Orthopedic cast

An orthopedic cast, body cast, plaster cast, or surgical cast, is a shell, frequently made from plaster or fiberglass, encasing a limb (or, in some cases, large portions of the body) to stabilize and hold anatomical structures, most often a broken bone (or bones), in place until healing is confirmed. It is similar in function to a splint.

Plaster bandages consist of a cotton bandage that has been combined with plaster of paris, which hardens after it has been made wet. Plaster of Paris is calcined gypsum (roasted gypsum), ground to a fine powder by milling. When water is added, the more soluble form of calcium sulfate returns to the relatively insoluble form, and heat is produced.

The setting of unmodified plaster starts about 10 minutes after mixing and is complete in about 45 minutes; however, the cast is not fully dry for 72 hours.

Nowadays bandages of synthetic materials are often used, often knitted fiberglass bandages impregnated with polyurethane, sometimes bandages of thermoplastic. These are lighter and dry much faster than plaster bandages. However, plaster can be more easily moulded to make a snug and therefore more comfortable fit. In addition, plaster is much smoother and does not snag clothing or abrade the skin.

Fossil

Fossils (from Classical Latin fossilis; literally, "obtained by digging") are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous (fossil-containing) rock formations and sedimentary layers (strata) is known as the fossil record.

The study of fossils across geological time, how they were formed, and the evolutionary relationships between taxa (phylogeny) are some of the most important functions of the science of paleontology. Such a preserved specimen is called a "fossil" if it is older than some minimum age, most often the arbitrary date of 10,000 years. Hence, fossils range in age from the youngest at the start of the Holocene Epoch to the oldest, chemical fossils from the Archaean Eon, up to 3.48 billion years old, or even older, 4.1 billion years old, according to a 2015 study. The observation that certain fossils were associated with certain rock strata led early geologists to recognize a geological timescale in the 19th century. The development of radiometric dating techniques in the early 20th century allowed geologists to determine the numerical or "absolute" age of the various strata and thereby the included fossils.

Calpastatin

Calpastatin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CAST gene.

The protein encoded by this gene is an endogenous calpain (calcium-dependent cysteine protease) inhibitor. It consists of an N-terminal domain L and four repetitive calpain-inhibition domains (domains 1-4), and it is involved in the proteolysis of amyloid precursor protein. The calpain/calpastatin system is involved in numerous membrane fusion events, such as neural vesicle exocytosis and platelet and red-cell aggregation. The encoded protein is also thought to affect the expression levels of genes encoding structural or regulatory proteins. Several alternatively spliced transcript variants of this gene have been described, but the full-length natures of only some have been determined.

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Obsolescence

Obsolescence is the state of being which occurs when an object, service, or practice is no longer wanted even though it may still be in good working order. Obsolescence frequently occurs because a replacement has become available that has, in sum, more advantages than the inconvenience related to repurchasing the replacement. Obsolete refers to something that is already disused or discarded, or antiquated. Typically, obsolescence is preceded by a gradual decline in popularity.

Consequences

Driven by rapid technological changes, new components are developed and launched on the market with increasing speed. The result is a dramatic change in production methods of all components and their market availability. A growing industry sector is facing issues where life cycles of products no longer fit together with life cycles of required components. This issue is known as obsolescence, the status given to a part when it is no longer available from its original manufacturer. The problem of obsolescence is most prevalent for electronics technology, wherein the procurement lifetimes for microelectronic parts are often significantly shorter than the manufacturing and support life cycles for the products that use the parts. However, obsolescence extends beyond electronic components to other items, such as materials, textiles, and mechanical parts. In addition, obsolescence has been shown to appear for software, specifications, standards, processes, and soft resources, such as human skills. It is highly important to implement and operate an active management of obsolescence to mitigate and avoid extreme costs.

Obsolete (album)

Obsolete (styled °BSΩLE+e on the album cover) is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Fear Factory, released on July 28, 1998. Conceptually, it is a sequel to 1995's Demanufacture. With the success of its fourth single, "Cars," a Gary Numan cover that featured Numan himself on vocals, Obsolete would break Fear Factory into the mainstream and remain their highest selling album.

Background and recording

The group began writing and pre-production in late 1997. This came to a sudden halt when Ozzy Osbourne invited Fear Factory to open for the reunited Black Sabbath at two sold-out stadium shows at the Birmingham NEC. Fear Factory also headlined their own concert on December 7 in London. The band intended to return to work on their album in Los Angeles until late January when they would record in Vancouver with producers Rhys Fulber and Greg Reely. The working title Obsolete was announced during this time although not certain to remain.

In a first, guitarist Dino Cazares tuned down to A for this album.Gary Numan appears at the beginning of "Obsolete" and on the cover of his own song "Cars."

Can't Slow Down (Saves the Day album)

Can't Slow Down is the first album by American rock band Saves the Day, released on August 25, 1998, by Equal Vision Records.

Background

Saves the Day formed in late 1997.

Recording

The album was produced by Steve Evetts purely because Evetts had previously worked with Lifetime – a band vocalist Chris Conley loved. It was recorded during the winter break of Conley's senior year of high school, and released after the band graduated from high school. This album was the bass guitar player Sean McGrath's only recording with Saves the Day. (He is also responsible for changing the band's name from Sefler to Saves the Day.)

Unlike their later releases, this album has a melodic hardcore sound, sharing the same sound of other bands like 7 Seconds or Lifetime.

Release

Saves the Day went on their first full tour of U.S. with Bane.Can't Slow Down was released by Equal Vision on August 11, 1998. The album sold 8,000 copies by the time Through Being Cool (1999) was released.

Concrete (film)

Concrete (コンクリート, Konkurīto) is a 2004 independently produced Japanese film that recounts the story of the murder of Junko Furuta. The film deals as much with the social factors that produced Furuta's four assailants as it does with Furuta's suffering at their hands.

The film involves four boys who kidnap a girl named Misaki. The boys rape, torture, and murder her in a similar manner to the manner of the boys who killed Junko Furuta.

Many people protested the film's release before it even premiered, and it was eventually relegated to specialty theater showings and a DVD release.

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