CHANDIGARH: Punjab has sought Rs 1,000 crore Central assistance to strengthen its police infrastructure and security efforts in the border districts, among a slew of other demands, at a pre-budget meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held in Jaisalmer, an official statement said on Sunday. Industrial incentives similar to those provided to Jammu and Kashmir and the neighbouring hill states were also sought to support the MSMEs in Punjab's border and sub-mountainous regions, a Punjab government statement said on Sunday. Quoting Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, the statement said the state has strongly raised the demand to restore NABARD's Short-Term Seasonal Agricultural Operations (ST-SAO) limit to Rs 3,041 crore, from the reduced limit of Rs 1,100 crore, for FY 2024-25. Cheema said this restoration is vital to prevent farmers from turning to moneylenders, aligning with the 'Sahakar se Samriddhi' principle. Several states raised this issue which was discussed at length, he added. For road connectivity under PM Gati Shakti in Rajpura, the Punjab government has requested Rs 100 crore to construct a 5.6 km long, 45 mt wide approach road connecting NH-44 to the integrated manufacturing cluster (IMC) in Rajpura. This funding is essential for the timely completion of road construction and the successful implementation of the industrial cluster, Cheema said. Referring to the Vande Bharat train connecting Amritsar with New Delhi, Punjab government requested for a similar train to connect Bathinda, Punjab's agricultural and commercial hub, with the national capital to ensure seamless connectivity for the Malwa region of the state. Cheema also proposed financial support to address crop residue management in Punjab, saying despite providing 1.45 lakh crop residue management (CRM) machines since 2018, high operational costs remain a challenge. The Punjab government has proposed an incentive of Rs 2,500 per acre, with Rs 2,000 per acre from the Centre and Rs 500 per acre from the state, as per the statement. Out of the total estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore for this initiative, the government of India has been requested to provide Rs 1,600 crore as budgetary support, the statement said. Cheema also requested the Centre for a special budgetary allocation for paddy diversification, saying diversifying cultivation across 10 lakh hectares could result in substantial savings of more than Rs 30,000 crore. The Punjab government has proposed allocating a portion of these savings towards a comprehensive diversification package, Cheema said. For the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) scheme, Cheema proposed enhancing the grant from Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh per beneficiary to accommodate rising construction costs. The minister also highlighted the need to release pending funds under the National Health Mission (NHM) amounting to Rs 1,119 crore, besides requesting an increase in the honorarium for cook-cum-helpers under the PM Poshan Abhiyaan from Rs 600 to Rs 2,000 per month. Additionally, Punjab sought support for urban transportation, requesting Rs 300 crore for the procurement of 250 electric buses and the installation of charging points. The state also called for reimbursement of procurement costs by the government of India, modernisation of driving licence testing with advanced technology, and reimbursement of pending rural development fee (RDF) amounting to Rs 6,857 crore. Expressing gratitude to Sitharaman for giving Punjab the opportunity to present its suggestions, Cheema said the state's demand for an incentive package to address the unique challenges faced by it, particularly due to its proximity to a hostile border with Pakistan, is crucial to bolster infrastructure and security measures. He also expressed hope that the upcoming Union Budget will act as a catalyst for fostering citizen welfare, driving regional development, and spurring economic growth, the statement said.Walter Bibikow/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction What will 2025 look like? I don't know. And, as I've mentioned in prior articles, that uncertainty doesn't concern me much. As silly as that might sound coming from someone who tries to Test Drive iREIT© on Alpha For FREE (for 2 Weeks) Join iREIT on Alpha today to get the most in-depth research that includes REITs, mREITs, Preferreds, BDCs, MLPs, ETFs, and other income alternatives. 438 testimonials and most are 5 stars. Nothing to lose with our FREE 2-week trial . And this offer includes a 2-Week FREE TRIAL plus Brad Thomas' FREE book . Leo Nelissen is an analyst focusing on major economic developments related to supply chains, infrastructure, and commodities. He is a contributing author for iREIT®+HOYA Capital . As a member of the iREIT®+HOYA Capital team, Leo aims to provide insightful analysis and actionable investment ideas, with a particular emphasis on dividend growth opportunities. Learn More . Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of TPL, LB, REXR, CME either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Investors have been enamored with artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. Quantum computing stocks may be next. Companies such as Quantum Computing Inc. ( QUBT 16.38% ) , IonQ ( IONQ 17.64% ) , and Rigetti Computing ( RGTI 25.43% ) are up big in the last few months. Investors are betting on these quantum computing companies as the technology hits the mainstream again, with recent breakthroughs from Alphabet 's research division. If commercialized, quantum computing could disrupt just about every industry in the world, but especially cloud computing, making it a technology potentially on par with the recent developments in AI. Should you buy quantum computing stocks like Rigetti and IonQ in 2025? Let's dig in further and find out. Betting on technological breakthroughs Quantum computing has the chance to disrupt many parts of the economy. But why? Simply put, quantum computers can offer a steep change in the complexity of problems that can be solved with computers. By using the uncertainty of quantum mechanics, the computers operate differently than traditional transistor-based systems, allowing a user to figure out problems instantly that would take a traditional supercomputer years. The technology promises to help a wide range of industries, from self-driving cars and agriculture to physics simulation and drug discovery. The problem is getting these computers to work reliably. With hypersensitive quantum bits -- otherwise called Qubits -- that can get disrupted by the outside environment and introduce errors in the computing process, quantum computers have remained small for the time being and in the early stage research process. Recently, researchers have made progress in this area. For example, Alphabet's quantum computing division came out with a new quantum computer chip called Willow that reduces the errors in the quantum system as it scales up. Other companies are working hard to solve these issues, including Rigetti Computing, IonQ, and Quantum Computing Inc. All three of these stocks are up hundreds of percents or more in the last few months. Quantum Computing Inc. is up over 4,000% in the last six months, bringing in some incredible returns for shareholders this year. Big losses, high valuations Investors are falling over themselves with these quantum computing growth stocks. However, if we look under the hood, the financials are not pretty. IonQ generated $37.5 million in revenue over the last 12 months, with a $171 million net loss. Rigetti generates just $12 million in revenue and loses $60 million a year. Quantum Computing Inc. is even worse, generating less than $1 million in annual revenue and losing $23 million a year. All three of these stocks now have market caps in the billions and a price-to-sales ratio ( P/S) above 100. Bulls and management may argue that the stocks reflect the future potential of these companies. If quantum computing is solved, revenue and earnings for some of these businesses will soar. That's a big caveat, though -- "if" quantum computing can be brought to the masses. Who is to say it will ever happen, or if it will occur within the next few years? QUBT PS Ratio data by YCharts. Should you buy quantum computing stocks? I have no qualms with investors betting on an emerging sector. There was a lot of money to be made from the AI boom of the last few years, and it likely will be in the future. There is a difference between AI and quantum computing: Companies have already figured out how to bring AI tools to the individual and to businesses through software. It is still unclear whether progress in quantum computing will get far enough to make the technology mainstream. If it does, who is to say what companies will be the ones to do it? They could be the three hot stocks listed above, but it could also be Alphabet with its vast resources and unlimited budget, or a new company. Expectations for these stocks have soared, making it even more difficult to rationalize where they trade. These are companies with barely any revenue that have market caps in the billions. The numbers don't make sense. An unproven technology in the early stages, uncertainty around who the winning company will be, and nosebleed valuations: These are not the characteristics that indicate strong future returns for shareholders. Avoid buying quantum computing stocks for your portfolio in 2025.None
The AI Chip King’s Bold Moves! Nvidia’s Strategic Cash Play
2025 BMW power-loaded sedan falls short but higher pricedShare Tweet Share Share Email For scholastic sports teams—whether at the youth, high school, or college level—fundraising can be a constant challenge. With budgets often limited and the need for resources like uniforms, equipment, and travel expenses, raising money can be a critical part of maintaining a competitive program. In 2025, one of the most innovative and effective ways for sports teams to engage their communities and raise funds is through a fully digital Pick a Date to Donate calendar fundraiser. This fundraising model offers numerous benefits for teams, combining the power of digital technology with the support of passionate fans. Here’s why sports teams should consider running a fully digital “Pick a Date to Donate” fundraiser in 2025: 1. Engagement with the School Community A key advantage of the Pick a Date to Donate model is its ability to engage the entire school community—students, parents, alumni, and local supporters. This fundraiser allows individuals to pick a date on a calendar, with each date associated with a donation that matches the number of the day. For example, day 10 represents a $10 donation. The dates could correspond to significant school events, game days, or personal milestones. For instance, fans can choose a date on the calendar that aligns with their child’s birthday or a memorable game in the team’s season. By involving the whole community, you not only raise funds but also foster a deeper sense of school spirit and support for the athletic program. This personal connection to the fundraiser makes it more likely that participants will share the campaign with others, amplifying its reach. 2. Low-Cost, High-Impact Fundraising A digital Pick a Date to Donate calendar fundraiser is a low-cost alternative to traditional fundraising events. Organizing physical events often involves significant costs, from booking venues to catering and printing materials. With a digital campaign, there is minimal overhead expense. You don’t need a physical location, and you can easily set up and promote the fundraiser using low-cost online platforms – in some cases, you can even run a completely free calendar fundraiser without any fees. The money you raise goes directly toward supporting your team’s needs—whether it’s for uniforms, equipment, travel expenses, or field maintenance—without the heavy costs that typically come with event-based fundraising, or the typical fees associated with alternative digital fundraising models. 3. Reach a Larger, Broader Audience One of the most significant benefits of a fully digital fundraiser is its global reach. While traditional fundraisers may be limited to local events or a physical piece of paper (for paper calendars), a digital calendar can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection. This is especially beneficial for scholastic sports teams with alumni or supporters who have moved away from the community but still want to stay involved and contribute. Fans can purchase or “sponsor” dates from anywhere in the world, whether they’re alumni living in another state or grandparents who want to support their grandchildren’s team. This expanded reach helps generate more donations, as it removes geographical barriers that often limit participation in fundraising efforts. 4. Customizable and Flexible A digital calendar fundraiser is highly customizable to reflect the brand of the sports team. You can adorn your digital calendar fundraiser with your team’s name, logo and colors to strengthen the connection between your team and its fundraiser supporters. The flexibility of the fundraiser allows for many different levels of contribution (dates 1-31), making it accessible to a wide range of donors—from parents to alumni to local businesses. This makes it easy to cater to different budgets while still raising significant funds. 5. Simple for Fans to Participate The ease of participating in a digital Pick a Date to Donate campaign is another compelling reason for scholastic sports teams to adopt this model. Fans simply select a date, make their donation and leave their name, and they’re done. The process is simple, quick, and can be done from the comfort of their homes—ideal for busy families who may not have time to attend physical fundraising events. With a few clicks, donors can make their contribution and feel a sense of pride in supporting the team. This simplicity leads to higher participation rates, especially when combined with social media sharing, which can amplify the campaign’s visibility. 6. Track Progress and Optimize the Campaign Digital platforms also offer valuable insights into how the campaign is performing. Teams can easily track which dates have been donated/sponsored, monitor donation amounts, and assess the overall progress of the fundraiser. This real-time tracking allows for quick adjustments to maximize the success of the campaign. For example, if certain dates aren’t selling as well as expected, teams can offer promotions or spotlight those dates in social media posts to encourage more donations. The ability to measure success and optimize the campaign in real-time ensures that fundraising efforts are as effective as possible. Conclusion In 2025, scholastic sports teams are facing new challenges and opportunities when it comes to fundraising. A fully digital Pick a Date to Donate calendar fundraiser is a cost-effective, engaging, and sustainable way to support your team. It engages the entire school community and removes geographical barriers, all while being easy to execute and monitor. By tapping into the power of digital tools, scholastic sports teams can raise vital funds while building school spirit and fostering long-term support from their fans . If you’re looking for a creative and efficient fundraising option for your sports team in 2025, a digital Pick a Date to Donate calendar is the perfect solution. Start planning your campaign today and watch your team’s support grow! Related Items: Calendar Fundraiser , Scholastic Sports Share Tweet Share Share Email CommentsNick Kyrgios says positive tests for duo are ‘disgusting’ and ‘a horrible look’
Elon Musk Peddles Political Influence Abroad, Endorsing Germany's Far-Right PartyCLARENDON, Jamaica – The regular monthly meeting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation was adjourned prematurely after it descended into chaos following the swearing-in of Councillor Delroy Dawson (PNP) from the Aenon Town division. Following the brief ceremony, the council ended up in a tie with 11 councillors from both political parties. Dawson won a by-election on November 22 following the death of former JLP councillor Marjorie McLeod-McFarlane. Councillor Sean Barnswell (People’s National Party, Hayes division) asked that the matter at item N (resolution on matter surrounding the situation of 11/11 councillors in the corporation) on the agenda be moved up to be taken with item F (oath of office-councillor- Aenon Town Division) but the chairman, Mayor of May Pen Joel Williams, informed that the matter will be taken where it falls on the agenda. Anthony O’Connor (People’s National Party, Crofts Hill division) then asked for a compromise. “We have to compromise now, if we can’t live with that compromise the meeting [will have to] stop because one tie in with the other” he said of the matters on the agenda. The chairman in response stated that “a motion is on the table, it comes at Item N and I’m saying as the chairman the motion will be taken where it falls on the agenda.” But, according to Barnswell, “this matter on the order paper has to deal with resolution on the matter surrounding the situation of a tie of 11/11. Now that councillor Dawson is sworn in we now need to deal with this matter to move forward. I’m telling you, chairman, we need to deal with this matter now in order for us to move ahead with the business of the council” he fired back. “We are asking for this matter to be raised at this juncture. I can’t guarantee you, chairman, that we will proceed. This matter ties in with item F and we need to resolve this matter before we move any further. Chairman we insist that you allow us to move this matter.” At this point all 11 PNP councillors and the chairman were standing throwing barbs at each other across the room. Williams was adamant that the matter would be taken where it falls on the order paper but Barnswell was also insistent that he get his way to move up the matter to coincide with item F. “You no longer have the numbers Mr Chairman and we will take the matter at item F because it ties in,” Barnswell quipped. After much back and forth between Williams and the minority leader, the chairman asked for the adjournment of the meeting which was moved by Councillor Clive Mundle and seconded by Councillor Collin Henry.
5 top tech gifts for the holidaysNo. 12 Oklahoma pulls away late vs. Prairie View A&MAmazon stocking stuffer deals: Shop items that will arrive by ChristmasLPGA and USGA to require players to be assigned female at birth or transition before male puberty The LPGA and the USGA have updated gender policies that will require players to be assigned female at birth or to have transitioned to female before going through male puberty. The policies begin in 2025 and follow more than a year of study. The groups concluded that going through male puberty allows for competitive advantages in golf. The USGA has seven championships for females next year. The new policies rule out eligibility for Hailey Davidson. She missed U.S. Women's Open qualifying by one shot this year and tried LPGA Q-school. Davidson began hormone treatments when she was in her early 20s in 2015 and in 2021 underwent gender-affirming surgery, which was required under the LPGA’s previous gender policy. Miami's playoff hopes nosedive as Alabama rises in the latest College Football Playoff rankings Miami’s playoff hopes took a nosedive while Alabama’s got a boost in the last rankings before the College Football Playoff bracket is set next weekend. The Hurricanes moved down six spots to No. 12 after suffering their second loss of the season. They are one spot behind the Crimson Tide, who won won last week and moved up two spots to No. 11. Alabama is projected as the last team in and the fourth from the Southeastern Conference. Oregon stayed at No. 1 for the fifth straight week and will head into Saturday’s Big Ten title game as the only undefeated team in big-time college football. SEC and Big Ten powers lead the way on signing day as prospects finalize their college selections Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State are bringing in the nation's top recruiting class as high school prospects across the country finalize their college plans. The identity of the No. 1 class according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports may not be determined until Friday because of the uncertainty surrounding a couple of top-10 prospects. But most top recruits already committed to a school well before the signing period arrived Wednesday. Juan Soto starting to eliminate teams from negotiations, agent Scott Boras says LOS ANGELES (AP) — Juan Soto is starting to drop teams from negotiations ahead of baseball's winter meetings next week. Likely to approach or set a record contract, the free agent slugger has met with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. Soto's agent, Scott Boras, says the outfielder has “begun the process of eliminating teams” but he doesn't think a decision is “imminent” in the near future. A four-time All-Star, Soto finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks this year to help the Yankees reach the World Series. He has a .285 career batting average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks. Falcons QB Cousins is looking to avoid interceptions, have bounce-back game in Minnesota homecoming FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Kirk Cousins is set for his return on Sunday to Minnesota, his NFL home from 2018 through 2023. The homecoming comes as he is hearing speculation about his job security in Atlanta. Cousins has thrown six interceptions with no touchdowns in the Falcons’ three-game losing streak. That includes four picks in last week’s 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, his most in a decade. A vote of confidence from coach Raheem Morris can’t silence suggestions that it’s time to give rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. a chance to jump-start the Falcons’ struggling offense. Lindsey Vonn to make her comeback to downhill racing at age 40 this weekend Lindsey Vonn is going to enter an official ski race for the first time in nearly six years this weekend at age 40. Vonn announced last month that she was coming out of retirement and she will race lower-level FIS downhills and super-Gs on Saturday and Sunday in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Vonn needs some decent results to improve her long-dormant ranking so she can enter World Cup races this season under a new wild card rule. U.S. Ski Team head coach Paul Kristofic says that “obviously her history speaks for itself and she’s definitely the most decorated speed skier out there." He adds that "it will be really, really fun and interesting to see what she can do.” Liverpool's lead cut in Premier League and Man City ends slump. Chelsea and Arsenal win MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League was cut to seven points after a 3-3 draw with Newcastle. Chelsea moved up to second by thrashing last-place Southampton 5-1, while Arsenal is third after a 2-0 win over Manchester United. Fourth-place Manchester City ended its seven-game winless run with a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. Liverpool’s result will give hope to its title rivals after Fabian Schar’s 90th-minute equalizer at St James’ Park. Arsenal inflicted a first loss on new Man United head coach Ruben Amorim. High school recruiting isn't the only way to build a winner in the era of the transfer portal Texas A&M signed the nation’s top-ranked class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender. Plenty of players from that heralded 2022 class could indeed be participating in the first 12-team College Football Playoff this month. They just won’t be doing it for the Aggies. Texas A&M represents perhaps the clearest example of how recruiting and roster construction have changed in the era of loosened transfer restrictions. Coaches must assemble high school classes without always knowing which of their own players are transferring and what players from other schools could be available through the portal. Pro Picks: Falcons will upset the Vikings in Kirk Cousins' return to Minnesota Six division matchups and Kirk Cousins' return to Minnesota highlight a lighter Week 14 schedule. Six teams aren’t playing as the NFL wraps up its final week of byes before going to a full slate over the last four weeks. Two games feature the top two teams in the division. The Seattle Seahawks (7-5) visit the Arizona Cardinals (6-6) on Sunday in a battle for a tight race in the NFC West. The Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) host the Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) on “Sunday Night Football” with plenty of breathing room between the two teams in the AFC West. College football picks: 'Let's play two' a theme for handful of conference championship games No football coach would tell you he’s excited about the prospect of having to beat the same team twice in the same season. That will be the task for four teams in Football Bowl Subdivision conference championship games. The FCS-level Southwestern Athletic Conference game also is a rematch. Western Kentucky, Boise State, Miami and Georgia will be going for sweeps. Sportradar reports there have been 78 same-season rematches in the FBS since 2000. There have been 43 sweeps and 35 splits.
NetApp Stock Climbs After Better-Than-Expected Q2 ResultsTrump taps ex-Treasury official Miran as chair of Council of Economic AdvisersMathematics, in a very simple manner if approached means science about truth. However, the decline in its respect amongst the evolving youngsters has different causes. In earlier times, people who tend to study and carry on with Maths were regarded as people with high IQ, so only fewest of the total population would choose to go along with this subject. In the meantime, with the explosion of technology and Artificial Intelligence, this subject secures its rank in every manner, as Mathematics is thought of as the backbone of science. However, current times do not seem to comprehend the need to study Mathematics as a subject, rather it has become a part of engineering courses. Being a Pure Mathematician, it becomes obligatory for me to contribute to the enhancement of Mathematics as a subject or re-attainment of its position in the academic system. Let’s commence from recognising the fields where Mathematics has played crucial role. The ground for the higher mathematics is set by the concept of Sets, Relations and Functions, Linear Algebra and Modern Algebra. Nonetheless, everyday life demands continuous use of basic mathematics as in terms of budgeting, driving, managing time, exercising, cooking, stitching, trading etc. No such an event that doesn’t require mathematics some or the other way. Well, we can celebrate this National Mathematics Day by visualising different shades of math beyond classroom. Let’s first consider the concept of relations, which in maths means how the elements of one set are related to the elements of other set. This concept enables us to understand how the students are associated with their grades, another example being the temperature at different times in a day, a particular group of people and their ages and so on. The next very immediate concept being the subset of a relation itself called as function. Function, also being a relation, but the only difference that function generates exactly one output for one input but contrary to that a relation has many outputs for a single input. To see that in real life, we can consider the human appearances, one person with exactly one unique appearance. Moreover, students in a particular classroom with exactly one identification number, aadhar numbers etc. Next, we study the concept of differentiation which in layman’s language means the rate of change. To further see that in real life we can consider a moving car, where we can see the change of distance with respect to time, the rate of change of speed with respect to time, or change of velocity with respect to time and what not. Similarly, we see the rotation of earth with respect to the sun and the rotation of other planets with respect to sun or earth and among themselves as well. Another most important concept is that of matrices which is used in geology for conducting seismic surveys, in computer sciences for programming 3D games etc. Another prominent application of mathematics (in particular, Number Theory) lies in the field of Cryptography, which involves encryption and decryption of data for security purposes. As by the use of coding and decoding, one can secretly send a message from one place to another without anyone manipulating the same. For example, if we divide english alphabet in two sets, first 13 and later 13. Then join them by a bijective function, so we can write HELLO by URYYB. So that message goes encrypted. This is a very basic way, we have advanced ways as well. This field itself has got many efficient uses for national or international level of confidential communications or transmission of sensitive information. Fibonacci series in mathematics, is a sequence of numbers in which each consecutive number is equal to the sum of the two numbers that come before it. For instance, if you start with the number zero, this is what a Fibonacci series would look like: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and so on. The Fibonacci series is famously found in nature–trees, flowers, and other naturally occurring spiral structures grow leaves and petals that follow the sequence. It’s also particularly useful when it comes to cryptology, the study of codes and how to solve them. With modern technology, the Fibonacci series can be used to encrypt sensitive information over the internet for security purposes. The toughest field of mathematics so far known is the Topology, which literally means the study of place, or the study of surfaces. In this field of mathematics, we study how we can transform one object into another without any cut-paste, yet one can mould, stretch, crumple, bend or tear the object with the use of proper transformation (preserving the features of the object, mathematically called as homeomorphism. Thus, for a topologist, a coffee mug and donut (also known as torus) are same, as each of these two objects possess a single hole which is preserved during the transformation (homeomorphism). Such things are mathematically termed as topologically equivalent. One more observation, as being a topologist, we believe in two perspectives of looking at a particular object, one is locally and another globally. Thus, for us, Earth is flat (locally) but round (globally). Another very eminent concept of mathematics is that of metric spaces, which leads to understand the distance between any two points in a space or a set. This metric being a distance measuring function has got direct application in the field of Biology. Since genotypes-phenotypes are of very primary importance in biology, we see how topology is even useful in sequencing the right nucleotides in DNA strand. Genotypes are the internally veiled and inheritable information of a living being while as phenotypes are the physical appearances of that information. Topology solves one most important problem in DNA research. As we know that DNA is composed of four nucleotides: Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine and Thymine. These are arranged in a manner that they resemble a sequence. The sequence of nucleotides on every single chain of DNA decides the sequence of the other chain. The problem found in DNA research is in the comparison of distinct DNA sequences. So using the concept of metric spaces (a special type of topological spaces), we measure the distance between two sequences, where the distance function(metric) gives the intuition towards the nature of evolutionary history of species. Let’s consider x and y to be the two sequences of letters A , C , G and T . To calculate the distance between x and y , we fix the number of operations on x to turn it into y . We can apply three operations that is insertion, deletion and replacement for the sequence say P to turn x into y . In current era, we owe Mathematics a standing ovation for preserving the logic behinds theories. Let’s not underestimate the contribution of maths to all the fields of science and non-science. Dr. Mir Aaliya, Mathematics Faculty in Govt. Degree College, SoporeThe idea of investing in the stock market can seem like it must be both complicated and costly. The reality though, is that it is possible to start buying shares with a limited amount of money. In fact, I think even with £100, it is possible to make a move to get into the stock market. Setting up a way to invest The first move could be to set up a practical way to invest. That might be a or , for example. There are lots of choices here, and fortunately, not all are aimed at people investing large sums of money. So by doing some research and considering my own financial circumstances and objectives, I aim to get the one that is right for me. Just because an investor starts with £100 does not mean that is all they end up investing. By putting aside £100 each month, for example, in any given year that would amount to having £1,200 to invest. Getting to grips with how the stock market works But before investing, it is necessary to understand at least some of the main points about how the stock market works. A lot of people think that by investing in a brilliant company they could make money. Unfortunately, that is not necessarily true. It is important to understand, for example, whether the brilliant company also has brilliant finances that are likely to stay that way. For example, is its business model sustainable in the context of competition and how much debt (or cash) does it have on its ? Another important consideration is the . Even if it is a great business, paying too much for its shares could end up being a bad move financially. Putting the theory into practice As an example, consider ( ). I think it is a well-run, proven business with an attractive commercial model. But imagine an investor had piled into Computacenter a quarter of a century ago, just before the dotcom bubble burst. They would have had to wait 20 years for the share to get back to its 2000 price! In the past several years, the business has benefitted from strong spending by clients. It now trades on a of 14, which strikes me as reasonable. As in 2000, one risk is a slowdown in IT spending by large corporate clients. That alone puts me off buying Computacenter shares for my portfolio in the current climate of economic uncertainty. For now though, the business seems to be doing well. But hat was true back at the start of 2000 though. That example illustrates why savvy investors always pay attention to valuation when investing. But it also points to some of the other factors beyond valuation that I weigh up when deciding whether to start buying shares in a company. Those range from how large a customer market is to how sustainable a competitive advantage a company has. I think there are great shares available at attractive prices in today’s market — but it can take effort and a lot of research to find them.
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