Month: August 2025

Developing story is the process of taking a small kernel of an idea, brainstorming how it could be expanded into a full-fledged narrative, and then converting it into a screenplay that can be pitched to producers. It takes a lot of perspiration and inspiration to get from seed to draft, but it’s essential for those who want to make their ideas into engaging scripts.

Once you have your protagonist and antagonist in place, it’s time to start fleshing out their worlds and what will happen to them. That way, you’ll have a solid foundation to work from as you develop and draft your plot.

One of the most important elements of story development is researching your subject matter extensively. Whether it’s an issue, event, or problem, be sure to elevate information about historical trends and background that can help contextualize the topic. It’s also helpful to include some quotes and expert commentary as part of your research, so readers can hear the perspectives of those who know it best.

Populate your story with powerful subplots. These secondary plot lines can add complexity to your central storyline without distracting from it. Good ones don’t exist for complexity’s sake but serve as an integral part of your characters’ journeys, adding layers of tension to their external and internal conflicts. For example, the storyline of Legolas and Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings is a great example of a subplot that serves to keep the reader engaged while the main conflict between Frodo and Sauron plays out.

A business merger occurs when two companies with complementary strengths join forces to form a larger organization with greater market reach and financial power. A company may choose to merge for a variety of reasons, including increasing its brand visibility or acquiring valuable intellectual property. However, carrying out a merger requires careful consideration of both the pros and cons of this business activity.

When companies are considering a business merger, they often engage M&A consultants to conduct due diligence to ensure the deal is financially viable. This process typically includes interviewing employees, analyzing data and conducting market research. Once the due diligence process is complete, the company can begin discussions with potential partners and finalize a deal.

M&A can help businesses achieve economies of scale by consolidating resources, reducing duplication and eliminating redundant functions. Additionally, it can provide them with a bigger bargaining power when negotiating contracts with suppliers or customers.

Another benefit of M&A is access to an acquired company’s best practices. This might include an efficient onboarding process, a superior CRM system or a leaner operations model. However, it is important to evaluate whether the expected synergies, such as cost savings and revenue growth, are realistic and feasible.

The stock market, also called the equity market, is where companies and other investors trade shares. The concept of a stock market is so broadly applied that the terms often seem interchangeable, although there are distinctions. The actual trading takes place on exchanges, like the NYSE and Nasdaq, which act as central locations for buying and selling securities, or stocks. Exchanges also provide real-time trading information, which is why you’ll see a stock price on just about any business news site.

Public companies, referred to as publicly traded or listed, issue stocks so they can raise money from normal people. This money can help them grow their business, and they offer the investors a share of any profits they make. In the short term, the stock market moves based on investor expectations about future earnings or economic conditions. For example, a tax cut may buoy the stock market because consumers have more income to spend, while high unemployment can lower the stock market because companies are cutting back on jobs and investing less in new equipment.

A stock’s price is determined by supply and demand. If a lot of people want to buy a stock, its price will rise; if not, it will fall. Many of the people who are interested in buying and selling stocks are large institutions, like banks, mutual funds, hedge funds, insurance companies, pension and retirement companies, and endowments. But even individual retail investors can buy and sell stocks, and the vast majority of Americans are invested in the stock market without really knowing it. They’re in it through their 401(K)s and other employer-sponsored savings plans, or they’re in it by owning stocks directly.

Late-breaking abstracts are accepted when novel research that could not have been anticipated before the regular submission deadline is presented at a meeting. This includes new aspects or focus of a study previously presented at another meeting, but not identical presentations of the same data. A case series can also be considered as a late-breaking abstract if it reports new and urgent findings.

A selected number of late-breaking abstracts will be chosen for oral presentation in a special session during the Congress, as described in the programme. Others will be displayed as paper posters or ePosters, as scheduled in the programme. Accepted abstracts can be published in the MSMilan2023 congress supplement and in the ePoster library.

Authors of selected abstracts will be notified by the end of April 2024. Presenters of abstracts that have been accepted must register and attend the Conference to present their work in person.

Authors must be SfN members at the time of submission. Each author may only appear as the presenting author of one late-breaking abstract. If a submitted abstract is accepted for oral presentation, the presenting author must be available to present the results of the study at SLEEP 2024. Accepted late-breaking abstracts will be citable as part of Neuroscience 2024, and included in the online meeting planner and mobile app after post-review is completed. In order to ensure that the scientific content of an abstract is assessed appropriately, it must be aligned with the conference theme.