title: Working for Families

abstract: In 2004, the New Zealand Labour government introduced the Working for Families package as part of the 2004 budget. The package, which effectively commenced operating on 1 April 2005, had three primary aims: to make work pay; to ensure income adequacy; and to support people "into work". The main component resembles the United Kingdom Working Tax Credit. Both the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development and Inland Revenue have involvement in jointly delivering the package.

text:
# Working for Families

In 2004, the New Zealand Labour government introduced the **Working for Families** package as part of the 2004 budget. The package, which effectively commenced operating on 1 April 2005, had three primary aims: to make work pay; to ensure income adequacy; and to support people "into work".

The main component resembles the United Kingdom Working Tax Credit.

Both the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development and Inland Revenue have involvement in jointly delivering the package.

## Components of the package

The scheme pays "Working for Families Tax credits" (formerly known as Family Assistance) to families with dependent children to help with the cost of raising a family. Dependent children are defined as aged 18 or under who are not in full-time employment. The Working for Family tax credits include four types of payments:

1. Family tax credit: provides ongoing support for beneficiary and working families with dependent children
2. In-work tax credit: available to working families only
3. Minimum family tax credit: paid to working families to ensure they earn a minimum annual income after tax
4. Best start: paid to assist with the costs of a new baby

The Working for Families package also included additional help with childcare and accommodation, with increases in amounts of the existing Accommodation Supplement and the existing Childcare Assistance.

### Family Tax Credit

Formerly known as Family Support, the Family Tax Credit gets paid to families with dependent children aged 18 or younger. There is no employment requirement to qualify for the Family Tax Credit.

The amount paid depends on:

* total annual family income before tax
* the number of dependent children
* the age of dependent children

The maximum amount of family tax credit increases with the age and number of children. An eldest child garners a higher amount.

For an eldest dependent child aged 16 to 18, the maximum tax credit increases by $13 a week. For dependent children (other than the eldest) aged 13 to 15, the maximum tax credit increases by $8 a week. For dependent children (other than the eldest) aged 16 to 18, the maximum tax credit increases by $29 a week.

### In-work Tax Credit

Formerly known as In-work Payment, the In-Work Tax Credit replaced the Child tax credit from 1 April 2006. It is paid to families with dependent children (aged 18 or younger) who work.

Families do not qualify if they receive a main form of state assistance through social welfare.

From 2006 this amount was paid to a maximum of $60 per week for 1 to 3 children, with an additional $15 per week for the fourth and any additional children (thus a family with five children could receive a maximum of $90 per week). The maximum amount was changed in Budget 2015 to be $72.50 per week, implemented on 1 April 2016.

### Minimum Family Tax Credit

Formerly known as family tax credit, and prior to that as guaranteed minimum family income, the Minimum Family Tax Credit aims to ensure that the total annual income of a family with dependent children 18 or younger, who work the required number of hours per week, does not fall below a set level. The minimum family tax credit usually applies if annual family income is $27,768 or less after tax.

Families must work at least 30 hours a week (for a couple) and 20 hours a week (for a sole parent). They do not qualify if they receive a main form of state assistance through social welfare.

The annual and weekly amounts are amended every tax year.

Families who earn a lesser amount from employment, and who are not receiving an income-tested form of social assistance, will receive a payment equal to the difference between their income and the minimum income level.

### Best Start

Best Start is a payment of $60 a week for families with a new baby. Families who qualify for Best Start will get the payment until their baby turns 1, no matter how much they earn. They can still get Best Start until their child turns 3 if they earn under $93,858.

Parents receiving paid parental leave or income-tested social welfare do not qualify for this payment.

## Assessment of income

The authorities assess income for tax credit purposes based on a "household", which will consist of the pooled resources from up to two adults in any family with dependent children.

Nearly all households earning under $70,000 a year, many households with children earning up to $100,000 a year, and some earning more, qualify to receive assistance.

## Withdrawal of tax credits

The level of assistance to individual households depends on their income and on the number and age of children.

The rate of withdrawal (the abatement rate) for the Family Tax Credit, Parental Tax Credit and the In-Work Tax Credit comprises 20%. An abatement-free threshold of $36,350 exists.

The Minimum Family Tax Credit consists of a "top-up" payment, so that regardless of the amount of income earned, it gets topped up to the minimum amount per week (currently $534 after tax). This comprises effectively a 100% withdrawal with earned income up to the set income-level.

Some New Zealand households also receive money from the increased income-thresholds and rates for Accommodation Supplement and Childcare Assistance. These two types of assistance have separate withdrawal rates.

## Impact and level of take-up

Under current payment rates and abatement rates the New Zealand Government has stated that three out of four families would qualify for extra financial assistance under the Working for Families package.

In the tax year from 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006 approximately 285,000 families received Working for Families Tax Credits. In August 2006 beneficiary families received an average of $110 per week of tax-credits, an increase of $30 per week compared to August 2004. Families paid by Inland Revenue received an average of $138 per week of tax-credits, an increase of $54 per week.

The Former Minister of Social Development and Employment David Benson-Pope stated that Working for Families had made beneficiaries better off by around $31.00 per week, and working families by around $64.00 per week, with the April 2007 increase lifting families' incomes further. Estimates suggest that Working for Families has reduced child poverty by 70% since its introduction. This would equate to at least 70,000 children lifted out of income poverty by Working for Families.

Former Minister David Benson-Pope also stated that Working for Families had made it easier for some women to start work, while in other families it had made it easier for one partner to spend more time at home.

A government evaluation (see below) has found that the number of Domestic Purposes Benefit recipients since the Working for Families package has fallen by 8,000.

## Opinions on the package

The Working for Families package has received a mixed response. Some (such as Victoria University Professor Robert Stephens) have praised the package for encouraging adults to come off benefits, and for targeting families in need.

Others, however, have criticised the package for potentially extending to the relatively wealthy and for increasing effective marginal tax rates for many people. The economist Gareth Morgan, for example, commented on how some (generally middle-income) people can face effective marginal tax rates of over 100%.

The package (with the exception of the family tax credit, accommodation and childcare components) does not extend to families on the Domestic Purposes Benefit, or to families not in work. Critics say this social group will become worse off, and get left further behind (relatively speaking) by not having access to the in-work tax credit and minimum family tax credit components.

The Child Poverty Action Group has commenced legal proceedings against the New Zealand Government for discriminating against those not in employment in the "Working for Families" package. The case focuses on the In-Work Tax Credit and on the Child Tax Credit it replaced. The Action Group estimates that at least 175,000 children have been "left behind". In a judgement from the Human Rights Review Tribunal, it was stated that the in-work tax credit payment is discriminatory, but in this case, is justified. The Action Group are appealing the decision claiming the discrimination is not justified.

Susan St John has supported poverty-prevention over poverty-alleviation, advocating policies such as a simple universal basic payment indexed to wages as well as prices for pensioners – not conditional on work. She criticises the Working for Families package for not delivering extra income until 2005, provided nothing for the poorest in 2006 and only a small increase in 2007. She states: "a large part of Working for Families is based on the flawed logic that all families need to escape poverty is an incentive to get off benefits."

Phil O’Reilly has included Working for Families in a list of alleged low-quality governmental spending that has purportedly contributed to higher interest-rates and lower productivity rates.

Some find the very name of the "Working for Families" package ambiguous. While supporters portray "working for families" as meaning "making efforts for the benefit of families", others interpret the phrase as "\[giving\] families work to perform".

John Key called the scheme "communism by stealth" but did not repeal or cut back the Working for Families tax credits, during his time as Prime Minister.

## Evaluations and research

The first formal government evaluation of the Working for Families package describes public awareness of the package and details classes of recipients of Working for Families entitlements to the end of August 2006. The report cites a high level of awareness of the overall package and a high level of receipt of Working for Families payments, meeting or exceeding original forecasts. Since the introduction of the package, the number of families receiving the Domestic Purposes Benefit has fallen by 8,000; with 2,600 recipients cancelling the benefit since the implementation of the In-Work Tax Credit. – While awareness of the package and its advertising appears high, the evaluation-report found that only around three-quarters of people who believe they receive a tax credit actually did so when matched to administrative records. Further, of the people surveyed who did receive a tax credit only two-thirds realised that they did.

Several articles have addressed the potential or theoretical impacts of the Working for Families package.

One study by Auckland University economist Tim Maloney and American welfare-reform researcher John Fitzgerald found that, on average, working mothers spent an extra three hours a week working after the 2005 and 2006 changes from the Working for Families package. Initial speculation suggested that working hours would fall as the higher income paid to families with dependent children would mean that mothers could spend less time in work. Maloney believes that "some women already working were probably increasing their hours worked in order to qualify for family assistance payments". The authors class the results as preliminary – given the relatively recent introduction of the Working for Families package.

A study found that changes in neither In-Work Tax Credit, nor Family Tax Credit were associated with any meaningful changes in self-rated health, a measure of general health status. However, the study found that each additional year of receiving Family Tax Credit led to a very small reduction in self-rated health, but it did not impact tobacco smoking among parents.

Further evaluations completed by the Ministry of Social Development and Inland Revenue include:

* The summary report of the evaluation of the Working for Families package.
* Receipt of Working for Families
* Receipt of Working for Families – 2007 Update
* Employment incentives for sole parents: Labour market effects of changes to financial incentives and support
* Employment incentives for sole parents: Labour market effects of changes to financial incentives and support. Technical report.

## Timeline

### October 2004

Announcement of the Working for Families package as part of the 2004 Budget. The first changes came into effect from October 2004. Changes included:

* Abatement of Accommodation Supplement removed for beneficiaries
* Accommodation Supplement entry and abatement thresholds increased for non-beneficiaries
* Childcare and OSCAR Subsidy rates increased and aligned, and income thresholds increased

### April 2005

Stage One of Working for Families implementation applied from 1 April 2005 (with a further implementation deliverable released in October 2005). The changes included:

* Family tax credit rates increased by $25 for the first child and $15 for additional children
* The child component of main income-tested benefits moved into the family tax credit amount
* Foster Care Allowance, Unsupported Child’s Benefit and Orphan’s Benefit rates increased by $15 per week
* Accommodation Supplement maximum rates increased in some areas with high housing costs
* Family tax credit became treated as income for Special Benefit, with standard costs set at 70% of main benefit plus family tax credit for people with children
* Childcare and OSCAR Subsidy rates increased by another 10%

### April 2006

Stage Two of Working for Families implementation applied from 1 April 2006. The changes included:

* The in-work tax credit replaced the Child Tax Credit: it pays up to $60 per week for families with three children, and up to an extra $15 per week for each other child
* The minimum family tax credit threshold increased from $15,080 to $17,680
* A single higher abatement threshold of $35,000 replaces the two family tax credit abatement thresholds of $20,356 and $27,481
* The 18% abatement rate applying to the lower abatement threshold for family tax credit vanishes completely and the 30% rate applying to the higher abatement threshold reduces to 20%
* Introduction of the Temporary Additional Support to replace Special Benefit.

### April 2007

Stage Three involves the final components of Working for Families implementation and applied from 1 April 2007. The changes include:

* Family tax-credit rates increased by $10 per week per child
* The income-threshold for the minimum family tax-credit increased to $18,044
* Regular inflation-adjustment put in the Income Tax Act 2007 to prevent the erosion of payments over time. Family tax credit amounts and abatement-free threshold to increase when inflation reaches a cumulative five per cent. Minimum family tax credit to be reviewed annually. In-work tax credit and parental tax credit to be reviewed every three years.

### April 2008

* The after-tax income threshold for the minimum family tax credit increased to $18,460

### October 2008

While the package had been completely implemented with the final stage on 1 April 2007, the Income Tax Act 2007 provided for regular adjustments to rates based on cumulative movements in the New Zealand Consumer Price Index; a minimum movement of 5% was required before rates would be amended. These increases would apply from the following 1 April of a year when a change was triggered based on actual data published by Statistics New Zealand.

As part of the 2008 Budget, the Labour Government amended the Income Tax Act 2007 to increase the rates of family tax credit and the abatement-free level by an anticipated movement in Consumer Price Index of 5.22%. The increases would occur from 1 October 2008. This has required the Inland Revenue department to develop composite rates and income limits for the tax year 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 (the average between the annual amount before 1 October 2008 and the annual amount after 1 October 2008 inflation adjustment).

* The previous abatement-free threshold was $35,000. From 1 October 2008 it increased to $36,827. The composite threshold for the year was $35,914

### April 2009

* The after-tax income threshold for the minimum family tax credit increased to $20,540

### April 2010

* The after-tax income threshold for the minimum family tax credit increased to $20,800

### October 2010

As part of the 2010 Budget, the National Government amended the Income Tax Act 2007 to increase the amounts of family tax credit by an anticipated movement in Consumer Price Index of 2%; the expected result of the increase in GST rate from 12.5% to 15%. The increases apply from 1 October 2010. Composite amounts and income limits for the tax year 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 apply.

The indexation of the abatement-free threshold for Working for Families tax credits has been removed from the Income Tax Act 2007 and the abatement-free threshold will remain at $36,827. Future indexation of the family tax credit rates will ignore any price movement relating to tobacco in the Consumers Price Index.

### April 2011

* The after-tax income threshold for the minimum family tax credit increased to $22,204

## Bibliography

* *New Zealand Government and Politics*, edited by Raymond Miller, 4th edition, 2006, Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-558492-9


title: Working for America Institute

abstract: The Working for America Institute (WAI) is a non-profit organization that is an allied organization of the AFL–CIO. It promotes economic development, develops new economic policies, and lobbies the United States Congress on economic policy. It was established in 1958 as the Human Resources Development Institute (HRDI) of the AFL–CIO. The AFL–CIO changed its name, structure and goals in 1998 as part of a large AFL–CIO restructuring. WAI receives financial support from the federal government, private foundations and the AFL–CIO.

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# Working for America Institute

The **Working for America Institute** (**WAI**) is a non-profit organization that is an allied organization of the AFL–CIO. It promotes economic development, develops new economic policies, and lobbies the United States Congress on economic policy.

It was established in 1958 as the Human Resources Development Institute (HRDI) of the AFL–CIO. The AFL–CIO changed its name, structure and goals in 1998 as part of a large AFL–CIO restructuring.

WAI receives financial support from the federal government, private foundations and the AFL–CIO.

* Gilroy, Tom. "Labor to Stress Get-Out-the-Vote Among Members in Fall Elections." *Labor Relations Week*. October 21, 1998.

## InfoBox

Working for America Institute
| Working for America Institute | |
| --- | --- |
|
| Founded | 1958 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
| Location |  |
| Key people | Nancy Mills, executive director |
| Affiliations | AFL–CIO |
| Website | www.workingforamerica.org |


title: Mullaitivu Electoral District

abstract: Mullaitivu Electoral District was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between July 1977 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Mullaitivu in Mullaitivu District, Northern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Mullaitivu electoral district was replaced by the Vanni multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the PR system, though Mullaitivu continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.

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# Mullaitivu Electoral District

**Mullaitivu Electoral District** was an electoral district of Sri Lanka between July 1977 and February 1989. The district was named after the town of Mullaitivu in Mullaitivu District, Northern Province. The 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka introduced the proportional representation electoral system for electing members of Parliament. The existing 160 mainly single-member electoral districts were replaced with 22 multi-member electoral districts. Mullaitivu electoral district was replaced by the Vanni multi-member electoral district at the 1989 general elections, the first under the PR system, though Mullaitivu continues to be a polling division of the multi-member electoral district.

## Members of Parliament

**Key**

TULF

| Election | | Member | Party | Term |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | 1977 | X. M. Sellathambu | Tamil United Liberation Front | 1977-1989 |

## Elections

### 1977 Parliamentary General Election

Results of the 8th parliamentary election held on 21 July 1977 for the district:

| Candidate | | Party | Symbol | Votes | % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | X. M. Sellathambu | Tamil United Liberation Front | Sun | 10,261 | 52.36% |
|  | P. Chandrasekar | Independent | Pair of Scales | 7,632 | 38.95% |
|  | R. Vickkinarasa |  | Ladder | 977 | 4.99% |
|  | V. Santhirasenan |  | Bell | 726 | 3.70% |
| **Valid Votes** | | | | **19,596** | **100.00%** |
| Rejected Votes | | | | 76 |  |
| Total Polled | | | | 19,672 |  |
| Registered Electors | | | | 24,698 |  |
| Turnout | | | | 79.65% |

X. M. Sellathambu and all other TULF MPs boycotted Parliament from the middle of 1983 for a number of reasons: they were under pressure from Sri Lankan Tamil militants not to stay in Parliament beyond their normal six-year term; the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka required them to swear an oath unconditionally renouncing support for a separate state; and the Black July riots in which up to 3,000 Tamils were murdered by Sinhalese mobs. After three months of absence, Sellathambu forfeited his seat in Parliament on 21 October 1983.


title: Worried well

abstract: The worried well is a term that describes persons who are in relatively good health but believe themselves to be ill or likely to get an illness based on a current circumstance. As a collective noun, the term is typically used for groups of patients, not clearly defined, who are perceived to be using health services inappropriately or disproportionately. The phenomenon is also known as worried well syndrome. The worried well are within ICD-10 code Z71.1—"Person with feared complaint in whom no diagnosis is made." They are distinct from those suffering from hypochondriasis, whose health concerns are chronic and rise to the level of a psychiatric condition; in contrast, anxiety experienced by worried well patients is usually caused by a specific event.

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# Worried well

The **worried well** is a term that describes persons who are in relatively good health but believe themselves to be ill or likely to get an illness based on a current circumstance. As a collective noun, the term is typically used for groups of patients, not clearly defined, who are perceived to be using health services inappropriately or disproportionately.

The phenomenon is also known as **worried well syndrome**. The worried well are within ICD-10 code Z71.1—"Person with feared complaint in whom no diagnosis is made."

They are distinct from those suffering from hypochondriasis (health anxiety), whose health concerns are chronic and rise to the level of a psychiatric condition; in contrast, anxiety experienced by worried well patients is usually caused by a specific event.

## Etymology

The term *worried well*, according to the *Oxford English Dictionary*, was first used in a 1970 *Scientific American* article by physician Sidney Garfield, who described a "variable entry mix into medical care consisting of (1) the well, (2) the ‘worried well’, (3) the ‘early sick’ and (4) the sick."

In 1997, *The Times* wrote that "Mental health experts...have...nicknamed them the ‘worried well’—too disturbed to sail through life's challenges but too well to warrant medical treatment."

## Causes, issues, and examples

Reasons for the presentation of worried-well syndrome may vary. The anxiety that the worried-well experience is likely related to the information to which people are regularly exposed and the uncertainties that arise as result. Any event, be it factual or fictional, can lead to anxiety in worried-well patients.

In 1976, Sidney Garfield and others explained in the *New England Journal of Medicine* how the "worried well" posed challenges in delivering healthcare.

In the 1980s, government campaigns following the arrival of AIDS in the United Kingdom provided genitourinary clinics with drastic increases in the amount of patients wanting to get tested for HIV. However, those testing positive for HIV hardly rose at all; evidently, many of those who tested negative had little to no risk for infection anyway, but had disproportionate anxiety about possibly contracting the virus.

In 2001, following the news of Anthrax being discovered at the Brentwood mail facility in Washington, DC, the George Washington University Hospital received hundreds of walk-ins. Also that year, during a U.S. congressional hearing on "risk communication," Representative Chris Shays stated that, "Driven by fear alone, hordes of the 'worried well' could overwhelm emergency rooms and clinics, impeding diagnosis and treatment of the genuinely ill."

In 2014, following the death of a patient from Ebola in Texas, visits to emergency departments in Metropolitan Dallas–Fort Worth increased by over 1000 per day.

In 2017, research by Imperial College London discovered that the worried well in the UK may be costing 56,000,000 (US$72,000,000) to the National Health Service because of unnecessary appointments with general practitioners. They estimated that up to 1 in 5 people attending medical clinics had abnormal health anxiety, which has possibly been worsened with the increase in cyberchondria—people who have researched their symptoms online and use it as evidence that they have a life-threatening disease.

The idea has also been discussed in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, as there has been concern that 'worried-well' patients could place significant strain on healthcare resources. For instance, experiencing overwhelming numbers of residents concerned about their health, some health officials have found it necessary to establish criteria under which residents could get tested to preserve supply. As result, when Hayward, California, for example, offered free COVID-19 testing, ultimately 9 out of 10 walk-in residents and 4 out of 5 drive-in residents were denied tests on the opening day (24 March 2020).

Prevalence of the 'worried-well' may also come as a side-effect of the pandemic, as suggested by Pamela Aaltonen—professor emerita of nursing in Purdue University's College of Health and Human Sciences:

> One concern during a pandemic is that it is not easy, and sometimes even risky, to seek in-person health care. Conversations individuals might typically be having with one’s health care providers are not occurring and clarity of the meaning of symptoms are left undiscussed. The use of telemedicine is filling this gap in some communities.

## Criticism

The negative connotations associated with the perceived feelings of inappropriate use of health services has led some to advocate for the term to not be used, arguing that it reflects the idea of there being a 'deserving' and 'undeserving' class of people. In fact, labelling patients with the term can lead to dismissing those who may:

* present with a worrying symptom that later turns out to have no worrying cause;
* have a real physical illness; or
* have severe health anxiety and therefore a mental illness requiring medical treatment.

In his February 2020 paper in the *British Journal of General Practice*, general practitioner Denis Pereira Gray states:

> For doctors, it is wrong to imply that worry in patients does not matter and is a lesser symptom than others. The implication of the phrase is that pathologically based disease is more important than emotionally based disease, so the phrase reflects old-fashioned ideas about mental health being less important than physical health.


title: Muhammad Noor Meskanzai

abstract: Muhammad Noor Meskanzai was a Pakistani judge who served as the 17th Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court. Prior to his appointment as chief justice of the Islamic Court on 15 May 2021, he served as the 18th chief justice of Balochistan High Court from 26 December 2014 to 31 August 2018. He was assassinated by an outlawed insurgent group in his hometown. His killer was arrested 2 weeks after his assassination and is now under investigation of ISI, so the facilitators of murder and other suspects could also be arrested in the case. The president of Pakistan appointed him as the chief justice of Shariat Court for the term of one year three days before his retirement from the legal services. He was critically injured on 14 October 2022 when he was shot outside a mosque in Kharan, Pakistan. Later he died at a nearby hospital.

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# Muhammad Noor Meskanzai

**Muhammad Noor Meskanzai** (Urdu: محمد نور مسکانزئی; 1September 1956 – 14 October 2022) was a Pakistani judge who served as the 17th Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court. Prior to his appointment as chief justice of the Islamic Court on 15 May 2021, he served as the 18th chief justice of Balochistan High Court from 26 December 2014 to 31 August 2018. He was assassinated by an outlawed insurgent group in his hometown. His killer was arrested 2 weeks after his assassination and is now under investigation of ISI, so the facilitators of murder and other suspects could also be arrested in the case.

The president of Pakistan appointed him as the chief justice of Shariat Court for the term of one year three days before his retirement from the legal services. He was critically injured on 14 October 2022 when he was shot outside a mosque in Kharan, Pakistan. Later he died at a nearby hospital.

## Earlier life

Meskanzai was born in Kharan, Pakistan to Dr. Molvi Muhammad Qasim Aini Baloch. He did his early schooling from the Government Middle School (in modern-day High School), Kunri. The school was founded by his father and was the first private educational institution in the area. It was later recognised by the Education Commission of Pakistan between 1951 and 1952. He did his matriculation from the same school and later went to Quetta. He obtained his F.A. from the Government Degree College, Quetta and B.A., and B.Ed. from the University of Balochistan. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws from the University Law College, Quetta in 1979–1980.

## Career

Meskanzai started his legal practice in September 1981 and was subsequently appointed a legal advisor to Customs for Makran Division, and Makran Scout at Turbat. He also served as a member of the Panel of Legal Advisors to PTCL Makran Division. Justice Meskanzai was appointed assistant advocate general for Balochistan, Pakistan where he remained in the office from June to December, 1998. He was then elected as vice chairman of the Balochistan Bar Council from the 24 March 2005 to 24 March 2006.

Meskanzai was invited by International Lawyers Club United Kingdom to London as a chief guest in 2019. He remained a member of various judicial organizations such as the National Judicial Policy Making Committee, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, Advisory Board of Al Mizan Foundation, Council of Trustees & Selection Board of the International Islamic University Islamabad, Administration Committee of Al-Mizan Foundation, Board of Governors, and Board of Trustees.

In April 2022, he authored the landmark judgment that declared the riba-based (interest-based) banking system against the application of Sharia in Pakistan.

## Death

Meskanzai was fatally shot inside a mosque when he was performing ISHA prayer in (Masjid Ayesha) Balochistan's Kharan area, on 14 October 2022. Kharan's Superintendent of Police Asif Halim told Dawn News that unidentified assailants opened fire at him inside the mosque when he was performing ISHA prayer, which left Maskanzai gravely injured. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died of his injuries.

According to the Voice of America Urdu, the Balochistan Liberation Army accepted responsibility for his killing, calling him a 'high profile target.'

## InfoBox

| Muhammad Noor Meskanzai | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| 17th Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court | |
| **In office**
15 May 2021  15 May 2022 | |
| Nominated by | Arif Alvi |
| Preceded by | Najam ul Hasan |
| 18th Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court | |
| **In office**
26 December 2014  31 August 2018 | |
| Nominated by | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Preceded by | Ghulam Mustafa Mengal |
| Succeeded by | Tahira Safdar |
| Chairperson of Balochistan Bar Council | |
| **In office**
24 March 2005  24 March 2006 | |
|  | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1956-09-01)1 September 1956
Kharan, Balochistan, Pakistan |
| Died | 14 October 2022(2022-10-14) (aged 66)
Kharan, Balochistan, Pakistan |
| Alma mater | University of Balochistan (BA)
University Law College, Quetta (LL.B) |
|  | |


title: Wouter Fok

abstract: Wouter Fok is a Dutch former professional tennis player. A five-time national doubles champion, Fok debuted for the Netherlands Davis Cup team against Greece in 1977 and secured the tie with a reverse singles win over Nikolaos Kelaidis. He also featured against Norway in 1978. Fok, a left-handed player, twice featured in the singles main draw of the ABN World Tennis Tournament. In 1978 he had an upset win over Dutch number one Tom Okker at a tournament in Mook.

text:
# Wouter Fok

**Wouter Fok** (born 30 September 1954) is a Dutch former professional tennis player.

A five-time national doubles champion, Fok debuted for the Netherlands Davis Cup team against Greece in 1977 and secured the tie with a reverse singles win over Nikolaos Kelaidis. He also featured against Norway in 1978.

Fok, a left-handed player, twice featured in the singles main draw of the ABN World Tennis Tournament. In 1978 he had an upset win over Dutch number one Tom Okker at a tournament in Mook.

## InfoBox

Wouter Fok
|  | |
| --- | --- |
| Country (sports) | Netherlands |
| Born | (1954-09-30) 30 September 1954 |
| Plays | Left-handed |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1–3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 314 (3 Jan 1979) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 2–4 |


title: Worthington, Kentucky

abstract: Worthington is a home rule-class city on the south bank of the Ohio River in Greenup County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,609 as of the 2010 U.S. census. Worthington is a part of the Huntington-Ashland-Ironton metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 287,702.

text:
# Worthington, Kentucky

**Worthington** is a home rule-class city on the south bank of the Ohio River in Greenup County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,609 as of the 2010 U.S. census.

Worthington is a part of the Huntington-Ashland-Ironton metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 287,702.

## History

The site of the present city was once owned by Abraham Buford, who sold the land to the Means and Russell Iron Company. This company sold the land to W. J. Worthington, who was William O. Bradley's lieutenant governor from 1895 to 1899. After his death, the property was given to his daughters, who founded the present town and named it for their father.

Worthington was incorporated as a city by the Kentucky General Assembly on February 5, 1920.

## Geography

Worthington is located in eastern Greenup County at 38°33′2″N 82°44′5″W / 38.55056°N 82.73472°W / 38.55056; -82.73472 (38.550616, -82.734694), on the south bank of the Ohio River. It is bordered to the west by Wurtland, to the south by Raceland, and to the east by Russell. Directly across the river is the village of Hanging Rock, Ohio, but the closest river crossing is the Oakley C. Collins Memorial Bridge 3 miles (5 km) to the southeast, connecting Russell with Ironton, Ohio.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Worthington has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km2), of which 1.1 square miles (2.9 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2), or 7.03%, is water.

## Demographics

Historical population
| Census | Pop. | Note |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1930 | 843 |  |  |
| 1940 | 918 |  | 8.9% |
| 1950 | 695 |  | −24.3% |
| 1960 | 1,235 |  | 77.7% |
| 1970 | 1,364 |  | 10.4% |
| 1980 | 1,948 |  | 42.8% |
| 1990 | 1,751 |  | −10.1% |
| 2000 | 1,673 |  | −4.5% |
| 2010 | 1,609 |  | −3.8% |
| 2020 | 1,501 |  | −6.7% |
| U.S. Decennial Census | | | |

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,673 people, 663 households, and 519 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,427.1 inhabitants per square mile (551.0/km2). There were 698 housing units at an average density of 595.4 per square mile (229.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 98.74% White, 0.06% African American, 0.06% Asian, 0.36% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.78% of the population.

There were 663 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,875, and the median income for a family was $39,737. Males had a median income of $35,324 versus $19,643 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,239. About 7.8% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

## Education

The city sits within the Raceland-Worthington Independent School District, which also includes the neighboring city of Raceland. All of the district's schools, including Raceland-Worthington High School, are located at the district's main campus in Raceland.

## Ashland Regional Airport

Located in Worthington, and named for nearby Ashland, the Ashland Regional Airport was once used extensively by the oil manufacturing company Ashland Inc. before the company's corporate headquarters was moved from Russell to Covington. Currently, the airport serves local charter and private aircraft. Recently, community events, such as car and air shows, have also taken place at the airport.

The current Ohio River backwater called the Gravel Pit was a sand and pea gravel quarry from the 1930s until the construction of the Greenup Lock and Dam in 1962.

## Notable person

## InfoBox

| Worthington, Kentucky | |
| --- | --- |
| City | |
| Location of Worthington in Greenup County, Kentucky. | |
| Coordinates: 38°33′2″N 82°44′5″W / 38.55056°N 82.73472°W / 38.55056; -82.73472 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kentucky |
| County | Greenup |
| Incorporated | February 5, 1920 |
| Named for | William Jackson Worthington, a local landowner |
| Government | |
| Mayor | W. Jason Flocker |
| Area | |
| Total | 1.25 sq mi (3.23 km2) |
| Land | 1.14 sq mi (2.94 km2) |
| Water | 0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2) |
| Elevation | 561 ft (171 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| Total | 1,501 |
| Density | 1,321.30/sq mi (510.17/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 41183 |
| Area code | 606 |
| FIPS code | 21-84864 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0507152 |
| Website | www.worthingtonky.org |


title: Mujo Muković

abstract: Mujo Muković is a politician in Serbia from the country's Bosniak community. He has served four terms in the National Assembly of Serbia and was at one time a secretary of state in the country's government. For many years a prominent member of the Sandžak Democratic Party, he founded the breakaway Bosniak People's Party in 2012.

text:
# Mujo Muković

**Mujo Muković** (Serbian Cyrillic: Мујо Муковић; born 15 August 1963) is a politician in Serbia from the country's Bosniak community. He has served four terms in the National Assembly of Serbia and was at one time a secretary of state in the country's government. For many years a prominent member of the Sandžak Democratic Party (*Sandžačka demokratska partija*, SDP), he founded the breakaway Bosniak People's Party (*Bošnjačka Narodna Stranka*, BNS) in 2012.

## Early life and private career

Muković was born in Tutin, in the Sandžak region of what was then the Socialist Republic of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. A gifted student, he graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Civil Engineering, acquiring the title of Bachelor of Civil Engineering - Master, and has worked in construction for the municipality of Tutin.

## Politics

After multi-party politics was re-introduced to Serbia in 1990, Muković became a member of Party of Democratic Action of Sandžak (*Stranka demokratske akcije Sandžaka*, SDA), which was at the time the only Bosniak party in Serbia. He left that party in 1996 to join the Sandžak Coalition, which in 2000 became the SDP. Muković was chosen as deputy leader of the latter group.

### First parliamentary term (2001–04)

In 2000, the SDP became part of the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (*Demokratska opozicija Srbije*, DOS), a broad and ideologically diverse coalition of parties opposed to Slobodan Milošević's administration. Muković was the SDP's main representative on the DOS's electoral list in the 2000 Serbian parliamentary election, appearing in the seventeenth position. The list won a landslide victory with 176 out of 250 seats, and Muković was given a mandate when the new assembly convened in January 2001. (From 2000 to 2011, all mandates in Serbian parliamentary election were distributed to candidates on successful lists at the discretion of sponsoring parties or coalitions, irrespective of numerical order. Muković was not automatically elected by virtue of his list position but received a mandate all the same.) During his term, he was a member of the committee on inter-ethnic relations and the committee on constitutional affairs.

Early in his term, Muković credited the SDP with ensuring Serbia's recognition of Muslims \[Bosniaks\] as a nationality in the country's law on national minorities. In October 2001, he called for fair representation of Bosniaks in the Novi Pazar police department and for Sandžak policemen who had been fired under Milošević's regime to be given their jobs back; the following year, he accused the government on inaction on this front. He criticized's Serbia's new law on local self-administration in early 2002, saying that it provided only minor changes to the existing system.

In June 2002, Muković was one of nine Serbian parliamentarians appointed to a commission for drafting the constitutional charter of the planned State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. He described the appointment as an important step for Bosniaks and for the Sandžak region. At one stage, the SDP threatened to resign from the commission on the grounds that the proposed draft did not provide adequate guarantees on human and minority rights; ultimately, however, Muković remained a member and supported the final document. He later served on a similar commission for Serbia at the republic level, although he quit the group after the SDP's minimum demands were not met.

Muković announced in August 2002 that the SDP would support Miroljub Labus's candidacy in the following month's Serbian presidential election. The election was ultimately invalidated due to low turnout.

The SDP contested the 2003 Serbian parliamentary election as part of the Together for Tolerance (*Zajedno za toleranciju*, ZZT) alliance, and Muković appeared in the 140th position on a list that was mostly alphabetical. The list failed to cross the electoral threshold, and his first term in the assembly ended in January 2004.

Serbia briefly introduced the direct election of mayors for the 2004 Serbian local elections. Muković ran as the SDP's candidate in Tutin and was defeated.

### Second parliamentary term and Secretary of State (2007–2011)

For the 2007 parliamentary election, the SDP joined the electoral list of the Democratic Party (*Demokratska stranka*, DS). Muković appeared on the list and was given a mandate for a second term when the DS alliance won sixty-four seats. In the immediate aftermath of the 2007 election, Tomislav Nikolić of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (*Srpska radikalna stranka*, SRS) was elected as speaker of the assembly. The SDP delegates boycotted the vote; Muković later accused some political parties "hitherto ... of the democratic bloc, at least on paper," of permitting Nikolić's election to occur. The DS ultimately formed a coalition government with the rival Democratic Party of Serbia (*Demokratska stranka Srbije*, DSS) and G17 Plus, and Muković served as an administration supporter.

Muković was a member of the assembly's defense and security committee during his second term; in this capacity, he sought the removal of the Mehov Krš security checkpoint between Serbia and Montenegro (which had declared independence in 2006), on the grounds that local residents were required to cross the border on a daily basis. He also served on the committee on interethnic relations and the committee on urbanism and construction.

The DS–DSS coalition fell apart in early 2008, and a new parliamentary election was held in May of that year. Muković appeared on the DS's *For a European Serbia* (*Za evropsku Srbiju*, ZES) list, which won 102 seats. He was not given a mandate for a third term but was later appointed as a secretary of state in Serbia's ministry of infrastructure.

In June 2009, Muković indicated that the SDP would support Serbia's regional development bill if the municipalities of the Sandžak were included as a single region.

### Departure from the SDP and return to parliament (2011–16)

Muković announced his resignation from the SDP in February 2011, accusing the party of failing to take responsibility for its recent defeat in elections for the Bosniak National Council and of losing its relevance in the Sandžak. He also resigned as a secretary of state, saying that Serbia's government was enacting a discriminatory policy toward Bosniaks and the Sandžak region. He later established a new political movement, which was formally established as the Bosniak People's Party in January 2012. He was elected as the party's president at its founding convention.

The BNS contested the 2012 Serbian parliamentary election as part of the *Let's Get Serbia Moving* alliance led by the Serbian Progressive Party (*Srpska napredna stranka*, SNS). Serbia's electoral laws had been reformed in 2011, such that mandates were awarded in numerical order to candidates on successful lists; Muković was given the twentieth position on the SNS list and was elected to a third assembly term when the list won seventy-three seats. The SNS formed a coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia (*Socijalistička partija Srbije*, SPS) and other parties after the election, and Muković again served as a government supporter. He was a member of the assembly's committee on spatial planning, transport, infrastructure, and telecommunications; a deputy member of the committee on economy, regional development, trade, tourism, and energy; the leader of Serbia's parliamentary friendship group with Bosnia and Herzegovina; and a member of the friendship groups with Iran, Luxembourg, and Turkey.

He received the forty-seventh position on the SNS's list in the 2014 parliamentary election and was re-elected when the list won a majority victory with 158 seats. He remained a member of the spatial planning committee; served on the committee on labour, social affairs, social inclusion, and poverty reduction; was a deputy member of the committee on constitutional affairs and legislation; headed Serbia's parliamentary friendship group with Iraq; and was a member of the friendship groups with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Luxembourg, Montenegro, and Turkey.

He was not a candidate in the 2016 parliamentary election. He appeared in the second position on the BNS's list for the Tutin municipal assembly in the concurrent 2016 local elections; the list did not cross the threshold to win assembly representation.

## Electoral record

### Municipal (Tutin)

**2004 Municipality of Tutin local election: Mayor of Tutin**
| Candidate | | Party | Votes | % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | Šemsudin Kučević | *List for Sandžak* (Affiliation: Party of Democratic Action of Sandžak) | 8,588 | 59.33 |
|  | **Mujo Muković** | Sandžak Democratic Party | 2,882 | 19.91 |
|  | Šerif Hamzagić | G17 Plus | 1,226 | 8.47 |
|  | Sead Ademović | Strength of Serbia Movement | 820 | 5.66 |
|  | Mithat Eminović | People's Movement of Sandžak | 809 | 5.59 |
|  | Osman Bejtović | Citizens' Group | 151 | 1.04 |
| Total | | | 14,476 | 100.00 |
|  | | | | |
| Source: | | | | |


title: World Rugby Team of the Year

abstract: The World Rugby Team of the Year is awarded by the World Rugby in the spring each year. From 2004 to 2007, the award was called the IRB International Team of the Year. In 2017 the New Zealand Black Ferns became the first women's team to win the award beating nominees England and the All Blacks.

text:
# World Rugby Team of the Year

The **World Rugby Team of the Year** is awarded by the World Rugby in the spring each year. From 2004 to 2007, the award was called the **IRB International Team of the Year**. In 2017 the New Zealand Black Ferns became the first women's team to win the award beating nominees England and the All Blacks.

## List of winners

| Year | Winner |
| --- | --- |
| 2001 | Australia |
| 2002 | France |
| 2003 | England |
| 2004 | South Africa |
| 2005 | New Zealand |
| 2006 | New Zealand |
| 2007 | South Africa |
| 2008 | New Zealand |
| 2009 | South Africa |
| 2010 | New Zealand |
| 2011 | New Zealand |
| 2012 | New Zealand |
| 2013 | New Zealand |
| 2014 | New Zealand |
| 2015 | New Zealand |
| 2016 | New Zealand |
| 2017 | New Zealand (women's) |
| 2018 | Ireland |
| 2019 | South Africa |

## Other World Rugby Awards

## InfoBox

| World Rugby Team of the Year | |
| --- | --- |
| Presented by | World Rugby |
| First awarded | 2001 |
| Last awarded | 2019 |


title: Multimodal interaction

abstract: Multimodal interaction provides the user with multiple modes of interacting with a system. A multimodal interface provides several distinct tools for input and output of data. Multimodal human-computer interaction involves natural communication with virtual and physical environments. It facilitates free and natural communication between users and automated systems, allowing flexible input and output. Multimodal fusion combines inputs from different modalities, addressing ambiguities. Two major groups of multimodal interfaces focus on alternate input methods and combined input/output. Multiple input modalities enhance usability, benefiting users with impairments. Mobile devices often employ XHTML+Voice for input. Multimodal biometric systems use multiple biometrics to overcome limitations. Multimodal sentiment analysis involves analyzing text, audio, and visual data for sentiment classification. GPT-4, a multimodal language model, integrates various modalities for improved language understanding. Multimodal output systems present information through visual and auditory cues, using touch and olfaction. Multimodal fusion integrates information from different modalities, employing recognition-based, decision-based, and hybrid multi-level fusion. Ambiguities in multimodal input are addressed through prevention, a-posterior resolution, and approximation resolution methods.

text:
# Multimodal interaction

**Multimodal interaction** provides the user with multiple modes of interacting with a system. A **multimodal** interface provides several distinct tools for input and output of data.

Multimodal human-computer interaction involves natural communication with virtual and physical environments. It facilitates free and natural communication between users and automated systems, allowing flexible input (speech, handwriting, gestures) and output (speech synthesis, graphics). Multimodal fusion combines inputs from different modalities, addressing ambiguities.

Two major groups of multimodal interfaces focus on alternate input methods and combined input/output. Multiple input modalities enhance usability, benefiting users with impairments. Mobile devices often employ XHTML+Voice for input. Multimodal biometric systems use multiple biometrics to overcome limitations. Multimodal sentiment analysis involves analyzing text, audio, and visual data for sentiment classification. GPT-4, a multimodal language model, integrates various modalities for improved language understanding. Multimodal output systems present information through visual and auditory cues, using touch and olfaction. Multimodal fusion integrates information from different modalities, employing recognition-based, decision-based, and hybrid multi-level fusion.

Ambiguities in multimodal input are addressed through prevention, a-posterior resolution, and approximation resolution methods.

## Introduction

Multimodal human-computer interaction refers to the "interaction with the virtual and physical environment through natural modes of communication", This implies that multimodal interaction enables a more free and natural communication, interfacing users with automated systems in both input and output. Specifically, multimodal systems can offer a flexible, efficient and usable environment allowing users to interact through input modalities, such as speech, handwriting, hand gesture and gaze, and to receive information by the system through output modalities, such as speech synthesis, smart graphics and other modalities, opportunely combined. Then a multimodal system has to recognize the inputs from the different modalities combining them according to temporal and contextual constraints in order to allow their interpretation. This process is known as multimodal fusion, and it is the object of several research works from the nineties to now. The fused inputs are interpreted by the system. Naturalness and flexibility can produce more than one interpretation for each different modality (channel) and for their simultaneous use, and they consequently can produce multimodal ambiguity generally due to imprecision, noises or other similar factors. For solving ambiguities, several methods have been proposed. Finally the system returns to the user outputs through the various modal channels (disaggregated) arranged according to a consistent feedback (fission). The pervasive use of mobile devices, sensors and web technologies can offer adequate computational resources to manage the complexity implied by the multimodal interaction. "Using cloud for involving shared computational resources in managing the complexity of multimodal interaction represents an opportunity. In fact, cloud computing allows delivering shared scalable, configurable computing resources that can be dynamically and automatically provisioned and released".

## Multimodal input

Two major groups of multimodal interfaces have merged, one concerned in alternate input methods and the other in combined input/output. The first group of interfaces combined various user input modes beyond the traditional keyboard and mouse input/output, such as speech, pen, touch, manual gestures, gaze and head and body movements. The most common such interface combines a visual modality (e.g. a display, keyboard, and mouse) with a voice modality (speech recognition for input, speech synthesis and recorded audio for output). However other modalities, such as pen-based input or haptic input/output may be used. Multimodal user interfaces are a research area in human-computer interaction (HCI).

The advantage of multiple input modalities is increased usability: the weaknesses of one modality are offset by the strengths of another. On a mobile device with a small visual interface and keypad, a word may be quite difficult to type but very easy to say (e.g. Poughkeepsie). Consider how you would access and search through digital media catalogs from these same devices or set top boxes. And in one real-world example, patient information in an operating room environment is accessed verbally by members of the surgical team to maintain an antiseptic environment, and presented in near realtime aurally and visually to maximize comprehension.

Multimodal input user interfaces have implications for accessibility. A well-designed multimodal application can be used by people with a wide variety of impairments. Visually impaired users rely on the voice modality with some keypad input. Hearing-impaired users rely on the visual modality with some speech input. Other users will be "situationally impaired" (e.g. wearing gloves in a very noisy environment, driving, or needing to enter a credit card number in a public place) and will simply use the appropriate modalities as desired. On the other hand, a multimodal application that requires users to be able to operate all modalities is very poorly designed.

The most common form of input multimodality in the market makes use of the XHTML+Voice (aka X+V) Web markup language, an open specification developed by IBM, Motorola, and Opera Software. X+V is currently under consideration by the W3C and combines several W3C Recommendations including XHTML for visual markup, VoiceXML for voice markup, and XML Events, a standard for integrating XML languages. Multimodal browsers supporting X+V include IBM WebSphere Everyplace Multimodal Environment, Opera for Embedded Linux and Windows, and ACCESS Systems NetFront for Windows Mobile. To develop multimodal applications, software developers may use a software development kit, such as IBM WebSphere Multimodal Toolkit, based on the open source Eclipse framework, which includes an X+V debugger, editor, and simulator.

### Multimodal biometrics

Multimodal biometric systems use multiple sensors or biometrics to overcome the limitations of unimodal biometric systems. For instance iris recognition systems can be compromised by aging irises and electronic fingerprint recognition can be worsened by worn-out or cut fingerprints. While unimodal biometric systems are limited by the integrity of their identifier, it is unlikely that several unimodal systems will suffer from identical limitations. Multimodal biometric systems can obtain sets of information from the same marker (i.e., multiple images of an iris, or scans of the same finger) or information from different biometrics (requiring fingerprint scans and, using voice recognition, a spoken passcode).

Multimodal biometric systems can fuse these unimodal systems sequentially, simultaneously, a combination thereof, or in series, which refer to sequential, parallel, hierarchical and serial integration modes, respectively. Fusion of the biometrics information can occur at different stages of a recognition system. In case of feature level fusion, the data itself or the features extracted from multiple biometrics are fused. Matching-score level fusion consolidates the scores generated by multiple classifiers pertaining to different modalities. Finally, in case of decision level fusion the final results of multiple classifiers are combined via techniques such as majority voting. Feature level fusion is believed to be more effective than the other levels of fusion because the feature set contains richer information about the input biometric data than the matching score or the output decision of a classifier. Therefore, fusion at the feature level is expected to provide better recognition results.

Furthermore, the evolving biometric market trends underscore the importance of technological integration, showcasing a shift towards combining multiple biometric modalities for enhanced security and identity verification, aligning with the advancements in multimodal biometric systems.

Spoof attacks consist in submitting fake biometric traits to biometric systems, and are a major threat that can curtail their security. Multi-modal biometric systems are commonly believed to be intrinsically more robust to spoof attacks, but recent studies have shown that they can be evaded by spoofing even a single biometric trait.

One such proposed system of Multimodal Biometric Cryptosystem Involving the Face, Fingerprint, and Palm Vein by Prasanalakshmi The Cryptosystem Integration combines biometrics with cryptography, where the palm vein acts as a cryptographic key, offering a high level of security since palm veins are unique and difficult to forge. The Fingerprint Involves minutiae extraction (terminations and bifurcations) and matching techniques. Steps include image enhancement, binarization, ROI extraction, and minutiae thinning. The Face system uses class-based scatter matrices to calculate features for recognition, and the Palm Vein acts as an unbreakable cryptographic key, ensuring only the correct user can access the system. The cancelable Biometrics concept allows biometric traits to be altered slightly to ensure privacy and avoid theft. If compromised, new variations of biometric data can be issued.

The Encryption fingerprint template is encrypted using the palm vein key via XOR operations. This encrypted Fingerprint is hidden within the face image using steganographic techniques. Enrollment and Verification for the Biometric data (Fingerprint, palm vein, face) are captured, encrypted, and embedded into a face image. The system extracts the biometric data and compares it with stored values for Verification. The system was tested with fingerprint databases, achieving 75% verification accuracy at an equal error rate of 25% and processing time approximately 50 seconds for enrollment and 22 seconds for Verification. High security due to palm vein encryption, effective against biometric spoofing, and the multimodal approach ensures reliability if one biometric fails. Potential for integration with smart cards or on-card systems, enhancing security in personal identification systems.

### Multimodal sentiment analysis

Multimodal sentiment analysis is a technology for traditional text-based sentiment analysis, which includes modalities such as audio and visual data. It can be bimodal, which includes different combinations of two modalities, or trimodal, which incorporates three modalities. With the extensive amount of social media data available online in different forms such as videos and images, the conventional text-based sentiment analysis has evolved into more complex models of multimodal sentiment analysis, which can be applied in the development of virtual assistants, analysis of YouTube movie reviews, analysis of news videos, and emotion recognition (sometimes known as emotion detection) such as depression monitoring, among others.

Similar to the traditional sentiment analysis, one of the most basic task in multimodal sentiment analysis is sentiment classification, which classifies different sentiments into categories such as positive, negative, or neutral. The complexity of analyzing text, audio, and visual features to perform such a task requires the application of different fusion techniques, such as feature-level, decision-level, and hybrid fusion. The performance of these fusion techniques and the classification algorithms applied, are influenced by the type of textual, audio, and visual features employed in the analysis.

### Multimodal language models

Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4 (GPT-4) is a multimodal large language model created by OpenAI, and the fourth in its series of GPT foundation models. It was launched on March 14, 2023, and made publicly available via the paid chatbot product ChatGPT Plus, via OpenAI's API, and via the free chatbot Microsoft Copilot. As a transformer-based model, GPT-4 uses a paradigm where pre-training using both public data and "data licensed from third-party providers" is used to predict the next token. After this step, the model was then fine-tuned with reinforcement learning feedback from humans and AI for human alignment and policy compliance.

Observers reported that the iteration of ChatGPT using GPT-4 was an improvement on the previous iteration based on GPT-3.5, with the caveat that GPT-4 retains some of the problems with earlier revisions. GPT-4, equipped with vision capabilities (GPT-4V), is capable of taking images as input on ChatGPT. OpenAI has declined to reveal various technical details and statistics about GPT-4, such as the precise size of the model.

## Multimodal output

The second group of multimodal systems presents users with multimedia displays and multimodal output, primarily in the form of visual and auditory cues. Interface designers have also started to make use of other modalities, such as touch and olfaction. Proposed benefits of multimodal output system include synergy and redundancy. The information that is presented via several modalities is merged and refers to various aspects of the same process. The use of several modalities for processing exactly the same information provides an increased bandwidth of information transfer . Currently, multimodal output is used mainly for improving the mapping between communication medium and content and to support attention management in data-rich environment where operators face considerable visual attention demands.

An important step in multimodal interface design is the creation of natural mappings between modalities and the information and tasks. The auditory channel differs from vision in several aspects. It is omnidirectional, transient and is always reserved. Speech output, one form of auditory information, received considerable attention. Several guidelines have been developed for the use of speech. Michaelis and Wiggins (1982) suggested that speech output should be used for simple short messages that will not be referred to later. It was also recommended that speech should be generated in time and require an immediate response.

The sense of touch was first utilized as a medium for communication in the late 1950s. It is not only a promising but also a unique communication channel. In contrast to vision and hearing, the two traditional senses employed in HCI, the sense of touch is proximal: it senses objects that are in contact with the body, and it is bidirectional in that it supports both perception and acting on the environment.

Examples of auditory feedback include auditory icons in computer operating systems indicating users' actions (e.g. deleting a file, open a folder, error), speech output for presenting navigational guidance in vehicles, and speech output for warning pilots on modern airplane cockpits. Examples of tactile signals include vibrations of the turn-signal lever to warn drivers of a car in their blind spot, the vibration of auto seat as a warning to drivers, and the stick shaker on modern aircraft alerting pilots to an impending stall.

Invisible interface spaces became available using sensor technology. Infrared, ultrasound and cameras are all now commonly used. Transparency of interfacing with content is enhanced providing an immediate and direct link via meaningful mapping is in place, thus the user has direct and immediate feedback to input and content response becomes interface affordance (Gibson 1979).

## Multimodal fusion

The process of integrating information from various input modalities and combining them into a complete command is referred as multimodal fusion. In literature, three main approaches to the fusion process have been proposed, according to the main architectural levels (recognition and decision) at which the fusion of the input signals can be performed: recognition-based, decision-based, and hybrid multi-level fusion.

The recognition-based fusion (also known as early fusion) consists in merging the outcomes of each modal recognizer by using integration mechanisms, such as, for example, statistical integration techniques, agent theory, hidden Markov models, artificial neural networks, etc. Examples of recognition-based fusion strategies are action frame, input vectors and slots.

The decision-based fusion (also known as late fusion) merges the semantic information that are extracted by using specific dialogue-driven fusion procedures to yield the complete interpretation. Examples of decision-based fusion strategies are typed feature structures, melting pots, semantic frames, and time-stamped lattices.

The potential applications for multimodal fusion include learning environments, consumer relations, security/surveillance, computer animation, etc. Individually, modes are easily defined, but difficulty arises in having technology consider them a combined fusion. It is difficult for the algorithms to factor in dimensionality; there exist variables outside of current computation abilities. For example, semantic meaning: two sentences could have the same lexical meaning but different emotional information.

In the hybrid multi-level fusion, the integration of input modalities is distributed among the recognition and decision levels. The hybrid multi-level fusion includes the following three methodologies: finite-state transducers, multimodal grammars and dialogue moves.

## Ambiguity

User's actions or commands produce multimodal inputs (multimodal message), which have to be interpreted by the system. The multimodal message is the medium that enables communication between users and multimodal systems. It is obtained by merging information that are conveyed via several modalities by considering the different types of cooperation between several modalities, the time relationships among the involved modalities and the relationships between chunks of information connected with these modalities.

The natural mapping between the multimodal input, which is provided by several interaction modalities (visual and auditory channel and sense of touch), and information and tasks imply to manage the typical problems of human-human communication, such as ambiguity. An ambiguity arises when more than one interpretation of input is possible. A multimodal ambiguity arises both, if an element, which is provided by one modality, has more than one interpretation (i.e. ambiguities are propagated at the multimodal level), and/or if elements, connected with each modality, are univocally interpreted, but information referred to different modalities are incoherent at the syntactic or the semantic level (i.e. a multimodal sentence having different meanings or different syntactic structure).

In "The Management of Ambiguities", the methods for solving ambiguities and for providing the correct interpretation of the user's input are organized in three main classes: prevention, a-posterior resolution and approximation resolution methods.

Prevention methods impose users to follow predefined interaction behaviour according to a set of transitions between different allowed states of the interaction process. Example of prevention methods are: procedural method, reduction of the expressive power of the language grammar, improvement of the expressive power of the language grammar.

The a-posterior resolution of ambiguities uses mediation approach. Examples of mediation techniques are: repetition, e.g. repetition by modality, granularity of repair and undo, and choice.

The approximation resolution methods do not require any user involvement in the disambiguation process. They can all require the use of some theories, such as fuzzy logic, Markov random field, Bayesian networks and hidden Markov models.


title: Wrong Things

abstract: Wrong Things is a short story collection by Poppy Z. Brite and Caitlin R. Kiernan. It was released by Subterranean Press in 2001. The cover art and illustrations were provided by Canadian artist Richard A. Kirk. Kiernan's solo contribution to the book, "Onion", received the 2001 International Horror Guild Award for Best Short Story and was chosen for The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, Fifteenth Annual Collection. Kiernan and Brite's collaborative story, "The Rest of the Wrong Thing," is set in Brite's fictional town of Missing Mile, also appearing in his novels Lost Souls (1992) and Drawing Blood (1993). This is the second short story the two authors have coauthored, the first being "Night Story 1973," which appeared in Kiernan's collection, From Weird and Distant Shores (2002).

text:
# Wrong Things

***Wrong Things*** is a short story collection by Poppy Z. Brite and Caitlin R. Kiernan. It was released by Subterranean Press in 2001. The cover art and illustrations were provided by Canadian artist Richard A. Kirk. Kiernan's solo contribution to the book, "Onion", received the 2001 International Horror Guild Award for Best Short Story and was chosen for *The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, Fifteenth Annual Collection* (edited by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow; St. Martin's, 2001). Kiernan and Brite's collaborative story, "The Rest of the Wrong Thing," is set in Brite's fictional town of Missing Mile, also appearing in his novels *Lost Souls* (1992) and *Drawing Blood* (1993). This is the second short story the two authors have coauthored, the first being "Night Story 1973," which appeared in Kiernan's collection, *From Weird and Distant Shores* (2002).

## Contents

* "The Crystal Empire" (Poppy Z. Brite)
* "Onion" (Caitlin R. Kiernan)
* "The Rest of the Wrong Thing" (Brite and Kiernan)
* Afterword (Caitlin R. Kiernan)

## ISBN

## InfoBox

Wrong Things
| First edition cover | |
| --- | --- |
| Author | Poppy Brite<br>Caitlin Kiernan |
| Cover artist | Richard Kirk |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy, Horror |
| Published | Burton, MI : Subterranean Press, 2001. |
| Media type | Book, collection |
| Pages | 129 |
| ISBN | 9781931081252 |
| OCLC | 48543278 |


title: Wuhan duck

abstract: Wuhan duck refers to several dishes from the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province, China. The dishes are specific parts of a duck, including the tongue, head, feet, liver, kidney, and most popularly, the neck, often referred to as "spicy duck neck". Common to all of these dishes is the colour, a deep reddish-brown, and the extremely spicy flavour. These items are sold in numerous provinces throughout China.

text:
# Wuhan duck

**Wuhan duck** refers to several dishes from the city of Wuhan, in Hubei Province, China. The dishes are specific parts of a duck, including the tongue, head, feet, liver, kidney, and most popularly, the neck, often referred to as "spicy duck neck". Common to all of these dishes is the colour, a deep reddish-brown, and the extremely spicy flavour. These items are sold in numerous provinces throughout China.


abstract: The National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) is an orthopedic hospital and undergraduate & post-graduate institute in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 1972 by the Government of Bangladesh as the Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital. In October 2002 the name of the institute was changed to National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR). NITOR is affiliated previously to Dhaka University and now to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. Master of Surgery (MS) (Orthopedics) and D. Ortho. awarded by NITOR, a post-graduate institute, are recognized by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council.

text:
# National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation

The **National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR)** is an orthopedic hospital and undergraduate & post-graduate institute in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 1972 by the Government of Bangladesh as the Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital. In October 2002 the name of the institute was changed to National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR). NITOR is affiliated previously to Dhaka University and now to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.

Master of Surgery (MS) (Orthopedics) and D. Ortho. awarded by NITOR, a post-graduate institute, are recognized by the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council.

## Departments

* Orthopedics & Traumatology
* Physiotherapy
* Physical Medicine
* Plastic Surgery
* Anesthesiology
* Transfusion Medicine
* Pathology
* Radiology & Imaging
* Department of Endocrinology
* Cardiology
* Social Welfare

Department of urology department maxillo facial surgery department of vascular surgery

23°43′32″N 90°23′53″E / 23.72556°N 90.39806°E / 23.72556; 90.39806

## InfoBox

National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR)
| Premise of National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) | |
| --- | --- |
| Established | 1972 |
| Location | Sher-e-Bangla Nagor, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh |
| Type | Orthopedics & Rehabilitation Institute |
| Total Bed | 1000 |
| Present Director | Prof. Dr.Kazi Shamim uzzaman(join-07/08/2023) |
| Nick Name | NITOR |
| Previous name | Rehabilitation Institute and Hospital for the Disabled (RIHD) |
|  | |


title: Moot Hall, Daventry

abstract: The Moot Hall is a municipal building in Chapel Lane in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England. The building, which was the headquarters of Daventry Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

text:
# Moot Hall, Daventry

The **Moot Hall** is a municipal building in Chapel Lane in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England. The building, which was the headquarters of Daventry Borough Council, is a Grade II\* listed building.

## History

The first moot hall in the town was a medieval structure erected on the east side of New Street in around 1150. In the early 19th century civic leaders decided to demolish the old moot hall and, as a replacement, to make appropriate alterations to an existing house in Chapel Lane, which had been designed in the neoclassical style and built in ironstone in 1769. The design of the house involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto Abbey Street; the ground floor featured three round headed windows with archivolts and keystones flanked by niches created with short Doric order pilasters and entablatures. At the corners of the ground floor there were larger Doric order pilasters supporting a wider entablature and a cornice. The first and second floors featured sash windows with archivolts and keystones and at roof level there was a modillioned pediment. A cupola and a weather vane were erected at roof level.

In 1806, following its acquisition by the town authorities, the Chapel Lane building was remodelled to create a new moot hall with the Chapel Lane elevation and much of the internal structure being rebuilt in red brick. A new porch was erected on that elevation and the pediment on the Abbey Street side was augmented by the installation of a 17th century clock, which had been recovered from the old moot hall, in the tympanum. The original staircase from the building was transferred to the Manor House in Welton. The moot hall became the meeting place of the local borough council as well as the venue for the weekly hearings of the local magistrates' courts. The original mechanically operated clock was replaced with an electrically operated one during the mid-20th century.

The moot hall continued to serve as the headquarters of the borough council for much of the 20th century but ceased to be the local seat of government after the enlarged Daventry District Council was formed with its offices in Church Walk in 1974. A local history museum was established in the moot hall in the early 1980s: items on display included the original mechanically operated clock as well as a set of imperial measures, typically held by local authorities to ensure tradesmen comply with the Weights and Measures Act 1824. The building also accommodated the local tourist information office at that time.

After the museum and tourist information office moved to New Street in 2004, the moot hall operated as an Indian restaurant from May 2006 and then saw a variety of commercial uses before being converted to become a children's nursery in January 2020.

## InfoBox

| The Moot Hall | |
| --- | --- |
| The Moot Hall | |
| Location | Chapel Lane, Daventry |
| Coordinates | 52°15′32″N 1°09′38″W / 52.2588°N 1.1605°W / 52.2588; -1.1605 |
| Built | 1769 |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical style |
|  | |
| Listed Building – Grade II\* | |
| Official name | Moot Hall |
| Designated | 4 December 1953 |
| Reference no. | 1067667 |
|  | |
|  | |
| Shown in Northamptonshire | |


title: Mi-Août en Bretagne

abstract: Mi-Août en Bretagne is a French cycling road race that was established in 1960. It is held in the region of Brittany, France. It is rated 2.2 on the UCI Europe Tour. The original race ran from 1960 to 1966. It was then re-established in 1978 by Louis Bihannic. Prior to the 2009 season the race was previously categorised as 1.5 on the UCI Europe Tour; by the final edition in 2012, it was categorised as 2.2. Citing financial problems, the race was not held after 2012.

text:
# Mi-Août en Bretagne

**Mi-Août en Bretagne** is a French cycling road race that was established in 1960. It is held in the region of Brittany, France. It is rated 2.2 on the UCI Europe Tour. The original race ran from 1960 to 1966. It was then re-established in 1978 by Louis Bihannic. Prior to the 2009 season the race was previously categorised as 1.5 on the UCI Europe Tour; by the final edition in 2012, it was categorised as 2.2. Citing financial problems, the race was not held after 2012.

## Classification jerseys

Riders aim to win overall but there are five further competitions: points, mountains, the best young rider, best placed non French rider, best placed rider from Brittany and combined points leader. The leader of each wears a distinctive jersey. A rider who leads more than one competition wears the jersey of the most prestigious. The abandoned jersey is worn by the second in the competition.

General classification  Sprinters points classification  Mountains classification  Best placed non French rider in General classification (has now been abolished)  Combined points leader  Young rider classification

## Winners

| Year | Country | Rider | Team |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1961 | France | Fernand Picot |  |
| 1962 | France | Jean Gainche |  |
| 1963 | France | Jean Bourles |  |
| 1979 | France | Philippe Dalibard |  |
| 1980 | France | Philippe Dalibard |  |
| 1992 | France | François Simon |  |
| 1995 | France | Nicolas Jalabert |  |
| 1996 | France | David Delrieu |  |
| 1997 | France | Anthony Morin |  |
| 1998 | France | Jean-Michel Tessier |  |
| 1999 | France | Stéphane Ravaleu |  |
| 2000 | Australia | Jamie Drew |  |
| 2001 | France | Lilian Jégou |  |
| 2002 | France | Lilian Jégou |  |
| 2003 | France | Mickaël Buffaz |  |
| 2004 | France | Stéphane Conan |  |
| 2005 | France | Frédéric Lubach |  |
| 2006 | Bulgaria | Stephan Kushlev |  |
| 2007 | Kenya | Chris Froome |  |
| 2008 | Poland | Piotr Zieliński |  |
| 2009 | Norway | Frederik Wilmann |  |
| 2010 | France | Jean-Luc Delpech | Bretagne–Schuller |
| 2011 | Great Britain | Mark McNally | An Post–Sean Kelly |
| 2012 | Canada | David Veilleux | Team Europcar |

## InfoBox

Mi-Août en Bretagne
| Race details | |
| --- | --- |
| Date | August |
| Region | Brittany, France |
| English name | Mid-August Brittany |
| Discipline | Road race |
| Competition | UCI Europe Tour |
| Organiser | Rémi Madec |
| Web site | www.miaoutbretonne.com/course-velo-mi-aout-bretonne.php |
| History | |
| First edition | 1960 (1960) |
| Editions | 24 |
| Final edition | 2012 (2012) |
| First winner | Fernand Picot (FRA) |
| Most wins | Philippe Dalibard (FRA)
Lilian Jégou (FRA)
(2 wins) |
| Final winner | David Veilleux (CAN) |


title: Nolina interrata

abstract: Nolina interrata is a rare species of flowering plant known by the common names Dehesa nolina and Dehesa beargrass. It is known from about ten occurrences in central San Diego County, California, and fewer than 100 individual plants on land across the border in Baja California. The plant was first described in 1946 when found at the type locality near El Cajon, California, and all the individuals known in California are located within a six-square-mile area there. Although rare, numbering about 9,000 plants total in existence, the species is relatively well protected in its habitat and a proposal for federal protected status was withdrawn. This plant produces a branching stem, part of which grows underground, lined with rosettes of stiff, waxy, blue-green leaves, up to 45 per rosette. The leaves are thick and somewhat fleshy at the bases, and shreddy and serrated along the edges. The erect inflorescence may be up to 1.6 meters tall, bearing branches lined with tiny flowers each with six whitish tepals a few millimeters long. The fruit is a papery capsule containing reddish brown seeds about half a centimeter wide.

text:
# Nolina interrata

***Nolina interrata*** is a rare species of flowering plant known by the common names **Dehesa nolina** and **Dehesa beargrass**. It is known from about ten occurrences in central San Diego County, California, and fewer than 100 individual plants on land across the border in Baja California. The plant was first described in 1946 when found at the type locality near El Cajon, California, and all the individuals known in California are located within a six-square-mile area there. Although rare, numbering about 9,000 plants total in existence, the species is relatively well protected in its habitat and a proposal for federal protected status was withdrawn.

This plant produces a branching stem, part of which grows underground, lined with rosettes of stiff, waxy, blue-green leaves, up to 45 per rosette. The leaves are thick and somewhat fleshy at the bases, and shreddy and serrated along the edges. The erect inflorescence may be up to 1.6 meters tall, bearing branches lined with tiny flowers each with six whitish tepals a few millimeters long. The fruit is a papery capsule containing reddish brown seeds about half a centimeter wide.

## InfoBox

| *Nolina interrata* | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Conservation status | |
|
Imperiled  (NatureServe) | |
| CITES Appendix II (CITES) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| *Clade*: | Tracheophytes |
| *Clade*: | Angiosperms |
| *Clade*: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Nolinoideae |
| Genus: | *Nolina* |
| Species: | ***N. interrata*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Nolina interrata***
Gentry | |
|


title: Quantitative sensory testing

abstract: Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a panel of diagnostic tests used to assess somatosensory function, in the context of research and as a supplemental tool in the diagnosis of somatosensory disorders, including pain insensitivity, painless and painful neuropathy. The panel of tests examine a broad range of different sensations, including hot, cold, touch, vibration. It has both positive and negative tests. QST reflects a formalisation of existing neurological tests into a standardised battery designed to detect subtle changes in sensory function. Large datasets representing normal responses to sensory tests have been established to quantitate deviation from the mean and allow comparison with normal patients. It is thought that a detailed evaluation of somatosensory function may be useful in identifying subtypes of pain and as a potential tool to identify asymptomatic neuropathy, which may represent up to 50% of total people with neuropathy. In clinical use, it is often combined with other tests such as clinical electrophysiology. In research settings it is increasingly applied in combination with advanced imaging such as fMRI, epidermis "nerve" biopsies and microneurography to classify subtypes of painful disorders.

text:
# Quantitative sensory testing

**Quantitative sensory testing** (QST) is a panel of diagnostic tests used to assess somatosensory function, in the context of research and as a supplemental tool in the diagnosis of somatosensory disorders, including pain insensitivity, painless and painful neuropathy. The panel of tests examine a broad range of different sensations, including hot, cold, touch, vibration. It has both positive and negative tests (can test for increased or reduced sensitivity). QST reflects a formalisation of existing neurological tests into a standardised battery designed to detect subtle changes in sensory function. Large datasets representing normal responses to sensory tests have been established to quantitate deviation from the mean and allow comparison with normal patients. It is thought that a detailed evaluation of somatosensory function may be useful in identifying subtypes of pain and as a potential tool to identify asymptomatic neuropathy, which may represent up to 50% of total people with neuropathy (or loss of the nerve fibres). In clinical use, it is often combined with other tests such as clinical electrophysiology. In research settings it is increasingly applied in combination with advanced imaging such as fMRI, epidermis "nerve" biopsies and microneurography to classify subtypes of painful disorders.

## Clinical recommendations

The Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group (NeuPSIG) of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) have recommended the clinical use of QST in the diagnosis and evaluation of patients with small and large fibre neuropathy as well as screening for deficits of the somatosensory system (which may include deficits in the brain for instance). The group also recommend that the technique not be used in patients in litigation, or with severe learning or cognitive deficits as it is likely to be inaccurate due to its psychophysical basis. The recommendations are based on large trials suggesting inter-test reliability of the method.

## Testing battery

Standard parameters are evaluated using calibrated testing apparatus. The tests can be performed in multiple areas of the body; the areas are limited by the existing available normal sensory data. All of the tests are repeated several times. A widely used set of parameters was proposed by the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain. Subject values are compared to normal data to determine whether the subject has a deficit in any modality.

| Test | Abbreviation | Brief Description | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mechanical Detection Threshold | MDT | Graded Von Frey filaments - that deliver increasing stimulus intensity are applied to the subject, the first stimulus to be perceived is recorded. | Identify dysfunction in Aβ fibres |
| Vibration Detection Threshold | VDT | A tuning fork is placed on a bony prominence such as the elbow or knee, the subject reports when they can no longer detect vibration. | Identify dysfunction in Aβ fibres |
| Cold Detection Threshold | CDT | A peltier device applies an increasingly cold stimulus, the subject reports when they can feel cold. | Identify dysfunction of Aδ fibres |
| Paradoxical Heat Sensations | PHS | Alternating stimuli of hot and cold are applied, the subject is asked if they feel heat when a cold stimulus is applied during this procedure. | Either the dysfunction of Aδ fibres or the disruption of central cold processing. |
| Warm Detection Threshold | WDT | A peltier device is used to warm and area of the body, the subject reports when they feel warmth. | Detect changes warm detection. C fibres are thought to contribute but the relative contributions are disputed. |
| Wind-up Ratio | WUR | The subject is asked to compare the perceived stimulus intensity of a single pin prick to ten consecutive pin pricks. | Detect abnormal amplification of pain stimuli. |
| Mechanical Pain Threshold | MPT | A custom pin stimulator is used, it delivers pins at increasing force, the subject is asked to report the first detection of sharpness. | Identify dysfunction of Aδ fibres, and C-fibers |
| Mechanical Pain Sensitivity | MPS | The same stimulator is used, a force ~8X higher than the threshold is used and the subject is asked to rate their pain on a 100-point scale. | Identify dysfunction of Aδ fibres, and C-fibers |
| Cold Pain Threshold | CPT | A peltier device applies an increasingly cold stimulus, the subject is asked to report when they feel pain. | Identify dysfunction of Aδ fibres |
| Heat Pain Threshold | HPT | A peltier device applies an increasingly hot stimulus, the subject is asked to report when they feel pain. | Identify dysfunction of C fibres |
| Pressure Pain Threshold | PPT | A pressure application device is used to apply graded pressure, the subject is asked to report the point at which they feel pain. | Identify dysfunction of Aδ fibres, and C-fibers |
| Dynamic Mechanical Allodynia | ALL/DMA | Pain score is reported for a moving innocuous mechanical stimuli, such as a cotton tip. | Identify presence of allodynia |

## Rationale

In addition to diagnostic confidence with neuropathy, additional reasons may encourage the use of QST.

### Classification of neuropathic pain

It is thought that patients with neuropathic pain can be grouped into clusters based on their sensory profiles and that this may have a role in determining treatment. After-the fact (or Post Hoc) analysis of the responders to treatments in clinical trials have suggested different clinical responses may cluster based on phenotype and preliminary clinical trials suggest some analgesics show a greater efficacy in patient subtypes. The European medicines agency allow the classification of patients by QST in clinical trials. It is proposed that in cases where efficacy is only shown in one identified QST group, the drug will only be approved for use with those patients. Additionally, in Europe, QST is now allowed as a secondary outcome in clinical trials.

### Early disease identification

The early identification of neuropathy particularly in diabetic neuropathy may be useful to identify people with asymptomatic neuropathy. Asymptomatic neuropathy is a clinical concern because patients with untreated neuropathy may develop ulcers and damage due to a loss of protective sensation.

## Weaknesses

QST relies on psychophysical report of responses to stimuli. As a result, it may be subject to patient biases. Nerve conduction studies may provide a more reliable metric in certain clinical situations. However, nerve conduction studies poorly identify hypersensitivity, QST can identify both loss and gain of function. Psychophysical tests are generally affected by other difficult to control factors, such as stress, the experience of the tester, the room the test is in, the novelty of the environment and the person's temperament. The test is time-consuming and may take an hour to perform, and for monitoring require multiple visits.

## InfoBox

| Quantitative sensory testing | |
| --- | --- |
| Tuning forks are used to determine vibration detection thresholds. | |
| Specialty | Neurology |


title: V. Shinilal

abstract: V. Shinilal is an Indian novelist and short story writer of the contemporary Malayalam literature. He won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for Novel in 2022 for his work Sambarkkakranti.

text:
# V. Shinilal

**V. Shinilal** is an Indian novelist and short story writer of the contemporary Malayalam literature. He won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for Novel in 2022 for his work Sambarkkakranti.

## Biography

Shinilal was born at Nedumangad Irinchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala. He works as a traveling ticket inspector in Southern Railway Thiruvananthapuram Division. His major works includes *Adi*, *124*, *Sambarkkakranthi,* *Buddhapatham*, *Garisappa Aruvi Adhava Oru Jalayathra* In 2023, Shinilal was awarded the 2022 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for the novel Sambarkkakranti. He is also a recipient of the first Karoor Award and Padmarajan Award.

## InfoBox

| V. Shinilal | |
| --- | --- |
| Born | Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Notable work | * *Sambarkkakranti* |
| Awards |  |


title: Much Like Falling EP

abstract: Much Like Falling is an EP by Flyleaf. This album was released digitally onto the iTunes Store on October 30, 2007. It includes unreleased songs not featured on their self-titled album. This EP was released onto the iTunes Store the same day as their re-release of their self-titled album, Flyleaf. The Much Like Falling EP was also released to select record stores for free in celebration of Record Store Day on April 19, 2008.

text:
# Much Like Falling EP

Professional ratings
| Review scores | |
| --- | --- |
| Source | Rating |
| Jesus Freak Hideout |  |

***Much Like Falling*** is an EP by Flyleaf. This album was released digitally onto the iTunes Store on October 30, 2007. It includes unreleased songs not featured on their self-titled album. This EP was released onto the iTunes Store the same day as their re-release of their self-titled album, *Flyleaf*. The *Much Like Falling* EP was also released to select record stores for free in celebration of Record Store Day on April 19, 2008.

## Track listing

All tracks are written by Flyleaf

CD Version
| No. | Title | Length |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. | "Tina" | 2:33 |
| 2. | "Much Like Falling" | 2:05 |
| 3. | "Justice and Mercy" (Produced, mixed, and engineered by Cameron Webb) | 2:35 |
| 4. | "Supernatural (Acoustic)" (Produced, recorded, and mixed by Joe West) | 4:25 |

iTunes Version
| No. | Title | Length |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1. | "Much Like Falling" | 2:04 |
| 2. | "Supernatural (Acoustic)" (Produced, recorded, and mixed by Joe West) | 4:25 |
| 3. | "Tina" | 2:31 |
| 4. | "Justice and Mercy" (Produced, mixed, and engineered by Cameron Webb) | 2:33 |

## Personnel

Flyleaf * Lacey Mosley – lead vocals
* Sameer Bhattacharya – lead guitar
* Jared Hartmann – rhythm guitar
* Pat Seals – bass guitar
* James Culpepper – drums, percussion

Production * Produced and recorded by Mark Lewis and Flyleaf. (Except where noted.)
* Mixed by Joe West. (Except where noted.)

## InfoBox

| Much Like Falling | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| EP by Flyleaf | |
| Released | October 30, 2007 |
| Genre | Alternative metal |
| Length | 11:38 |
| Label | Octone |
| Flyleaf chronology | |
| *Flyleaf*
(2005) ***Much Like Falling***
(2007) *Memento Mori*
(2009) | |
|  | |
| Alternative cover | |
|  | |
| iTunes cover | |
|  | |
|  | |