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Computer Facts For Kids What do you think about when you think of a computer? You probably think about all the things you can do on it. It can help you with homework, you can

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earths crust

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Plastic waste is choking our planet - polluting the air, water, and soil both people and wildlife need to survive. And as this crisis spreads to every corner of the globe, WWF is leading the charge to help reimagine how we source, design, dispose of, and reuse the plastic materials communities most depend upon. Because while plastic can help make our hospitals safer, our food last longer, and our packages more efficient to ship, it has no place in nature.

Every day plastic is flowing into our natural environment at an unprecedented rate - a dump truck every minute into our oceans alone. It's time to turn off the tap. Together. WWF is uniting our global networks of industry leaders, consumers, and policymakers to transform our systems, so the plastics we discard become plastics we use again.

As everyday people continue doing their part to reduce, reuse, and recycle, WWF is engaging policymakers to ensure the plastics leaving recycling bins stay in effective waste management systems, and out of the hands of illegal plastic traffickers.

Through our ReSource:Plastic activation hub, we're helping some of the world's leading companies translate ambitious plastic commitments into measurable change - both across their business operations, and well beyond their supply chains. We're working on the ground with local partners from Indonesia to Peru to keep plastic out of our planet's most extraordinary ecosystems. And in oceans the world over we're supporting communities and fishing crews, big and small, to improve gear use and recovery, so issues like abandoned nets no longer pose one of the biggest threats to marine life.

WWF is fighting for a world with no plastic in nature by 2030. It's a world where our oceans teem with marine life, not discarded nets, bottles and bags. Where no human breathes the toxic fumes of burning plastic. And where every indispensable plastic product is used to make another.

It's a world where people and nature thrive together. Join us.

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Plastic waste is choking our planet - polluting the air, water, and soil both people and wildlife need to survive. And as this crisis spreads to every corner of the globe, WWF is leading the charge to help reimagine how we source, design, dispose of, and reuse the plastic materials communities most depend upon.

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What is the brain?

The brain is a complex organ that controls thought, memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger and every process that regulates our body. Together, the brain and spinal cord that extends from it make up the central nervous system, or CNS.

What is the brain made of?

Weighing about 3 pounds in the average adult, the brain is about 60% fat. The remaining 40% is a combination of water, protein, carbohydrates and salts. The brain itself is a not a muscle. It contains blood vessels and nerves, including neurons and glial cells.

What is the gray matter and white matter?

Gray and white matter are two different regions of the central nervous system. In the brain, gray matter refers to the darker, outer portion, while white matter describes the lighter, inner section underneath. In the spinal cord, this order is reversed: The white matter is on the outside, and the gray matter sits within.

Gray matter is primarily composed of neuron somas (the round central cell bodies), and white matter is mostly made of axons (the long stems that connects neurons together) wrapped in myelin (a protective coating). The different composition of neuron parts is why the two appear as separate shades on certain scans.

Each region serves a different role. Gray matter is primarily responsible for processing and interpreting information, while white matter transmits that information to other parts of the nervous system.

How does the brain work?

The brain sends and receives chemical and electrical signals throughout the body. Different signals control different processes, and your brain interprets each. Some make you feel tired, for example, while others make you feel pain.

Some messages are kept within the brain, while others are relayed through the spine and across the body's vast network of nerves to distant extremities. To do this, the central nervous system relies on billions of neurons (nerve cells).

Main Parts of the Brain and Their Functions

At a high level, the brain can be divided into the cerebrum, brainstem and cerebellum.

Cerebrum

The cerebrum (front of brain) comprises gray matter (the cerebral cortex) and white matter at its center. The largest part of the brain, the cerebrum initiates and coordinates movement and regulates temperature. Other areas of the cerebrum enable speech, judgment, thinking and reasoning, problem-solving, emotions and learning. Other functions relate to vision, hearing, touch and other senses.

Cerebral Cortex

Cortex is Latin for "bark," and describes the outer gray matter covering of the cerebrum. The cortex has a large surface area due to its folds, and comprises about half of the brain's weight.

The cerebral cortex is divided into two halves, or hemispheres. It is covered with ridges (gyri) and folds (sulci). The two halves join at a large, deep sulcus (the interhemispheric fissure, AKA the medial longitudinal fissure) that runs from the front of the head to the back. The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body, and the left half controls the right side of the body. The two halves communicate with one another through a large, C-shaped structure of white matter and nerve pathways called the corpus callosum. The corpus callosum is in the center of the cerebrum.

Brainstem

The brainstem (middle of brain) connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. The brainstem includes the midbrain, the pons and the medulla.

Midbrain. The midbrain (or mesencephalon) is a very complex structure with a range of different neuron clusters (nuclei and colliculi), neural pathways and other structures. These features facilitate various functions, from hearing and movement to calculating responses and environmental changes. The midbrain also contains the substantia nigra, an area affected by Parkinson's disease that is rich in dopamine neurons and part of the basal ganglia, which enables movement and coordination.

Pons. The pons is the origin for four of the 12 cranial nerves, which enable a range of activities such as tear production, chewing, blinking, focusing vision, balance, hearing and facial expression. Named for the Latin word for "bridge," the pons is the connection between the midbrain and the medulla.

Medulla. At the bottom of the brainstem, the medulla is where the brain meets the spinal cord. The medulla is essential to survival. Functions of the medulla regulate many bodily activities, including heart rhythm, breathing, blood flow, and oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. The medulla produces reflexive activities such as sneezing, vomiting, coughing and swallowing.

The spinal cord extends from the bottom of the medulla and through a large opening in the bottom of the skull. Supported by the vertebrae, the spinal cord carries messages to and from the brain and the rest of the body.

Cerebellum

The cerebellum ("little brain") is a fist-sized portion of the brain located at the back of the head, below the temporal and occipital lobes and above the brainstem. Like the cerebral cortex, it has two hemispheres. The outer portion contains neurons, and the inner area communicates with the cerebral cortex. Its function is to coordinate voluntary muscle movements and to maintain posture, balance and equilibrium. New studies are exploring the cerebellum's roles in thought, emotions and social behavior, as well as its possible involvement in addiction, autism and schizophrenia.

Brain Coverings: Meninges

Three layers of protective covering called meninges surround the brain and the spinal cord.

The outermost layer, the dura mater, is thick and tough. It includes two layers: The periosteal layer of the dura mater lines the inner dome of the skull (cranium) and the meningeal layer is below that. Spaces between the layers allow for the passage of veins and arteries that supply blood flow to the brain.

The arachnoid mater is a thin, weblike layer of connective tissue that does not contain nerves or blood vessels. Below the arachnoid mater is the cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF. This fluid cushions the entire central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and continually circulates around these structures to remove impurities.

The pia mater is a thin membrane that hugs the surface of the brain and follows its contours. The pia mater is rich with veins and arteries.

Lobes of the Brain and What They Control

Each brain hemisphere (parts of the cerebrum) has four sections, called lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital. Each lobe controls specific functions.

Frontal lobe. The largest lobe of the brain, located in the front of the head, the frontal lobe is involved in personality characteristics, decision-making and movement. Recognition of smell usually involves parts of the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe contains Broca's area, which is associated with speech ability.

Parietal lobe. The middle part of the brain, the parietal lobe helps a person identify objects and understand spatial relationships (where one's body is compared with objects around the person). The parietal lobe is also involved in interpreting pain and touch in the body. The parietal lobe houses Wernicke's area, which helps the brain understand spoken language.

Occipital lobe. The occipital lobe is the back part of the brain that is involved with vision.

Temporal lobe. The sides of the brain, temporal lobes are involved in short-term memory, speech, musical rhythm and some degree of smell recognition.

Deeper Structures Within the Brain

Pituitary Gland

Sometimes called the "master gland," the pituitary gland is a pea-sized structure found deep in the brain behind the bridge of the nose. The pituitary gland governs the function of other glands in the body, regulating the flow of hormones from the thyroid, adrenals, ovaries and testicles. It receives chemical signals from the hypothalamus through its stalk and blood supply.

Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is located above the pituitary gland and sends it chemical messages that control its function. It regulates body temperature, synchronizes sleep patterns, controls hunger and thirst and also plays a role in some aspects of memory and emotion.

Amygdala

Small, almond-shaped structures, an amygdala is located under each half (hemisphere) of the brain. Included in the limbic system, the amygdalae regulate emotion and memory and are associated with the brain's reward system, stress, and the "fight or flight" response when someone perceives a threat.

Hippocampus

A curved seahorse-shaped organ on the underside of each temporal lobe, the hippocampus is part of a larger structure called the hippocampal formation. It supports memory, learning, navigation and perception of space. It receives information from the cerebral cortex and may play a role in Alzheimer's disease.

Pineal Gland

The pineal gland is located deep in the brain and attached by a stalk to the top of the third ventricle. The pineal gland responds to light and dark and secretes melatonin, which regulates circadian rhythms and the sleep-wake cycle.

Ventricles and Cerebrospinal Fluid

Deep in the brain are four open areas with passageways between them. They also open into the central spinal canal and the area beneath arachnoid layer of the meninges.

The ventricles manufacture cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, a watery fluid that circulates in and around the ventricles and the spinal cord, and between the meninges. CSF surrounds and cushions the spinal cord and brain, washes out waste and impurities, and delivers nutrients.

Blood Supply to the Brain

Two sets of blood vessels supply blood and oxygen to the brain: the vertebral arteries and the carotid arteries.

The external carotid arteries extend up the sides of your neck, and are where you can feel your pulse when you touch the area with your fingertips. The internal carotid arteries branch into the skull and circulate blood to the front part of the brain.

The vertebral arteries follow the spinal column into the skull, where they join together at the brainstem and form the basilar artery, which supplies blood to the rear portions of the brain.

The circle of Willis, a loop of blood vessels near the bottom of the brain that connects major arteries, circulates blood from the front of the brain to the back and helps the arterial systems communicate with one another.

Cranial Nerves

Inside the cranium (the dome of the skull), there are 12 nerves, called cranial nerves:

Cranial nerve 1: The first is the olfactory nerve, which allows for your sense of smell.

Cranial nerve 2: The optic nerve governs eyesight.

Cranial nerve 3: The oculomotor nerve controls pupil response and other motions of the eye, and branches out from the area in the brainstem where the midbrain meets the pons.

Cranial nerve 4: The trochlear nerve controls muscles in the eye. It emerges from the back of the midbrain part of the brainstem.

Cranial nerve 5: The trigeminal nerve is the largest and most complex of the cranial nerves, with both sensory and motor function. It originates from the pons and conveys sensation from the scalp, teeth, jaw, sinuses, parts of the mouth and face to the brain, allows the function of chewing muscles, and much more.

Cranial nerve 6: The abducens nerve innervates some of the muscles in the eye.

Cranial nerve 7: The facial nerve supports face movement, taste, glandular and other functions.

Cranial nerve 8: The vestibulocochlear nerve facilitates balance and hearing.

Cranial nerve 9: The glossopharyngeal nerve allows taste, ear and throat movement, and has many more functions.

Cranial nerve 10: The vagus nerve allows sensation around the ear and the digestive system and controls motor activity in the heart, throat and digestive system.

Cranial nerve 11: The accessory nerve innervates specific muscles in the head, neck and shoulder.

Cranial nerve 12: The hypoglossal nerve supplies motor activity to the tongue.

The first two nerves originate in the cerebrum, and the remaining 10 cranial nerves emerge from the brainstem, which has three parts: the midbrain, the pons and the medulla.

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The brain is an important organ that controls thought, memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision, respiration, and every process that regulates your body.

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Skateboarding | History, Culture, Tricks, & Facts

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Skateboarding, form of recreation and sport, popular among youths, in which a person rides standing balanced on a small board mounted on wheels. Considered one of the so-called extreme sports, skateboarding as a professional sport boasts a range of competitions, including vertical and street-style e…

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/aye-aye

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kidrex

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Earth's atmosphere is composed of a series of layers, each with its own specific traits. Moving upward from ground level, these layers are called the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. The exosphere gradually fades away into the realm of interplanetary space.

The troposphere is the lowest layer of our atmosphere. Starting at ground level, it extends upward to about 10 km (6.2 miles or about 33,000 feet) above sea level. We humans live in the troposphere, and nearly all weather occurs in this lowest layer. Most clouds appear here, mainly because 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere is found in the troposphere. Air pressure drops, and temperatures get colder, as you climb higher in the troposphere.

The next layer up is called the stratosphere. The stratosphere extends from the top of the troposphere to about 50 km (31 miles) above the ground. The infamous ozone layer is found within the stratosphere. Ozone molecules in this layer absorb high-energy ultraviolet (UV) light from the Sun, converting the UV energy into heat. Unlike the troposphere, the stratosphere actually gets warmer the higher you go! That trend of rising temperatures with altitude means that air in the stratosphere lacks the turbulence and updrafts of the troposphere beneath. Commercial passenger jets fly in the lower stratosphere, partly because this less-turbulent layer provides a smoother ride. The jet stream flows near the border between the troposphere and the stratosphere.

Above the stratosphere is the mesosphere. It extends upward to a height of about 85 km (53 miles) above our planet. Most meteors burn up in the mesosphere. Unlike the stratosphere, temperatures once again grow colder as you rise up through the mesosphere. The coldest temperatures in Earth's atmosphere, about -90° C (-130° F), are found near the top of this layer. The air in the mesosphere is far too thin to breathe (the air pressure at the bottom of the layer is well below 1% of the pressure at sea level and continues dropping as you go higher).

The layer of very rare air above the mesosphere is called the thermosphere. High-energy X-rays and UV radiation from the Sun are absorbed in the thermosphere, raising its temperature to hundreds or at times thousands of degrees. However, the air in this layer is so thin that it would feel freezing cold to us! In many ways, the thermosphere is more like outer space than a part of the atmosphere. In fact, the approximate boundary between our atmosphere and outer space, known as the Kármán Line, is in the thermosphere, at an altitude of about 100 km. Many satellites actually orbit Earth within the thermosphere! Variations in the amount of energy coming from the Sun exert a powerful influence on both the height of the top of this layer and the temperature within it. Because of this, the top of the thermosphere can be found anywhere between 500 and 1,000 km (311 to 621 miles) above the ground. Temperatures in the upper thermosphere can range from about 500° C (932° F) to 2,000° C (3,632° F) or higher.

Although some experts consider the thermosphere to be the uppermost layer of our atmosphere, others consider the exosphere to be the actual "final frontier" of Earth's gaseous envelope. As you might imagine, the "air" in the exosphere is very, very, very thin, making this layer even more space-like than the thermosphere. In fact, the air in the exosphere is constantly - though very gradually - "leaking" out of Earth's atmosphere into outer space. There is no clear-cut upper boundary where the exosphere finally fades away into space. Different definitions place the top of the exosphere somewhere between 100,000 km (62,000 miles) and 190,000 km (120,000 miles) above the surface of Earth. The latter value is about halfway to the Moon!

The ionosphere is not a distinct layer like the others mentioned above. Instead, the ionosphere is a series of regions in parts of the mesosphere and thermosphere where high-energy radiation from the Sun has knocked electrons loose from their parent atoms and molecules. The electrically charged atoms and molecules that are formed in this way are called ions, giving the ionosphere its name and endowing this region with some special properties. The aurora, or Northern Lights and Southern Lights, occur in the parts of the thermosphere that correspond to layers of the ionosphere.

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Layers of Earth's atmosphere: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - It took more than engineering ingenuity to build the Golden Gate Bridge, which turns 75 this Sunday. It also took brave men willing to risk their lives, hundreds of feet above the Bay, to build one of the modern wonders of the world.

Not all of those men survived. There's a little-noticed memorial plaque, at the southwest end of the Golden Gate Bridge.

READ MORE: Fisher-Price Recalls Baby Soothers After 4 Infant Deaths

"Tragedy passed the Golden Gate Bridge by, then death struck twice, claiming the lives of eleven builders of the bridge," spokeswoman Mary Currie recited the words memorializing the tragic turn of events.

KCBS' Doug Sovern Reports:

According to Currie, the eleven deaths during the four years it took to build the span were far fewer than the naysayers expected.

"At that time the industry standard was that for every million dollars spent one life would be lost," she explained. "And the Golden Gate Bridge was a $35 million project so that would have meant that 35 lives would have been lost."

Related Links:
Gallery: Historical Golden Gate Bridge Photos
Video: Footage Of Golden Gate Bridge Building
Golden Gate Bridge E-Book Highlights 75-Year History

Classic KPIX - 1987: Golden Gate Bridge 50th Anniversary Special

Classic KPIX - 1962: 'The Bridge Builders' 25th Anniversary Documentary

Much of the credit for minimizing loss of life goes to chief engineer Joseph Strauss, who came up with some unprecedented measures.

READ MORE: Two Homeless Men Found Dead In Berkeley's Civic Center Park

Aside from hard hats, goggles and wind cream, a first of its kind safety net was strung below the workers and above the Bay. But even that wasn't enough when a scaffold collapsed just three months before the bridge was finished, in 1937.

"Part of a rigging fell into the net and the net ripped and fell into the Bay and ten lives were lost," said Currie. "A couple of the men did survive that but ten lives were lost."

Another worker died in a separate accident.

19 others fell into that net and lived to tell about it. They were called the Halfway to Hell Club.

"I kind of stepped out too far, stepped on my heel and it was wet, slipped about three times and hit square on my back," recalled legendary bridge worker Al Zampa, a charter member of the Halfway to Hell Club.

He was hospitalized for eight months as a result of that accident. He had helped to build the Carquinez and Bay bridges before being hired to work on the Golden Gate. He died 12 years ago, but reminisced about the thrill of the job on the occasion of the Golden Gate Bridge's 50th Anniversary.

"You feel kind of high when you're up there. And I mean, without drinking."

The work was too hard - and too much fun - to get scared, he reasoned.

"I don't know if it's a thrill every minute, you don't realize you're up there."

MORE NEWS: Bay Area Filipino-Americans Celebrate Yuka Saso's Historic U.S. Open Win

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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KCBS Cover Story: Men Who Gave Their Lives Building Golden Gate Bridge

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It took more than engineering ingenuity to build the Golden Gate Bridge, which turns 75 this Sunday. It also took brave men willing to risk their lives, hundreds of feet above the Bay, to build one of the modern wonders of the world.

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Feathered dinosaurs are all around us today. Birds - from pigeons to penguins - are dinosaurs . But what about our Mesozoic favorites?

closely related to birds were feathered. Velociraptor was much fluffier than Jurassic Park would have you believe. But as paleontologists have dug into the Mesozoic, they've kept finding dinosaurs with protofeathers in different places of the family tree.

As it stands now, fuzzy, featherlike body coverings have been found among pterosaurs - flying reptiles related to dinosaurs - as well as many forms of dinosaur. This suggests that some kind of wispy body covering might have been present in ancestral dinosaurs. And among dinosaurs, protofeathers have not only been found among theropod dinosaurs more or less closely related to birds, but also all the way on the other side of the family tree, among a group called ornithischians. Either dinosaurs inherited protofeathers from their direct ancestors, or fuzzy body coverings evolved multiple times.

Some dinosaur groups haven't been found with protofeathers yet. The long-necked sauropods and shovel-beaked hadrosaurs don't seem to show evidence of fluff at the present time. But based upon the spread of fuzzy body coverings among other dinosaurs, it may be that experts just haven't found the right fossils. It's conceivable that almost any dinosaur you can think of had protofeathers to one degree or another, just how elephants and hippos still have some hairs despite looking bald from a distance. Dinosaurs were fuzzier than we ever expected. Read more:

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Feathered dinosaurs are all around us today. Birds - from pigeons to penguins - are dinosaurs . But what about our Mesozoic favorites? closely related to birds were feathered. Velociraptor was much fluffier than Jurassic Park would have you believe.

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The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a pair of twin suspension bridges that span the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington. The bridges connect the city of Tacoma with the Kitsap Peninsula and carry State Route 16 (known as Primary State Highway 14 until 1964) over the strait. Historically, the name "Tacoma Narrows Bridge" has applied to the original bridge nicknamed "Galloping Gertie", which opened in July 1940, but collapsed because of aeroelastic flutter four months later, as well as the replacement of the original bridge which opened in 1950 and still stands today as the westbound lanes of the present-day 2 bridge complex.

The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened on July 1, 1940. The original bridge received its nickname "Galloping Gertie" because of the vertical movement of the deck observed by construction workers during windy conditions. The bridge became known for its pitching deck, and collapsed into Puget Sound the morning of November 7, 1940, under high wind conditions. Engineering issues, as well as the United States' involvement in World War II, postponed plans to replace the bridge for several years; the replacement bridge was opened on October 14, 1950.

By 1990, population growth and development on the Kitsap Peninsula caused traffic on the bridge to exceed its design capacity; as a result, in 1998 Washington voters approved a measure to support building a parallel bridge. After a series of protests and court battles, construction began in 2002 and the new bridge opened to carry eastbound traffic on July 16, 2007, while the 1950 bridge was reconfigured to carry westbound traffic.

At the time of their construction, both the 1940 and 1950 bridges were the third-longest suspension bridges in the world in terms of main span length, behind the Golden Gate Bridge and George Washington Bridge. The 1950 and 2007 bridges are as of 2017 the fifth-longest suspension bridge spans in the United States and the 43rd-longest in the world.

Tolls were charged on the bridge for the entire four-month service life of the original span, as well as the first 15 years of the 1950 bridge. In 1965, the bridge's construction bonds plus interest were paid off, and the state ceased toll collection on the bridge. Over 40 years later, tolls were reinstated as part of the financing of the twin span, and are presently collected only from vehicles traveling eastbound.

The desire for the construction of a bridge in this location dates back to 1889 with a Northern Pacific Railway proposal for a trestle, but concerted efforts began in the mid-1920s. In 1937, the Washington State legislature created the Washington State Toll Bridge Authority and appropriated $5,000 to study the request by Tacoma and Pierce County for a bridge over the Narrows. The bridge was designed by Leon Moisseiff.

The first Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened to traffic on July 1, 1940. Its main span collapsed into the Tacoma Narrows four months later on November 7, 1940, at 11:00 a.m. (Pacific time) as a result of aeroelastic flutter caused by a 42 mph (68 km/h) wind. The bridge collapse had lasting effects on science and engineering. In many undergraduate physics texts, the event is presented as an example of elementary forced resonance, with the wind providing an external periodic frequency that matched the natural structural frequency, even though the real cause of the bridge's failure was aeroelastic flutter, not resonance. A contributing factor was its solid sides, not allowing wind to pass through the bridge's deck. Thus, its design allowed the bridge to catch the wind and sway, which ultimately took it down. Its failure also boosted research in the field of bridge aerodynamics and aeroelastic, fields which have influenced the designs of all the world's great long-span bridges built since 1940.

No human lives were lost in the collapse of the bridge. The only fatality was a Cocker Spaniel named Tubby, who perished after he was abandoned in a car on the bridge by his owner, Leonard Coatsworth. Professor Frederick Burt Farquharson, an engineer from the University of Washington who had been involved in the design of the bridge, tried to rescue Tubby but was bitten by the terrified dog when he attempted to remove him. The collapse of the bridge was recorded on Kodachrome 16 mm film by Barney Elliott and Harbine Monroe, owners of The Camera Shop in Tacoma, and shows Farquharson leaving the bridge after trying to rescue Tubby and making observations in the middle of the bridge. The film was subsequently sold to Paramount Studios, who then duplicated the footage for newsreels in black-and-white and distributed the film worldwide to movie theaters. Castle Films also received distribution rights for 8 mm home video.

Elliott and Monroe's original films of the construction and collapse of the bridge were shot on 16 mm Kodachrome color film, but most copies in circulation are in black and white because newsreels of the day copied the film onto 35 mm black-and-white stock. There were also film speed discrepancies between Monroe and Elliot's footage, with Monroe filming his footage in 24 fps while Elliott had filmed his footage at 16 fps. As a result, most copies in circulation also show the bridge oscillating approximately 50% faster than real time, due to an assumption during conversion that the film was shot at 24 frames per second rather than the actual 16 fps. In 1998, The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". This footage is commonly shown to engineering, architecture, and physics students as a means to teach about engineering disaster.

The dismantling of the towers and side spans - having survived the collapse of the main span, but being damaged beyond repair - began shortly after the collapse and continued into May 1943. The United States' participation in World War II, as well as engineering and finance issues, delayed plans to replace the bridge.

The current westbound bridge was designed and rebuilt with open trusses, stiffening struts and openings in the roadway to let wind through. It opened on October 14, 1950, and is 5,979 feet (1822 m) long - 40 feet (12 m) longer than the first bridge, Galloping Gertie. Local residents nicknamed the new bridge Sturdy Gertie, as the oscillations that plagued the previous design had been eliminated. This bridge along with its new parallel eastbound bridge is currently the fifth-longest suspension bridges in the United States.

When built, the westbound bridge was the third longest suspension bridge span in the world. Like other modern suspension bridges, the westbound bridge was built with steel plates that feature sharp entry edges rather than the flat plate sides used in the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge (see the suspension bridge article for an example).

The bridge was designed to handle 60,000 vehicles a day. It carried both westbound and eastbound traffic until the eastbound bridge opened on July 15, 2007.

In 1998, voters in several Washington counties approved an advisory measure to create a second Narrows span. Construction of the new span, which carries eastbound traffic parallel to the current bridge, began on October 4, 2002, and was completed in July 2007. The bridge was dedicated in honor of State Representative Ruth Fisher and State Senator Robert "Bob" Oke, a South Kitsap resident, one of the main proponents of building the second span across Puget Sound between the Kitsap Peninsula and Tacoma.

The Washington State Department of Transportation collects a toll before entering the eastbound span, at $5.00 for " Good to Go" account holders with in-vehicle transponders, $6.00 toll for cash/ credit card customers, and $7 for those who choose Pay-By-Mail. The existing span had been free of tolls since 1965. The new bridge marks the first installation of the new Good To Go electronic toll collection system.

Historical

Second span project

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Project (WS DOT Web Page; information about the new bridge construction project)

Puget Sound Transportation projects: Tacoma Narrows Bridge (an unofficial site providing news, photos and information about the second span construction)

Wind Tunnel Testing Summary from the National Research Council of Canada

Wind Tunnel Testing Press Release from the National Research Council of Canada

"Bridge Workers are Walking Tall Above the Narrows", Rob Carson (The News Tribune), Kitsap Sun, September 25, 2005

Wire by wire, Tacoma Narrows bridge is built Mike Lindblom, The Seattle Times, October 15, 2005

High-Wire Act, The Seattle Times, September 9, 2005

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The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a pair of twin suspension bridges that span the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound in Pierce County, Washington. The bridges connect the city of Tacoma with the Kitsap Peninsula and carry State Route 16 (known as Primary State Highway 14 until 1964) over the strait.

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A larval Eastern Tiger Salamander grows a new foot

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Some salamanders can regrow missing body parts like organs and limbs. In this Nature North video, an Eastern Tiger Salamander with a missing foot, likely bitten off by a fellow tankmate, is observed over the course of 5 weeks. Watch as its leg extends into small toes that grow and separate into a fully functional foot.

Eastern Tiger Salamanders mate and lay their eggs in deep ponds from late March into April. The female lays about 100 eggs. She lays them one at a time or in small groups on rocks, plants or sticks on the bottom of the pond. It takes 20 days for the eggs to hatch. The young can change to adult shape and leave the pond in late August or early September, about 60 days after hatching. They are about 10 to 15 cm long when they change to adult shape.

Sometimes the young salamanders take more than one summer to grow big enough to change to adult shape. They can stay in the pond over winter and keep growing through the next summer. It can take nearly 400 days to go from being an egg to changing to adult shape.

And yet look at how fast one can regenerate a missing foot.

Get additional insight into what's going on inside the salamander's limb with this classroom-ready HHMI Biointeractive animation: Salamander Limb Regeneration. What happens as the wound heals?

"Cells are streaming out of the surrounding tissues into the area of the wound and forming what we call a blastema, which is a group of undifferentiated cells that are in fact really just like stem cells. And they're multicolored because they come from skin, from muscle, and even from cartilage. And these have a miraculous memory of what they used to be and are able to form a perfectly functional limb."

Note for sensitive viewers: The animated salamander's leg is snipped off by animated scissors, much to the surprise of the video's live audience. Please don't try this at home.

Watch these related amphibian videos next:
* From zygote to hatched larva, a cell division time lapse
* Cell division in a frog egg, a microscopic time-lapse video
* Save the salamanders, unsung heroes of the forest

And previously from Nature North: Raising wood frogs, from eggs to tadpoles to adults in 7 weeks.

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A larval Eastern Tiger Salamander grows a new foot | The Kid Should See This

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Some salamanders can regrow missing body parts like organs and limbs. In this Nature North video, an Eastern Tiger Salamander with a missing foot, likely bitten off by a fellow tankmate, is observed over the course of 5 weeks. Watch as its leg extends into small toes that grow and separate into a fully functional foot.

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Random-access memory (or simply RAM) is the memory or information storage in a computer that is used to store running programs and data for the programs. Data (information) in the RAM can be read and written quickly in any order. Normally, the random access memory is in the form of computer chips. Usually, the contents of RAM are accessible faster than other types of information storage but are lost every time the computer is turned off. Non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM) keeps its data without using power, which is more expensive but works slower, so it is used in smaller amounts.

Since the late 20th century, RAM uses transistors, usually MOSFETs, to store data. Before that, magnetic memory was the usual kind.

Different types of RAM

Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is the majority in computers. Modern computers use several types of DRAM. Before 2002, most computers used single data rate (SDR) RAM. Most computers made since then use either double data rate (DDR), DDR2, DDR3, or DDR4 RAM. The later types allow stored data to be moved and used more quickly, so that the computer's processor can keep working quickly without having to wait for data as long or as often.

Different kinds of RAM usually will not work together in the same computer. Most computers can only use one kind of RAM. Some can use a small number of different kinds. Different kinds of RAM often have differently shaped connectors. This limits which RAM chips a particular computer model can use.

Static RAM (SRAM) needs power to keep its data, but does not need the computer to be active. Some SRAM chips are battery-backed. This type has a built-in battery to make sure no data is lost if the computer is turned off. Some computers have a little SRAM and mostly DRAM.

Other uses for RAM

RAM is usually used to store information of running programs inside computers. RAM may also be used for different things.

Virtual Memory

Using virtual memory, a computer can combine permanent storage with RAM to create a bigger pool of storage. This is useful when the RAM does not have enough space to store anymore information. The extra data is then placed in the permanent storage instead of the RAM. The method has a limitation which is that permanent storage is often slower than RAM, which can slow down a computer.

A computer can use a part of the RAM to store permanent files. This is called a RAM disk. When the computer is turned on, files are copied to the RAM disk. This allows the files to open faster because RAM is faster than permanent storage. When the computer is turned off, the information on the RAM disk is lost, which is why the files need to exist on permanent storage as well.

Other kinds of memory

Information that the computer always needs, that cannot be changed or deleted (unless it is EEPROM), is normally kept in read-only memory (ROM), which does not lose its contents when the computer is turned off. Such items include the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), which stores the most basic commands for the computer, telling it how it should start up. The BIOS also tells the computer how to input and output information. The BIOS can be compared to the part of your brain that tells your heart how to beat. This is an important part.

Images for kids

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Random-access memory (or simply RAM) is the memory or information storage in a computer that is used to store running programs and data for the programs. Data (information) in the RAM can be read and written quickly in any order. Normally, the random access memory is in the form of computer chips.

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In 1774, a Prussian, Johann Bernhard Basedow, included physical exercises with other forms of instruction at his school in Dessau, Saxony.

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With the decline of Rome, however, interest in gymnastics dwindled, with tumbling remaining as a form of entertainment.

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Physical fitness was a highly valued attribute in ancient Greece, and both men and women participated in vigorous gymnastic exercises. The Romans, after conquering Greece, developed the activities into a more formal sport, and they used the gymnasiums to physically prepare their legions for warfare.

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Computing has changed a lot in the last decade. For many, smartphones have become the go-to method of playing games, staying in touch with friends, and browsing the Web for answers to spur-of-the-moment trivia questions and viewing cat pictures. When you need something more powerful, or with a bigger screen, you might reach for a tablet. And if actual, real work calls, the laptop you'd use is probably svelte, light, and stylish. Traditional bulky desktops are increasingly rare, and when you see them, they're usually all-in-ones, or decked out with designs that are meant to be noticed. Let's face it, no one really builds their own desktop PC anymore, right?

Wrong, actually. DIY may not be all it used to be, but it's still a thriving sector of the PC industry, and one that any serious computer user-we mean the type of person who cares more about what a computer can do than how small an envelope it can slide into-should be aware of. Because, if you want the strongest, most adaptable, most upgradeable, and most personal computer you can possibly get, there's no way around it: You need to build it yourself.

By researching each individual component's capabilities and limitations, you can tailor your purchases to your exact needs now and in the future. And if your requirements or your mood change tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year, you can easily pull out and replace as few as one of the pieces, and your computer is perfect for you yet again. Nothing else gives you this much control or satisfaction. Yes, you'll have to sacrifice some-maybe a lot-of portability, but the result will be something you can totally and deeply call your own as you never will be able to with an unchangeable system designed and manufactured entirely by someone else.

Building your own PC is not necessarily an inexpensive or quick proposition. But if you're willing to devote the time and resources to the project, you will end up with the best possible computer on Earth for you -and that will make everything else worthwhile.

Shopping for Parts
The most difficult and time-consuming part of the PC-building process happens long before you start looking for the screwdriver. You can't even start thinking about assembling the individual components until you buy them-and that means doing a lot of investigating into the options (of which there are thousands) and, believe it or not, some serious soul-searching.

The first, and most important, thing to consider is: What do you want your PC to do? Are you looking for a really inexpensive system to put in the kids' room? Do you want a squat, console-like desktop that will fit right next to the TV that you can use for streaming media, or maybe as a Steam Machine? Is a dedicated work PC for your home office the goal? Or do you want the biggest, baddest build that can play the hottest new games without breaking a sweat?

We can't answer this question for you. But once you've reached a decision, you'll have a better idea of what you need to buy and how much money you'll have to spend. And then you can get on to the actual shopping.

For research and shopping, we highly recommend using Newegg.com. It has a dizzyingly wide selection of components in every conceivable category and one of the Internet's most powerful search engines for narrowing down your precise needs. But feel free to use your favorite tool (or brick-and-mortar store).

The nuances of what components do, and how to best get them to serve your needs, is beyond the scope of this story. But the descriptions below of their functions and what you need to look for when shopping should give you a solid of idea of where to start in collecting all the parts you'll need for your PC.

Processor

If you're building a gaming PC on a budget, you'll probably want to start off by choosing a video card (see below). But everyone else can start with the central processing unit (CPU), or processor, the "brain" of the computer that, well, processes all the instructions it receives from the software you run and the other components you have installed. Because of the considerable difference it will make in how well you run every program on your PC, paying particular attention to its capabilities is crucial. Here's what to look for:

Number of cores. Back when every CPU only contained one processing unit, or core, clock speed was the easiest way to measure performance. But practically every processor today is a multicore CPU, and the more cores a chip has, the more it can accomplish at once (if it's supported by the software). Most common are two- (dual-) and four- (quad-)core CPUs, though six- and eight-core CPUs are becoming more visible on the market.

Number of threads. Most processors today, particularly from Intel, can simultaneously operate two processing threads per core (Intel calls this technology hyperthreading), effectively doubling your core count. Because not every processor supports this, check that yours does if you expect to be running a lot of multithreaded applications.

Clock speed (operating frequency). This is the frequency at which each core in a CPU runs, or the number of cycles it is able to execute per second. The higher the number, the faster CPU will generally be per core. These days, clock speed is measured in gigahertz (GHz), or billions of cycles per second.

Cache (L2 or L3). A processor uses memory installed in the chip itself to store and speed up operations before utilizing external system RAM. This on-board memory is stored in one or more caches, which are identified L2 or L3. More powerful processors will be equipped with larger caches.

Socket type. CPUs come in different sizes, are identified by the kind of socket they plug into. (For example, Intel's most powerful current chips use the third revision of the LGA 2011 socket.) You'll need this information to determine what motherboard to buy (see the next section).

Manufacturing technology. Every year or two, processors get thinner and more power-efficient. Knowing a chip's manufacturing technology (measured in nanometers, or nm) will give you some insight into its capabilities, but is not strictly necessary.

Cooler. Most processors come with a fan rated for their specific speed and estimated heat output; unless you're planning to overclock your computer or otherwise put it through particularly traumatic paces, you probably don't need to buy another fan or liquid cooling system. (And for that reason, we're not going to dwell on the question here.) But if you do decide to buy a separate one, or if you choose a high-end CPU that doesn't come with its own fan, make sure that the cooler you get is designed for the family of processor you have or are planning to buy.

Motherboard

If the CPU is a computer's brain, the motherboard is its nervous system. Most of your other components will plug into the motherboard, so the one that you use for your build needs to be exactly what you need now, and what you expect to need from it in the future. Here's what to look for:

Socket type. A motherboard's socket type must, must, must match that of the CPU you plan to use in it.

Form factor. Motherboards come in a range of sizes, or form factors, from the tiny Mini ITX to the enormous Extended ATX. For most full-size desktop builds you'll probably want either regular ATX or the somewhat smaller Micro ATX. The form factor you get will dramatically affect both the number of other components you're able to install and what kind of case you're able to install them in (see that section below for more details).

Memory. Be on the lookout for several different attributes of how your motherboard deals with memory. You need to know the memory type and standard, which are usually listed together. For example, if your motherboard supports DDR4 2133 memory, buy that. (Many motherboard manufacturers certify certain brands of memory for use with their boards; look up the motherboard on the Web to find out what's officially supported.) The number of memory slots tells you how many individual modules, or DIMMs, you can buy; you'll also be informed of the maximum memory supported, or the total amount of all the individual DIMMs taken together (such as 32 or 64GB). You may also see motherboards labeled as tri- or quad-channel, which signifies that you can expect a noticeable performance benefit if you fill the correct number of RAM slots. Note: Many times a motherboard will be listed as supporting a number of memory types with the designation "O.C." after them-this refers to memory that is overclocked. If you don't plan on overclocking your memory (which we don't recommend, unless you're an expert or fearless tweaker), you may safely ignore these numbers.

Expansion slots. The most common motherboard form factors, ATX and Micro ATX, will have between four and seven PCI Express (PCIe) slots, for adding expansion cards. These may use either the current top-end standard, PCIe 3.0, or the older (and slower) 2.0, with designations based on the size of the slots and the number of PCIe lanes they use. The longest slots are x16, though some that look identical may run at x8 or x4; in addition, there are visibly smaller x1 slots. On a Mini ITX motherboard, however, you should only expect one x16 slot.

Storage. SATA remains the most common interface for connecting internal storage devices to your motherboard. The newest version of the standard, SATA 3, supports data transfer rates of up to 6Gbps. You may also find some other interfaces; M.2, in which a flash-based storage module plugs directly into a thin slot on your motherboard, is becoming increasingly popular, for example. Regardless, you'll want to have enough of the right kind of ports for whatever storage you want to buy. (Learn more about that in the Storage section, below.)

Onboard technologies. Just about every motherboard will feature onboard stereo sound and Ethernet, most will include integrated Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth, and many will also include ports for taking advantage of processors' integrated video capabilities. (You won't find the last on motherboards for higher-end processors, which are designed for use with discrete video cards, and you may ignore these ports on lower-end or midrange motherboards if you plan on installing a standalone video card.) It's worth checking the specs so that you don't forego something you really want.

Video card support. Think you may want to concoct an ultra-powerful gaming machine with more than one graphics card? Even if you have enough slots to hold multiple cards, you're out of luck if your motherboard isn't designed for use with either Nvidia's SLI technology or AMD's CrossFireX, so verify that first.

Memory, Video Card, and Storage

Memory

Your computer's random-access memory, or RAM, is where data is stored while the processor is waiting to crunch the numbers. More is pretty much always better, within the boundaries of your budget and your system (if yours is 32-bit, it's limited to about 4GB; 64-bit PCs can handle up to 192GB, which is much more than any consumer desktop motherboard can currently hold), though if you use simple applications and aren't an avid multitasker, you can get away with less. The nice thing about building your own PC: If it turns out you need more, memory is one of the easiest things to add. Here's what to look for:

Type. Memory will only be useful to you if the motherboard supports it; read that section for more information. Each new standard offers some additional speed and features, but not in all situations, so don't feel as if DDR4 RAM, rather than DDR3, is an automatic must for you if you're building from scratch. Just remember that RAM is not backward-compatible, so DDR4 will not work in a DDR3 slot. The higher the number in a memory's standard, such as DDR4 2666, the faster it generally is. Faster memory designed for the same slot type will work in a slower slot, but save yourself some money and don't leave any performance on the table you don't have to.

Capacity. DIMMs for each memory type come in a variety of capacities, so you can buy what you need and can afford. It's best to buy at least one chip for each memory channel (three for triple-channel, four for quad-channel), and memory often comes in "kits" to make that easier; and we don't recommend mixing and matching capacities within any one build. If you see a capacity listed as something like "8GB (2 x 4GB)," this means the total amount of RAM is divided up between a number of chips (in this case, two DIMMs of 4GB each, for a total of 8GB).

Memory timings. Most memory specs include a series of four numbers, separated by hyphens, that provide an at-a-glance way to tell how speedy the memory is. The first number, CAS latency (the amount of time between when the memory controller requests data and when it's available) is the most significant, and may be listed by itself. The lower the numbers, the faster you can expect the memory to be.

Other specs. Error Checking and Correction (ECC) memory is intended for high-performance systems such as workstations and servers; you will need a motherboard that specifically supports this type of memory if you want to use it (and most ordinary users won't need to). Voltage numbers give you specific information about how the memory uses power, with higher voltages typically meaning speedier RAM-but this is something only overclockers will really need to know.

Video Card

Though integrated graphics systems are more commonplace today than ever, even the best versions in the latest processors can't deliver what you can get from even a lower-end discrete video card. If you're into gaming of any sort, a video card is a must, but any programs that are designed to take advantage of graphics hardware acceleration, from Windows to Photoshop and beyond, can benefit from offloading video processing to a dedicated subsystem. Unless you're blasting out a tight-budget build, there's no good reason to forego a video card. Here's what to look for:

Processing cores. Like your CPU, your graphics processing unit (or GPU) has contains multiple processing cores exclusively for churning out graphics. The more of them your video card has, the better a performer it's likely to be (and the more it's likely to cost). AMD calls its versions "stream processors" and Nvidia has named its own "CUDA cores"-note that although you can't directly compare the two types, the numbers of cores are good indicators of relative power within each company's chipset families.

Clock rates. As with your CPU, this is the speed at which the graphics processing unit, or GPU, runs. It's not unusual to see cards with fewer processing cores and faster clock speeds, or vice versa, so try to find the best blend for the amount of money you have to spend.

Memory. Video memory (VRAM) serves a function for video cards that's similar to what ordinary RAM does for the rest of your computer: It stores the data until it's needed for processing. This matters less if you're playing at lower resolutions, where there aren't as many pixels and other visual effects to be wrangled, but, as a rule of thumb-as with RAM-more tends to be better. (You'll see 4GB or more on the highest-end video cards.) Also pay attention to the memory clock speed, which can also function into performance.

Ports. A video card isn't worth much if it's not hooked up to at least one monitor. Look at the list of its ports to determine whether your card outputs to DVI, HDMI, and DisplayPort; if you'll be using your computer with a monitor you already own, you'll want to know ahead of time whether you'll need to buy an adapter. Another good idea is verifying how many monitors the card can drive at once: It may not be the same as the card's number of output ports.

Power requirements. Video cards are among the most power-hungry PC components you can buy, so know what you need to get from your power supply. Usually there will be a minimum value you should respect, and you'll also be told the specific number of PCIe power connectors (six- or eight-pin) you'll need in order to get the card to work, as well as the number of amps needed from the power supply (see that section below for more information about this).

Storage

Even if you love smartphones and tablets, you have to admit that storage is one of their biggest weaknesses: You seldom get that much, and you're pretty much stuck with whatever you buy. When you're building your own PC, that's not a problem-it's easy to add or change more pretty much anytime you want. But even if you don't have to worry too much about capacity, you need to make a few other crucial decisions. Here's what to look for:

Hard drive or SSD? The average price of solid-state drives (SSDs), which store data on flash memory, has dropped a lot in recent years, making them a better choice than ever to add to your computer if speed in booting up and accessing files is what you crave. But by and large, they're still punishingly expensive on a cost-per-gigabyte basis compared with traditional, slower mechanical hard drives: It's not hard to track down a 3TB hard drive that costs $100 or less, whereas consumer-oriented SSDs top out at about 1TB-and those will run you $350 at an absolute minimum. Because of this, the classic advice is still the best: Pair a lower-capacity solid-state drive (256GB or so is a good compromise), for installing Windows and your most important programs, with one or more spinning hard drives for housing all your data. Another option may be a hybrid drive, which stores most of your data on an inexpensive hard drive but uses a tiny amount of flash memory for things you use most frequently; this can save you a lot of money, but because of how the underlying technology functions, the performance will not always match what you get from a true hard drive-SSD pairing.

Interface. Serial ATA (SATA) connections are still common, especially for hard drives, and your motherboard will undoubtedly have plenty. But for major speed advantages, you can also buy newer SSDs on PCIe cards that install directly into your motherboard's expansion slots and use that much faster bus. Other interfaces, such as mSATA and M.2 are less common, but you may want to take a page from space-saving smaller systems and consider M.2 (which plugs directly into a motherboard port) for use as a boot drive. Just be certain your motherboard supports whatever standard you intended to use.

Form factor. This refers to the size of the drive, with hard drives coming in 3.5- or 2.5-inch varieties, and SSDs coming in 2.5- or 1.8-inch models. For desktop computers, form factor doesn't always matter much, though you'll need to have the right kind of space in your case for whatever drive you choose.

Hard drive specs. A couple of extra details may appear on hard drive listings that you won't see when researching SSDs. Most consumer hard drives spin at either 7,200 or 10,000rpm, with the speedier drives costing more and using more energy. You can also select the amount of cache memory your hard drive uses (up to 128MB) to boost performance. This information is useful for detail-oriented purists, but is of limited use if you don't plan to use your hard drive as your boot drive (which, as mentioned above, we don't recommend).

Is optical optional? Now that most software is purchased and delivered digitally, an optical drive may not be a necessity for you, particularly if you don't plan to install a lot of older programs. If you don't want an optical drive, you'll need another strategy for installing the operating system; use another computer to create an installation USB key, for example. If you do want a drive, it may be worth it to splurge a bit on a Blu-ray burner (they cost around $100, or about five times what you'd pay for a DVD burner), so you can watch high-definition movies you may have hanging around.

Power Supplies and Case

Power Supplies

You can buy the best components to be found on the Web, and they'll be useless if you can't actually turn your computer on once you've finished building it. A power supply unit (or PSU) may be the most unappreciated of components, but without it, nothing else will work, so don't forget to give it the thought it deserves. Here's what to look for:

Maximum power. This is the highest amount of power the PSU is capable of directing to your components. The less complicated or intense the build, the lower a number you can get away with-for most people, 500 to 750 watts will be fine. But if you're using high-end parts, particularly energy-sucking video cards (or more than one), your power needs could raise to 1,000 watts or even more. Checking your components' power usage or thermal design power (TDP) is vital-get a power supply that's too weak, and your computer may not even turn on.

Voltage rails. Simply put, voltage rails are like individual power circuits within your PSU, with each of the major varieties (+3.3V, +5V, and +12V) powering different kinds of components. In most cases, the most important one to pay attention to is the +12V rail, as that's what will be driving your video cards; one of these capable of supplying 34 to 40 amps should be enough for the most powerful cards you can currently buy, and is likely to be more reliable than using multiple +12V rails for the same job.

Form factor. Like other components we've covered here, power supplies come in a variety of form factors that determine the kinds of hardware you can use with them, and under what circumstances. The most common for mainstream motherboards right now is the ATX12V, but you may also see others (such as EPS12V), and you may need to buy a smaller power supply if you're building a system too miniature to fit a full-size ATX power supply, say.

Connectors. Power supplies come in two varieties: one in which all the cables are preattached, and another (called modular) that lets you connect only the cables you need. In either case, your PSU still has to have the right connectors, whether six- and eight-pin for video cards, SATA for newer hard drives and SSDs, or Molex for older drives and other devices. The good news is that if you don't have all the connectors you need, adapters aren't too tough to find. Still, it's easiest to verify that you have what you need ahead of time; the PCIe connectors for the video card are most likely to trip you up, so find out what your card needs so your PSU can supply power in the proper way.

Case

Yes, you'll need a case to house all the other components you buy, and that's what we'll focus on here. But remember that it's also the outward expression of your computer's personality-and your own. How big should it be? What shape? What color? Do you want a window? Make these decisions, too, so your final computer will look every bit as good as it runs. But as far as the necessary specs, here's what to look for:

Form factor. Though a case can basically be as big or as small as you want it to be, what matters more is which form factor of motherboard it's designed for. One intended for ATX motherboards will have room for the board and the proper number of expansion slots; a Micro ATX motherboard is smaller and will have fewer slots, though the case itself may not necessarily be smaller; and smaller form factors still, such as Mini ITX, may require other adjustments to your component choices (less storage, for example, or maybe a smaller power supply). Many larger ATX cases can also be used with motherboards of other form factors; as long as yours is supported, you should be fine.

Front-panel ports and controls. You'll definitely want to access all of your computer's features, and its front-panel ports are the way to do that. Every case will have Power and Reset buttons and an activity light, and most will also have headphone and microphone jacks and USB ports; some may even have fan or lighting controls. Just remember that you'll need to connect any front-panel ports to the motherboard, so cross-comparing those specs ahead of time is a good idea.

Drive bays. You'll need someplace to store your hard drives and SSDs, and any other devices you may be using. Generally speaking, cases may have one or more 5.25-inch external bays for optical drives other enthusiast gadgets, and multiple bays for 3.5- or 2.5-inch hard drives and SSDs. (Some cases also have externally accessible 3.5-inch bays for easily swapping hard drives in and out.) The smallest cases, though, can have very few of these, so pay attention, or risk not being able to perform necessary upgrades later.

Fans and filters. Cooling is one of a case's most important functions. Your case will probably come with one or more intake or exhaust fans, and have room for adding more (in several sizes, from 80mm on up) if you want them. Removable filters, which capture dust to keep your PC's interior tidy and are easy to clean, are also common on higher-end cases.

Putting It All Together

Putting It All Together

Once you've decided on and purchased your parts, it's time to do the really exciting/fun/scary thing: assembling them all. Believe it or not, this is less difficult than it may sound, especially now that tool-free cases are de rigueur and you won't need your Phillips screwdriver for installing much more than the power supply and the motherboard. But doing things in the proper order will help out a lot.

What follows is the basic procedure we used while building a higher-end system for testing hardware here in PC Labs. It illustrates most of the points you'll encounter in your building, though the details will differ a bit depending on the components you buy. The basic techniques, however, seldom vary much from build to build.
1. Get Prepared
Just as a chef wouldn't fire up the stove without the mise en place ready to go, neither should you. Unpack all your components, remove the packing material from them, and arrange them cleanly on a large, flat surface. The floor will absolutely work if that's all you have, but try to avoid doing it on a carpet-static electricity remains a major danger for electronics, and frying your system before you even get to use it is one shock you don't want. (If you're concerned, you can use an antistatic wrist strap or ground yourself by touching some bare metal, such as the frame of your empty computer case, before you start working with anything else.) Also, open up the main side panel of your case, because that's where your build will begin.
2. Install the Power Supply
You won't need the power supply until much later in the build process, but you're better off installing it first because once the other components are in place, it becomes a lot more difficult to put the supply where it needs to go. Position the PSU in the bay with the fan pointing downward (many cases will have a vent there) and the screw holes lining up with the holes on the back of the case. Secure the power supply with the provided screws, then drape the cables over the side of the case to keep them out of the way while you work on everything else.

Most of the time, it's going to be easiest to install some components on the motherboard before you put the motherboard in the case-you'll have a lot more room to work that way. The processor definitely qualifies for this treatment. Begin by opening the socket. If you're using an AMD CPU, just lift the lever to release the locking mechanism; you'll also need to do this for Intel chips, but notice that a metal cover will also secure the chip in place, and that needs to be lifted as well. (On higher-end Intel chips using the LGA 2011 socket, two levers hold down the socket cover, and you'll need to lift those one at a time.) Once the socket is opened, use the arrows printed on the socket and chip to align the CPU correctly, then lower it gently into the socket. (With AMD processors, the pins are on the CPU, so they'll need to all go down into the proper holes and the chip sits flat before proceeding.) Once the chip is in place, secure the socket again by reversing the procedure you used to open it.

4. Install the CPU Cooler

Some fans and coolers may come with the necessary thermal compound already applied. If yours doesn't, squeeze a small dab onto the center of the top of the processor; you can spread it around evenly with something like a business card if you want, but this isn't strictly necessary. With most stock coolers, you just align the support posts for the cooler around the socket and secure them in place; each cooler is slightly different in this regard, so refer to its instructions for exact directions on doing this with the model you have. If you're using a liquid cooler (such as the one shown in this paragraph) or another aftermarket cooler, you may need to install mounting hardware on the underside of the motherboard or configure a universal support mechanism for use with your specific motherboard and processor-either is another good reason to install the cooler while the motherboard is still outside the case.

The RAM bays are opened with the little clips at either end (some motherboards use only one set of clips, but most have two)-just push them down. Align the notch in the memory connector to the raised "key" in the RAM bay (you could do damage to the DIMM if it's not oriented correctly), then push the DIMM firmly into place. When it's correct, the clips should rotate back up and lock the memory in. Repeat with your other chips. Note: If you're using multiple-channel memory, the DIMMs should be installed in the proper channels if you want the according speed boost. It's pretty easy if, say, you have a quad-channel board and only four memory bays, but it might be more confusing in other situations, though the bays are often color-coded to clear things up. Consult your motherboard's manual if you're not sure.

Each motherboard comes with a specially designed I/O plate that labels each of its ports and helps close off the back of the computer from dust and other intrusions; you don't absolutely need it, but it's a really good thing to have. Align the plate right-side up (you may want to compare it to the back of the motherboard, just to be safe), place it inside the wide space at the rear of the case, and push on it-hard-until it locks into place on all four edges.

Finishing Touches

Although some cases come with preinstalled motherboard risers, which prevent the board from directly touching the metal of the case, most don't. To find out where the risers should go if you're not sure, place the motherboard in the case and see which holes in it correspond with which holes in the case, then screw the risers that came with your case into those holes. (Some cases have the holes needed for the various form factors marked so you won't have to either do this or guess.) Once the risers are in, tighten each of them as much as you can. Guide the motherboard gently into the case, pushing its rear-panel ports through the correct openings in the I/O plate, and then laying the motherboard on top of the risers so you can see them through the screw holes. Insert and screw in half way all the screws; once they're in, and you've verified that the motherboard's position is correct, go back and screw them all in the rest of the way. Be careful not to overtighten the screws.

The video card plugs into the longest (x16) PCIe slot on the motherboard, the first in the series of slots. Open that slot on the case, either by unscrewing the cover blocking it or utilizing your case's tool-free mechanism. Line up the card's backplate with the slot and the gold connectors (avoid touching them) with the slot itself. Then push the card down until it clicks. Secure the card in its position using whatever method your case employs. Note: If you're using an extra-wide video card or multiple video cards, you'll need to open more than one slot.

Because every case is different, it's tough to provide a single blanket explanation for how to install the specific drives for your build. Most 5.25-inch drives, if you're using them, will either screw in place or use a simple tool-free system on one or both sides of the drive cage. It's not uncommon for 3.5-inch drives to install using caddies or trays, though they may also screw into a smaller cage below the 5.25-inch one (almost always at the top of the drive well). And many of those same trays will also have space for 2.5-inch drives, though some of these drives come with adapters that let them work easily in 3.5-inch bays, or other slots (such as on the floor of the case or beneath the motherboard tray) may be provided for installing them. Other drive form factors, such as mSATA or M.2, install into special slots on the motherboard itself; and still other drives can be placed in PCIe slots. The manuals for your motherboard and any unusual drives will have the information you need about this.
10. Connect Your Cables
With all your hardware installed, it's time to start linking everything together. Run data cables from your drives that need them to the appropriate ports on the motherboard. (SATA ports are often located along the edge of the motherboard.) Ensure that everything that needs power gets it: Connect the appropriate cables from the power supply to the motherboard (you'll probably need two for this: one terminating in a 24-pin plug, another in a four- or eight-pin plug), to your video card (one or more of the six- or eight-pin cables, probably labeled PCIe), and to your drives (the connectors are thin and black). For bonus points, route your interior cables through the holes in the inside of the case and around the back of the motherboard if you can; most non-budget cases today are designed to facilitate this. Yes, the inside of your computer will look better (nice if you have a window), but you'll also be improving airflow, and thus the way your computer deals with heat.
11. Connect Your Wires
The final step in making it possible to interact with all the various parts of your computer-and seeing that they operate correctly-is connecting all the wires. Connect the power wires from your CPU cooler and any case fans to the proper pins on the motherboard; sets are clearly marked for "CPU Fan," "Chassis Fan," or "Aux Fan." Then connect the wires from the front panel to the appropriate headers: USB will be common here (note that the 2.0 and 3.0 standards' headers look different), as will the headphone and microphone jacks (which will connect via the same audio header), but you may have other esoteric ones to deal with as well. Last, but not least, link the bevy of tiny front-panel wires linked to your activity lights and Power and Reset buttons to the pins on the motherboard. These are almost always labeled on the board itself, but they can be hard to see, and it can be difficult to know which of the two-pin connectors goes where. Again, consult your motherboard manual if you have any questions as to what goes where-you won't do any permanent damage if you screw this up, but your buttons might not work and your lights might not flash correctly, and that can sometimes be even more annoying.
12. Start Using Your PC
That's it. You'll still need to install Windows and software, and tweak the BIOS or UEFI settings to your liking, so there's a fair amount of work yet to be performed. But remember that this doesn't have to be the end of the process. Want more speed? Swap out the processor for a faster one. Tackle more demanding projects by upping the RAM. Make your games more exciting by replacing your video card with the latest and greatest model. Add another hard drive or two or three. The choice is yours, and you can change your mind at any time-and upgrading individual parts (aside from the motherboard) is invariably easier than starting from scratch. In any event, rest easy knowing that you're doing it all on a PC you built especially for you, and that will always reflect your needs and desires in a way no tablet or laptop easily can. Sure, maybe a desktop is limited in some ways in 2015, but you'll have more freedom than with any other setup. And don't be surprised if you find that the satisfaction you derive from putting it all together yourself, is well worth the loss in mobility.

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Computing has changed a lot in the last decade. For many, smartphones have become the go-to method of playing games, staying in touch with friends, and browsing the Web for answers to spur-of-the-moment trivia questions and viewing cat pictures. When you need something more powerful, or with a bigger screen, you might reach for a tablet.

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Shuten-dōji (酒呑童子, also sometimes called 酒顛童子, 酒天童子, or 朱点童子) is a mythical or demon leader of Japan, who according to legend was killed by the hero Minamoto Raikō. Although decapitated, the demon's detached head still took a bite at the hero, who avoided death by wearing multiple helmets stacked on his head.

Shuten-dōji had his lair at Mt. Ōe () northwest of the city of Kyoto, or Mt. Ibuki, depending on the version. It has also been theorized that the original mountain was Mt. Ōe () on the western edge of the city of Kyoto.

The oldest surviving text of the legend is recorded in the 14th century Ōeyama Ekotoba (大江山絵詞 "Tale of Mount Ōe in Pictures and Words"), a picture scroll held by the Itsuō Art Museum. It was later incorporated into the corpus of Otogi-zōshi ("Companion tales"), and became widely read in the woodblock-printed versions of them called the Otogi Bunko (Companion Library), especially Shibukawa Seiemon editions (ca. 1720). There is also a set of texts which localizes the Shuten-dōji's fortress at Mt. Ibuki. The Mt. Ibuki group texts reveal the villain's (avatar identity) as "the demon king of the Sixth Heaven" ( Dairokuten maō), whereas the Mt. Ōe-localized group texts generally do not, with the exception of Ōeyama Ekotoba which is oldest.

There are two different mountains named Mt. Ōe in Tanba Province. The Otogi Zōshi text of the later period is clearly referring to Ōeyama (大江山) northwest of the Kyoto capital, since it specifically mentions Senjōdake which is part of this mountain chain.

But recent scholarship assigns the original mountain to have been the Mt. Ōe () further south (on the western edge of Kyoto city and extending to Kameoka, Kyoto). This other Mt. Ōe also has a piece of acclivity named Oi-no-Saka (老ノ坂, "Slope of Aging").

There are in fact some comparatively recent versions that actually place the demon lair at the southerly Mt. Ōe, or portray the Senjōdake as the main and Oi-no-Saka as the secondary fortification for the demons, according to religious scholar and folklorist Takeda Chōshū .

Summary (oldest version)

The oldest text ( Ōeyama Ekotoba or Ōeyama Emaki) version the legend can be summarized as follows:

During the reign of Emperor Ichijō (r. 986-1011), a large number of missing people were being reported in the capital city of Kyoto, most of the victims being young women. Abe no Seimei, the famous diviner of the imperial court, determines that the -king of Mt. Ōe (later identified as Shuten-dōji) was responsible for the abductions. The Emperor then commanded Minamoto no Raikō ( Minamoto no Yorimitsu) and Fujiwara no Hōshō ( Fujiwara no Yasumasa) to exterminate this demon. Raikō had his four lieutenants called the while Hōshō had only the junior secretary ( shōgen) of Dazaifu to assist them. The party left Kyoto in the year 995.

The party encountered a group of four men who turned out to be transformations of four deities. At their recommendation, Raikō and his retinue disguised themselves as priests. When they traveled through a cave-tunnel, they came to a river and found an old kidnapped woman doing the laundry. The old woman explained that the kidnapped young maidens were being forced to act as maidservants, but the ogres wantonly slaughtered the girls, ate their flesh and drank their blood.

The warriors, pretending to be priests, convinced the ogre-king to give them lodging. The ogre-king treated his guests with and began to tell the tale about himself, how he was called Shuten-dōji, the "sake-drinking lad" by his underlings for his love of drinking sake, and how the ogres had been displaced from their ancestral Hira Mountains when Enryaku-ji temple was built nearby. and have been at Mt. Ōe since the year 849.

Raikō then offered Shuten-dōji the sake given to him by one of the deities, which rendered him incapacitated. The warriors dressed up in armor and weapons which they concealed in their priestly back-pack chests called oi (笈). Then they stormed Shuten-dōji's sleeping quarters, and while the four deities held down the ogre's limbs, Raikō cut off Shuten-dōji's head with a stroke of his sword. The severed head was still alive and snapped its jaws, aiming at Raikō's head, but the warrior defended himself by wearing two of his men's helmets in addition to his own. The group returned triumphant to Kyoto with the head, which was laid to rest in the Uji no hōzō (Treasure House of Uji) at Byōdō-in temple.

According to the Ōeyama Ekotoba version, Shuten-dōji returned to his true form when he slept. He was 50 feet in height, had a red body and a five-horned head, with fifteen eyes; one leg was white and the other black, while his arms were yellow and blue.

The version of the legend found in Shibukawa's Otogi Bunko has been printed in English translation by Haruo Shirane and Noriko T. Reider. Some of the textual similarities and differences are noted below.

This version is vague about the time frame but in the capital city of Kyoto people are being abducted. A certain middle counselor seeks his daughter's whereabouts and summons a diviner named Muraoka no Masatoki (rather than Seimei, as in the older text). Masatoki names the demons of Mt. Ōe of Tanba Province as the culprits.

The Mikado commands the formation of a punitive squad, consisting of the standard six warriors, Minamoto no Raikō and his "four guardian kings" () including Watanabe no Tsuna and Hōshō.

Because demons are shape-shifters and formidable enemies, the group decides to pay homage to three shrines: Yawata Shrine ( Iwashimizu Hachimangū), Sumiyoshi Shrine, and Kumano Shrine.

Later, the group meet the gods of the three shrines disguised as old men. The gods give Raikō the "sake [which is] divine elixir, poisonous to demons" (神便鬼毒酒, jinben kidoku shu) which will rob the ogres of their ability to fly and stupefy them.

Even though Raikō is already carrying his own vermilion helm in his back-pack chest (cf. §Named swords and arms), he receives from the gods another helmet (of a hoshi kabuto type, translated as a "hobnailed helmet") which he is instructed to wear when he decapitates the enemy.

Just before reaching the lair, Raikō's group encounters the hostage working as laundress, who becomes their informant. Here, she is not an old woman as in the old text, but a 17 or 18-year-old daughter of a courtier. She reveals that the lair which is called Iron Palace ( Kurogane no gosho, 鐵の御所) lies inside the Demon's Cavern ( Oni no iwaya 鬼の岩屋), and forewarns the group about the four ogres who are Shutendōji's lieutenants.(cf. §Subordinates).

As in the oldest text, Raikō's party pretending to be yamabushi ascetics gains entry at Shuten-dōji's dwelling-place. Raikō disarms the ogre's suspicion by explaining that they, as yamabushi, follow the ways of En no Gyōja, whom he says was compassionate and hospital towards demons. The warriors drink up the blood sake and heartily eat the human flesh in order to gain further confidence. At the height of the drunken revelry, Raikō offers Shuten-dōji the divine sake poisonous to demons. Shuten-dōji begins to tell his life story (he is originally from Echigo Province according to this text), and also recounts how his henchman Ibaraki-dōji lost an arm in an encounter with Tsuna, one of Raikō's men.

As in the older text, the warriors equip their hidden armor and swords and raid Shuten-dōji in his sleeping chamber. The three gods have arrived to help and chain the ogre's limbs to the pillars. As Raikō positions himself with his sword Chisui (or "Bloodsucker") in hand, the ogre faults the warrior for his sneaky underhanded tactics, exclaiming: "How sad, you-priests! You said you do not lie. There is nothing false in the words of demons".

The warriors attack with their swords and sever Shuten-dōji's head, but as in the older text, the detached head attempts to get a bite at Raikō, and the hero is protected by two helmets stacked on his head: his Lion King helmet on top the hobnailed helmet () given him by the gods. Subsequently, Ibaraki-dōji and Watanabe no Tsuna engage in a prolonged fight and while they grappled, Raikō decapitated Ibaraki-dōji. The female prisoners are liberated and the warriors return triumphant.

In this version, Ibaraki-dōji, who is famous in his own right, plays the role of one of Shuten-dōji's henchmen. There are also four other underlings dubbed Shuten-dōji's "Four Divine Kings": Hoshikuma-dōji, Kuma-dōji, Torakuma-dōji, and Kane-dōji.

Shuten-dōji, after telling the story of his own life, recounts the famous episode where Ibaraki-dōji goes to the capital city and has his arm severed by Watanabe no Tsuna (one of Raikō's men). Later on, Raikō decapitated Ibaraki-dōji who was wrestling with Tsuna.

Shuten-dōji's "Four Divine Kings" ( shitennō) are described by the laundress-girl, so Raikō's group is aware of their existence in advance. Their names, together with their meanings were: Hoshikuma-dōji (Star-Bear Demon), Kuma-dōji (Bear Demon), Torakuma-dōji (Tiger-Bear Demon), and Kane-dōji (Iron Demon).

The warriors in their oi (portable chests; "pannier" according to Reider) conceal their armors and swords, many of which have proper names.

Raikō's chest contained the sword Chisui (ちすゐ, assumed to be " 血吸", thus "Bloodsucker"), vermilion armor ( hiodoshi) called randen gusari (らんでん鎖, Randen Chain), and a vermilion helmet called Shishiō ("Lion King" or "Lion Lord".) Hōshō's contained a two-foot halberd ( ko-naginata) called Iwakiri (Cutting Rock or Stonecutter). Tsuna had a sword named Onikiri (Cutting Demon or Demon Slasher) and yellow-green set of armor and helmet.

A real existing sword named Dōjigiri, which is one of the Five Best Swords under Heaven and designated national treasure of Japan, is associated with the tradition of being the sword that killed Shuten-dōji.

In the Otogi Bunko text discussed here however, since many swords attack Shuten-dōji and sever his head, it is not clear who or which sword is to be credited with the decapitation.

It has been said that Shuten-dōji was the strongest oni of Japan. Academic folklorist Kazuhiko Komatsu has counted Shuten-dōji among the three most feared yōkai in medieval Kyoto, alongside the vixen Tamamo-no-Mae and the demon Ōtakemaru.

Shuten-dōji, according to one legend, was born at Ganbara, Echigo.[citation needed ] However, there is also the idea that from the base of Mt. Ibuki, where in literature like the Nihon Shoki, in the legend of the defeat of the giant snake Yamata no Orochi to Susanoo in a battle, it fled from Izumo to Ōmi, had a child with a wealthy person's daughter, with that child was Shuten-doji. Both father and son had a matchless thirst for sake, which is often cited as support.

According to the Otogi Bunko version as previously described, Shuten-dōji originally came from Echigo Province (now Niigata Prefecture) and, had lived since the Heian period (8th century) when Dengyō Daishi and Kōbō-Daishi were active. Local legends elaborate that he was a page of the Kokojou-ji (国上寺) (in Tsubame, Niigata) (at the base of Mt. Kugami, there is a Chigo-dō where he is said to have passed through).[citation needed ]

One story is that he was the son of a blacksmith in Echigo, that he was in his mother's womb for 16 months, and that he had teeth and hair when he was born, was immediately able to walk, was able to talk on the level of a 5-6 year old, had the wisdom and physical strength of a 16-year-old, and had a rough temperament, and due to this unusually ready wit, was shunned as an "oni child". According to Zentaiheiki, afterwards, when he was 6 years of age, he was abandoned by his mother, wandered from place to place, and then walked the path towards being an oni. There is also a legend that since he was scorned as an oni child, he was put into custody of a temple, but the chief priest of that temple was a user of unorthodox practices, and the child became an oni through learning those unorthodox practices, that he exhausted the limits of evil.

In the town of Wanou (presently, Niigata, Niigata), it is said that when a pregnant woman eats a fish called "tochi", that child will become a robber if it is a boy, and a prostitute if it is a girl. It is also said that a woman who ate the fish, gave birth to a child after it stayed 16 months in her womb, and that child was Shuten-doji. In Wanou, there are place names like the Dōji estate and the Dōji field.

Mt. Ibuki, Shiga

Some versions of the legend localize Mt. Ibuki in Ōmi Province (now Shiga Prefecture).

He, who was born from the large snake Yamata no Orochi (in its avatar as the myōjin of Mount Ibuki) and a human girl, was a page at Mount Hiei from an early age, and underwent training, but he drank sake which was forbidden by Buddhism, and in fact was a big drinker, and was therefore hated by everyone.[citation needed ] One day, after a religious festival where he dressed in an oni costume, he was about to take off the costume, but he wasn't able to since it was stuck to his face, and reluctantly went into some mountain recesses where he started his life as an oni. He then met Ibaraki-dōji, and together aimed for Kyoto.

He was a page for the Byakugō-ji in the Yamato Province (now Nara Prefecture), but found a corpse at a nearby mountain, and due to curiosity, brought that meat back to the temple, and made his priest teacher eat it without telling him that it was human meat. Afterwards, the page frequently brought back meat, not only from the flesh of corpses, but also by murdering live humans and returning with their flesh. The priest, who thought that it was suspicious, followed after the page, discovered the truth, harshly criticized the page, and abandoned him in a mountain. The page later became Shuten-dōji, and it has been said that the place where he was abandoned was thus called chigo-saka (page-hill).

According to another theory, he was a child of the chief priest of Byakugō-ji, but as he matured, he grew fangs and a horn, and later became a child as rough as a beast. The priest was embarrassed by this child, so the child was abandoned, but the child later came to Mt. Ōoe, and became Shuten-dōji.

Mt. Ōe legend

From the Heian period to the Kamakura period, he was an oni who lawlessly ran amok in the capital, and he was based in Mt. in the Tanba Province, or the Ōe in Nishikyō-ku, Kyoto, also known as Oi no Saka (老ノ坂) (within the Rakusai district of Kyoto) as well as the neighboring Shinochōōji, Kameoka. For the legend of the Mt. Ōe in Tanba Province, there is a theory that it was a misrepresentation of the bandits within Ōe who harassed passing travelers.

According to local legend, Yorimitsu and the others returned with the head back to the capital, but at Oi-no-Saka (老ノ坂, "Slope of Aging") by the Mt. Ōe on the south edge of Kyoto city, they were warned by a roadsize image of Jizō, "don't bring something unclean into the capital", and as the head was not able to move anymore, they all buried the head right there. Another theory is that when Dōji was dying, regretting his crimes until then, desired to help various people who had illnesses in their head, that he was deified as a great wisdom god (daimyōjin). As this is the Kubitsuka Daimyōjin of the Oi no Saka slope, according to legends, it would perform miracles for illnesses in the head.

It has also been said that he was buried in Mt. Ōe in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, which is the origin of the Onidake-inari-san jinja (鬼岳稲荷山神社).[citation needed ]

Nariaiji temple in Kyoto Prefecture preserves the sake bottle and sake cup allegedly used to pour the Shinbenkidokushu (the sake that "poisoned" Shuten-dōji).

Relation to Ibaraki-dōji

Shuten-dōji rampaged together in Kyoto along with Ibaraki-dōji, but there are actually several theories about their relation.[citation needed ] One of those theories is that Ibaraki-dōji was not a male oni, but a female oni, and that Ibaraki-dōji was a lover of his son, or Shuten-dōji himself. Therefore, it has been said that Shuten-dōji and Ibaraki-dōji knew of each other's existence, and aimed for the capital together.

Kuroda, Hideo (黒田日出男) (1996). Rekishi to shite no otogizōshi 歴史としての御伽草子 [Otogizōshi as history] (in Japanese). Pelikan-sha.

Lin, Irene Hong-Hong (2001). Traversing boundaries: the demonic child in the medieval Japanese religious imaginaire. Stanford University. Dept. of Religious Studies. pp. 53-.

Reider, Noriko T. (2005). "Shuten Dōji: 'Drunken Demon'". Asian Folklore Studies. 64 (2): 207-231.

Reider, Noriko T. (2010). "2 Shuten Dōji (Drunken Demon): A Medieval Story of the Carnivalesque and the Rise of Warriors and Fall of Oni". Japanese Demon Lore: Oni from Ancient Times to the Present. University Press of Colorado. pp. 30-52. ISBN 9780874217933. JSTOR j.ctt4cgpqc.8.

Shirane, Haruo, ed. (2008), "The Demon Shuten Dōji", Modernization of Traditional Food Processes and Products, Columbia University Press, pp. 1123-, ISBN 9780231136976 ISBN 978-1-4899-7671-0

Komatsu, Kazuhiko (小松和彦) (2003). Ikai to nihonjin: emonogatari no sozōryoku 異界と日本人: 絵物語の想像力 [The Otherworld and the Japanese: power of imagination in the picture tales] (in Japanese). Kadokawa Academic Press. pp. 32-. ISBN 9784047033566.

Shibukawa text, reprinted with corrections from Fujii, Otoo (藤井乙男), ed. (1922), "Shutendōji" 酒吞童子, Otogizōshi 御伽草子, Yuhodo Shoten, pp. 299-322 (Imaizumi & Hatakeyama (1891)) (in Japanese)
Imaizumi, Sadasuke (今泉定助); Hatakeyama, Ken (畠山健), eds. (1891), "Chapter 22: Shutendōji" 酒顛童子, Otogizōshi 御伽草子 (in Japanese), Yoshikawa Hanshichi, 2

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Shuten-dōji (酒呑童子, also sometimes called 酒顛童子, 酒天童子, or 朱点童子) is a mythical or demon leader of Japan, who according to legend was killed by the hero Minamoto Raikō. Although decapitated, the demon's detached head still took a bite at the hero, who avoided death by wearing multiple helmets stacked on his head.

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very cool i think

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How Do We Know What Color Dinosaurs Were?

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These creatures were more than just brown and green.

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One Way to Tell the Difference Between a Rock and a Fossil Is to Lick It

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There's no need for fancy, how powered equipment with this method.

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The First Dinosaur Fossil Was Named Before We Had A Word For Dinosaurs

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A professor of geology was the first to identify a dinosaur correctly.

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Looking for Barred Tiger Salamander Axolotls (Crazy hair and questionable hygiene)

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it's crazy to think I've driven on the Golden Gate Bridge before an update on the Golden Gate Bridge is in San Francisco I was born in California San Francisco

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The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California-the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula-to Marin County, carrying both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. It also carries pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and is designated as part of U.S. Bicycle Route 95. Recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco and California.

The idea of a fixed link between San Francisco and Marin had gained increasing popularity during the late 19th century, but it was not until the early 20th century that such a link became feasible. Joseph Strauss served as chief engineer for the project, with Leon Moisseiff, Irving Morrow and Charles Ellis making significant contributions to its design. The bridge opened to the public in 1937 and has undergone various retrofits and other improvement projects in the decades since.

The Golden Gate Bridge is described in Frommer's travel guide as "possibly the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed, bridge in the world." At the time of its opening in 1937, it was both the longest and the tallest suspension bridge in the world, titles it held until 1964 and 1998 respectively. Its main span is 4,200 feet (1,280 m) and its total height is 746 feet (227 m).

Before the bridge was built, the only practical short route between San Francisco and what is now Marin County was by boat across a section of San Francisco Bay. A ferry service began as early as 1820, with a regularly scheduled service beginning in the 1840s for the purpose of transporting water to San Francisco.

In 1867, the Sausalito Land and Ferry Company opened. In 1920, the service was taken over by the Golden Gate Ferry Company, which merged in 1929 with the ferry system of the Southern Pacific Railroad, becoming the Southern Pacific-Golden Gate Ferries, Ltd., the largest ferry operation in the world. Once for railroad passengers and customers only, Southern Pacific's automobile ferries became very profitable and important to the regional economy. The ferry crossing between the Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco and Sausalito Ferry Terminal in Marin County took approximately 20 minutes and cost $1.00 per vehicle prior to 1937, when the price was reduced to compete with the new bridge. The trip from the San Francisco Ferry Building took 27 minutes.

Golden Gate with Fort Point in foreground, c. 1891

Although the idea of a bridge spanning the Golden Gate was not new, the proposal that eventually took hold was made in a 1916 San Francisco Bulletin article by former engineering student James Wilkins. San Francisco's City Engineer estimated the cost at $100 million (equivalent to $2.7 billion today), and impractical for the time. He asked bridge engineers whether it could be built for less. One who responded, Joseph Strauss, was an ambitious engineer and poet who had, for his graduate thesis, designed a 55-mile-long (89 km) railroad bridge across the Bering Strait. At the time, Strauss had completed some 400 drawbridges-most of which were inland-and nothing on the scale of the new project. Strauss's initial drawings were for a massive cantilever on each side of the strait, connected by a central suspension segment, which Strauss promised could be built for $17 million (equivalent to $457 million today).

A suspension-bridge design was chosen, using recent advances in bridge design and metallurgy.

Strauss spent more than a decade drumming up support in Northern California. The bridge faced opposition, including litigation, from many sources. The Department of War was concerned that the bridge would interfere with ship traffic. The US Navy feared that a ship collision or sabotage to the bridge could block the entrance to one of its main harbors. Unions demanded guarantees that local workers would be favored for construction jobs. Southern Pacific Railroad, one of the most powerful business interests in California, opposed the bridge as competition to its ferry fleet and filed a lawsuit against the project, leading to a mass boycott of the ferry service.

In May 1924, Colonel Herbert Deakyne held the second hearing on the Bridge on behalf of the Secretary of War in a request to use federal land for construction. Deakyne, on behalf of the Secretary of War, approved the transfer of land needed for the bridge structure and leading roads to the "Bridging the Golden Gate Association" and both San Francisco County and Marin County, pending further bridge plans by Strauss. Another ally was the fledgling automobile industry, which supported the development of roads and bridges to increase demand for automobiles.

The bridge's name was first used when the project was initially discussed in 1917 by M.M. O'Shaughnessy, city engineer of San Francisco, and Strauss. The name became official with the passage of the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District Act by the state legislature in 1923, creating a special district to design, build and finance the bridge. San Francisco and most of the counties along the North Coast of California joined the Golden Gate Bridge District, with the exception being Humboldt County, whose residents opposed the bridge's construction and the traffic it would generate.

South tower seen from walkway, with Art Deco elements

Strauss was the chief engineer in charge of the overall design and construction of the bridge project. However, because he had little understanding or experience with cable-suspension designs, responsibility for much of the engineering and architecture fell on other experts. Strauss's initial design proposal (two double cantilever spans linked by a central suspension segment) was unacceptable from a visual standpoint. The final graceful suspension design was conceived and championed by Leon Moisseiff, the engineer of the Manhattan Bridge in New York City.

Irving Morrow, a relatively unknown residential architect, designed the overall shape of the bridge towers, the lighting scheme, and Art Deco elements, such as the tower decorations, streetlights, railing, and walkways. The famous International Orange color was Morrow's personal selection, winning out over other possibilities, including the US Navy's suggestion that it be painted with black and yellow stripes to ensure visibility by passing ships.

Senior engineer Charles Alton Ellis, collaborating remotely with Moisseiff, was the principal engineer of the project. Moisseiff produced the basic structural design, introducing his "deflection theory" by which a thin, flexible roadway would flex in the wind, greatly reducing stress by transmitting forces via suspension cables to the bridge towers. Although the Golden Gate Bridge design has proved sound, a later Moisseiff design, the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge, collapsed in a strong windstorm soon after it was completed, because of an unexpected aeroelastic flutter. Ellis was also tasked with designing a "bridge within a bridge" in the southern abutment, to avoid the need to demolish Fort Point, a pre-Civil War masonry fortification viewed, even then, as worthy of historic preservation. He penned a graceful steel arch spanning the fort and carrying the roadway to the bridge's southern anchorage.

The Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District, authorized by an act of the California Legislature, was incorporated in 1928 as the official entity to design, construct, and finance the Golden Gate Bridge. However, after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the District was unable to raise the construction funds, so it lobbied for a $30 million bond measure (equivalent to $511 million today). The bonds were approved in November 1930, by votes in the counties affected by the bridge. The construction budget at the time of approval was $27 million ($473 million today). However, the District was unable to sell the bonds until 1932, when Amadeo Giannini, the founder of San Francisco-based Bank of America, agreed on behalf of his bank to buy the entire issue in order to help the local economy.

Construction began on January 5, 1933. The project cost more than $35 million ($550 million in 2021 dollars), and was completed ahead of schedule and $1.3 million under budget (equivalent to $27.7 million today). The Golden Gate Bridge construction project was carried out by the McClintic-Marshall Construction Co., a subsidiary of Bethlehem Steel Corporation founded by Howard H. McClintic and Charles D. Marshall, both of Lehigh University.

An original rivet replaced during the seismic retrofit after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. A total of 1.2 million steel rivets hold the bridge's two towers together.

Strauss remained head of the project, overseeing day-to-day construction and making some groundbreaking contributions. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, he placed a brick from his alma mater's demolished McMicken Hall in the south anchorage before the concrete was poured.

Strauss also innovated the use of movable safety netting beneath the men working, which saved many lives. Nineteen men saved by the nets over the course of the project formed the Half Way to Hell Club. Nonetheless eleven men were killed in falls, ten on February 17, 1937, when a scaffold (secured by undersized bolts) with twelve men on it fell into and broke through the safety net; two of the twelve survived the 200-foot (61 m) fall into the water.

The bridge opened May 27, 1937.

The Round House Café diner was then included in the southeastern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, adjacent to the tourist plaza which was renovated in 2012. The Round House Café, an Art Deco design by Alfred Finnila completed in 1938, has been popular throughout the years as a starting point for various commercial tours of the bridge and an unofficial gift shop. The diner was renovated in 2012 and the gift shop was then removed as a new, official gift shop has been included in the adjacent plaza.

During the bridge work, the Assistant Civil Engineer of California Alfred Finnila had overseen the entire iron work of the bridge as well as half of the bridge's road work.

Contributors

Plaque of the major contributors to the Golden Gate Bridge lists contractors, engineering-staff, directors and officers:

Contractors

Foundations - Pacific Bridge Company

Anchorages - Barrett & Hilp

Structural steel - Main span - Bethlehem Steel Company Incorporated

Approach steel - J.H. Pomeroy & Company Incorporated - Raymond Concrete Pile Company

Cables - John A. Roebling's Sons Company

Electrical work - Alta Electric and Mechanical Company Incorporated

Bridge deck - Pacific Bridge Company

Presidio Approach Roads and Viaducts - Easton & Smith

Toll Plaza - Barrett & Hilp

Engineering staff

Chief engineer - Joseph B. Strauss

Principal assistant engineer - Clifford E. Paine

Resident engineer - Russell Cone

Assistant engineer - Charles Clarahan Jr., Dwight N. Wetherell

Consulting engineer - O.H. Ammann, Charles Derleth Jr., Leon S. Moisseiff

Consulting traffic engineer - Sydney W. Taylor, Jr.

Consulting architect - Irving F. Morrow

Consulting geologist - Andrew C. Lawson, Allan E. Sedgwick

Directors

San Francisco - William P. Filmer, Richard J. Welch, Warren Shannon, Hugo D. Newhouse, Arthur M. Brown, Jr., John P. McLaughlin, William D. Hadeler, C.A. Henry, Francis V. Keesling, William P. Stanton, George T. Cameron

Marin County - Robert H. Trumbull, Harry Lutgens

Napa County - Thomas Maxwell

Sonoma County - Frank P. Doyle, Joseph A. McMinn

Mendocino County - A. R. O'Brien

Del Norte County - Henry Westbrook, Jr., Milton M. McVay

Officers

President - William P. Filmer

Vice President - Robert H. Trumbull

General manager - James Reed, Alan McDonald

Chief engineer - Joseph B. Strauss

Secretary - W. W. Felt, Jr.

Auditor - Roy S. West, John R. Ruckstell

Attorney - George H. Harlan

On December 1, 1951, a windstorm revealed swaying and rolling instabilities of the bridge, resulting in its closure. In 1953 and 1954, the bridge was retrofitted with lateral and diagonal bracing that connected the lower chords of the two side trusses. This bracing stiffened the bridge deck in torsion so that it would better resist the types of twisting that had destroyed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940.

Bridge deck replacement (1982-1986)

The original bridge used a concrete deck. Salt carried by fog or mist reached the rebar, causing corrosion and concrete spalling. From 1982 to 1986, the original bridge deck, in 747 sections, was systematically replaced with a 40% lighter, and stronger, steel orthotropic deck panels, over 401 nights without closing the roadway completely to traffic. The roadway was also widened by two feet, resulting in outside curb lane width of 11 feet, instead of 10 feet for the inside lanes. This deck replacement was the bridge's greatest engineering project since it was built and cost over $68 million.

Opening festivities, and 50th and 75th anniversaries

The Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Point

The bridge-opening celebration in 1937 began on May 27 and lasted for one week. The day before vehicle traffic was allowed, 200,000 people crossed either on foot or on roller skates. On opening day, Mayor Angelo Rossi and other officials rode the ferry to Marin, then crossed the bridge in a motorcade past three ceremonial "barriers," the last a blockade of beauty queens who required Joseph Strauss to present the bridge to the Highway District before allowing him to pass. An official song, " There's a Silver Moon on the Golden Gate," was chosen to commemorate the event. Strauss wrote a poem that is now on the Golden Gate Bridge entitled "The Mighty Task is Done." The next day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington, D.C. signaling the official start of vehicle traffic over the Bridge at noon. Weeks of civil and cultural activities called "the Fiesta" followed. A statue of Strauss was moved in 1955 to a site near the bridge.

As part of the fiftieth anniversary celebration in 1987, the Golden Gate Bridge district again closed the bridge to automobile traffic and allowed pedestrians to cross it on May 24. This Sunday morning celebration attracted 750,000 to 1,000,000 people, and ineffective crowd control meant the bridge became congested with roughly 300,000 people, causing the center span of the bridge to flatten out under the weight. Although the bridge is designed to flex in that way under heavy loads, and was estimated not to have exceeded 40% of the yielding stress of the suspension cables, bridge officials stated that uncontrolled pedestrian access was not being considered as part of the 75th anniversary on Sunday, May 27, 2012, because of the additional law enforcement costs required "since 9/11."

Opening of the Golden Gate Bridge

Official invitation to the opening of the bridge. This copy was sent to the City of Seattle.

On the 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1987, individuals and organizations were invited to buy a commemorative brick to fund the 50th anniversary celebration. Those bricks were installed on the ground creating a brick promenade. Its location is shown on the map.

More than 7,500 donors responded, personalizing their brick with inscriptions and tributes.

Unfortunately, 25 years later, for the upcoming 75th of the Golden Gate Bridge, the need for a DDA compliant area, as the slope was too steep, implied remodeling the whole promenade. Doing so, and contractors being unable to properly take bricks out one by one, the brick promenade was demolished and the contributors were unable to get their bricks back.

However, to honor and respect their contributions, all the donors' names and the inscriptions they had chosen for their bricks have been preserved and written on panels.

The panels are located inside the "Equator Coffees", on its rounded walls. The names and inscriptions are listed in the alphabetical order, to make them easier to read and find.

This website has been keeping a maps view of the original brick promenade and the database of all donors' names and inscriptions, to help find and locate them on the original layout. As of October 2022, the website is currently down.

Until 1964, the Golden Gate Bridge had the longest suspension bridge main span in the world, at 4,200 feet (1,300 m). Since 1964 its main span length has been surpassed by seventeen bridges; it now has the second-longest main span in the Americas, after the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. The total length of the Golden Gate Bridge from abutment to abutment is 8,981 feet (2,737 m).

The Golden Gate Bridge's clearance above high water averages 220 feet (67 m) while its towers, at 746 feet (227 m) above the water, were the world's tallest on a suspension bridge until 1993 when it was surpassed by the Mezcala Bridge, in Mexico.

The weight of the roadway is hung from 250 pairs of vertical suspender ropes, which are attached to two main cables. The main cables pass over the two main towers and are fixed in concrete at each end. Each cable is made of 27,572 strands of wire. The total length of galvanized steel wire used to fabricate both main cables is estimated to be 80,000 miles (130,000 km). Each of the bridge's two towers has approximately 600,000 rivets.

In the 1960s, when the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) was being planned, the engineering community had conflicting opinions about the feasibility of running train tracks north to Marin County over the bridge. In June 1961, consultants hired by BART completed a study that determined the bridge's suspension section was capable of supporting service on a new lower deck. In July 1961, one of the bridge's consulting engineers, Clifford Paine, disagreed with their conclusion. In January 1962, due to more conflicting reports on feasibility, the bridge's board of directors appointed an engineering review board to analyze all the reports. The review board's report, released in April 1962, concluded that running BART on the bridge was not advisable.

Aesthetics was the foremost reason why the first design of Joseph Strauss was rejected. Upon re-submission of his bridge construction plan, he added details, such as lighting, to outline the bridge's cables and towers. In 1999, it was ranked fifth on the List of America's Favorite Architecture by the American Institute of Architects.

The color of the bridge is officially an orange vermilion called international orange. The color was selected by consulting architect Irving Morrow because it complements the natural surroundings and enhances the bridge's visibility in fog.

The bridge was originally painted with red lead primer and a lead-based topcoat, which was touched up as required. In the mid-1960s, a program was started to improve corrosion protection by stripping the original paint and repainting the bridge with zinc silicate primer and vinyl topcoats. Since 1990, acrylic topcoats have been used instead for air-quality reasons. The program was completed in 1995 and it is now maintained by 38 painters who touch up the paintwork where it becomes seriously corroded. The ongoing maintenance task of painting the bridge is continuous.

Testing the newly installed movable barrier

Most maps and signage mark the bridge as part of the concurrency between U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1. Although part of the National Highway System, the bridge is not officially part of California's Highway System. For example, under the California Streets and Highways Code § 401, Route 101 ends at "the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge" and then resumes at "a point in Marin County opposite San Francisco". The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District has jurisdiction over the segment of highway that crosses the bridge instead of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

The movable median barrier between the lanes is moved several times daily to conform to traffic patterns. On weekday mornings, traffic flows mostly southbound into the city, so four of the six lanes run southbound. Conversely, on weekday afternoons, four lanes run northbound. During off-peak periods and weekends, traffic is split with three lanes in each direction.

From 1968 to 2015, opposing traffic was separated by small, plastic pylons; during that time, there were 16 fatalities resulting from 128 head-on collisions. To improve safety, the speed limit on the Golden Gate Bridge was reduced from 50 to 45 mph (80 to 72 km/h) on October 1, 1983. Although there had been discussion concerning the installation of a movable barrier since the 1980s, only in March 2005 did the Bridge Board of Directors commit to finding funding to complete the $2 million study required prior to the installation of a movable median barrier. Installation of the resulting barrier was completed on January 11, 2015, following a closure of 45.5 hours to private vehicle traffic, the longest in the bridge's history. The new barrier system, including the zipper trucks, cost approximately $30.3 million to purchase and install.

The bridge carries about 112,000 vehicles per day according to the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District.

Looking north with traffic and current flow into the bay with sailboats

The bridge is popular with pedestrians and bicyclists, and was built with walkways on either side of the six vehicle traffic lanes. Initially, they were separated from the traffic lanes by only a metal curb, but railings between the walkways and the traffic lanes were added in 2003, primarily as a measure to prevent bicyclists from falling into the roadway. The bridge was designated as part of U.S. Bicycle Route 95 in 2021.

The main walkway is on the eastern side, and is open for use by both pedestrians and bicycles in the morning to mid-afternoon during weekdays (5:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.), and to pedestrians only for the remaining daylight hours (until 6:00 p.m., or 9:00 p.m. during DST). The eastern walkway is reserved for pedestrians on weekends (5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., or 9:00 p.m. during DST), and is open exclusively to bicyclists in the evening and overnight, when it is closed to pedestrians. The western walkway is open only for bicyclists and only during the hours when they are not allowed on the eastern walkway.

Bus service across the bridge is provided by two public transportation agencies: San Francisco Muni and Golden Gate Transit. Muni offers Saturday and Sunday service on the Marin Headlands Express bus line, and Golden Gate Transit runs numerous bus lines throughout the week. The southern end of the bridge, near the toll plaza and parking lot, is also accessible daily from 5:30 a.m. to midnight by Muni line 28. The Marin Airporter, a private company, also offers service across the bridge between Marin County and San Francisco International Airport.

A visitor center and gift shop, originally called the "Bridge Pavilion" (since renamed the "Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center"), is located on the San Francisco side of the bridge, adjacent to the southeast parking lot. It opened in 2012, in time for the bridge's 75th-anniversary celebration. A cafe, outdoor exhibits, and restroom facilities are located nearby. On the Marin side of the bridge, only accessible from the northbound lanes, is the H. Dana Bower Rest Area and Vista Point, named after the first landscape architect for the California Division of Highways.

Lands and waters under and around the bridge are homes to varieties of wildlife such as bobcats, harbor seals, and sea lions. Three species of cetaceans (whales) that had been absent in the area for many years have shown recent[when? ] recoveries/(re)colonizations in the vicinity of the bridge; researchers studying them have encouraged stronger protections and recommended that the public watch them from the bridge or from land, or use a local whale watching operator.

Current toll rates

Tolls are only collected from southbound traffic at the toll plaza on the San Francisco side of the bridge. All-electronic tolling has been in effect since 2013, and drivers may either pay using the FasTrak electronic toll collection device, using the license plate tolling program, or via a one time payment online. Effective July 1, 2023, the regular toll rate for passenger cars is $9, with FasTrak users paying a discounted toll of $8.75. During peak traffic hours, carpool vehicles carrying three or more people, or motorcycles may pay a discounted toll of $6.75 if they have FasTrak and use the designated carpool lane. Drivers must pay within 48 hours after crossing the bridge or they will be sent a toll violation invoice. The toll violation penalty is $9.75, and additional fees will be added if it is not paid within 21 days.

Historical toll rates

When the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, the toll was 50cents per car (equivalent to $10.18 in 2022), collected in each direction. In 1950 it was reduced to 40cents each way ($4.87 in 2022), then lowered to 25cents in 1955 ($2.73 in 2022). In 1968, the bridge was converted to only collect tolls from southbound traffic, with the toll amount reset back to 50cents ($4.21 in 2022).

The bridge began accepting tolls via the FasTrak electronic toll collection system in 2002, with $4 tolls for FasTrak users and $5 for those paying cash (equivalent to $6.51 and $8.14 respectively in 2022). In November 2006, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District recommended a corporate sponsorship program for the bridge to address its operating deficit, projected at $80 million over five years. The District promised that the proposal, which it called a "partnership program", would not include changing the name of the bridge or placing advertising on the bridge itself. In October 2007, the Board unanimously voted to discontinue the proposal and seek additional revenue through other means, most likely a toll increase. The District later increased the toll amounts in 2008 to $5 for FasTrak users and $6 to those paying cash (equivalent to $6.8 and $8.16 respectively in 2022).

In an effort to save $19.2 million over the following 10 years, the Golden Gate District voted in January 2011 to eliminate all toll takers by 2012 and use only open road tolling. Subsequently, this was delayed and toll taker elimination occurred in March 2013. The cost savings have been revised to $19 million over an eight-year period. In addition to FasTrak, the Golden Gate Transportation District implemented the use of license plate tolling (branded as "Pay-by-Plate"), and also a one-time payment system for drivers to pay before or after their trip on the bridge. Twenty-eight positions were eliminated as part of this plan.

On April 7, 2014, the toll for users of FasTrak was increased from $5 to $6 (equivalent to $7.42 in 2022), while the toll for drivers using either the license plate tolling or the one time payment system was raised from $6 to $7 (equivalent to $8.65 in 2022). Bicycle, pedestrian, and northbound motor vehicle traffic remain toll free. For vehicles with more than two axles, the toll rate was $7 per axle for those using license plate tolling or the one time payment system, and $6 per axle for FasTrak users. During peak traffic hours, carpool vehicles carrying two or more people and motorcycles paid a discounted toll of $4 (equivalent to $4.94 in 2022); drivers must have had Fastrak to take advantage of this carpool rate. The Golden Gate Transportation District then increased the tolls by 25cents in July 2015, and then by another 25cents each of the next three years.

In March 2019, the Golden Gate Transportation District approved a plan to implement 35-cent annual toll increases through 2023, except for the toll-by-plate program which will increase by 20cents per year.

In March 2008, the Golden Gate Bridge District board approved a resolution to start congestion pricing at the Golden Gate Bridge, charging higher tolls during the peak hours, but rising and falling depending on traffic levels. This decision allowed the Bay Area to meet the federal requirement to receive $158 million in federal transportation funds from USDOT Urban Partnership grant. As a condition of the grant, the congestion toll was to be in place by September 2009.

In August 2008, transportation officials ended the congestion pricing program in favor of varying rates for metered parking along the route to the bridge including on Lombard Street and Van Ness Avenue.

The Golden Gate Bridge is the most used suicide site in the world. The deck is about 245 feet (75 m) above the water. After a fall of four seconds, jumpers hit the water at around 75 mph (120 km/h; 30 m/s). Most die from impact trauma. About 5% survive the initial impact but generally drown or die of hypothermia in the cold water.

After years of debate and an estimated more than 1,500 deaths, suicide barriers, consisting of a stainless steel net extending 20 feet from the bridge and supported by structural steel 20 feet under the walkway, began to be installed in April 2017. Construction was first estimated to take approximately four years at a cost of over $200 million. In December 2019, it was reported that construction of the suicide prevention net had fallen two years behind schedule because the lead contractor, Shimmick Construction Co., had been sold in 2017, leading to the slowdown of several existing projects. As of December 2019, the completion date for the Golden Gate Bridge net was set for 2023.

The Golden Gate Bridge was designed to safely withstand winds of up to 68 mph (109 km/h). Until 2008, the bridge was closed because of weather conditions only three times: on December 1, 1951, because of gusts of 69 mph (111 km/h); on December 23, 1982, because of winds of 70 mph (113 km/h); and on December 3, 1983, because of wind gusts of 75 mph (121 km/h). An anemometer placed midway between the two towers on the west side of the bridge has been used to measure wind speeds. Another anemometer was placed on one of the towers.

As part of the retrofitting of the bridge and installation of the suicide barrier, starting in 2019 the railings on the west side of the pedestrian walkway were replaced with thinner, more flexible slats in order to improve the bridge's aerodynamic tolerance of high wind to 100 mph (161 km/h). Starting in June 2020, reports were received of a loud hum, heard across San Francisco and Marin County, produced by the new railing slats when a strong west wind was blowing. The sound had been predicted from wind tunnel tests, but not included in the environmental impact report; ways of ameliorating it are being considered. An independent engineering analysis of a 2020 sound recording of the tones concludes that the singing noise comprises a variety of Aeolian tones (the sound produced by air flowing past a sharp edge), arising in this case from the ambient wind blowing across metal slats of the newly installed sidewalk railings. The tones observed were frequencies of 354, 398, 439 and 481 Hz, corresponding to the musical notes F ₄, G ₄, A ₄, and B ₄; these notes form an F Lydian Tetrachord.

South approach sub-structure with seismic isolators (short black cylinders) added as part of the Seismic Retrofit Construction Project

Modern knowledge of the effect of earthquakes on structures led to a program to retrofit the Golden Gate to better resist seismic events. The proximity of the bridge to the San Andreas Fault places it at risk for a significant earthquake. Once thought to have been able to withstand any magnitude of foreseeable earthquake, the bridge was actually vulnerable to complete structural failure (i.e., collapse) triggered by the failure of supports on the 320-foot (98 m) arch over Fort Point. A $392 million program was initiated to improve the structure's ability to withstand such an event with only minimal (repairable) damage. A custom-built electro-hydraulic synchronous lift system for construction of temporary support towers and a series of intricate lifts, transferring the loads from the existing bridge onto the temporary supports, were completed with engineers from Balfour Beatty and Enerpac, without disrupting day-to-day commuter traffic. Although the retrofit was initially planned to be completed in 2012, as of May 2017 it was expected to take several more years.

The former elevated approach to the Golden Gate Bridge through the San Francisco Presidio, known as Doyle Drive, dated to 1933 and was named after Frank P. Doyle. Doyle, the president of the Exchange Bank in Santa Rosa and son of the bank's founder, was the man who, more than any other person, made it possible to build the Golden Gate Bridge. The highway carried about 91,000 vehicles each weekday between downtown San Francisco and the North Bay and points north. The road was deemed "vulnerable to earthquake damage", had a problematic 4-lane design, and lacked shoulders; a San Francisco County Transportation Authority study recommended that it be replaced. Construction on the $1 billion replacement, temporarily known as the Presidio Parkway, began in December 2009. The elevated Doyle Drive was demolished on the weekend of April 27-30, 2012, and traffic used a part of the partially completed Presidio Parkway, until it was switched onto the finished Presidio Parkway on the weekend of July 9-12, 2015. As of May 2012, an official at Caltrans said there is no plan to permanently rename the portion known as Doyle Drive.

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The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the U.S. city of San Francisco, California-the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula-to Marin County, carrying both U.S.

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Make sure you watch the video that is linked with the article because it shows a Tacoma Narrows Bridge crashing and for someone who has spent 10 years in architecture didn't do much of a good job building this bridge

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Gymnastics was introduced in early Greek civilization to facilitate bodily development through a series of exercises that included running, jumping, swimming, throwing, wrestling, and weight lifting. Many basic gymnastic events were practiced in some form before the introduction by the Greeks of gymnazein, literally, "to exercise naked."

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Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera and of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small animals such as birds and rodents.

Rattlesnakes receive their name from the rattle located at the end of their tails, which makes a loud rattling noise when vibrated that deters predators. Rattlesnakes are the leading contributor to snakebite injuries in North America, but rarely bite unless provoked or threatened; if treated promptly, the bites are seldom fatal.

The 36 known species of rattlesnakes have between 65 and 70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from British Columbia through Ontario in southern Canada, to central Argentina. The largest rattlesnake, the eastern diamondback, can measure up to 8 ft (2.4 m) in length.

Rattlesnakes are preyed upon by hawks, weasels, kingsnakes, and a variety of other species. Rattlesnakes are heavily preyed upon as neonates, while they are still weak and immature. Large numbers of rattlesnakes are killed by humans. Rattlesnake populations in many areas are severely threatened by habitat destruction, poaching, and extermination campaigns.

The scientific name Crotalus is derived from the Greek κρόταλον, meaning " castanet". The name Sistrurus is the Latinized form of the Greek word for "tail rattler" (Σείστρουρος, seistrouros) and shares its root with the ancient Egyptian musical instrument the sistrum, a type of rattle.

Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), responsible for the majority of venomous snakebites in North America, coiled in defensive posture with rattle erect

Rattlesnakes are native to the Americas from southern Canada to central Argentina, with the majority of species inhabiting arid regions. The large majority of species live in the American Southwest and Mexico. Four species may be found east of the Mississippi River, and two in South America. In the United States, the state with the most types of rattlesnakes is Arizona, with 13.

Rattlesnakes are found in almost every habitat type capable of supporting terrestrial ectothermic vertebrates, but individual species may have extremely specific habitat requirements, living where certain plant associations occur or within a narrow range of elevations. Most species live near open, rocky areas. Rocks offer them cover from predators, plentiful prey (e.g. rodents, lizards, insects, etc. that live amidst the rocks), and open basking areas. However, rattlesnakes can also be found in a wide variety of other habitats, including prairies, marshes, deserts, and forests. Rattlesnakes prefer a temperature range between 80 and 90 °F (26 and 32 °C), but can survive temperatures below freezing, recovering from brief exposure to temperatures as low as 4 °F (−16 °C), and surviving for several days in temperatures as low as 37 °F (3 °C).

The most probable ancestral area of rattlesnakes is the Sierra Madre Occidental region in Mexico. The most probable vegetation or habitat of the ancestral area appears to be pine-oak forests.

Rattlesnakes typically consume mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, small birds, and other small animals. They lie in wait for their prey, or hunt for it in holes. The rattlesnake's defence and hunting mechanisms are bound to its physiology and its environment. More importantly environmental temperature can influence the ability of ectotherms. The prey is killed quickly with a venomous bite as opposed to constriction. If the bitten prey moves away before dying, the rattlesnake can follow it by its scent. When it locates the fallen prey, it checks for signs of life by prodding with its snout, flicking its tongue, and using its sense of smell. Once the prey has become incapacitated, the rattlesnake locates its head by odors emitted from the mouth. The prey is then ingested head first, which allows wings and limbs to fold at the joints in a manner that minimizes the girth of the meal. The gastric fluids of rattlesnakes are extremely powerful, allowing for the digestion of flesh and bone. Optimal digestion occurs when the snake maintains a body temperature between 80 and 85 °F (25 and 29 °C). If the prey is small, the rattlesnake often continues hunting. If the meal was adequate, the snake finds a warm, safe location in which to coil up and rest until the prey is digested. Feeding habits play an important ecological role by limiting the size of rodent populations, which prevents crop damage and stabilizes ecosystems.

Newborn rattlesnakes are heavily preyed upon by a variety of species, including cats, ravens, crows, roadrunners, raccoons, opossums, skunks, coyotes, weasels, whipsnakes, kingsnakes, and racers. Young of the smaller crotaline species are frequently killed and eaten by small predatory birds, such as jays, kingfishers, and shrikes. Some species of ants in the genus are known to prey upon neonates, and Solenopsis invicta (fire ants) likely do, as well. On occasion, hungry adult rattlesnakes cannibalize neonates. The small proportion (often as few as 20%) of rattlesnakes that make it to their second year are heavily preyed upon by a variety of larger predators, including coyotes, eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, feral pigs, badgers, indigo snakes, and kingsnakes.

The common kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula), a constrictor, is immune to the venom of rattlesnakes and other vipers, and rattlesnakes form part of its natural diet. Rattlesnakes sense kingsnakes' presence by their odor. When they realize a kingsnake is nearby, they begin enacting a set of defensive postures known as "body bridging". Unlike its normal erect and coiled defensive-striking posture, the rattlesnake keeps its head low to the ground in an attempt to prevent the kingsnake from gaining a hold on it (the head being the first part of the rattlesnake to be ingested). The rattlesnake jerks its body about, while bridging its back upwards, forming an elevated coil that faces the kingsnake. The elevated coil is used to strike the attacker, and is also used to shield the head from the kingsnake.

Like all pit vipers, rattlesnakes have two organs that can sense radiation; their eyes and a set of heat-sensing "pits" on their faces that enable them to locate prey and move towards it, based on the prey's thermal radiation signature. These pits have a relatively short effective range of about 1 ft, but give the rattlesnake a distinct advantage in hunting for warm-blooded creatures at night.

Heat-sensing pits located in blue circle on a rattlesnake specimen: Location of the pit is the same in all Viperidae.

Aside from their eyes, rattlesnakes are able to detect thermal radiation emitted by warm-blooded organisms in their environment. Functioning optically like a pinhole camera eye, thermal radiation in the form of infrared light passes through the opening of the pit and strikes the pit membrane located in the back wall, warming this part of the organ. Due to the high density of heat-sensitive receptors innervating this membrane, the rattlesnake can detect temperature changes of 0.003 °C or less in its immediate surroundings. Infrared cues from these receptors are transmitted to the brain by the trigeminal nerve, where they are used to create thermal maps of the snake's surroundings. Due to the small sizes of the pit openings, typically these thermal images are low in resolution and contrast. Nevertheless, rattlesnakes superimpose visual images created from information from the eyes with these thermal images from the pit organs to more accurately visualize their surroundings in low levels of light. Research conducted recently on the molecular mechanism of this ability suggests the temperature sensitivity of these pit organs is closely linked to the activity of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1, a temperature-sensitive ion channel saturated in the pit membrane.

Rattlesnake eyes, which contain many rod cells, are well adapted to nocturnal use. Rattlesnakes, though, are not exclusively nocturnal, and their vision is more acute during daylight conditions. Rattlesnakes also possess cone cells, which means they are capable of some form of color vision. The rattlesnake eye lacks a fovea, making vision of sharply defined images impossible. Instead, they mostly rely on the perception of movement. Rattlesnake eyes are capable of horizontal rotation, but they do not appear to move their eyeballs to follow moving objects.

Rattlesnakes have an exceptionally keen sense of smell. They can sense olfactory stimuli both through their nostrils and by flicking their tongues, which carry scent-bearing particles to the Jacobson's organs in the roof of their mouths.

Rattlesnake fangs are connected by venom ducts to large venom glands near the outer edge of the upper jaw, towards the rear of the head. When the rattlesnake bites, muscles on the sides of the venom glands contract to squeeze the venom through the ducts and into the fangs. When the fangs are not in use, they remain folded against the palate.

Rattlesnakes are born with fully functioning fangs and venom, and are capable of killing prey at birth. Adult rattlesnakes shed their fangs every 6-10 weeks. At least three pairs of replacement fangs lie behind the functional pair.

The venom is hemotoxic, destroying tissue, causing necrosis and coagulopathy (disrupted blood clotting). In the U.S., the tiger rattlesnake ( C. tigris) and some varieties of the Mojave rattlesnake ( C. scutulatus) also have a presynaptic neurotoxic venom component known as Mojave type A toxin, which can cause severe paralysis. However, most North American rattlesnakes are not neurotoxic. Although it has a comparatively low venom yield, the venom toxicity of C. tigris is considered to be among the highest of all rattlesnake venoms, and among the highest of all snakes in the Western Hemisphere based on studies conducted on laboratory mice. C. scutulatus is also widely regarded as producing one of the most toxic snake venoms in the Americas, based on studies in laboratory mice.

Rattlesnake venom is a mixture of five to fifteen enzymes, various metal ions, biogenic amines, lipids, free amino acids, proteins, and polypeptides. More specifically, there are three main families of toxins in rattlesnakes: phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs), and snake venom serine proteinases (SVSPs). It contains components evolved to immobilize and disable the prey, as well as digestive enzymes, which break down tissue to prepare for later ingestion. The venom is very stable, and retains its toxicity for many years in storage.

Snake venom, in general, has a complex and ongoing evolutionary process, and rattlesnake venom is no different. The primary mechanisms of evolution are both gene duplication and gene loss events. The duplication events provided material for neofunctionalization to create the novel toxin genes, while gene loss influenced speciation and helped lead to such a wide variety of "chemical cocktails" in rattlesnake venoms. The prevailing theory for the driving force of this evolution is directional selection, where efficacy on prey is selected for. Diversity in prey leads to less specificity in toxins, while highly specialized toxins are more likely to develop when there are few key prey species. However, recently, balancing selection has been indicated to better explain the maintenance of adaptive genetic diversity in venom-related genes, potentially allowing for the rattlesnakes to better keep up in the evolutionary arms race with their prey.

Older snakes possess more potent venom, and larger snakes are frequently capable of storing larger volumes of it.

Video of a timber rattlesnake shaking its rattle

The rattle serves as a warning for predators of the rattlesnake. The rattle is composed of a series of hollow, interlocked segments made of keratin, which are created by modifying the scales that cover the tip of the tail. The contraction of special "shaker" muscles in the tail causes these segments to vibrate against one another, thus making the rattling noise (which is amplified because the segments are hollow) in a behavior known as tail vibration. The muscles which cause rattling are some of the fastest known, firing 50 times per second on average, sustainable for a duration up to three hours.

In 2016, Allf et al published a paper proposing behavioral plasticity as the mechanism by which the rattling system evolved in rattlesnakes. In the case of rattlesnakes, Allf et al proposed that tail vibration in response to predator threat could be the precursor for the rattling system in rattlesnakes, an example of behavioral plasticity. To investigate this hypothesis, the researchers analyzed tail vibration and relatedness to rattlesnakes among snakes in the families Viperidae and Colubridae. Their results demonstrated that the more closely related a species was to rattlesnakes, the more similar that species was to rattlesnakes in both duration and rate of tail vibration. These results strongly support the hypothesis that tail vibration preceded the rattling system as a behavior and allowed for the rattle to be selected for once developed. Even a small, underdeveloped rattle early in the evolution of the rattling system could have been advantageous if tail vibration was an ancestral behavior.

At birth, a "prebutton" is present at the tip of the snake's tail; it is replaced by the "button" several days later when the first skin is shed. However, no sound can be made by the rattle until a second segment is added when the skin is shed again. A new rattle segment is added each time the snake sheds its skin, and the snake may shed its skin several times a year, depending on food supply and growth rate.

Rattlesnakes travel with their rattles held up to protect them from damage, but in spite of this precaution, their day-to-day activities in the wild still cause them to regularly break off end segments. Because of this, the number of rattles on its tail is not related to the age of a rattlesnake.

Compared to females, males have thicker and longer tails (because they contain the inverted hemipenes). Also, the tails of males taper gradually from the body, whereas the tails of females narrow abruptly at the vent.

Rattlesnakes, like other members of the Squamata order, have a circulatory system that is powered by a three-chambered heart composed of two atria and one ventricle. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from veins coming from the systemic circuit. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs in the pulmonary circuit and pumps it to the ventricle and through the systemic circuit via capillaries and arteries.

Rattlesnake skin has a set of overlapping scales that cover the entire body, providing protection from a variety of threats, including dehydration and physical trauma. The typical rattlesnake, genus Crotalus, has the top of its head covered with small scales, except, with a few species, a few crowded plates directly over the snout. The skin of snakes is highly sensitive to contact, tension, and pressure; they are capable of feeling pain.

An important function of the skin is the sensation of changes in air temperature, which can guide the snakes towards warm basking/shelter locations. All snakes are ectotherms. To maintain a stable body temperature, they exchange heat with their external environments. Snakes often move into open, sunny areas to absorb heat from the sun and warmed earth, a behavior known as basking. Nerves in the skin regulate the flow of blood into the veins near the surface.

The skin of rattlesnakes is intricately patterned in a manner that camouflages them from their predators. Rattlesnakes do not generally have bright or showy colors (reds, yellows, blues, etc.), instead relying on subtle earth tones that resemble the surrounding environment.

Creases in the epidermal tissue connect the scales of rattlesnakes. When ingesting large prey, these creases can unfold, allowing the skin to expand to envelop a much greater volume. The skin appears to tightly stretch to accommodate the meal, but in reality, the skin is simply smoothing out from its creased state and is not under very high tension.

Two male northern Pacific rattlesnakes (C. oreganus oreganus) engage in a "combat dance"

Everted hemipenis of a male C. adamanteus

Most rattlesnake species mate during the summer or fall, while some species mate only in the spring, or during both the spring and fall.

Females secrete small amounts of sex pheromones, which leave a trail the males follow using their tongues and Jacobson's organs as guides. Once a receptive female has been located, the male often spends several days following her around (a behavior not common outside of the mating season), frequently touching and rubbing her in an attempt to stimulate her.

The males of some species, such as timber rattlesnakes ( C. horridus), fight each other during the mating season, in competition over females. These fights, known as "combat dances", consist of the two males intertwining the anterior portion of their bodies, often with their heads and necks held vertically. The larger males usually end up driving the smaller males away.

Although many kinds of snakes and other reptiles are oviparous (lay eggs), rattlesnakes are ovoviviparous (give birth to live young after carrying eggs inside). The female produces the ova ("eggs") in her ovaries, after which they pass through her body cavity and into one of her two oviducts. The ova are arranged in a continuous chain in a coiled section of the oviduct, known as the "tuba". Male rattlesnakes have sexual organs known as hemipenes, located in the base of the tail. The hemipenis is retracted inside of the body when mating is not occurring. The hemipenis is similar to the human penis. Females can store semen for months in internal recesses known as spermathecae, which permits them to mate during the fall, but not fertilize the ova until the following spring. The Arizona black rattlesnake ( C. oreganus cerberus), has been observed to exhibit complex social behavior reminiscent of that in mammals. Females often remain with their young in nests for several weeks, and mothers have been observed co-operatively parenting their broods.

Rattlesnakes generally take several years to mature, and females usually reproduce only once every three years.

In the colder winter months, some rattlesnake species enter a period of brumation, which is dormancy similar to hibernation. They often gather together for brumation in large numbers (sometimes over 1,000 snakes), huddling together inside underground "rattlesnake dens" or hibernacula. They regularly share their winter burrows with a wide variety of other species (such as turtles, small mammals, invertebrates, and other types of snakes).

Species with long periods of brumation tend to have much lower reproductive rates than those with shorter brumation periods or those that do not brumate at all. Female timber rattlesnakes in high peaks in the Appalachian Mountains of New England reproduce every three years on average; the lance-headed rattlesnake (C. polystictus), native to the warm climate of Mexico, reproduces annually.

Like most other snakes, rattlesnakes aestivate during very hot or dry periods, which is why they are rarely seen during the hottest and driest months of summer.

Rattlesnakes tend to avoid developed areas, preferring undisturbed, natural habitats. Rapid habitat destruction by humans, mass killings during events such as rattlesnake round-ups, and deliberate extermination campaigns all pose threats to rattlesnake populations in many areas. Several species, such as the timber rattlesnake, massasauga, and canebrake rattlesnake, are listed as threatened or endangered in many U.S. states.

Many rattlesnakes die from being run over by cars.

In more heavily populated and trafficked areas, reports have been increasing of rattlesnakes that do not rattle. This phenomenon is falsely attributed to selective pressure by humans, who often kill the snakes when they are discovered. However, snake experts have dismissed this theory, stating that snakes simply do not rattle as often as laymen expect them to, and that snakes that live near populated areas simply get used to people passing by, only rattling when a person lingers too long or gets too close.

Rattlesnakes are the leading cause of snakebite injuries in North America and a significant cause in Central and South America.

Rattlesnakes tend to avoid wide-open spaces where they cannot hide from predators, and generally avoid humans if they are aware of their approach. Rattlesnakes rarely bite unless they feel threatened or provoked. A majority of victims (about 72%) are males. Around half of bites occur in cases where the victim saw the snake, yet made no effort to move away.

Harassing or attacking a rattlesnake, illegal in some jurisdictions, puts one at much higher risk of a bite. Rattlesnakes seek to avoid humans and other predators or large herbivores that themselves pose lethal danger. Dogs, often much more aggressive than humans, are much more likely to experience a snakebite, and are more likely to die of a rattlesnake bite although they can be vaccinated against them.

Caution is advised even when snakes are believed to be dead; rattlesnake heads can sense, flick the tongue, and inflict venomous bites reflexively for up to an hour after being severed from the body.

An estimated 7,000 to 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, with about five deaths. The most important factor in survival following a severe envenomation is the time elapsed between the bite and treatment. Most deaths occur between 6 and 48 hours after the bite. If antivenom treatment is given within two hours of the bite, the probability of recovery is greater than 99%.

When a bite occurs, the amount of venom injected is under voluntary control by the snake. The amount released depends on a variety of factors, including the condition of the snake (e.g., having long, healthy fangs and a full venom sack) and its temperament (an angry, hungry snake that has just been stepped on vs. a satiated snake that was merely surprised by walking near it). About 20% of bites result in no envenomation at all. A lack of burning pain and edema in (1 cm) away from the fang marks after one hour suggests either no or minimal envenomation occurred. A lack of edema or erythema in the area of the bite after eight hours indicates a lack of envenomation for most rattlesnake bites.

Common symptoms include swelling, severe pain, tingling, weakness, anxiety, nausea and vomiting, hemorrhaging, perspiration, and (rarely) heart failure. Local pain following envenomation is often intense, increasing with the ensuing edema. Children generally experience more severe symptoms because they receive a larger amount of venom per unit of body mass.

Antivenom, or antivenin, is commonly used to treat the effects of local and systemic pit viper envenomations. The first step in the production of crotaline antivenom is collecting ("milking") the venom of a live rattlesnake-usually from the western diamondback (Crotalus atrox), eastern diamondback (Crotalus adamanteus), South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissis terrificus), or fer-de-lance (Bothrops atrox). The extracted venom is then diluted and injected into horses, goats, or sheep, whose immune systems produce antibodies that protect from the toxic effects of the venom. These antibodies accumulate in the blood, which is then extracted and centrifuged to separate the red blood cells. The resulting serum is purified into a lyophilized powder, which is packaged for distribution and later use by human patients.

Because antivenom is derived from animal antibodies, people generally display an allergic response during infusion, known as serum sickness.

In the United States, more than 15,000 domesticated animals are bitten by snakes each year. Rattlesnake envenomations account for 80% of the deadly incidents.

Stone sculptures of feathered serpents on display at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City

Aztec paintings, Central American temples, and the great burial mounds in the Southern United States are frequently adorned with depictions of rattlesnakes, often within the symbols and emblems of the most powerful deities.

The Feathered Serpent of Mesoamerican religion was depicted as having the combined features of the quetzal and rattlesnake. The Ancient Maya considered the rattlesnake to be a "vision serpent" that acted as a conduit to the "otherworld".

Rattlesnakes are a key element in Aztec mythology and were widely represented in Aztec art, including sculptures, jewelry, and architectural elements.

Snake handling at the Pentecostal Church of God in the town of Lejunior, Harlan County, Kentucky, September 15, 1946

Members of some Christian sects in the Southern United States are regularly bitten while participating in " snake handling" rituals. Snake handling is when people hold venomous snakes, unprotected, as part of a religious service inspired by a literal interpretation of the Bible verses Mark 16:17-18, which reads, "In my name ... They shall take up serpents ...."

Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition described in 1805 how a hired interpreter, who lived for 15 years with the Mandan, used the rattlesnake's rattle to speed up the delivery of Sacagewea's son Jean Baptiste Charbonneau:

The party that were ordered last evening set out early this morning. the weather was fair and could wind N. W. about five o'clock this evening one of the wives of Charbono was delivered of a fine boy. It is worthy of remark that this was the first child which this woman had boarn and as is common in such cases her labour was tedious and the pain violent; Mr. Jessome informed me that he had freequently administered a small portion of the rattle of the rattle-snake, which he assured me had never failed to produce the desired effect, that of hastening the birth of the child; having the rattle of a snake by me I gave it to him and he administered two rings of it to the woman broken in small pieces with the fingers and added to a small quantity of water. Whether this medicine was truly the cause or not I shall not undertake to determine, but I was informed that she had not taken it more than ten minutes before she brought forth perhaps this remedy may be worthy of future experiments, but I must confess that I want faith as to it's efficacy.

Journalist Alistair Cooke claimed that rattlesnake tastes "just like chicken, only tougher". Others have compared the flavor to a wide range of other meats, including veal, frog, tortoise, quail, fish, rabbit, and even canned tuna. Methods of preparation include barbecueing and frying; author Maud Newton, following a recipe by Harry Crews, described the taste, "at least when breaded and fried, like a sinewy, half-starved tilapia."

The rattlesnake became a symbolic animal for the Colonials during the Revolutionary War period, and is depicted prominently on the Gadsden Flag. It continues to be used as a symbol by the United States military, and political movements within the United States.

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# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera and of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small animals such as birds and rodents.

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/platypus

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what does this have a panda on it :0

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/binturong

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The history of anime can be traced back to the start of the 20th century, with the earliest verifiable films dating from 1912.[1] Before the advent of film, Japan already had a rich tradition of entertainment with colourful painted figures moving across the projection screen in utsushi-e (写し絵), a pa…

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Animal Fact Sheet: Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Identifying Features

The Western diamondback rattlesnake ( Crotalus atrox) is a heavy bodied snake with a triangular shaped head. There are two dark diagonal lines on each side of its face running from the eyes to its jaws. It has dark diamond-shaped patterns along is back. The tail has black and white bands just above the rattles.

Adaptations

Western diamondbacks are pit vipers. This means that they have a heat sensing pit (loreal pit) located behind each nostril that can detect differences in temperature, sometimes differences that are only a fraction of a degree apart. The heat given off by an animal is detected by the snake helping it to determine predator from prey.

Habitat

This snake is considered a generalist, which means that it isn't too picky about its habitat. It can be found living in deserts, grassy plains, forests, rocky hillsides and areas along the coast. It lives in elevations from below sea level up to 6500 feet (2000m).

Range

This species ranges throughout the southwestern United States (Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas)and northern half of Mexico.

Wild Status

Currently, western diamondback rattlesnakes are not threatened or endangered.

Diet

Mice, rats, rabbits, gophers, ground dwelling birds, lizards and other small animals make up the diet of this snake.

Predators

Diamondbacks have many predators and not always because the predator wants to eat them. Animals such as deer, antelope, cows and horses regard the diamondback as a threat and they may try to trample or stomp the snake. Eagles, hawks, roadrunners, kingsnakes, coyote, bobcats or fox are predators who look at these snakes as a source of food.

Home

Diamondbacks will often spend the hot daytime hours coiled in the shade of low-growing shrubs, piles of natural or artificial debris, or rocks. They will also utilize underground burrows of other animals. In the winter, they retreat into caves or similar places to hibernate.

Life Span

These snakes can live approximately 15-20 years in captivity.

Size

This snake ranges in size from 3 to 5 feet long with a few reaching 7 feet long.

Extra Fun-facts

The rattle of the rattlesnake is made up of a protein called keratin (the same protein that your hair and fingernails are made of). A new segment is added each time a rattlesnake sheds, but they can shed at different rates. Because of this, and the fact that segments can break off, you really can't tell a snakes age by counting the segments.

A rattlesnake can move its rattle back and forth 60 or more times per second.

©Copyright 2008, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

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Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Fact Sheet

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The Western diamondback rattlesnake ( Crotalus atrox) is a heavy bodied snake with a triangular shaped head. There are two dark diagonal lines on each side of its face running from the eyes to its jaws. It has dark diamond-shaped patterns along is back. The tail has black and white bands just above the rattles.

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By Ellen Kuwana
Neuroscience for Kids Staff Writer
November 13, 2002

Skateboarding is a relatively safe sport. This is the conclusion of a report published in the October 2002 issue of The Journal of Trauma. Researchers examined data from emergency room visits in 1998 for people who participated in sports. They found that skateboarders had 8.9 injuries per 1,000 participants. The data showed the following injury rates per 1,000 participants:

Sport Injuries per 1,000 partipants

Basketball

21.2

Football

20.7

Bicycling

11.5

Snowboarding

11.2

Skateboarding

8.9

In-line skating

0.9

From 1987 to 1998, more than 666,000 skateboarders were seen in emergency rooms for injuries. The majority of these skateboarders were male (86.8%) between the ages of 12-17 years (53.1%). In 2001, more than 100,000 skateboarders had trips to the emergency room for injuries. The number of skateboarding injuries has been increasing steadily since 1993. Certainly part of the reason for this increase is the growing popularity of skateboarding. The researchers think that the increase in injury rate also may be because many skateboarders won't wear protective gear such as helmets and knee and wrist pads. The popularity of "street skating," which involves risky stunts and puts skateboarders close to traffic, may further contribute to the increase in injuries. In fact, many of the accidents analyzed in the new study involved skateboarders and cars.

In-line skaters, by comparison, are more apt to wear protective gear, and thus do not suffer as many injuries as skateboarders. The researchers recommend an educational campaign to encourage people to wear protective gear. They also suggest that more parks designed for skaters might decrease street skating, thus reducing injuries.

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By Ellen Kuwana Neuroscience for Kids Staff Writer November 13, 2002 Skateboarding is a relatively safe sport. This is the conclusion of a report published in the October 2002 issue of The Journal of Trauma. Researchers examined data from emergency room visits in 1998 for people who participated in sports.

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Calciphylaxis is a rare and serious disorder that presents with skin ischemia and necrosis and is characterized histologically by calcification of arterioles and capillaries in the dermis and subcutaneous adipose tissue [ 1]. It is a lethal disease that carries a high morbidity and mortality, with an estimated six-month survival of approximately 50 percent [ 2]. There is no approved treatment for calciphylaxis.

Calciphylaxis most commonly occurs in patients who have end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and are on dialysis [ 2-4] but may also occur in kidney transplant recipients [ 4] and in non-ESKD patients [ 5,6].

The term "calciphylaxis" is a misnomer since it implies a systemic anaphylactic or hypersensitivity reaction [ 7]. Calcific uremic arteriolopathy is a more descriptive term for this process in ESKD patients; however, calciphylaxis is more widely used to describe this disorder. We use the term calciphylaxis to refer to calcific uremic arteriolopathy in ESKD patients. We continue to use the term calciphylaxis to refer to the disorder in non-ESKD patients.

This topic reviews the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of calciphylaxis in ESKD (calcific uremic arteriolopathy) and non-ESKD patients.

Other issues related to vascular calcification in ESKD are presented separately. (See "Vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease".)

The content on the UpToDate website is not intended nor recommended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your own physician or other qualified health care professional regarding any medical questions or conditions. The use of UpToDate content is governed by the UpToDate Terms of Use. ©2021 UpToDate, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Calciphylaxis (calcific uremic arteriolopathy) - UpToDate

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Calciphylaxis is a rare and serious disorder that presents with skin ischemia and necrosis and is characterized histologically by calcification of arterioles and capillaries in the dermis and subcutaneous adipose tissue [ 1]. It is a lethal disease that carries a high morbidity and mortality, with an estimated six-month survival of approximately 50 percent [ 2].

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7 ways you can help save the ocean | Stories | WWF

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Covering more than 70% of our planet’s surface, the ocean contains the largest diversity of life on Earth and affects everything from global weather patterns to food systems. Learn what steps you can take help protect the ocean.

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Princeton Brain, Spine, and Sports Medicine

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Anatomy & Function

The brain is arguably the most important organ in the human body. It controls and coordinates actions and reactions, allows us to think and feel, and enables us to have memories and feelings-all the things that make us human.

While the brain only weighs about three pounds, it is a highly complex organ made up of many parts. Years of scientific study have made it possible for scientists to identify the various areas of the brain and determine their specific functions. The following information provides a brief description of some of the major parts of the human brain.

The Cranium: Covering of the Brain

The brain is protected by a bony covering called the cranium. The cranium and the bones of the face make up the skull. Inside the cranium, the brain is surrounded by three layers of tissue called the meninges. The meninges include:

Pia mater: The layer closest to the surface of the brain

Arachnoid membrane: The middle layer of tissue

Dura mater: The outer-most layer

The Cerebrum: Front Part of the Brain

The largest part of the brain, located in the front, is called the cerebrum. The cerebrum is responsible for:

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Brain Anatomy | Princeton Brain, Spine, and Sports Medicine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The brain is arguably the most important organ in the human body. It controls and coordinates actions and reactions, allows us to think and feel, and enables us to have memories and feelings-all the things that make us human. While the brain only weighs about three pounds, it is a highly complex organ made up of many parts.

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Calciphylaxis, or calcification uremic arteriolopathy, is a rare disease thought to occur due to arteriolar calcifications of the dermis and is responsible for ischemia with cutaneous necrosis and painful panniculitis. Its mechanism remains poorly understood which makes its management challenging and difficult to standardize. We report our management of two patients diagnosed with calciphylaxis. In one patient, calciphylaxis was mentioned upon admission given the context of preexisting secondary hyperparathyroidism and the existence of multiple risk factors. In both patients, the diagnosis was confirmed histologically. Our two observations highlight the difficulty of the diagnosis and the complexity of the therapeutic management that has been personalized according to patient characteristics and clinical evolution. Several therapeutic means can be implemented once the diagnosis is made; nevertheless, its prognosis remains pejorative despite the therapeutic advances. Broad debridement, good phosphocalcic balance control, and the correction of the risk factors top the list of any therapeutic strategy. One of the major challenges of the therapy is normalizing the calcium-phosphate balance. Thus, Cinacalcet and sodium thiosulfate appear to be promising treatments.

1. Background

Calciphylaxis, or calcific uremic arteriolopathy, is a rare disease with a poor prognosis. The mechanism involves arteriolar calcifications of the dermis, responsible for ischemia, with cutaneous necrosis and painful panniculitis [ 1].

Risk factors are multiple: female sex, dialysis, advanced age, diabetes, obesity, undernutrition, antivitamin K, and poor phosphocalcic balance control [ 2, 3].

The treatment is primarily based on managing the wounds, eliminating all the possible precipitating factors of ectopic calcification, administering agents capable of inhibiting the process of calcification, and controlling risk factors to avoid recurrences.

This disease is associated with high mortality ranging between 30% and 80% depending on the comorbidities and the configuration of cutaneous involvement. In recent years, mortality seems to have improved; especially, since the pathology is better known, the action is taken more quickly and some treatment alternatives are available [ 4].

We report a successful evolution of two patients with calciphylaxis managed in our department.

2. Cases Presentation

2.1. Patient 1

A 56-year-old woman with a 27-year history of type 2 diabetes mellitus being poorly controlled the last 3 years and high blood pressure under angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) for 4 years was diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease presumably due to diabetic nephropathy. After three years of thrice-weekly hemodialysis treatment (with a single-pool Kt / V at 1.27 and dialysate Ca at 1.5 mmol/L), our patient presented with necrotic and painful extremities skin lesions (Figure 1). The clinical examination found a patient in good general health with present and symmetrical peripheral pulses. Its biological assessment revealed phosphocalcic balance disorders with an elevated parathormone (PTH) and alkaline phosphatase (PAL) at 919 pg /ml and 348 UI /l, respectively, a calcium level at 2.2 mmol / l under calcium carbonate, a normal serum phosphorus at 1.03 mmol / l, a vitamin D deficiency at 14.2 ng / ml, and normocytic normochromic anemia. Dosage of prothrombotic factors (C and S proteins, antiphospholipid antibodies, anticardiolipin antibody, anti-b2 glycoprotein 1 antibody, circulating anticoagulant, and cryoglobulinemia) was normal. Cervical ultrasound has found bilateral parathyroid nodules. X-rays of the skeleton showed bone demineralization with extensive calcification of the vessels. The patient initially received symptomatic treatment with an opioid analgesic (Tramadol sometimes associated with Nefopam), blood transfusion, and erythropoietin to correct anemia.

She underwent a wide debridement of the necrotic cutaneous lesions whose anatomopathological examination returned in favor of a calciphylaxis. Once the diagnosis was established, the patient first benefited from a parathyroidectomy in order to correct the phosphocalcic balance. One week after parathyroidectomy, the patient had asymptomatic hypocalcemia at 1.74 mmol/l, following which she was dialyzed with a dialysate rich in calcium 1.75 mmol/l and given calcium supplementation based on calcium carbonate. 3 weeks later, its balance sheet improved significantly with a PTH at 432 pg/ml, a serum calcium level at 2.29 mmol/l, and a hypophosphatemia at 0.64 mmol / l. In addition, the patient received several hyperbaric oxygen therapy sessions that started from the second week of her admission and had been maintained until the fourth month with a total of 36 sessions. Sodium thiosulfate perfusions (25g three times a week at the end of each hemodialysis session) were also administered to our patient that started from the fourth week to the sixteenth week with a total of 36 bottles. No adverse effects have been reported. Local care was performed daily until complete healing of the lesions (Figure 2).

2.2. Patient 2

A 69-year-old woman with a long history of arterial hypertension under ACEI, complicated by end-stage kidney disease was placed on automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) for 21 months with a KT/V urea at 1,69. The patient was also under calcium carbonate for secondary hyperparathyroidism diagnosed during her follow-up (a PTH at 780 pg/ml). The patient was consulted for erythematous, necrotic, and painful skin lesions of her right leg (Figure 3.1). The clinical examination found inflammatory signs with redness and pain around these lesions. Peripheral pulses were present and symmetrical. Her body mass index was at 28,3 kg/m ². The lesions worsened and spread to the contralateral leg within 5 days (Figure 3.2). CT angiography did not indicate stenosis of the vascular axes but showed diffuse calcifications that extended to the lower limbs. Calciphylaxis was mentioned in view of the different risk factors present in our patient, as well as the quite telling clinical presentation occurring in a known context of secondary hyperparathyroidism. The initial treatment consisted of the correction of anemia with erythropoietin to optimize the tissue perfusion as well as analgesics to manage the pain. Parathyroidectomy was performed as soon to control the disturbances of the phosphocalcic balance and the PTH levels decreased to 417 pg/ml the day after parathyroidectomy. A concomitant biopsy of skin lesions confirmed the already mentioned diagnosis of calciphylaxis (Figure 4). Necrosectomy with local care and optimization of dialysis parameters were also implemented. A treatment based on sodium thiosulfate and hyperbaric oxygen was proposed to our patient but was not performed due to a lack of her financial resources. Fortunately, the complete healing of the lesions was obtained by 4 months (Figure 5).

3. Discussion

Calciphylaxis was described in 1968 by Anderson et al. in a context of secondary hyperparathyroidism with hypercalcemia [ 9]. Since then, it has been more frequently observed in patients with chronic kidney disease with a frequency ranging from 1 to 4% according to the studies [ 1, 10].

The average age of onset is between 50 and 60 years with a clear female predominance. The risk factors for calciphylaxis commonly cited in the literature are as follows: the number of years of dialysis, the presence of phosphocalcic balance abnormalities (including hypercalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, and secondary hyperparathyroidism, favoured by calcium supplementation and vitamin D deficiency), the use of antivitamin K or corticosteroids, the presence of diabetes, obesity, female sex, hypoalbuminemia, and liver diseases. Thrombophilia also appears to be one of the predisposing factors for calciphylaxis [ 7, 9, 10].

Both of our patients had an obvious predisposing ground. Besides the female sex, dialysis, and secondary hyperparathyroidism risk factors were diabetes in the first patient and the overweight in the second.

The pathogenesis of calciphylaxis remains incompletely understood. It has been advanced that these lesions are secondary to calcification of the small vessel's wall, with fibrosis and endovascular thrombosis, leading to tissue ischemia and necrosis of the dermis and hypodermis.

The development of calciphylaxis goes through two phases: a silent phase where vascular calcifications are formed in the media with intimal hyperplasia of dermal and hypodermic arterioles, and then a phase of microcirculatory decompensation, which corresponds to thrombosis ischemia most often [ 8].

The diagnosis of calciphylaxis is based on a set of arguments essentially clinical [ 3, 8].

Clinical signs include skin lesions which start as subcutaneous indurated nodules or plaques extremely painful (a pain disproportionate to the cutaneous lesion) accompanied by livedo reticularis, often initially labeled dermis-hypodermis. The evolution is done in a few days towards the formation of superficial and then deep ulcerations leading to the constitution of a blackish eschar, always strongly painful with centrifugal extension [ 11].

This suggestive clinical presentation associated with risk factors should rapidly evoke the diagnosis and initiate early therapeutic management to avoid serious infectious and ischemic complications, which can lead to death [ 1- 3, 8, 10]

Indeed, in patients presenting with plaques only, the mortality rate was 33% at six months. Once ulceration develops, the mortality rate increased to above 80% [ 12].

Two strong arguments in favor of a diagnosis of calciphylaxis are the presence of pulse distal and lack of neuropathy [ 13].

Imaging tests may contribute to the diagnosis of calciphylaxis. A simple X-ray of the affected area can demonstrate the presence of calcifications of the vessels of medium-small caliber.

The biological context is very particular. In the vast majority of cases, there are secondary hyperparathyroidism and profound disorders of phosphocalcic metabolism with hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia. The thrombophilia assessment is useful and must be performed according to antecedents [ 8, 11].

Although in the context of the clinical signs biological and radiological features guide the diagnosis, the biopsy of skin lesions would confirm the diagnosis of calciphylaxis [ 4, 8].

Pathologically, this entity is characterized by the existence of calcifications of the media of deep and hypodermic dermal arterioles, hypertrophy of the intima, vascular thrombi formation, adipose tissue calcification, and infiltration by inflammatory cells [ 1, 8, 10].

Given the low level of evidence and the lack of randomized studies in this field, optimal treatment is far from being standardized. It involves a medical and surgical approach.

Management will, therefore, aim at the restoration of phosphocalcic balance, effective detoxification of affected areas, and the elimination of various risk factors [ 3, 8, 10].

Surgical wound cleaning is the first step in the management of this disease. McCarthy et al. reported in their retrospective monocentric study that a lack of surgical debridement was associated with a lower 6-month survival and significantly poorer survival for the entire duration of follow-up [ 6].

Other measures would be essential, notably the management of ulcerations (debridement, directed cicatrization, and broad-spectrum antibiotherapy depending on the evolution) and the optimization of healing (nutritional management, pressure ulcer prevention, and physiotherapy) [ 3].

Some authors advocate hyperbaric oxygen therapy in addition to previous treatments to accelerate wound healing [ 5].

The effective treatment of pain with analgesics using opioids is often appropriate. In our cases, opioids were used essentially during local care and dressing changes where the pain was at its peak.

The correction of anemia (by erythropoietin or transfusion of red blood cells) and the optimization of dialysis parameters (daily dialysis for patients on hemodialysis) allow better tissue oxygenation, essential for good healing of lesions [ 3].

It is accepted by several authors that the normalization of calcium phosphate balance is the primary variable for the treatment of calciphylaxis lesions [ 6].

Optimal dialysate poor in calcium and stopping the intake of calcium and alpha hydroxylated derivatives of vitamin D help to fight against the phenomena of calcification [ 3].

The control of hypoprothrombinemia by calcimimetics is strongly recommended or, more radically, parathyroidectomy in case of secondary hyperparathyroidism. McCarthy et al. found that, in patients with stage 5 / 5D chronic kidney disease (CKD), subtotal parathyroidectomy (performed only in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism) was associated with better 6-month survival and overall survival [ 6].

Cinacalcet represents an interesting alternative for controlling hyperparathyroidism and decreasing the phosphocalcic product especially for patients with surgical contraindications [ 14].

In our patients, we used parathyroidectomy for the rapid treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism and better control of the calcium phosphate balance. However, we have used a calcium carbonate substitution given the hypocalcemia threatening after parathyroidectomy. In addition, we did not correct the hypovitaminosis D during the 4 months of evolution.

Sodium thiosulfate, a calcium ion chelator, is a specific treatment that proved its worth in slowing calcification phenomena. Its mechanism of action is based on its ability to form soluble complexes with many metals and minerals, as well as being a possible effect as a vasodilator, antioxidant, and direct inhibitor of the calcification process [ 1- 3, 6- 8].

Bisphosphonates are the drugs of choice in the management of bone disorders including osteoporosis, Paget's disease, multiple myeloma, bone cancer, and cancer-induced hypocalcemia. It has shown response mainly in dystrophic calcifications of dermatomyositis and systemic sclerosis by reducing calcium turnover and resorption [ 15]. Furthermore, because of an additional property of inhibiting calcium phosphate crystal formation, bisphosphonates were used as inhibitors of ectopic calcification in two different types of vascular disease, atherosclerosis, and calciphylaxis [ 16, 17]. We do not have the experience of the use of bisphosphonates in our cases.

The calciphylaxis is one of the most feared complications of patients with CKD and dialysis. Its prognosis is very poor with mortality that reached 100% at 12 months as reported by Jean et al. [ 3]

Despite being improved in recent years by a better understanding of the pathology, the mortality remains high ranging between 33% and 80% mainly related to sepsis in most than half of the cases [ 8, 18].

The severity of calciphylaxis is related to the underlying condition of the patient (obesity, diabetes, and arteritis), diagnosis delay, the extent of the lesions, and the topography of the affected area with a better prognosis for distal forms [ 1, 3, 8, 18].

Our little experience in the management of calciphylaxis made us more optimistic toward this feared disease. We believe that the creation of a national registry for calciphylaxis and referral of patients to centers with experience in the management of calciphylaxis may help to carry out studies on a larger number of patients and then may help in improving the knowledge of calciphylaxis and therefore the survival of patients facing this disease.

Table 1 includes the nonexhaustive list of different therapies suggested to improve calciphylaxis in our patients and their mechanism of action.

Consent

Written informed consent for publication of clinical details and clinical images were obtained from the two patients. A copy of the consent form is available for review by the Editor of this journal.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

References

1. M. Chettati, A. Adnouni, W. Fadili, and I. Laouad, "Calcific uremic arteriolopathy in hemodialysis patient, review of literature through five cases reports," View at: Néphrologie & Thérapeutique, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 439-445, 2018. Google Scholar

2. D. Cucchiari and J.-V. Torregrosa, "Calciphylaxis in patients with chronic kidney disease: A disease which is still bewildering and potentially fatal," View at: Nefrología, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 579-586, 2018. Google Scholar

3. D. C. Anderson, W. K. Stewart, and D. M. Piercy, "Calcifying panniculitis with fat and skin necrosis in a case of uraemia with autonomous hyperparathyroidism.," View at: The Lancet, vol. 2, no. 7563, pp. 323-325, 1968. Google Scholar

4. V. Esteve Simó, J. Almirall, J. Luelmo, A. Sáez, X. Andreu, and M. García, "Calcific uraemic ateriolopathy (calciphylaxis): Incidence, clinical features and long term outcomes," View at: Nefrología, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 599-604, 2007. Google Scholar

5. J. B. Catterall and T. E. Cawston, "Drugs in development: Bisphosphonates and metalloproteinase inhibitors," View at: Arthritis Research & Therapy, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 12-24, 2003. Google Scholar

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Calciphylaxis: Successful Management of a Rare Complication of Chronic Kidney Disease in Two Patients

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Calciphylaxis, or calcification uremic arteriolopathy, is a rare disease thought to occur due to arteriolar calcifications of the dermis and is responsible for ischemia with cutaneous necrosis and painful panniculitis. Its mechanism remains poorly understood which makes its management challenging and difficult to standardize. We report our management of two patients diagnosed with calciphylaxis.

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Rattlesnakes are best known for, and most easily recognized by, their rattle. The rattlesnake babies are born with what is called a pre-button. The baby snake loses this piece when it sheds its skin for the first time. With the shedding a new button appears. With every shedding after that another button, or rattle, will be added. These buttons are made up of a material called Keratin, which is what the scales and your fingernails are made of! The rattles are empty, so what makes the noise? The noise comes from each segment knocking together, so until a rattlesnake has two or more pieces it isn't going to make a sound! But when it does...you WILL hear it...and you WILL RUN!

Rattlesnakes are found in the southern parts of the United States, from the deserts to the mountains and grow between 3 and 4 feet (.9 to 1.2 m) long. There are 16 different types of Rattlers such as the Eastern Diamondback, Western Diamondback, Sidewinder and the Speckled, just to name a few. All of them have rattles, are venomous and are pit vipers.

Rattlesnakes feed on rodents, squirrels, rabbits and other small critters. They hibernate through the winter and come out in the spring to eat and then mate. Rattlesnake eggs will stay inside their mother until they hatch. Most of the time there are 8-10 babies born at once and are about 10 inches long. Babies are born venomous but cannot rattle and are often more aggressive than the adults.

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Rattlesnakes are best known for, and most easily recognized by, their rattle. The rattlesnake babies are born with what is called a pre-button. The baby snake loses this piece when it sheds its skin for the first time. With the shedding a new button appears.

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If you want to you can watch the video it is really cool.

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Delightful Architecture and Ultimate Energy Efficiency - Welcome Home
COVID-19: During this crisis, our thoughts are with the front-line workers who continue to provide essential services. We feel fortunate, that as a team working from home, we are able to continue our design work safely with our clients and each other.

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Passive House Design | Energy Efficient Home Builders Canada

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COVID-19: During this crisis, our thoughts are with the front-line workers who continue to provide essential services. We feel fortunate, that as a team working from home, we are able to continue our design work safely with our clients and each other.

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Computer hardware is the physical parts or components of a computer, such as the monitor, keyboard, computer data storage, graphic card, sound card and motherboard. By contrast, software is instructions that can be stored and ran by hardware.

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Descended from the tiger salamander, the axolotl is "young", having inhabited central Mexico for only about the last 10,000 years, according to some experts. Indigenous to these two spring-fed lakes along the southern edge of the Basin of Mexico, much of its suitable habitat has been drained.

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Learn what computer system is with this KS1 primary computing guide from BBC Bitesize for years 1 and 2.

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Amazing Facts about Cambodia

Here are some interesting facts for kids on Cambodia. Despite its size, Cambodia has much to offer to its traveler. Despite having the Angkor Wat, Cambodia's greatest asset, and treasure are its people. The traveler may find the people overly friendly and proud of what they have. They have virtually been to hell and back and you have nothing but admiration for them.

There are a lot more high-rise buildings, the country's first stock exchange, multiplex cinemas, mobile phones, and the internet. Its roads, ports, and railways have vastly improved over the recent years. The Cambodian Government is going all out to benefit from the sudden newfound opportunities and signing new contracts virtually every day, without evaluating the long-term effects that this may have on the economy.

Little has changed even in the last decade. The dusty and broken-down roads are filled with a mixture of Toyota SUVs, sleek minibuses and a clutter of tut-tuts, old mopeds, and rickety carts. Only recently were the roads in Phnom Penh, the capital, have been upgraded with a layer of bitumen. Phnom Penh, which was once virtually a ghost town, is now blossoming into a small up-market southeastern vibrant metropolis.

The Khmer empire had one of the world's most glorious traditions in sculpture and architecture. The many Hindu and Buddhist temples at Angkor and throughout Cambodia are a manifestation of that and reflect the strong influence of the culture and religions of India.

Culture
The culture of Cambodia is rich and varied dating back many centuries. It has been heavily influenced by India. For over two millennia as they developed a unique Khmer belief from the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism.

Cambodian clothing
Cambodian clothing reflects the wearer's social class. Cambodians traditionally use an all-purpose clothing known as Krama. The Indian influenced traditional costume known as the Sampot has lost popularity in the recent years. However, Khmer People's clothing also changed depending on the time period and religion.

Customs
Cambodia people do the sampeah gesture, which is similar to the Indian Namaste and Thai wai while greeting people. Other Cambodian customs include;

A person is lazy if he does not wake up before sunrise.

You have to tell your elders where you are going and when you plan to return home.

You are not supposed to slam doors as it shows your bad temper.

You are also not supposed to cross your legs and sit as it shows you are rude.

In addition, always let other people talk more than you did.

Not polite to have eye contact with a person who is older than you or a superior.

Disrespectful to point or sleep with your feet pointing at a person as the feet are the lowest part of the body and are considered to be impure

Religion
Cambodia is predominantly 90% Buddhists, 1% Christian and the balance are either Islamic or atheists. Buddhism however has been prevalent since the 5th century.

Rituals
The birth of a child is a happy event for the family. According to traditional rituals, however, the mother and child are exposed to the spirit world during confinement and childbirth. A woman can become an evil spirit if she dies during childbirth. Hence, there are a number of food taboos and situations that a pregnant woman has to avoid.

Classes and Castes
Over the last two decades, there has been the new rich class that has surfaced among the new upmarket businesspersons and top ranking government officials. This is in a country where 90% of the population is below the poverty line.

Gender Roles and Statuses
There is some flexibility in gender roles as most tasks performed by men occasionally are performed by women, and vice versa. In the rural areas, men generally plowed, made and repaired tools, fished, and cared for cattle. Women did the washing and housecleaning, childcare, the everyday shopping and transplanted seedlings. Women are responsible for maintaining the family budget.

Literature
There is a long tradition of the use of writing, with important religious texts, royal chronicles, and epic poetry, but modern literature is undeveloped.

Sport
Football is a popular sport as well as martial arts, which include Khmer kick boxing, Bokador (traditional kick-boxing), and traditional wrestling.

Cambodian Cuisine
Cambodian food leaves much to be desired although it is not that bad as it is a mixture of Thai and Vietnamese cooking, both of which are considered remarkable cuisines. Then, there are also the odd delicacies such as dog, grubs, and locusts if you know where to get it. In addition, for those who prefer Japanese, Indian, Chinese, French, American, German, Mexican, Italian, or even African, these are all available in the capital city.

Khmer food is cheap and tasty and is usually accompanied by noodles or rice. Thai food is not spicy and in most dishes, black pepper is the preferred choice instead of chilly. Iced coffee is freshly brewed coffee like in Vietnam, which is then blended with sweetened condensed milk and ice. Iced tea with lemon and sugar is also a refreshing drink.

There is also a wide variety of fresh fruit available from markets. The prices vary according to which fruit is in season. There are nine varieties of delicious mangoes. Mangosteen, which is found during May / June, is also very tasty.

Water
You can drink the tap water in Phnom Penh but it is highly chlorinated and you may not like the taste. However, out of Phnom Penh, tap water is not safe. There is also some concern about the bottle water vendors. Fresh or tender coconut is virtually everywhere. It is the best drink under such conditions. It is healthy and sanitary if drunk straight from the fruit.

Language
Khmer is the official language of Cambodia and is used in most social contexts including government administration, education at all levels, and in the mass media. It is spoken by some 7 million people living there, roughly 90% of the population.

The traveler, however, will generally find people friendly and curious, proud of what little they have, and generous with it.

These awesome facts and information presented is interesting and serve kids and adults on an overseas trip to Cambodia. Do visit us every week to read more facts about new countries.

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Awesome Facts And Trivia About Countries - Cambodia

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Here are some interesting facts for kids on Cambodia. Despite its size, Cambodia has much to offer to its traveler. Despite having the Angkor Wat, Cambodia's greatest asset, and treasure are its people. The traveler may find the people overly friendly and proud of what they have.

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An animated cartoon is a short, hand-worked (or made with computers to look like something hand worked) movie for the cinema, television or computer screen. It tells some kind of story, even if it is a very short one.

Early years

Early examples of attempts to capture the phenomenon of motion into a still drawing can be found in paleolithic cave paintings, where animals are often depicted with multiple legs in superimposed positions, clearly attempting to convey the perception of motion.

The phenakistoscope (1832), zoetrope (1834) and praxinoscope (1877), as well as the common flip book, were early animation devices to produce movement from sequential drawings using technological means, but did not develop further until the advent of motion picture film.

Simulated mirror view of the disc

A modern replica of a Victorian zoetrope (1834)

Technologies

The advent of film technology opened opportunities to develop the art of animation. The basic animation process is described in the article Animation, and the classic, hand-drawn technology in Traditional animation.

At first, animated cartoons were black-and-white and silent. Felix the cat is a notable example.

The first cartoon with synchronized sound is often identified as Walt Disney's Steamboat Willie, starring Mickey Mouse in 1928, but Max Fleischer's 1926 My Old Kentucky Home is less popularly but more correctly credited with this innovation. Fleischer also patented rotoscoping, whereby animation could be traced from a live action film.

With the advent of sound film, musical themes were often used. Animated characters usually performed the action in "loops", i.e., drawings were repeated over and over, synchronized with the music. The music used is often original, but musical quotation is often employed.

Disney also produced the first full-color cartoon in Technicolor, "Flowers and Trees", in 1931, although other producers had earlier made films using inferior, 2-color processes instead of the 3-color process offered by Technicolor.

Later, other movie technologies were adapted for use in animation, such as multiplane cameras, stereophonic sound in Disney's Fantasia in 1941, and later, widescreen processes (e.g. CinemaScope), and even 3D.

Today, animation is commonly produced with computers, giving the animator new tools not available in hand-drawn traditional animation. See Computer animation for further information of the specific technologies. However, many types of animation cannot be called "cartoons", which implies something that resembles drawings. Most forms of 3D computer animation, as well as clay animation and other forms of stop motion filming, are not cartoons in the strict sense of the word.

An animated cartoon created using Adobe Flash is sometimes called a webtoon.

Related pages

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An animated cartoon is a short, hand-worked (or made with computers to look like something hand worked) movie for the cinema, television or computer screen. It tells some kind of story, even if it is a very short one.

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Best known as both the home of the colossal temples of Angkor Wat and for the brutal Khmer Rouge era of the 1970s and later civil war, Cambodian history encompasses both some of humanity's greatest artistic accomplishments and most horrific deeds. The history is what draws most travelers here, but this Southeast Asian nation has more to offer for those who linger longer than a short temple hop to Siem Reap. The coastline of sandy white beaches tempts every sun sloth. Jungle-swathed countryside is geared up for the more intrepid, and the buzzing capital of Phnom Penh envelops visitors in the frenetic pulse of contemporary Cambodian city life. Beyond the temples, and recovering from the atrocities that rained down on the country in the late 20th century, Cambodia is an emerging destination for Southeast Asia travels that manages to charm all who come.

12 Banteay Chhmar

For a touch of Indiana Jones-style temple exploring, you can't beat Banteay Chhmar. This mammoth temple complex sits consumed by surrounding jungle in Cambodia's lonely northwest, providing the perfect opportunity to discover the highlights without the crowds. It was built by the 12th-century Angkorian king Jayavarman VII, and the remarkable stone reliefs along its walls are some of the most intricately detailed you'll see in the country. In particular, the spectacular bas reliefs depicting Avalokiteśvara on the south wall and the dizzying array of battle scenes depicted on the eastern walls are prime examples of the Angkorian era's artistry.

Map of Top Places to Visit in Cambodia

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12 Top-Rated Places to Visit in Cambodia | PlanetWare

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Best known as both the home of the colossal temples of Angkor Wat and for the brutal Khmer Rouge era of the 1970s and later civil war, Cambodian history encompasses both some of humanity's greatest artistic accomplishments and most horrific deeds.

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A seizure response dog ( SRD) (also known as seizure dog) is a dog demonstrating specific assisting behaviour during or immediately after a person's epileptic seizure or other seizure . When reliably trained such dogs can serve as service dogs for people with epilepsy. Tasks for seizure dogs may include, but are not limited to:

Find someone to help

Activate an emergency response system

Stimulate a person to help them "wake up" after a seizure

Use body weight to keep the person in a specific position

Act as a brace to help the person up

Retrieve a phone or medication

Physically remove the patient from an unsafe situation (i.e. middle of a street)

A dog demonstrating specific behaviour prior to a persons epileptic seizure is also referred to as seizure alert dog (SAD). Reports suggest that some dogs can be trained to anticipate epileptic seizures. However, this ability has been questioned.

Seizure response and seizure alerting behaviour may spontaneously develop in dogs living with children and adults with epilepsy.

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A seizure response dog ( SRD) (also known as seizure dog) is a dog demonstrating specific assisting behaviour during or immediately after a person's epileptic seizure or other seizure . When reliably trained such dogs can serve as service dogs for people with epilepsy.

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A Flash animation or Flash cartoon is an animated video that is created by Adobe Flash or a similar animation software. The video is usually distributed in the .swf file format. They are often distributed on the World Wide Web, in which case they are often referred to as Internet cartoons, online cartoons, or webtoons.

Related pages

Images for kids

Simple animation in Flash MX: a square moving across the screen in a motion tween, one of the basic functions of Flash. Onion skinning is used to show the apparent motion of the square.

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A Flash animation or Flash cartoon is an animated video that is created by Adobe Flash or a similar animation software. The video is usually distributed in the .swf file format. They are often distributed on the World Wide Web, in which case they are often referred to as Internet cartoons, online cartoons, or webtoons.

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A History of Gymnastics: From Ancient Greece to Modern Times

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A History of Gymnastics: From Ancient Greece to Modern Times

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https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/history-gymnastics-ancient-greece-modern-times/

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Ready to meet some seriously strange creatures? Things you won't believe actually exist?! Then take a deep breath and join National Geographic Kids as we dive into the deep to get up close and personal with the ocean's weirdest wonders...

Leafy Sea Dragon

This may look like your average piece of seaweed but, believe it or not, it's actually a fish! Found along the southern and western coast of Australia, the leafy sea dragon is a member of the same family as the seahorse - the Syngnathidae family. They grow to around 20-24cm long and feed on plankton and small crustaceans. Moving through the water using their tiny fins, this fab fish"s long, leafy extensions allow it to hide from predators by blending in with seaweed! David Attenborough has said he counts the leafy sea dragon as his favourite animal. Cool, eh?

Christmas Tree Worm

Christmas Tree Worms are found on coral reefs in tropical waters around the world. They get their name from the two spiral "plumes" that look just like - yep, you guessed it - Christmas trees! These hair-like tentacles grow from their small, tube-like bodies, and are used for feeding on microscopic plants and for respiration, allowing the worm to breathe. These cool critters come in different colours, including orange, yellow, blue and white!

Anglerfish

Now here's a creature that might give you a fright! With its huge head and enormous mouth, these fearsome fish swim in the dark depths of the ocean. Ranging from around 20 centimetres to one metre in length, there are more than 300 species of anglerfish, most of which are found in the Atlantic and Antarctic oceans. So what makes this creature super strange? Well, the female has her own glowing light hanging above her mouth! This luminous flesh attracts unsuspecting prey close to the anglerfish"s sharp, see-through teeth and then...chomp!

Northern Stargazer

Ever seen a fish that looks like this before? Found mainly off the east coast of the United States, this creepy creature grows to around 50cm long. It has a blackish brown body with white spots on its head, and stripes on its tail. The wacky bit? The northern stargazer's eyes and nostrils are located on the top of its head, and, unlike most fish, its mouth faces upwards! This cunning critter buries itself in the sand, leaving its eyes poking out. And when an unlucky smaller fish swims by, it rises up and swallows its meal in one big gulp!

Red Handfish

Rather than swim through the ocean like most of our fishy friends, this cool creature prefers to walk along the seafloor! Found in the waters of southern Australia and Tasmania, it grows to around 15cm long and has skin covered in tooth-like scales, called "denticles". So why the name "handfish"? Well, these quirky creatures move around the ocean floor using a unique set of fins that look similar to human hands. There are other kinds of handfish, too, including the spotted handfish and the pink handfish.

Wobbegong

Meet the Wobbegong, a species of the "carpet shark" family - not the piece of old rug that it may first seem! To find one of these super sharks, you'll need to explore the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean. Wobbegongs spend their time resting on the sea floor, camouflaged by their flat, tasseled bodies. There they wait for a tasty treat - including fish, octopuses, crabs and lobsters - to pass their way, before...gulp! Some wobbegongs have also been seen to slowly sneak up on their prey, too, in search of some grub.

Photos: Getty Images UK

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The Ocean's Weirdest Creatures! - National Geographic Kids

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Meet the ocean's strangest creatures here at National Geographic Kids. Join us as learn about the angler fish, red handfish, carpet shark, leafy sea dragon and more weird sea creatures!

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Service dogs are an important part of society. They are trained to help people with disabilities. Canine Companions for Independence trains service dogs. The group has been around since 1975. Since its founding, it has placed more than 6,200 service dogs with people in need. Which dog breeds are trained for the job? Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and crosses of these two breeds can do the work. Read the ages below. It shows the life of a Canine Companions service dog.

Age 0-2 A service dog spends the first two years of its life being trained to help.

JOHN PARASKEVAS-NEWSDAY RMnewsday/GETTY IMAGES

Age 2-10 The average service dog works for eight years. It picks up items, opens doors, and more.

LYSANDRA COOK

From age 10 on The dog retires from service. It spends its time as a pet

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Service dogs are an important part of society. They are trained to help people with disabilities. Canine Companions for Independence trains service dogs. The group has been around since 1975. Since its founding, it has placed more than 6,200 service...

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When delving into the realm of Japanese folklore and its many ghosts, spirits, and monsters, it can get terrifying really fast. Various tales of otherworldly beings preying upon the unsuspecting, possessing jealous and angry people, or simply spooking around a home to bring disease and misfortune can make one's blood run cold. You might even wake up to your own futon trying to strangle you!

In the massive world of these beings that are called yōkai, though, not everything is out to eat you. Some spirits just want to be left alone and go about their ghastly day, and others even try to actively help and protect the humans they encounter. To help you navigate the otherworld a bit better, let us introduce you to a couple these friendly yōkai!

Zashiki Warashi, the Guestroom Child

If you see a child in a kimono roaming your home or find tiny ashen footprints around your residence, consider yourself lucky: a zashiki warashi has moved in.

They are guardians of the house as well as bringers of good luck and fortune, which is why people sometimes actively try to attract these "guestroom children".

This yōkai earns both its name and its appearance to its child-like nature: it loves playing harmless tricks, like sitting on a guest's pillow when they really shouldn't, or making music-like noises in rooms that no one uses. This sort of mischief is neither harmful nor particularly annoying, considering that this yōkai is nothing more than a child - one that wards off evil and protects the household from harm on top of it!

There is a downside to these hauntings as well, though: it is believed to bring great misfortune should a zashiki warashi leave one's home. To keep this from happening, the spirit must be treated kindly, given the appropriate amount of appreciation and attention, and it will be tremendously happy if the house owners leave a sweet treat for it once in awhile!

Should you ever walk along one of Japan's many coasts and beaches and spot a man-like figure sitting in the sand, the body covered in red, shaggy hair, don't be afraid. That's just a shōjō.

This yōkai appears somewhat like an orangutan but it is actually a very friendly and curious sea spirit. Its gentle nature isn't what makes this otherworldly being famous, though. That would be the shōjō's fondness for alcoholic drinks - it sits around the sandy beach all day and enjoys drinking sake.

If you approach one, it will most likely invite you to sit down and enjoy a drink as well. In fact, the shōjō are excellent master brewers: they make a special kind of wine from sea bream, one that tastes unbelievably good to people with a pure heart while being unbearably bitter to mischief-makers. So, should you be of pure heart, feel free to hang out with the shōjō and get drunk on sea bream wine together!

O'uni, the Friendly Witch

Belonging to the clan of the mountain hags and witches, ouni definitely are the helpful and friendly sort of witch - but only if you are friendly and helpful as well. When you happen staying in a secluded hut in the Japanese mountains and hear a sudden knock on the door late at night, it might just be the o'uni.

With her long thick hair falling down from her head to the ground, and her body is of the hairy kind as well, she might look frightful at first. There's no reason to be afraid, though. When she asks you to grant her free lodging at your place, make sure to invite her in and treat her nicely. If you show her kindness, she will sit down and spin a huge amount of thread for you before leaving without a trace. Enjoy your witch-crafted fabric!

The Kappa is one of the most famous yōkai in Japanese culture, making many appearances in pop culture and even as mascots for sport teams or companies. Also being called river children, they are excellent swimmers and live in lakes or rivers. Once they are on dry land, however, they tend to be quite clumsy and even in danger, should the bald spot on their head ever dry out completely.

Kappa can be very aggressive and mischievous, not to mention their peculiar taste for human entrails. However, if a kappa is shown the appropriate respect, for example by being given offerings such as cucumbers, their second-favorite food right after yummy human, they do show their friendly nature.

Worshiped properly, kappa often help the human population with the irrigation of their crops, befriend lonely children, and can even be great companions, competing with people in various games. If you value your insides and don't mind a match of shogi (Japanese chess) against a kappa, be sure to leave some cucumbers close to the next river.

Nuppeppō, the Stinky Delicacy

This extremely rare otherworldly manifestation looks like a deformed, rather creepy blob of flesh. Even worse than its unbecoming looks, however, is the foul stench that its body gives off. Smelling of rotten flesh to such an extent that a passerby gags before even spotting the nuppeppō, this yōkai can prove extremely hard to catch.

Why would anyone want to catch a blob of stink in the first place, you ask? According to scholars and pharmacists of the Edo period, consuming the flesh of a nuppeppō grants incredible power. When turned into medicine, the nuppeppō's meat is said to be able to cure any illness and as such, various feudal lords have tried their luck at catching one of these creatures.

None of them have succeeded but even if someone really managed to catch a nuppeppō without fainting from the terrible smell, the second challenge would probably be to actually eat the little soap-dodger's meat.

With its diet consisting solely of bad dreams, it is pretty obvious that the baku is an asset, even if it looks a bit weird. Its head is that of an elephant, its legs are borrowed from a tiger and its tail is of an ox. It prowls large and dense forests that it usually has to itself, as ill-meaning spirits stay clear of the baku.

Not only do these yōkai devour the bad dreams of the people living in their domain from their bad dreams, they also guard their territory and everyone in it fiercely. Because of that, the baku is considered to be a holy creature, a bringer of luck, health, and general good fortune. The image of a baku was often stitched into pillows and engraved on talismans in the past to ward off evil dreams and spirits.

Myōbu, the Celestial Guardian

The statues that are found across Inari shrines all across Japan depict the myōbu, a fox spirit that is both the bringer of happiness and luck as well as the messenger of Inari, the deity of harvest. Their beautiful white fur hints at their celestial nature. People often offer fried tofu in front of a myōbu statue as a gesture of worship - fried tofu is the favorite dish of this fox spirit.

Their role as protectors and messengers is closely related to the komainu, another guardian yōkai in the image of a lion-like dog. Just like the myōbu, the komainu are the protectors of sacred sites and thus found at many shrines throughout the country.

Hahakigami, the Broom Spirit

Yōkai often possess household objects or even structures, such as umbrellas, lamps, and tea kettles. Most of them are mischievous and dangerous, just like the futon spirit mentioned at the beginning. Some, however, act as charms.

One of those is the hahakigami, or literally: broom spirit. It can be seen dancing around the house on stormy evening, frantically sweeping at leaves that are being whirled around by the wind. This seems pointless, everyone knows that sweeping while a strong wind blows does not make any sense at all, but the hahakigami is doing this purely for its own entertainment.

Why is it good to keep it around? Brooms in Japan started out as a religious instruments and were swung in the air for ritual purification. As such, the hahakigami isn't a mere broom but cleans out everything that is unwanted.

With a hahakigami in the house, it is ensured that childbirth will be as quick and painless as possible, because the baby is "swept" out fast and clean. It also acts as a charm against guests overstaying their visit - the hahakigami will make sure that these troublesome guests leave at the appropriate time.

*This information is from the time of this article's publication.
*Prices and options mentioned are subject to change.
*Unless stated otherwise, all prices include tax.

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When delving into the realm of Japanese folklore and its many ghosts, spirits, and monsters, it can get terrifying really fast. Various tales of otherworldly beings preying upon the unsuspecting, possessing jealous and angry people, or simply spooking around a home to bring disease and misfortune can make one's blood run cold.

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Halloween is coming! And in Japan, it has been a month since people have taken the decorations to the streets. While the Halloween holiday has been imported from the United States through Disney parks, it is known worldwide that Japan is famous for its horror stories. Since its Halloween, in this article, we want to show you some of the most famous urban horror legends of Japan! Are you prepared?
*Warning: Unpleasant descriptions are included.
Kuchisake-Onna, the Slit-Mouthed Woman

According to legend, Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女) was a young woman with her mouth slit from ear to ear.

One of the most popular versions says it was during a dental procedure. When she was with her mouth open at the dentist, one of the products that the doctor was using smelled so bad that she couldn't stand still, causing the dentist to accidentally slit both sides of her mouth. Another version of the story says that she was the wife or concubine of a samurai and that when the samurai discovered that she was cheating on him, he sliced the corners of her mouth from ear to ear with his katana. Other versions of the tale include; that her mouth was slit by a woman who was jealous of her beauty, or that her mouth is filled with numerous sharp teeth, causing the mouth to be cut from the inside.

In any case, she lived having her mouth slit open and after her death, the woman returned as a vengeful spirit (or onryō in Japanese). She covers her mouth with a cloth mask (a surgical mask in the dentist version), or in some iterations, a hand fan or handkerchief. She used the mask all her life after the incident. She also carries a sharp instrument with her. Again, there are different versions such as; a knife, a machete, a scythe, or a large pair of scissors. But the most common is a sickle.

The legend says that children walking at night might meet a woman with her face covered by a mask (which is quite common in Japan especially in winter since many Japanese people wear masks). Then she will stop the child and ask, "Watashi, kirei?" (which means "Am I pretty?"). If the child answers "no", she will kill them with the sickle. But if the answer is "yes", the woman pulls away the mask revealing her slitted mouth and ask "Kore demo?" (which means "Even like this?"). If the child responds "no" or even worse, if the child screams, she will kill them. However, if the answer is "yes", she will slice the corners of the child's mouth from ear to ear, resembling her own disfigurement. So there is no correct answer and you can't run away from her because she is super fast and she will chase you and kill you.

Fortunately, there are two ways to survive your encounter with the Kuchisake-onna. One of the most popular versions of the legend says that if you reply to Kuchisake-onna's saying that her appearance is "average", she will be confused and you will have enough time to run away. Another way is repeating her question back ("Watashi, kirei?").

In the version that she was disfigured because of not being able to stand the smell while she was at the dentist, there is another way to avoid the death by saying the word "pomade" three times since pomade was the product that the dentist was using. But my favorite version is one that says that you can run away from her after giving or throwing candies (particularly the kind of candy known as bekko ame) in her direction. This is my favorite version because it reminds me of Halloween. At the end, even different cultures have similar stories.

Hikiko-san

Hikiko was a girl who was physically mistreated by her parents. The beatings were so bad that they caused physical deformations. Because of this, her classmates made fun of her. Her teachers did nothing to avoid the bullying and were very strict with her.

From this point, there are two versions to this story. The short version says that Hikiko committed suicide. On the ther hand, the long version tells that one day after leaving class, Hikiko found a kitten and began to take care of it. She took care of the kitten every day by bringing him food and kept him safe in a box. One day, seeing that lately she looked happy and lively, three of the bullies followed her to see what made her so happy. They hid and watched as she took care of the kitten. The next day when she went to see the kitten as usual, the kitten was gone. Instead, she found a note from the bullies saying "if you want to see the kitten alive, come to the teacher's parking". When she went to the parking lot, she found that the children had tied the kitten with a rope around its neck to a teacher's car. At the same time, the teacher was leaving the school building and getting into the car without noticing the kitten and started the car. Hikiko launched herself to protect the kitten. She clung to the rope and protected the kitten with her body. The car drove several kilometers with the girl clutched protecting the kitten before the teacher realized what was happening. When the teacher finally stopped the car, the kitten was alive because Hikiko had protected him with her body. But sadly, Hikiko was dead from being dragged several kilometers.

In this version of the kitten, two days later, the three bullies were found dead. In either version, Hikiko becomes a vindictive spirit that walks through Japanese schools punishing or killing children who bully others. Sometimes she kills them just without any reason. For instance, some children who told the police they had seen Hikiko, were found dead the next day.

Hikiko is described as a girl dressed in white, with long black hair. Surely this description sounds familiar to you, right? It is rumored that Hikiko's name when she was alive was Sadako, and in the movie "The Ring", they were inspired by the legend of Hikiko to make the film.

Hanako-san, the Girl in the Bathroom

Toire no Hanako-san (トイレのはなこさん), which literally means "Hanako of the Toilet", is the spirit of a young girl who lives in school bathrooms. As in the previous legends, there are different versions. The most extended version is that it was a girl that committed suicide in a school bathroom or was killed by her abusive parents or a stranger in a school bathroom. Another version indicates that she was killed a long time ago, during World War II in an air raid while hiding in a school bathroom playing hide-and-seek. In any case, she died in the bathroom, and that's why she still remains there to this day.

To summon Hanako-san, you must enter alone in the girls' bathroom (usually on the third floor of a school), knock three times on the third stall door, and ask if Hanako-san is there. If she is not there, nothing happens. But if she's there, she will reply "Yes, I am" (or something similar). Then, a bloody ghostly hand will appear. In the worst case, Hanako-san herself will appear and push you into the toilet and take you with her to Hell (the toiler leads to Hell). Some versions say that you can be eaten by a three-headed lizard when you get to Hell.

Teke-Teke

Teke Teke (テケテケ) is generally a woman (although in some versions it's a man) that doesn't have the lower part of the body.
It is said that she fell into the train tracks (whether by accident, was pushed, or attempted suicide by jumping). Either case, the train didn't kill her but cutting her in half, separating her legs from the rest of the body. That's why now she crawls using her hands, and that produces a sound that the Japanese describe as "Teke ​​teke."

Some people say she bled out to death slowly. Others say that she tried to ask for help but the train station staff, instead of helping her, suffocated her with a plastic bag. Her death was agonizing, and since then she became a vindictive spirit that roams around Japan. There are numerous stories about people who, after leaving work or school, have met this terrifying woman. Trying to run away is useless since despite not having legs it runs a lot and reaches you in seconds. Some say she is trying to get legs, but others believe that she is simply angry because the station staff didn't help her, or because in some versions, she was raped and thrown/ abandoned on the train railways.

A variant of the legend says that the real name of the woman who died was Kashima Reiko. Then when she appears in front of someone, she asks: Where are my legs? If you answer correctly: "Your legs are on the Meishin Expressway" it will be ok. But if you don't give that answer, she will cut your legs using a sickle. She will also ask you what her name is, but if you answer Kashima Reiko, she will kill you. What you have to do is answer "Kamen Shinin Ma", (lit. Mask Death Demon) which is what the Kanji of her name means.

What do you think? Are there similar stories in your countries? Share it with us! 🙂

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When you click your computer's mouse or type on the keyboard, what exactly is going on inside the computer itself? What controls the information flow in and out, and what exactly is juggling the human-written programs, the memory, and the billions of instructions being processed every second? Find out in this TED Ed lesson by Bettina Bair, Inside Your Computer.

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When you click your computer's mouse or type on the keyboard, what exactly is going on inside the computer itself? What controls the information

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When the Aztecs settled the Valley of Mexico around what is now Mexico City in the 13th century, they found a large salamander living in the lake surrounding the island where they built their capital, Tenochtitlán. They called the salamander "axolotl" after Xolotl, their god of fire and lightning. Xolotl was said to have transformed into a salamander, among other forms, to avoid being sacrificed so the sun and moon could move in the sky; he was eventually captured and killed, according to Aztec mythology.

In the same vein, axolotls were commonly killed for food by the Aztecs and are still eaten in today. But beyond Aztec mythology and the dinner plate, axolotls have become one of the world's most famous salamanders, whether as pets thanks to their charisma and easy care, or more recently as highly sought-after characters in the popular online games Minecraft and Fortnite. The creatures' extraordinary ability to regenerate body parts has even made them an interesting study subject for scientists. But in their native home in Mexico, the salamanders are rapidly disappearing and are considered critically endangered.

Axolotls ( Ambystoma mexicanum) are amphibians belonging to the single living genus of the family Ambystomatidae. There are more than 30 salamander species in the Ambystoma genus, known as the mole salamanders, according to the University of California, Berkeley's, AmphibiaWeb.

Axolotls can grow on average to a length of 9 inches (20 centimeters), but some have grown to more than 12 inches (30 cm) long. In captivity, the salamanders live an average of 5 to 6 years, but some have lived for up to 17 years, according to the University of Liverpool's The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database.

Where do axolotls live?

Wild axolotls live exclusively in the swampy remnants of Lake Xochimilco and the canals leading to it on the southern edge of Mexico City. Axolotls also once lived in Lake Chalco, another of Mexico City's five "great lakes" where the ancient Aztecs settled. But all of those lakes, except for Xochimilco, were drained by the 1970s to prevent flooding and to allow urban expansion, NBC News reported.

Axolotls' carnivorous diet historically put them at the top of the food chain. They eat anything they can snatch: Mollusks, fish and arthropods like insects and spiders. They even eat each other. In the 1970s and 1980s, though, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization introduced tilapia and carp fish to the salamanders' habitat to provide local people with more protein, according to JSTOR Daily. Those fish chow down on young axolotls and are an invasive threat to the salamanders.

How do axolotl reproduce?

Axolotl reproduction starts with dancing - literally. After a male and female nudge and stroke one another's urogenital opening called the cloaca, the salamanders step in a circle in a sort of waltz, according to the University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web. The male then struts away while seductively shimmying his tail, luring the female to follow. As the two dance partners step together, the male drops a small white capsule full of sperm called a spermatophore. With the female in tow, the male moves forward until the female just skirts over the spermatophore and picks it up with her cloaca.

Axolotls go through this courtship once a year, typically between March and June. When the courtship dancing is done, the female axolotl will individually attach her 100 to 300 jelly-coated eggs to aquatic plants or rocks. Around 10 to 14 days later, the eggs hatch, and the young fend for themselves. It takes about a year for axolotls to become sexually mature.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Axolotls are one of several salamander species, however, that never metamorphose into terrestrial adults that are primarily lung-breathing. American evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould described the adult salamanders as "sexually mature tadpoles" because they forever retain their juvenile characteristics: a fully aquatic lifestyle, a finned tail, and frilly gills. This evolutionary phenomenon of "everlasting youth" is called paedomorphosis, or neoteny. Scientists can force axolotls in the lab to metamorphose by introducing iodine to their environment or injecting them with thyroid hormones, but axolotl metamorphosis rarely occurs in the wild, researchers reported in 2015 in the journal BioScience.

Biologists considered this obligate trait of axolotls a major force of evolution - a characteristic that could genetically isolate a population from other nearby salamander species and, consequently, could drive the rapid development of new species. But a 2021 study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that select sets of genes from axolotls and their relatives are almost indistinguishable. Throughout their history, the various salamander species (some with obligate paedomorphosis, others not) have interbred, providing new and potentially important context for researchers trying to conserve axolotls and their relative, and implying that scientists could look to related but less-endangered salamander species to answer research questions for which axolotls have been used.

Why are axolotls endangered?

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources considers axolotls critically endangered and their population declining. Surveys in 1998 and 2008 found that the population density had dropped from about 6,000 individuals per square kilometer (0.4 square miles) to 100 individuals per square kilometer. A more recent survey in 2015 found about 35 individuals per square kilometer.

has been particularly detrimental to the species. Poor waste regulations and increasing tourism in Mexico City mean that trash, plastics, heavy metals and high levels of ammonia spilled from waste-treatment plants clog the canals where the salamanders live.

In coordination with the Mexican government, scientists, farmers and nonprofit organizations are working to restore the axolotl's habitat, using floating islands of water plants, logs and mud called chinampas to filter the polluted water, National Geographic reported. Organizations are also providing opportunities for interested tourists to see the salamanders in their natural habitats, with proceeds going toward conservation efforts.

While a substantial captive axolotl population exists in research labs around the world, accounting for several thousand individuals, these salamanders stem from 34 individuals shipped to Paris from Xochimilco, Mexico in 1863. Consequently, the population suffers from high rates of inbreeding - a major problem for forming a healthy and sustainable population.

(Image credit: Francisco Gomez Sosa via Shutterstock)

Axolotls in research

Among the axolotl's trademark talents is its ability to regrow almost any body part: feet, legs, tails and even bits of the heart and brain. The amphibians can even mobilize stem cells - cells that can pretty much form into any cell necessary - to repair an injured spinal cord, scientists reported in 2021 in the journal eLife. And axolotls don't stop with the regeneration of their own body parts. All sorts of organs, including eyes, can be transplanted between axolotls without rejection by the recipient body's immune system. In 1968, researchers showed that they could even transplant the head of one axolotl to another axolotl, and it functioned normally. The combination of these abilities makes axolotls attractive model organisms for scientists.

This ability to regenerate limbs and organs has contributed to a huge swath of research in regenerative biology, especially for medical applications. Researchers in 2013 discovered that white blood cells called macrophages are essential for axolotls' regenerative abilities. Without these cells, the salamanders just form a scar at the injury site, implying that macrophages in some way pump the brakes of scar formation. In 2021, researchers reported in the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology that the salamander's macrophages come from its liver, not from bone marrow as they do in humans. While tissue and organ regeneration in humans is likely far more complicated than in a salamander, the finding provides researchers with a new and somewhat unexpected place to look in humans for potential regenerative therapies.

In 2018, researchers discovered another oddity about axolotls: Their genome is enormous. At about 32 billion pairs of DNA nucleotides, the axolotl genome dwarfs the human genome (which is about 10 times smaller) and ranks as the largest animal genome sequenced from beginning to end so far. Researchers in 2021 finally put those 32 billion base pairs in the order they're found on the salamander's chromosomes and uncovered how they're packaged. They reported in PNAS that the massive scale of the axolotl genome comes with some interesting consequences: The cell cycle that produces new cells takes 3 to 4 times longer than the typical 24 hours in most vertebrates. And the genes responsible for making a protein in the body sometimes spanned hundreds of thousands of base pairs long - 100 to 1,000 times longer than in humans. Researchers are still wading through data from the genome to uncover the molecular secrets behind the axolotl's regenerative abilities, and to learn if such genetic machinery could ever be activated in humans to do the same.

Additional resources
This article was updated on May 24, 2022, by Live Science Contributor Jeremy Rehm.

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Axolotls: The adorable, giant salamanders of Mexico

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Axolotls are cute, charismatic salamanders that have an almost otherworldly ability to regenerate their body parts. But pollution and urbanization critically threaten this species' survival.

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kidrex

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The axolotl is a kind of amphibian, specifically a salamander, that does not metamorphose naturally. Usually, amphibians have gills and live underwater when they are young, but then they lose their gills, develop lungs, and live on land as adults.

Axolotls, however, keep their gills and continue living in the water as adults. Their gills are their most recognizable trait because they look like wispy feathers.

Axolotls also develop lungs. Although their main method of breathing is through their gills, they occasionally use their lungs to breathe in air from the water's surface. Because they live in water their whole lives, they always have a tail and webbed feet for swimming.

Axolotls average 23 cm (9 in.) in length. They vary in color from pinkish to brownish green, and often appear to be smiling because of the shape of their mouth.

In the wild, axolotls are only found in one lake outside Mexico City, called Lake Xochimilco.

They will eat just about anything they can catch, including fish, worms, mollusks, and even insects on the surface of the water. They are preyed upon by perch and tilapia, both of which are invasive species, as well as birds.

In captivity, axolotls are very popular. They can be found in homes and aquariums all over the world. This is because they are hardy, easy to breed, and cute enough that many people want to own one.

Axolotls can also be found in research laboratories. They are studied because, like other salamanders, the axolotl has the extraordinary ability to regrow missing body parts. That means that if an axolotl loses a leg or a tail, it will regrow, including the bones, muscle, and skin. They can also regrow organs, something scientists hope they can apply to humans one day.

Axolotl Reproduction

Breeding events happen up to three times a year. This varies depending on whether the axolotls are in the wild or captivity. Regardless of location, the act remains the same. There is what appears to be a dance after which the female lays her eggs, between 300 and 1000! After only two weeks the eggs hatch and the babies are left on their own.

Conservation Status

Despite being abundant in captivity, axolotls are considered critically endangered by the IUCN Red List. Due to a combination of habitat loss, pollution, and invasive species, the wild population of axolotls is declining. The surviving population is very small, with less than 1000 axolotls remaining in the wild.

What You Can Do to Help Axolotls

You can help the axolotl by preventing waste from making its way into water sources and raising awareness about axolotls.

Axolotl Range

Axolotl Resources

About the Author

P.A. Smith is a middle school Language Arts teacher. He is also a contributing editor of My House Rabbit.

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Axolotl Facts for Kids | Axolotls Information | Animal Fact Guide

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Did you know the axolotl is a kind of amphibian that does not metamorphose naturally? They have the ability to regrow missing body parts.

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Calciphylaxis: Pictures, Definition, Symptoms, Treatment, & Outlook

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Definition Calciphylaxis is a rare, but serious, kidney complication. The condition causes calcium to build up inside the blood vessels of the fat and skin. Calciphylaxis is also called calcific uremic arteriolopathy. It's most often seen in people with advanced chronic kidney disease ( end-stage renal disease), or people with kidney failure who are on dialysis or have had a kidney transplant.

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The first electric light was made in 1800 byHumphry Davy, an English scientist. He experimented with electricity and invented an electric battery. When he connected wires to his battery and a piece of carbon, the carbon glowed, producing light. This is called an electric arc.
Much later, in 1860, the English physicist Sir Joseph Wilson Swan (1828-1914) was determined to devise a practical, long-lasting electric light. He found that a carbon paper filament worked well, but burned up quickly. In 1878, he demonstrated his new electric lamps in Newcastle, England.

In 1877, the American Charles Francis Brush manufactured some carbon arcs to light a public square in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. These arcs were used on a few streets, in a few large office buildings, and even some stores. Electric lights were only used by a few people.

The inventor Thomas Alva Edison (in the USA) experimented with thousands of different filaments to find just the right materials to glow well and be long-lasting. In 1879, Edison discovered that a carbon filament in an oxygen-free bulb glowed but did not burn up for 40 hours. Edison eventually produced a bulb that could glow for over 1500 hours.

Lewis Howard Latimer (1848-1928) improved the bulb by inventing a carbon filament (patented in 1881); Latimer was a member of Edison's research team, which was called "Edison's Pioneers." In 1882, Latimer developed and patented a method of manufacturing his carbon filaments.

In 1903, Willis R. Whitney invented a treatment for the filament so that it wouldn't darken the inside of the bulb as it glowed. In 1910, William David Coolidge (1873-1975) invented a tungsten filament which lasted even longer than the older filaments. The incandescent bulb revolutionized the world.

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Advertisement. EnchantedLearning.com is a user-supported site. As a bonus, site members have access to a banner-ad-free version of the site, with print-friendly pages. Click here to learn more. (Already a member? Click here.) The first electric light was made in 1800 byHumphry Davy, an English scientist.

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Some of the most venomous creatures have descended on London's Museum of Natural History.

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Similar materials
" Pine edge-glued laminated panel
" White pine, Weymouth pine

Manufacturer/Distributor
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printer friendly

Short Description
Coniferous wood

Description
The pine tree occurs naturally throughout northern, central and eastern Europe. In Germany it has been widely used to forest open or waste land for over 200 years, which accounts for the second highest proportion of wooded area in Germany after spruce. Across large parts of Brandenburg the pine is characteristic of the landscape.

The native woodland pine or common pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) belongs to the botanical family Pinaceae, of which more than 100 different kinds can be found in the northern Hemisphere. The most commonly planted variant comes from south eastern Europe, the black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold).

Pine can grow to a height of 25 to 40 m depending upon location. In forested areas they grow very straight to an average age of 150 to 200 years, although individual trees can grow to be up to 600 years old. Pine is normally felled at an age of 100 to 160 years. Depending upon location, regional variants with different properties have developed.

The heartwood and sapwood are easy to distinguish from one another. The sapwood is yellowish-white to reddish-white, the heartwood is reddish-yellow and darkens to a reddish-brown colour. The annual growth ring breadth can vary from between 1 to 10 mm. The reddish summerwood is much darker than the light springwood, the annual growth rings are clearly visible. Depending upon the direction of cut the wood has a striped (radial cut) or wavy grain (cross cut) patterning.

Properties
Pine wood is medium-weight and relatively soft. Its strength and elasticity are good. As with other coniferous woods, the properties of the wood depend upon the density of the annual growth rings: The higher the proportion of summerwood, the heavier and harder the wood.
The heartwood has good natural durability except where it is in direct contact with earth or moisture. It has a high natural moisture content, which can lead to a blue staining of the wood through fungal infection. The colouring only affects the appearance, not the physical properties of the wood.

Usage
Pine wood can be worked easily by hand or machine. It can be sliced or peeled. Nailed, screwed or glued connections are straightforward. The surface can be finished with all kinds of paints. The sapwood lends itself well to impregnation, less so the heartwood.

Dimensions
Pine wood is available as round or sawn timber, as well as veneer.
Other names: Forest pine, sandy pine

Applications
- Building and construction
- Interior furnishing, furniture
- Manufacture of composite wood materials
- Wood and paper pulp
- Masts and poles
- Windows, facade panelling

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musterkiste.de, Klopp & Schloh GbR, Berlin, Germany

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Similar materials" Pine edge-glued laminated panel " White pine, Weymouth pine Manufacturer/Distributor" hst/265_.html " hst/462_.html printer friendly Short Description Coniferous wood Description The pine tree occurs naturally throughout northern, central and eastern Europe. In Germany it has been widely used to forest open or waste land for over 200 years, which accounts for the second highest proportion of wooded area in Germany after spruce.

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The properties of oak wood make it a desirable timber to work with for several reasons. There are over six hundred varieties of oak trees growing across the northern hemisphere, with many producing types of oak wood suitable for timber. Two species Q.petraea (a sessile oak) and Q.robur (a pedunculate oak), are mainly used for timber in Europe.

European oak has been used for a wide variety of purposes for thousands of years, most obviously furniture making, home decoration and structural or architectural joinery. Historically it has even been used to produce alcoholic liquor, medicine and writing ink.

Wars have even been fought to secure supplies from abroad for shipbuilding and other military purposes. Thankfully, in the modern era oak is widely planted and farmed all over Europe to supply the widespread demand from builders, joiners and architects who prize it for a variety of practical, aesthetic and ethical reasons.

Physical properties of oak wood

For construction purposes, the physical properties of the wood itself are most pertinent and European oak possesses a number of strengths that make it particularly desirable. These can be separated into two main categories, flexibility of use and physical durability.

Flexibility

The natural strength and attractive appearance of oak wood make it suitable for many purposes. The fact that oak trees grow to such a great size (from eighteen to thirty metres in height) means there is a particularly high yield of timber per tree. The length of the timber derived makes it perfect for jobs such as flooring or exterior cladding as a result. This also means work can be completed quickly as fewer individual pieces of timber will be required per job, speeding up installation. The uniformity of the oak wood colour and grain also guarantee a consistent finish for large scale jobs without the need for treatment or staining unless desired by the customer.

As a hardwood, oak has a high level of water resistance as its dense, non - porous texture resists water absorption, making it ideal for exterior uses without the need for waterproof chemicals being applied. This is one of the reasons oak barrels are still in use today for aging alcohol as they can be reused many times without suffering water damage or tainting the liquid within. Oak is also highly resistant to shrinkage, making it ideal for door and window frames as it will not easily warp, leading to sticking or broken windowpanes as the wood twists.

Durability

A glance around any historic city street confirms the longevity of oak wood structures. Many oak framed buildings erected hundreds of years ago still stand all over Europe as testament to the fact that oak is strong and lasts. Oak beams from the Tudor era still support the upper floors of structures that are in use on a daily basis today.

Oak wood naturally contains a high proportion of tannin that makes it highly resistant to attack by insects or fungi. This is part of the reason oak trees are so long lived and why, combined with its natural water resistance, oak wood is less prone to decay and rotting. When combined with drying processes to remove naturally occurring moisture inside the wood, the resulting timber will be extremely weatherproof and require little or no chemical treatment. This can be achieved by traditional air drying or kiln drying and results in an extremely hardwearing product. Oak wood is naturally less prone to warping or shrinking compared to other woods and drying further enhances this and reduces the chance of cracking over time. For internal woodwork even this is not required as the oak wood will adjust to the internal moisture levels and dry naturally as time passes.

Aesthetic advantages of oak wood

Appearance

Aside from the obvious physical advantages, appearance is one of the major reasons oak wood is so desirable as a building material. It naturally possesses a pleasing golden colour that dries to a pleasant silvery tone over time or with air drying and a distinct visible grain that needs no staining or waxing to emphasise it, even on planed oak timber. Many property owners favour the appearance of natural oak wood over duller man - made materials and its texture needs little or no decoration to look attractive. Despite this, oak wood that has been sympathetically stained also possesses a pleasant aged effect that has been used to great effect in many older buildings. The interior panelling of the debating chamber in the House of commons is one example of this. However, it is worth ensuring the oak wood is thoroughly dried first to ensure it will take the finish properly.

Another option is waney edge oak, produced when the tree is sliced lengthwise, leaving a layer of bark on either side. This gives a very distinct, rustic look when used and is a particularly effective choice for cladding or oak wood interior surface tops. Pippy oak has clusters of tiny knots caused when livestock feed on small shoots on the tree trunk and gives the resulting timber an unusual and decorative that many find appealing.

Sustainability

Any reputable timber supplier should be PEFC and FSC certified. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) are a global group that encourage sustainable forest management to reduce the environmental impact of the timber industry. They create and implement sustainable forest management systems tailored to specific environments. These ensure forests are not overly depleted, illegal logging is prevented and current threats are eliminated. As oak forests provide a rich habitat that supports many other forms of life, ensuring their survival is paramount.

The Forest Stewardship Council is a non - profit multinational organisation that ensures that wood sources are renewable and responsibly managed and that wood is efficiently recycled as a renewable resource. As this uses significantly less energy than recycling other resources such as steel or aluminium this means wood production can actually benefit the environment. As oak wood needs no chemical treatment or industrial reprocessing its use already has less impact than other wood production. Its longevity and durability reduce the need for replacement or waste and its many uses mean maximum use of material per tree felled. These factors guarantee that its use is as environmentally positive as possible.

As specialist suppliers of European oak to the timber and construction trades, Hardwoods Group have dedicated ourselves to placing the customer first and giving maximum value. View our oak timber and please contact us with any queries on how we can help you.

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Hardwoods Group | Properties of Oak Wood

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The properties of oak wood make it a desirable timber to work with for several reasons. There are over six hundred varieties of oak trees growing across the northern hemisphere, with many producing types of oak wood suitable for timber. Two species Q.petraea (a sessile oak) and Q.robur (a pedunculate oak), are mainly used for timber in Europe.

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Tigerwood is one of the most visually interesting hardwoods on the U.S. market. Known in the scientific world by its technical name, Goncalo Alves, Tigerwood is prized as much for its durability as it is its beauty.

Tigerwood Profile

Grain: Tigerwood has a variable grain that spans from straight to roey. Its texture is fine to medium and uniform throughout.

Coloration: The coloration of Tigerwood is one of its greatest characteristics. It is named such because of the striking longitudinal bands running through it, which resemble tiger stripes. Fresh timber has a russet or orange brown color with medium to dark brown stripes. As the wood ages the coloration darkens slightly and the stripes become nearly black.

Strength: It's a hardwood with 2,160 on the Janka Hardness Scale. Tigerwood is extremely dense and resistant to many problems that pine faces such as wide splits and excessive splintering.

Durability: Known to last up to 50+ years, this wood is very durable and its attributes include water resistance, bug resistance and rot resistance.

Where Tigerwood Comes From

Most homeowners understandably want to know where their wood is sourced from. Tigerwood thrives in the neotropical, upland forests of Central and South America, most notably Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Venezuela and Ecuador. Brazil is among the largest exporters of Tigerwood, particularly the variety Astronium Fraxinifolium, which is native to the country.

Tigerwood from Central and South America shouldn't be confused with Lovoa Trichilioides, a tree from Africa that is also referred to as Tigerwood in the U.S.

What Tigerwood is Best Used For

Tigerwood is as versatile as it is beautiful, and its durability makes it useful in many wood projects. It is an all-around standout for construction, especially outdoor construction, due to its weather resistance and density. At TimberTown we put Tigerwood at the top of our list for durable decking material.

Tigerwood is also an excellent wood for fine furniture and cabinets. Because of its attractive and interesting grain patterns, Tigerwood is often used as a decorative veneer, for carving and as handles for specialty items like knifes and brushes.

Beautiful, long lasting and suitable for so many builds, Tigerwood is a material that professionals love working with and end users enjoy for years after the work is done.

Original Source: http://timbertownaustin.com/wood-projects-and-profile/all-about-tigerwood

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Tigerwood is one of the most visually interesting hardwoods on the U.S. market. Known in the scientific world by its technical name, Goncalo Alves, Tigerwood is prized as much for its durability as it is its beauty. Tigerwood Profile Grain: Tigerwood has a variable grain that spans from...more

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By studying the rarest and most malicious diseases, scientists can often uncover solutions for a host of other ailments.

Sagar Nigwekar, MD, MMSc an Assistant in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is on the front lines of one of the most sinister conditions known to affect kidney patients -- Calcific uremic arteriolopathy or calciphylaxis.

Calciphylaxis is a type of vascular calcification generally seen in patients with kidney failure. The condition causes skin lesions and severe pain and usually has a high mortality rate. Typically, patients diagnosed with calciphylaxis live about six months. Dr. Nigwekar hopes that unraveling the mysteries of the disease will not only save lives, but lead to advances in a treating a multitude of other calcification disorders.

"Calciphylaxis has been observed for over 50 years, but there is no effective treatment," said Dr. Nigwekar. "As we map the biology, risk factors, prevention and eventually, treatment of calciphylaxis, we believe it will lead to a number of advancements in understanding the mechanisms of vascular calcification."

With the help of a Young Investigator Grant from the National Kidney Foundation, Dr. Nigwekar is working to compile a biorepository of samples from patients with calciphylaxis in order to better understand the disease. The biorepository will help form the foundation of the first-ever clinical trial with calciphylaxis patients. In that study, set to begin in 2015, Dr. Nigwekar will analyze the safety of giving doses of vitamin K as a potential treatment for patients with calciphylaxis.

Vitamin K has been shown to have calcification-inhibitory properties. However, dialysis patients are usually vitamin K deficient due to recommended dietary restrictions aimed at restricting potassium and sodium-rich foods that are also rich sources of vitamin K. Results of the trial will also have implications for people who take the anti-coagulation medication warfarin that inhibits the use of vitamin K by the body.

"Once we learn the biology, this information will inform treatments for other types of vascular calcifications in blood vessels found in the brain, heart and other parts of the body," Dr. Nigwekar said. "While those conditions may not have the same fatality rate as calciphylaxis, by studying this rare disease we hope to apply what we learn to more common types of vascular calcification."

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By studying the rarest and most malicious diseases, scientists can often uncover solutions for a host of other ailments. Sagar Nigwekar, MD, MMSc an Assistant in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is on the front lines of one of the most sinister conditions known to affect kidney patients -- Calcific uremic arteriolopathy or calciphylaxis.

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Extreme: Skateboarding

Skateboarding is a freestyle sport where the limits are only imposed by the imagination and athletic ability of the athlete. Most skateboarding is done for recreation either on streets or at a skateboard park. There is competitive skateboarding where the winner is determined by a points system determined by judges.

There are all levels of difficulty of skateboard tricks.

At the very basic skateboarders should first learn how to stand on the board. Then ride down a short gradual slope learning how to stop. From there beginners should learn how to stand on the skateboard with one foot and push with the other and to turn the skateboard by leaning (called carving). Next is the more difficult kick turn.

More difficult skateboard tricks include:

The Ollie: The first real trick that any skateboarder should learn. It will lead to more and more exciting and difficult tricks. The Ollie is where the skateboarder will push down on the back of the skateboard while controlling the upward movement of the front of the board with the front foot. This will cause the rider to lift into the air along with the skateboard. It takes lots of practice, but is key to performing more difficult skateboard tricks

The Flip Trick: The flip trick is similar to the Ollie, but is where the board is flipped different ways. There are different types of flip tricks depending on how you flip the skateboard including kickflip, backside flip, and heelflip.

Grinds: When the skateboarder ollies up onto an edge like a handrail or bench and then slides along on the trucks of the skateboard.

Aerials: When the skateboarder gets into the air off a half pipe or ramp and then performs a trick in the air like a twist or flip.

As with any extreme sport, skateboard safety should be considered first. Always inspect your pads, helmet, and skateboard prior to skating. Work your way up to more difficult tricks and get professional training where needed.Extreme summer sports:
BMX In-Line Skating MotoX Skateboarding Surfing
Extreme winter sports:
Skiing Snowboarding Snowmobile
Shawn White Biography

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Extreme: Skateboarding Skateboarding is a freestyle sport where the limits are only imposed by the imagination and athletic ability of the athlete. Most skateboarding is done for recreation either on streets or at a skateboard park. There is competitive skateboarding where the winner is determined by a points system determined by judges.

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The brain controls your ability to think, talk, feel, see, hear, remember things, walk and much more. It even controls your breathing.

The brain is a soft mass of supportive tissues and nerves connected to the spinal cord. Some of the nerves in the brain go right to the eyes, ears and other parts of the head. Other nerves connect the brain with other parts of the body through the spinal cord to control personality, senses and body functions from breathing to walking.

Together, the brain, spinal cord and nerves form the central nervous system.

Learning about how the brain and spinal cord work will help you better understand brain tumors:

What a brain tumor is

The symptoms of brain tumors

How a brain tumor is diagnosed

How a brain tumor is treated

Main parts of the brain

The brain has three main parts:

The cerebrum

The cerebrum, the large, outer part of the brain, controls reading, thinking, learning, speech, emotions and planned muscle movements like walking. It also controls vision, hearing and other senses.

The cerebrum is divided two cerebral hemispheres (halves): left and right. The right half controls the left side of the body. The left half controls the right side of the body.

Each hemisphere has four sections, called lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital. Each lobe controls specific functions. For example, the frontal lobe controls personality, decision-making and reasoning, while the temporal lobe controls, memory, speech, and sense of smell.

The cerebellum

The cerebellum, in the back of the brain, controls balance, coordination and fine muscle control (e.g., walking). It also functions to maintain posture and equilibrium.

The brain stem

The brain stem, at the bottom of the brain, connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. It includes the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla. It controls fundamental body functions such as breathing, eye movements, blood pressure, heartbeat, and swallowing.

Protecting the central nervous system

Because of the fragility of the brain and spinal cord, the human body has a built-in defense system against injury.

The skull and the meninges - the lining of the brain - protect the brain, while the bones of the spinal column protect the spinal cord, and cerebrospinal fluid surrounds and cushions both the brain and the spinal cord.

The skull is the bony framework of the head made up of 21 bones. The cranium, the part of the skull that covers the brain, is made up of four major bones: frontal, occipital, temporal and parietal. The skull base, the bony shelf, is made of a complex series of bones that also interact with the bones of the neck and face. There are four other bones in the cranium: two temporal bones, on the sides and base of the skull, and two parietal bones, at the top of the skull.

The meninges are three layers of tissue. The outermost layer, the dura mater, is thick and like leather. The second and third layers, the arachnoid and pia mater, are thin.

Cerebrospinal fluid is a watery fluid that flows in and around the four hollow spaces of the brain (called ventricles) and the spinal cord, and between two of the meninges. The ventricles are connected.

The spinal column (also called the backbone) starts at the base of the skull and goes down to the tailbone. It has 33 irregular, spool-shaped bones (vertebrae) that are stacked on each other and protect the spinal cord. The spinal column is divided into five sections: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral* and coccygeal*.
(* By adulthood, the 5 sacral vertebrae fuse to form one bone, and the 4 coccygeal vertebrae fuse to form one bone.)

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brain spinal cord central nervous system tumor tumors cancer how does the human brain work

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How the Brain Works | Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Brain Tumor Center

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The brain controls your ability to think, talk, feel, see, hear, remember things, walk and much more. It even controls your breathing. The brain is a soft mass of supportive tissues and nerves connected to the spinal cord. Some of the nerves in the brain go right to the eyes, ears and other parts of the head.

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Overview

Calciphylaxis (kal-sih-fuh-LAK-sis) is a serious, uncommon disease in which calcium accumulates in small blood vessels of the fat and skin tissues.

Calciphylaxis causes blood clots, painful skin ulcers and may cause serious infections that can lead to death. People who have calciphylaxis usually have kidney failure and are on dialysis or have had a kidney transplant. The condition can also occur in people without kidney disease.

Products & Services

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of calciphylaxis include:

Large purple net-like patterns on skin

Deep, very painful lumps that ulcerate creating open sores with black-brown crust that fails to heal - typically in skin areas with high fat content, such as the stomach and thigh, although they can occur anywhere

Infections from wounds that don't heal

Causes

The exact cause of calciphylaxis is unknown, but recent studies have revealed that most people with the condition have abnormalities in blood-clotting factors. Blood-clotting factors are substances in your blood that help stop bleeding. These abnormalities can lead to small blood clots forming more often than they normally would.

In addition, people with calciphylaxis have an imbalance in the metabolism of calcium. This causes calcium to be deposited in the smallest parts of the arteries (arterioles), which eventually leads to the formation of blood clots in the arterioles. Blood clots can cause fat tissues and skin to be deprived of oxygen and nourishment.

Risk factors

Calciphylaxis most commonly affects people who have end-stage kidney failure. Possible risk factors include:

Being female

Obesity

Diabetes

Abnormalities in blood-clotting factors

Long-term dialysis and sometimes kidney transplantation

An imbalance of calcium, phosphorus and aluminum in the body

Some medications, such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), calcium-binding agents or corticosteroids

An overproduction of parathyroid hormone (PTH), which regulates the level of calcium and phosphorus in the body - a condition known as hyperparathyroidism

Uremia, a toxic condition in which substances normally eliminated in the urine - such as calcium and phosphorus - build up in the body

Complications

Complications of calciphylaxis include:

Severe pain

Large, deep, nonhealing ulcers

Blood infections

Death, usually due to infection and multiorgan failure

Typically, the outlook for people with calciphylaxis isn't hopeful. Early detection and treatment is very important in helping to prevent serious infections.

Show references

1. AskMayoExpert. Calciphylaxis. Mayo Clinic; 2019.

2. Nigweaker SU, et al. Calciphylaxis (calcific uremic arteriolopathy). https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed April 21, 2018.

3. Nigwekar SU, et al. Calciphylaxis: Risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. American Journal of Kidney Disease. 2015;66:133.

4. Chen TY, et al. Histopathology of calciphylaxis: Cohort study with clinical correlations. American Journal of Dermatopathology. 2017;39:795.

5. King BJ, et al. Direct oral anticoagulant medications in calciphylaxis. International Journal of Dermatology. 2017;56:1065.

6. Riemer CA, et al. Underreported use of palliative care and patient-reported outcome measures to address reduced quality of life in patients with calciphylaxis: A systematic review. British Journal of Dermatology. 2017;177:1510.

7. El-Azhary RA, et al. Calciphylaxis: A disease of pannicular thrombosis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2016;91:1395.

8. McCarthy JT, et al. Survival, risk factors, and effect of treatment in 101 patients with calciphylaxis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2016;91:1384.

9. Ghosh T, et al. Early clinical presentations and progression of calciphylaxis. International Journal of Dermatology 2017;56:856.

10. Warner KJ. Allscripts EPSi. Mayo Clinic. June 17, 2020.

11. El-Azhary RA, et al. Retrospective analysis of tissue plasminogen activator as an adjuvant treatment for calciphylaxis. JAMA Dermatology. 2013;149:63.

12. El-Azhary RA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 19, 2018.

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Calciphylaxis (kal-sih-fuh-LAK-sis) is a serious, uncommon disease in which calcium accumulates in small blood vessels of the fat and skin tissues. Calciphylaxis causes blood clots, painful skin ulcers and may cause serious infections that can lead to death. People who have calciphylaxis usually have kidney failure and are on dialysis or have had a kidney transplant.

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Be sure to visit Wonderopolis today for a SHOCKING Wonder of the Day!

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Scroll up to see what’s in each level of Earth’s atmosphere!

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