Omar Ayub Khan

# Omar Ayub Khan

## Abstract

Omar Ayub Khan (Urdu: عمر ایوب خان; born 26 January 1970) is a Pakistani politician who is currently serving as the Leader of the Opposition. He was the last Federal Minister for Economic Affairs under the Prime Ministership of Imran Khan from April 2021 until April 2022. He previously served as Federal Minister for Energy from 11 September 2018 to 16 April 2021. He had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from August 2018 till January 2023. He is the grandson of the former President of Pakistan, Field Marshal Ayub Khan and the son of Gohar Ayub Khan, who was also a politician. Previously, he served as a member of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007 and again from 2014 to 2015. He also served as the Minister of State for Finance in the federal cabinet from 2004 to 2007. He has served as Secretary General of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf since he assumed the role on 27 May 2023. He resigned from the position on 4 September 2024 and his resignation was accepted by Imran Khan on 7 September.

## Early life and education

Khan was born on 26 January 1970 to Gohar Ayub Khan, a politician and retired army officer belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League (N). He is the grandson of dictator Ayub Khan, former Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Army who was a self-appointed President of Pakistan from 1958 to 1969.

He obtained his early education at Army Burn Hall College and completed his high schooling at Aitchison College. In 1993, he completed his BBA, followed by his MBA in 1996, both from the George Washington University.

## Political career

He was elected to the National Assembly of Pakistan from Constituency NA-19 (Haripur) as a candidate of Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q) in 2002 Pakistani general election. He received 81,496 votes and defeated Pir Sabir Shah. Khan was inducted into the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and was appointed the Minister of State for Finance where he served from 2004 to 2007.

He ran for the seat of the National Assembly from Constituency NA-19 (Haripur) as a candidate of PML (Q) in 2008 Pakistani general election, but was unsuccessful. He received 50,631 votes and lost the seat to Sardar Muhammad Mushtaq Khan.

He joined Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) in 2012. He ran for the seat of the National Assembly from Constituency NA-19 (Haripur) as a candidate of PML (N) in 2013 Pakistani general election, but was unsuccessful. He received 116,308 votes and lost the seat to Raja Aamer Zaman.

He was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-19 (Haripur) as a candidate of PML (N) in the by-election held in 2014 and also served as Chairman Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs. In 2015, he was unseated as he became ineligible to continue in office as constituency election was invalidated by voting irregularities due to rigging.

In February 2018, he joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

He was re-elected to the National Assembly from Constituency NA-17 (Haripur) as a candidate of PTI in 2018 Pakistani general election. He received 172,609 votes and defeated Babar Nawaz Khan.

On 11 September 2018, he was inducted into the federal cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan and was appointed Federal Minister for Power.

On 24 April 2019 after the PM reshuffled the cabinet team, he was given the additional charge of the Ministry of Petroleum, which was previously held by Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

In mid-April 2021 Prime Minister Imran Khan reshuffled the Cabinet, again transferring Omar Ayub Khan from Minister of Energy to Minister of Economic Affairs.

Khan was reelected to the National Assembly as a PTI-affiliated independent following the party's banning. On 16 February, senior PTI official Asad Qaiser said that Imran Khan had nominated Ayub Khan as the party's nominee for prime minister, despite him being in hiding over charges relating to the May 9 riots in 2023.

Omar Ayub Khan was a key member in organizing the Imran Khan -led 2022 Long March, a protest against the PML(N) government and the military establishment ’s role in politics, in the long march he was severely wounded and bruised by police.

Ayub played a leadership role in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) following Imran Khan’s removal from office. Ayub was given a high leadership role in the upcoming 2024 Pakistani elections, in which he served as the PTI-Independents candidate for prime minister, campaign head and Secretary-General. Omar Ayub participated by holding press conferences and taking a party leadership role alongside Gohar Ali Khan. Ayub is a key advocate for Imran Khan and claims that the 2024 elections were rigged. Following the 2024 elections which Omar Ayub and the PTI alleged were rigged, Ayub was elected as 12th Leader of Opposition by PTI - SIC parliamentarians. As Leader of the Opposition, he has furthered the claims that the elections were rigged, as well as delivered pro-Imran Khan and anti- Military establishment in politics speeches inside the National Assembly of Pakistan.

On 27 June 2024, Ayub announced his resignation as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf 's chairman of the central finance board and party secretary general, announcing on Twitter that his resignation letter addressed to Imran Khan and Gohar Ali Khan had been accepted. He remarked that he would continue as opposition leader in the NA and as a party worker, citing as opposition leader he was not able to fulfil the role of party general secretary, calling for another appointment in his place. The resignation came amidst reports of 27 PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad MNAs resigning from the National Assembly in protest against party leadership and criticism from other party leaders including Sher Afzal Marwat, Shahryar Afridi, Shandana Gulzar and ex-PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry. According to reports, 21 of these MNAs displayed their intention to establish a "forward bloc" due to party leaderships failure to release Imran Khan from jail. The next day on June 28, a PTI parliamentary party meeting resolution called for rejecting Omar Ayub's resignation supporting Ayub's running of the party during "testing times" and "unanimously" expressing confidence in him. The party meeting was attended by Gohar Ali Khan, Omar Ayub Khan, Asad Gohar, Ali Muhammad Khan and others. On 4 September 2024, Ayub tendered his resignation for the second time as the party’s secretary general, which according to him was accepted by PTI founder Imran Khan.


IJsselmonde, Rotterdam

# IJsselmonde, Rotterdam

## Abstract

IJsselmonde (Dutch pronunciation:) is a borough in the southeastern corner of the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands. As of 2006 it has 58,782 inhabitants.

The name IJsselmonde is also used to denote the island in the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta bordered by the Nieuwe Maas to the north, the Oude Maas to the south, and the Noord to the east. The borough is in the island. IJssel in the name IJsselmonde refers this island's location at the mouth of the Hollandse IJssel.

## Politics

IJsselmonde is a stronghold of Livable Rotterdam who wins every polling station.

## Notable people

Paul de Leeuw was born in IJsselmonde.

51°53′1″N 4°32′45.4″E / 51.88361°N 4.545944°E


Matt Prater

# Matt Prater

## Abstract

Matthew Phillip Prater (born August 10, 1984) is an American professional football placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the best long distance kickers in NFL history, he held the NFL record for longest field goal (64 yards) from 2013 until 2021 and holds the NFL record for most 50+ yard field goals in a career, 81 as of 2024.

He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was originally signed by the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2006.He was cut by the Denver Broncos after completing a suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. With the Lions in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Prater set the NFL records for consecutive field goal conversions of 50+ yards (14 field goals) and 55+ yards (seven field goals).

## Early life

Prater attended Estero High School in Estero, Florida. During his high school football career with the Wildcats, he converted 56 of 58 extra point attempts and 14 field goals, including one of 49 yards. Prater converted 84% of his kickoffs in the end zone for touchbacks. He was named second-team All-State, first-team all-conference and All-Southwest Florida. He was also selected to the second-team "Dream Team." Prater graduated from Estero High School in 2002. Prater transferred to Estero High School his sophomore year from Cypress Lake High School.

## College career

Prater attended and played college football for UCF from 2002 to 2005.

### 2002

Prater showed signs of his leg strength with his first kick of his collegiate career, making a 53-yard attempt against Penn State. Overall, in his first season kicking for the Golden Knights, he finished with 44-of-47 extra points converted and 14-of-21 field goals converted.

### 2003

Prater showed significant improvement as a sophomore year in 2003, leading the nation in punting and setting school and Mid American Conference (MAC) records with 47.9 yards per punt. He is known as the perfectionist of the Rugby punt, which is now well known through the NCAA and is used by several teams. As a kicker, he converted 10-of-13 field goal attempts and was a perfect 4-for-4 on attempts of 40 yards or longer. Prater had a career day against Virginia Tech on August 31. He punted six times and had a 55.7-yard average, including punts of 71 and 67 yards. He also went 4-for-4 on extra points and had three touchbacks on kickoffs. Overall, he finished the 2003 season with 23-of-24 extra points converted and 10-of-13 field goals converted. In addition, he had 58 punts for 2,781 net yards for a 47.9 average.

### 2004

In 2004, Prater continued to provide kicking duties for the Golden Knights. Aaron Horne took over most of the punting duties. appeared in nine games before missing the rest of the season with a leg injury. At one point during the season, he made 11 consecutive field goals – the second-longest streak in school history. The streak was snapped against Buffalo on October 4. Overall, he finished the 2004 season with 12-of-14 extra points converted and 9-of-14 field goals converted.

### 2005

As a senior in 2005, Prater made 17-of-26 field goal attempts on the year, including a season-long 49-yard conversion. He also went 29-for-32 on point-after attempts. He punted four times for 160 yards during the season. In his final collegiate game, Prater set up a textbook onside kick, which allowed UCF to tie the game. However, in the first overtime, he missed an extra point, which dubbed him as the player that cost UCF the game and gave Nevada a 49–48 victory in the 2005 Hawaii Bowl.

In 46 games spanning four years with UCF, Prater converted 50 of 74 field goal attempts, with a long of 53 yards. His 50 field goals ties him for the school record, while his 258 points ranks him fourth all-time in school history.

## Professional career

### Detroit Lions (first stint)

Prater was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2006. He made field goals of 22, 44, and 48 yards in a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, but had little chance of beating out veteran incumbent Jason Hanson and was subsequently released August 27. He spent the rest of the season as a free agent, but did have workouts with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.

### Miami Dolphins (first stint)

Prater was signed to a future deal by the Miami Dolphins on January 11, 2007. He was released by the team on August 27, as veteran Jay Feely won the job.

### Atlanta Falcons

Shortly thereafter, Prater signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons and beat out Billy Cundiff for the job. Including the Falcons' preseason finale, Prater missed at least one field goal in three games played with the Falcons. Prater missed two field goals against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 and was cut on September 18. The Falcons signed Morten Andersen as his replacement.

### Miami Dolphins (second stint)

The Dolphins signed Prater to their practice squad on November 15, 2007.

### Denver Broncos

#### 2007

The Denver Broncos signed Prater off the Dolphins' practice squad on December 19, 2007.

#### 2008

Prater became the starting kicker for the Denver Broncos, replacing Jason Elam who signed with the Falcons. The Broncos had waived Garrett Hartley on July 21, 2008, leaving Prater as the only kicker on the Denver roster going into their first preseason game against the Houston Texans. On September 28, 2008, Prater made a 56-yard field goal late in the first half of the Broncos' loss at the Kansas City Chiefs, which was the third longest field goal in team history and the longest away from Denver. He made two field goals of more than 50 yards during the game.

On October 5, 2008, Prater converted three out of three field goals, including a 55-yarder, as part of a 16–13 Broncos home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also recorded four touchbacks out of five kickoffs. His performance during the game led to him being named American Football Conference (AFC) Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 5 of the 2008 NFL season. Prater won the award for the first time in his career.

Despite completing five of six field goals from beyond 50 yards on the season, he was only 25-of-34 overall (73.5%), making him one of the most inaccurate kickers in the league for the season.

#### 2009

Prater improved in the 2009 season converting all 32 extra point attempts and 30-of-35 field goal attempts. In Week 12, he converted two extra points and all four field goal attempts against the New York Giants in the 26–6 victory. His performance earned him his second AFC Special Teams Player of the Week nomination.

#### 2010

On March 9, 2010, the Broncos re-signed Prater to a new contract. On December 23, 2010, Prater was put on injury reserve by the Broncos after suffering a right groin injury. Overall, he finished the 2010 season having converted 28-of-29 extra point attempts and 16-of-18 field goal attempts.

#### 2011

On July 29, 2011, Prater re-signed with the Broncos. At 3:00 am August 2, Prater was arrested and charged with DUI at a hotel while in the company of a female employee of "Shotgun Willie's," a local Glendale "strip club." On December 11, 2011, in a game against the Chicago Bears, Prater kicked a 59-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to tie the game. He then followed up by kicking a 51-yard field goal to win the game in overtime, 13–10. The performance earned his third career Special Teams Player of the Week nomination. Overall, he finished the 2011 season converting all 30 extra point attempts to go along with 19-of-25 field goal attempts.

#### 2012

On July 2, 2012, Prater re-signed with the Broncos on a four-year contract after the Broncos placed a franchise tag on him. In Week 4, against the Oakland Raiders, he converted four extra point attempts and three field goal attempts to earn AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. On the 2012 season, he converted all 55 extra point attempts to go along with 26-of-32 field goal attempts.

#### 2013

On October 6, 2013, when the Broncos faced the Dallas Cowboys, with a 48–48 score with two seconds left in regulation, Prater kicked the game-winning 28 yard field goal, to allow a Broncos 51–48 victory, as Denver went 5–0 for the first time since 2009. On December 8, Prater set a new NFL record by successfully kicking a 64-yard field goal against the Tennessee Titans as time expired in the first half. Prater also set a new NFL record for extra points in a single season, with 75. He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the performance. In the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots, he converted all four field goal attempts in the 26–16 victory. He appeared in his first Super Bowl in the following game, a 43–8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

#### 2014

Prater began the season with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. On October 3, 2014, Prater was released by the Broncos after they decided to stick with his replacement Brandon McManus.

### Detroit Lions (second stint)

#### 2014

On October 7, 2014, the Lions signed him to a one-year deal. Prater was Detroit's third kicker in only a little over a month after Nate Freese and Alex Henery had struggles in the kicking game. In Prater's debut as a Lion, he only made one of three attempts on a rather windy day at TCF Bank Stadium, but the Lions still got the win over the Vikings. Two weeks later, Prater missed a game-winning 43 yard field goal against the Falcons in London, but due to a delay of game penalty on Detroit, was allowed to re-kick from 48 yards out from which he converted, winning the game for the Lions. He finished the year converting 21 field goals on 26 attempts.

#### 2015

On March 6, 2015, the Lions re-signed Prater to a three-year, $9 million contract extension. Bears, Prater kicked a 37-yard field goal in overtime to win the game, 37–34. In a game against the Chicago Bears on January 3, 2016, Prater made a 59-yard field goal, which set a Detroit Lions franchise record for the longest field goal. Overall, on the 2015 season, he finished with converting 36-of-39 extra point attempts and 22-of-24 field goal attempts.

#### 2016

Prater was named National Football Conference (NFC) Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 9 when he converted three field goal attempts, including a 58-yard attempt with 0:02 left to send the game into overtime, where the Lions would beat the Vikings. Prater was also named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 12 when he converted the game tying and game winning attempts to beat the Vikings in the final two minutes. To cap off his performances, Prater won NFC Special Teams Player of the Month going 8-for-8 on field goals with two over 50 yards. He once again earned Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 13 when he made five field goals, including a 52-yarder, in a 28–13 win over the Saints. Prater was named to his second Pro Bowl as an alternate for Falcons kicker Matt Bryant after the 2016 season. He finished the 2016 season converting 31-of-33 extra point attempts to go along with 31-of-36 field goal attempts.

#### 2017

In Week 1, Prater had to take over punting duties after Kasey Redfern left with an injury early in the game. He kicked a 58-yard field goal, went 2-for-2 on extra points and punted four times with an average of 35 yards in a 35–23 win over the Arizona Cardinals, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Prater was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September after making all six of his field goal attempts, including four conversions from 55 yards and longer. This gave Prater an NFL record seven straight field goals of 55 yards or longer without a miss, going back to 2016. Prater had also converted 14 consecutive 50+ yard field goals going back to the previous season, which is also an NFL record. Both streaks ended when Prater missed on a 59-yard attempt the following week against the Vikings. On October 25, 2017, Prater signed a three-year contract extension with the Lions. Overall, he finished the 2017 season converting 40-of-41 extra point attempts to go along with 30-of-35 field goal attempts as the Lions went 9–7.

#### 2018

In Week 17 against the Packers at Lambeau Field, Prater threw a 14-yard touchdown to Levine Toilolo on a fake field goal attempt. He added a field goal and four extra points in a 31–0 win over the Packers, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He finished the 2018 season converting all 30 extra point attempts to go along with 28-of-32 field goal attempts as the Lions went 6–10.

#### 2019

In the 2019 season, Prater finished 35 of 36 on extra point attempts and 26 of 31 on field goal attempts as the Lions went 3–12–1.

#### 2020

In Week 3 against the Cardinals, Prater finished the game with two extra points and four field goals made, including the game winner during the 26–23 win. He was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Week 3. In Week 10 against the Washington Football Team, Prater kicked a 59-yard field goal as time expired to win the game 30–27, earning his second NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors of the season. On January 3, 2021, Prater set the new NFL record for most career field goals of 50 yards or more. In the 2020 season, Prater converted 21-of-28 field goal attempts and 38-of-41 extra point attempts.

### Arizona Cardinals

On March 17, 2021, Prater signed with the Cardinals on a two–year deal. On September 26, 2021, on the last play of the first half against the Jaguars, Prater attempted to break his record 64 yard field goal from 2013 with a would – be record 68 yard field goal, but the kick fell short and was returned 109 yards for a touchdown by Jamal Agnew. Later that day, Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker broke Prater's record with a game winning 66 yard field goal on the last play of the Ravens' game against the Lions. In Week 6, Prater made three field goals and all four extra points in a 37–14 win against the Browns. For his performance he was awarded NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In Week 17, Prater connected on all four field goal attempts and one extra point, accounting for 13 points, in a 25–22 win over the Cowboys, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. in the 2021 season, Prater converted 30 of 37 field-goal attempts and 47 of 49 extra point attempts. In the 2022 season, Prater converted 22 of 25 field goal attempts and 17 of 18 extra point attempts in 13 games.

Prater agreed to a two-year contract extension on March 14, 2023. In Week 3, Prater was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after converting a 62-yard field goal at the end of the first half against the Cowboys. In Week 18, against the Seattle Seahawks, Prater missed 2 field goals, one from 43 with three minutes left in the 4th quarter, and a missed 50 yard game winning field goal at the end of regulation. As a result, Seattle won the game 21–20. In the 2023 season, he converted 28 of 33 field goal attempts and 22 of 23 extra point attempts in 17 games.

## NFL career statistics

### Awards and honors

- AFC Special Teams Player of the Week – Week 5 (2008), Week 13 (2009) Week 14 (2011), Week 4 (2012), Week 14 (2013)

- AFC Special Teams Player of the Month – September (2009), December (2011)

- NFC Special Teams Player of the Week – Week 9 (2016), Week 12 (2016), Week 13 (2016), Week 1 (2017), Week 17 (2018), Week 3 (2020), Week 10 (2020), Week 6 (2021), Week 3 (2023)

- NFC Special Teams Player of the Month – November (2016), September (2017)


2020 in Georgia

# 2020 in Georgia

## Abstract

The following lists events in 2020 in Georgia.

## Incumbents

### National

- President: Salome Zourabichvili (since 2018)

- Prime Minister: Giorgi Gakharia (since 2019)

- Chairperson of Parliament: Archil Talakvadze (since 2019)

### Autonomous republics

#### Adjara

- Chairman of the Government: Tornike Rizhvadze (since 2018)

- Chairman of the Supreme Council: Davit Gabaidze (since 2016)

#### Abkhazia

- Chairman of Government (-in-exile): Ruslan Abashidze (since 2019)

- Chairman of the Supreme Council (-in-exile): Jemal Gamakharia (since 2019)

### Disputed territories

#### Abkhazia

- President: Raul Khadjimba (until 13 January), Valeri Bganba (acting, from 13 January)

- Prime Minister: Valeri Bganba (since 2018)

- Chairman of People's Assembly: Valeri Kvarchia (since 2017)

#### South Ossetia

- President: Anatoly Bibilov (since 2017)

- Prime Minister: Erik Pukhayev (since 2017)

- Chairman of Parliament: Pyotr Gasiev (since 2017)

## Events

### January

- 7 January – A high-ranking police official pleads guilty to beating and killing a 24-year-old man on 2 January in Tbilisi, one of a series of recent major incidents of police excesses in Georgia.

- 9 January – The government of Georgia terminates its contract with the Anaklia Development Consortium on the construction of a deep sea port at Anaklia on account of the consortium's failure to provide adequate financial guarantees and to find "a real" investor. The consortium's leadership says they will take the case to an international court, while the opposition and government critics allege the ruling Georgian Dream party's leader Bidzina Ivanishvili 's personal interest in suppressing the project.

- 13 January – Raul Khajimba, de facto president of breakaway Abkhazia, resigns after the opposition supporters storm the government office on 9 January and a supreme court annuls the results of the September 2019 presidential election runoff on 10 January 2020.

## Scheduled events

- 22 March – 2020 Abkhazian presidential election.

- 14 – 15 May – As the rotating presidency of the Council of Europe, Georgia will host the 130th meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Tbilisi. Whether the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be allowed in the country within the framework of the upcoming ministerial is unclear.

- 31 October – 2020 Georgian parliamentary election.

## Deaths

- 5 January – Anri Jergenia, former head of the Abkhaz separatist government (b. 1941).

- 21 January – Tengiz Sigua, former Prime Minister (b. 1934).


Paul Leverkühn

# Paul Leverkühn

## Abstract

Paul Georg Heinrich Martin Reinhold Leverkühn (January 12, 1867, Hanover, Germany - December 5, 1905, Sofia, Bulgaria) was a German physician and ornithologist.

## Life

Leverkühn was born to government councilor, Carl Leverkühn, and Louise, née Grisebach, a sister of August Grisebach. The lawyer August Leverkühn was his brother.

Leverkühn studied in Hanover to complete his Lyceum and studied for a year at the Gymnasium in Clausthal. He studied medicine at the University of Kiel from 1886 to 1888 followed by studies in Strasbourg for two years and then Freiburg and Munich. He was admitted to the Dr.med. PhD. in Munich after passing the examination in February 1891. He worked briefly as a physician before being employed by Prince Ferdinand I of Bulgaria in June 1892 to maintain the newly created zoo and natural history museum in Sofia. Along with Carl Parrot (1867-1911) he founded an ornithological study circle in Bavaria in 1889. While Karl Theodor Liebe (1828-1894) initially expressed skepticism about the group, he was later impressed by it. At a young age Leverkühn was acquainted with Rudolf Blasius and his brother as well as Adolph Nehrkorn at a young age. He carefully examined literature and produced many biographies including one on the Naumann father and son.

In Sofia, Leverkühn organized the natural history museum made up of 14 buildings with two floors. It was however opened only after his death. Leverkühn published on various collection records and helped complete the publications of deceased ornithologist, Adolf Mejer. He wrote on the sandgrouse in 1889 and then on the fauna of the Pomeranian region. Leverkühn published a letter from Gustav Hartlaub, then deceased, where he defamed the Hungarian ornithologist Salamon János Petényi (1799-1855) which was something that Otto Kleinschmidt criticized in his obituary of Leverkühn. Kleinschmidt and Leverkühn had many other differences in the twelve years that they had known each other.

Leverkühn described many taxa along with Hans van Berlepsch including:

- Myrmotherula behni (Berlepsch & Leverkühn, 1890)

- Synallaxis cabanisi (Berlepsch & Leverkühn, 1890)

- Myiarchus tyrannulus bahiae (Berlepsch & Leverkühn, 1890)

- Patagioenas subvinacea bogotensis (Berlepsch & Leverkühn, 1890)

- Xiphorhynchus ocellatus lineatocapilla (Berlepsch & Leverkühn, 1890)

- Sturnella loyca falklandica (Leverkühn, 1889)

In 1905 Leverkühn died of typhus. In execution of his will, his body was moved to Gotha to be cremated there, after a ceremony in the German Protestant Church in Sofia.

## Works

- Ueber Farbenvarietäten bei Vögeln. Aus den Museen in Hannover, Hamburg und Kopenhagen. In: Journal für Ornithologie. Band 35, Nr. 177, 1887, S. 79–86

- Der ornithologische Nachlass Adolf Mejer's. In: Journal für Ornithologie. Band 35, Nr. 178, 1887, S. 189–213

- Südamerikanische Nova aus dem Kieler Museum. In: Journal für Ornithologie. Band 37, Nr. 185, 1889, S. 101–109

- Die Legende vom Stieglitz. In: Ornithologische Monatsschrift. Band 15, 1890, S. 278–281.

- (with Hans von Berlepsch) Studien über einige südamerikanische Vögel nebst Beschreibungen neuer Arten. In: Ornis. Band 6, Nr. 1, 1890, S. 1–32

- Biographisches über die drei Naumanns und Bibliographisches über ihre Werke nebst den Vorreden zur zweiten Auflage der Naturgeschichte der Vögel Deutschlands. R. Friedländer und Sohn, Berlin 1891.

- Baldamus, Nachruf von P.Leverkühn. In: Ornithologische Monatsschrift. Band 18, Nr. 12, 1893, S. 472–475.

- - Reprint: Vogelschutz in England. In: Ornithologische Monatsschrift. Band 19, 1894, pp. 15–29, 45–53, 82–88, 123–129, 165–175, 199–202, 228–233, 257–262, 291–297, 308–312, 341–346

- Vogelschutz in England. In: Ornithologische Monatsschrift. Band 19, 1894, pp. 15–29, 45–53, 82–88, 123–129, 165–175, 199–202, 228–233, 257–262, 291–297, 308–312, 341–346

- Über das Brutgeschäft der Crotophagiden. In: Journal für Ornithologie. Band 42, Nr. 1, 1894, pp. 44–80.

- (with Carlo Ettore Arrigoni degli Oddi): Die ornithologische Litteratur Italiens während der Jahre 1891 bis 1893. In: Journal für Ornithologie. Band 42, Nr. 3, 1894, pp. 280–290.

- Zur Erinnerung an Dr. Gustav Hartlaub. In: Journal für Ornithologie. Band 49, Nr. 3, 1897, pp. 337–359 doi: 10.1007/BF02208479

## Other sources

- Rolf Schoppe: Die Vogelwelt des Kreises Hildesheim. Georg Olms AG, Hildesheim 2006, ISBN 978-3-487-13110-8.

- Hermann Hocke: Paul Leverkühn. In: Zeitschrift für Oologie und Ornithologie. Band 15, Nr. 9, 1905, S. 129–130).

- Ernst Otto Wilhelm Taschenberg: Hofrat Paul Leverkühn †. In: Leopoldina. Band 41, Nr. 12, 1905, S. 109–111.

- Carl Richard Hennicke: Paul Leverkühn † (with Schwarzbild-Tafel IX). In: Ornithologische Monatsschrift. Band 31, Nr. 4, 1906, S. 164–167.

- Karl Leopold Theodor Liebe: Leverkühns Ornithologischer Lesezirkel. In: Ornithologische Monatsschrift. Band 15, Nr. 14, 1890, S. 389–390

- Carl Parrot: Bericht. In: Ornithologische Monatsschrift. Band 15, Nr. 14, 1890, S. 390–393


List of programs broadcast by PBS Kids

# List of programs broadcast by PBS Kids

## Abstract

The following is a list of programs that are currently airing or have formerly aired on public television in the United States on the 24/7 PBS Kids Channel (the original channel and its revival) and the PBS Kids block on local PBS stations.

## Current programming

- Co-distributed by Amazon Prime Video, the official streaming partner for PBS Kids programming.

- Co-distributed by Roku on the PBS Retro streaming channel.

### Original programming

#### Local reruns

The following programs are currently airing on select local PBS stations only. They are no longer distributed nationally, though are still available for local stations to air independently.

### Programming from American Public Television

The following programs are distributed by American Public Television, not PBS itself. These programs are broadcast by select local PBS stations.

### Programming from NETA

The following programs are distributed by National Educational Telecommunications Association, not PBS itself. These programs are broadcast by select local PBS stations.

### Interstitial programming

The following interstitials run for a minute and are usually shown at the start or end of a traditional, full-form program.

## Upcoming programming

## Former programming

- Co-distributed by Amazon Prime Video, the official streaming partner for PBS Kids programming.

- Co-distributed by Roku on the PBS Retro streaming channel.

### PTV

### PBS Kids

#### Programming from American Public Television

The following programs were distributed by American Public Television, not PBS itself. These programs were broadcast by select local PBS stations.

## Special programming

Programs with marked with an asterisk (*) have been featured on the Family Night weekend primetime block on PBS Kids 24/7.

## Web-exclusive programming

The following programming is exclusive to PBS Kids web-based platforms, such as the PBS Kids website, PBS Kids Video app, and other streaming platforms. This content is not broadcast by PBS Kids and has never been aired on television.

- Co-distributed by Amazon Prime Video, the official streaming partner for PBS Kids programming.

### Podcasts

- Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman Podcast (May 22, 2007−September 19, 2010)

- Molly of Denali Podcast (May 30, 2019−present)

- Pinkalicious & Peterrific Podcast (October 28, 2020−present)

- Odd Squadcast (December 2, 2020−present)

- The Arthur Podcast (October 20, 2022−present)

- Keyshawn Solves It (May 26, 2023−present)

- Jamming on the Job (September 14, 2023−present)

- Work It Out Wombats! Podcast (January 4, 2024−present)


Ivermectin

# Ivermectin

## Abstract

Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug. After its discovery in 1975, its first uses were in veterinary medicine to prevent and treat heartworm and acariasis. Approved for human use in 1987, it is used to treat infestations including head lice, scabies, river blindness (onchocerciasis), strongyloidiasis, trichuriasis, ascariasis and lymphatic filariasis. It works through many mechanisms to kill the targeted parasites, and can be taken by mouth, or applied to the skin for external infestations. It belongs to the avermectin family of medications.

William Campbell and Satoshi Ōmura won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for its discovery and applications. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an antiparasitic agent. In 2021, it was the 341st most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 100,000 prescriptions. It is available as a generic medicine.

Misinformation has been widely spread claiming that ivermectin is beneficial for treating and preventing COVID-19. Such claims are not backed by credible scientific evidence. Multiple major health organizations, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the European Medicines Agency, and the World Health Organization have advised that ivermectin is not recommended for the treatment of COVID-19.

## Medical uses

Ivermectin is used to treat human diseases caused by roundworms and a wide variety of external parasites.

### Worm infections

For river blindness (onchocerciasis) and lymphatic filariasis, ivermectin is typically given as part of mass drug administration campaigns that distribute the drug to all members of a community affected by the disease. Adult worms survive in the skin and eventually recover to produce larval worms again; to keep the worms at bay, ivermectin is given at least once per year for the 10 – 15-year lifespan of the adult worms.

The World Health Organization (WHO) considers ivermectin the drug of choice for strongyloidiasis. Ivermectin is also the primary treatment for Mansonella ozzardi and cutaneous larva migrans. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends ivermectin, albendazole, or mebendazole as treatments for ascariasis. Ivermectin is sometimes added to albendazole or mebendazole for whipworm treatment, and is considered a second-line treatment for gnathostomiasis.

### Mites and insects

Ivermectin is also used to treat infection with parasitic arthropods. Scabies – infestation with the mite Sarcoptes scabiei – is most commonly treated with topical permethrin or oral ivermectin. A single application of permethrin is more efficacious than a single treatment of ivermectin. For most scabies cases, ivermectin is used in a two dose regimen: a first dose kills the active mites, but not their eggs. Over the next week, the eggs hatch, and a second dose kills the newly hatched mites. The two dose regimen of ivermectin has similar efficacy to the single dose permethrin treatment. Ivermectin is, however, more effective than permethrin when used in the mass treatment of endemic scabies.

For severe "crusted scabies", where the parasite burden is orders of magnitude higher than usual, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends up to seven doses of ivermectin over the course of a month, along with a topical antiparasitic. Both head lice and pubic lice can be treated with oral ivermectin, an ivermectin lotion applied directly to the affected area, or various other insecticides. Ivermectin is also used to treat rosacea and blepharitis, both of which can be caused or exacerbated by Demodex folliculorum mites.

## Contraindications

The only absolute contraindication to the use of ivermectin is hypersensitivity to the active ingredient or any component of the formulation. In children under the age of five or those who weigh less than 15 kilograms (33 pounds), there is limited data regarding the efficacy or safety of ivermectin, though the available data demonstrate few adverse effects. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics cautions against use of ivermectin in such patients, as the blood-brain barrier is less developed, and thus there may be an increased risk of particular CNS side effects such as encephalopathy, ataxia, coma, or death. The American Academy of Family Physicians also recommends against use in these patients, given a lack of sufficient data to prove drug safety. Ivermectin is secreted in very low concentration in breast milk. It remains unclear if ivermectin is safe during pregnancy.

## Adverse effects

Side effects, although uncommon, include fever, itching, and skin rash when taken by mouth; and red eyes, dry skin, and burning skin when used topically for head lice. It is unclear if the drug is safe for use during pregnancy, but it is probably acceptable for use during breastfeeding.

Ivermectin is considered relatively free of toxicity in standard doses (around 300 μg/kg). Based on the data drug safety sheet for ivermectin, side effects are uncommon. However, serious adverse events following ivermectin treatment are more common in people with very high burdens of larval Loa loa worms in their blood. Those who have over 30,000 microfilaria per milliliter of blood risk inflammation and capillary blockage due to the rapid death of the microfilaria following ivermectin treatment.

One concern is neurotoxicity after large overdoses, which in most mammalian species may manifest as central nervous system depression, ataxia, coma, and even death, as might be expected from potentiation of inhibitory chloride channels.

Since drugs that inhibit the enzyme CYP3A4 often also inhibit P-glycoprotein transport, the risk of increased absorption past the blood-brain barrier exists when ivermectin is administered along with other CYP3A4 inhibitors. These drugs include statins, HIV protease inhibitors, many calcium channel blockers, lidocaine, the benzodiazepines, and glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone.

During the course of a typical treatment, ivermectin can cause minor aminotransferase elevations. In rare cases it can cause mild clinically apparent liver disease.

To provide context for the dosing and toxicity ranges, the LD of ivermectin in mice is 25 mg/kg (oral), and 80 mg/kg in dogs, corresponding to an approximated human-equivalent dose LD50 range of 2.02–43.24 mg/kg, which is far in excess of its FDA-approved usage (a single dose of 0.150–0.200 mg/kg to be used for specific parasitic infections). While ivermectin has also been studied for use in COVID-19, and while it has some ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, achieving 50% inhibition in vitro was found to require an estimated oral dose of 7.0 mg/kg (or 35x the maximum FDA-approved dosage), high enough to be considered ivermectin poisoning. Despite insufficient data to show any safe and effective dosing regimen for ivermectin in COVID-19, doses have been taken far in excess of FDA-approved dosing, leading the CDC to issue a warning of overdose symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension, decreased level of consciousness, confusion, blurred vision, visual hallucinations, loss of coordination and balance, seizures, coma, and death. The CDC advises against consuming doses intended for livestock or doses intended for external use and warns that increasing misuse of ivermectin-containing products is resulting in an increase in harmful overdoses.

## Pharmacology

### Mechanism of action

Ivermectin and its related drugs act by interfering with the nerve and muscle functions of helminths and insects. The drug binds to glutamate -gated chloride channels common to invertebrate nerve and muscle cells. The binding pushes the channels open, which increases the flow of chloride ions and hyper-polarizes the cell membranes, paralyzing and killing the invertebrate. Ivermectin is safe for mammals (at the normal therapeutic doses used to cure parasite infections) because mammalian glutamate-gated chloride channels only occur in the brain and spinal cord: the causative avermectins usually do not cross the blood–brain barrier, and are unlikely to bind to other mammalian ligand-gated channels.

### Pharmacokinetics

Ivermectin can be given by mouth, topically, or via injection. Oral doses are absorbed into systemic circulation; the alcoholic solution form is more orally available than tablet and capsule forms. Ivermectin is widely distributed in the body.

Ivermectin does not readily cross the blood–brain barrier of mammals due to the presence of P-glycoprotein (the MDR1 gene mutation affects the function of this protein). Crossing may still become significant if ivermectin is given at high doses, in which case brain levels peak 2–5 hours after administration. In contrast to mammals, ivermectin can cross the blood–brain barrier in tortoises, often with fatal consequences.

Ivermectin is metabolized into eight different products by human CYP3A4, two of which (M1, M2) remain toxic to mosquitos. M1 and M2 also have longer elimination half-lives of about 55 hours. CYP3A5 produces a ninth metabolite.

## Chemistry

Fermentation of Streptomyces avermitilis yields eight closely related avermectin homologues, of which B and B form the bulk of the products isolated. In a separate chemical step, the mixture is hydrogenated to give ivermectin, which is an approximately 80:20 mixture of the two 22,23-dihydroavermectin compounds.

Ivermectin is a macrocyclical lactone.

## History

The avermectin family of compounds was discovered by Satoshi Ōmura of Kitasato University and William Campbell of Merck. In 1970, Ōmura isolated a strain of Streptomyces avermitilis from woodland soil near a golf course along the south east coast of Honshu, Japan. Ōmura sent the bacteria to William Campbell, who showed that the bacterial culture could cure mice infected with the roundworm Heligmosomoides polygyrus. Campbell isolated the active compounds from the bacterial culture, naming them "avermectins" and the bacterium Streptomyces avermitilis for the compounds' ability to clear mice of worms (in Latin: a 'without', vermis 'worms'). Of the various avermectins, Campbell's group found the compound "avermectin B " to be the most potent when taken orally. They synthesized modified forms of avermectin B to improve its pharmaceutical properties, eventually choosing a mixture of at least 80% 22,23-dihydroavermectin B and up to 20% 22,23-dihydroavermectin B, a combination they called "ivermectin".

The discovery of ivermectin has been described as a combination of "chance and choice." Merck was looking for a broad-spectrum anthelmintic, which ivermectin is indeed; however, Campbell noted that they "...also found a broad-spectrum agent for the control of ectoparasitic insects and mites."

Merck began marketing ivermectin as a veterinary antiparasitic in 1981. By 1986, ivermectin was registered for use in 46 countries and was administered massively to cattle, sheep and other animals. By the late 1980s, ivermectin was the bestselling veterinary medicine in the world. Following its blockbuster success as a veterinary antiparasitic, another Merck scientist, Mohamed Aziz, collaborated with the World Health Organization to test the safety and efficacy of ivermectin against onchocerciasis in humans. They found it to be highly safe and effective, triggering Merck to register ivermectin for human use as "Mectizan" in France in 1987. A year later, Merck CEO Roy Vagelos agreed that Merck would donate all ivermectin needed to eradicate river blindness. In 1998, that donation would be expanded to include ivermectin used to treat lymphatic filariasis.

Ivermectin earned the title of "wonder drug" for the treatment of nematodes and arthropod parasites. Ivermectin has been used safely by hundreds of millions of people to treat river blindness and lymphatic filariasis.

Half of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly to Campbell and Ōmura for discovering ivermectin, "the derivatives of which have radically lowered the incidence of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, as well as showing efficacy against an expanding number of other parasitic diseases".

## Society and culture

### COVID-19 misinformation

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, laboratory research suggested ivermectin might have a role in preventing or treating COVID-19. Online misinformation campaigns and advocacy boosted the drug's profile among the public. While scientists and physicians largely remained skeptical, some nations adopted ivermectin as part of their pandemic-control efforts. Some people, desperate to use ivermectin without a prescription, took veterinary preparations, which led to shortages of supplies of ivermectin for animal treatment. The FDA responded to this situation by saying "You are not a horse" in a Tweet to draw attention to the issue, for which they were later sued.

### Economics

The initial price proposed by Merck in 1987 was US$ 6 per treatment, which was unaffordable for patients who most needed ivermectin. The company donated hundreds of millions of courses of treatments since 1988 in more than 30 countries. Between 1995 and 2010, using donated ivermectin to prevent river blindness, the program is estimated to have prevented seven million years of disability at a cost of US$ 257 million.

Ivermectin is considered an inexpensive drug. As of 2019, ivermectin tablets (Stromectol) in the United States were the least expensive treatment option for lice in children at approximately US$ 9.30, while Sklice, an ivermectin lotion, cost around US$ 300 for 120 mL (4 US fl oz).

As of 2019, the cost effectiveness of treating scabies and lice with ivermectin has not been studied.

### Brand names

It is sold under the brand names Heartgard, Sklice and Stromectol in the United States, Ivomec worldwide by Merial Animal Health, Mectizan in Canada by Merck, Iver-DT in Nepal by Alive Pharmaceutical and Ivexterm in Mexico by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International. In Southeast Asian countries, it is marketed by Delta Pharma Ltd. under the trade name Scabo 6. The formulation for rosacea treatment is sold under the brand name Soolantra. While in development, it was assigned the code MK-933 by Merck.

## Research

### Parasitic disease

Ivermectin has been researched in laboratory animals, as a potential treatment for trichinosis and trypanosomiasis.

Ivermectin has also been tested on zebrafish infected with Pseudocapillaria tomentosa.

### Tropical diseases

As of 2016 ivermectin was studied as a potential antiviral agent against chikungunya and yellow fever. In chikungunya, ivermectin showed a wide in vitro safety margin as an antiviral.

Ivermectin is also of interest in the prevention of malaria, as it is toxic to both the malaria plasmodium itself and the mosquitos that carry it. A direct effect on malaria parasites could not be shown in an experimental infection of volunteers with Plasmodium falciparum. Use of ivermectin at higher doses necessary to control malaria is probably safe, though large clinical trials have not yet been done to definitively establish the efficacy or safety of ivermectin for prophylaxis or treatment of malaria. Mass drug administration of a population with ivermectin to treat and prevent nematode infestation is effective for eliminating malaria-bearing mosquitos and thereby potentially reducing infection with residual malaria parasites. Whilst effective in killing malaria-bearing mosquitos, a 2021 Cochrane review found that, to date, the evidence shows no significant impact on reducing incidence of malaria transmission from the community administration of ivermectin.

One alternative to ivermectin is moxidectin, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in people with river blindness. Moxidectin has a longer half-life than ivermectin and may eventually supplant ivermectin as it is a more potent microfilaricide, but there is a need for additional clinical trials, with long-term follow-up, to assess whether moxidectin is safe and effective for treatment of nematode infection in children and women of childbearing potential.

There is tentative evidence that ivermectin kills bedbugs, as part of integrated pest management for bedbug infestations. However, such use may require a prolonged course of treatment which is of unclear safety.

### NAFLD

In 2013, ivermectin was demonstrated as a novel ligand of the farnesoid X receptor, a therapeutic target for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

### COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, ivermectin was researched for possible utility in preventing and treating COVID-19, but no good evidence of benefit was found.

## Veterinary use

Ivermectin is routinely used to control parasitic worms in the gastrointestinal tract of ruminant animals. These parasites normally enter the animal when it is grazing, pass the bowel, and set and mature in the intestines, after which they produce eggs that leave the animal via its droppings and can infest new pastures. Ivermectin is only effective in killing some of these parasites, because of an increase in anthelmintic resistance. This resistance has arisen from the persistent use of the same anthelmintic drugs for the past 40 years. Additionally, the use of Ivermectin for livestock has a profound impact on dung beetles, such as T. lusitanicus, as it can lead to acute toxicity within these insects.

In dogs, ivermectin is routinely used as prophylaxis against heartworm. Dogs with defects in the P-glycoprotein gene (MDR1), often collie-like herding dogs, can be severely poisoned by ivermectin. The mnemonic "white feet, don't treat" refers to Scotch collies that are vulnerable to ivermectin. Some other dog breeds (especially the Rough Collie, the Smooth Collie, the Shetland Sheepdog, and the Australian Shepherd), also have a high incidence of mutation within the MDR1 gene (coding for P-glycoprotein) and are sensitive to the toxic effects of ivermectin. For dogs, the insecticide spinosad may have the effect of increasing the toxicity of ivermectin.

A 0.01% ivermectin topical preparation for treating ear mites in cats is available. Clinical evidence suggests 7-week-old kittens are susceptible to ivermectin toxicity.

Ivermectin is sometimes used as an acaricide in reptiles, both by injection and as a diluted spray. While this works well in some cases, care must be taken, as several species of reptiles are very sensitive to ivermectin. Use in turtles is particularly contraindicated.

A characteristic of the antinematodal action of ivermectin is its potency: for instance, to combat Dirofilaria immitis in dogs, ivermectin is effective at 0.001 milligram per kilogram of body weight when administered orally.


One-way trunk

# One-way trunk

## Abstract

In telecommunications, a one-way trunk is a trunk between two switching centers, over which traffic may be originated from one preassigned location only.

The traffic may consist of two-way communications; the expression "one way" refers only to the origin of the demand for a connection. At the originating end, the one-way trunk is known as an "outgoing trunk"; at the other end, it is known as an "incoming trunk".


Naser Aliji

# Naser Aliji

## Abstract

Naser Ismail Aliji (born 27 December 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back, and also for the Albania national team. Born in Macedonia, he played for Switzerland at youth international levels, and made his senior debut for Albania in 2015.

## Club career

### Early career

Aliji was born in Kumanovo and is of Albanian ethnicity. He lived there until he was four years old, at which time his mother moved to Baden, Switzerland together with her two other siblings, a sister and a brother, to join their father, who had been working there for many years. Aliji started his youth football aged 4 when he was sent by his brother to play with FC Baden. Aged 9, he moved to FC Aarau for one year and then he joined FC Basel in 2008. Later he played in their U-18 team and in their U21 team where he received various individual prizes as the youngster of the year.

### Basel

Aliji signed his first professional contract with FC Basel on 20 June 2013 and joined their first team. Aliji made his first team debut on 17 August as he was substituted in during the Swiss Cup first round match against BSC Old Boys. He played his first match in the starting eleven in the Swiss Cup quarter-final against Le Mont on 5 February 2014 as Basel won 6–1. One minute before half time he gave the final pass to Marco Streller for him to score the third goal of the game. On 16 March 2014 Aliji made his Swiss Super League debut and played the full 90 minutes at St. Jakob-Park in the 5–0 home win, against Aarau. At the end of the 2013–14 Super League season Aliji won the league championship with Basel. They also reached the final of the 2013–14 Swiss Cup, but were beaten 2–0 by Zürich after extra time. During the 2013–14 Champions League season Basel reached the group stage and finished the group in third position. Thus they qualified for the Europa League knockout phase where they advanced as far as the quarter-finals.

The season 2014–15 was also a successful one for Basel. Aliji scored his first goal for the team in the away game in the Stadion Brügglifeld on 19 July 2014 as Basel won 2–1 against Aarau. Despite this goal in the first match of the season and despite the fact that Basel had entered the Champions League in the group stage reaching the knockout phase on 9 December 2014 as they managed a 1–1 draw at Anfield against Liverpool, Aliji totaled just 17 appearances during the first half of the season, 5 (of 18) League, 3 (of 3) in the Cup and just 1 (of 6) in the Champions League, as well 8 further appearances in test games, mostly as substitute. Because Sousa did not rely upon Aliji and he could not make the starting eleven Basel looked for another solution. On 17 January 2015, it was announced that Aliji would be lent out to Vaduz to gain first team playing experience.

At the end of the season Basel won the championship for the sixth time in a row.

### Loan on Vaduz

In January 2015 during the Winter transfers window, Aliji was loaned out to the fellow Swiss Super League team FC Vaduz for 1 year and half. Aliji made his debut for Vaduz on 15 February 2015 in the away match against Aarau, playing the full 90 minutes of the game, which ended in a 1–0 victory. Until the end of the league season Aliji played 17 matches all as a starter and substituted off in just one occasion. Aliji won the 2014–15 Liechtenstein Cup playing two matches including the final against Triesenberg on 13 May 2015 when Vaduz won 5–0 and Aliji played the full 90-minutes.

Having won the 2014–15 Liechtenstein Cup, Vaduz gained the right to participate in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round, where they were shorted to play against San Marino side La Fiorita. In the first leg, Aliji played the full 90-minutes match in a 5–0 away victory. Then Vaduz qualified in the next round beating La Fiorita 5–1 in the second leg and winning on aggregate 10–1. Vaduz finds as an opponent in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League Second qualifying round the Estonia side Nõmme Kalju. Aliji managed to play another full 90-minutes European match in the first leg to help his team to take a 3–1 victory.

### Return to Basel

Following an injury to Adama Traoré with the Ivory Coast national team due to the absence of other left-backs, Basel used the contract rights to recall Aliji to their first team squad from the loan to Vaduz. Under trainer Urs Fischer Aliji won the Swiss Super League championship at the end of the 2015–16 Super League season for the third time. For the club it was the seventh title in a row and their 19th championship title in total.

On 1 July 2016, Basel announced that Aliji was leaving the club and would move to Germany. During his time with their first team, Aliji played a total of 64 games for Basel scoring one goal. 21 of these games were in the Swiss Super League, nine in the Swiss Cup, four in the UEFA competitions (Champions League and Europa League) and 22 were friendly games. He scored his sole goal in the domestic league.

### 1. FC Kaiserslautern

On 1 July 2016, Aliji joined 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Kaiserslautern on a free transfer, signing a contract until June 2019.

He should have compensated for the departure of Chris Löwe on the left side of defence. Initially a regular player under coach Tayfun Korkut, Aliji was not able to convince FCK and was sorted out under Korkut's successor Norbert Meier. Because, initially, he was unable to find a new club, Aliji's contract with FCK was terminated on 31 August 2017, two years before it expired, against payment of a severance payment.

### Later years

Following this, Aliji was without a club for six months. In January 2018 he joined Italian club Virtus Entella in Serie B for six months. He later played for Dinamo București and Budapest Honvéd. He joined Voluntari in the summer of 2022.

## Personal life

In the summer of 2018 Aliji returned to Switzerland to be with his father who had a cancer diagnosis.

## International career

Despite playing for Macedonia youth national teams and Switzerland youth national teams, Aliji did not exclude the option of representing Albania at international level. On 17 December 2014, the FSHF representative for talents in Switzerland, Sokol Dauti, confirmed that Aliji had decided to represent Albania and begun the procedure to get an Albanian passport. Three of his former teammates at Basel Taulant Xhaka, Shkëlzen Gashi and Arlind Ajeti play for Albania, despite having represented Swiss youth national teams. On 5 March 2015, Aliji received Albanian citizenship alongside his teammate Ajeti, and became the first player ever from Macedonia to wear the Albania national team shirt.

Aliji received his first call-up to the Albania national team by the coach Gianni De Biasi for the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Armenia on 29 March 2015. Despite the invitation he wasn't eligible yet to play for Albania in competitive matches as he hadn't yet received the go ahead from FIFA. Then Aliji was called up again in the next match of Albania, the friendly one against France on 13 June 2015. He debuted for Albania at international level against France playing the full 90-minutes match which finished in a 1–0 crucial victory against the UEFA Euro 2016 hosts with a free-kick scored by Ergys Kaçe in the 43rd minute.

On 21 May 2016, Aliji was named in Albania's preliminary 27-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016, and in Albania's final 23-man UEFA Euro 2016 squad on 31 May.

Aliji didn't manage to play any minute of all Group A matches as Albania were eliminated by ranking in the 3rd place behind hosts France against which lost 2–0 and Switzerland against which they also lost 1–0 in the opening match and ahead of Romania by beating them 1–0 in the closing match with a goal by Armando Sadiku. Albania finished the group in the third position with three points and with a goal difference –2, and was ranked last in the third-placed teams, which eventually eliminated them.

## Career statistics

### International

## Honours

Basel

- Swiss Super League: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16

- Swiss Cup runner-up: 2013–14

Vaduz

- Liechtenstein Cup: 2014–15

Budapest Honvéd

- Magyar Kupa: 2019–20

Individual

- FC Basel Rookies of the Year: 2011, 2013


Christian Welch

# Christian Welch

## Abstract

Christian Welch (born 19 July 1994) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a prop for the Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League (NRL).

He is a NRL premiership winning player of 2020 and played for Queensland in the 2019 State of Origin series.

## Early life

Welch was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and moved to Townsville, Queensland at a young age where he began playing hockey. He has one older brother, Brendan, and a younger sister, Lauren, and his mother Lyn. His family relocated to Gladstone, Queensland before settling in Brisbane, Queensland. When settled in Brisbane, Welch was educated at Villanova College, Brisbane an Augustinian education for boys. Once graduating high school he attended University of Queensland studying Commerce.

He played his junior rugby league for the Eastern Suburbs Tigers and Gladstone Brothers, before being signed by the Melbourne Storm.

In 2013 and 2014, Welch played for the Melbourne Storm's NYC team. On 3 May 2014, he played for the Queensland under-20s team against the New South Wales under-20s team. While living in Melbourne he continued his studies at University of Melbourne.

## Playing career

### 2015

Welch made his debut in round 9 of the 2015 NRL season for the Melbourne Storm against Parramatta. He came on in the second half and played the final 25 minutes to help seal a 28-10 victory away from home. The 21-year old went on to make another nine first grade appearances for the season.

### 2016

In his second season, Welch averaged 22 minutes over 17 games, he ranked second at the club for offloads behind Jesse Bromwich. On 22 April, Welch was re-signed by the Melbourne club on a one-year contract. On 2 October 2016, he played in the 2016 NRL Grand Final loss to the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks.

### 2017

Welch played eight of the first nine games for Melbourne Storm, averaging career highs in metres run and tackles per game. Unfortunately it all came to an abrupt halt when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury against the St. George Illawarra Dragons in Round 9. He was forced to have a knee reconstruction, denying him of a chance to play in Melbourne's 2017 NRL Grand Final victory.

### 2018

Christian started the season with victory against the Leeds Rhinos in World Club Challenge. He was drafted into Queensland State of Origin camp ahead of Game 2 in Sydney, but did not play. He was also part of the Melbourne team that played in the 2018 NRL Grand Final.

### 2019

Welch made his State of Origin debut for Queensland in game 3. Welch played a total of 16 games for Melbourne in the 2019 NRL season as the club claimed the Minor Premiership. In 2021, Welch revealed that he was close to signing with Parrramatta at the end of 2019 but after suffering an ACL injury against Brisbane, the Parramatta club removed the offer.

### 2020

Welch was third time lucky playing in Melbourne's 2020 NRL Grand Final win over Penrith in a 26-20 win. Welch played in games 1 and 3 of Queensland’s shock series victory in the 2020 State of Origin series.

### 2021

Welch played a total of 21 games for Melbourne in the 2021 NRL season as the club won 19 matches in a row and claimed the Minor Premiership. Welch played in two finals matches including the preliminary final where Melbourne suffered a 10-6 loss against eventual premiers Penrith.

### 2022

In round 1 of the 2022 NRL season, Welch was taken from the field during the clubs match against the Wests Tigers. It was later announced that Welch would be ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn Achilles.

### 2023

Welch played 25 games for Melbourne in the 2023 NRL season including all three finals matches as the club were defeated by Penrith in the preliminary final.

### 2024

On 21 August 2024, Welch was inducted as a life member of the Melbourne Storm.

## Statistics

* denotes season still competing

## Honours

Team

- 2016 NRL Grand Final Grand Finalists

- 2018 World Club Challenge Winners

- 2018 NRL Grand Final Grand Finalists

- 2020 NRL Grand Final Premiers

- 2020 State of Origin series Champions

- 2024 Melbourne Storm Life Member


Noise-canceling microphone

# Noise-canceling microphone

## Abstract

A noise-canceling microphone is a microphone that is designed to filter ambient noise.

## Technical details

The development is a special case of the differential microphone topology most commonly used to achieve directionality. All such microphones have at least two ports through which sound enters; a front port normally oriented toward the desired sound and another port that's more distant. The microphone's diaphragm is placed between the two ports; sound arriving from an ambient sound field reaches both ports more or less equally. Sound that's much closer to the front port than to the rear will make more of a pressure gradient between the front and back of the diaphragm, causing it to move more. The microphone's proximity effect is adjusted so that flat frequency response is achieved for sound sources very close to the front of the mic – typically 1 to 3 cm. Sounds arriving from other angles are subject to steep midrange and bass rolloff. Commercially and militarily useful noise-canceling microphones have been made since at least 1935 (Amelia Earhart used one on her 1935 flight from Hawaii to California) and have been made since the 1940s by Roanwell, Electro-Voice and others.

## Alternative technologies

Another technique uses two or more microphones and active or passive circuitry to reduce the noise. The primary microphone is closer to the desired source (like a person's mouth). A second mic receives ambient noise. In a noisy environment, both microphones receive noise at a similar level, but the primary mic receives the desired sounds more strongly. Thus if one signal is subtracted from the other (in the simplest sense, by connecting the microphones out of phase) much of the noise is canceled while the desired sound is retained. Other techniques may be used as well, such as using a directional primary mic, to maximize the difference between the two signals and make the cancellation easier to do.

The internal electronic circuitry of an active noise-canceling mic attempts to subtract noise signal from the primary microphone. The circuit may employ passive or active noise canceling techniques to filter out the noise, producing an output signal that has a lower noise floor and a higher signal-to-noise ratio.

## Applications

- Call center headsets

- Helicopter pilot headsets

- Race car driver headsets

- Shipboard communications

- Video Gaming Headsets


Karl Triana

# Karl Triana

## Abstract

Karl Lewis Triana (born October 7, 1992) is a Colombian former professional baseball pitcher.

## Career

### Arizona Diamondbacks

Triana pitched for the Missoula Osprey of the Rookie-level Pioneer League in 2012. He was promoted to the Hillsboro Hops of the Low–A Northwest League for the 2013 season, but struggled, and was demoted to Missoula.

### Gary SouthShore RailCats

In 2016, Triana pitched for the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the American Association of Professional Baseball. During the season, he threw a no-hitter and set the franchise single-season record for strikeouts.

### Baltimore Orioles

On April 5, 2017, Triana signed a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles organization. He spent the year with the High–A Frederick Keys, where he made 10 appearances and registered a 5.95 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 19 + 2 ⁄ 3 innings pitched. Triana elected free agency following the season on November 10.

## International career

Triana played for the Colombian national baseball team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. For the 2017 season, Triana played for the Québec Capitales of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball.


Murder of Brianna Kupfer

# Murder of Brianna Kupfer

## Abstract

The murder of Brianna Kupfer occurred on January 13, 2022, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. Kupfer, a 24-year-old student at the University of California, Los Angeles, was murdered by Shawn Laval Smith. Smith, a 31-year-old man with an extensive criminal record, stabbed Kupfer to death in the Croft House store where she was working in the Hancock Park neighborhood. A few minutes later, a customer found Kupfer's stabbed body, covered in blood. Kupfer was pronounced dead that day.

The search for the murder suspect became one of the biggest in the Southern California region, with a $250,000 reward offered, drawing public attention and media coverage. On January 19, Smith was found and arrested in Pasadena, California, and charged of first-degree murder with special circumstances and use of a deadly weapon during the commission of the murder. The prosecutor in charge of the case said that Kupfer's murder was motivated by Smith's hatred of women.

In September 2024, a jury of the Los Angeles County found Smith guilty of both charges. Smith faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

## Brianna Kupfer

Brianna Nicole Kupfer was born on April 9, 1997, she was one of four children born to Todd and Lori Kupfer. Kupfer born and raised in Pacific Palisades, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Kupfer attended Brentwood High School, where she was a member of various sports teams, captain of the cheerleading team, and participated in other extracurricular activities. in 2019, Kupfer graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in public relations. Kupfer enrolled in a graduate program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to study architectural design. Kupfer worked as a consultant at Croft House, a luxury furniture store in the neighborhood of Hancock Park.

## Shawn Smith

Shawn Laval Smith was born on May 13, 1990, making him a 31-year-old man at the time of Kupfer's murder. Smith has an extensive criminal record and he was a homeless man. At the time of the crime, Smith was out on bond awaiting trial in South Carolina with the charges of firing a flare gun at a vehicle with a child inside. Crimes committed by Smith include:

- In 2016, Smith was arrested for assaulting a police officer in Charleston, South Carolina.

- In 2021, Smith vandalized a car and was charged with assault a police officer and resisting arrest in Daly City, California.

## Murder

On the afternoon of January 13, 2022, Kupfer was working alone at Croft House. At some point, a man, identified as Shawn Smith, entered the store. Around 1:36 p.m., Kupfer texted a friend saying she was getting "bad vibes" from the man who entered the store. A few minutes later, Smith attacked Kupfer with a knife. Kupfer suffered 46 stab wounds, the autopsy revealed that 26 were stab wounds and 20 were incisions.

20 minutes later of the attack, a customer found Kupfer's stabbed body, covered in blood. The Los Angeles Police Department described the murder as a "random attack of violence". The knife was recovered at the scene, the blade was bent. Smith's DNA was found on the knife. In a surveillance video, Smith was seen walking away from the Croft House store through the back door. Another surveillance video recorded Smith shopping at a nearby 7-Eleven store 30 minutes after Kupfer's killing.

## Criminal proceedings

### Search and arrest

After Smith was identified, an extensive search began throughout the Southern California region. Surveillance videos showing Smith were widely shared with the news media and the public. The Los Angeles City Council offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Smith's arrest. Kupfer's relatives and other private groups increased the reward to $250,000. Signs were made with Smith's photo so that anyone who saw him could call 911.

On January 19, in Pasadena, California, Smith was found and arrested in connection with the murder of Brianna Kupfer. Smith was charged of first-degree murder with special circumstances and use of a deadly weapon during the commission of the murder of Kupfer. Smith's bail was set at $2.000.000.

### Trial

Smith had wanted to represent himself at his murder trial, but Judge Escobedo revoked Smith's right to act as his own attorney at a hearing in June 2023 for misconduct. Smith was represented by Defense Attorney Robert Haberer.

On August 29, 2024, the murder trial started in the Los Angeles County Superior Court with Judge Mildred Escobedo. Los Angeles County Deputy Attorney Habib Balian was in charge of the case. Deputy Attorney Balian said in opening statements that Smith posed as a client to gain Kupfer's trust and then stabbed her to death. Prosecutor presented audio of Smith saying he "hated women". The Defense Attorney Haberer opted not to make an opening statement.

On September 10, 2024, the jury found Shawn Smith guilty of both charges in relation to the murder of Brianna Kupfer. Smith will have a sentencing hearing in October 2024, where he faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

## Reactions

The murder of Brianna Kupfer and the search for her killer were widely reported in the news media and attracted national public attention. The murder was also highly publicized and distributed on social media.

At Croft House, the place where Kupfer worked and was murdered, a memorial was held for her with flowers, cards, and pictures. Family members of Kupfer, founded the "Brianna Kupfer Foundation", a non-profit organization which aims to fight against violence against women and defend victims of violence.


Steak-umm

# Steak-umm

## Abstract

Steak-umm is a brand of thin-sliced frozen steaks manufactured by The Steak-Umm Company, LLC. Steak-umms are sold in supermarkets throughout the United States and are used for making homemade Philadelphia -style cheesesteaks. The company claims to be "the best-known sandwich steak brand in America" and to have "helped turn the regional 'Philly Cheese Steak' Sandwich into standard fare on America's dinner tables over four decades ago". The company also produces ready-to-cook hamburger patties that are available in "Original" and "Sweet Onion" varieties.

Steak-Umm was previously owned by Gagliardi Bros., H.J. Heinz, and Pomfret, Connecticut -based TriFoods International. In 2006, Reading-based Quaker Maid Meats acquired the rights to the Steak-Umm brand name and associated intellectual property. The purchase of the Steak-Umm brand by TriFoods is cited in a formative business judgment rule judgement of a Delaware Chancery Court.

## History

The product was invented in 1968 by food technologist Eugene Gagliardi, who is also credited with inventing popcorn chicken. Gagliardi, who at the time worked at his family's meat-distributing company (Gagliardi Brothers) in West Philadelphia, created the meat as a softer alternative to steak sandwiches of the time. In 1975, the Steak-umm company was started, operating out of a meat-processing plant in West Chester, Pennsylvania, with the name coined by a friend of Gagliardi. The company was sold to H.J. Heinz in 1980 for $20 million, and marketed under its Ore-Ida frozen foods brand.

In April 1994, the Steak-umm brand was acquired by TriFoods International, Inc., a company which Gagliardi founded as Designer Foods, Inc. and held a minority share in. The company was moved from Pennsylvania to Pomfret, Connecticut. In 1996, Gagliardi would sue TriFoods in Delaware Chancery Court, after his employment with the company was terminated and he was removed from his Chairman of the Board position. On May 22, 2006, Quaker Maid Meats purchased the rights to the Steak-umm brand, manufacturing the product in Reading, Pennsylvania.

In July 2009, Steak-umm brought suit against a Philadelphia grocery store and sandwich shop called "Steak'em Up" claiming trademark infringement. In 2012, federal District Judge Lawrence F. Stengel ruled in favor of the owners of Steak'em Up, ruling that the two establishments were not direct competitors and there was no significant evidence that consumers were confused by the names.

## Product description

According to inventor Gene Gagliardi, Steak-umm was created after putting beef through a grinder multiple times, mixing and molding it, freezing it, softening it, then ultimately slicing it.

In the 2012 lawsuit, Judge Lawrence Stengel described the product as "chopped and formed meat product that is comprised of beef trimmings left over after an animal is slaughtered and all of the primary cuts, such as tenderloin, filet, and rib eye, are removed.... The chopped and formed meat is pressed into a loaf and sliced, frozen and packaged."

It is sometimes used as a substitute for chipped beef.

## Twitter account

In 2017, Steak-umm started a campaign to have its Twitter account, @steak_umm, verified with a blue check with the hashtag #VerifySteakUmm. They acquired verified account status on January 15, 2018.

The Twitter account gained even more notoriety during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the growing popularity of brands assuming casual, self-aware Twitter personas. The Steak-Umm account started posting inspirational tweets, jokes, and even getting into some controversy with Neil DeGrasse Tyson. The exact reason(s) for the account's growth in popularity have been the subject of an academic study and dialogue between researchers.


Lomandra brevis

# Lomandra brevis

## Abstract

Lomandra brevis is a species of plant in the Asparagaceae family, first described in 1962 by Alma Theodora Lee.

It is a perennial and is endemic to New South Wales, occurring in the Sydney region in dry sclerophyll forest on sandstone derived soils.

It grows in small dense tussocks. It flowers in both spring and autumn. The male inflorescence is from 10 to 15 cm and is unbranched or has a few short branches, while the female inflorescence is about 5 cm long and is unbranched.


Philadelphia Force

# Philadelphia Force

## Abstract

The Philadelphia Force was a women's professional softball team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. From 2006 to 2009, it played as a member of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league until a failed sale in September 2009 put an end to the team on hiatus and ultimately ended its participation in the NPF. Their home games took place at Bicentennial Park in Allentown.

## History

The Philadelphia Force's inaugural season was in 2006. Two years later, the Force played in the National Pro Fastpitch championship, but were defeated by the Chicago Bandits.

One of the most prominent veterans of the Force was Natasha Watley, who also played in international competition with the United States women's national softball team. She joined the team in 2006, but her time with the Force was limited by national team commitments.

The Philadelphia Force's last season was 2009.