As with insurance products found anywhere in the world, insurance policies in China provide an element of a safety net, offering a measure of downside protection upon the occurrence of certain events.

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Earth's magnetic field gives the planet and its inhabitants a good measure of protection, but with space agencies seemingly intent on sending astronauts to the Moon and even to Mars in the next few decades, there is a pressing need for a fuller understanding of the Sun's activity.

BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | Spacecraft go to film Sun in 3D

The low-cost joint ventures offer a measure of protection against market troughs.

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The group, in turn, gave you a certain measure of protection: so long as you obeyed its commands, kept your place, and tended to its needs, you would get your scrap of food (if there was food to be had).

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