorial pedipalps modified for grabbing and retaining prey, much like those of a mantis; recent work suggests that the pedipalps display sexual dimorphism in their size and shape. The first pair of legs act as sensory organs and are not used for walking. The sensory legs are very thin and elongate, have numerous sensory receptors, and can extend several times the length of the body.


title: Amblypygi

text: Amblypygids have eight legs, but use only six for walking, often in a crab-like, sideways fashion. The front pair of legs are modified for use as antennae-like feelers, with many fine segments giving the appearance of a "whip". When a suitable prey is located with the antenniform legs, the amblypygid seizes its victim with large spines on the grasping pedipalps, impaling and immobilizing the prey. This is typically done while climbing the side of a vertical surface and looking downward at their prey. Pincer-like chelicerae then work to grind and chew the prey prior to ingestion. The tailless whip scorpion may go for over a month in which no food is eaten; often this is due to premolt. Due to the lack of venom the tailless whip scorpion is very nervous in temperament, retreating away if any dangerous threat is sensed by the animal.


title: Amblypygi

text: Courtship involves the male depositing stalked spermatophores, which have one or more sperm masses at the tip, onto the ground, and using his pedipalps to guide the female over them. She gathers the sperm and lays fertilized eggs into a sac carried under the abdomen, or opisthosoma. When the young hatch, they climb up onto the mother's back; any which fall off before their first molt will not survive.


title: Amblypygi

text: Some species of amblypygids, particularly "Phrynus marginemaculatus" and "Damon diadema", may be among the few examples of arachnids that exhibit social behavior. Research conducted at Cornell University suggests that mother amblypygids communicate with their young with her antenniform front legs, and the offspring reciprocate both with their mother and siblings. The ultimate function of this social behavior remains unknown. Amblypygids hold territories that they defend from other individuals.


title: Amblypygi

text: The amblypygid diet mostly consists of arthropod prey, but these opportunistic predators have also been observed feeding on vertebrates. Amblypygids generally do not feed before, during, and after molting. Like other arachnids, an amblypygid will molt several times during its life. Molting is done from hanging from the underside of a horizontal surface in order to use gravity to assist in separating the old exoskeleton from the animal.


title: Amblypygi

text: Several species of Amblypygi are sold and kept as pets including "Damon diadema", "Damon medius", "Damon variegatus", "Euphrynichus amanica", "Heterophrynus batesii", "Acanthophrynus coronatus", "Phrynus marginemaculatus" and "Paraphrynus mexicanus". Tailless whip scorpions are kept in tall (>45 cm; >18 in) glass enclosures which allow for two things: Enough vertical space for climbing and moulting, and enough space for heat to dissipate in order to keep the enclosure between 70 °F and 75 °F. Five centimetres (two inches) of substrate at the bottom of the enclosure is generally sufficient to allow for burrowing and also serves as a method to retain water in order to keep the humidity above 75%. Tailless whip scorpions live anywhere between 5–10 years. Feeding can include small insects such as crickets, mealworms, and roaches.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: The Volkswagen Type 82 "Kübelwagen (), or simply Kübel", contractions of the original German word "Kübelsitzwagen" (translated: 'bucket-seat car' — but when the contractions are translated literally a back-formation of 'bucket' or 'tub'-car results), is a light military vehicle designed by Ferdinand Porsche and built by Volkswagen during World War II for use by the Nazi German military (both "Wehrmacht" and "Waffen-SS"). Based heavily on the Volkswagen Beetle, it was prototyped and first deployed in Poland as the Type 62, but following improvements entered full-scale production as the Type 82. Several derivative models, such as the Kommandeurswagen, were also built in hundreds, or in dozens.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: The four-wheel drive-train that was prototyped in the rejected Type 86 Kübelwagen version, went into mass-production in the Schwimmwagen models. The type-86 performed better in comparative testing, but the additional costs of the more complex four-wheel drive-train (both financial, as well as making the light car a lot heavier and thirstier) didn't outweigh the benefits, from the German viewpoint. Just like the U.S. Jeep, the Kübelwagen was intended to be (able to be) manhandled by its crew, when they got stuck. Easily seating four men, the empty weight Kübel was easier to lift than the heavier jeep. The rear bench would seat three in a pinch, for a total of five inside.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: "Kübelwagen" is a contraction of "Kübelsitzwagen", meaning 'bucket-seat car'. Before the war, this term became popular in Germany, for light open-topped, cross-country and military field-cars without doors, because these were typically equipped with bucket seats, to help keep occupants on board, in an era before the adoption of seat belts. This body style had first been developed by in 1923. The first Porsche Type 62 test vehicles had no doors and were therefore fitted with bucket seats as "Kübelsitzwagen", that was later shortened to "Kübelwagen". Despite acquiring doors, and more regular, lower seats, the name "Kübelwagen" stuck, and was retained. Besides the Volkswagen plant, Mercedes-Benz, Opel, and Tatra also built "Kübel(sitz)wagen", – all of them rear-wheel drive only.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: The Kübelwagen's rolling chassis and mechanics were built at what was then the Stadt des KdF-Wagens, ("City of the 'Strength through Joy'-Car") – renamed "Wolfsburg" after 1945 – and its body was built by U.S.-owned firm Ambi Budd Presswerke in Berlin. The "Kübelwagen"'s role as a light, multi-purpose military vehicle made it the German equivalent to the Allied Willys MB / Ford GPW "jeep" and the GAZ-67, after previous efforts to mass-produce standardized military "four-wheel drives" for the Wehrmacht had largely failed.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: Although Adolf Hitler discussed with Ferdinand Porsche the possibility of military application of the Volkswagen as early as April 1934, it was not until January 1938 that high-ranking "Heereswaffenamt" officials formally approached Porsche about designing an inexpensive, lightweight military transport vehicle that could operate reliably both on- and off-road, in even the most extreme conditions. This implied that the Beetle could provide the basis for such a vehicle.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: Porsche began work on the project immediately, having a prototype of the vehicle ready within the month, but realized during development that it would not be enough to just reinforce the Beetle's chassis to handle the stresses that military use would place on it. In order to guarantee adequate off-road performance of a two-wheel-drive vehicle with a 1,000 cc FMCV 1 engine, it would have to be lightweight. In fact, the army had stipulated a gross weight of , including four battle-dressed troops, which meant that the vehicle itself should not weigh more than . Porsche therefore sub-contracted Trutz, an experienced military coachbuilder, to help out with the body design.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: Developmental testing by the military began after a presentation of the prototypes designated as Type 62 in November 1938. Despite lacking four wheel drive, the vehicle proved very competent at maneuvering its way over rough terrain, even in a direct comparison with a contemporary standard German Army 4x4, and the project was given the green light for further development. The vehicle's light weight and ZF self-locking differential compensated for the lack of a four-wheel drive.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: Further development of the Type 62 took place during 1939, including a more angular body design, and pre-production models were field-tested in the invasion of Poland that started in September that year. Despite their overall satisfaction with the vehicle's performance, military commanders demanded a few important changes: the lowest speed of the vehicle had to be reduced from to as an adjustment to the marching pace of soldiers. Second, it needed some further improvement of its cross-country mobility. Porsche responded to both requests by mounting new axles with gear-reduction hubs, providing the car with more torque while at the same time increasing its ground clearance. Revised dampers, wheels, and a limited-slip differential, as well as countless small modifications completed the specification. In order to reflect the changes, the vehicle was renamed Type 82.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: Full-scale production of the Type 82 "Kübelwagen" started in February 1940, as soon as the VW factories had become operational. No major changes took place before production ended in 1945, only small modifications were implemented, mostly eliminating unnecessary parts and reinforcing others which had proved unequal to the task. Prototype versions were assembled with four-wheel-drive (Type 86) and different engines, but none offered a significant increase in performance or capability over the existing Type 82, so these designs went nowhere. As of March 1943, the car received a revised dash and the bigger 1,131 cc engine, developed for the "Schwimmwagen", that produced more torque and power than the original 985 cc unit. When Volkswagen production ceased at the end of the war, 50,435 "Kübelwagen" vehicles had been produced, and the vehicle had proven to be surprisingly useful, reliable, and durable.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: Upon conquest of Germany by the Allies, the country was occupied in four sectors: a U.S., Soviet, U.K. and French sector respectively, and the massive Volkswagen factory and the town built for its workers, Wolfsburg, fell into the British sector. U.K. Major Ivan Hirst was put in charge of the factory and workers. He is largely credited with production resuming, and reopening the VW factory. He organized the clearance of bomb-damage, and had the buildings repaired. He recommissioned machine tools, body presses and assembly jigs; he concerned himself with improving the quality of the civilian car, including starting a sales and service network and starting exports. Despite a damning report of Volkswagens by engineers from the British Rootes Group stating that: "the vehicle does not meet the fundamental technical requirement of a motorcar...", the British Army thought differently. When a surviving wartime Volkswagen was demonstrated to the British Rhine Army Group headquarters, the U.K. military ordered a batch of 20,000 similar vehicles. By the end of 1945, the factory had somehow managed to put together 2,490 cars. Many of them were then bartered in exchange for materials to make more cars. Hirst turned production around to export civilian Volkswagens; the first export went to the Netherlands in 1947.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: Long after the end of the war, VW resurrected the basic "Kübelwagen" design as the 1969 Type 181, developed for the German Federal Armed Forces and later also produced this model for the civilian market, which was known as "Thing" in the US, "Trekker" in the UK, and "Safari" in Mexico. Although similar in looks and design, almost no parts were interchangeable with the original Type 82.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: When the German military took delivery of the first vehicles, it immediately put them to the test on- and off-road in snow and ice to test their capability at handling European winters. Several four-wheel-drive vehicles were used as reference points. The two-wheel-drive "Kübelwagen" surprised even those who had been a part of its development, as it easily out-performed the other vehicles in nearly every test. Most notably, thanks to its smooth, flat underbody, the "Kübel" would propel itself much like a motorised sled when the wheels sank into sand, snow, or mud, allowing it to follow tracked vehicles with remarkable tenacity.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: In November 1943, the U.S. military conducted a series of tests as well on one or several Type 82s it had captured in North Africa campaign. This evaluation, done at the Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground, resulted in the publication of War Department Technical Manual TM E9-803, 6 June 1944 (on D-Day). The manual's publication date (D-Day) is assumed to be coincidental, but its TM number was identical to that of the American jeep, with the prefix 'E' for 'enemy'. It was intended for distribution after the 6 June invasion of Normandy to US military personnel who might encounter ones that had been abandoned, possibly for lack of fuel or a minor technical problem, and with the help of this manual, might be put into service as additional vehicles. The TM calls the type 82 'a four-wheeled, rubbertyred, rear axle drive personnel carrier and reconnaissance car, comparable in purpose and size to the American 1/4 ton truck'. So thorough was the analysis that it included information beyond what could be done as field servicing, plus ways of dealing with very low temperatures. U.S. War Department Technical Manual TM-E 30-451, "Handbook on German Military Forces", (p. 416), states: "The "Volkswagen", the German equivalent of the American "Jeep", is inferior in every way except in the comfort of its seating accommodations." Nevertheless, VW Kübelwagens were so frequently captured, and deemed sufficiently useful, that the same U.S. War Department wrote and published an official Technical Manual TM E9-803 for it in June 1944, for the benefit of allied officers and troops.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: At the same time, another "Kübelwagen", also captured in North Africa, had been dissected in Britain by engineers of the Humber Car Company, whose report said it exhibited no "special brilliance" in design except in details and that "it is suggested that it is not to be regarded as an example of first class modern design to be copied by British industry".


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: In addition, the air-cooled engine proved highly tolerant of hot and cold climates alike, and was less vulnerable to bullets due to the absence of a radiator. For starting under winter conditions, a special, highly volatile starting fuel was supplied from a small auxiliary tank.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: As the body was not a load-bearing part of the structure of the vehicle, it could easily be modified to special purposes, just like the jeep's.


title: Volkswagen Kübelwagen

text: The "Kübelwagen", thanks to its geared hubs, could go as slow as marching troops , yet reach a top speed of .


title: Ravenswood (TV series)

text: Ravenswood is an American supernatural teen drama mystery-thriller television series created by I. Marlene King, Oliver Goldstick and Joseph Dougherty. The show premiered on ABC Family on October 22, 2013 and ended on February 4, 2014. It is the first spin-off series of "Pretty Little Liars" and the second series in the "Pretty Little Liars" franchise.


title: Ravenswood (TV series)

text: Set in the fictional town of Ravenswood, Pennsylvania, the series follows five strangers whose lives become intertwined by a deadly curse that has plagued their town for generations. They have to dig into the town's dark past to solve the mysterious curse.


title: Ravenswood (TV series)

text: On March 26, 2013, ABC Family was announced a spin-off series of "Pretty Little Liars", set in a fictional town of Ravenswood from the original series. The show debuted on October 22, 2013, following the "Pretty Little Liars" Halloween special episode "Grave New World".


title: Ravenswood (TV series)

text: On April 30, 2013, it was revealed that Tyler Blackburn would reprise his "Pretty Little Liars" role as Caleb Rivers in "Ravenswood". On May 6, 2013, it was revealed that Brett Dier and Elizabeth Whitson will play twins, Abel and Olivia, in the series. It was later stated that the character of Abel had been renamed Luke. On May 7, 2013, it was announced that Merritt Patterson would join the show as Olivia's best friend, Tess Hamilton. On May 10, 2013, it was announced that Nicole Gale Anderson would join the show as Miranda Collins.<ref name="Ravenswood Cast/"></ref> In May 2013, it was announced that Meg Foster would join the cast as Ravenswood resident Mrs. Grunwald, who made her first appearance in the fourth season episode "Under the Gun" of "Pretty Little Liars". On July 16, 2013, it was announced that Merritt Patterson would be replacing Elizabeth Whitson in the role of Olivia. Whitson has now departed Ravenswood, and Patterson has changed roles. In August 2013, it was announced that Steven Cabral joined the cast as Raymond Collins (a character was originally played by Vince Lasalvia in "Grave New World"), Luke Benward joined the cast as Dillon, Henry Simmons joined the cast as Simon Beaumont, Sophina Brown joined the cast as Terry Beaumont, and Haley Lu Richardson joined the cast as a replacement for Patterson's former role of Tess. On August 27, 2013, it was announced that Justin Bruening joined the cast as Benjamin Price. In October 2013, Jay Huguley was announced to have joined the cast as Police Chief Tom Beddington. In November 2013, Mary Elise Hayden joined the cast as Bea Hamilton.


title: Ravenswood (TV series)

text: On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 75% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 6.06/10. The site's consensus reads: "Darker than expected from a "Pretty Little Liars" spin-off, "Ravenswood" legitimately elicits chills and surprises with an attractive young cast."


title: Ravenswood (TV series)

text: Television critic David Hinckley of the New York "Daily News" gave the show 3 out of 5 stars, saying that the show was "entertaining, and creepier than its parent show." Scott D. Pierce of "The Salt Lake Tribune" said the show was "ridiculous, but might be fun." Margaret Lyons of New York Magazine "Vulture" claims the show "only meets generic expectations and needs to show us more than cheap fright-gags if it wants to avoid cancellation..."


title: Kenpeitai

text: The , also known as Kempeitai, was the military police arm of the Imperial Japanese Army from 1881 to 1945 that also served as a secret police force. In addition, in Japanese-occupied territories, the Kenpeitai arrested or killed those suspected of being anti-Japanese. While institutionally part of the army, the Kenpeitai also discharged military police functions for the Imperial Japanese Navy under the direction of the Admiralty Minister (although the IJN had its own much smaller Tokkeitai), those of the executive police under the direction of the Home Minister and those of the judicial police under the direction of the Justice Minister. A member of the Kenpeitai corps was called a "kenpei" (憲兵).


title: Kenpeitai

text: The Kenpeitai was established in 1881 by a decree called the , figuratively "articles concerning gendarmes". Its model was the National Gendarmerie of France. Details of the Kenpeitai's military, executive, and judicial police functions were defined by the "Kenpei Rei" of 1898, which was amended twenty-six times before Japan's defeat in August 1945.


title: Kenpeitai

text: The force initially consisted of 349 men. At the beginning, enforcement of new conscription legislation was an important part of their duty, largely due to resistance from peasant families. In 1907, the Kenpeitai was ordered to Korea, where its main duty was legally defined as "preserving the peace", although it also functioned as a military police for the Japanese Army stationed there. Its status remained basically unchanged after Japan's annexation of Korea in 1910.


title: Kenpeitai

text: The Kenpeitai maintained public order within Japan under the direction of the Interior Minister, and in the occupied territories under the direction of the Minister of War. Japan also had a civilian secret police force, "Tokkō", which was the Japanese acronym of "Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu" ("Special Higher Police", also known by various nicknames such as the Peace Police and as the Thought Police) that was part of the Interior Ministry. However, the Kenpeitai had a "Tokkō" branch of its own, and through it discharged the functions of a secret police.


title: Kenpeitai

text: When the Kenpeitai arrested a civilian under the direction of the Justice Minister, the arrested person was nominally subject to civilian judicial proceedings.


title: Kenpeitai

text: The Kenpeitai's brutality was particularly notorious in Korea and the other occupied territories. The Kenpeitai were also abhorred on the Japanese mainland, especially during World War II when Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, formerly the Kenpeitai Commander of the Japanese Army in Manchuria from 1935 to 1937, used the Kenpeitai extensively to ensure everyone's loyalty and commitment to the war effort.


title: Kenpeitai

text: According to the US Army "Handbook on Japanese Military Forces", there were over 36,000 regular Kenpeitai members and numerous ethnic "auxiliaries" at the end of the war. As foreign territories fell under Japanese military occupation during the 1930s and the early 1940s, the Kenpeitai recruited large numbers of locals in those territories. Taiwanese and Koreans were extensively used as auxiliaries to police the newly occupied territories in Southeast Asia, although the Kenpeitai also carried out recruitment activity among peoples native to French Indochina (especially from Vietnamese members of the Cao Dai religious sect), Malaya, and other territories. The Kenpeitai may have trained Trình Minh Thế, a Vietnamese nationalist and anti-Viet Minh military leader.


title: Kenpeitai

text: Today, the post-war Self-Defense Forces' internal police is called "Keimutai" (警務隊). Each individual member is called "Keimukan". Modelled on the military Police in the United States and other Western armed forces, the SDF internal police has no jurisdiction over civilians.


title: Kenpeitai

text: In the 1920s and the 1930s the Kenpeitai forged various connections with certain pre-war European intelligence services. Later, following the signing of the Tripartite Pact in 1940, Japan formed formal links with military intelligence units now under German and Italian fascists: the German Abwehr and Italian Servizio Informazioni Militare. The Army and Navy of Japan contacted their counterparts in Wehrmacht intelligence, in the Schutzstaffel (SS) and in Kriegsmarine units about information on Europe and "vice versa". The Axis powers fully understood the benefits of such exchanges. For example, the Japanese sent the Germans data about Soviet forces in the Far East and Operation Barbarossa from their embassy in Berlin. Admiral Canaris offered Japan information and assistance on the neutrality of Portugal in Timor.


title: Kenpeitai

text: One important point of contact was the Penang submarine-base in Japanese-occupied Malaya, which served Axis submarine forces of the Italian Italian Regia Marina, German Kriegsmarine and Imperial Japanese Navy. At regular intervals, technological and information exchanges occurred at the base. While still available to them, Axis forces used bases in Italian East Africa, in the Vichy France colony of Madagascar and in officially neutral places like Portuguese India.


title: Kenpeitai

text: The Kenpeitai ran extensive criminal and collaborationist networks, extorting vast amounts of money from businesses and civilians wherever they operated. They also ran the Japanese prisoner of war system, which treated captives with extreme brutality. Many of the abuses were documented in Japanese war crimes trials, such as those committed by the Kempeitai East District Branch in Singapore, including the Sook Ching.


title: Kenpeitai

text: The Kenpeitai also carried out revenge attacks against prisoners and civilians. For example, after Colonel Doolittle's raid on Tokyo in 1942, it carried out reprisals against thousands of Chinese civilians and captured airmen, and in 1943 committed the Double Tenth massacre in response to an Allied raid on Singapore Harbour. The Kenpeitai also supplied 600 men, women and children per year to the infamous Unit 731, which conducted human experimentation.


title: Kenpeitai

text: The Kenpeitai was divided into three branches: the Keimu Han (police and security), Naikin Han (Administration), and Tokumu Han (Special Duties).


title: Kenpeitai

text: The Kenpeitai's General Affairs Branch was in charge of the force's policy, personnel management, internal discipline, as well as communication with the Ministries of the Admiralty, Interior, and Justice. The Operations Branch was in charge of the distribution of military police units within the army, general public security, and intelligence.


title: Kenpeitai

text: The Kenpeitai maintained a headquarters in each relevant Area Army, commanded by a Shosho (Major General), with a Taisa (Colonel) as Executive Officer. The headquarters comprised two or three field offices, each staffed with approximately 375 personnel and commanded by a Chusa (Lieutenant Colonel), with a Shosa (Major) as Executive Officer. The field offices in turn were divided into 65-man sections called 'buntai', each commanded by a Tai-i (Captain), with a Chu-i (First Lieutenant) as Executive Officer. The buntai were further divided into 20-man detachments called "bunkentai", commanded by a Sho-i (Second Lieutenant), with a Junshikan (Warrant Officer) as Executive Officer. Keeping with the main organizational structure of the Kenpeitai, each of these detachments contained a police and security squad, an administration squad, and a special duties squad.


title: Kenpeitai

text: Kenpeitai Auxiliary units consisting of regional ethnic forces were organized in occupied areas. These troops supplemented the Kenpeitai and were considered part of the organization, but were limited to the rank of Socho (Sergeant Major).


title: Kenpeitai

text: By 1937, the Kenpeitai had 315 officers and 6,000 enlisted personnel as part of its official forces. The Allies estimated there were at least 7,500 Kenpeitai members by the end of World War II.


title: Kenpeitai

text: The Kenpeitai operated commands on the Japanese mainland and throughout all occupied and captured overseas territories during the Pacific War. The external units operating outside Japan were:


title: Kenpeitai

text: In addition, by 1944, despite the obvious tide of war, the Kenpeitai were arresting people for antiwar sentiment and defeatism.


title: Kenpeitai

text: Kenpeitai personnel wore either the standard M1938 field uniform or the cavalry uniform with high black leather boots. Civilian clothes were also authorized with rank badges or the Japanese Imperial chrysanthemum worn under the jacket lapel. Uniformed personnel also wore a black chevron on their uniforms and a white armband on the left arm with the characters "ken" (憲, "law") and "hei" (兵, "soldier"), together read as "kenpei" or "kempei," which translates to "military police".


title: Kenpeitai

text: Until 1942, a full dress uniform comprising a red kepi, gold and red waist sash, dark blue tunic and trousers with black facings was authorized for Kenpeitai officers on ceremonial occasions. Rank insignia comprised gold Austrian knots and epaulettes.


title: Kenpeitai

text: Kenpeitai officers were armed with a cavalry sabre and pistol, while enlisted men had a pistol and bayonet. Junior NCOs carried a "shinai" (竹刀, "bamboo kendo sword"), especially when dealing with prisoners.


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: Zelda May Rubinstein (May 28, 1933 – January 27, 2010) was an American actress and human rights activist, known as eccentric medium Tangina Barrons in the "Poltergeist" film series. Playing "Ginny", she was a regular on David E. Kelley's Emmy Award-winning television series "Picket Fences" for two seasons. She also made guest appearances in the TV show "" (1996), as seer Christina, and was the voice of Skittles candies in their long-running "Taste the Rainbow" ad campaign. Rubinstein was also known for her outspoken activism for little people and her early participation in the fight against HIV/AIDS.


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: Rubinstein was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 28, 1933, to Jewish immigrant parents from Poland, Dolores and George Rubinstein. She was the youngest of three children and the only short-statured person in her family (she has been incorrectly referred to as a dwarf). Rubinstein did not become comfortable with her short stature until she was an adult. In a 1992 interview with the "Chicago Sun-Times", Rubinstein told the newspaper that she "had a rough childhood, [but] I became very verbally facile... I learned to meet everyone head-on."


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: She stood just tall due to a deficiency of the anterior pituitary gland, which produces growth hormone. Commenting in 2002 on the challenges of being a very short-statured person, Rubinstein said, "Midgets are "societally" handicapped. They have about two minutes to present themselves as equals—and if they don’t take advantage of that chance, then people fall back on the common assumption that 'less' is less."


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: Rubinstein won a scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned her bachelor's degree in bacteriology and became a sister of the national sorority Phi Sigma Sigma. She moved to Berkeley, California, at the age of 25, studied at the University of California, Berkeley, and worked as a medical lab technician at blood banks.


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: In 1978, Zelda decided to pursue an acting career. She studied acting at the University of California. "Poltergeist" was her first major film role.


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: Film critic Pauline Kael, who essentially dismissed "Poltergeist" as an "entertaining hash", held special praise for Rubinstein's portrayal of the psychic Tangina, saying she "gives the movie new life and makes a large chunk of it work."


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: She remained active in film and television thereafter, frequently portraying various psychic characters, such as her appearance on "Jennifer Slept Here". She also narrated the horror television series "Scariest Places on Earth", which aired in the U.S. on ABC Family and in Canada on YTV.


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: Rubinstein's other minor/major film roles included "Sixteen Candles", "Under the Rainbow", "Cages", "Teen Witch", "The Wildcard", "Southland Tales" and "National Lampoon's Last Resort". She also contributed voice-over work for TV including "Hey Arnold!", and "The Flintstones". She made numerous guest appearances on network TV shows, including "Caroline in the City", "Martin", "Mr. Belvedere", and had a starring role as Ginny Weedon in the TV series "Picket Fences". Her character there was killed off in typical off-beat fashion, by falling into a freezer early in the third season. She also appeared in an episode of "Tales From The Crypt" in which she played the mother of a girl who has been dead for 40 years.


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: Beginning in 1999, she did voiceovers in television starting with the Fox Family reality TV show "Scariest Places on Earth", commercials promoting movies such as "Lady in the Water", and products including Skittles candy. Her last film role came in 2007 when she made a cameo appearance in the horror film "". She also appeared in a cameo as herself at the Revenge of the Mummy ride in Universal Studios Florida on the screens which shows various actors from the films warning the people to leave, telling them about the curse of Imhotep.


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: Rubinstein became active in the fight against HIV/AIDS in 1984. She appeared in a series of advertisements, directed towards gay men specifically, promoting safer sex and AIDS awareness. Rubinstein did so at risk to her own career, especially so shortly after her rise to fame, and admitted later that she did "pay a price, career-wise." "I lost a friend to AIDS, one of the first public figures that died of AIDS," the actress said in an interview with "The Advocate". "I knew it was not the kind of disease that would stay in anybody's backyard. It would climb the fences, get over the fences into all of our homes. It was not limited to one group of people." She attended the first AIDS Project Los Angeles AIDS Walk.


title: Zelda Rubinstein

text: Rubinstein died in Los Angeles, California, on January 27, 2010. She was 76. Eric Stevens, Rubinstein's agent for four years, said the actress had never recovered from a mild heart attack that she had had several months earlier, which he said had left her a patient at Barlow Respiratory Hospital in Los Angeles. "She had several pre-existing conditions that she had been dealing with for years, and unfortunately they began to overtake her," Stevens said. Stevens also said that per Rubinstein's request, no funeral would be held.


title: Influence of mass media

text: In media studies, mass communication, media psychology, communication theory, and sociology, media influence and the media effect are topics relating to mass media and media culture's effects on individual or an audience's thoughts, attitudes, and behavior. Whether it is written, televised, or spoken, mass media reaches a large audience. Mass media's role and effect in shaping modern culture are central issues for study of culture. At present, mass media is the mainstream trend of media development, information dissemination presents the characteristics of diversification and interaction, and its influence on social life is also constantly expanding.