Wakefulness

Wakefulness is a daily recurring brain state and state of consciousness in which an individual is conscious and engages in coherent cognitive and behavioral responses to the external world such as communication, ambulation, eating, and sex. Being awake is the opposite of the state of being asleep in which most external inputs to the brain are excluded from neural processing.

Effects upon the brain

The longer the brain has been awake, the greater the spontaneous firing rates of cerebral cortex neurons with this increase being reversed by sleep. Another effect of wakefulness (which may or may not be related to this) is that it lowers the small stores of glycogen held in the astrocytes that can supply energy to the brain's neurons—one of the functions of sleep, it has been proposed, is to create the opportunity for them to be replenished.

Maintenance by the brain

Wakefulness is produced by a complex interaction between multiple neurotransmitter systems arising in the brainstem and ascending through the midbrain, hypothalamus, thalamus and basal forebrain. The posterior hypothalamus plays a key role in the maintenance of the cortical activation that underlies wakefulness. Several systems originating in this part of the brain control the shift from wakefulness into sleep and sleep into wakefulness. Histamine neurons in the tuberomammillary nucleus and nearby adjacent posterior hypothalamus project to the entire brain and are the most wake-selective system so far identified in the brain. Another key system is that provided by the orexins (also known as hypocretins) projecting neurons. These exist in areas adjacent to histamine neurons and like them project widely to most brain areas and associate with arousal. Orexin deficiency has been identified as responsible for narcolepsy.

Klinik

Klinik, (sometimes called The Klinik), is an industrial music band from Belgium, originally formed around 1982 by electro-synthpop practitioner Marc Verhaeghen, who is the only constant member.

History

Marc Verhaeghen originally formed Klinik in the early-to-mid 1980s; the exact date varies depending on the source. The group is normally described as one of the most influential Belgian industrial bands in history.

In 1985, Verhaeghen joined forces with two other bands, Absolute Body Control (with Dirk Ivens and Eric van Wonterghem), and "The Maniacs" (Sandy Nys) to form one "super group" "Absolute Controlled Clinical Maniacs". This rather unwieldy name was soon dropped in favour of the shorter name "The Klinik". Nys soon left the band to form "Hybryds", followed in 1987 by van Wonterghem, leaving The Klinik as the "classic" duo of Dirk Ivens and Marc Verhaeghen.

The Klinik soon made a name for themselves with their cold and harsh EBM sound and their live shows, where both Ivens and Verhaeghen performed with their heads wrapped in gauze, wearing long black leather coats. Ivens' hissing vocals and minimalist lyrics were complemented by Verhaeghen's synthesizer skills and distorted trombone playing. This however, did not last forever; after Time, an album neither member was fully pleased with, musical differences became too great, and they decided to go their separate ways. In a 2013 interview, Ivens said the due were moving in different directions musically, and that compromise between only two members was challenging.

Tycho (musician)

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Tycho (pronounced like Tie-ko, with emphasis on the first syllable) is an American ambient music project led by Scott Hansen (born 1976 or 1977) as primary composer, songwriter and producer. Hailing from San Francisco, California, he is known as ISO50 for his photographic and design works. His music is a combination of downtempo vintage-style synthesizers and ambient melodies. The style of his music is very organic, typically incorporating clips of the human element into his songs (i.e. weather broadcasts, simple talking, or even breathing). His song, "Dictaphone's Lament", was used as the track on a music video entitled "Live Life to the Fullest", which was made by and featured on the action cartoon block Toonami. His song "Cascade" (originally made for an Adult Swim and Ghostly International compilation called Ghostly Swim) was played during the final moments of the original 11-year run of Toonami in 2008. As of December 2014, Tycho is signed to, and has released under, Ghostly International, but has also released music on Merck Records and Gammaphone Records.

Flash

Flash may refer to:

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People

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Surname

Bart Allen

Bartholomew Henry "Bart" Allen II is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. Allen first appeared as the superhero Impulse, a teenage sidekick of the superhero the Flash, before later on becoming the second hero known as Kid Flash. The character first made a cameo appearance in The Flash #91 in 1994, while his first full appearance in issue #92, and appeared as the lead character in Impulse (1995–2002) and The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive (2006–2007). In the latter series, the character became the fourth hero to assume the identity of The Flash. Bart also prominently features in the superhero team titles Young Justice and Teen Titans. As the Flash, Bart was also a core character in 10 issues of Justice League of America.

As first conceived by writers, Bart was born in the 30th century to Meloni Thawne and Don Allen, and is part of a complex family tree of superheroes and supervillains. His father, Don, is one of the Tornado Twins and his paternal grandfather is Barry Allen, the second Flash. His paternal grandmother, Iris West Allen, is also the adoptive aunt of the first Kid Flash, Wally West (Bart's first cousin once removed). Additionally, Bart is the first cousin of XS, a Legionnaire and daughter of Dawn Allen. On his mother's side, he is a descendant of supervillains Professor Zoom and Cobalt Blue as well as the half-brother of Owen Mercer, the second Captain Boomerang. In addition to these relatives, he had a supervillain clone known as Inertia.

Flash (novel)

Flash is a science fiction novel by L. E. Modesitt published in 2004.

Plot introduction

Flash is set in a future Earth of unspecified year; most likely 24th century as in its predecessor Archform: Beauty. Humanity is still recovering from environmental disasters of the 21st century, but technology provides enough material resources for everyone. Earth's old nations have merged into continental governments - such as NorAm, United Europe, and Sinoplex - many of which are partially or wholly under the sway of various multinational corporations. Various wars are in progress, including an independence movement of colonists on Mars.

The protagonist is Jonat DeVrai, a talented market research consultant and former Marine Corps officer who happens to have retained nanite combat enhancements that should be removed from retiring soldiers. As usual in Modesitt's books, DeVrai does not seek power; he is forced to exercise it because of others' attempts to use him in their designs to gather power to themselves.