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74,194 | 73,852 |
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New Haven's greatest culinary claim to fame may be its pizza, which has been claimed to be among the best in the country, or even in the world. New Haven-style pizza, called "apizza" (pronounced ah-BEETS, [aˈpitts] in the original Italian dialect), made its debut at the iconic Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (known as Pepe's) in 1925. Apizza is baked in coal- or wood-fired brick ovens, and is notable for its thin crust. Apizza may be red (with a tomato-based sauce) or white (with a sauce of garlic and olive oil), and pies ordered "plain" are made without the otherwise customary mozzarella cheese (originally smoked mozzarella, known as "scamorza" in Italian). A white clam pie is a well-known specialty of the restaurants on Wooster Street in the Little Italy section of New Haven, including Pepe's and Sally's Apizza (which opened in 1938). Modern Apizza on State Street, which opened in 1934, is also well-known.
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What dish is commonly considered to be penultimate culinary achievement in New Haven?
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{'text': 'New Haven-style pizza', 'answer_start': 144}
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4,053 | 3,711 |
56cf2ba4aab44d1400b88db9
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The city receives 49.9 inches (1,270 mm) of precipitation annually, which is fairly spread throughout the year. Average winter snowfall between 1981 and 2010 has been 25.8 inches (66 cm), but this varies considerably from year to year. Hurricanes and tropical storms are rare in the New York area, but are not unheard of and always have the potential to strike the area. Hurricane Sandy brought a destructive storm surge to New York City on the evening of October 29, 2012, flooding numerous streets, tunnels, and subway lines in Lower Manhattan and other areas of the city and cutting off electricity in many parts of the city and its suburbs. The storm and its profound impacts have prompted the discussion of constructing seawalls and other coastal barriers around the shorelines of the city and the metropolitan area to minimize the risk of destructive consequences from another such event in the future.
|
In millimeters, how much precipitation does New York receive a year?
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{'text': '1,270', 'answer_start': 31}
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62,944 | 62,602 |
57268a7ddd62a815002e88bf
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generic
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The most powerful used method works by comparing each frame in the video with the previous one. If the frame contains areas where nothing has moved, the system simply issues a short command that copies that part of the previous frame, bit-for-bit, into the next one. If sections of the frame move in a simple manner, the compressor emits a (slightly longer) command that tells the decompressor to shift, rotate, lighten, or darken the copy. This longer command still remains much shorter than intraframe compression. Interframe compression works well for programs that will simply be played back by the viewer, but can cause problems if the video sequence needs to be edited.
|
What happens when a frame contains areas where nothing has moved?
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{'text': 'the system simply issues a short command', 'answer_start': 149}
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89,764 | 89,422 |
57285c163acd2414000df954
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Also referred to as the Panhandle or Inside Passage, this is the region of Alaska closest to the rest of the United States. As such, this was where most of the initial non-indigenous settlement occurred in the years following the Alaska Purchase. The region is dominated by the Alexander Archipelago as well as the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the United States. It contains the state capital Juneau, the former capital Sitka, and Ketchikan, at one time Alaska's largest city. The Alaska Marine Highway provides a vital surface transportation link throughout the area, as only three communities (Haines, Hyder and Skagway) enjoy direct connections to the contiguous North American road system.
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Which city was Alaska's former capital?
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{'text': 'Sitka', 'answer_start': 447}
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115,768 | 115,426 |
5ad491ebba00c4001a268c43
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generic
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Windows 8 was released to a mixed critical reception. Although reaction towards its performance improvements, security enhancements, and improved support for touchscreen devices was positive, the new user interface of the operating system was widely criticized for being potentially confusing and difficult to learn (especially when used with a keyboard and mouse instead of a touchscreen). Despite these shortcomings, 60 million Windows 8 licenses have been sold through January 2013, a number which included both upgrades and sales to OEMs for new PCs.
|
What were the perceived problems with the new Windows 9 user interface?
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{'text': 'being potentially confusing and difficult to learn', 'answer_start': 265}
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100,301 | 99,959 |
5acd70dd07355d001abf425d
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generic
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After the Fall of Rome, the Catholic Church became the sole preserver of literate scholarship in Western Europe. The church established cathedral schools in the Early Middle Ages as centers of advanced education. Some of these establishments ultimately evolved into medieval universities and forebears of many of Europe's modern universities. During the High Middle Ages, Chartres Cathedral operated the famous and influential Chartres Cathedral School. The medieval universities of Western Christendom were well-integrated across all of Western Europe, encouraged freedom of inquiry, and produced a great variety of fine scholars and natural philosophers, including Thomas Aquinas of the University of Naples, Robert Grosseteste of the University of Oxford, an early expositor of a systematic method of scientific experimentation, and Saint Albert the Great, a pioneer of biological field research. Founded in 1088, the University of Bologne is considered the first, and the oldest continually operating university.
|
What happened with education during the Late Middle Ages?
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{'text': 'The church established cathedral schools', 'answer_start': 113}
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41,320 | 40,978 |
5a2ab45c5b078a001a2f06c2
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In order to explain the common features shared by Sanskrit and other Indo-European languages, many scholars have proposed the Indo-Aryan migration theory, asserting that the original speakers of what became Sanskrit arrived in what is now India and Pakistan from the north-west some time during the early second millennium BCE. Evidence for such a theory includes the close relationship between the Indo-Iranian tongues and the Baltic and Slavic languages, vocabulary exchange with the non-Indo-European Uralic languages, and the nature of the attested Indo-European words for flora and fauna.
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To where did early speakers from the north-east bring Sanskrit?
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{'text': 'India and Pakistan', 'answer_start': 239}
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41,661 | 41,319 |
59d28bcd2763a60018284096
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generic
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GE has a history of some of its activities giving rise to large-scale air and water pollution. Based on year 2000 data, researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute listed the corporation as the fourth-largest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States, with more than 4.4 million pounds per year (2,000 tons) of toxic chemicals released into the air. GE has also been implicated in the creation of toxic waste. According to EPA documents, only the United States Government, Honeywell, and Chevron Corporation are responsible for producing more Superfund toxic waste sites.
|
Who did the Political Economy Research Institute list as the third-largest producer of air pollution?
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{'text': 'United States Government', 'answer_start': 474}
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83,011 | 82,669 |
572803c8ff5b5019007d9afd
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Northwestern has several housing options, including both traditional residence halls and residential colleges which gather together students who have a particular intellectual interest in common. Among the residential colleges are the Residential College of Cultural and Community Studies (CCS), Ayers College of Commerce and Industry, Jones Residential College (Arts), and Slivka Residential College (Science and Engineering). Dorms include 1835 Hinman, Bobb-McCulloch, Foster-Walker complex (commonly referred to as Plex), and several more. In Winter 2013, 39% of undergraduates were affiliated with a fraternity or sorority. Northwestern recognizes 21 fraternities and 18 sororities.
|
What is the name of the Residential College that houses students with an interest in science and engineering?
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{'text': 'Slivka', 'answer_start': 374}
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22,835 | 22,493 |
5ad4c7595b96ef001a10a046
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generic
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Pomors are distinguished by the presence of Y Haplogroup N among them. Postulated to originate from southeast Asia, it is found at high rates in Uralic peoples. Its presence in Pomors (called "Northern Russians" in the report) attests to the non-Slavic tribes (mixing with Finnic tribes of northern Eurasia). Autosomally, Russians are generally similar to populations in central-eastern Europe but some northern Russians are intermediate to Finno-Ugric groups.
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What is another name for Uralic peoples?
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{'text': 'Northern Russians', 'answer_start': 193}
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26,635 | 26,293 |
5a5695656349e2001acdce63
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generic
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The MoD states that its principal objectives are to defend the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and its interests and to strengthen international peace and stability. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the MoD does not foresee any short-term conventional military threat; rather, it has identified weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism, and failed and failing states as the overriding threats to Britain's interests. The MoD also manages day-to-day running of the armed forces, contingency planning and defence procurement.
|
What needs to be managed daily by Northern Ireland?
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{'text': 'day-to-day running of the armed forces, contingency planning and defence procurement', 'answer_start': 505}
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82,515 | 82,173 |
5ad0111477cf76001a68688c
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Tibetan music often involves chanting in Tibetan or Sanskrit, as an integral part of the religion. These chants are complex, often recitations of sacred texts or in celebration of various festivals. Yang chanting, performed without metrical timing, is accompanied by resonant drums and low, sustained syllables. Other styles include those unique to the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism, such as the classical music of the popular Gelugpa school, and the romantic music of the Nyingmapa, Sakyapa and Kagyupa schools.
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What does Sanskrit music often involve?
|
{'text': 'chanting in Tibetan or Sanskrit', 'answer_start': 29}
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8,939 | 8,597 |
56ddc1d966d3e219004dacd5
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In 2009, the Internet Archive migrated its customized storage architecture to Sun Open Storage, and hosts a new data center in a Sun Modular Datacenter on Sun Microsystems' California campus.
|
Where does Internet archive run a datacenter?
|
{'text': "Sun Microsystems' California campus", 'answer_start': 155}
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59,512 | 59,170 |
5acfbb4977cf76001a685afc
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generic
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The roots of Presbyterianism lie in the European Reformation of the 16th century; the example of John Calvin's Geneva being particularly influential. Most Reformed churches which trace their history back to Scotland are either presbyterian or congregationalist in government. In the twentieth century, some Presbyterians played an important role in the ecumenical movement, including the World Council of Churches. Many Presbyterian denominations have found ways of working together with other Reformed denominations and Christians of other traditions, especially in the World Communion of Reformed Churches. Some Presbyterian churches have entered into unions with other churches, such as Congregationalists, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Methodists. Presbyterians in the United States came largely from Scotch-Irish immigrants communities, and also from New England Yankee communities that had originally been Congregational but changed because of an agreed-upon "Plan of Union of 1801" for frontier areas.
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When did the Yankee communities change to Congregational communities due to what plan?
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{'text': 'Plan of Union of 1801', 'answer_start': 962}
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81,191 | 80,849 |
5728e2104b864d190016500f
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generic
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I-275 runs north–south from I-75 in the south to the junction of I-96 and I-696 in the north, providing a bypass through the western suburbs of Detroit. I-375 is a short spur route in downtown Detroit, an extension of the Chrysler Freeway. I-696 (Reuther Freeway) runs east–west from the junction of I-96 and I-275, providing a route through the northern suburbs of Detroit. Taken together, I-275 and I-696 form a semicircle around Detroit. Michigan state highways designated with the letter M serve to connect major freeways.
|
What is I-696 called?
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{'text': 'Reuther Freeway', 'answer_start': 247}
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116,990 | 116,648 |
5730f58e05b4da19006bcc9a
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generic
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Rurik led the Rus' until his death in about 879, bequeathing his kingdom to his kinsman, Prince Oleg, as regent for his young son, Igor. In 880-82, Oleg led a military force south along the Dnieper river, capturing Smolensk and Lyubech before reaching Kiev, where he deposed and killed Askold and Dir, proclaimed himself prince, and declared Kiev the "mother of Rus' cities." Oleg set about consolidating his power over the surrounding region and the riverways north to Novgorod, imposing tribute on the East Slav tribes. In 883, he conquered the Drevlians, imposing a fur tribute on them. By 885 he had subjugated the Poliane, Severiane, Vyatichi, and Radimichs, forbidding them to pay further tribute to the Khazars. Oleg continued to develop and expand a network of Rus' forts in Slav lands, begun by Rurik in the north.
|
Who declared Kiev "The mother of Rus citis'?
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{'text': 'Prince Oleg', 'answer_start': 89}
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109,201 | 108,859 |
5ace2a4532bba1001ae49c52
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generic
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Olin has a network of more than 16,000 alumni worldwide. Over the last several years, the school’s endowment has increased to $213 million (2004) and annual gifts average $12 million per year.[citation needed] Simon Hall was opened in 1986 after a donation from John E. Simon. On May 2, 2014, the $90 million conjoined Knight and Bauer Halls were dedicated, following a $15 million gift from Charles F. Knight and Joanne Knight and a $10 million gift from George and Carol Bauer through the Bauer Foundation.
|
In what year was the Bauer Foundation established?
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{'text': '2014', 'answer_start': 287}
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12,338 | 11,996 |
5a5ad1eb9c0277001abe71b3
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In England, the 16th-century European Reformation resulted in a number of executions on charges of heresy. During the thirty-eight years of Henry VIII's reign, about sixty heretics, mainly Protestants, were executed and a rather greater number of Catholics lost their lives on grounds of political offences such as treason, notably Sir Thomas More and Cardinal John Fisher, for refusing to accept the king's supremacy over the Church in England. Under Edward VI, the heresy laws were repealed in 1547 only to be reintroduced in 1554 by Mary I; even so two radicals were executed in Edward's reign (one for denying the reality of the incarnation, the other for denying Christ's divinity). Under Mary, around two hundred and ninety people were burned at the stake between 1555 and 1558 after the restoration of papal jurisdiction. When Elizabeth I came to the throne, the concept of heresy was retained in theory but severely restricted by the 1559 Act of Supremacy and the one hundred and eighty or so Catholics who were executed in the forty-five years of her reign were put to death because they were considered members of "...a subversive fifth column." The last execution of a "heretic" in England occurred under James VI and I in 1612. Although the charge was technically one of "blasphemy" there was one later execution in Scotland (still at that date an entirely independent kingdom) when in 1697 Thomas Aikenhead was accused, among other things, of denying the doctrine of the Trinity.
|
What protestants were executed for not recognizing the kings supremecy?
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{'text': 'Sir Thomas More and Cardinal John Fisher', 'answer_start': 332}
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53,216 | 52,874 |
5ad1addc645df0001a2d21bc
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generic
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Lamps designed for different voltages have different luminous efficacy. For example, a 100-watt, 120-volt lamp will produce about 17.1 lumens per watt. A lamp with the same rated lifetime but designed for 230 V would produce only around 12.8 lumens per watt, and a similar lamp designed for 30 volts (train lighting) would produce as much as 19.8 lumens per watt. Lower voltage lamps have a thicker filament, for the same power rating. They can run hotter for the same lifetime before the filament evaporates.
|
What watt lamp can produce 17.3 lumens per watt?
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{'text': 'a 100-watt', 'answer_start': 85}
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52,588 | 52,246 |
5a7a3a1117ab25001a8a03ce
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Before Prince Albert's death, the palace was frequently the scene of musical entertainments, and the greatest contemporary musicians entertained at Buckingham Palace. The composer Felix Mendelssohn is known to have played there on three occasions. Johann Strauss II and his orchestra played there when in England. Strauss's "Alice Polka" was first performed at the palace in 1849 in honour of the queen's daughter, Princess Alice. Under Victoria, Buckingham Palace was frequently the scene of lavish costume balls, in addition to the usual royal ceremonies, investitures and presentations.
|
What sort of entertainment was banned at Buckingham before Prince Albert died?
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{'text': 'musical entertainments', 'answer_start': 69}
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129,453 | 129,111 |
57342720d058e614000b6a27
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generic
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Complex serological techniques have been developed into what are known as Immunoassays. Immunoassays can use the basic antibody – antigen binding as the basis to produce an electro - magnetic or particle radiation signal, which can be detected by some form of instrumentation. Signal of unknowns can be compared to that of standards allowing quantitation of the target antigen. To aid in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, immunoassays can detect or measure antigens from either infectious agents or proteins generated by an infected organism in response to a foreign agent. For example, immunoassay A may detect the presence of a surface protein from a virus particle. Immunoassay B on the other hand may detect or measure antibodies produced by an organism's immune system that are made to neutralize and allow the destruction of the virus.
|
What type of signal do immunoassays produce?
|
{'text': 'electro - magnetic or particle radiation', 'answer_start': 173}
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13,040 | 12,698 |
5ace2d4a32bba1001ae49cb3
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generic
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By 1962, their Columbia Record Productions unit was operating four plants around the United States located in Los Angeles; Terre Haute, Indiana; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Pitman, New Jersey, which manufactured records for not only Columbia's own labels, but also for independent record labels.
|
Chinese Record Productions was operating four plants by what year?
|
{'text': '1962', 'answer_start': 3}
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19,430 | 19,088 |
56e7a23000c9c71400d77444
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generic
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These limitations have caused problems. For example, before 2005, DST in Israel varied each year and was skipped some years. Windows 95 used rules correct for 1995 only, causing problems in later years. In Windows 98, Microsoft marked Israel as not having DST, forcing Israeli users to shift their computer clocks manually twice a year. The 2005 Israeli Daylight Saving Law established predictable rules using the Jewish calendar but Windows zone files could not represent the rules' dates in a year-independent way. Partial workarounds, which mishandled older time stamps, included manually switching zone files every year and a Microsoft tool that switches zones automatically. In 2013, Israel standardized its daylight saving time according to the Gregorian calendar.
|
Because the schedule in Israel was always changing, what did Microsoft do with the release of Windows 98?
|
{'text': 'marked Israel as not having DST', 'answer_start': 228}
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118,784 | 118,442 |
5a8642c0b4e223001a8e7515
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generic
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Among the first to study Russian dialects was Lomonosov in the 18th century. In the 19th, Vladimir Dal compiled the first dictionary that included dialectal vocabulary. Detailed mapping of Russian dialects began at the turn of the 20th century. In modern times, the monumental Dialectological Atlas of the Russian Language (Диалектологический атлас русского языка [dʲɪɐˌlʲɛktəlɐˈɡʲitɕɪskʲɪj ˈatləs ˈruskəvə jɪzɨˈka]), was published in three folio volumes 1986–1989, after four decades of preparatory work.
|
How long did it take for the first dictionary to be published?
|
{'text': 'four decades', 'answer_start': 472}
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24,345 | 24,003 |
56f80258a6d7ea1400e17371
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generic
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According to heraldic sources total number of legal ennoblements issued between the 14th century and the mid-18th century, is estimated at approximately 800. This is an average of only about two ennoblements per year or only 0.000 000 14 – 0.000 001 of historical population. Compare: historical demography of Poland.
|
Around what time was the total legal number of ennoblement at 800?
|
{'text': 'between the 14th century and the mid-18th century,', 'answer_start': 72}
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45,951 | 45,609 |
5710947eb654c5140001f9ac
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generic
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During the Age of Enlightenment, Freemasons comprised an international network of like-minded men, often meeting in secret in ritualistic programs at their lodges. they promoted the ideals of the Enlightenment, and helped diffuse these values across Britain and France and other places. Freemasonry as a systematic creed with its own myths, values and set of rituals originated in Scotland around 1600 and spread first to England and then across the Continent in the eighteenth century. They fostered new codes of conduct – including a communal understanding of liberty and equality inherited from guild sociability – "liberty, fraternity, and equality" Scottish soldiers and Jacobite Scots brought to the Continent ideals of fraternity which reflected not the local system of Scottish customs but the institutions and ideals originating in the English Revolution against royal absolutism. Freemasonry was particularly prevalent in France – by 1789, there were perhaps as many as 100,000 French Masons, making Freemasonry the most popular of all Enlightenment associations. The Freemasons displayed a passion for secrecy and created new degrees and ceremonies. Similar societies, partially imitating Freemasonry, emerged in France, Germany, Sweden and Russia. One example was the "Illuminati" founded in Bavaria in 1776, which was copied after the Freemasons but was never part of the movement. The Illuminati was an overtly political group, which most Masonic lodges decidedly were not.
|
What was the most popular of all Enlightenment associations?
|
{'text': 'Freemasonry', 'answer_start': 890}
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99,813 | 99,471 |
5a7c71cbe8bc7e001a9e1dfd
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generic
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With the neoplatonist Plotinus, wrote Nathaniel Alfred Boll; "there even appears, probably for the first time in Western philosophy, idealism that had long been current in the East even at that time, for it taught... that the soul has made the world by stepping from eternity into time...". Similarly, in regard to passages from the Enneads, "The only space or place of the world is the soul" and "Time must not be assumed to exist outside the soul", Ludwig Noiré wrote: "For the first time in Western philosophy we find idealism proper in Plotinus, However, Plotinus does not address whether we know external objects, unlike Schopenhauer and other modern philosophers.
|
What modern philosopher as Plotinus similar to?
|
{'text': 'Schopenhauer', 'answer_start': 626}
|
72,760 | 72,418 |
572713e6f1498d1400e8f345
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generic
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Following a tentative agreement on by December 1, on December 3, 2009, the parties announced that Comcast would buy a controlling 51% stake in NBCUniversal for $6.5 billion in cash and $7.3 billion in programming. GE would take over the remaining 49% stake in NBCUniversal, using $5.8 billion to buy out Vivendi's 20% minority stake in NBCUniversal. On January 18, 2011, the FCC approved the deal by a vote of 4 to 1. The sale was completed on January 28, 2011. In late December 2012, Comcast added the NBC peacock symbol to their new logo. On February 12, 2013, Comcast announced an intention to acquire the remaining 49% of General Electric's interest in NBCUniversal, which Comcast completed on March 19, 2013.
|
On what date was the sale finally completed?
|
{'text': 'January 28, 2011', 'answer_start': 444}
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135 | 135 |
142258
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pubqa
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An increased number of suspected outbreaks of gastroenteritis linked to bathing water were reported to the Finnish food- and waterborne outbreak (FWO) registry in July and August 2014. The investigation reports were assessed by a national outbreak investigation panel. Eight confirmed outbreaks were identified among the 15 suspected outbreaks linked to bathing water that had been reported to the FWO registry. According to the outbreak investigation reports, 1,453 persons fell ill during these outbreaks. Epidemiological and microbiological data revealed noroviruses as the main causative agents. During the outbreaks, exceptionally warm weather had boosted the use of beaches. Six of eight outbreaks occurred at small lakes; for those, the investigation strongly suggested that the beach users were the source of contamination. In one of those eight outbreaks, an external source of contamination was identified and elevated levels of faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) were noted in water. In the remaining outbreaks, FIB analyses were insufficient to describe the hygienic quality of the water. Restrictions against bathing proved effective in controlling the outbreaks. In spring 2015, the National Institute for Health and Welfare(THL)and the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) published guidelines for outbreak control to prevent bathing water outbreaks. In July 2014, THL received primary information on several suspected outbreaks linked to bathing water via the media, while no notifications were reported to the FWO registry. This resulted in direct contacts with the health authorities, and a reminder about notifying outbreaks related to bathing water was posted in a THL Infectious Disease Bulletin sent to the municipal health authorities. The message was also distributed to municipal environmental authorities by the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira). Following these reminders, several notifications were reported to the FWO registry. We identified outbreaks caused by bathing water from the FWO registry for 2014 and reviewed the epidemiological and microbio- logical data in order to assess and compile guidelines for outbreak control to prevent similar outbreaks in the future. Methods Epidemiological investigation We reviewed outbreak notifications and investigation reports from the FWO registry for 2014. Outbreaks with a suspected link to bathing water were included in this study. We evaluated the strength of association for waterborne outbreaks based on classification criteria (Table 1) modified from those presented by Tillett et al. [12] and on information collected from local investigation reports (i.e. time and place of swimming, number of ill persons, clinical and microbiological findings). Microbiological investigation Description of the laboratories and their roles Analyses of enteric virus were carried out in four laboratories. Clinical samples were analysed at the Helsinki University Hospital (HUSLAB) and/or at the Viral Infection Unit of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Water samples were analysed either at the Water and Health Unit of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) or at the Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, University of Helsinki (UH). Surface samples were analysed at the UH. Pathogenic bacteria, faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and water temperature analyses were conducted in local clinical and/or environmental laboratories. Clinical samples Viruses were analysed in patients stools for seven out- breaks. At the HUSLAB laboratory, noroviruses were analysed according to Kanerva et al. [13]. For astrovi- ruses, viral RNA was extracted from a 10% suspension of the stool using MagNa Pure LC (Roche, Germany). After RT-PCR, the amplified DNA was detected by liquid hybridisation using an astrovirus-specific probe [14]. At the THL laboratory, norovirus RNAs were extracted using the RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen, Germany) and the polymerase/capsid gene junction was amplified as pre- viously described [14]. Genotyping analysis was done for several norovirus isolates at the THL laboratory. Viral RNA was amplified in polymerase region A using a one-step RT-PCR kit (Qiagen) according to Vinj et al. [15]. Sequences were analysed using Geneious soft- ware. NoroNet online software was used for genotyp- ing. For three outbreaks, stool specimens were tested for pathogenic bacteria (Campylobacter,Salmonella, Shigella and Yersinia) by routine methods [16]. Water samples At the THL laboratory, noroviruses and adenoviruses were concentrated from 0.52 L water samples as Table1 Classification criteria used for evaluating the strength of association for waterborne outbreaks, Finland, 2014 A: Same pathogen identified in patients and in the environment B: Water quality failure or other deviation in the quality of environment C: Association between illness and environment shown in analytical epidemiological investigation D: Descriptive epidemiological investigation suggests that the outbreak is related to the environment and excludes other obvious exposures Strong association: A + C or A + D or B + C. Probable association: B + D or C or A. Possible association: B or D. Criteria modified from Tillett et al. [12]. 3 www.eurosurveillance.org previously described [17] and using glass fibre pre- filters (Millipore). Viral nucleic acids were extracted and detected using RT-qPCR and qPCR methods, as previously described [18,19], with the exception of using Taqman Environmental Master Mix 2.0 (Life Technologies) in the adenovirus qPCR. At the UH laboratory, noroviruses and adenoviruses were concentrated by using membrane disks HA and Nanoceram to filter a total volume of 4.5 L of water. When necessary, a prefilter (Waterra) was used, oth- erwise the protocol was as described in Maunula et al. [14]. As a modification, Taqman primerprobe sets were applied as published in ISO/TS 152162 [20] for norovirus GI and GII. Mengovirus was added as a pro- cess control. MPN of E. coli and CFU of intestinal enterococci were analysed according to standards ISO 93082 and ISO 78992, respectively [21,22]. Surface samples In outbreak IV, 10 environmental swabs were taken from the toilet facilities (toilets for females, toilets for males and two latrines). Swabs taken from taps, door handles and toilet seats were analysed for noroviruses according to Rnnqvist et al. using nucleic acid detec- tion by RT-qPCR [23]. For adenovirus investigation, a primerprobe set from Jothikumar et al. was included [24]. Statistical analyses The statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 22 software for Windows. The related samples Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to test the significance of temperature and FIB analyses, while comparing the outbreak samples with frequent-monitoring samples collected during the summer. Differences were consid- ered significant if the p value was < 0.05. Results Review of the outbreak notifications and investigation reports In 2014, 15 outbreaks suspected to be caused by bath- ing water were reported to the FWO registry. We identi- fied eight outbreaks in which an association between bathing water and the illness could be confirmed based on classification criteria (Table 1). These out- breaks occurred on public beaches in different parts of Finland in July and August, 2014 (Table 2; Table 3). Six of eight confirmed outbreaks occurred at rather small lakes or ponds (< 141 ha) and eight of 13 beaches were categorised as large public beaches with more than 100 bathers per day (Table 2). According to the BWD classification criteria based on the last four bathing seasons, all these large public beaches were classified as excellent, except for one beach that was opened in 2012 and therefore did not have data for classification. Restrictions against bathing were set for each beach (Table 2). The length of these restrictions varied from 2 days to more than 3 weeks and for one beach, the advice against bathing was set for the rest of the bathing season. Seven of eight outbreaks occurred at inland lakes where no clear source of contamination was identified according to the bathing water profiles and/or outbreak investigation reports, although for five of these outbreaks at inland lakes, non-specific quality deviations were reported (Table 3). In the one Table2 Description of beaches with outbreaks linked to recreational water, Finland, summer 2014 (n = 13) Outbreak Type Size (ha) Category Estimated number of bathers/day EU BWD classification (2014)a Estimated outbreak start time Restriction against bathing I Lake 2,420 Small < 100 NA 26 July 16 August II Lake 2.9 Large 150500 Excellent 25 July 29 July21 August IIIb Lake 5.5141 2/6 small 4/6 large < 100 > 100 NA Excellent 2427 July 28 July12 August IV Lake 16.6 Large 1002,000 Excellent 24 July 31 July31 August (until the end of the bathing season) V Lake 9.7 Small < 100 NA 3 August 1522 August VI Lake 71.1 Large 150 Excellent 5 August 1121 August VII Sea 393,00,000 Small < 100 NA NK 1315 August and 19 August9 September VIII Lake/pond 0.8 Large 1,000 NAc 27 July 621 August EU BWD: European Unions Bathing Water Directive [5]; NA: not available; NK: not known. a Based on frequent monitoring during the last four bathing seasons [5]. b Combined results from six beaches. c New beach, no classification. 4 www.eurosurveillance.org coastal sea water outbreak, a wastewater overflow was identified as a potential source of contamination. According to the outbreak investigation reports, 1,453 persons fell ill in these outbreaks (Table 3). The most common symptoms were vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, and fever. Information on the incubation period was available for four outbreaks, the median incuba- tion period ranging from 20 to 62 hours. The dura- tion of illness was reported for five outbreaks, with a median ranging from 19 to 60 hours. None of the patients required hospital care. Patient samples were collected in seven outbreaks and tested for gastrointestinal pathogenic viruses and bacteria. Several types of norovirus were identified, with norovirus GI.2 detected in three outbreaks (Table 3). In addition, norovirus GI.4, GII.2 and GII.4 were detected in patient samples. In one patient, astrovirus was identified. According to outbreak investigation reports, pathogenic bacteria were analyzed in three investigations (outbreaks III, IV and VIII). Campylobacter was found in one patient (outbreak III). Salmonella, Shigella or Yersinia spp. were not found in any of the specimens tested. Water samples were collected for noro- and adenovi- rus analyses in seven outbreaks, and noro- and/or adenoviruses were detected in the samples from three outbreaks (Table 3). In the remaining outbreak, these analyses were not requested by the municipal health protection authority. FIB were analysed from water in all outbreaks. In addition, water quality monitoring was carried out at every beach according to EU BWD and national regulations. Elevated levels of both FIB were found in two of the outbreaks (VII and VIII; Table 4), but only in outbreak VII did the number of E. coli exceed the limit for management actions, with maximum con- centrations of 1,100 and 190 CFU/100 mL for E. coli and enterococci, respectively. Elevated levels of ente- rococci were also noted in outbreak I. In the remain- ing outbreaks, the levels of FIB were low. Overall, no statistical difference in the levels of E. coli (p = 0.8) or enterococci (p = 0.086) were noted between the out- break samples (n = 14) and the frequent-monitoring samples (n = 42), excluding the samples from outbreak VII, where a clear contamination source was noted. At one outbreak (IV), 10 surface samples from the toi- let area were analysed, and norovirus GII was found on the tap of the womens toilet. Adenoviruses were not detected in the surface samples. Water temperature During the outbreak period, exceptionally warm weather raised the temperature of the bathing water by several degrees (Table 4). The average tempera- ture of the bathing water samples collected during the outbreaks was 24.3 1.3 C (n = 16), while the average temperature of other frequent-monitoring samples col- lected at these beaches in summer 2014 (2 June to 26 August) was 19.4 3.6 C (n = 47; p = 0.002). Table3 Strength of association for waterborne outbreaks, number of patients, virological findings and observed quality deviations, Finland, summer 2014 (n = 1,453 patients) Outbreak Strength of associationa No. of patients Viruses found in patients No. of virus findings per water samples tested Viruses found in water Observed quality deviation I Possible (D) 40 NA 0/1 ND Not observed II Probable (A + B) 85 Norovirus GI.2 2/4 Adenovirus, norovirus GI Untidy toilets IIIb Strong (B + C) 819b 1,093c Norovirus GI.2, GI.4, GII.2 0/3 ND Untidy toilets, defecation in water IV Strong (A + B + D) 185 Norovirus GII 0/1 ND Untidy toilets V Probable (A) 4 Norovirus GI.2 and GII.4 1/2 Norovirus GII Not observed VI Possible (B) 17 Norovirus (not typed) 0/2 ND Untidy toilets, used nappies in water VII Possible (B) 2 Norovirus GI NA NA Wastewater overflow VIII Possible (B) 27 Astrovirus 1/3 Adenovirus Faeces on the dock NA: not analysed; ND: not detected. a Letters refer to classification criteria detailed in Table 1. b Combined results from six beaches that were investigated in detail. c Total number from all 32 suspected beaches from which the local health authority received notifications of illness. 5 www.eurosurveillance.org Discussion In 2014, an increased number of suspected outbreaks linked to bathing water were reported to the Finnish FWO registry. Reminders about the need to notify outbreaks borne by bathing water were sent to the municipal authorities and probably triggered the fol- lowing notifications seeing as only one outbreak linked to bathing water had been reported during the period 2012 to 2013. In addition, the publicity around out- breaks in 2014 probably made the beach users more alert so that they reported their suspicions of bath- ing water-related sickness to the health authorities. Generally, it could be difficult to attribute individually reported gastroenteritis cases to a particular bathing activity and therefore these outbreaks may remain undocumented. Nearly 1,500 persons fell ill during the outbreaks linked to bathing water in 2014. Although the exact number of people visiting the beaches was not known, some municipal investigation reports estimated that hun- dreds to thousands of persons per day had been swim- ming at each beach during the outbreak period before restrictions against bathing were set. In the summer of 2014, the period of continuous hot weather in Finland, with temperatures of more than 25 C, was exception- ally long and lasted for 38 days [25]. Because of this heatwave, it is likely that more people than usual were visiting the beaches and spent more time in the water. A previous study noted a positive correlation between the number of days with temperatures over 25 C and the number of outbreaks per bathing season [26]. Some investigation reports also stated that the toilets at the beaches were untidy, rubbish bins were overloaded, and used nappies were floating in the water, indicating overcrowded conditions. In 2015, no outbreaks linked to bathing water were reported. This was probably due in part to the weather conditions, namely 3 days with temperatures over 25 C in July 2015, compared with 26 such days in July 2014. In Helsinki, the average tem- perature and precipitation in July differed considerably between 2015 and 2014 (16.2 C/76.1 mm vs 20 C/12.5 mm) [27]. Most of the beaches were small, suggesting that the volume of users exceeded the self-cleaning capacity of the beach. For example, the volume of the smallest lake (outbreak VIII) is 20,800 m3. In theory, if a single infected person excreted large numbers of noroviruses (up to 1011 genomic copies/g) [28], and if these viruses were evenly diluted in the total volume of the lake, 1 g of faeces would result in a virus concentration of nearly 5,000 genomic copies/L. Considering the low infectious dose of norovirus (as few as 18 virus particles) [29] and the average ingestion of water while swimming (37 mL and 16 mL for children and adults, respectively, per Table4 Levels of faecal indicator bacteria and water temperature in outbreak samples (n = 17) and frequent-monitoring samples (n = 47), Finland, summer 2014 Outbreak No. of analysed water samples Escherichia coli MPN/100 mL Intestinal enterococci CFU/100 mL Temperature C I Outbreak samples Monitoring samples 1 3 6 8 6 190 4 2 25.7 22.1 3.3 II Outbreak samples Monitoring samples 2 6 39 26 72 72 9 8 6 4 25.0 1.4 20.5 4.4 IIIa Outbreak samples Monitoring samples 5 18 14 10 19 4 3 3 15 22 25.2 0 19.0 3.8 IV Outbreak samples Monitoring samples 1 4 9 3 3 7 1 2 24.0 19.8 4.2 V Outbreak samples Monitoring samples 1 2 12 34 47 22 6 8 24.0 19.3 2.5 VI Outbreak samples Monitoring samples 2 4 4 1 1 0 3 2 1 1 23.0 0 17.5 3.7 VII Outbreak samples Monitoring samples 3 5 670 580 2 4 110 98 4 4 22.3 1b 20.2 3.5 VIII Outbreak samples Monitoring samples 2 5 130 120 17 5 48 46 8 7 23.9 1 18.1 2.2 CFU: colony-forming units; MPN: most probable number. a Combined results from the five beaches for which indicator bacteria were analysed. b Average from n = 2 samples. 6 www.eurosurveillance.org 45 min swimming session [30]), it is obvious that the bathing water at this particular beach would have the potential to cause a considerable number of infections. Norovirus was detected in ill persons in most of the out- breaks. The symptoms reported by municipal authori- ties fit the clinical picture of a norovirus illness [31]. In three outbreaks, norovirus GI.2 was identified. In addi- tion, also GI.4, GII.2 and GII.4 were detected in patient samples. The prevalence of GI in these outbreaks is consistent with the observation that GI genotypes are more frequently involved in food- or waterborne out- breaks than GII, which could imply that GI is more sta- ble in the environment [32,33]. Genotype GII.4 is the most common genotype causing infections in humans and is more likely to be associated with person-to-per- son transmission [34]. In two outbreaks, norovirus GI and GII were found in bathing water and in one outbreak, GII was determined in a swab taken from the tap of the toilet, but the num- ber of particles obtained was too small to allow typ- ing of these viruses. Therefore, an exact comparison between patient and water samples could not be car- ried out. In two outbreaks, adenovirus was found in water. Adenoviruses are commonly found in human wastewater and owing to their high stability in aqueous environments, they are recognised as good viral indi- cators of human sewage pollution [19,35,36]. Moreover, adenoviruses can spread via contaminated water and they have been linked to waterborne outbreaks [14,37,38]. Since adenoviruses most often result in subclinical disease, and symptomatic infections tend to be mild and self-resolving, most infections remain undocumented [39]. In the outbreaks of this study, no adenoviruses were identified in ill persons. In Finland, the hygienic quality of the bathing water is evaluated according to BWD and national regulations [3-5]. According to Finnish legislation, the minimum number of bathing water samples to be taken during a bathing season is three for small public beaches and four for large public beaches. The legislation con- tains rules how to monitor and manage bathing waters, indicates microbiological threshold values, regulates measures to be taken when bathing water fails to meet the quality and requires the dissemination of informa- tion about bathing water quality. In Finland, the concen- trations of FIB in bathing water are typically very low; 70% of the E. coli and 58% of the intestinal enterococci concentrations were < 10 CFU or MPN/100 mL in bathing water samples collected from all large public beaches (n = 302) during the seasons from 2013 to 2015 (data not shown). In this study, the microbiological thresh- old for management actions was exceeded only in one of eight outbreaks. For this outbreak, a clear external contamination source was identified as 2,0003,000 m3 of raw wastewater had overflowed near the bath- ing site. In the other outbreaks, the levels of FIB were low and the bathing water quality was classified as excellent according to the BWD criteria. The sources of contamination in these outbreaks were most probably the bathers and other beach users. This suggestion is supported by the observed pollution of the beach environment. The poor indicator value of FIB in these outbreaks raises questions about the current practices for assessing bathing water quality. This finding is consistent with a recent study showing high prevalence of adenovi- ruses (75%) in bathing water samples, which neverthe- less complied with the regulations for recreational use [40]. Moreover, Boehm et al. reviewed the lack of cor- relation between FIB and human pathogen concentra- tions and between FIB and human health, especially in recreational areas of non-point-source contamination [41]. It is also widely known that pathogenic microbes, especially enteric viruses, survive substantially bet- ter than the currently used FIB in water environments. Therefore, new candidates, such as Clostridium per- fringens, coliphages, Bacteroides and human enteric viruses as well as new genomic approaches, e.g. metagenomics, have been proposed for water quality assessment [41-43]. However, during the summer, the higher temperature of bathing water and the increased amount of ultraviolet light have a negative impact on microbe survival. In this study, noro- and adenoviruses in outbreak II were detected in the water on at least six days but fewer than 12 days. These relatively short contamination episodes may remain undetected with routine FIB sampling. In most of the outbreaks, the quality of bathing water was questioned only after people visiting the beaches fell ill, and restrictions against bathing were set for the beaches only then. The length of the restrictions was determined according to the results of water analyses and proved effective in con- trolling of the outbreaks. Investigation reports of outbreaks linked to bathing water were assessed by a panel that included experts from THL, Valvira and UH. By using agreed criteria, reports can be assessed more consistently over time [12]. When the same pathogen has been identified in patients and in the beach environment, results from the analytical epidemiological study point towards a certain source and water quality failures have been detected, outbreaks are often easy to categorise. More discussion in the panel will be needed on the relation between illness and the beach environment when pol- lution of the beach is mentioned but no obvious other exposures are described in outbreak reports. In this study, eight outbreaks were identified among the 15 outbreaks suspected to be caused by bathing water that were reported to the FWO registry. Four outbreaks were classified as having a strong or probable associa- tion with the beach environment, and four as having a possible association. Analytical epidemiological inves- tigations were lacking in all but one investigation, indi- cating that more training and practical experience in analytical epidemiology may be needed in the munici- pal outbreak investigation groups. 7 www.eurosurveillance.org Because of an increase in the number of bathing water outbreaks in the summer of 2014, THL and Valvira pub- lished guidelines for outbreak control in spring 2015 to prevent bathing water outbreaks. If, based on the labo- ratory or epidemiological findings, the water is consid- ered to be contaminated, visitors should be informed about a bathing prohibition or advice against bath- ing should be posted by means of the international symbols presented in the Commission Implementing Decision (2011/321/EU) [44]. To prevent outbreaks, rooms intended for washing and dressing as well as toilets at the beach should be kept clean, and soap, hand towels and toilet paper should be available. Visitors should be encouraged to wash their hands or use freshen-up towels. Nappies should not be changed and the babies bottoms should not be washed in the bathing water, and people with gastrointestinal illness should avoid swimming. In the case of an outbreak suspicion, municipal authorities should notify the FWO registry and an outbreak investigation, including epi- demiological and microbiological analyses, should be initiated. Acknowledgements Appreciation is given to the municipal health authorities for their investigations and assistance. We acknowledge the help of the personnel at the National Institute for Health and Welfare and the University of Helsinki. The research at THL was partly supported by the personal research grant to Ari Kauppinen from the Doctoral School of the University of Eastern Finland. The research at UH was partly supported by EU project Aquavalens (311846). Conflict of interest None declared. Authors contributions Ari Kauppinen, Haider Al-Hello, Outi Zacheus, Jaana Kilponen, Leena Maunula, Sari Huusko, Ilkka Miettinen, Soile Blomqvist and Ruska Rimhanen-Finne participated in the national outbreak evaluation panel and the design of the study. Ruska Rimhanen-Finne coordinated the national panel. Ari Kauppinen was responsible for performing the data analyses and virus analyses from water performed at THL. Haider Al-Hello, Soile Blomqvist and Maija Lappalainen were responsible for analysing viruses from patient samples. Leena Maunula was responsible for analysing viruses from the water and environmental samples performed at UH. Ari Kauppinen and Ruska Rimhanen-Finne drafted the manu- script. All authors were involved in the preparation and re- view of the manuscript and approved the final version. References 1. Zacheus O, Miettinen IT. Increased information on waterborne outbreaks through efficient notification system enforces actions towards safe drinking water.J Water Health. 2011;9(4):763-72. DOI: 10.2166/wh.2011.021 PMID: 22048435 2. Finnish Decree. Valtioneuvoston asetus elintarvikkeiden ja veden vlityksell levivien epidemioiden selvittmisest. [Government Decree concerning the follow-up and reporting of food- and waterborne outbreaks]. Document no. 1365/2011. Helsinki: Finlex database; 2011. Finnish. Available from: http:// www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/alkup/2011/20111365 3. 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In: Mandell G, Bennet J, Dolin R, editors. Principles and practice of infectious diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier. 2010;2027-33. 40. Jovanovi Galovi A, Bijelovi S, Miloevi V, Hrnjakovi Cvjetkovic I, Popovi M, Kovaevi G, et al. Testing for viral material in water of public bathing areas of the Danube during summer, Vojvodina, Serbia, 2014. Euro Surveill. 2016;21(15):30196. DOI: 10.2807/1560-7917. ES.2016.21.15.30196 PMID: 27105473 41. Boehm AB, Ashbolt NJ, Colford JM, Dunbar LE, Fleming LE, Gold MA, et al. A sea change ahead for recreational water quality criteria. J Water Health. 2009;7(1):9-20. DOI: 10.2166/ wh.2009.122 PMID: 18957771 42. Fujioka RS, Solo-Gabriele HM, Byappanahalli MN, Kirs M. U.S. Recreational Water Quality Criteria: A Vision for the Future.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2015;12(7):7752-76. DOI: 10.3390/ ijerph120707752 PMID: 26184253 43. Updyke EA, Wang Z, Sun S, Connell C, Kirs M, Wong M, et al. Human enteric viruses--potential indicators for enhanced monitoring of recreational water quality. Virol Sin. 2015;30(5):344-53. DOI: 10.1007/s12250-015-3644-x PMID: 26494480 44. European Union. Commission Implementing Decision 2011/321/ EU of 27 May 2011 establishing, pursuant to Directive 2006/7/ EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, a symbol for information to the public on bathing water classification and any bathing prohibition or advice against bathing. Off J. Eur Union. 2011;L143:38-40. Available from: http://eur-lex.europa. eu/eli/dec_impl/2011/321/oj License and copyright This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) Licence. You may share and adapt the material, but must give appropriate credit to the source, provide a link to the licence, and indi- cate if changes were made. This article is copyright of the authors, 2017.
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What pathogen was connected to the outbreak?
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{'answer_id': 273717, 'document_id': 445540, 'question_id': 142258, 'text': 'noroviruses', 'answer_start': 567, 'answer_category': 'SHORT'}
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124,929 | 124,587 |
57324da80fdd8d15006c6945
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generic
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The Germans launched a surprise counter offensive, in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, which the Allies turned back in early 1945 after Eisenhower repositioned his armies and improved weather allowed the Air Force to engage. German defenses continued to deteriorate on both the eastern front with the Soviets and the western front with the Allies. The British wanted Berlin, but Eisenhower decided it would be a military mistake for him to attack Berlin, and said orders to that effect would have to be explicit. The British backed down, but then wanted Eisenhower to move into Czechoslovakia for political reasons. Washington refused to support Churchill's plan to use Eisenhower's army for political maneuvers against Moscow. The actual division of Germany followed the lines that Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin had previously agreed upon. The Soviet Red Army captured Berlin in a very large-scale bloody battle, and the Germans finally surrendered on May 7, 1945.
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What date saw the surrender of Nazi Germany?
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{'text': 'May 7, 1945', 'answer_start': 964}
|
48,395 | 48,053 |
5ad3aefb604f3c001a3fec5e
|
generic
|
Pharmaceutical fraud involves deceptions which bring financial gain to a pharmaceutical company. It affects individuals and public and private insurers. There are several different schemes used to defraud the health care system which are particular to the pharmaceutical industry. These include: Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Violations, Off Label Marketing, Best Price Fraud, CME Fraud, Medicaid Price Reporting, and Manufactured Compound Drugs. Of this amount $2.5 billion was recovered through False Claims Act cases in FY 2010. Examples of fraud cases include the GlaxoSmithKline $3 billion settlement, Pfizer $2.3 billion settlement and Merck & Co. $650 million settlement. Damages from fraud can be recovered by use of the False Claims Act, most commonly under the qui tam provisions which rewards an individual for being a "whistleblower", or relator (law).
|
Who had the biggest relator case settlement?
|
{'text': 'GlaxoSmithKline', 'answer_start': 572}
|
120,663 | 120,321 |
5731366ea5e9cc1400cdbcf4
|
generic
|
The painters of the early Renaissance used two traditional lake pigments, made from mixing dye with either chalk or alum, kermes lake, made from kermes insects, and madder lake, made from the rubia tinctorum plant. With the arrival of cochineal, they had a third, carmine, which made a very fine crimson, though it had a tendency to change color if not used carefully. It was used by almost all the great painters of the 15th and 16th centuries, including Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Diego Velázquez and Tintoretto. Later it was used by Thomas Gainsborough, Seurat and J.M.W. Turner.
|
During what century did carmine start to see use?
|
{'text': '15th', 'answer_start': 421}
|
128,344 | 128,002 |
5ad2b940d7d075001a42a054
|
generic
|
Sociocultural anthropology has been heavily influenced by structuralist and postmodern theories, as well as a shift toward the analysis of modern societies. During the 1970s and 1990s, there was an epistemological shift away from the positivist traditions that had largely informed the discipline.[page needed] During this shift, enduring questions about the nature and production of knowledge came to occupy a central place in cultural and social anthropology. In contrast, archaeology and biological anthropology remained largely positivist. Due to this difference in epistemology, the four sub-fields of anthropology have lacked cohesion over the last several decades.
|
what has heavily influenced structuralists and postmodern theories?
|
{'text': 'Sociocultural anthropology', 'answer_start': 0}
|
100,083 | 99,741 |
5a7a12a217ab25001a8a02e4
|
generic
|
Bohemia (as Czech civilization was known by then) increased in power over the centuries, as its language did in regional importance. This growth was expedited during the fourteenth century by Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded Charles University in Prague in 1348. Here, early Czech literature (a biblical translation, hymns and hagiography) flourished. Old Czech texts, including poetry and cookbooks, were produced outside the university as well. Later in the century Jan Hus contributed significantly to the standardization of Czech orthography, advocated for widespread literacy among Czech commoners (particularly in religion) and made early efforts to model written Czech after the spoken language.
|
What university was founded by Jan Hus?
|
{'text': 'Charles University', 'answer_start': 235}
|
35,363 | 35,021 |
570a9bd44103511400d59887
|
generic
|
Modern editions of Old English manuscripts generally introduce some additional conventions. The modern forms of Latin letters are used, including ⟨g⟩ in place of the insular G, ⟨s⟩ for long S, and others which may differ considerably from the insular script, notably ⟨e⟩, ⟨f⟩ and ⟨r⟩. Macrons are used to indicate long vowels, where usually no distinction was made between long and short vowels in the originals. (In some older editions an acute accent mark was used for consistency with Old Norse conventions.) Additionally, modern editions often distinguish between velar and palatal ⟨c⟩ and ⟨g⟩ by placing dots above the palatals: ⟨ċ⟩, ⟨ġ⟩. The letter wynn ⟨ƿ⟩ is usually replaced with ⟨w⟩, but æsc, eth and thorn are normally retained (except when eth is replaced by thorn).
|
What Latin letter is used in place of the Old English long S?
|
{'text': 's', 'answer_start': 178}
|
64,894 | 64,552 |
5ace4eb332bba1001ae4a23d
|
generic
|
The streets in downtown Ann Arbor conform to a grid pattern, though this pattern is less common in the surrounding areas. Major roads branch out from the downtown district like spokes on a wheel to the highways surrounding the city. The city is belted by three freeways: I-94, which runs along the southern portion of the city; U.S. Highway 23 (US 23), which primarily runs along the eastern edge of Ann Arbor; and M-14, which runs along the northern edge of the city. Other nearby highways include US 12, M-17, and M-153. Several of the major surface arteries lead to the I-94/M-14 interchange in the west, US 23 in the east, and the city's southern areas. The city also has a system of bike routes and paths and includes the nearly complete Washtenaw County Border-to-Border Trail.
|
US Highway 32 runs along what edge of Ann Arbor?
|
{'text': 'eastern edge', 'answer_start': 384}
|
128,131 | 127,789 |
5733b496d058e614000b60d0
|
generic
|
The rise of Hitler and other dictators in the 1930s forced numerous Catholic intellectuals to flee Europe; president John O'Hara brought many to Notre Dame. From Germany came Anton-Hermann Chroust (1907–1982) in classics and law, and Waldemar Gurian a German Catholic intellectual of Jewish descent. Positivism dominated American intellectual life in the 1920s onward but in marked contrast, Gurian received a German Catholic education and wrote his doctoral dissertation under Max Scheler. Ivan Meštrović (1883–1962), a renowned sculptor, brought Croatian culture to campus, 1955–62. Yves Simon (1903–61), brought to ND in the 1940s the insights of French studies in the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition of philosophy; his own teacher Jacques Maritain (1882–73) was a frequent visitor to campus.
|
What field of study did Anton-Hermann Chroust specialize in?
|
{'text': 'classics and law', 'answer_start': 212}
|
46,590 | 46,248 |
5acec27232bba1001ae4b301
|
generic
|
The Arians no longer presented an unbroken front to their orthodox opponents. The Emperor Constantius, who had been the cause of so much trouble, died 4 November, 361 and was succeeded by Julian. The proclamation of the new prince's accession was the signal for a pagan outbreak against the still dominant Arian faction in Alexandria. George, the usurping Bishop, was flung into prison and murdered. An obscure presbyter of the name of Pistus was immediately chosen by the Arians to succeed him, when fresh news arrived that filled the orthodox party with hope. An edict had been put forth by Julian permitting the exiled bishops of the "Galileans" to return to their "towns and provinces". Athanasius received a summons from his own flock, and he accordingly re-entered his episcopal capitol on 22 February, 362.
|
In what year was Emperor Constantius born?
|
{'text': '362', 'answer_start': 809}
|
53,432 | 53,090 |
5acd117907355d001abf331e
|
generic
|
Highbury could hold more than 60,000 spectators at its peak, and had a capacity of 57,000 until the early 1990s. The Taylor Report and Premier League regulations obliged Arsenal to convert Highbury to an all-seater stadium in time for the 1993–94 season, thus reducing the capacity to 38,419 seated spectators. This capacity had to be reduced further during Champions League matches to accommodate additional advertising boards, so much so that for two seasons, from 1998 to 2000, Arsenal played Champions League home matches at Wembley, which could house more than 70,000 spectators.
|
What's the maximum occupancy of Wembley?
|
{'text': '70,000 spectators', 'answer_start': 566}
|
102,025 | 101,683 |
572e7f49cb0c0d14000f11c8
|
generic
|
Muammar Gaddafi was born in a tent near Qasr Abu Hadi, a rural area outside the town of Sirte in the deserts of western Libya. His family came from a small, relatively un-influential tribal group called the Qadhadhfa, who were Arabized Berber in heritage. His father, Mohammad Abdul Salam bin Hamed bin Mohammad, was known as Abu Meniar (died 1985), and his mother was named Aisha (died 1978); Abu Meniar earned a meager subsistence as a goat and camel herder. Nomadic Bedouins, they were illiterate and kept no birth records. As such, Gaddafi's date of birth is not known with certainty, and sources have set it in 1942 or in the spring of 1943, although biographers Blundy and Lycett noted that it could have been pre-1940. His parents' only surviving son, he had three older sisters. Gaddafi's upbringing in Bedouin culture influenced his personal tastes for the rest of his life. He repeatedly expressed a preference for the desert over the city and retreated to the desert to meditate.
|
What culture did Gaddafi experience as a child?
|
{'text': 'Bedouin', 'answer_start': 811}
|
90,215 | 89,873 |
5ad23389d7d075001a42879e
|
generic
|
In 1928, he earned a doctorate in psychology, under the supervision of Karl Bühler. His dissertation was entitled "Die Methodenfrage der Denkpsychologie" (The question of method in cognitive psychology). In 1929, he obtained the authorisation to teach mathematics and physics in secondary school, which he started doing. He married his colleague Josefine Anna Henninger (1906–1985) in 1930. Fearing the rise of Nazism and the threat of the Anschluss, he started to use the evenings and the nights to write his first book Die beiden Grundprobleme der Erkenntnistheorie (The Two Fundamental Problems of the Theory of Knowledge). He needed to publish one to get some academic position in a country that was safe for people of Jewish descent. However, he ended up not publishing the two-volume work, but a condensed version of it with some new material, Logik der Forschung (The Logic of Scientific Discovery), in 1934. Here, he criticised psychologism, naturalism, inductionism, and logical positivism, and put forth his theory of potential falsifiability as the criterion demarcating science from non-science. In 1935 and 1936, he took unpaid leave to go to the United Kingdom for a study visit.
|
When did Karl Buhler earn a doctorate in psychology?
|
{'text': '1928', 'answer_start': 3}
|
62,318 | 61,976 |
572778e8dd62a815002e9dd4
|
generic
|
For centuries, Jews worldwide have spoken the local or dominant languages of the regions they migrated to, often developing distinctive dialectal forms or branches that became independent languages. Yiddish is the Judæo-German language developed by Ashkenazi Jews who migrated to Central Europe. Ladino is the Judæo-Spanish language developed by Sephardic Jews who migrated to the Iberian peninsula. Due to many factors, including the impact of the Holocaust on European Jewry, the Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries, and widespread emigration from other Jewish communities around the world, ancient and distinct Jewish languages of several communities, including Judæo-Georgian, Judæo-Arabic, Judæo-Berber, Krymchak, Judæo-Malayalam and many others, have largely fallen out of use.
|
What is the Judaeo-German language developed by Ashkenazi Jews who migrated to Central Europe?
|
{'text': 'Yiddish', 'answer_start': 199}
|
81,799 | 81,457 |
5a60d783e9e1cc001a33cd91
|
generic
|
The Sahara is the world's largest low-latitude hot desert. The area is located in the horse latitudes under the subtropical ridge, a significant belt of semi-permanent subtropical warm-core high pressure where the air from upper levels of the troposphere tends to sink towards the ground. This steady descending airflow causes a warming and a drying effect in the upper troposphere. The sinking air prevents evaporating water from rising and, therefore, prevents the adiabatic cooling, which makes cloud formation extremely difficult to nearly impossible.
|
What causes adiabatic cooling?
|
{'text': 'sinking air', 'answer_start': 387}
|
74,902 | 74,560 |
572797715951b619008f8e3d
|
generic
|
Carnival Tuesday hosts the main events. Full costume is worn, complete with make-up and body paint/adornment. Usually "Mas Boots" that complement the costumes are worn. Each band has their costume presentation based on a particular theme, and contains various sections (some consisting of thousands of revelers) that reflect these themes. The street parade and band costume competition take place. The mas bands eventually converge on the Queen's Park Savannah to pass on "The Stage" for judging. The singer of the most played song is crowned Road March King or Queen earning prize money and usually a vehicle.
|
On what day is full costume worn?
|
{'text': 'Carnival Tuesday', 'answer_start': 0}
|
1,248 | 906 |
56cf64e34df3c31400b0d6fa
|
generic
|
During 1824–28 Chopin spent his vacations away from Warsaw, at a number of locales.[n 4] In 1824 and 1825, at Szafarnia, he was a guest of Dominik Dziewanowski, the father of a schoolmate. Here for the first time he encountered Polish rural folk music. His letters home from Szafarnia (to which he gave the title "The Szafarnia Courier"), written in a very modern and lively Polish, amused his family with their spoofing of the Warsaw newspapers and demonstrated the youngster's literary gift.
|
What type of music did Chopin discover for the first time while staying in Szafarnia?
|
{'text': 'Polish rural folk music', 'answer_start': 228}
|
30,370 | 30,028 |
570692ee75f01819005e7c18
|
generic
|
Early house music was generally dance-based music characterized by repetitive 4/4 beats, rhythms mainly provided by drum machines, off-beat hi-hat cymbals, and synthesized basslines. While house displayed several characteristics similar to disco music, it was more electronic and minimalistic, and the repetitive rhythm of house was more important than the song itself. House music in the 2010s, while keeping several of these core elements, notably the prominent kick drum on every beat, varies widely in style and influence, ranging from the soulful and atmospheric deep house to the more minimalistic microhouse. House music has also fused with several other genres creating fusion subgenres, such as euro house, tech house, electro house and jump house.
|
House music is characterized by what type of beats?
|
{'text': '4/4 beats', 'answer_start': 78}
|
30,679 | 30,337 |
5706b68e0eeca41400aa0d7d
|
generic
|
The early 1990s additionally saw the rise in mainstream US popularity for house music. Pop recording artist Madonna's 1990 single "Vogue" became an international hit single and topped the US charts. The single is credited as helping to bring house music to the US mainstream.
|
how well did madonna's single "vogue" do in the us?
|
{'text': 'topped the US charts', 'answer_start': 177}
|
121,663 | 121,321 |
5731934705b4da19006bd2dc
|
generic
|
Although the structural model provided by the University of Paris, where student members are controlled by faculty "masters," provided a standard for universities, the application of this model took at least three different forms. There were universities that had a system of faculties whose teaching addressed a very specific curriculum; this model tended to train specialists. There was a collegiate or tutorial model based on the system at University of Oxford where teaching and organization was decentralized and knowledge was more of a generalist nature. There were also universities that combined these models, using the collegiate model but having a centralized organization.
|
How many styles did the University of Paris model end up taking when applied to other universities?
|
{'text': 'at least three', 'answer_start': 199}
|
78,294 | 77,952 |
5a73bc4242eae6001a3899a5
|
generic
|
More commonly, in cases where there are three or more parties, no one party is likely to gain power alone, and parties work with each other to form coalition governments. This has been an emerging trend in the politics of the Republic of Ireland since the 1980s and is almost always the case in Germany on national and state level, and in most constituencies at the communal level. Furthermore, since the forming of the Republic of Iceland there has never been a government not led by a coalition (usually of the Independence Party and one other (often the Social Democratic Alliance). A similar situation exists in the Republic of Ireland; since 1989, no one party has held power on its own. Since then, numerous coalition governments have been formed. These coalitions have been exclusively led by one of either Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael. Political change is often easier with a coalition government than in one-party or two-party dominant systems.[dubious – discuss] If factions in a two-party system are in fundamental disagreement on policy goals, or even principles, they can be slow to make policy changes, which appears to be the case now in the U.S. with power split between Democrats and Republicans. Still coalition governments struggle, sometimes for years, to change policy and often fail altogether, post World War II France and Italy being prime examples. When one party in a two-party system controls all elective branches, however, policy changes can be both swift and significant. Democrats Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson were beneficiaries of such fortuitous circumstances, as were Republicans as far removed in time as Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. Barack Obama briefly had such an advantage between 2009 and 2011.
|
How long as the Republic of Ireland had a dominant party?
|
{'text': 'since the 1980s', 'answer_start': 246}
|
13,721 | 13,379 |
56df47738bc80c19004e49e4
|
generic
|
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN organization. The UNFPA says it "is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled." Their work involves the improvement of reproductive health; including creation of national strategies and protocols, and providing supplies and services. The organization has recently been known for its worldwide campaign against obstetric fistula and female genital mutilation.
|
Another of UNFPA's goals is to make all childbirths what?
|
{'text': 'safe', 'answer_start': 243}
|
105,054 | 104,712 |
572faedf947a6a140053cb74
|
generic
|
Although the intensity of the bombing was not as great as prewar expectations so an equal comparison is impossible, no psychiatric crisis occurred because of the Blitz even during the period of greatest bombing of September 1940. An American witness wrote "By every test and measure I am able to apply, these people are staunch to the bone and won't quit ... the British are stronger and in a better position than they were at its beginning". People referred to raids as if they were weather, stating that a day was "very blitzy".:75,261 However, another American who visited Britain, the publisher Ralph Ingersoll, wrote soon after the Blitz eased on 15 September that:
|
People called the raids very blitzy like they were talking about what?
|
{'text': 'weather', 'answer_start': 484}
|
28,254 | 27,912 |
56fb8a1cb28b3419009f1e22
|
generic
|
Throughout the 14th century, French kings sought to expand their influence at the expense of the territorial holdings of the nobility. They ran into difficulties when attempting to confiscate the holdings of the English kings in southern France, leading to the Hundred Years' War, waged from 1337 to 1453. Early in the war the English under Edward III (r. 1327–77) and his son Edward, the Black Prince (d. 1376),[AF] won the battles of Crécy and Poitiers, captured the city of Calais, and won control of much of France.[AG] The resulting stresses almost caused the disintegration of the French kingdom during the early years of the war. In the early 15th century, France again came close to dissolving, but in the late 1420s the military successes of Joan of Arc (d. 1431) led to the victory of the French and the capture of the last English possessions in southern France in 1453. The price was high, as the population of France at the end of the Wars was likely half what it had been at the start of the conflict. Conversely, the Wars had a positive effect on English national identity, doing much to fuse the various local identities into a national English ideal. The conflict with France also helped create a national culture in England separate from French culture, which had previously been the dominant influence. The dominance of the English longbow began during early stages of the Hundred Years' War, and cannon appeared on the battlefield at Crécy in 1346.
|
When did the reign of Edward III begin?
|
{'text': '1327', 'answer_start': 356}
|
96,373 | 96,031 |
5a3be201cc5d22001a521bf8
|
generic
|
The Kingdom of Prussia became the leading state of the German Empire after its creation in 1871. However, the Treaty of Versailles following World War I granted West Prussia to Poland and made East Prussia an exclave of Weimar Germany (the new Polish Corridor separating East Prussia from the rest of Germany), while the Memel Territory was detached and was annexed by Lithuania in 1923. Following Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II in 1945, war-torn East Prussia was divided at Joseph Stalin's insistence between the Soviet Union (the Kaliningrad Oblast in the Russian SFSR and the constituent counties of the Klaipėda Region in the Lithuanian SSR) and the People's Republic of Poland (the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship). The capital city Königsberg was renamed Kaliningrad in 1946. The German population of the province was largely evacuated during the war or expelled shortly thereafter in the expulsion of Germans after World War II. An estimated 300,000 (around one fifth of the population) died either in war time bombings raids or in the battles to defend the province.[citation needed]
|
How many people lived in Kaliningrad in 1946?
|
{'text': '300,000', 'answer_start': 953}
|
84,635 | 84,293 |
5728005f4b864d19001641c9
|
generic
|
In February 1939, he received news from his sisters that his mother was dying. On 10 February 1939, Pope Pius XI died. Roncalli was unable to see his mother for the end as the death of a pontiff meant that he would have to stay at his post until the election of a new pontiff. Unfortunately, she died on 20 February 1939, during the nine days of mourning for the late Pius XI. He was sent a letter by Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, and Roncalli later recalled that it was probably the last letter Pacelli sent until his election as Pope Pius XII on 2 March 1939. Roncalli expressed happiness that Pacelli was elected, and, on radio, listened to the coronation of the new pontiff.
|
When did Pope Pius XI die?
|
{'text': '10 February 1939', 'answer_start': 82}
|
107,787 | 107,445 |
5730429d04bcaa1900d77438
|
generic
|
In November 2012, a referendum resulted in 54 percent of respondents voting to reject the current status under the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution, while a second question resulted in 61 percent of voters identifying statehood as the preferred alternative to the current territorial status. The 2012 referendum was by far the most successful referendum for statehood advocates and support for statehood has risen in each successive popular referendum. However, more than one in four voters abstained from answering the question on the preferred alternative status. Statehood opponents have argued that the statehood option garnered only 45 percent of the votes if abstentions are included. If abstentions are considered, the result of the referendum is much closer to 44 percent for statehood, a number that falls under the 50 percent majority mark.
|
What percentage of voters preferred statehood?
|
{'text': '61 percent', 'answer_start': 196}
|
103,871 | 103,529 |
572e86c1c246551400ce42ca
|
generic
|
Electric railways use electric locomotives to haul passengers or freight in separate cars or electric multiple units, passenger cars with their own motors. Electricity is typically generated in large and relatively efficient generating stations, transmitted to the railway network and distributed to the trains. Some electric railways have their own dedicated generating stations and transmission lines but most purchase power from an electric utility. The railway usually provides its own distribution lines, switches and transformers.
|
What is used to haul passengers cars?
|
{'text': 'electric locomotives', 'answer_start': 22}
|
88,987 | 88,645 |
5a85b92ab4e223001a8e71d0
|
generic
|
Following the ceasefire agreement that suspended hostilities (but not officially ended) in the 1991 Gulf War, the United States and its allies instituted and began patrolling Iraqi no-fly zones, to protect Iraq's Kurdish and Shi'a Arab population—both of which suffered attacks from the Hussein regime before and after the Gulf War—in Iraq's northern and southern regions, respectively. U.S. forces continued in combat zone deployments through November 1995 and launched Operation Desert Fox against Iraq in 1998 after it failed to meet U.S. demands of "unconditional cooperation" in weapons inspections.
|
Who was trying to protect the Hussein regime?
|
{'text': 'the United States and its allies', 'answer_start': 110}
|
61,968 | 61,626 |
5726f798f1498d1400e8f143
|
generic
|
Despite Western isolation, Asian corporations have generally remained willing to continue investing in the country and to initiate new investments, particularly in natural resource extraction. The country has close relations with neighbouring India and China with several Indian and Chinese companies operating in the country. Under India's Look East policy, fields of co-operation between India and Myanmar include remote sensing, oil and gas exploration, information technology, hydro power and construction of ports and buildings.
|
What is the benefit to the two countries involved in the India Look East policy ?
|
{'text': 'fields of co-operation between India and Myanmar include remote sensing, oil and gas exploration, information technology, hydro power and construction', 'answer_start': 359}
|
84,027 | 83,685 |
5728a4d44b864d1900164b4f
|
generic
|
In 1526, Babur, a Timurid descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan from Fergana Valley (modern day Uzbekistan), swept across the Khyber Pass and established the Mughal Empire, which at its zenith covered modern day Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. However, his son Humayun was defeated by the Afghan warrior Sher Shah Suri in the year 1540, and Humayun was forced to retreat to Kabul. After Sher Shah's death, his son Islam Shah Suri and the Hindu emperor Hemu Vikramaditya, who had won 22 battles against Afghan rebels and forces of Akbar, from Punjab to Bengal and had established a secular rule in North India from Delhi till 1556 after winning Battle of Delhi. Akbar's forces defeated and killed Hemu in the Second Battle of Panipat on 6 November 1556.
|
Who defeated Babur's son in 1540?
|
{'text': 'Sher Shah Suri', 'answer_start': 316}
|
123,131 | 122,789 |
5731e667e17f3d1400422522
|
generic
|
Baptists subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers (believer's baptism, as opposed to infant baptism), and that it must be done by complete immersion (as opposed to affusion or sprinkling). Other tenets of Baptist churches include soul competency (liberty), salvation through faith alone, Scripture alone as the rule of faith and practice, and the autonomy of the local congregation. Baptists recognize two ministerial offices, pastors and deacons. Baptist churches are widely considered to be Protestant churches, though some Baptists disavow this identity.
|
What type of baptism do Baptists conduct?
|
{'text': 'complete immersion', 'answer_start': 176}
|
93,936 | 93,594 |
57297608af94a219006aa475
|
generic
|
There are a number of proposals to redefine certain of the SI base units in terms of fundamental physical constants. This has already been done for the metre, which is defined in terms of a fixed value of the speed of light. The most urgent unit on the list for redefinition is the kilogram, whose value has been fixed for all science (since 1889) by the mass of a small cylinder of platinum–iridium alloy kept in a vault just outside Paris. While nobody knows if the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram has changed since 1889 – the value 1 kg of its mass expressed in kilograms is by definition unchanged and therein lies one of the problems – it is known that over such a timescale the many similar Pt–Ir alloy cylinders kept in national laboratories around the world, have changed their relative mass by several tens of parts per million, however carefully they are stored, and the more so the more they have been taken out and used as mass standards. A change of several tens of micrograms in one kilogram is equivalent to the current uncertainty in the value of the Planck constant in SI units.
|
What alloy is the base unit of the kilogram made from?
|
{'text': 'platinum–iridium', 'answer_start': 383}
|
43,593 | 43,251 |
5ad11464645df0001a2d0cb4
|
generic
|
Depleted uranium is also used as a shielding material in some containers used to store and transport radioactive materials. While the metal itself is radioactive, its high density makes it more effective than lead in halting radiation from strong sources such as radium. Other uses of depleted uranium include counterweights for aircraft control surfaces, as ballast for missile re-entry vehicles and as a shielding material. Due to its high density, this material is found in inertial guidance systems and in gyroscopic compasses. Depleted uranium is preferred over similarly dense metals due to its ability to be easily machined and cast as well as its relatively low cost. The main risk of exposure to depleted uranium is chemical poisoning by uranium oxide rather than radioactivity (uranium being only a weak alpha emitter).
|
How is depleted uranium not used in missile re-entry vehicles?
|
{'text': 'ballast', 'answer_start': 359}
|
49,536 | 49,194 |
5723d221f6b826140030fc97
|
generic
|
Gladstone returned to power after the 1892 general election; he was 82 years old. Victoria objected when Gladstone proposed appointing the Radical MP Henry Labouchere to the Cabinet, so Gladstone agreed not to appoint him. In 1894, Gladstone retired and, without consulting the outgoing prime minister, Victoria appointed Lord Rosebery as prime minister. His government was weak, and the following year Lord Salisbury replaced him. Salisbury remained prime minister for the remainder of Victoria's reign.
|
Who did Victoria appoint to replace Gladstone?
|
{'text': 'Lord Rosebery', 'answer_start': 322}
|
109,143 | 108,801 |
5ace1f1732bba1001ae49b3b
|
generic
|
Graduate schools include the School of Medicine, currently ranked sixth in the nation, and the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, currently ranked first. The program in occupational therapy at Washington University currently occupies the first spot for the 2016 U.S. News & World Report rankings, and the program in physical therapy is ranked first as well. For the 2015 edition, the School of Law is ranked 18th and the Olin Business School is ranked 19th. Additionally, the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Design was ranked ninth in the nation by the journal DesignIntelligence in its 2013 edition of "America's Best Architecture & Design Schools."
|
Who ranked the George Warren Brown School of Social Work first in the nation?
|
{'text': 'DesignIntelligence', 'answer_start': 579}
|
81,549 | 81,207 |
5728de7fff5b5019007da892
|
generic
|
London is the world's most expensive office market for the last three years according to world property journal (2015) report. As of 2015[update] the residential property in London is worth $2.2 trillion - same value as that of Brazil annual GDP. The city has the highest property prices of any European city according to the Office for National Statistics and the European Office of Statistics. On average the price per square metre in central London is €24,252 (April 2014). This is higher than the property prices in other G8 European capital cities; Berlin €3,306, Rome €6,188 and Paris €11,229.
|
London's residential property value is equivalent to what nation's GDP?
|
{'text': 'Brazil', 'answer_start': 228}
|
42,626 | 42,284 |
570df0740b85d914000d7c17
|
generic
|
The appearance of more systematic, abstract thinking is another notable aspect of cognitive development during adolescence. For example, adolescents find it easier than children to comprehend the sorts of higher-order abstract logic inherent in puns, proverbs, metaphors, and analogies. Their increased facility permits them to appreciate the ways in which language can be used to convey multiple messages, such as satire, metaphor, and sarcasm. (Children younger than age nine often cannot comprehend sarcasm at all.) This also permits the application of advanced reasoning and logical processes to social and ideological matters such as interpersonal relationships, politics, philosophy, religion, morality, friendship, faith, democracy, fairness, and honesty.
|
Do adolescents or children understand puns, proverbs, metaphors, and analogies most effectively?
|
{'text': 'adolescents', 'answer_start': 137}
|
19,401 | 19,059 |
56e790f337bdd419002c4153
|
generic
|
Changes to DST rules cause problems in existing computer installations. For example, the 2007 change to DST rules in North America required many computer systems to be upgraded, with the greatest impact on email and calendaring programs; the upgrades consumed a significant effort by corporate information technologists.
|
What can cause issues with installed computer systems?
|
{'text': 'Changes to DST rules', 'answer_start': 0}
|
94,107 | 93,765 |
57295f18af94a219006aa33c
|
generic
|
The PV industry has seen drops in module prices since 2008. In late 2011, factory-gate prices for crystalline-silicon photovoltaic modules dropped below the $1.00/W mark. The $1.00/W installed cost, is often regarded in the PV industry as marking the achievement of grid parity for PV. These reductions have taken many stakeholders, including industry analysts, by surprise, and perceptions of current solar power economics often lags behind reality. Some stakeholders still have the perspective that solar PV remains too costly on an unsubsidized basis to compete with conventional generation options. Yet technological advancements, manufacturing process improvements, and industry re-structuring, mean that further price reductions are likely in coming years.
|
What is a sign that further price reductions are likely in coming years?
|
{'text': 'technological advancements', 'answer_start': 607}
|
28,346 | 28,004 |
5a81e42031013a001a334f7f
|
generic
|
The word phonology (as in the phonology of English) can also refer to the phonological system (sound system) of a given language. This is one of the fundamental systems which a language is considered to comprise, like its syntax and its vocabulary.
|
What part of a language can vocabulary as a word also refer to?
|
{'text': 'the phonological system', 'answer_start': 70}
|
107,350 | 107,008 |
572f02fbcb0c0d14000f170a
|
generic
|
The Dutch East India Company (1800) and British East India Company (1858) were dissolved by their respective governments, who took over the direct administration of the colonies. Only Thailand was spared the experience of foreign rule, although, Thailand itself was also greatly affected by the power politics of the Western powers. Colonial rule had a profound effect on Southeast Asia. While the colonial powers profited much from the region's vast resources and large market, colonial rule did develop the region to a varying extent.
|
Who also profited from Southeast Asia resources?
|
{'text': 'colonial powers', 'answer_start': 398}
|
3,254 | 2,912 |
56cdcb2c62d2951400fa6830
|
generic
|
It is also known as the Wenchuan earthquake (Chinese: 汶川大地震; pinyin: Wènchuān dà dìzhèn; literally: "Great Wenchuan earthquake"), after the location of the earthquake's epicenter, Wenchuan County, Sichuan. The epicenter was 80 kilometres (50 mi) west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, with a focal depth of 19 km (12 mi). The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries and as far away as both Beijing and Shanghai—1,500 km (930 mi) and 1,700 km (1,060 mi) away—where office buildings swayed with the tremor. Strong aftershocks, some exceeding magnitude 6, continued to hit the area even months after the main quake, causing new casualties and damage.
|
Which far away cities in other countries could feel the earthquake?
|
{'text': 'Beijing and Shanghai', 'answer_start': 407}
|
112,039 | 111,697 |
5ad0e612645df0001a2d07ef
|
generic
|
Stadium attendances are a significant source of regular income for Premier League clubs. For the 2009–10 season, average attendances across the league clubs were 34,215 for Premier League matches with a total aggregate attendance figure of 13,001,616. This represents an increase of 13,089 from the average attendance of 21,126 recorded in the league's first season (1992–93). However, during the 1992–93 season the capacities of most stadiums were reduced as clubs replaced terraces with seats in order to meet the Taylor Report's 1994–95 deadline for all-seater stadiums. The Premier League's record average attendance of 36,144 was set during the 2007–08 season. This record was then beaten in the 2013–14 season recording an average attendance of 36,695 with a total attendance of just under 14 million, the highest average in England's top flight since 1950.
|
In which year was the record beaten when average attendance was recorded at just under 14 million?
|
{'text': '2013–14', 'answer_start': 701}
|
82,129 | 81,787 |
5727d6363acd2414000dedc3
|
generic
|
East Asian cultures are influenced by two schools of thought, Confucianism, which advocated good governance as rule by leaders who are benevolent and virtuous, and Legalism, which advocated strict adherence to law. The influence of one school of thought over the other has varied throughout the centuries. One study indicates that throughout East Asia, only South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong have societies that are robustly committed to a law-bound state. According to Awzar Thi, a member of the Asian Human Rights Commission, the rule of law in Thailand, Cambodia, and most of Asia is weak or nonexistent:
|
How strong is the rule of law in most Asian countries?
|
{'text': 'weak or nonexistent', 'answer_start': 605}
|
78,155 | 77,813 |
57278788708984140094e013
|
generic
|
As the century wore on, the factions slowly began to adopt more coherent political tendencies as the interests of their power bases began to diverge. The Whig party's initial base of support from the great aristocratic families, widened to include the emerging industrial interests and wealthy merchants. As well as championing constitutional monarchy with strict limits on the monarch's power, the Whigs adamantly opposed a Catholic king as a threat to liberty, and believed in extending toleration to nonconformist Protestants, or dissenters. A major influence on the Whigs were the liberal political ideas of John Locke, and the concepts of universal rights employed by Locke and Algernon Sidney.
|
Did the Whigs want to limit the monarch's power?
|
{'text': "championing constitutional monarchy with strict limits on the monarch's power", 'answer_start': 316}
|
27,537 | 27,195 |
56fa5493f34c681400b0c085
|
generic
|
Wood has always been used extensively for furniture, such as chairs and beds. It is also used for tool handles and cutlery, such as chopsticks, toothpicks, and other utensils, like the wooden spoon.
|
What category of products usually made from wood includes chairs?
|
{'text': 'furniture', 'answer_start': 42}
|
18,425 | 18,083 |
56e3c47839bdeb14003478fc
|
generic
|
Writings in Estonian became significant only in the 19th century with the spread of the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment, during the Estophile Enlightenment Period (1750–1840). Although Baltic Germans at large regarded the future of Estonians as being a fusion with themselves, the Estophile educated class admired the ancient culture of the Estonians and their era of freedom before the conquests by Danes and Germans in the 13th century.
|
Who had admiration for the ancient Estonian culture?
|
{'text': 'Estophile educated class', 'answer_start': 283}
|
58,448 | 58,106 |
5ad0a8c9645df0001a2cffdd
|
generic
|
In 1877, John Wanamaker opened the United State's first modern department store in a former Pennsylvania Railroad freight terminal in Philadelphia. Wanamakers was the first department store to offer fixed prices marked on every article and also introduced electrical illumination (1878), the telephone (1879), and the use of pneumatic tubes to transport cash and documents (1880) to the department store business. Subsequent department stores founded in Philadelphia included Strawbridge and Clothier, Gimbels, Lit Brothers, and Snellenbergs.
|
When was electric lighting last installed and used in the store?
|
{'text': '1878', 'answer_start': 281}
|
30,547 | 30,205 |
5ad28119d7d075001a4297e1
|
generic
|
Detroit techno is an offshoot of Chicago house music. It was developed starting in the late 80s, one of the earliest hits being "Big Fun" by Inner City. Detroit techno developed as the legendary disc jockey The Electrifying Mojo conducted his own radio program at this time, influencing the fusion of eclectic sounds into the signature Detroit techno sound. This sound, also influenced by European electronica (Kraftwerk, Art of Noise), Japanese synthpop (Yellow Magic Orchestra), early B-boy Hip-Hop (Man Parrish, Soul Sonic Force) and Italo disco (Doctor's Cat, Ris, Klein M.B.O.), was further pioneered by Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson, the "godfathers" of Detroit Techno.[citation needed]
|
Who were the early b-boy hip-hop artists that inspired Yellow techno?
|
{'text': 'Man Parrish, Soul Sonic Force', 'answer_start': 502}
|
67,168 | 66,826 |
5726e9c2708984140094d5a6
|
generic
|
In December 2013, Vatican officials approved a supposed miracle that was attributed to the intercession of the late pontiff which was the curing of an unborn child in California, U.S.A in the 1990s. It was expected that Pope Francis would approve the miracle in the near future, thus, warranting the beatification of the late pontiff. In February 2014, it was reported that the consulting Vatican theologians to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints recognized the miracle attributed to the late pontiff.
|
Who approved the miracle of Paul VI?
|
{'text': 'Pope Francis', 'answer_start': 220}
|
53,499 | 53,157 |
5acd191807355d001abf34ae
|
generic
|
Arsenal's parent company, Arsenal Holdings plc, operates as a non-quoted public limited company, whose ownership is considerably different from that of other football clubs. Only 62,217 shares in Arsenal have been issued, and they are not traded on a public exchange such as the FTSE or AIM; instead, they are traded relatively infrequently on the ICAP Securities and Derivatives Exchange, a specialist market. On 10 March 2016, a single share in Arsenal had a mid price of £15,670, which sets the club's market capitalisation value at approximately £975m. Most football clubs aren't listed on an exchange, which makes direct comparisons of their values difficult. Business magazine Forbes valued Arsenal as a whole at $1.3 billion in 2015. Consultants Brand Finance valued the club's brand and intangible assets at $703m in 2015, and consider Arsenal an AAA global brand. Research by the Henley Business School modelled the club's value at £1.118 billion in 2015, the second highest in the Premier League.
|
On what exchange are some UK clubs shares traded?
|
{'text': 'FTSE', 'answer_start': 279}
|
61,423 | 61,081 |
5726f818f1498d1400e8f156
|
generic
|
Madonna's Italian-Catholic background and her relationship with her parents are reflected in the album Like a Prayer. It was an evocation of the impact religion had on her career. Her video for the title track contains Catholic symbolism, such as the stigmata. During The Virgin Tour, she wore a rosary and prayed with it in the music video for "La Isla Bonita". The "Open Your Heart" video sees her boss scolding her in the Italian language. On the Who's That Girl World Tour, she dedicated the song "Papa Don't Preach" to Pope John Paul II.
|
She dedicated Papa Don't Preach to whom?
|
{'text': 'Pope John Paul II.', 'answer_start': 524}
|
26,554 | 26,212 |
5acfc4ee77cf76001a685e09
|
generic
|
The rapid development of religions in Zhejiang has driven the local committee of ethnic and religious affairs to enact measures to rationalise them in 2014, variously named "Three Rectifications and One Demolition" operations or "Special Treatment Work on Illegally Constructed Sites of Religious and Folk Religion Activities" according to the locality. These regulations have led to cases of demolition of churches and folk religion temples, or the removal of crosses from churches' roofs and spires. An exemplary case was that of the Sanjiang Church.
|
According to the locality, in addition to "Five Rectifications and Two Demolition", what was another name for these measures?
|
{'text': 'Special Treatment Work on Illegally Constructed Sites of Religious and Folk Religion Activities', 'answer_start': 230}
|
31,409 | 31,067 |
5709b50eed30961900e8443b
|
generic
|
Underpinning Houston's land surface are unconsolidated clays, clay shales, and poorly cemented sands up to several miles deep. The region's geology developed from river deposits formed from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains. These sediments consist of a series of sands and clays deposited on decaying organic marine matter, that over time, transformed into oil and natural gas. Beneath the layers of sediment is a water-deposited layer of halite, a rock salt. The porous layers were compressed over time and forced upward. As it pushed upward, the salt dragged surrounding sediments into salt dome formations, often trapping oil and gas that seeped from the surrounding porous sands. The thick, rich, sometimes black, surface soil is suitable for rice farming in suburban outskirts where the city continues to grow.
|
Besides sands, what are the foundations of Houston's land?
|
{'text': 'clays', 'answer_start': 55}
|
29,406 | 29,064 |
5706983475f01819005e7c25
|
generic
|
New Delhi has a population of 249,998. Hindi and Punjabi are the most widely spoken languages in New Delhi and the lingua franca of the city. English is primarily used as the formal language by business and government institutes. New Delhi has a literacy rate of 89.38% according to 2011 census, which is highest in Delhi.
|
What is the literacy rate of New Delhi according to the 2011 census?
|
{'text': '89.38%', 'answer_start': 263}
|
111,772 | 111,430 |
5ad0c91e645df0001a2d0340
|
generic
|
Due to insistence by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the international governing body of football, that domestic leagues reduce the number of games clubs played, the number of clubs was reduced to 20 in 1995 when four teams were relegated from the league and only two teams promoted. On 8 June 2006, FIFA requested that all major European leagues, including Italy's Serie A and Spain's La Liga be reduced to 18 teams by the start of the 2007–08 season. The Premier League responded by announcing their intention to resist such a reduction. Ultimately, the 2007–08 season kicked off again with 20 teams.
|
Who suggested increasing the number of games played?
|
{'text': 'International Federation of Association Football', 'answer_start': 25}
|
30,332 | 29,990 |
57065a7c75f01819005e7b78
|
generic
|
Sisvel S.p.A. and its U.S. subsidiary Audio MPEG, Inc. previously sued Thomson for patent infringement on MP3 technology, but those disputes were resolved in November 2005 with Sisvel granting Thomson a license to their patents. Motorola followed soon after, and signed with Sisvel to license MP3-related patents in December 2005. Except for three patents, the US patents administered by Sisvel had all expired in 2015, however (the exceptions are: U.S. Patent 5,878,080, expires February 2017, U.S. Patent 5,850,456, expires February 2017 and U.S. Patent 5,960,037, expires 9. April 2017.
|
When does the last patent held by Sisvel expire?
|
{'text': '9. April 2017', 'answer_start': 575}
|
114,504 | 114,162 |
573057cc8ab72b1400f9c488
|
generic
|
There has been a football tournament at every Summer Olympic Games since 1900, except at the 1932 games in Los Angeles. Before the inception of the World Cup, the Olympics (especially during the 1920s) had the same status as the World Cup. Originally, the event was for amateurs only; however, since the 1984 Summer Olympics, professional players have been permitted, albeit with certain restrictions which prevent countries from fielding their strongest sides. The Olympic men's tournament is played at Under-23 level. In the past the Olympics have allowed a restricted number of over-age players per team. A women's tournament was added in 1996; in contrast to the men's event, full international sides without age restrictions play the women's Olympic tournament.
|
What year were professional players allowed to play in the Summer Olympics?
|
{'text': '1984', 'answer_start': 304}
|
107,893 | 107,551 |
5730740e396df9190009611e
|
generic
|
In the late 1940s, during the last days of the Dominion of Newfoundland (at the time a dominion-dependency in the Commonwealth and independent of Canada), there was mainstream support, although not majority, for Newfoundland to form an economic union with the United States, thanks to the efforts of the Economic Union Party and significant U.S. investment in Newfoundland stemming from the U.S.-British alliance in World War II. The movement ultimately failed when, in a 1948 referendum, voters narrowly chose to confederate with Canada (the Economic Union Party supported an independent "responsible government" that they would then push toward their goals).
|
What did the Economic Union Party support?
|
{'text': 'an independent "responsible government"', 'answer_start': 574}
|
42,716 | 42,374 |
570d9a8ddf2f5219002ed018
|
generic
|
A census of sea life carried out during the International Polar Year and which involved some 500 researchers was released in 2010. The research is part of the global Census of Marine Life (CoML) and has disclosed some remarkable findings. More than 235 marine organisms live in both polar regions, having bridged the gap of 12,000 km (7,456 mi). Large animals such as some cetaceans and birds make the round trip annually. More surprising are small forms of life such as mudworms, sea cucumbers and free-swimming snails found in both polar oceans. Various factors may aid in their distribution – fairly uniform temperatures of the deep ocean at the poles and the equator which differ by no more than 5 °C, and the major current systems or marine conveyor belt which transport eggs and larval stages.
|
Part of what study is the census of Antarctic marine life?
|
{'text': 'Census of Marine Life', 'answer_start': 166}
|
43,782 | 43,440 |
5ad1171b645df0001a2d0d28
|
generic
|
The discovery of the element is credited to the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth. While he was working in his experimental laboratory in Berlin in 1789, Klaproth was able to precipitate a yellow compound (likely sodium diuranate) by dissolving pitchblende in nitric acid and neutralizing the solution with sodium hydroxide. Klaproth assumed the yellow substance was the oxide of a yet-undiscovered element and heated it with charcoal to obtain a black powder, which he thought was the newly discovered metal itself (in fact, that powder was an oxide of uranium). He named the newly discovered element after the planet Uranus, (named after the primordial Greek god of the sky), which had been discovered eight years earlier by William Herschel.
|
Who discovered plutonium?
|
{'text': 'Martin Heinrich Klaproth', 'answer_start': 63}
|
112,764 | 112,422 |
573221bb0fdd8d15006c67e1
|
generic
|
In mid-1944 Japan mobilized over 500,000 men and launched a massive operation across China under the code name Operation Ichi-Go, their largest offensive of World War II, with the goal of connecting Japanese-controlled territory in China and French Indochina and capturing airbases in southeastern China where American bombers were based. During this time, many of the newest American-trained Chinese units and supplies were forcibly locked in the Burmese theater under Joseph Stilwell set by terms of the Lend-Lease Agreement. Though Japan suffered about 100,000 casualties, these attacks, the biggest in several years, gained much ground for Japan before Chinese forces stopped the incursions in Guangxi. Despite major tactical victories, the operation overall failed to provide Japan with any significant strategic gains. A great majority of the Chinese forces were able to retreat out of the area, and later come back to attack Japanese positions such as Battle of West Hunan. Japan was not any closer in defeating China after this operation, and the constant defeats the Japanese suffered in the Pacific meant that Japan never got the time and resources needed to achieve final victory over China. Operation Ichi-go created a great sense of social confusion in the areas of China that it affected. Chinese Communist guerrillas were able to exploit this confusion to gain influence and control of greater areas of the countryside in the aftermath of Ichi-go.
|
What was the code name for the mid-1944 offensive across China?
|
{'text': 'Operation Ichi-Go', 'answer_start': 112}
|
117,421 | 117,079 |
5a42ea2c4a4859001aac739d
|
generic
|
While Nintendo never released an adapter for playing NES games on the SNES (though the instructions included a way to connect both consoles to the same TV by either daisy chaining the RF switches or using AV outputs for one or both systems), the Super Game Boy adapter cartridge allows games designed for Nintendo's portable Game Boy system to be played on the SNES. The Super Game Boy touted several feature enhancements over the Game Boy, including palette substitution, custom screen borders, and (for specially enhanced games) access to the SNES console. Japan also saw the release of the Super Game Boy 2, which added a communication port to enable a second Game Boy to connect for multiplayer games.
|
In what country was the SNES released?
|
{'text': 'Japan', 'answer_start': 559}
|
40,420 | 40,078 |
5ad55bd45b96ef001a10acac
|
generic
|
In response, Apple introduced a range of relatively inexpensive Macs in October 1990. The Macintosh Classic, essentially a less expensive version of the Macintosh SE, was the least expensive Mac offered until early 2001. The 68020-powered Macintosh LC, in its distinctive "pizza box" case, offered color graphics and was accompanied by a new, low-cost 512×384 pixel monitor. The Macintosh IIsi was essentially a 20 MHz IIci with only one expansion slot. All three machines sold well, although Apple's profit margin on them was considerably lower than that on earlier models.
|
How did Apple's profit margin on the higher cost Mac's compare to the profit margin on earlier models?
|
{'text': 'considerably lower', 'answer_start': 527}
|
124,289 | 123,947 |
573245c9e99e3014001e6617
|
generic
|
During Soviet rule, Armenian athletes rose to prominence winning plenty of medals and helping the USSR win the medal standings at the Olympics on numerous occasions. The first medal won by an Armenian in modern Olympic history was by Hrant Shahinyan, who won two golds and two silvers in gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. In football, their most successful team was Yerevan's FC Ararat, which had claimed most of the Soviet championships in the 70s and had also gone to post victories against professional clubs like FC Bayern Munich in the Euro cup.
|
What pro team has FC Ararat beaten?
|
{'text': 'FC Bayern Munich', 'answer_start': 535}
|
98,592 | 98,250 |
572ab07b111d821400f38cce
|
generic
|
Philadelphia is home to many national historical sites that relate to the founding of the United States. Independence National Historical Park is the center of these historical landmarks being one of the country's 22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the Liberty Bell are the city's most famous attractions. Other historic sites include homes for Edgar Allan Poe, Betsy Ross, and Thaddeus Kosciuszko, early government buildings like the First and Second Banks of the United States, Fort Mifflin, and the Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church. Philadelphia alone has 67 National Historic Landmarks, the third most of any city in the country.
|
Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
|
{'text': 'Independence National Historical Park', 'answer_start': 105}
|
104,099 | 103,757 |
5acd89fe07355d001abf466d
|
generic
|
Modern electrification systems take AC energy from a power grid which is delivered to a locomotive and converted to a DC voltage to be used by traction motors. These motors may either be DC motors which directly use the DC or they may be 3-phase AC motors which require further conversion of the DC to 3-phase AC (using power electronics). Thus both systems are faced with the same task: converting and transporting high-voltage AC from the power grid to low-voltage DC in the locomotive. Where should this conversion take place and at what voltage and current (AC or DC) should the power flow to the locomotive? And how does all this relate to energy-efficiency? Both the transmission and conversion of electric energy involve losses: ohmic losses in wires and power electronics, magnetic field losses in transformers and smoothing reactors (inductors). Power conversion for a DC system takes place mainly in a railway substation where large, heavy, and more efficient hardware can be used as compared to an AC system where conversion takes place aboard the locomotive where space is limited and losses are significantly higher. Also, the energy used to blow air to cool transformers, power electronics (including rectifiers), and other conversion hardware must be accounted for.
|
4-phase AC motors require further what?
|
{'text': 'conversion of the DC to 3-phase AC', 'answer_start': 278}
|
35,373 | 35,031 |
5a67a71af038b7001ab0c3ec
|
generic
|
Like other historical languages, Old English has been used by scholars and enthusiasts of later periods to create texts either imitating Anglo-Saxon literature or deliberately transferring it to a different cultural context. Examples include Alistair Campbell and J. R. R. Tolkien. A number of websites devoted to Neo-Paganism and Historical re-enactment offer reference material and forums promoting the active use of Old English. By far the most ambitious project[peacock term] is the Old English Wikipedia, but most of the Neo-Old English texts published online bear little resemblance to the historical model and are riddled with very basic grammatical mistakes.
|
What is one of the few languages imitated by scholars?
|
{'text': 'Old English', 'answer_start': 33}
|
87,528 | 87,186 |
57283235ff5b5019007d9ed8
|
generic
|
In March 1984, Pioneer introduced the first consumer player with a solid-state laser, the LD-700. It was also the first LD player to load from the front and not the top. One year earlier Hitachi introduced an expensive industrial player with a laser diode, but the player, which had poor picture quality due to an inadequate dropout compensator, was made only in limited quantities. After Pioneer released the LD-700, gas lasers were no longer used in consumer players, despite their advantages, although Philips continued to use gas lasers in their industrial units until 1985.
|
What was the name of the first solid-state laser consumer LaserDisc player?
|
{'text': 'LD-700', 'answer_start': 90}
|
55,469 | 55,127 |
5726344989a1e219009ac568
|
generic
|
The earliest clear evidence of hair or fur is in fossils of Castorocauda, from 164 million years ago in the Middle Jurassic. In the 1950s, it was suggested that the foramina (passages) in the maxillae and premaxillae (bones in the front of the upper jaw) of cynodonts were channels which supplied blood vessels and nerves to vibrissae (whiskers) and so were evidence of hair or fur; it was soon pointed out, however, that foramina do not necessarily show that an animal had vibrissae, as the modern lizard Tupinambis has foramina that are almost identical to those found in the nonmammalian cynodont Thrinaxodon. Popular sources, nevertheless, continue to attribute whiskers to Thrinaxodon.
|
Which major time period were these suggested hairs from?
|
{'text': 'Jurassic', 'answer_start': 115}
|
77,005 | 76,663 |
57277778708984140094de57
|
generic
|
In the English language, the works of Shakespeare have been a particularly fertile ground for textual criticism—both because the texts, as transmitted, contain a considerable amount of variation, and because the effort and expense of producing superior editions of his works have always been widely viewed as worthwhile. The principles of textual criticism, although originally developed and refined for works of antiquity, the Bible, and Shakespeare, have been applied to many works, extending backwards from the present to the earliest known written documents, in Mesopotamia and Egypt—a period of about five millennia. However, the application of textual criticism to non-religious works does not antedate the invention of printing. While Christianity has been relatively receptive to textual criticism, application of it to the Jewish (Masoretic) Torah and the Qur'an is, to the devout, taboo.[citation needed]
|
Name two of the oldest civilizations that textual criticism has focused on.
|
{'text': 'Mesopotamia and Egypt', 'answer_start': 566}
|
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