title: Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881

abstract: The Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881 - was a French howitzer designed by Colonel Charles Ragon de Bange and employed by the French army during the First World War.

text:
# Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881

The **Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881** \- was a French howitzer designed by Colonel Charles Ragon de Bange and employed by the French army during the First World War.

## History

The Obusier de 155 mm C mle 1881 was one of a series of heavy artillery pieces designed by Colonel Charles Ragon de Bange. On 11 May 1874 three de Bange heavy cannons (120 mm, 155 mm, 240 mm) and two mortars (220 mm, 270 mm) were ordered by the French Army. The mle 1881 was advanced for its time due to being built completely of steel instead of a steel liner and cast iron reinforcing hoops of the previous *Canon de 240 mm C mle 1870*-87.

## Design

Unlike the earlier Canon de 155 mm L modèle 1877, the mle 1881 was designed for short range high angle fire instead of long-range low angle fire. The mle 1881 used a distinctive looking gooseneck shaped box trail, was a breech loaded howitzer with a steel barrel and a de Bange obturator which used separate loading bagged charges and projectiles. The mle 1881 was originally built without a recoil mechanism and in order to traverse the carriage needed to be levered into position before and after each shot limiting the rate of fire. For transport, the mle 1881 could be fitted with a set of removable wooden spoked wheels with steel rims at the front of the carriage. The tail of the carriage was then hooked to a limber and caisson for horse towing. Site preparation included creating a 5.3 m (17 ft) firing platform made of wooden beams which took 2.5 hours to build.

## First World War

Although the majority of combatants had heavy field artillery prior to the outbreak of the First World War, none had adequate numbers of heavy guns in service, nor had they foreseen the growing importance of heavy artillery once the Western Front stagnated and trench warfare set in. Fortresses, armories, coastal fortifications, and museums were scoured for heavy artillery and sent to the front. Suitable field and rail carriages were built for these guns in an effort to give their forces the heavy field artillery needed to overcome trenches and hardened concrete fortifications.

At the outbreak of the First World War, it is estimated there were 237 mle 1881's available. The mle 1881 was classified as a *siege et de place* (stationary siege gun) and was assigned to *régiments d'artillerie à pied* (fortress artillery regiments) for the defense of fortifications. Although designed to be a stationary howitzer for use in fortifications its light weight and removable wheels meant it was often used as a field howitzer. Although the mle 1881 was short ranged it had a reputation for accuracy and its high angle fire meant it could be fired from concealed positions to reduce crew exposure.

## Variants

* **En Portee** \- An unknown number of mle 1881's were mounted on trucks to create mobile artillery pieces. These were mounted on a flatbed truck with the barrel over the cab of the truck.
* **Tourelle de 155 C modèle 1908** \- This consisted of mle 1881's installed in revolving iron domed turrets in concrete fortifications at Lucey and other French forts.
* **Affût-truck Peigné-Canet mle 1897** \- Was developed by Lieutenant Colonel Peigné and engineer Gustave Canet at the turn of the century. This conversion involved mounting the guns on rail wagons which ran on narrow-gauge 600 mm (1 ft 11+58 in) tracks at the forts of Verdun, Toul, Épinal, and Belfort. Each fortress was supposed to have twelve 155 C and eight 120 L guns on the same carriage. These allowed the guns to be quickly re-positioned to different parts of the fort and brought up ammunition and supplies. The guns were mounted on flatbed rail-cars with folding side panels that created a circular base when unfolded, they were also stabilized with four folding outriggers. The guns were mounted on articulated center pivot gun mounts which provided high angles of elevation, 360° of traverse and an integrated hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism.
* **Obusier de 155 mm C mle 1881/12 Filloux** \- A modification program in 1912 gave 108 mle 1881's a new wedge-shaped box trail carriage with a hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism and limited traverse. The new carriage was designed by Colonel Louis Filloux and consisted of a U-shaped gun cradle which held the trunnioned barrel. When the gun fired the hydro-buffer slowed the recoil of the cradle which slid up a set of inclined rails on the firing platform and then returned to position by the combined action of the buffers and gravity. The new carriage improved the rate of fire and decreased the amount of setup time due to better weight distribution and less site preparation. The front of the carriage also pivoted to allow 24° of traverse.
* **Obusier de 155 mm C mle 1890 Baquet** \- This field howitzer used the same barrel as the mle 1881 on a new box trail carriage that had two wooden spoked wheels with steel rims and was designed to be light enough to be horse-drawn in one piece. The carriage was split into two parts, a stationary lower part which supported the weapon and a sliding upper part which supported the gun barrel. The upper part was L-shaped and the gun barrel was inserted into a cradle with a hydro-pneumatic recoil system below the barrel which connected to the lower portion of the carriage. The cradle and carriage had a hollow center section to allow for high angles of elevation, while the front of the cradle pivoted to allow limited traverse. When the gun fired the cradle recoiled backward, while the lower part stayed anchored. This carriage and recoil system was also used by the less powerful Obusier de 120 mm C modèle 1890. The recoil mechanism was not enough to absorb the barrels recoil forces and this made the piece unstable at firing. This style of carriage and recoil system did not find wider acceptance due to its insufficient performance. In August 1914, 134 mle 1890s were assigned to *régiments d'artillerie lourde de campagne* (heavy field artillery regiments) and *régiments d'artillerie à pied* (fortress artillery regiments) in forts of the Séré de Rivières.

## Ammunition

The mle 1881 used separate loading bagged charges and projectiles. The charges were in cloth bags and the weight of propellant could be varied from .6–2.8 kg (1 lb 5 oz – 6 lb 3 oz) to vary range and velocity.

| Type | Name | Projectile | Yield | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| High Explosive | *Obus ordinaires* | 40 kg (88 lb) | 1.4–2.1 kg (3 lb 1 oz – 4 lb 10 oz)
Black Powder or Melinite |  |
| | *Obus allongés Mle 1890* | 43 kg (95 lb) | 10.3 kg (23 lb) Melinite |  |
| | *Obus de 4½ calibres* | 43.7 kg (96 lb) | 12 kg (26 lb) |  |
| Armor Piercing | *Obus de rupture* | ? | ? |  |
| Shrapnel | *Obus à balles* | 40.59 kg (89 lb 8 oz) | 450 g (16 oz) \+ 270 pellets | 26.1 g (0.92 oz) lead pellets |
| Grapeshot | *Obus à mitraille* | 40.5 kg (89 lb) | 550 g (1 lb 3 oz) \+ 416 pellets | 25 g (0.88 oz) lead pellets |
| | *Boites à mitraille* | 39.6 kg (87 lb) | 429 pellets | 65 g (2.3 oz) lead pellets |
| Incendiary | *Projectiles incendiairies* | ? | 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) Melinite
\+ 30 incendiary cylinders |  |

## InfoBox

| Obusier de 155 mm C modèle 1881 | |
| --- | --- |
| A battery of mle 1881's near the Argonne forest in 1915. | |
| Type | Howitzer
Siege gun |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1881-1918 |
| Wars | World War I |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Colonel Charles Ragon de Bange |
| Designed | 1880 |
| Produced | 1881 |
| No. built | 240 |
| Variants | See variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | Travel: 2,490 kg (5,490 lb)
Combat: 2,155 kg (4,751 lb) |
| Length | 3.78 m (12 ft 5 in) |
| Barrel length | 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) L/15.5 |
| --- | |
| Shell | Separate loading bagged charges and projectiles |
| Shell weight | 40–43.7 kg (88–96 lb) |
| Caliber | 155 mm (6.1 in) |
| Breech | de Bange |
| Recoil | See variants |
| Carriage | Box trail |
| Elevation | -17° to +60° |
| Traverse | See variants |
| Rate of fire | 1 round every 2 minutes |
| Muzzle velocity | 303 m/s (990 ft/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 6.8 km (4.2 mi) |


title: Obory, Konin County

abstract: Obory is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wierzbinek, within Konin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of Wierzbinek, 24 km (15 mi) north of Konin, and 100 km (62 mi) east of the regional capital Poznań.

text:
# Obory, Konin County

**Obory** \[ɔˈbɔrɨ\] is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wierzbinek, within Konin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of Wierzbinek, 24 km (15 mi) north of Konin, and 100 km (62 mi) east of the regional capital Poznań.

## InfoBox

| Obory | |
| --- | --- |
| Village | |
| Obory | |
| Coordinates: 52°25′N 18°23′E / 52.417°N 18.383°E / 52.417; 18.383 | |
| Country | Poland |
| Voivodeship | Greater Poland |
| County | Konin |
| Gmina | Wierzbinek |


title: Occult Academy

abstract: Occult Academy is a Japanese anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures and Aniplex and directed by Tomohiko Itō. The 13-episode anime premiered in Japan on the TV Tokyo television network on July 6, 2010. Occult Academy is the third and final project of Anime no Chikara. It was shown by Crunchyroll an hour after the Japanese broadcast. A manga adaptation of the anime is currently serialized in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive. A series of DVD/Blu-ray releases are made over six volumes. Volumes one through five each contain two episodes from the series and comes with extras, such as bonus songs sung by various voice actors for the characters. The final volume covers the last three episodes. There are also four spinoff episodes, the first of which is included with the second volume. The series has been picked up in North America by NIS America, who released the series on Blu-ray on May 8, 2012.

text:
# Occult Academy

***Occult Academy*** (世紀末オカルト学院, *Seikimatsu Okaruto Gakuin*, "End of Century Occult Academy") is a Japanese anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures and Aniplex and directed by Tomohiko Itō. The 13-episode anime premiered in Japan on the TV Tokyo television network on July 6, 2010. *Occult Academy* is the third and final project of *Anime no Chikara*. It was shown by Crunchyroll an hour after the Japanese broadcast. A manga adaptation of the anime is currently serialized in Media Factory's *Monthly Comic Alive*. A series of DVD/Blu-ray releases are made over six volumes. Volumes one through five each contain two episodes from the series and comes with extras, such as bonus songs sung by various voice actors for the characters. The final volume covers the last three episodes. There are also four spinoff episodes, the first of which is included with the second volume. The series has been picked up in North America by NIS America, who released the series on Blu-ray on May 8, 2012.

## Plot

Maya is the daughter of the former Headmaster of Waldstein Academy. In 2012, the world is invaded by aliens, and time travelers like Fumiaki are sent back to the year 1999 to prevent apocalypse by destroying the Nostradamus Key. In 1999, Maya returns to the Academy as headmaster with the intention of destroying it. Her plan is interrupted when she meets Fumiaki and learns of the forthcoming destruction. They form a pact to look for the Key.

In order to find the Key, time agents were provided with specially created cell phones. By using the phone, Maya and Fumiaki investigate occult occurrences.

## Characters

Maya Kumashiro (神代 マヤ, **Kumashiro Maya**) Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa The daughter of the Waldstein Academy's late headmaster, Junichirou Kumashiro. She hates the occult despite her vast knowledge about it. Her hatred stems from her father's obsession with the occult thus causing a strained relationship between his wife and daughter. After her father's death, Maya becomes headmistress of the "Occult Academy" and vows to destroy the school. However, as the series progresses, Maya's hatred for the occult lessens. Eventually she regains her former love for the occult, promising to keep it safe rather than to destroy it. Later, it is revealed that the Academy was Maya's Christmas present from her father. Maya realizes that she turned her back on her father when he was only trying to fulfill her Christmas wish. She then makes a promise to her dead father to save the Academy and the World. With the arrival of Fumiaki Uchida, she forms a partnership with him in order to find the key of Nostradamus which will cause an alien invasion on July 21, 1999. Fumiaki Uchida (内田 文明, **Uchida Fumiaki**) Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima, Sayuri Yahagi (young) A time traveler from 2012 who is sent to 1999 to find the key of Nostradamus. He is forced to become #6 after the agent before him, #5, was killed. In 1999, Fumiaki was a little boy with special psychic powers. Dubbed "Uchida Bunmei", he appeared on many television shows, demonstrating his psychic powers by bending a spoon. His popularity grew quickly, but it came at a heavy cost. As he became more popular, his mother became obsessed with his fame, to the point that she refuses him a normal social life. Fumiaki eventually loses his psychic powers, and by 2012, he was considered a fake. He is also known as "Abe Minoru", which is the collective identity for all of the time agents. Upon arriving in 1999, Fumiaki encounters Maya, who thought of him as a coward at first, since all he would do is run in fear. However, after Maya sees part of his life in a near-death experience and realizes that he, like her, was also a lonely child he earns some respect. He and Maya form a team to find the Nostradamus Key and prevent the alien invasion. Mikaze Nakagawa (中川 美風, **Nakagawa Mikaze**) Voiced by: Minori Chihara Mikaze is a cute teenage girl who works at a local diner. Her cooking skills are extremely outstanding, and Fumiaki Uchida eats at her diner everyday. However, despite her cute and cheerful personality, Mikaze is not a normal teenage girl. Chihiro Kawashima (川島 千尋, **Kawashima Chihiro**) Voiced by: Yū Kobayashi Chihiro serves as the vice-principal for Waldstein Academy. She is depicted as a stern woman, although with a penchant for keeping a love diary. She is very much infatuated with Bunmei, and develops a hatred for Mikaze because of that. Ami Kuroki (黒木 亜美, **Kuroki Ami**) Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki Ami is Maya's childhood friend as well as classmate in the Academy. She genuinely cares for Maya and tries to soften Maya's hatred of the occult. Ami is often seen with Kozue, JK, and Smile. Kozue Naruse (成瀬 こずえ, **Naruse Kozue**) Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa Kozue is Ami's friend and classmate at the Academy. She deeply embraces the occult, as shown through her endeavors to prove to Maya that the occult is very real including agreeing to go through a near death experience for a class demonstration. Kozue is portrayed as a being very clumsy, and is often the first to fall victim to demons. Smile (スマイル, **Sumairu**) Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi Smile acts as the mechanic for the Academy. He first meets Maya and the others when Ami requested his and JK's help to find the possessed former principal. Smile is shown to be very adept at physical combat although he often carries an enormous wrench as a weapon. He usually appears with JK. JK Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu JK is an occult dowser who specializes in using dowsing rods to locate supernatural phenomena. Like Kozue, he is also an occult maniac and often accompanies the other characters when occult-related events occur. He is able to engage in combat using his dowsing rods, but usually relies on Smile to get him out of trouble.

## Reception

Anime News Network's Zac Bertschy sees that the "animation and character designs are gorgeous, with some really nice background work" and "an incredibly strong start to a show with huge promise". Theron Martin says that the series "is one of the best-looking series of the new season (maybe the best), including some beautiful background art, nice animation courtesy of A-1 Pictures, and character designs that certainly won't bore". Carl Kimlinger finds that the series "is, if not the best, certainly the most entertaining of the series to emerge from Aniplex's Anime no Chikara project" and "is more Sam Raimi than Tite Kubo". Hope Chapman comments that "it's still incredibly entertaining in a pure, enchanting way, a little reminiscent of the most humorous bits in Mamoru Hosoda's films".

## Musicography

### Main theme

Opening theme "Flying Humanoid" Lyrics, music, arrangement: Kenta Matsukuma. Vocal artist: Shoko Nakagawa. Label: Sony Music Records Ending theme "*Kimi ga iru basho*" ('The Place Where You Are') Lyrics: Masato Nakayama (Elements Garden). Music, arrangement: Junpei Fujita (Elements Garden). Vocal artist: Ayahi Takagaki. Label: Music Ray'n

### Background music

### Preview music

The previews with scenes from the next episode featured hit music from the latter 1990s, sung by female characters in the video. One of these songs, "White Love" was not from Sony Music, but from a rival label Toy's Factory.

"Love Machine" (Episodes #1, 12) Maya Kumashiro (Yōko Hikasa) (#1); Sasazuka Exo Sister (#12) "Be Together" (#2, 3) Mikaze Nakagawa(Minori Chihara) "*Asia no Junshin*" (#4, 5) Kozue Naruse (Kana Hanazawa) "Hot Limit" (#6, 7) Ami Kuroki (Ayahi Takagaki) "White Love" (#8, 9) Akari Okamoto (Inori Minase) "*Rōningyō no yakata* '99" (#10, 11) Chihiro Kawashima (Yū Kobayashi)

## InfoBox

| Occult Academy | |
| --- | --- |
| *Occult Academy* title card | |
| 世紀末オカルト学院
(*Seikimatsu Okaruto Gakuin*) | |
| Genre | Fantasy, Supernatural |
| Created by | A-1 Pictures |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Tomohiko Itō |
| Produced by | Masatoshi Fujimoto
Shinnosuke Wada |
| Written by | Seishi Minakami |
| Music by | Elements Garden |
| Studio | A-1 Pictures |
| Licensed by |  |
| Original network | TV Tokyo |
| Original run | July 6, 2010  September 27, 2010 |
| Episodes | 13 |


title: Oakdale Park

abstract: Oakdale Park is a former baseball park that was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

text:
# Oakdale Park

**Oakdale Park** is a former baseball park that was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

## History

This field was home to the Philadelphia Athletics professional baseball team in the first season of the American Association, 1882. The site of the park had been used for amateur baseball since the Civil War. It was used from 1877 to 1881 by the Olympic Ball Club of Philadelphia.

The 1882 Athletics played at the park, bounded by Huntingdon Street (north), 11th Street (east), Cumberland Street (south), and 12th Street (west) in the West Kensington neighborhood. The Athletics played 39 regular-season games at the park, compiling a 21–18 record. The franchise relocated to Jefferson Street Grounds in 1883.

Oakdale Park was sold shortly thereafter and torn down. Philadelphia Ball Park was built several blocks west of this site, five years later.

## InfoBox

Oakdale Park
|  | |
| --- | --- |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 39°59′30″N 75°09′04″W / 39.9918°N 75.1511°W / 39.9918; -75.1511 |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Opened | May 2, 1882 (first AA game) |
| Closed | September 21, 1882 (last AA game) |
| Tenants | |
| Philadelphia Athletics (AA) (1882)<br>Olympic Ball Club of Philadelphia (1877–1881) | |


title: Obvious (Westlife song)

abstract: "Obvious" is the third and final single released from Irish boy band Westlife's fourth studio album, Turnaround (2003). The track was written by Pilot, Savan Kotecha, and Andreas Carlsson and was produced by Jake Schulze, Kristian Lundin, and Karl Engström, with additional production from Quiz & Larossi. It is composed in the traditional verse–chorus form in E major, with the group's vocals ranging from the chords of C♯4 to A5. This was the last Westlife single to be recorded with their full original lineup, as Brian McFadden left the month after its release. "Obvious" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart but marked the departure of Brian McFadden from the band. The band originally planned to write a farewell song for McFadden, as it was his choice to leave; however, due to tour rehearsals and TV appearances, it was decided that "Obvious" would be released as a single instead. As a tribute, CD2 features a medley of McFadden's favourite Westlife songs.

text:
# Obvious (Westlife song)

"**Obvious**" is the third and final single released from Irish boy band Westlife's fourth studio album, *Turnaround* (2003). The track was written by Pilot, Savan Kotecha, and Andreas Carlsson and was produced by Jake Schulze, Kristian Lundin, and Karl Engström, with additional production from Quiz & Larossi. It is composed in the traditional verse–chorus form in E major, with the group's vocals ranging from the chords of C♯4 to A5. This was the last Westlife single to be recorded with their full original lineup, as Brian McFadden left the month after its release.

"Obvious" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart but marked the departure of Brian McFadden from the band. The band originally planned to write a farewell song for McFadden, as it was his choice to leave; however, due to tour rehearsals and TV appearances, it was decided that "Obvious" would be released as a single instead. As a tribute, CD2 features a medley of McFadden's favourite Westlife songs.

## Track listings

**UK CD1**

1. "Obvious" (single remix)
2. "I'm Missing Loving You"
3. "To Be with You" (live from the Greatest Hits tour)
4. "Obvious" (video)
5. "Obvious" (making of the video)

**UK CD2**

1. "Obvious" (single remix)
2. "Westlife Hits Medley" (Flying Without Wings/My Love/Mandy)

**European CD single**

1. "Obvious" (single remix)
2. "Lost in You"

## Charts

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| United Kingdom | 23 February 2004 | CD |  |  |
| Denmark | | | 1 March 2004 |  |
| Sweden | | | 3 March 2004 |  |

## InfoBox

| "Obvious" | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
| Single by Westlife | |
| from the album  *Turnaround* | |
| B-side | * "I'm Missing Loving You" * "Lost in You" |
| Released | 23 February 2004 (2004-02-23) |
| Studio |  |
| Length | * 3:31 (LP version) * 3:34 (single remix) |
| Label |  |
| Songwriter(s) |  |
| Producer(s) |  |
| Westlife singles chronology | |
| "Mandy"
(2003) "**Obvious**"
(2004) "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"
(2004) | |
|  | |
| Music video | |
| "Obvious" on YouTube | |
|  | |


title: Octasulfur

abstract: Octasulfur is an inorganic substance with the chemical formula S8. It is an odourless and tasteless yellow solid, and is a major industrial chemical. It is the most common allotrope of sulfur and occurs widely in nature.

text:
# Octasulfur

**Octasulfur** is an inorganic substance with the chemical formula S8. It is an odourless and tasteless yellow solid, and is a major industrial chemical. It is the most common allotrope of sulfur and occurs widely in nature.

## Nomenclature

The name **octasulfur** is the most commonly used for this chemical. It is systematically named ***cyclo*-octasulfur** (which is the preferred IUPAC name) and **cyclooctasulfane**. It is also the final member of the thiocane heterocylic series, where every carbon atom is substituted with a sulfur atom, thus this sulfur allotrope is systematically named **octathiocane** as well.

## Structure

The chemical consists of rings of 8 sulfur atoms. It adopts a crown conformation with D4d point group symmetry. The S–S bond lengths are equal, at about 2.05 . Octasulfur crystallizes in three distinct polymorphs: rhombohedral, and two monoclinic forms, of which only two are stable at standard conditions. The rhombohedral crystal form is the accepted standard state. The remaining polymorph is only stable between 96 and 115 °C at 100 kPa. Octasulfur forms several allotropes: α-sulfur, β-sulfur, γ-sulfur, and λ-sulfur.

λ-Sulfur is the liquid form of octasulfur, from which γ-sulfur can be crystallised by quenching. If λ-sulfur is crystallised slowly, it will revert to β-sulfur. Since it must have been heated over 115 °C, neither crystallised β-sulfur or γ-sulfur will be pure. The only known method of obtaining pure γ-sulfur is by crystallising from solution.

Octasulfur easily forms large crystals, which are typically yellow and are somewhat translucent.

## Production and reactions

Octasulfur is not typically produced as S8 per se. It is the main (99%) component of elemental sulfur, which is recovered from volcanic sources and is a major product of the Claus process, associated with petroleum refineries.

## InfoBox

Octasulfur
|  | |
| --- | --- |
|  | |
|  | |
| Names | |
| Systematic IUPAC name * *cyclo*-Octasulfur * Octathiocane * Cyclooctasulfane | |
| Other names Octasulfur | |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS Number |  |
| 3D model (JSmol) |  |
| ChEBI |  |
| ChEMBL |  |
| ChemSpider |  |
| Gmelin Reference | 2973 |
| MeSH | Cyclooctasulfur |
| PubChem CID |  |
| UNII |  |
| CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |  |
| InChI * InChI=1S/S8/c1-2-4-6-8-7-5-3-1 YKey: JLQNHALFVCURHW-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y | |
| SMILES * S1SSSSSSS1 | |
| Properties | |
| Chemical formula | S8 |
| Molar mass | 256.48 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | Vivid, yellow, translucent crystals |
| Density | 2.07 g/cm3 |
| Melting point | 119 °C; 246 °F; 392 K |
| Boiling point | 444.6 °C; 832.4 °F; 717.8 K |
| log *P* | 6.117 |
| Thermochemistry | |
| Std molar
entropy (*S*298) | 32 J·mol−1·K−1 |
| Std enthalpy of
formation f*H*298) | 0 kJ/mol |
| Related compounds | |
| Related compounds | Hexathiane |
| Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C \[77 °F\], 100 kPa).  Infobox references | |


title: Odagawa Dam

abstract: Odagawa Dam is a rockfill dam located in Aomori Prefecture in Japan. The dam is used for irrigation. The catchment area of the dam is 16 km⁲. The dam impounds about 87 ha of land when full and can store 9700 thousand cubic meters of water. The construction of the dam was started on 1971 and completed in 1975.

text:
# Odagawa Dam

**Odagawa Dam** is a rockfill dam located in Aomori Prefecture in Japan. The dam is used for irrigation. The catchment area of the dam is 16 km2. The dam impounds about 87 ha of land when full and can store 9700 thousand cubic meters of water. The construction of the dam was started on 1971 and completed in 1975.

## InfoBox

| Odagawa Dam | |
| --- | --- |
| Location of Odagawa Dam in Japan | |
| Location | Aomori Prefecture, Japan |
| Coordinates | 40°53′19″N 140°32′26″E / 40.88861°N 140.54056°E / 40.88861; 140.54056 |
| Construction began | 1971 |
| Opening date | 1975 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 31m |
| Length | 203m |
| Reservoir | |
| Total capacity | 9700 thousand cubic meters |
| Catchment area | 16 sq. km |
| Surface area | 87 hectares |


title: Occupational hazards in dentistry

abstract: Occupational hazards in dentistry are occupational hazards that are specifically associated with a dental care environment. Members of the dental team, including dentists, hygienists, dental nurses and radiographers, must ensure local protocols are followed to minimize risk.

text:
# Occupational hazards in dentistry

**Occupational hazards in dentistry** are occupational hazards that are specifically associated with a dental care environment. Members of the dental team, including dentists, hygienists, dental nurses and radiographers, must ensure local protocols are followed to minimize risk.

## Radiation

Exposure to radiation can result in harm, categorised as either *deterministic* or *stochastic*. Deterministic effects occur above a certain threshold of radiation e.g. burns, cataracts. Stochastic events are random occurrences after exposure to radiation as there is not a threshold dose above which they will occur e.g. carcinogenesis. Whilst radiation occurs naturally in the environment, additional exposure for medical purposes should be limited to where benefit outweighs risk to both staff and patients.

The World Dental Federation guidelines highlight that operators of dental radiography equipment must be sufficiently trained and qualified. When operating equipment, the staff member should be at least two metres away from the source, clear from the primary beam and behind a protective shield or wall where possible. The US-based National Council on Radiation Protection recommends the shield be installed by an expert and lead may be substituted for gypsum, steel or concrete providing suitable thickness. Additionally, visual contact should be considered whilst designing the shield to allow for constant monitoring of the patient.

Regular testing of equipment is required and varies depending on local legislation, with a designated legal person or employer responsible for organising checks. Faulty equipment could lead to increased or accidental radiation exposure to staff or patients.

### United Kingdom

Within the United Kingdom, the Ionising Radiation Regulations and Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations stipulate measures for limiting risk to staff and patients. The Health and Safety Executive enforces such regulations, and additionally provides a database of radiation exposure for different groups of workers, known as the Central Index of Dose Information, which allows analysis of trends.

Personal dosimeters should be worn where the estimated annual exposure to radiation will exceed 1 mSv. This can be calculated by considering the type and number of radiographs that will be taken by the worker. According to the regulations, should the estimated exposure exceed 6 mSv, then the worker is said to be classified, and will require regular medical checks. However, as the doses from dental images are relatively low, should estimated doses exceed normal values then investigations are required to ensure that principles of justification, optimisation and limitation are being followed.

Whilst local regulations vary by country, regulations specify information essential for a radiation protection folder within each dental practice operating X-ray equipment, including designated control areas, contingency plans, qualified staff, pregnant staff, policy and standard procedures. Regular communication with a medical physics expert ensures guidelines are being followed and understood.

## Dangerous substances

Sodium hypochlorite is a commonly used irrigant in endodontic therapy to dissolve organic matter and kill microbes, allowing removal of infection source. Case reports suggest a risk to dental professionals of chemical burns to the eyes as a result of sodium hypochlorite exposure.

Several inhalational anesthetic agents are used in dentistry, e.g., isoflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane, and halothane. The most concerning from the point of view of its health impact, however, is nitrous oxide, an inhalation sedative commonly used in dentistry, particularly for children. This has been shown in both medical and dental settings to be a very safe method of sedation for patients. However, long-term exposures to nitrous oxide may lead to adverse effects on human health such as infertility, neurologic disorders, blood disorders, and spontaneous abortion. Researchers believe that when operating rooms without proper ventilation systems have high non-scavenged gas exposures, the risk of spontaneous abortion increases. It is found that despite intact scavenging systems in dental clinics, sometimes nitrous oxide exposure exceeds the NIOSH recommended limit of 25 ppm by more than 40 times. NIOSH advises dental professionals to use additional ventilation or increase air circulation in the operating rooms to tackle the high nitrous oxide exposure.

Dental amalgam is a mercury-containing filling material used to fill cavities once tooth decay has been removed. Due to prolonged practice in the field of dentistry and working with amalgam there is a significant exposure to mercury among professionals. The use of dental fillings containing mercury is to be phased down in accordance with the Minamata Convention, however its use remains widespread. Inhalation of mercury vapors leads to its absorption in the lungs and accumulation in kidneys, and evidence suggests that dental professionals have higher urinary mercury levels. About 84.9% of dental practitioners among those attending a health screening program in the annual ADA session in San Francisco, California, were found to restore teeth with 100–200 dental amalgam restorations in a week, and about 4.2% did a minimum of 50 dental amalgam fillings in a week. Minute quantities of elemental mercury elevate the concentrations in dental clinics, such that it poses threat to human health. Mercury vapors and elemental mercury remain in furniture, floors, clothes for years if not cleaned properly, and contribute to being a chronic source of exposure. The limit for elemental mercury vapor in workplaces is 0.05 mg/m3 as recommended by OSHA, especially for workers working 40 hours in a week for 8 hours per day, and that for elemental mercury vapor in workplaces set by NIOSH is 0.05 mg/m3 for a work shift of 10 hours. Inhaling elemental mercury vapors lead to serious health consequences in humans. Acute exposure to elevated levels of mercury leads to headaches, insomnia, irritability, memory loss, and slow sensory and motor nerve function along with depressed cognition, renal failure, chest pain, dyspnea, and impaired lung activity. Chronic exposures to elemental mercury lead to hypersalivation and erethism. Several studies show the risk of spontaneous abortions and birth defects in infants on elemental mercury exposure. Elemental mercury has a reference concentration of 0.0003 mg/m3, and when exposures are greater than this level, the possibility of harmful consequences to health increases. Weak relationships exist between mercury and spontaneous abortion, congenital abnormalities and reduced fertility.

In addition, some of the procedures conducted with patients who suffer diseases can generate dusts which are associated with lung diseases. Nine cases of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were detected among dental personnel in Virginia during 2000–2015. No clear etiology has been identified, but occupational exposures from the treatment disease carriers are possible.

## Dental aerosol

A dental aerosol is an aerosol that is produced from dental instruments like ultrasonic scalers, dental handpieces, three-way syringes and other high-speed instruments. These dental aerosols are also bioaerosols which are contaminated with bacteria, fungi and viruses of the oral cavity, skin and the water used in the dental units. Dental aerosols also have micro-particles of the burs and silica particles which are some of the components of dental filling materials like composite. These aerosols are suspended in the air in the clinical environment. These aerosols can pose risks to the clinician, staff and also other patients. Depending upon the procedure and site, the aerosol composition may change from patient to patient. Apart from microorganisms, these aerosols may consist of particles from saliva, blood, oronasal secretions, gingival fluids, and micro-particles from grinding of the teeth. The larger particles (\>50 μm) of the aerosols are suspended in the air for relatively short periods and settle down quickly, but the smaller particles tend to remain suspended for longer periods and may enter and be deposited in the lungs when they are inhaled, and can transmit diseases. The water used in the dental units may be contaminated with the aerosols from the dental hand-pieces; this may lead to their spreading in the environment of the dental setting, which could possibly lead to their inhalation by dentist, staff and patients. The dental unit water lines (DUWLs) may also be contaminated with other bacteria such as *Mycobacterium* spp. and *Pseudomonas aeruginosa*.

### COVID

Dentists have one of the highest occupational risks of exposure to COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, remains stable in aerosols for several hours. The virus is viable for hours in aerosols and for a few days on surfaces, hence the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is feasible through aerosols and also shows fomite transmission. Due to the close proximity of the dental health care workers to the patients, dental procedures involving aerosol production are not advisable in patients who tested positive for COVID-19. On March 16, 2020, the American Dental Association advised dentists to postpone all elective procedures. It also developed guidance specific to address dental services during the COVID-19 pandemic. A review of issues implicated in the re-opening of dental services (practice preparation, personal protective equipment, management of the clinical area, dental procedures, and cleaning and disinfection) indicated that patient triage by telephone is recommended by several research groups, while some also recommend temperature screening at reception. Most guidance recommends avoiding aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs), and surgical masks for non-COVID-19 cases not requiring AGPs. Treatment of non-COVID-19 cases undergoing AGPs and all suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases undergoing any procedure should be carried out by professionals who are wearing filtering facepiece class 2 (FFP2, equivalent to N95) masks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US discussed guidance in a June 3, 2020 webinar. A caveat is that across sources, some of the guidance lacks strong (or any) research evidence. On August 28, 2020 the CDC updated its Guidance for Dental Settings During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. On February 16, 2020, the California Dental Association, in response to updated CDC guidelines for wearing masks, advised dental teams to continue following PPE recommendations that are specific to dental offices. Several associations also indicated the need to examine the efficiency of source controls methods: in particular, dental evacuation systems. These systems can capture potentially harmful aerosols directly at the mouth of the patient before the aerosol can enter ambient air and subsequently be inhaled by nearby dental personnel, patients, or others, immediately or hours later.

## Musculoskeletal disorders

Musculoskeletal problems are prevalent among dental professionals. Problems can begin as early on as dental school, with 79% of dental students at one undergraduate dental school in the UK reporting neck and/or back pain. The problems arise from the nature of the job: focusing on fine procedures which require a close visual field and sustained posture for long periods of time. Musculoskeletal disorders were found to be more prevalent amongst dental surgeons than among surgeons or physicians, and 60% of dentists reported symptoms in more than one site. Repetitive work, the need to maintain steady hands, and spending most of the day in an awkward posture can lead to musculoskeletal pain in various sites. The lower back is commonly affected, as well as the upper back, shoulders and neck.

There are a number of recommendations for dentists that can help reduce the risk of developing musculoskeletal pain. The use of magnification or loupes and good lighting aids an improvement in posture by preventing the need to crane the neck and back for better vision. The use of a saddle seat also assists improved posture by keeping the spine in its natural 'S' curve. Patients should be positioned with enough distance to allow the shoulders to be in a relaxed, neutral position and elbows at about a 90 degree or less flexion. However, according to a Cochrane review published in 2018, there is insufficient evidence about the effects of ergonomic interventions in preventing musculoskeletal disorders among dentists and other dental care practitioners.

## Stress

Recent studies show that dentists are at higher risk of stress-related incidents such as suicide, cardiovascular disease and mental health issues. Potential reasons include work confinement, working with anxious patients, time pressures, complex treatment and personality traits within dentists themselves (the need for perfection, attention to detail, high expectations of themselves and others).

Between 1991 and 2000 the UK's Office for National Statistics indicated that doctors, dentists, nurses, vets and agricultural workers have the highest suicide risk compared to other professions.

According to an article in the British Dental Journal, stress-related problems can lead to premature retirement. The most frequent causes of premature retirement were musculoskeletal disorders (29.5%), cardiovascular disease (21.1%), and neurotic symptoms (16.5%).

## Noise

Dentists are often exposed to different noises from dental instruments like handpieces and scalers and from the other equipment and machines used in the dental clinics. These noises may range from 60 to 99 decibels. In a study conducted in the Dental School of Prince of Prince of Songkla University, noise annoyance in the dental clinic has been reported by 80% of dental students. The highest percentage of noise dose exposure is found in clinics for pediatric patients. Exposure to noise levels above 85 dB for 8 hours or more can be harmful to one's hearing, and may also be associated with other stress-mediated health outcomes. Exposure to high intensity noise may cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in dental practitioners. Threshold shift, the reduction in hearing due to reduced sensitivity level of ears due to noise exposure, occurs due to the use of an ultrasonic scaler, and although this is found to last between 16 hours to almost 2 days, it could cause irreversible damage.

## Sharps injuries

Due to the nature of their work and the instruments used, both dentists and dental nurses are at great risk of sharps injuries. This is a common occurrence in the dental field, yet almost entirely preventable with the correct protective equipment and procedures. A sharps injury could be caused during any Exposure Prone Procedure (EPP), where the healthcare worker's gloved hands may be in contact with sharp instruments, needle tips or sharp tissues (e.g. spicules of bone or teeth). This may be inside a patient's open body cavity, wound or confined space in which the fingertips may not be completely visible at all times. Most dental procedures are EPPs except:

* Examination using only mouth mirror
* Taking extra-oral radiographs
* Visual and digital examination of the head and neck
* Visual and digital examination of edentulous mouth
* Taking impressions of edentulous patients
* Constructing and fitting full dentures

With sharps injuries there is an associated risk of transmission of infections, such as blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). It has been shown that there is great emotional impact related to sharps injuries, even if there has been no transmission of infection. This may be due to the extensive process following a sharps injury, embarrassment, or fear of being exposed to infectious disease. The estimated percentage risk of transmission of these viruses is outlined in the table below:

| Virus | HBV | HCV | HIV |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Estimated % risk of transmission by needlestick injury | 30% (5–40%) | 3% (3–10%) | 0.3% (0.2–0.5%) |
| Categories in which prevalence of infection and risk is higher | * IV drug users * men who have sex with men (MSM) * those from developing countries | * those who have had multiple blood transfusions * dialysis patients, * IV drug users | * MSM * IV drug users, * those from areas where the condition is endemic |

Other infectious agents which can spread by this route are:

* **Viruses:** Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Paroviruses
* **Bacteria:** Treponema pallidum (syphilis), Yersinia, Parasites, Plasmodium

### Legislation

The “Health and Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013 was published by the Health and Safety Executive and is aimed at healthcare employers and employees. The Sharps Regulations build on the existing law outlined in the European Council Directive 2010/32/EU, which requires employers to carry out risk assessment of sharps injuries and practice adequate control measures. The regulations are based on preventative control measures set out in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), with additional measures:

* Avoid unnecessary use of sharps: - Only use them as required
* Use safer sharps with mechanisms to prevent or minimise risk of injury e.g. needles with protective shield, and avoid re-sheathing needles
* Place secure containers and instructions for safe disposal of medical sharps close to the work area: Instructions for staff on safe disposal of sharps must also be placed in those areas
* All employees must have access to information on: safe operating systems, risks from sharps injuries, legal duties, prevention, vaccination, support.
* Employees must be properly trained to use and dispose of sharps safely
* Injured employee's duty to notify their employer of a sharps accident
* The incident must be recorded fully and investigated. An entry in an incident book must include:
* Who was injured
* When they were injured
* Type of procedure carried out at the church
* Severity of injury
* Employer must ensure injured employee is treated and followed-up
* Review procedures regularly

### Prevention

Practical ways to prevent sharps injuries include:

* Never passing instruments over a patient's face
* Removing burs from handpieces when not in use and checking their safety before use
* Keeping the bracket table tidy
* Handling sutures with suture needles only
* Using needles with safety devices

There are various needle stick injury prevention devices available for use in routine dental procedures. One example is of a single use syringe barrel which removes the risk of re-sheathing a needle as there is a plastic shield which slides down to safely cover the sharp point. A second “click” locks the cover in this place to avoid accidental uncovering of the needle.

### Management

* Account for and make safe the instrument responsible for the injury
* Encourage free bleeding of the skin wound. Cleanse with soap and water, followed by 70% alcohol. If the damaged area is a mucous membrane, rinse immediately and thoroughly with water or saline solution.
* Report incident to person responsible for occupational hazard incidents
* Someone unrelated to the accident should carry out a risk assessment
* If the source of the blood is known, inform them and request permission to take a blood sample for HCV and HIV test. If permission is refused, it must be assumed that they are a carrier.
* Take baseline blood sample from the injured healthcare worker as soon as possible after the incident
* Further blood samples should be taken after one, three and six months

**Incidents with higher risk of virus transmission are those associated with:**

1. Deep wounds
2. Visible blood on instrument
3. Hollow bore needles containing blood
4. IV or IM injection of contaminated blood
5. Blood from a patient with a high virus level (e.g. untreated or end-stage AIDS patients)


title: Odozana inconspicua

abstract: Odozana inconspicua is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by William Schaus in 1911 and can be found in Costa Rica.

text:
# Odozana inconspicua

***Odozana inconspicua*** is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae. It was described by William Schaus in 1911 and can be found in Costa Rica.

## InfoBox

| *Odozana inconspicua* | |
| --- | --- |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Superfamily: | Noctuoidea |
| Family: | Erebidae |
| Subfamily: | Arctiinae |
| Genus: | *Odozana* |
| Species: | ***O. inconspicua*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Odozana inconspicua***<br>Schaus, 1911 | |
|


title: Official game (baseball)

abstract: In baseball, an official game is a game where nine innings have been played, except when the game is scheduled with fewer innings, extra innings are required to determine a winner, or the game must be stopped before nine innings have been played, e.g. due to inclement weather. The term "official game" is mainly used in the context of a game that is stopped before nine innings have been played, though it has been used for other promotional purposes. A game that is stopped by the umpires before the regulation number of innings have been played may be considered an official game if five innings have been played, unless the game meets one of the conditions for a suspended game. An official game that is stopped in this way is ended at the point of stoppage and statistics are added to each team's totals, while a suspended game is resumed from the point of stoppage at a later time. A game that is stopped before five innings have been played is considered "no game" unless it can be considered a suspended game; statistics accumulated before the stoppage are not counted and replay of the game is subject to the league rules.

text:
# Official game (baseball)

In baseball, an **official game** (**regulation game** in the Major League Baseball rulebook) is a game where nine innings have been played, except when the game is scheduled with fewer innings, extra innings are required to determine a winner, or the game must be stopped before nine innings have been played, e.g. due to inclement weather. The term "official game" is mainly used in the context of a game that is stopped before nine innings have been played, though it has been used for other promotional purposes.

A game that is stopped ("called" in the MLB rulebook) by the umpires before the regulation number of innings have been played may be considered an official game if five innings have been played (4+12 innings if the home team is in the lead), unless the game meets one of the conditions for a suspended game. An official game that is stopped in this way is ended at the point of stoppage and statistics are added to each team's totals, while a suspended game is resumed from the point of stoppage at a later time. A game that is stopped before five innings have been played is considered "no game" unless it can be considered a suspended game; statistics accumulated before the stoppage are not counted and replay of the game is subject to the league rules.

## Inclement weather

In the case of inclement weather, any game which has reached this point may be stopped and shortened as needed, with the result being final, and all records and statistics counted. A game which has not reached this point before being stopped is either considered a **suspended game** (to be continued at a later date from the point of stoppage), or is simply canceled and replayed from the start. (This depends on the rules of each individual league.) In either case, no statistics are counted until the game becomes official.

Since most professional baseball games are nine innings long, the fifth inning is used as the threshold for an official game. If the visiting team is leading, or the game is tied, the end of the fifth inning marks this point. If the home team (which bats last) is already ahead in the score, and theoretically would not need its half of the fifth inning, then 4½ innings (i.e., the middle of the fifth) is considered an official game. The game is also considered official if the home team scores to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, since the game would end immediately if the same thing happened in the ninth. Games that are stopped due to power outages are treated as suspended and cannot be declared official.

In the Major League Baseball postseason (since 2009), all tiebreaker games that are added to the end of the regular season (since 2009), and in the regular season (since 2020), this rule does not apply; all games stopped at any time for weather or power outages are considered suspended and continued from the point of stoppage when play resumes, no matter if the game has reached the end of the fifth inning. This rule was put into place as a result of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, which was the first postseason game in history to be suspended and resumed from the point of suspension. Prior to the 2009 postseason, a playoff game had to have at least five innings completed in order to be suspendable; a playoff game stopped prior to that point had to be started over.

## Rain check

In nearly all cases, the "official game" status is used to determine whether a rain check will be honored for fans holding tickets. If a game is started but does not reach the point of becoming official, fans are entitled to a new ticket for the make-up game or (in most modern cases) any other available game of their choice. If a game is halted after it becomes official, the game is simply shortened and no rain check is given.

## Effects on statistical streaks

The "official game" statistic received some attention during the 1995 season, when Cal Ripken Jr. was approaching the record for consecutive games played, previously held by Lou Gehrig. Large numbers were hung on the side of the Baltimore & Ohio Warehouse at Camden Yards at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore to show the number of games in Ripken's streak. Each day, a new number was unfurled during the fifth inning after each game had become official (since the statistic would not have counted if the game had been stopped before that point). A similar practice has been used to count down toward the demolition of several stadiums (including Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia in 2003, Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis in 2005, and the original Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium in New York City in 2008 and the conversion of Turner Field to a college football stadium in Atlanta in 2016); as each game became official, the team would unveil a new (lower) number showing the number of games left to be played in the stadium.

## Other sports

Other professional sports utilize similar rules regarding "official" games/events.

Most codes of motorsport declare a race "official" with an official result if just three laps are completed, though only half the normal championship points are awarded if less than 75% of the race distance (rounded up to the nearest whole lap) is completed. If more than 75% of the race is completed, full points are awarded.

The major exception applies in the United States, mainly in NASCAR and INDYCAR, where races must go at the next full lap after halfway or past a set point of the race. A race is considered "official" if it has completed half the scheduled distance plus one additional lap. For instance, the Indianapolis 500 (200 laps) must complete 101 laps to be considered official.

In limited overs cricket, a game can only be considered complete if both teams have faced a certain number of legal deliveries (pitches); otherwise there is no result. In a 3-hour T20 cricket match, each team must face at least 30 deliveries, while in the 8-hour One Day International format, they must each receive at least 120 deliveries.

In boxing, a fight can be declared official for purposes of scoring in case of accidental head butts. That is typically the end of the second round, fourth round, or halfway. Fights that do not reach official status are no contest.


title: Office for the Internal Market

abstract: The Office for the Internal Market (OIM) is that part of the Competition and Markets Authority responsible for overseeing the UK internal market. Its objective is to monitor the UK internal market by reporting every year and every 5 years on the functioning of the internal market to the Parliament of the United Kingdom and devolved parliaments, and to conduct reviews and develop tools. Any nation or business within the UK can seek information from the office regarding the UK internal market principles of non-discrimination and mutual recognition. The office can issue fines and it has been proposed that this should be £30,000 for single fixed penalties and £15,000 for a daily rate penalties.

text:
# Office for the Internal Market

The **Office for the Internal Market** (OIM) is that part of the Competition and Markets Authority (a non-ministerial department) responsible for overseeing the UK internal market. Its objective is to monitor the UK internal market by reporting every year and every 5 years on the functioning of the internal market to the Parliament of the United Kingdom and devolved parliaments, and to conduct reviews and develop tools.

Any nation or business within the UK can seek information from the office regarding the UK internal market principles of non-discrimination and mutual recognition. The office can issue fines and it has been proposed that this should be £30,000 for single fixed penalties and £15,000 for a daily rate penalties.

## History

On 17 December 2020, the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 received royal assent. Part 4 of the Act sets out arrangements for the creation the Office of the Internal Market within the Competition and Markets Authority.

On 22 March 2021, the Competition and Markets Authority appointed Rachel Merelie as the Senior Director for the OIM. On 21 September 2021, the Office for the Internal Market officially opened and began operating as the advisory body for the UK internal market.

## Office for the Internal Market panel

The office for the internal market panel that is responsible for overseeing the UK internal market. This panel consists of 7 members, including the panel chair, representatives of the devolved nations and independent members.

On 1 September 2021 the UK Office for the Internal Market began the process of filling the position for the OIM panel and this was due to finish on 3 October 2021. On 11 April 2022 Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng appointed Murdoch MacLennan as the first chair of the panel.

On 20 December 2023 the Office for the Internal Market began appointing the first members of the panel, these include:

* Professor Suzanne Rab
* Prof Andreas Stephan
* Angharad Butler
* Stephen Gifford
* Shane Lynch
* Michael Neilson
* Dr Timothy Render

## Reports

| Name | Report Date | Citation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Overview of the UK Internal Market Report | 22 March 2022 |  |
| OIM Annual Report on the Operation of the Internal\_Market 2022-23 | 21 March 2023 |  |
| OIM Periodic Report 2023 | 21 March 2023 |  |

## Requests to the OIM

On 8 August 2022 the UK Government asked the Office for the market to examine how a ban of peat in England would affect the UK internal market

## InfoBox

Office for the Internal Market (OIM)
|  | |
| --- | --- |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 21 September 2021 |
| Type | a part of a non-ministerial department |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | The Cabot, 25 Cabot Square,<br>London, E14 4QZ |
| Agency executives |  |
| Parent agency | Competition and Markets Authority |
| Key document |  |
| Website | Office for the Internal Market (gov.uk) |


title: Oculeus

abstract: Oculeus is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It lived during the Cambrian Period, which lasted from approximately 539 to 485 million years ago.

text:
# Oculeus

***Oculeus*** is an extinct genus from a well-known class of fossil marine arthropods, the trilobites. It lived during the Cambrian Period, which lasted from approximately 539 to 485 million years ago.

## InfoBox

| *Oculeus*<br>Temporal range: Cambrian | |
| --- | --- |
| Conservation status | |
| Fossil | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Trilobita |
| Order: | Ptychopariida |
| Genus: | ***Oculeus*** |
|


title: Oculina arbuscula

abstract: Oculina arbuscula is a branching temperate coral found along the east coast of the United States from Florida to North Carolina. It has a facultative symbiosis with microalgae of the family Symbiodiniaceae. Unlike tropical corals, O. arbuscula can survive without its algal endosymbionts by switching to a predominantly heterotrophic feeding strategy. Symbiotic colonies are typically found in shallower waters due to light availability, whereas aposymbiotic or mixed colonies are found as deep as 200m. The ability of O. arbuscula to exist in different symbiotic states makes it a good model system for studying the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.

text:
# Oculina arbuscula

***Oculina arbuscula*** is a branching temperate coral found along the east coast of the United States from Florida to North Carolina. It has a facultative symbiosis with microalgae of the family Symbiodiniaceae. Unlike tropical corals, *O. arbuscula* can survive without its algal endosymbionts by switching to a predominantly heterotrophic feeding strategy. Symbiotic colonies are typically found in shallower waters due to light availability, whereas aposymbiotic (without symbionts) or mixed colonies are found as deep as 200m. The ability of *O. arbuscula* to exist in different symbiotic states makes it a good model system for studying the cnidarian-dinoflagellate symbiosis.

## Morphology

*O. arbuscula* forms colonies up to 0.5 meters in diameter with relatively short stubby branches. Symbiotic colonies, depending on symbiont density, range from light to dark brown in color, whereas aposymbiotic colonies are white. Oftentimes colonies with mixed symbiotic states will be seen, with some branches or parts of branches appearing brown and others white.

## Feeding strategy

In low light environments, *O. arbuscula* relies on filter feeding particles from the seawater as its primary trophic strategy, likely because maintaining algal symbionts is not energetically favorable in those environments. Symbiotic colonies will also filter feed; however, their primary source of nutrition is from photosynthates derived from their endosymbionts. *O. arbuscula* is generally a very hardy coral and can survive even when deprived of food and light for six weeks.

## Reproduction

Like most corals, *O. arbuscula* can reproduce both sexually and asexually by fragmentation. The reproductive biology of *O. arbuscula* has not been studied in detail, but it is suspected that this species is a gonochoric broadcast spawner due to its similarities to another species in the same genus, *Oculina varicosa.* Additionally, the presence of larval recruitment throughout the year indicates that *O. arbuscula* is reproductively active year-round, unlike tropical corals that typically have one annual reproductive event.

## Symbiosis

The microbial community of *O. arbuscula has not yet been characterized.* However, it is known that the predominant and nearly exclusive algal symbiont species present in the tissue is *Breviolum psygmophilum*. Like tropical corals, this symbiosis is threatened by environmental stressors such as temperature and nutrients.

## InfoBox

| *Oculina arbuscula* | |
| --- | --- |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Scleractinia |
| Family: | Oculinidae |
| Genus: | *Oculina* |
| Species: | ***O. arbuscula*** |
| Binomial name | |
| ***Oculina arbuscula***<br>Agassiz, 1880 | |
|


title: Oculo-auricular phenomenon

abstract: The oculo-auricular phenomenon, first described by Kinnier Wilson in 1908, is the phenomenon of an extreme lateral gaze inducing a slight but perceptible backwards movement of the upper part of the pinna. It is a muscle synergy involving the Abducens innervated lateral rectus muscle, an external muscle of the eye, and the facial innervated posterior auricular muscle, an external muscle of the ear. Wilson's phenomenon had attracted attention at the time because of his renown and for its implications regarding Darwin's theory of natural selection. According to, "In patients with brainstem disease abnormal transverse auricular muscle coactivation is characterized by absence of activity in one or both ear muscles during lateral gaze in either or both directions."

text:
# Oculo-auricular phenomenon

The **oculo-auricular phenomenon**, first described by Kinnier Wilson in 1908, is the phenomenon of an extreme lateral gaze inducing a slight but perceptible backwards movement of the upper part of the pinna. It is a **muscle synergy** involving the Abducens innervated lateral rectus muscle, an external muscle of the eye, and the facial innervated posterior auricular muscle, an external muscle of the ear. Wilson's phenomenon had attracted attention at the time because of his renown and for its implications regarding Darwin's theory of natural selection. According to (Urban 1993), "In patients with brainstem disease abnormal transverse auricular muscle coactivation is characterized by absence of activity in one or both ear muscles during lateral gaze in either or both directions."

1. Caplan, Louis R.; Hopf, Hanns C. (2012-12-06). *Brain-Stem Localization and Function*. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783642781728.
2. Schmidt, D.; Thoden, U. (1978-06-19). "Co-activation of the M. transversus auris with eye movements (Wilson's oculo-auricular phenomenon) and with activity in other cranial nerves". *Albrecht von Graefes Archiv für Klinische und Experimentelle Ophthalmologie. Albrecht von Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology*. **206** (4): 227–236. doi:10.1007/bf02387334. ISSN 0065-6100. PMID 308327. S2CID 26892630.
3. Wagner, A. "Oculo-auricular phenomenon and its value in neurologic diagnosis".
4. Hackley, Steven A. (2015-10-01). "Evidence for a vestigial pinna-orienting system in humans". *Psychophysiology*. **52** (10): 1263–1270. doi:10.1111/psyp.12501. ISSN 1469-8986. PMID 26211937.
5. Urban, P. P.; Marczynski, U.; Hopf, H. C. (June 1993). "The oculo-auricular phenomenon. Findings in normals and patients with brainstem lesions". *Brain*. **116** (3): 727–738. doi:10.1093/brain/116.3.727. ISSN 0006-8950. PMID 8513400.


title: Official scorer

abstract: In the game of baseball, the official scorer is a person appointed by the league to record the events on the field, and to send the official scoring record of the game back to the league offices. In addition to recording the events on the field such as the outcome of each plate appearance and the circumstances of any baserunner's advance around the bases, the official scorer is also charged with making judgment calls that do not affect the progress or outcome of the game. Judgment calls are primarily made about errors, unearned runs, fielder's choice, the value of hits in certain situations, and wild pitches, all of which are included in the record compiled. This record is used to compile statistics for each player and team. A box score is a summary of the official scorer's game record. Newspaper writers initially performed this function in the early days of Major League Baseball (MLB). As the importance of baseball player statistics increased, teams began to pressure writer-scorers for favorable scoring decisions for their players in games played at home stadiums, and a home team scoring bias was perceived by many coaches, players, and writers. Controversies related to perceived bias or errors in scoring have led to questions about important baseball records, including several no-hitters and Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak of 1941. By 1979, many major newspapers decided to ban their writers from scoring baseball games due to conflict-of-interest concerns, and in 1980 MLB began to hire independent official scorers. Since 1980, some reforms have been suggested to improve the performance of official scorers. In 2001, MLB formed a scoring committee to review their performance, and by 2008 the committee was given the authority to overturn scoring decisions. This authority was used by the scoring committee three times during the 2009 season. In 2006, an academic study seemed to confirm the historical existence of a home-team bias in scoring decisions, but this measurable bias decreased after 1979.

text:
# Official scorer

In the game of baseball, the **official scorer** is a person appointed by the league to record the events on the field, and to send the official scoring record of the game back to the league offices. In addition to recording the events on the field such as the outcome of each plate appearance and the circumstances of any baserunner's advance around the bases, the official scorer is also charged with making judgment calls that do not affect the progress or outcome of the game. Judgment calls are primarily made about errors, unearned runs, fielder's choice, the value of hits in certain situations, and wild pitches, all of which are included in the record compiled. This record is used to compile statistics for each player and team. A box score is a summary of the official scorer's game record.

Newspaper writers initially performed this function in the early days of Major League Baseball (MLB). As the importance of baseball player statistics increased, teams began to pressure writer-scorers for favorable scoring decisions for their players in games played at home stadiums, and a home team scoring bias was perceived by many coaches, players, and writers. Controversies related to perceived bias or errors in scoring have led to questions about important baseball records, including several no-hitters and Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak of 1941. By 1979, many major newspapers decided to ban their writers from scoring baseball games due to conflict-of-interest concerns, and in 1980 MLB began to hire independent official scorers.

Since 1980, some reforms have been suggested to improve the performance of official scorers. In 2001, MLB formed a scoring committee to review their performance, and by 2008 the committee was given the authority to overturn scoring decisions. This authority was used by the scoring committee three times during the 2009 season. In 2006, an academic study seemed to confirm the historical existence of a home-team bias in scoring decisions, but this measurable bias decreased after 1979.

## History

Henry Chadwick is generally credited with the invention of scorekeeping in baseball. Chadwick was also the inventor of the modern box score and the writer of the first rule book for the game of baseball. Since baseball statistics were initially a subject of interest to sportswriters, the role of the official scorer in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the early days of the sport was performed by newspaper writers. A judgment call that is required by the official scorer does not alter the outcome of a game, but these judgments impact the statistical records of the game. As the subjective scoring decisions which are used to calculate baseball statistics began to be used to determine the relative value of baseball players, MLB began to require approval from the league before a writer-scorer could be assigned to produce the scoring report for a game. By the 1970s, writers who were willing to score games for MLB were required to have attended 100 or more games per year in the prior three years and to be chosen by the local chapter chairman of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA). Qualified candidates for scoring were submitted to the leagues for approval.

### Early controversies

> It's always safer to call it a hit. The batting team is happy, and the fielding team can be ambivalent ... But you have to make the proper call.
>
> Stew Thornley, official scorer

Baseball writer-scorers usually worked at the games played at the home stadium of the team which they covered for their newspaper. The writer-scorers were tasked with making objective decisions that could impact the statistics of the team they were writing about. Because of this affiliation, the official scorer was often presumed by the baseball players and managers to favor the home team when making the required judgment calls during the course of a game.

Criticism of scoring decisions date to the earliest days of the game. Some historians claim that Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game hitting streak in 1941 was made possible by several generous rulings at Yankee Stadium. In 1953, Al Rosen narrowly missed being recognized for achieving a rare "triple crown" in hitting after a questioned error caused him to finish the season one hit short of winning the American League batting title.

Although scoring decisions were widely believed to favor the hitter over the defense, many players believed this bias shifts in favor of the pitcher when he carries a no-hitter (where a pitcher throws a complete game without giving up a hit) into the late innings. Infielder Davey Johnson said, "I've been involved in five or six no-hit games, and all of them were suspected of being helped by hometown scoring." One of the last controversies of the writer-scorer era was seen in a 1978 game at St. Louis. In that game, St. Louis pitcher Bob Forsch was pitching a no-hitter in the 8th inning against Philadelphia when a hard ground ball hit into the hole between shortstop and third was narrowly missed by third baseman Ken Reitz. The official scorer Neal Russo (who was a writer for a local newspaper) judged the play to be an error rather than a hit, and Forsch went on to pitch the first no-hitter of the 1978 season.

### Newspaper reaction

A player's baseball statistics can increase or reduce the leverage which he may have in future contract negotiations. Many players also have monetary incentives written in their contracts which are based on statistical measurements, and official scorers have the option to reverse a scoring decision within 24 hours of the conclusion of a game. Because of this, baseball writer-scorers were often subject to pressure from the players they were covering in their newspaper. After a game in 1962, infielder Jerry Adair asked for a meeting with local writer Neal Eskridge after learning that he was the scorer for the game. Angry about an error he had received in the game, Jerry "cursed \[Neal\] thoroughly and imaginatively, and told him, 'Never talk to me again.'" They reportedly did not speak to each other for almost four years. In the early days of baseball, a disagreement over a scoring decision occasionally led to physical altercations between the player and the writer. Confrontational incidents decreased after 1974 following a warning from MLB.

The pressure and the perceived conflict of interest faced by the baseball writers who scored games for MLB eventually led many major newspapers to end the practice for their employees. In 1958, *The Washington Post* prohibited their writers from scoring baseball games. Over the next two decades other major newspapers joined in the writer-scorer ban, including *The New York Times*, the *Los Angeles Times*, *The Boston Globe*, and the major daily newspapers published in Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Philadelphia. In 1980, MLB resolved the conflict by directly hiring official scorers for each stadium.

### After 1980

Today, the MLB commissioner's office directly employs the official scorers who are responsible for producing score reports, although most scorers are hired on the recommendation of the public relations directors of baseball teams. Official scorers are typically retired writers, coaches, and umpires. Unlike umpiring teams, MLB official scorers do not typically travel between stadiums. Each official scorer is assigned to a stadium for the season, with each stadium having one or more scorers. Scorers now have access to replay video from different angles which they can review before making a decision. As of 2012, MLB official scorers earned $150 per game. Official scorers are not required to meet the old BBWAA requirements, and are also no longer required to pass a written test, which was once administered by the National League before it was phased out in the mid-1990s. Potential scorers are generally required to briefly apprentice under an existing scorer before they are allowed to work alone.

Official scorers are only occasionally terminated, but there have been cases when a scorer was replaced after making decisions which displeased the home team. In 1992 the Seattle Mariner players signed a petition to have their official scorer replaced, and in 2001 the management of the Boston Red Sox ordered that a rookie scorer not be allowed to score another game after pitcher Hideo Nomo lost a no-hitter on a close play in right field that was ruled a hit rather than an error.

In 2001, MLB formed a scoring committee to evaluate the performance of official scorers. In 2008, the scoring committee was given the authority to enforce the portion of rule 10.01(a) which allows the league to change a scoring decision that is "clearly erroneous". The committee has used this authority on a few occasions, having overturned three scoring decisions in the 2009 season. The scoring committee came under some scrutiny after a game on August 31, 2008. Milwaukee pitcher CC Sabathia threw a disputed 7–0 one-hit shutout against Pittsburgh. Milwaukee manager Ned Yost argued that the hit recorded by Pittsburgh should have been recorded as an error by the pitcher, but Pittsburgh official scorer Bob Webb disagreed. Yost commented, "That's a joke. That wasn't even close. Whoever the scorekeeper was absolutely denied major league baseball a nice no-hitter right there." The official scorer had argued that the batter was too close to first base to be put out by a clean play. Milwaukee appealed the ruling to the scoring committee, but on September 3 the committee reviewed the footage and supported the ruling by Webb, saying the ruling was not "clearly erroneous" as required by rule 10.01(a).

### Outside MLB

Official scorers in the minor leagues are generally hired by the teams to score games at their stadium. Some minor league scorers have a history or connection with the team, including former players, former coaches, and local writers. Official scorers for international baseball competitions are generally selected by the organizer of the competition.

## Analysis and proposed changes

Baseball players, managers, and writers have speculated about bias by the official scorer for decades, but this subject has been objectively studied only recently. In 2006, the rate at which errors have been recorded in MLB by the official scorer was investigated under many situations. The rate at which errors are called is higher when the quality of fielding is suspect and is lower when playing conditions are better, but these factors do not fully explain variations in error rate. After other known factors are accounted for, evidence was found that official scorers are biased toward the home team, but that this bias was reduced after the end of the writer-scorer era in 1979. Further, errors are significantly more likely to be called in the National League than in the American League.

Changes have been proposed over the years to reduce possible inconsistencies between scorers and possible mistakes made by the official scorer, especially as the end of the writer-scorer era began to seem likely in the late 1970s. The BBWAA and professional baseball umpires have suggested the creation of a "fifth umpire". Four-man umpire crews rotate officiating responsibilities after each game, and travel to several stadiums per year. This new fifth umpire would travel with the umpiring crew to score games and take his turn on the bases, but MLB has been reluctant to incur the increased cost. More recently, there have been suggestions to move the official scorer out of the press box and closer to the field behind the plate to get the best view of the game. MLB has conceded that this could be a good idea, but it is not currently feasible because of the design of most stadiums in the league.

## Responsibilities

The rules which govern the official scorer are spelled out in Rule 10 of the official rules of baseball. The fundamental responsibilities of the official scorer are explained in rule 10.01.

### Rule 10.01

The rules of baseball require that the official scorer views the game only from the press box, for two basic reasons. First, this ensures that every scorer has nearly the same perspective of the game. One of the intentions of this rule is to improve consistency in scorekeeping decisions between different official scorers working on different games at the same stadium, and between scorers in different stadiums. Second, the press box is the most neutral position within the stadium. Seated in the press box, the official scorer is surrounded by writers and broadcasters who are ostensibly neutral, and the scorer is less likely to be unduly influenced by the players, the coaches, and the crowd.

Rule 10.01 states that the scorer is never allowed to make scorekeeping decisions that conflict with the official rules governing scorekeeping. The official scorer is permitted to view available replays and to solicit the opinions of others, but the official scorer is given the sole authority to make the judgment calls that are required in the score report. When a judgment call is made, the official scorer is obligated to immediately communicate that decision to the media in the press box and to the broadcasters, usually through a microphone. The official scorer has up to 24 hours to reconsider or reverse a judgment call that was made during the game. In rare circumstances, MLB's scoring committee may reverse a scoring decision that is "clearly erroneous".

Finally, within 36 hours of a game's conclusion (including the conclusion of a suspended game), the official scorer is required to create a summary of the game using a form established by the league. This task is performed for each game that is scored, including called games which must be completely replayed at a later date, and games that end in forfeit. The information in the score report includes the date, location of the game, the names of the teams, the names of the umpires who officiated the game, the final score, and the data that is required in rule 10.02.

### Judgment calls

Most plays in the game are resolved in such a way that the scorer is not given multiple choices when recording the outcome of the play, but several types of plays are open to the interpretation of the official scorer. In any judgment call where the official scorer is required to decide whether to credit a hit to the batter, the scorer is guided by rule 10.05. This rule directs the official scorer to "give the benefit of the doubt to the hitter when the scorer believes that the decision to credit the batter with a hit is equally valid to an alternative scoring decision". In a similarly difficult judgment call where the official scorer believes that an earned run or an unearned run are equally valid scoring decisions, rule 10.16 directs the official scorer to "give the benefit of the doubt to the pitcher".

#### Errors

The decision to charge an error to the defense is the most well-known responsibility of the official scorer. Some situations automatically call for an error to be charged to the defense, but most charged errors are the result of a play that requires a judgment call. Broadly speaking, an error is charged to the defense when an "ordinary effort" by the defense would have either recorded an out or prevented a runner from advancing, but the defense fails to do so. When an error is charged, the official scorer must charge the error to one of the fielders who were involved in the play. Errors are primarily discussed in rule 10.12.

One exception in this rule occurs when the defense makes at least one out and attempts to complete a double play or triple play. An error is not charged in that situation if a wild throw allows the runner to reach safely. If a wild throw allows the runner to advance an additional base, an error may then be charged for the additional advance. However, if an accurate throw is made in time to complete a double play or triple play, but the fielder on the base fails to make the catch, an error may be charged.

Rule 10.12 also states that an error should not be charged for a "mental mistake" by the defense. Rather, errors are charged when the defense attempts to make a logical play against the offense, but fails to record an out or prevent an advance due to a mechanical misplay. There is one rare exception to this rule against charging an error for a "mental mistake". If a fielder fails to tag the runner, batter, or a base in a force situation in time to record an out when he could have done so, that fielder is charged with an error.

The most common judgment call involving an error occurs when the defense fails to put out a batter-runner who puts the ball in play. If the out is not recorded and the official scorer believes that an "ordinary effort" by the defense would have resulted in an out, the defense is charged with an error, and the batter is not credited with a hit. Other common situations requiring a judgment call include unintentionally dropped foul balls that allow the batter to continue his at-bat, and poor throws to the next base when a runner attempts to advance.

One of the most controversial and poorly understood situations related to the charging of an error occurs when an outfielder misjudges the flight of a ball and allows the ball to drop out of his reach. This is usually considered to be a "mental mistake" by the outfielder, so the batter is usually credited with a hit. On that topic Bill Shannon, who was an official scorer for the New York Yankees, said "That's a base hit whether we like it or not. As a practical matter, we don't charge errors on those plays. No one says that baseball is entirely fair." Outfielders are generally charged with an error on a fly ball when they arrive at the ball's destination with sufficient time to make a catch with an ordinary effort, but simply miss the catch or drop the ball.

#### Unearned runs

Earned runs are runs that are directly attributable to a pitcher's efforts without a lapse by the defense. An unearned run does not adversely impact a pitcher's earned run average (ERA), and is only possible when an error (including catcher's interference) or a passed ball occurs earlier in the inning. Unearned runs are primarily discussed in rule 10.16 and often require a judgment call by the official scorer.

At the conclusion of an inning during which runs are scored after an error or passed ball, the official scorer attempts to recreate the events of the inning without the errors or passed balls. If in the official scorer's opinion a run would not have scored without the defensive lapses, then the run is unearned. If the scorer believes that a run would have scored anyway, the run is earned and charged to the pitcher. In one basic example, if the first batter reaches by an error, the second batter hits a home run, and the next three batters strike out, then one of the two runs scored was unearned. There are rules and restrictions which govern this general guideline.

When reconstructing an inning without errors or passed balls:

* Potential outs that were not recorded because of an error are presumed to be an out when the inning is reconstructed by the official scorer.
* Intentional walks which were issued are still presumed to be walks.
* Runs that are scored after what should have been the third out are automatically considered to be unearned.
* When the batter is given first base because of catcher's interference or obstruction, the official scorer does not presume that an out would have been recorded on that runner, but if that runner later scores the run is unearned.
* A run scored by a runner who advances due to an error or passed ball is unearned, unless it would not have made a difference in the reconstruction of the inning.

Most of the above rules are straightforward, but some judgment is required by the official scorer when a baserunner advances due to a defensive lapse and later scores. In this situation, the official scorer must decide what would have happened if the runner had not advanced. This is often an easy decision, but it can occasionally be difficult. In one difficult example with a runner on first and two outs, the batter hits a single but a defensive error allows an advance by the lead runner from second to third, and a soft run-scoring single is hit followed by an out. In that situation, the offense "should" have had runners on first and second with 2 outs when the run-scoring single was hit. Since the next batter was put out, the official scorer must decide based on the hit, the speed of the baserunner, and the positioning of the defense whether the runner would have been able to score from second in the reconstruction of the inning without the error.

#### Fielder's choice

In the rules of baseball, aside from the rare case of interference or obstruction, a batter who puts a ball into play and safely reaches first base is ruled to have reached in one of three possible ways: a hit, an error, or by fielder's choice. Fielder's choice is primarily discussed in rules 10.05 and 10.06, and it generally occurs when it is judged that a batter-runner would have been put out had the defense chosen to do so.

Most judgment calls made by the official scorer under this rule occur in three situations: when an infielder, pitcher, or catcher attempts to put out an unforced preceding runner who is attempting to advance one base, when any fielder attempts and fails to put out a forced preceding runner, and when any fielder attempts and fails to put out an unforced preceding runner who returns to their original base. In these situations, the official scorer is required to determine whether the batter-runner would have safely reached first base if the defense made an ordinary effort to put him out. If the defense could not be reasonably expected to make the play, the batter is credited with a hit, otherwise he is ruled to have reached by fielder's choice. If an error is made on the attempt to put out a preceding runner, that has no impact on this decision. It is instead noted to have occurred in addition to the hit or fielder's choice.

In some cases the official scorer is not given the discretion to decide between awarding a hit to the batter or ruling that he safely reached first base by fielder's choice. If a preceding runner is forced out or if an unforced preceding runner is put out while attempting to return to their original base, a hit is automatically not credited and the batter by rule is judged to have reached by a fielder's choice. In some situations this rule may appear unfair to the batter. For example, if the batter is a fast runner, the ball is slowly hit to the third baseman, and an unforced runner from second realizes (too late) that he can not safely advance, the batter-runner will lose the potential hit on a fielder's choice by the third baseman. This occurs regardless of whether the batter-runner would have reached first base with an ordinary effort to put him out.

#### Value of hits

In cases where a batter indisputably gets a hit and is able to safely advance past first base on the play, the value of that hit may be adjusted by the official scorer because of an error or a fielder's choice.

If the defense attempts to put out a preceding runner during the play, the official scorer must determine whether the batter would have reached second or third base safely had the defense attempted to limit the batter's advance. For example, if a runner on second attempts to score after a soft hit to center field and the center fielder chooses to throw to home while the batter advances to second, the official scorer must decide the value of the hit. In this situation, the scorer may either choose to credit the batter with a double, or the scorer may rule that the batter hit a single with an advance to second by fielder's choice. This is often referred to as "an advance on the throw".

If an error occurs during the play when a batter records a hit, the official scorer must determine whether the batter would have advanced as far as he did had the error not occurred. For example, if a batter hits a ball into an outfield gap, the ball is badly misplayed by an outfielder attempting to retrieve and throw the ball back into the infield, and the batter is able to reach all four bases to score, then the official scorer must decide whether an error should be charged to the outfielder. If no error is charged, then the batter would be credited with an "inside the park" home run. If an error is charged to the outfielder, then the batter would likely be credited with either a double or triple.

#### Wild pitch

When a baserunner is able to advance after a pitch is not caught or controlled by the catcher, the official scorer must determine whether the advance was due to a wild pitch or a passed ball. The pitch is never considered to be an error. If a pitch is thrown so high, wide, or low in relation to the strike zone that a catcher is not able to catch or control the ball with ordinary effort before a runner can advance, the advance is ruled to have occurred by a wild pitch. Any such pitch which strikes the ground before it reaches home plate is automatically considered to be a wild pitch. However, a pitch is not a wild pitch merely because it is off-target. If the official scorer determines that the catcher should have been able to control the pitch and prevent an advance with ordinary effort, then the catcher is charged with a passed ball on the advance.

One exception to this rule occurs when a baserunner attempts to steal a base. If the runner "starts for the next base" before the pitcher delivers the pitch, the runner is credited with a stolen base and a wild pitch or passed ball is not charged. If a wild pitch or passed ball allows a runner to advance beyond the base that is stolen, the scorer may rule that the further advance occurred by a wild pitch or passed ball.

#### Other judgment calls

Some relatively uncommon situations may also require a judgment call by the official scorer.

When a defensive player has the ball and can end the play by preventing further advance, but fails to do so because of a mental mistake (not an error) and a runner subsequently scores, the official scorer must decide whether to credit the batter with a run batted in (RBI). If the runner recognized the mistake after slowing or pausing his advance, an RBI is not credited. If the runner was oblivious to the mistake or runs home without slowing, the batter is credited with an RBI.

If a runner advances because the defense does nothing to try to stop the advance, the scorer may rule that the advance was due to defensive indifference and no stolen base is credited. However, a throw is not required for a stolen base. If a fielder begins to visibly make an attempt to prevent an advance but then elects not to throw, the advance is not due to defensive indifference.

When a batter attempts a sacrifice bunt and the resulting bunt is so well-placed that he safely reaches first base, the official scorer may elect to credit the batter with a hit instead of a sacrifice if there is no error on the play and an ordinary effort by the defense would not have recorded an out.

Finally, when the starting pitcher of the winning team does not qualify for the win under rule 10.17, and the relief pitcher who would otherwise qualify for the win pitches "ineffectively" in a "brief appearance", the official scorer may choose to credit a "succeeding relief pitcher" with the win.

## Sources

## Further reading

* "Red Foley Dies at 79; Scorer in 10 World Series". *New York Times*. The Associated Press. July 16, 2008. Retrieved 2009-11-19. He served for many years as an officer of the Baseball Writers' Association of America and was chairman of the New York chapter in 1969-70.