Saturday, May 23, 2020

Protostars New Suns in the Making

Star birth is a process that has been happening in the universe for more than 13 billion years. The first stars formed from giant clouds of hydrogen and grew to become supermassive stars. They eventually exploded as supernovae, and seeded the universe with new elements for new stars. But, before each star could face its ultimate fate, it had to go through a lengthy formation process that included some time as a protostar. Astronomers know a lot about the process of star formation, although there is certainly always more to learn. Thats why they study as many different star birth regions possible using such instruments as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope,  and ground-based observatories outfitted with infrared-sensitive astronomy instruments.   They also use radio telescopes to study the young stellar objects as theyre forming. Astronomers have managed to chart nearly every bit of the process from the time clouds of gas and dust start down the path to stardom. From Gas Cloud to Protostar Star birth begins when a cloud of gas and dust starts to contract. Perhaps a nearby supernova has exploded and sent a shock wave through the cloud, causing it to start moving. Or, maybe a star wandered by and its gravitational effect began the clouds slow motions. Whatever happened, eventually parts of the cloud start to get denser and hotter as more material gets sucked in by the increasing gravitational pull. The ever-growing central region is called a dense core. Some clouds are quite large and may have more than one dense core, which leads to stars being born in batches. In the core, when theres enough material to have self-gravity, and enough outward pressure to keep the area stable, things cook along for quite a while. More material falls in, temperatures rise, and magnetic fields thread their way through the material. The dense core isnt a star yet, just a slowly warming object. As more and more material gets swept into the core, it starts to collapse. Eventually, it gets hot enough to start glowing in infrared light. Its still not a star yet — but it does become a low-mass proto-star. This period lasts about a million years or so for a star that will end up being about the size of the Sun when its born. At some point, a disk of material forms around the protostar. Its called a circumstellar disk, and usually contains gas and dust and particles of rock and ice grains. It may well be funneling material into the star, but its also the birthplace of eventual planets. Protostars exist for a million years or so, gathering in material and growing in size, density, and temperature. Eventually, the temperatures and pressures grow so much that nuclear fusion is ignited in the core. Thats when a protostar becomes a star — and leaves stellar infancy behind. Astronomers also call protostars pre-main-sequence stars because they have not yet begun fusing hydrogen in their cores. Once they start that process, the infant star becomes a blustery, windy, active toddler of a star, and is well on its way to a long, productive life. Where Do Astronomers FindProtostars? There are many places where new stars are being born in our galaxy. Those regions are where astronomers go to hunt the wild protostars. The Orion Nebula stellar nursery is a good place to search for them. Its a giant molecular cloud about 1,500 light-years from Earth and already has a number of newborn stars embedded within it. However, it also has clouded little egg-shaped regions called protoplanetary disks that are likely harboring protostars within them. In a few thousands of years, those protostars will burst into life as stars, eat away the clouds of gas and dust surrounding them, and shine out across the light-years. Astronomers find starbirth regions in other galaxies, as well. No doubt those regions, such as the R136 starbirth area in the Tarantula Nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud (a companion galaxy to the Milky Way), also are studded with protostars. Even farther away, astronomers have spotted starbirth crà ªches in the Andromeda Galaxy. Wherever astronomers look, they find this essential star-building process going on inside most galaxies, as far as the eye can see. As long as theres a cloud of hydrogen gas (and maybe some dust), theres plenty of opportunity and material to build new stars — from dense cores through protostars all the way to blazing suns like our own. This understanding of how stars form gives astronomers a lot of insight into how our own star formed, some 4.5 billion years ago. Like all the others, it began as a coalescing cloud of gas and dust, contracted to become a protostar, and then eventually began nuclear fusion. The rest, as they say, is solar system history!

Monday, May 11, 2020

Proceso expedito para tramitación urgente de visa

Cuando se inicia una solicitud o peticià ³n ante el Servicio de Inmigracià ³n y Ciudadanà ­a (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglà ©s) los plazos de tramitacià ³n pueden ser muy largos. Por lo que es razonable plantearse si es posible acelerarlos  mediante un pago premium.  La respuesta es afirmativa pero sà ³lo en casos relacionados con peticiones por trabajo. En este artà ­culo se informa de los casos en los que se puede pedir el aceleramiento en la tramitacià ³n de una peticià ³n mediante un pago premium, quià ©n lo puede solicitar, cuà ¡nto se demora, cuà ¡l es el costo y cà ³mo contactar con USCIS para resolver problemas o dudas que surjan en dicha tramitacià ³n. Tramitacià ³n expedita  con USCIS  mediante un pago premium Es posible un pago premium en peticiones por trabajo, que comprende dos grandes grupos: cuando se solicita   para un extranjero una visa de trabajo temporal  en la que el empleador debe utilizar el formulario I-129.o cuando el empleador utiliza una planilla I-140 para pedir por razà ³n de trabajo una tarjeta de residencia permanente, conocida tambià ©n como green card. Tambià ©n se admite, en casos extraordinarios, auto-peticià ³n por parte de un trabajador. Esto significa que puede solicitarse en los siguientes casos: Visa E-1, comerciante al amparo de un tratadoVisa E-2, inversor al amparo de un tratadoVisa H-1B, trabajadores extranjeros especiales o modelos. En este caso el gobierno ha anunciado la suspensià ³n temporal del proceso expedito que se reanudarà ¡ el 10 de septiembre de 2018.Visa H-2B, trabajadores temporales para trabajos no agrà ­colasVisa H-3, trabajadores en prà ¡cticas o visitantes de intercambio en el campo de la educacià ³n especialVisa L-1, L-1B y LZ, trabajadores transferidos dentro de una empresa o subsidiarias de la mismaVisa O-1 para trabajadores con extraordinaria habilidad en Ciencias, Deportes, Arte, Educacià ³n o NegociosVisa O-2 para trabajadores que son un apoyo esencial para los titulares de una visa O-1Visa P-1, P-1S, P-2, P-2S, P-3 y P-3S, para deportistas individuales y de equipo, artistas y personal de apoyo para participar en un programa o evento à ºnico o que formen parte de un programa de intercambio cultural.Visa Q-1, para extranjeros participando en un programa de intercambio cultural internacionalVisa R-1 para religiososVisa TN-1 y TN-2, para canadienses y mexicanos al amparo del Tratado de Libre comercio  (NAFTA, por sus siglas en inglà ©s)Visa EB-1, para extranjeros con habilidades extraordinarias, profesores e investigadores excepcionales y gerentes y ejecutivos de multinacionales.Visa EB-2, para profesionales con titulacià ³n avanzada o habilidad excepcional.Visa EB-3, para profesionales, trabajadores especializados y otros trabajadores El USCIS puede suspender temporalmente el procesamiento premium para alguna de esas visas. En el momento en que se escribe este artà ­culo no està ¡ vigente ninguna excepcià ³n. Es decir, se puede aplicar para todas las peticiones enunciadas. Costo del procesamiento premium y a quà © da derecho En la actualidad es de $1.225. Sin embargo, esta cantidad puede variar por lo que es muy conveniente verificar con la pà ¡gina oficial del USCIS. Si la solicitud se hace por internet utilizando el sistema de e-file, el pago puede realizarse mediante tarjeta de crà ©dito, dà ©bito o transferencia desde una cuenta de un banco en Estados Unidos. Por el contrario, si se envà ­a una solicitud en papel, el pago debe hacerse mediante un cheque de un banco en Estados Unidos o por money order. El pago da derecho a que el USCIS acuerde una respuesta en el plazo de 15 dà ­as naturales  a contar desde el dà ­a en el que se recibià ³ la solicitud de procesamiento premium con su correspondiente pago.   La respuesta no significa siempre que se obtiene la aprobacià ³n, sino que puede ser cualquiera de las siguientes: Una carta de aprobacià ³n de la peticià ³n de visa o de tarjeta de residenciaUna carta en la que se pide mà ¡s informacià ³n o documentacià ³n. Es lo que se conoce como Peticià ³n de Evidencia o RFE, por sus siglas en inglà ©s.Una carta en la que se notifica la intencià ³n de rechazar la peticià ³n. Se conoce como NOID, por sus siglas en inglà ©s.Y, finalmente, puede que lo que se notifique es que se   inicia una investigacià ³n porque se sospecha que la peticià ³n es fraudulenta o se ha mentido en la misma o se ha presentado documentacià ³n de apoyo falsa. En el caso de que USCIS haya respondido con una RFE o una NOID, el solicitante debe contestar en el tiempo que se le otorga en la notificacià ³n. Y, una vez que el USCIS recibe las  alegaciones o la documentacià ³n  adicional que pidià ³, tiene que responder en el plazo de 15 dà ­as naturales. En casos extraordinarios puede suceder que USCIS no responda dentro de los 15 dà ­as siguientesa  haber recibido la peticià ³n de tramitacià ³n premium.   En estos casos està ¡ obligado a regresar el coste del trà ¡mite y, ademà ¡s, a responder inmediatamente.   Ademà ¡s, el pago premium da derecho a utilizar un telà ©fono especial gratuito, el 1-866-315-5718, para resolver dudas o hacer preguntas relacionadas con la peticià ³n de la visa. Cà ³mo se solicita el pago premium para acelerar una peticià ³n con USCIS El formulario para solicitar la  aceleracià ³n de los trà ¡mites  es el I-907. La solicitud se puede realizar  conjuntamente  con el envà ­o de los formularios I-129,   en el caso de visa de trabajo temporal, o I-140, cuando se solicita la tarjeta de residencia por trabajo. Tambià ©n puede enviarse  por separado  en un momento posterior. Resaltar que la peticià ³n de tramitacià ³n acelerada sà ³lo la puede solicitar la empresa o emprendedor o su abogado  que son los que piden la visa. Nunca puede solicitarla el beneficiario de la peticià ³n, excepto en el caso en el que un trabajador de cualidades excepcionales solicita  una tarjeta de residencia para sà ­ mismo sin patrocinador. Por el contrario, el pago del formulario I-907 pueden efectuarlo no sà ³lo la empresa o  su abogado, sino tambià ©n la persona extranjera que resultarà ­a beneficiada por este trà ¡mite.  ¿A quà © no da derecho el pago premium para acelerar los trà ¡mites? En primer lugar, este pago no levanta los là ­mites anuales en el nà ºmero de visas que se pueden aprobar dentro de cada categorà ­a  por aà ±o fiscal. Es decir, si se ha agotado el nà ºmero de visas disponibles, con o sin pago premium hay que esperar al siguiente aà ±o fiscal para que se abra de nuevo la disponibilidad de visas. Tampoco da derecho a beneficios extra en los casos en los que existe una loterà ­a para determinar quià ©nes son los beneficiados de una visa, como por ejemplo con las visas de la familia H, en particular con la H-1B para profesionales. En los aà ±os en los que el nà ºmero de solicitudes excede en menos de una semana al total de visas disponibles para un aà ±o fiscal se procede a decidir por sorteo quià ©n es el ganador. El pago de procesamiento premium no da ventaja en esa loterà ­a. En tercer lugar, el pago premium no se admite en visas o en tarjetas de residencia cuyo proceso se inicia con formularios distintos al I-129 o al I-140. Por ejemplo, no es posible en las visas de turista, estudiante, intercambio, etc. Tampoco en las peticiones de green card por razà ³n de familia, algunas de las cuales sufren grandes demoras, como son los casos de  las peticiones de ciudadano americano para hermanos, hijos casados o hijos solteros mayores de 21 aà ±os o las de residente para sus hijos solteros mayores de 21 aà ±os. Este artà ­culo es informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal para ningà ºn caso concreto.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

What Is Sebi Free Essays

What is SEBI? SEBI is the regulator for the security Market in India. In 1988 the Securities   and   Exchange   Board   of   India   (SEBI)   was   established   by   the Government  of  India  through  an  executive  resolution. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) was first established in the year 1988 as a non-statutory body for regulating the securities market  and  was  subsequently upgraded  as  a  fully  autonomous  body  on  April  12,  1992  the Securities  and Exchange Board Of India was constituted. We will write a custom essay sample on What Is Sebi or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was constituted in accordance with the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board Of India Act 1992.Chaired by  C B Bhave, SEBI is headquartered in the popular business district of  Bandra-Kurla complex  in  Mumbai, and has Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western regional offices in  New Delhi,  Kolkata,  Chennaiand  Ahmedabad. PREAMBLE The Preamble of the Securities and Exchange Board of India describes the basic functions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India as â€Å"†¦.. to protect the interests of investors in securities and to promote the development of, and to regulate the securities market and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto† Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Functions of SEBISEBI has to be responsive to the needs of three groups, which constitute the market: ? the issuers of securities ? the investors ? the market intermediaries. SEBI has three functions rolled into one body  quasi-legislative, quasi-judicial and quasi-executive. It drafts regulations in its legislative capacity, it conducts investigation and enforcement action in its executive function and it passes rulings and orders in its judicial capacity. Though this makes it very powerful, there is an appeals process to create accountability.There is a Securities Appellate Tribunal which is a hree-member tribunal and is presently headed by a former Chief Justice of a High court – Mr. Justice NK Sodhi. A second appeal lies directly to the  Supreme Court. SEBI has enjoyed success as a regulator by pushing systemic reforms aggressively and successively (e. g. the quick movement towards making the markets electronic and paperless rolling settlement on T+2 basis). SEBI has been active in setting up the regulations as required under law. SEBI has also been instrumental in taking quick and effective steps in light of the global meltdown and the Satyam fiasco. [citation needed]  It had[when?   increased the extent and quantity of disclosures to be made by Indian corporate promoters. More recently, in light of the global meltdown,it liberalised the takeover code to facilitate investments by removing regulatory strictures. In one such move, SEBI has increased the application limit for retail investors to Rs 2 lakh, from Rs 1 lakh at present. [3] The Board is responsible for the securing the interests of  investors in securities and to facilitate the growth of and to monitor the securitiesmarket in an appropriate manner. To monitor and  control the performance of stock  exchange and derivative markets.Listing and monitoring the functioning of stock  brokers, sub brokers, share transfer agents, bankers to an issue, trustees of trustdeeds, registrars to an issue, merchant bankers, underwriters, portfolio managers,investment advisers and others associated with securities markets by any means. Monitoring and Controlling the functioning of venture capital funds and mutualfunds. Forbid unjust and dishonest trade practices in the security markets andforbid insider trading in the security market. Undertake periodic audits of stock  exchanges, mutual funds, individuals and self regulatory organizations associated with the security market.Functions: 1. REGULATION OF STOCK EXCHANGES AND SUBSIDIARIES One of the key functions of the Board is to supervise and monitor the activities of the exchanges, clearing houses and the settlement system, strengthen market infrastructure and ensure that appropriate ris k management systems are in place. I. Inspection of Stock Exchanges: On-site supervision through inspection of stock exchanges is considered an effective regulatory tool. Under the policy of risk-based supervision which has been adopted from the year under review, stock exchanges having a significant turnover were taken up for onsite inspection.These were The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Calcutta Stock Exchange (CSE), National Stock Exchange (NSE), Inter Connected Stock Exchange (ISE), Ludhiana Stock Exchange (LSE), Hyderabad Stock Exchange (HSE) and Ahmedabad Stock Exchange (ASE). II. Inspection of Subsidiaries of Stock Exchanges III. Restructuring of Management of Subsidiaries: The inspection of the subsidiaries of stock exchanges revealed deficiencies in their functioning and risk management systems The management structure of the subsidiaries needed to undergo change in order to enable them to be able to provide a safe and ransparent market and effectively discharge their responsibilities towards investor protect ion. IV. Illegal Trading in Securities It had come to the notice of the SEBI that certain persons were engaging in trading in securities outside the purview of the stock exchanges (‘illegal trading in securities’). 2. REGISTRATION AND REGULATION OF THE WORKING OF INTERMEDIARIES In order to interpose between issuers and investors, regulators recognize various classes of intermediaries in the capital market. Regulation through intermediaries has been found, perhaps more effective in certain spheres of activity. SEBI, over the period, ecognized many types of capital market intermediaries in India and operations during the year is reviewed in the following sections. I. Primary Market Intermediaries such as merchant bankers, underwriters, debenture trustees, bankers to an issue, registrars to an issue and share transfer agents and portfolio manager are regulated by SEBI II. Secondary Market Brokers are one of the most important links between the investors and the market. Their association with the stock exchanges and investors dates back to as early as nineteenth century III. Registration of FIIs During the year 49 FIIs were granted fresh egistration whereas 34 FIIs were granted renewal of registration. 163 sub-accounts got registered and the registration of 71 subaccounts were renewed. IV. Registration of Custodian of Securities 3. REGISTRATION AND REGULATION OF COLLECTIVE INVESTMENT SCHEMES INCLUDING MUTUAL FUNDS AND VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDS. 4. PROMOTION AND REGULATION OF SELF REGULATORY ORGANISATIONS SUCH AS STOCK EXCHANGES. 5. PROPER CHECK ON FRAUDULENT AND UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES 6. INVESTOR EDUCATION AND THE TRAINING OF INTERMEDIARIES 7. PROHIBITION OF INSIDER TRADING 8. SUBSTANTIAL ACQUISITION OF SHARES AND TAKE-OVERS 9. INSPECTION AND INQUIRIES 0. DELEGATED POWERS AND FUNCTIONS 11. FEES AND OTHER CHARGES 12. RESEARCH AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Some Leading Scams in India: Some  Leading  Scams  in  India  Securities  Scam  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Harshad  Mehta  (1991-92)Floating Companies Scam – C R Bhansali (1992-96) UTI Scam – Unit 64 –  Bailout Package of 3,500-4,000 Crores Home Trade – Sanjay Agarwal (2000) –  Around 300 Crores Scam Securities Scam – Ketan Parekh – Rs 1,500 Crores FakeStamp Fraud – Abdul Karim Telgi – Around 30,000 Crores DSQ Software –  Dinesh Dalmiya (2001) – Around 600 Crores IPO Scam – Karvy, Indiabulls(2004-05) Satyam – Ramalinga Raju (2009) – Around 12,000 Crores.Organization structure Chandrasekhar Bhaskar Bhave  is the sixth chairman of the Securities Market Regulator. Prior to taking charge as Chairman SEBI , he had been the chairman of NSDL (National Securities Depository Limited) ushering in paperless securities. Prior to his stint at NSDL, he had served SEBI as a Senior Executive Director. He is a former  Indian Administrative Service  officer of the 1975 batch. The Board comprises[2] Name |Designation |As per | |C B Bhave |Chairman  SEBI |CHAIRMAN | |KP Krishnan |Joint Secretary,  Ministry of Finance |Member | |Anurag Goel |Secretary,  Ministry of Corporate Affairs |Member | |Dr G  Mohan Gopal |Director,  National Judicial Academy, Bhopal |Member | |MS Sahoo |Whole Time Member,  SEBI |Member | |Dr KM Abraham |Whole Time Member,  SEBI |Member | |Mohandas Pai |Director,  Infosys |Member | |Prashant Saran |Whole Time Member,  SEBI |Member | Steps taken by SEBI to make investors aware of their rights : Brokers and Sub-brokers: Brokers and Sub-brokers Don’ts: Do not deal with unregistered intermediaries. Do not pay more than approved brokerage to the intermediaries. Do not undertakedeals for othersDo not neglect to set out in writing, orders for higher value given o ver phone. Do not accept blank delivery instructions slip while meeting security pay-in obligations. Do not accept unsigned/duplicate contract note/confirmationmemo. Do   not   accept   contract   note/confirmation   memo   signed   by   anyunauthorised person. Do not delay payment/deliveries of securities to broker/ sub-broker. Do not get carried away by luring advertisements, if any. Do not be led by market rumours or get into shady transactions. Investing in Mutual Funds: Investing  in  Mutual   Funds   Dos: Read  the   offer   document  carefully  before investing. Note that investments in Mutual Funds may be risky.Mention your  bank account number in the application form. Invest in a scheme depending upon your investment objective and risk appetite. Note that Net Asset Value of a scheme is subject to change depending upon market conditions. Insist for a copy of the offer document/key information memorandum before investing. Note that past  performance  of  a  scheme  is  not  indicative  of  future  performance. Past performance of a scheme may or may not be sustained in future. Keep track of the Net Asset Value of a scheme, where you have invested, on a regular basis. Find out  about  the  investment  profile  provided  in  portfolio  disclosures  which  isavailable on half yearly basis. Investing  in  Mutual  Funds  Don’ts:Do  not  invest  in  a  scheme  just  because somebody is offering you a commission or other incentive, gifts etc. Do not get carried  away  by  the  name  of  the  scheme/Mutual  Fund. Do  not  fall  prey  to promises of unrealistic returns. Do not forget to take note of risks involved in the investment. Do   not   hesitate   to   approach   concerned   persons   and   then   the appropriate authorities for any problem. Do not deal with any agent/broker dealer  who is not registered with Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI). Avoid herd mentality while buying / selling into mutual fund schemes. Do not leave out KYC  details  in  your  application  forms. That  will  make  the  forms  liable  for  rejection.Do not rush into making investments that do not match your risk taking appetite and investment goals. Investors should be wary of concentrating their  mutual fund portfolio in one particular asset class and not diversifying acrossvarious   types   of   scheme   profiles. Dealing in Securities: Dealing in Securities Dos: Transact only through Stock Exchanges. Deal only through SEBI registered intermediaries. Complete all the required formalities of  opening an account properly (Client  registration, Client agreement forms etc). Ask  for and sign â€Å"Know Your Client Agreement†. Read and properly understand the risks  associated  with  investing  in  securities  /  derivatives  before  undertaking transactions.Assess the risk – return profile of the investment as well as the liquidity  and  safety  aspects  before  making  your  investment  decision. Ask  all relevant questions and clear your doubts with your broker before transacting. Invest based on sound reasoning after taking into account all publicly available information and on fundamentals. Give clear and unambiguous instructions to your broker / sub-broker / depository participant. Be vigilant in your transactions. Dealing in Securities: Dealing in Securities Don’ts: Given the benefits of trading on stock exchange it is advisable   to   avoid   off-market   transactions. Do   not   deal   with   unregistered intermediaries.Do not fall prey to promises of unrealistic returns. Do not invest on the basis of hearsay and rumors; verify before investment. Do not forget to take note of risks involved in the investment. Do not be misled by rumours circulating in the market. Do not be influenced into buying into fundamentally unsound companies (penny stocks) based on sudden spurts in trading volumes or prices or  non authentic favorable looking articles / stories. Do not  follow the herd or play on momentum – it could turn against you. Do not be misled by so called hot tips. Do not try to time the market. Do not hesitate to approach the proper authorities for  redressal   of   your   doubts   /   grievances. How to cite What Is Sebi, Papers