Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity (sericulture). The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fibre, which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles, thus producing different colors.

Silk is produced by several insects, but generally only the silk of moth caterpillars has been used for textile manufacturing. There has been some research into other types of silk, which differ at the molecular level. Silk is mainly produced by the larvae of insects undergoing complete metamorphosis, but some adult insects such as webspinners also produce silk, and some insects such as raspy crickets produce silk throughout their lives. Silk production also occurs in Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), silverfish, mayflies, thrips, leafhoppers, beetles, lacewings, fleas, flies, and midges. Other types of arthropod produce silk, most notably various arachnids such as spiders (see spider silk).

SILK

SILK is an audio compression format and audio codec developed by Skype Limited. It was developed for use in Skype, as a replacement for the SVOPC codec. Since licensing out, it has also been used by others. It has been extended to the Internet standard Opus codec.

Details

Skype Limited announced that SILK can use a sampling frequency of 8, 12, 16 or 24 kHz and a bit rate from 6 to 40 kbit/s. It can also use a low algorithmic delay of 25 ms (20 ms frame size + 5 ms look-ahead). The reference implementation is written in the C programming language. The codec technology is based on linear predictive coding (LPC). The SILK binary SDK is available.

License

The SILK codec is patented and licensed separately from the SILK SDK. The codec is open-source, freeware, available royalty free with restrictions on use and distribution. The SDK was initially available only by application by giving details of name, address, phone, and description of how SILK will be used.As of 2012 (version 1.0.9) the SDK can by downloaded without application, but the licence restricts the use to internal evaluation and testing purposes only, excluding software distribution or use in any commercial product or service.

Silk (album)

Silk is the self-titled second studio album from American R&B group Silk, released November 28, 1995 on Elektra Records.

The album peaked at number forty-six on the Billboard 200 chart.

Release and reception

The album peaked at forty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine at Allmusic called the groups vocals on the album "impressive." Erlewine also gave note to the production, which he referred to as "seamless without being overly slick." The ballad "How Could You Say You Love Me," and third single "Don't Rush" were praised by Upscale magazine.

Track listing

Chart history

Album

Singles

"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Personnel

Information taken from Allmusic.

Injection (medicine)

An injection (often referred to as a "shot" in US English, or a "jab" in UK English) is an infusion method of putting fluid into the body, usually with a syringe and a hollow needle which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be administered into the body. An injection follows a parenteral route of administration; that is, administration via a route other than through the digestive tract. Since the process inherently involves a small puncture wound to the body (with varying degrees of pain depending on injection type and location, medication type, needle gauge and the skill of the individual administering the injection), fear of needles is a common phobia.

There are several methods of injection or infusion used in humans, including intradermal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous, intraosseous, intraperitoneal, intrathecal, epidural, intracardiac, intraarticular, intracavernous, and intravitreal. Rodents used for research are often administered intracerebral, intracerebroventricular, or intraportal injections as well. Long-acting forms of subcutaneous/intramuscular injections are available for various drugs, and are called depot injections.

Shot, Illusion, New God

Shot, Illusion, New God is an EP by the American grunge band Gruntruck. It was released in 1996. The group's last recording, it was intended to reestablish their musical career after their legal battle with Roadrunner Records.

It was produced by Jack Endino at Avast Studios, while "New God" produced by Gary King at House of Leisure. It was mastered at Hanzsek Audio.

Track listing

Credits

Shot (pellet)

Shot is a collective term for small balls or pellets, often made of lead. These were the original projectiles for shotguns and are still fired primarily from shotguns, although shot shells are available in many pistol calibers in a configuration called "bird shot" or "rat-shot". Lead shot is also used for a variety of other purposes such as filling cavities with dense material for weight/balance. Some versions may be plated with other metals. Lead shot was originally made by pouring molten lead through screens into water, forming what was known as "swan shot", and, later, more economically mass-produced at higher quality using a shot tower. The Bliemeister method has supplanted the shot tower method since the early 1960s.

Manufacture

Producing lead shot from a shot tower was pioneered by William Watts of Bristol who adapted his house on Redcliffe Way by adding a three-storey tower and digging a shaft under the house through the caves underneath to achieve the required drop. The process was patented in 1782. The process was later brought above ground through the building of shot towers.