Anti (album)

Anti is the eighth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, released on January 28, 2016, through Westbury Road and Roc Nation. The singer began planning the record in 2014, at which time she left her previous label Def Jam and joined Roc Nation. Work continued into 2015, during which she released three singles, including the internationally acclaimed "FourFiveSeconds"; they were ultimately removed from the final track listing. Anti was made available for free digital download on January 28 through Tidal and was released to online music stores for paid purchase on January 29. The album was launched to physical retailers on February 5.

As executive producer, Rihanna contributed to most of the album's lyrics and collaborated with producers including Jeff Bhasker, Boi-1da, DJ Mustard, Hit-Boy, Brian Kennedy, Timbaland and No I.D. to achieve her desired sound. Their efforts resulted in a departure from Rihanna's previous dance and club music genre and created a primarily pop and R&B album, with elements of soul and dancehall. The producers incorporated dark, sparsely layered, minimalist song structures, whilst most of Anti's lyrics dealt with the complexities of romantic love and self-assurance.

Anti (EP)

Anti EP is the third EP by British electronic music duo Autechre, released by Warp Records on 3 September 1994. It is the only Autechre release — EP or otherwise — to have an explicit purpose for release.

Background

Anti EP was a protest against the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which would prohibit raves (described as gatherings where music is played), with "music" being defined as a "succession of repetitive beats." Sean Booth explained the band's strategy for the song "Flutter" by saying, "We made as many different bars as we could on the drum machine, then strung them all together."

The packaging for both compact disc and vinyl variants bore a sticker with a disclaimer about the repetitive nature of the rhythmic elements of "Lost" and "Djarum". The third track, "Flutter", was programmed to have non-repetitive beats and therefore "can be played at both forty five and thirty three revolutions"; but following their disclaimer, it was advised that DJs "have a lawyer and a musicologist present at all times to confirm the non repetitive nature of the music in the event of police harassment." The sticker acted as a seal, which was required to be broken in order to access the media enclosed in the packaging.

Anti (mythology)

In Egyptian mythology, Anti (Antaeus in Greek, but probably not connected to the Antaeus in Greek mythology) was a god whose worship centred at Antaeopolis, in the northern part of Upper Egypt.

His worship is quite ancient, dating from at least the 2nd dynasty, at which point he already had priests dedicated to his cult. Originally, Anti appears to have been the patron of the ancient area around Badari, which was the centre of the cult of Horus. Due to lack of surviving information, it is not very well known what the original function of Anti was, or whether he was more than just a title of Horus referring to some specific function.

Over time, he became considered simply as the god of ferrymen, and was consequently depicted as a falcon standing on a boat, a reference to Horus, who was originally considered as a falcon. As god of ferrymen, he gained the title Nemty, meaning (one who) travels. His later cult centre Antaeopolis was known as Per-Nemty (House of Nemty).

Lair

Lair may refer to:

LAIR2

Leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the LAIR2 gene.

The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily. It was identified by its similarity to LAIR1, an inhibitory receptor present on mononuclear leukocytes. This gene maps to a region of 19q13.4, termed the leukocyte receptor cluster, which contains 29 genes in the immunoglobulin superfamily, including LAIR1. The function of this protein is unknown, although it is thought to be secreted and may help modulate mucosal tolerance. Two transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene.

References

Further reading

LAIR1

Leukocyte-associated immunoglobulin-like receptor 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the LAIR1 gene. LAIR1 has also been designated as CD305 (cluster of differentiation 305).

Function

The protein encoded by this gene is an inhibitory receptor found on peripheral mononuclear cells, including NK cells, T cells, and B cells. Inhibitory receptors regulate the immune response to prevent lysis of cells recognized as self. The gene is a member of both the immunoglobulin superfamily and the leukocyte-associated inhibitory receptor family. The gene maps to a region of 19q13.4 called the leukocyte receptor cluster, which contains at least 29 genes encoding leukocyte-expressed receptors of the immunoglobulin superfamily.

Interactions

LAIR1 has been shown to interact with PTPN11 and PTPN6.

References

Further reading

External links

This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain.

Desert

A desert is a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation. About one third of the land surface of the world is arid or semi-arid. This includes much of the polar regions where little precipitation occurs and which are sometimes called polar deserts or "cold deserts". Deserts can be classified by the amount of precipitation that falls, by the temperature that prevails, by the causes of desertification or by their geographical location.

Deserts are formed by weathering processes as large variations in temperature between day and night put strains on the rocks which consequently break in pieces. Although rain seldom occurs in deserts, there are occasional downpours that can result in flash floods. Rain falling on hot rocks can cause them to shatter and the resulting fragments and rubble strewn over the desert floor is further eroded by the wind. This picks up particles of sand and dust and wafts them aloft in sand or dust storms. Wind-blown sand grains striking any solid object in their path can abrade the surface. Rocks are smoothed down, and the wind sorts sand into uniform deposits. The grains end up as level sheets of sand or are piled high in billowing sand dunes. Other deserts are flat, stony plains where all the fine material has been blown away and the surface consists of a mosaic of smooth stones. These areas are known as desert pavements and little further erosion takes place. Other desert features include rock outcrops, exposed bedrock and clays once deposited by flowing water. Temporary lakes may form and salt pans may be left when waters evaporate. There may be underground sources of water in the form of springs and seepages from aquifers. Where these are found, oases can occur.