My confusion with the character 由 and its many uses.
I have included multiple situations where I am not clear on the use. I have also added side comments that I hope you can help me answer and make clear of the use of 由。*** (Please copy and paste in your answer field so it's easier to review, thankyou. ) :)
(What does both 由 in this sentence mean?)
2. These magazines are produced by the same firm.
这些杂志都是由同一家公司出版的。(*I believe in this sentence it means, "by" or "from", can "被“ be used instead of 由?)
3. The churches are ruled by men but kept alive by women.
教堂由男人统治着，但是却由女人管理着。*(Here, I'm sure it means "by". Can 被 be used instead? Also 但是却 seems like it's repeating "however" "but". Can only one be used "但是“ or "却“ and get the same meaning. Having both does it add emphasis?)
4. The food, distributed through the U.N. World Food Program, is paid for by corporate sponsors.
这些食品由联合国世界食品计划组织负责发放，费用由赞助公司支付。*(Here, 由 means "by" or "from". Can 被 or 从， be used instead?)
5. For example, the London Stock Exchange's SETS trading platform, which was built and is mostly operated by Andersen Consulting, crashed last month.
(Here, it means "by". Can 被 be used instead?)
6. Today's new frontier is comprised of the interconnected wires, routers and computers of the Net.
今天，新的边远地区由许多互相联接的线路、路由器及网络计算机组成。(* I am not clear what the first 由 meaning is here, please explain)
7. The nation is comprised of thirteen states.
这个国家由13个州组成。 (I believe it means "by" or "from" here. Are there other words that can be used instead like "被“ or 有？
8. Before we start playing we have to decide who will be in charge of the bank.
玩儿之前我们得决定由谁来管理这些赌本。 （Means, "by" or "to leave it to somebody") Could we use "给“ or ”让“ instead?
9. She asked for three days off on medical grounds.
1.(以＝in order to??? )
2. ( 为= don't understand the use and position here)
3. (由 = reason?)
10 The next radio program will be introduced by Larry.
下一个广播节目由拉里来播报。(Means, "by" or "from"? or does it mean "leave it to (somebody) to do a task"?)
11. It's clear that this photo has been shot by a master.
很明显这张照片是由行家拍摄的。(Means, "by" or "from"? )
12. This situation is partly due to historical reasons.
这种局面部分是由历史原因造成的。(Means, "because of" or "due to" can other characters be used instead like "为了“？）