For their studies, the team studied the characteristics of word order in four language families: Indo-European, Uto-Aztec, Bantu and Austronesian.

BBC: Language universality idea tested with biology method

Most of the investments in the program are index funds, each of which is invested in order to replicate the risk and return characteristics of a particular market.

FORBES: Educating a Nation of Financial Illiterates

Size must be underpinned and augmented with many other characteristics, disciplines, and attributes in order to be a meaningful measure.

FORBES: Does Size Really Matter?

"Their role is to utilize their special training to conduct a more comprehensive investigation, employing a variety of techniques in order to establish speed, analyze skid marks and other physical characteristics of the accident scene, " said John Cassidy, executive officer of the Transportation Bureau of the NYPD, at a City Council hearing in February.

CNN: Bicycle injuries: Is the right-of-way fight getting ugly?

On a more general note, in order to be effective, a good access management practice has a number of characteristics.

FORBES: Bad Password Management Will Stop You in Your Tracks

In order for me to consider a company great, it has to possess several quality characteristics, past, present and future.

FORBES: The Future Is Mobile And Qualcomm May Be Its Biggest and Best Player