title: Vagina and vulva in art

text: In 2021, Priya Khanchandani, a curator at London's Design Museum, imagined the plethora of vulva art projects as a "re-balancing" with the past century of phallic symbolism in architecture. She sees a “resurgence of interest” in female designers, artists and architects, and “the idea of the vagina as a design trope is symbolic of that”.


title: Gendry

text: Gendry is a fictional character in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin, and its HBO television adaptation "Game of Thrones".


title: Gendry

text: First appearing in 1996's "A Game of Thrones", Gendry is a blacksmith apprentice in King's Landing, and an unacknowledged bastard of King Robert Baratheon. He subsequently appeared in "A Clash of Kings" (1998), "A Storm of Swords" (2000) and "A Feast for Crows" (2005). After Queen Cersei Lannister orders the execution of all of King Robert's bastards, Gendry is forced to flee King's Landing alongside Arya Stark under the protection of Yoren, a recruiter for the Night's Watch. He later joins the outlaw group Brotherhood Without Banners and is knighted by its leader Beric Dondarrion, and becomes a follower of R'hllor.


title: Gendry

text: Gendry was conceived and born in King's Landing after Robert's Rebellion ended and is one of sixteen (twenty in the television series) bastard children of King Robert Baratheon. He is fourteen years old when introduced in the first book, and is portrayed as tall and very muscled, having blue eyes and thick black hair, very similar to his biological father Robert in youth. He also looks hauntingly like a younger version of Renly Baratheon, though with a squarer jaw, bushier brows and tangled hair, but resembles his biological uncle enough that for a moment Brienne of Tarth almost mistook him for the deceased Renly. Gendry is an intelligent boy despite being born into poverty, but is also stubborn, sullen, suspicious, easily confused and shy around women, and Arya Stark commented that he looks pained when he tries to think.


title: Gendry

text: Despite being one of the only four surviving biological children of King Robert (along with Mya Stone, Edric Storm and Bella Rivers), Gendry never knew who his father was, though he did see Robert from afar multiple times and was once nearly trampled by a drunken Robert's horse while playing near the city gate. His mother was reported to have been an alehouse worker who died when Gendry was still a young boy, and all he remembers of her was that she had blonde hair. Later on, Tobho Mott, a master armourer from Qohor working in King's Landing, was offered double the customary fee by a "lord" with concealed identity to take Gendry in as a smith apprentice, but accepted him for free after being impressed by the boy's physique. Gendry turns out to be a talented apprentice, and likes to spend time polishing a bull head helmet that he proudly made for himself, which earned him the nickname "Bull" by fellow orphan boy Lommy Greenhands.


title: Gendry

text: Gendry is not a point of view character in the novels, and his actions are witnessed and interpreted primarily through the eyes of Arya Stark, as well as some descriptions from Eddard Stark and Brienne of Tarth. He has by far the most story arc out of King Robert's children.


title: Gendry

text: In his investigation about the death of Jon Arryn, Eddard Stark meets several people who had met with Arryn shortly before his death. One of them is Gendry, who was sought by both Jon Arryn and Stannis Baratheon. Eddard immediately recognizes Gendry as a bastard child of King Robert Baratheon, and tells Tobho Mott that if Gendry ever shows interest in military service, he is to be sent directly to Eddard. Gendry has shown promise as a blacksmith and made a helmet in the shape of a bull head. Eddard compliments the helmet, offering to purchase it, but Gendry refuses, to the embarrassment of his master.


title: Gendry

text: After King Robert's death and Eddard Stark's political fall and eventual public execution, Varys makes arrangements for the Night's Watch recruiter Yoren to take Gendry to the Wall in order to protect him from Queen Cersei's purge. Gendry travels north with Yoren and thirty other recruits including Lommy Greenhands, Hot Pie and a disguised Arya Stark. Not far from King's Landing they are stopped by several Gold Cloaks from the City Watch, who demand that Yoren give up Gendry as he is wanted by Queen Cersei. Yoren refuses, and threatens off the Gold Cloaks with his recruits.


title: Gendry

text: Later, near an abandoned holdfast by the God's Eye lake, the recruits are attacked by Lannister soldiers led by Ser Amory Lorch. Yoren is killed in the fight, and Gendry along with Arya, Lommy and Hot Pie escape the burning holdfast through a secret tunnel. Whilst on a reconnaissance run with Arya, Gendry confronts her about her true gender and identity. He eventually has the truth out of her and is subsequently embarrassed by how crass he had spoken to her when she was in fact a highborn lady. Gendry is later captured by Ser Gregor Clegane's soldiers, but is spared from death since his metalworking skill is useful as a slave laborer. After Lannister man-at-arms Rafford kills the injured Lommy, they are taken to Harrenhal, where Gendry works as a smith. When Arya decides to escape from Harrenhal, however, she persuades Gendry and Hot Pie to join her.


title: Gendry

text: While wandering around the Riverlands looking for the direction of Riverrun, Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie are captured by the Brotherhood without Banners, led by a resurrected Beric Dondarrion. At the Peach brothel in Stoney Sept, Gendry declines the seductive advance by Bella (his unknown half-sister), but later argues with Arya out of jealousy because she was talking to Beric's squire Edric Dayne, who claims to be Jon Snow's milk brother. Gendry is later impressed with Thoros of Myr's description of the ideals of the brotherhood, and decides to join them. He is knighted by Beric, thus becoming Ser Gendry, knight of the hollow hill.


title: Gendry

text: While questing to find Sansa Stark, Brienne of Tarth encounters Gendry working as a smith at the Inn at the Crossroads along with a group of orphans, and is struck by his resemblance to the late Renly Baratheon. At the inn, Brienne encounters and duels with Rorge, killing him, only to be savaged by Biter; Gendry saves Brienne's life by driving a spear through Biter's neck.


title: Gendry

text: Gendry is played by Joe Dempsie in the television adaption of the series of books. Explaining how he got cast for the role:


title: Gendry

text: When I was cast as Gendry, I didn't have any of the physical attributes the part required. I was astounded that I got the role, to be honest. But David and Dan said, "We need to dye his hair black ... and it'd be great you hit the gym before we start filming." So I was told to get in shape.


title: Gendry

text: Dempsie has received positive reviews for his performance as Gendry in the television series. He and the rest of the cast were nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2014.


title: Gendry

text: Eddard "Ned" Stark tells the smith to send Gendry to him if he ever shows interest in wielding a sword. Gendry shows promise as a smith and makes a helmet in the shape of a bull's head; Eddard compliments the helmet, offering to purchase it. Gendry refuses, to the shame of the master smith. After Ned's arrest and eventual execution, arrangements are made for Yoren of the Night's Watch to take Gendry to the Wall with him.


title: Gendry

text: Gendry travels North with Yoren and other Night's Watch recruits, including Arya Stark (disguised as an orphan boy named 'Arry), Lommy Greenhands, Hot Pie and Jaqen H'ghar. During their journey, they are stopped by the Goldcloaks of the City Watch. They demand that Yoren hand Gendry over to them because King Joffrey has ordered that all of his father Robert's bastards be killed. Yoren turns the Goldcloaks away. Later, Gendry forces Arya to reveal her true identity, and is surprised to learn she is Ned Stark's daughter. After the Goldcloaks get help from Ser Amory Lorch and his men, they ambush the travelling party. In the chaos, Yoren is killed. Gendry's life is saved by Arya, who convinces the Goldcloaks that Lommy, who was killed during the attack, was Gendry. Gendry and the rest of the recruits are escorted to Harrenhal, the ruined castle-turned-prison. Ser Gregor Clegane oversees order here, and arbitrarily has many of the prisoners tortured and killed. Gendry is nearly tortured and killed but is saved by the arrival of Lord Tywin Lannister, who chides Clegane's men for their reckless treatment of the prisoners. Due to Jaqen H'ghar's help, Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie are able to escape Harrenhal.


title: Gendry

text: As they head towards the Riverlands, the group encounters the Brotherhood Without Banners, a group of outlaws who defend the weak. Inspired, Gendry decides to join the Brotherhood but is betrayed by them when they sell him to Lady Melisandre, as ordered by the Lord of Light. Melisandre later reveals to Gendry that the late King Robert was his father, and that she is bringing him to meet his uncle Stannis at Dragonstone. But in truth, Melisandre and Stannis plan to use Gendry's blood in a magic ritual to create a death curse on the usurpers to his throne, King Joffrey, the King in the North Robb Stark, and King of the Iron Islands Balon Greyjoy. Before they can sacrifice Gendry, Davos Seaworth helps him escape to King's Landing in a rowboat. Unable to swim or row competently, Gendry is nevertheless convinced that the Red Woman has a surer death in store for him, and returns to Westeros' capital by sea.


title: Gendry

text: In the years after his escape from Dragonstone, a series of events result in the deaths of the rest of House Baratheon, leaving Gendry as the only person with Baratheon heritage. Gendry returns to work as a blacksmith in King's Landing, hiding in plain sight from the Lannister soldiers and Goldcloaks. Although he reasons that the Lannisters will not think to look for him in the city, he grates at having to manufacture weapons for their army. Gendry is greeted by Davos, who has briefly returned to the capital to smuggle Tyrion to a secret meeting with Jaime and takes the opportunity to find Gendry. He wants Gendry's assistance in the coming war against the White Walkers. Gendry eagerly agrees. After meeting King in the North, Jon Snow, and bonding over their statuses as bastard sons of Robert Baratheon and (allegedly) Ned Stark respectively, they head north to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Gendry, alongside Jon, Tormund Giantsbane, Sandor Clegane, Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr and Jorah Mormont, travel beyond the Wall to retrieve a wight to present as evidence to Cersei Lannister of the impending White Walker invasion. Gendry still resents Beric and Thoros for selling him. The group manages to capture a lone wight, but Jon realizes that the rest of the wights are approaching and orders Gendry to run back to Eastwatch to send a raven to Daenerys Targaryen requesting her assistance. After running through the night, Gendry collapses from exhaustion outside Eastwatch, but is rescued by Davos and a group of wildlings, managing to tell them of Jon's warning.


title: Gendry

text: Gendry joins Daenerys' army as they camp at Winterfell in anticipation of the White Walkers' attack. Gendry is tasked with smithing weapons from dragonglass, capable of killing the wights. Reunited with Arya, she bids him create a dual-bladed, dragonglass staff. On the eve of the attack, Gendry gives her the weapon and relates his Baratheon heritage to her. Arya inquires of his past romantic liaisons, then expresses her desire to lose her virginity, should they die tomorrow, and they make love. Gendry survives the Long Night and is legitimised a Baratheon by Daenerys, and given lordship of Storm's End. Gendry professes his love to Arya and proposes but Arya declines, not wanting the life of a lady.


title: Gendry

text: Daenerys wrests control of King's Landing from Cersei Lannister, but burns the populace of the city after they surrender to her. Jon tries but fails to dissuade Daenerys from further destruction and ultimately assassinates her. With the deaths of Cersei and Daenerys, Westeros is left without a ruler. Gendry travels to King's Landing along with Westeros' other nobility to decide the future of the Seven Kingdoms. Tyrion proposes that Bran Stark be crowned king. Gendry, as the new lord of Storm's End, approves, along with the other lords, unanimously.


title: Halit Ergenç

text: Halit Ergenç (; born 30 April 1970) is a Turkish actor known for his role as Sultan Suleiman I in "Muhteşem Yüzyıl," Onur Aksal in "Binbir Gece" and Cevdet in "Vatanim Sensin".


title: Halit Ergenç

text: Halit Ergenç was born as the son of Yeşilçam-era actor Mehmet Sait Ergenç on 30 April 1970 in Istanbul. His maternal grandmother is of Albanian descent. He completed his secondary education at Beşiktaş Atatürk High School in 1989 and entered Istanbul Technical University to study Marine Engineering. He graduated from the Operetta and Musical Theatre Department of the Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. He supported himself working as a computer operator and marketer. He briefly worked as a backing vocalist and dancer for Ajda Pekkan and Leman Sam.


title: Halit Ergenç

text: In 1996, Ergenç began acting at the Dormen Theatre and had his first leading role in the musical The King and I. He gained recognition with his role in the television series "Kara Melek".


title: Halit Ergenç

text: He continued working in theatre in plays such as "Kiss Me, Kate", "Tatlı Charity", "Beni Seviyor", "Kral ve Ben", "Amphitrion 2000", "Evita", "Hayalet and Ötekiler" and "Şarkılar Susarsa". Following appearances in series "Köşe Kapmaca" and "Böyle mi Olacaktı", he went to New York and acted in the musical "The Adventures of Zak".


title: Halit Ergenç

text: In 2000, he acted in both films "Hiç Yoktan Aşk" and "Ölümün El Yazısı" as well as in series "Dedem, Gofret ve Ben" and "Zerda". Then, he appeared in a number of plays such as "Bugün Git Yarın Gel", "Popcorn", "Arapsaçı" and "Sevgilime Göz Kulak Ol". In 2004, he took part in the series "Aliye" with Sanem Çelik and Nejat İşler.


title: Halit Ergenç

text: In 2005 and 2006, Ergenç took part in the films "Babam ve Oğlum" directed by Çağan Irmak, "The Net 2.0", "Tramway" and "İlk Aşk". In 2006, he starred as Onur Aksal in the hit series "Binbir Gece" that aired until 2009. During this period he also had roles in the films "Devrim Arabaları" which was based on a true story and "Acı Aşk". Ergenç also starred as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the film "Dersimiz Atatürk". In 2011 he starred as Suleiman the Magnificent in the hit series "Muhteşem Yüzyıl" until 2014.


title: Halit Ergenç

text: Ergenç was involved in the Gezi protests of 2013, appearing in newspaper photos wearing a Bob Marley T-shirt and surgical mask for protection against tear gas. His presence made for interesting copy, since he at once played the role of one of the Ottoman Empire's foremost leaders in the show "Muhteşem Yüzyıl", and at the same time he was protesting the actions of a government very much invested in celebrating Ottoman glory. Ergenç was subsequently summoned with other cultural leaders to a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, and Erdoğan apparently quizzed Ergenç on Ottoman words used by Suleiman, the character whom Ergenç played in "Muhteşem Yüzyıl".


title: Halit Ergenç

text: After, he played Fatali Khan Khoyski who the first Prime Minister of the independent Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in "Ali & Nino". He played in the movie "İstanbul Kırmızısı" directed by Ferzan Özpetek. In 2016, he started playing opposite his wife Bergüzar Korel in "Vatanım Sensin".


title: Halit Ergenç

text: He is married to actress Bergüzar Korel with whom he has two sons named Ali and Han, and a daughter named Leyla. His younger brother Mehmet Sait Ergenç—named for their father—is also an actor. He has stated that he likes Zeki Demirkubuz's style and Ferzan Özpetek's emotion, but prefers to work the most with Reha Erdem and Çağan Irmak, whom he describes as both young and talented directors.


title: Halit Ergenç

text: In 2017, Ergenç visited Pakistan and attended the Lux Style Awards, where he was honoured with the International Icon of the year award, due to his popularity in the country. In his accepting speech, Ergenç said that he had grown up knowing Pakistan as a "brother country".


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a Northern Irish television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as "Rip Off Britain", and her regular appearances as a panellist on "Loose Women". She has been a regular reporter on "This Morning" and "The One Show". She also had a singing career between the 1960s and 1980s.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Gloria Hunniford was born in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, into a Protestant family; her father, a magician, was a member of the Orange Order. In her teens, she spent some time in Canada, a period she considers very important in broadening her outlook.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: After starting off as a singer, Hunniford worked as a production assistant for UTV in Belfast then as a local radio broadcaster for the BBC; it was at UTV that she met her first husband Don Keating, a Catholic. In the 1970s and 1980s, she was the presenter of "Good Evening Ulster" and on the ITV Network "Sunday Sunday" and "We Love TV". She has also appeared on many programmes over the years including "Lily Savage's Blankety Blank" and on "Call My Bluff". She also appeared on "Blankety Blank with Bradley Walsh" in 2021.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Hunniford recorded two albums that were released in the 1970s. In 1985, she sang at the Royal Variety Performance. As part of the film musicals theme, she sang "Secret Love" from "Calamity Jane", as originally performed by Doris Day.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: In 1995 Hunniford became one of the many presenters on the long-running BBC chat show series Pebble Mill At One where she also presented a special one off episode interviewing Doris Day.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: From 1998 to 2003, Hunniford presented "Open House with Gloria Hunniford" for Channel 5. In August 2010, she appeared as a panellist/presenter on the ITV daytime programme "3@Three".


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Since 2009, Hunniford has co-presented "Rip Off Britain", a consumer complaints programme on BBC One with Angela Rippon and, for the first two series, Jennie Bond, and then, for the third series, with Julia Somerville replacing Bond. Together, the trio of Hunniford, Rippon and Somerville also presented "Charlie's Consumer Angels".


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: From 8 September 2014, Hunniford became a regular panellist on ITV chat show "Loose Women". She was previously a guest panellist in 2003. She has guest anchored the show on 4 occasions between October 2014 and August 2016.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: In 2014, Hunniford presented the first series of BBC One programme "Home Away from Home". Gyles Brandreth presented the second series. She has also presented three series of "Food: Truth or Scare" with Chris Bavin from 2016.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: In January 2022, Hunniford appeared on the third series of "The Masked Singer" as "Snow Leopard". She was second to be unmasked.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: In 2005, Hunniford appeared in the third series of the BBC's "Strictly Come Dancing", dancing with Darren Bennett and was eliminated from the competition on the third week.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Hunniford has appeared on numerous programmes including "Gloria Live", "Wogan", "Holiday", "Songs of Praise", "That's Showbusiness", "Kilroy" and "Sunday, Sunday".


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: In 2008, Hunniford was a regular panellist on "Through the Keyhole" and was a celebrity homeowner on an episode in 2018. On 27 September 2013, Hunniford appeared on an episode of "Piers Morgan's Life Stories". On 28 January 2014, Hunniford took part in an episode of "Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" She appeared in an episode of "Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule" in 2017.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Hunniford had her own daily radio show on BBC Radio 2, starting with the lunchtime show in January 1982 before moving to an afternoon slot between 2.00pm and 3.30pm in January 1984, where she remained for 11 years until April 1995, when she was replaced by Debbie Thrower 2 months later. Hunniford also hosted "Sounding Brass", a music phone-in request programme with a live brass band, devised by radio producer Owen Spencer-Thomas.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Hunniford has made a health and exercise video called "Fit for Life". Hunniford has also appeared on the UK music video of The Muppets' cover version of Fine Young Cannibals song She Drives Me Crazy. She also has written an Irish recipe book with her sister Lena, "Gloria Hunniford's Family Cookbook".


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Hunniford was married to Don Keating from 1970 to 1992. They had a daughter, Caron Keating, and two sons. In September 1998, she married hairdresser Stephen Way in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Hunniford became an advocate of chakra meditations after meeting a swami backstage on Loose Women. While not converting to esoteric Hinduism fully she has supported Tantra ever since.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: In 2022, Hunniford suffered a fall at home, breaking a bone under her eye. As a result she did not take part in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Hunniford's daughter Caron Keating (5 October 1962 – 13 April 2004) died of breast cancer in Kent. Hunniford set up a cancer charity in her daughter's name; the "Caron Keating Foundation".


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: Hunniford was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to cancer charities.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: On "The Alan Titchmarsh Show" on 6 May 2011, Hunniford revealed her support for David Cameron's Conservative-led coalition government, describing herself as "a bit of a David Cameron fan", although she criticised the government's decision to continue giving aid to Pakistan when it was making cuts in the UK.


title: Gloria Hunniford

text: In August 2014, Hunniford was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to "The Guardian" opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Credit card fraud is an inclusive term for fraud committed using a payment card, such as a credit card or debit card. The purpose may be to obtain goods or services or to make payment to another account, which is controlled by a criminal. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is the data security standard created to help financial institutions process card payments securely and reduce card fraud.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Credit card fraud can be authorised, where the genuine customer themselves processes payment to another account which is controlled by a criminal, or unauthorised, where the account holder does not provide authorisation for the payment to proceed and the transaction is carried out by a third party. In 2018, unauthorised financial fraud losses across payment cards and remote banking totalled £844.8 million in the United Kingdom. Whereas banks and card companies prevented £1.66 billion in unauthorised fraud in 2018. That is the equivalent to £2 in every £3 of attempted fraud being stopped.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Credit card fraud can occur when unauthorized users gain access to an individual's credit card information in order to make purchases, other transactions, or open new accounts. A few examples of credit card fraud include account takeover fraud, new account fraud, cloned cards, and cards-not-present schemes. This unauthorized access occurs through phishing, skimming, and information sharing by a user, oftentimes unknowingly. However, this type of fraud can be detected through means of artificial intelligence and machine learning as well as prevented by issuers, institutions, and individual cardholders. According to a 2021 annual report, about 50% of all Americans have experienced a fraudulent charge on their credit or debit cards, and more than one in three credit or debit card holders have experienced fraud multiple times. This amounts to 127 million people in the US that have been victims of credit card theft at least once.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Regulators, card providers and banks take considerable time and effort to collaborate with investigators worldwide with the goal of ensuring fraudsters are not successful. Cardholders' money is usually protected from scammers with regulations that make the card provider and bank accountable. The technology and security measures behind credit cards are continuously advancing, adding barriers for fraudsters attempting to steal money.


title: Credit card fraud

text: There are two kinds of card fraud: card-present fraud (not so common nowadays) and card-not-present fraud (more common). The compromise can occur in a number of ways and can usually occur without the knowledge of the cardholder. The internet has made database security lapses particularly costly, in some cases, millions of accounts have been compromised.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Stolen cards can be reported quickly by cardholders, but a compromised account's details may be held by a fraudster for months before any theft, making it difficult to identify the source of the compromise. The cardholder may not discover fraudulent use until receiving a statement. Cardholders can mitigate this fraud risk by checking their account frequently to ensure there are not any suspicious or unknown transactions.


title: Credit card fraud

text: When a credit card is lost or stolen, it may be used for illegal purchases until the holder notifies the issuing bank and the bank puts a block on the account. Most banks have free 24-hour telephone numbers to encourage prompt reporting. Still, it is possible for a thief to make unauthorized purchases on a card before the card is cancelled.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Card information is stored in a number of formats. Card numbers – formally the Primary Account Number (PAN) – are often embossed or imprinted on the card, and a magnetic stripe on the back contains the data in a machine-readable format. Fields can vary, but the most common include the Name of the cardholder; Card number; Expiration date; and Verification CVV code.


title: Credit card fraud

text: In Europe and Canada, most cards are equipped with an EMV chip which requires a 4 to 6 digit PIN to be entered into the merchant's terminal before payment will be authorized. However, a PIN is not required for online transactions. In some European countries, buyers using a card without a chip may be asked for photo ID at the point of sale.


title: Credit card fraud

text: In some countries, a credit card holder can make a contactless payment for goods or services by tapping their card against a RFID or NFC reader without the need for a PIN or signature if the cost falls under a pre-determined limit. However, a stolen credit or debit card could be used for a number of smaller transactions prior to the fraudulent activity being flagged.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Card issuers maintain several countermeasures, including software that can estimate the probability of fraud. For example, a large transaction occurring a great distance from the cardholder's home might seem suspicious. The merchant may be instructed to call the card issuer for verification or to decline the transaction, or even to hold the card and refuse to return it to the customer.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Given the immense difficulty of detecting credit card fraud, artificial and computational intelligence was developed in order to make machines attempt tasks in which humans are already doing well. Computation intelligence is simply a subset of AI enabling intelligence in a changing environment. Due to advances in both artificial and computational intelligence, the most commonly used and suggested ways to detect credit card fraud are rule induction techniques, decision trees, neural networks, Support Vector Machines, logistic regression, and meta heuristics. There are many different approaches that may be used to detect credit card fraud. For example, some "suggest a framework which can be applied real time where first an outlier analysis is made separately for each customer using self-organizing maps and then a predictive algorithm is utilized to classify the abnormal looking transactions." Some problems that arise when detecting credit card fraud through computational intelligence is the idea of misclassifications such as false negatives/positives, as well as detecting fraud on a credit card having a larger available limit is much more prominent than detecting a fraud with a smaller available limit. One algorithm that helps detect these sorts of issues is determined as the MBO Algorithm. This is a search technique that brings upon improvement by its "neighbor solutions". Another algorithm that assists with these issues is the GASS algorithm. In GASS, it is a hybrid of genetic algorithms and a scatter search.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Touching a little more on the difficulties of credit card fraud detection, even with more advances in learning and technology every day, companies refuse to share their algorithms and techniques to outsiders. Additionally, fraud transactions are only about 0.01–0.05% of daily transactions, making it even more difficult to spot. Machine learning is similar to artificial intelligence where it is a sub field of AI where statistics is a subdivision of mathematics.  With regards to machine learning, the goal is to find a model that yields that highest level without overfitting at the same time. Overfitting means that the computer system memorized the data and if a new transaction differs in the training set in any way, it will most likely be misclassified, leading to an irritated cardholder or a victim of fraud that was not detected. The most popular programming used in machine learning are Python, R, and MatLab. At the same time, SAS is becoming an increasing competitor as well. Through these programs, the easiest method used in this industry is the Support Vector Machine. R has a package with the SVM function already programmed into it. When Support Vector Machines are employed, it is an efficient way to extract data. SVM is considered active research and successfully solves classification issues as well. Playing a major role in machine learning, it has "excellent generalization performance in a wide range of learning problems, such as handwritten digit recognition, classification of web pages and face detection." SVM is also a successful method because it lowers the possibility of overfitting and dimensionality.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Application fraud takes place when a person uses stolen or fake documents to open an account in another person's name. Criminals may steal or fake documents such as utility bills and bank statements to build up a personal profile. When an account is opened using fake or stolen documents, the fraudster could then withdraw cash or obtain credit in the victim's name.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Application fraud can also occur using a synthetic identity which is similar to the fake documents mentioned above. A synthetic identity is personal information gathered from many different identities to create one fake identity. Once the identity and the account is established, the fraudster has a few different options to take advantage of the bank.  They can maximize their credit card spending by spending as much money as possible on their new credit card. Many fraudsters will use the new credit card to purchase items that have a high resale value so they can turn it into cash.


title: Credit card fraud

text: An account takeover refers to the act by which fraudsters will attempt to assume control of a customer's account (i.e. credit cards, email, banks, SIM card and more). Control at the account level offers high returns for fraudsters. According to Forrester, risk-based authentication (RBA) plays a key role in risk mitigation.


title: Credit card fraud

text: A fraudster uses parts of the victim's identity such as an email address to gain access to financial accounts. This individual then intercepts communication about the account to keep the victim blind to any threats. Victims are often the first to detect account takeover when they discover charges on monthly statements they did not authorize or multiple questionable withdrawals. There has been an increase in the number of account takeovers since the adoption of EMV technology, which makes it more difficult for fraudsters to clone physical credit cards.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Among some of the most common methods by which a fraudster will commit an account, takeover includes proxy-based "checker" one-click apps, brute-force botnet attacks, phishing, and malware. Other methods include dumpster diving to find personal information in discarded mail, and outright buying lists of 'Fullz', a slang term for full packages of identifying information sold on the black market.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Once logged in, fraudsters have access to the account and can make purchases and withdraw money from bank accounts. They have access to any information that is tied to the account, they can steal credit card numbers along with social security numbers. They can change the passwords to prevent the victim from accessing their account. Cybercriminals have the opportunity to open other accounts, utilize rewards and benefits from the account, and sell this information to other hackers.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Social engineering fraud can occur when a criminal poses as someone else which results in a voluntary transfer of money or information to the fraudster. Fraudsters are turning to more sophisticated methods of scamming people and businesses out of money. A common tactic is sending spoof emails impersonating a senior member of staff and trying to deceive employees into transferring money to a fraudulent bank account.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Fraudsters may use a variety of techniques in order to solicit personal information by pretending to be a bank or payment processor. Telephone phishing is the most common social engineering technique to gain the trust of the victim.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Businesses can protect themselves with a dual authorisation process for the transfer of funds that requires authorisation from at least two persons, and a call-back procedure to a previously established contact number, rather than any contact information included with the payment request. The bank must refund any unauthorised payment; however, they can refuse a refund if they can prove the customer authorised the transaction, or it can prove the customer is at fault because they acted deliberately, or failed to protect details that allowed the transaction.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Skimming is the theft of personal information which has been used in an otherwise normal transaction. The thief can procure a victim's card number using basic methods such as photocopying receipts or more advanced methods such as using a small electronic device (skimmer) to swipe and store hundreds of victims' card numbers. Common scenarios for skimming are taxis, restaurants or bars where the skimmer has possession of the victim's payment card out of their immediate view. The thief may also use a small keypad to unobtrusively transcribe the three or four-digit card security code, which is not present on the magnetic strip.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Call centers are another area where skimming can easily occur. Skimming can also occur at merchants when a third-party card-reading device is installed either outside a card-swiping terminal. This device allows a thief to capture a customer's card information, including their PIN, with each card swipe.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Skimming is difficult for the typical cardholder to detect, but given a large enough sample, it is fairly easy for the card issuer to detect. The issuer collects a list of all the cardholders who have complained about fraudulent transactions, and then uses data mining to discover relationships among them and the merchants they use. Sophisticated algorithms can also search for patterns of fraud. Merchants must ensure the physical security of their terminals, and penalties for merchants can be severe if they are compromised, ranging from large fines by the issuer to complete exclusion from the system, which can be a death blow to businesses such as restaurants where credit card transactions are the norm.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Instances of skimming have been reported where the perpetrator has put over the card slot of an automated teller machine, a device that reads the magnetic strip as the user unknowingly passes their card through it. These devices are often used in conjunction with a miniature camera to read the user's personal identification number at the same time. This method is being used in many parts of the world, including South America, Argentina, and Europe.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Online bill paying or internet purchases utilizing a bank account are a source for repeat billing known as "recurring bank charges". These are standing orders or banker's orders from a customer to honour and pay a certain amount every month to the payee. With E-commerce, especially in the United States, a vendor or payee can receive payment by direct debit through the ACH Network. While many payments or purchases are valid, and the customer has intentions to pay the bill monthly, some are known as "Rogue Automatic Payments".


title: Credit card fraud

text: Another type of credit card fraud targets utility customers. Customers receive unsolicited in-person, telephone, or electronic communication from individuals claiming to be representatives of utility companies. The scammers alert customers that their utilities will be disconnected unless an immediate payment is made, usually involving the use of a reloadable debit card to receive payment. Sometimes the scammers use authentic-looking phone numbers and graphics to deceive victims.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Phishing is one of the most common methods used to steal personal data. It is a type of cyber attack in which the attacker acts as a credible person, institution, or entity and attempts to lure the victim into accepting a message or taking action with the specific request. Often, the target of the attack will receive an email or text message about something they would possibly want or need with the hope of tricking them into opening or downloading the message. During the COVID-19 pandemic, phishing has been on the rise as our world turned even more virtual. To give perspective, "researchers noted a substantial spike of 667% in COVID-19 phishing attacks in the first months of the pandemic.". Also, given the significance of health care systems over these recent years health care companies have been the main targets of phishing attacks. These companies have tons of personal data stored that can be extremely valuable to the attacker.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Information sharing is the transfer or exchange of data between individuals, companies, organizations, and technologies. Advances in technology, the internet, and networks have accelerated the growth of information sharing. Information is spread and shared in the matter of seconds, and is being accumulated and digested at speeds faster than ever before. People are often not aware of how much sensitive and personal information they share every day. For example, when purchasing goods online, the buyer's name, email address, home address, and credit card information are stored and shared with third parties to track them and their future purchases. Organizations work hard to keep individuals' personal information secure in their databases, but sometimes hackers are able to compromise its security and gain access to an immense amount of data. One of the largest data breaches occurred at the discount retailer Target. In this breach about 40 million shopper were affected. In this specific case, the hackers targeted their point-of-sale system – meaning "they either slipped malware into the terminals where customers swipe their credit cards, or they collected customer data while it was on route from Target to its credit card processors." In just one single purchase at the register, masses of personal data is collected which when stolen has major ramifications. The financial infrastructure and payment system will continue to be a work-in-progress as it constantly is at battle with security hackers.


title: Credit card fraud

text: While not federally mandated in the United States PCI DSS is mandated by the Payment Card Industry Security Standard Council, which is composed of major credit card brands and maintains this as an industry standard. Some states have incorporated the standard into their laws.


title: Credit card fraud

text: The US Department of Justice announced in September 2014 that it will seek to impose a tougher law to combat overseas credit card trafficking. Authorities say the current statute is too weak because it allows people in other countries to avoid prosecution if they stay outside the United States when buying and selling the data and do not pass their illicit business through the U.S. The Department of Justice asks US Congress to amend the current law that would make it illegal for an international criminal to possess, buy or sell a stolen credit card issued by a U.S. bank independent of geographic location.


title: Credit card fraud

text: In the US, federal law limits the liability of cardholders to $50 in the event of theft of the actual credit card, regardless of the amount charged on the card, if reported within 60 days of receiving the statement. In practice, many issuers will waive this small payment and simply remove the fraudulent charges from the customer's account if the customer signs an affidavit confirming that the charges are indeed fraudulent. If the physical card is not lost or stolen, but rather just the credit card account number itself is stolen, then federal law guarantees cardholders have zero liability to the credit card issuer.


title: Credit card fraud

text: In the UK, credit cards are regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (amended 2006). This provides a number of protections and requirements. Any misuse of the card, unless deliberately criminal on the part of the cardholder, must be refunded by the merchant or card issuer.


title: Credit card fraud

text: The regulation of banks in the United Kingdom is undertaken by the: Bank of England (BoE); Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) a division of the BoE; and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) who manages the day to day oversight. There is no specific legislation or regulation that governs the credit card industry. However, the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS) is the institution that all settlement members are a part of. The organisation works under the Banking Consolidation Directive to provide a means by which transactions can be monitored and regulated. UK Finance is the association for the UK banking and financial services sector, representing more than 250 firms providing credit, banking and payment-related services.


title: Credit card fraud

text: In Australia, credit card fraud is considered a form of "identity crime". The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre has established standard definitions in relation to identity crime for use by law enforcement across Australia:


title: Credit card fraud

text: Estimates created by the Attorney-General's Department show that identity crime costs Australia upwards of $1.6 billion each year, with the majority of about $900 million being lost by individuals through credit card fraud, identity theft and scams. In 2015, the Minister for Justice and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Counter-Terrorism, Michael Keenan, released the report Identity Crime and Misuse in Australia 2013–14. This report estimated that the total direct and indirect cost of identity crime was closer to $2 billion, which includes the direct and indirect losses experienced by government agencies and individuals, and the cost of identity crimes recorded by police.


title: Credit card fraud

text: The victim of credit card fraud in Australia, still in possession of the card, is not responsible for anything bought on it without their permission. However, this is subject to the terms and conditions of the account. If the card has been reported physically stolen or lost the cardholder is usually not responsible for any transactions not made by them, unless it can be shown that the cardholder acted dishonestly or without reasonable care.


title: Credit card fraud

text: To prevent vendors from being "charged back" for fraud transactions, merchants can sign up for services offered by Visa and MasterCard called Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode, under the umbrella term 3-D Secure. This requires consumers to add additional information to confirm a transaction.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Often enough online merchants do not take adequate measures to protect their websites from fraud attacks, for example by being blind to sequencing. In contrast to more automated product transactions, a clerk overseeing "card present" authorization requests must approve the customer's removal of the goods from the premises in real time.


title: Credit card fraud

text: If the merchant loses the payment, the fees for processing the payment, any currency conversion commissions, and the amount of the chargeback penalty. For obvious reasons, many merchants take steps to avoid chargebacks – such as not accepting suspicious transactions. This may spawn collateral damage, where the merchant additionally loses legitimate sales by incorrectly blocking legitimate transactions. Mail Order/Telephone Order (MOTO) merchants are implementing agent-assisted automation which allows the call center agent to collect the credit card number and other personally identifiable information without ever seeing or hearing it. This greatly reduces the probability of chargebacks and increases the likelihood that fraudulent chargebacks will be overturned.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Between July 2005 and mid-January 2007, a breach of systems at TJX Companies exposed data from more than 45.6 million credit cards. Albert Gonzalez is accused of being the ringleader of the group responsible for the thefts. In August 2009 Gonzalez was also indicted for the biggest known credit card theft to date – information from more than 130 million credit and debit cards was stolen at Heartland Payment Systems, retailers 7-Eleven and Hannaford Brothers, and two unidentified companies.


title: Credit card fraud

text: In 2012, about 40 million sets of payment card information were compromised by a hack of Adobe Systems. The information compromised included customer names, encrypted payment card numbers, expiration dates, and information relating to orders, Chief Security Officer Brad Arkin said.


title: Credit card fraud

text: In July 2013, press reports indicated four Russians and a Ukrainian were indicted in the U.S. state of New Jersey for what was called "the largest hacking and data breach scheme ever prosecuted in the United States." Albert Gonzalez was also cited as a co-conspirator of the attack, which saw at least 160 million credit card losses and excess of $300 million in losses. The attack affected both American and European companies including Citigroup, Nasdaq OMX Group, PNC Financial Services Group, Visa licensee Visa Jordan, Carrefour, JCPenney and JetBlue Airways.


title: Credit card fraud

text: Between 27 November 2013 and 15 December 2013, a breach of systems at Target Corporation exposed data from about 40 million credit cards. The information stolen included names, account numbers, expiry dates, and card security codes.


title: Credit card fraud

text: From 16 July to 30 October 2013, a hacking attack compromised about a million sets of payment card data stored on computers at Neiman-Marcus. A malware system, designed to hook into cash registers and monitor the credit card authorisation process (RAM-scraping malware), infiltrated Target's systems and exposed information from as many as 110 million customers.


title: Credit card fraud

text: On 8 September 2014, The Home Depot confirmed that their payment systems were compromised. They later released a statement saying that the hackers obtained a total of 56 million credit card numbers as a result of the breach.


title: Credit card fraud

text: On 15 May 2016, in a coordinated attack, a group of around 100 individuals used the data of 1600 South African credit cards to steal US$12.7 million from 1400 convenience stores in Tokyo within three hours. By acting on a Sunday and in another country than the bank which issued the cards, they are believed to have won enough time to leave Japan before the heist was discovered.


title: Deftones discography

text: The discography of Deftones, an American alternative metal band, consists of nine studio albums, three extended plays, three compilation albums, five demo albums and 22 singles. Their back-catalogue of B-side material encompasses 52 tracks. One release is certified gold by the RIAA in recognition of shipments exceeding 500,000 copies, and three are certified platinum for exceeding one million copies. They have sold over 10 million albums worldwide.


title: Deftones discography

text: Deftones formed in 1988 in Sacramento, California. Their first commercially released album was "Adrenaline", in 1995. It peaked at number 23 in the "Billboard" Heatseekers Albums chart, its success attributable to word-of-mouth and rigorous touring and live performance. 1997's "Around the Fur" was far more successful, peaking at number one on the "Billboard" Heatseekers Albums chart, and at number 29 on the "Billboard" 200. It was also their first international success, entering the UK Albums Chart at number 56. The album provided their first ever charting singles, "My Own Summer (Shove It)" and "Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)". "White Pony" was released in 2000 to critical acclaim and unprecedented commercial success, peaking at number three in the US. Singles "Change (In the House of Flies)" and "Digital Bath" supported the album's release. A single entitled "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" was released as a rap-influenced reinterpretation of "White Pony's" closing track, "Pink Maggit". While commercially successful and a fan favorite, the band have vociferously objected to its publication. "White Pony" was subsequently re-released with "Back to School (Mini Maggit)" as the album's opening track.


title: Deftones discography

text: The eponymous "Deftones" was released in 2003, peaking at number two in the US, and garnering widespread international success. "B-Sides & Rarities" saw a release in 2005, bringing together unreleased and obscure material accrued since 1995. 2006's "Saturday Night Wrist", completed after a protracted and tumultuous recording process, reached number ten in the US. "Hole in the Earth" peaked at number 18 on the "Billboard" Alternative Songs chart, while "Mein" only reached number 40 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The band's sixth album, "Diamond Eyes", was released on May 4, 2010. It saw the release of the popular singles "Rocket Skates", "You've Seen the Butcher" and "Diamond Eyes". In November 2012, Deftones released their seventh studio album titled "Koi No Yokan", which spawned the singles "Leathers", "Tempest", "Swerve City" and "Romantic Dreams". Their eighth studio album, "Gore", was released on April 8, 2016, and spawned the singles "Prayers / Triangles", "Doomed User", and "Hearts / Wires". "Ohms", Deftones’ ninth album, was released in 2020 with the eponymous single “Ohms” and the single “Genesis”.


title: Deftones discography

text: All live tracks from the two "My Own Summer (Shove It)" singles, respectively, were compiled into a live EP entitled "Live".


title: Isotopes of carbon

text: Carbon (C) has 15 known isotopes, from to , of which and are stable. The longest-lived radioisotope is , with a half-life of years. This is also the only carbon radioisotope found in nature—trace quantities are formed cosmogenically by the reaction + → + . The most stable artificial radioisotope is , which has a half-life of . All other radioisotopes have half-lives under 20 seconds, most less than 200 milliseconds. The least stable isotope is , with a half-life of .


title: Isotopes of carbon

text: Carbon-11 or is a radioactive isotope of carbon that decays to boron-11. This decay mainly occurs due to positron emission, with around 0.19–0.23% of decays instead occurring by electron capture. It has a half-life of .


title: Isotopes of carbon

text: Carbon-11 is commonly used as a radioisotope for the radioactive labeling of molecules in positron emission tomography. Among the many molecules used in this context are the radioligands []DASB and []Cimbi-5.


title: Isotopes of carbon

text: There are three naturally occurring isotopes of carbon: 12, 13, and 14. and are stable, occurring in a natural proportion of approximately 93:1. is produced by thermal neutrons from cosmic radiation in the upper atmosphere, and is transported down to earth to be absorbed by living biological material. Isotopically, constitutes a negligible part; but, since it is radioactive with a half-life of years, it is radiometrically detectable. Since dead tissue does not absorb , the amount of is one of the methods used within the field of archeology for radiometric dating of biological material.


title: Isotopes of carbon

text: and are measured as the isotope ratio δC in benthic foraminifera and used as a proxy for nutrient cycling and the temperature dependent air–sea exchange of CO (ventilation). Plants find it easier to use the lighter isotopes () when they convert sunlight and carbon dioxide into food. So, for example, large blooms of plankton (free-floating organisms) absorb large amounts of from the oceans. Originally, the was mostly incorporated into the seawater from the atmosphere. If the oceans that the plankton live in are stratified (meaning that there are layers of warm water near the top, and colder water deeper down), then the surface water does not mix very much with the deeper waters, so that when the plankton dies, it sinks and takes away from the surface, leaving the surface layers relatively rich in . Where cold waters well up from the depths (such as in the North Atlantic), the water carries back up with it. So, when the ocean was less stratified than today, there was much more in the skeletons of surface-dwelling species. Other indicators of past climate include the presence of tropical species, coral growths rings, etc.


title: Isotopes of carbon

text: The quantities of the different isotopes can be measured by mass spectrometry and compared to a standard; the result (e.g. the delta of the = δ) is expressed as parts per thousand (‰):


title: Isotopes of carbon

text: Stable carbon isotopes in carbon dioxide are utilized differentially by plants during photosynthesis. Grasses in temperate climates (barley, rice, wheat, rye, and oats, plus sunflower, potato, tomatoes, peanuts, cotton, sugar beet, and most trees and their nuts or fruits, roses, and Kentucky bluegrass) follow a C3 photosynthetic pathway that will yield δC values averaging about −26.5‰. Grasses in hot arid climates (maize in particular, but also millet, sorghum, sugar cane, and crabgrass) follow a C4 photosynthetic pathway that produces δC values averaging about −12.5‰.


title: Isotopes of carbon

text: It follows that eating these different plants will affect the δC values in the consumer's body tissues. If an animal (or human) eats only C3 plants, their δC values will be from −18.5 to −22.0‰ in their bone collagen and −14.5‰ in the hydroxylapatite of their teeth and bones.


title: Isotopes of carbon

text: In contrast, C4 feeders will have bone collagen with a value of −7.5‰ and hydroxylapatite value of −0.5‰.


title: Isotopes of carbon

text: In actual case studies, millet and maize eaters can easily be distinguished from rice and wheat eaters. Studying how these dietary preferences are distributed geographically through time can illuminate migration paths of people and dispersal paths of different agricultural crops. However, human groups have often mixed C3 and C4 plants (northern Chinese historically subsisted on wheat and millet), or mixed plant and animal groups together (for example, southeastern Chinese subsisting on rice and fish).


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Pelvic inflammatory disease, also known as pelvic inflammatory disorder (PID), is an infection of the upper part of the female reproductive system, namely the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, and inside of the pelvis. Often, there may be no symptoms. Signs and symptoms, when present, may include lower abdominal pain, vaginal discharge, fever, burning with urination, pain with sex, bleeding after sex, or irregular menstruation. Untreated PID can result in long-term complications including infertility, ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, and cancer.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: The disease is caused by bacteria that spread from the vagina and cervix. Infections by "Neisseria gonorrhoeae" or "Chlamydia trachomatis" are present in 75 to 90 percent of cases. Often, multiple different bacteria are involved. Without treatment, about 10 percent of those with a chlamydial infection and 40 percent of those with a gonorrhea infection will develop PID. Risk factors are generally similar to those of sexually transmitted infections and include a high number of sexual partners and drug use. Vaginal douching may also increase the risk. The diagnosis is typically based on the presenting signs and symptoms. It is recommended that the disease be considered in all women of childbearing age who have lower abdominal pain. A definitive diagnosis of PID is made by finding pus involving the fallopian tubes during surgery. Ultrasound may also be useful in diagnosis.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Efforts to prevent the disease include not having sex or having few sexual partners and using condoms. Screening women at risk for chlamydial infection followed by treatment decreases the risk of PID. If the diagnosis is suspected, treatment is typically advised. Treating a woman's sexual partners should also occur. In those with mild or moderate symptoms, a single injection of the antibiotic ceftriaxone along with two weeks of doxycycline and possibly metronidazole by mouth is recommended. For those who do not improve after three days or who have severe disease, intravenous antibiotics should be used.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Globally, about 106 million cases of chlamydia and 106 million cases of gonorrhea occurred in 2008. The number of cases of PID, however, is not clear. It is estimated to affect about 1.5 percent of young women yearly. In the United States, PID is estimated to affect about one million people each year. A type of intrauterine device (IUD) known as the Dalkon shield led to increased rates of PID in the 1970s. Current IUDs are not associated with this problem after the first month.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Symptoms in PID range from none to severe. If there are symptoms, fever, cervical motion tenderness, lower abdominal pain, new or different discharge, painful intercourse, uterine tenderness, adnexal tenderness, or irregular menstruation may be noted.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Other complications include endometritis, salpingitis, tubo-ovarian abscess, pelvic peritonitis, periappendicitis, and perihepatitis.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: PID can cause scarring inside the reproductive system, which can later cause serious complications, including chronic pelvic pain, infertility, ectopic pregnancy (the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in adult females), and other complications of pregnancy. Occasionally, the infection can spread to the peritoneum causing inflammation and the formation of scar tissue on the external surface of the liver (Fitz-Hugh–Curtis syndrome).


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: "Chlamydia trachomatis" and "Neisseria gonorrhoeae" are usually the main cause of PID. Data suggest that PID is often polymicrobial. Isolated anaerobes and facultative microorganisms have been obtained from the upper genital tract. "N. gonorrhoeae" has been isolated from fallopian tubes, facultative and anaerobic organisms were recovered from endometrial tissues.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: The anatomical structure of the internal organs and tissues of the female reproductive tract provides a pathway for pathogens to ascend from the vagina to the pelvic cavity thorough the infundibulum. The disturbance of the naturally occurring vaginal microbiota associated with bacterial vaginosis increases the risk of PID.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: "N. gonorrhoea" and "C. trachomati"s are the most common organisms. The least common were infections caused exclusively by anaerobes and facultative organisms. Anaerobes and facultative bacteria were also isolated from 50 percent of the patients from whom "Chlamydia" and "Neisseria" were recovered; thus, anaerobes and facultative bacteria were present in the upper genital tract of nearly two-thirds of the PID patients. PCR and serological tests have associated extremely fastidious organism with endometritis, PID, and tubal factor infertility. Microorganisms associated with PID are listed below.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Upon a pelvic examination, cervical motion, uterine, or adnexal tenderness will be experienced. Mucopurulent cervicitis and or urethritis may be observed. In severe cases more testing may be required such as laparoscopy, intra-abdominal bacteria sampling and culturing, or tissue biopsy.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Laparoscopy can visualize "violin-string" adhesions, characteristic of Fitz-Hugh–Curtis perihepatitis and other abscesses that may be present.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Other imaging methods, such as ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic imaging (MRI), can aid in diagnosis. Blood tests can also help identify the presence of infection: the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), the C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and chlamydial and gonococcal DNA probes.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), direct fluorescein tests (DFA), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are highly sensitive tests that can identify specific pathogens present. Serology testing for antibodies is not as useful since the presence of the microorganisms in healthy people can confound interpreting the antibody titer levels, although antibody levels can indicate whether an infection is recent or long-term.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Definitive criteria include histopathologic evidence of endometritis, thickened filled Fallopian tubes, or laparoscopic findings. Gram stain/smear becomes definitive in the identification of rare, atypical and possibly more serious organisms. Two thirds of patients with laparoscopic evidence of previous PID were not aware they had PID, but even asymptomatic PID can cause serious harm.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Laparoscopic identification is helpful in diagnosing tubal disease; a 65 percent to 90 percent positive predictive value exists in patients with presumed PID.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Upon gynecologic ultrasound, a potential finding is "tubo-ovarian complex", which is edematous and dilated pelvic structures as evidenced by vague margins, but without abscess formation.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: A number of other causes may produce similar symptoms including appendicitis, ectopic pregnancy, hemorrhagic or ruptured ovarian cysts, ovarian torsion, and endometriosis and gastroenteritis, peritonitis, and bacterial vaginosis among others.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Pelvic inflammatory disease is more likely to reoccur when there is a prior history of the infection, recent sexual contact, recent onset of menses, or an IUD (intrauterine device) in place or if the partner has a sexually transmitted infection.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Acute pelvic inflammatory disease is highly unlikely when recent intercourse has not taken place or an IUD is not being used. A sensitive serum pregnancy test is typically obtained to rule out ectopic pregnancy. Culdocentesis will differentiate hemoperitoneum (ruptured ectopic pregnancy or hemorrhagic cyst) from pelvic sepsis (salpingitis, ruptured pelvic abscess, or ruptured appendix).


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Pelvic and vaginal ultrasounds are helpful in the diagnosis of PID. In the early stages of infection, the ultrasound may appear normal. As the disease progresses, nonspecific findings can include free pelvic fluid, endometrial thickening, uterine cavity distension by fluid or gas. In some instances the borders of the uterus and ovaries appear indistinct. Enlarged ovaries accompanied by increased numbers of small cysts correlates with PID.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Laparoscopy is infrequently used to diagnose pelvic inflammatory disease since it is not readily available. Moreover, it might not detect subtle inflammation of the fallopian tubes, and it fails to detect endometritis. Nevertheless, laparoscopy is conducted if the diagnosis is not certain or if the person has not responded to antibiotic therapy after 48 hours.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: No single test has adequate sensitivity and specificity to diagnose pelvic inflammatory disease. A large multisite U.S. study found that cervical motion tenderness as a minimum clinical criterion increases the sensitivity of the CDC diagnostic criteria from 83 percent to 95 percent. However, even the modified 2002 CDC criteria do not identify women with subclinical disease.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Regular testing for sexually transmitted infections is encouraged for prevention. The risk of contracting pelvic inflammatory disease can be reduced by the following:


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Treatment is often started without confirmation of infection because of the serious complications that may result from delayed treatment. Treatment depends on the infectious agent and generally involves the use of antibiotic therapy although there is no clear evidence of which antibiotic regimen is more effective and safe in the management of PID. If there is no improvement within two to three days, the patient is typically advised to seek further medical attention. Hospitalization sometimes becomes necessary if there are other complications. Treating sexual partners for possible STIs can help in treatment and prevention.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: For women with PID of mild to moderate severity, parenteral and oral therapies appear to be effective. It does not matter to their short- or long-term outcome whether antibiotics are administered to them as inpatients or outpatients. Typical regimens include cefoxitin or cefotetan plus doxycycline, and clindamycin plus gentamicin. An alternative parenteral regimen is ampicillin/sulbactam plus doxycycline. Erythromycin-based medications can also be used. A single study suggests superiority of azithromycin over doxycycline. Another alternative is to use a parenteral regimen with ceftriaxone or cefoxitin plus doxycycline. Clinical experience guides decisions regarding transition from parenteral to oral therapy, which usually can be initiated within 24–48 hours of clinical improvement.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Even when the PID infection is cured, effects of the infection may be permanent. This makes early identification essential. Treatment resulting in cure is very important in the prevention of damage to the reproductive system. Formation of scar tissue due to one or more episodes of PID can lead to tubal blockage, increasing the risk of the inability to get pregnant and long-term pelvic/abdominal pain. Certain occurrences such as a post pelvic operation, the period of time immediately after childbirth (postpartum), miscarriage or abortion increase the risk of acquiring another infection leading to PID.


title: Pelvic inflammatory disease

text: Globally about 106 million cases of chlamydia and 106 million cases of gonorrhea occurred in 2008. The number of cases of PID; however, is not clear. It is estimated to affect about 1.5 percent of young women yearly. In the United States PID is estimated to affect about one million people yearly. Rates are highest with teenagers and first time mothers. PID causes over 100,000 women to become infertile in the US each year.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung (, Wade–Giles: "Tʻai²-chung¹", pinyin: "Táizhōng"), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiwan, as well as the most populous city in Central Taiwan. It serves as the core of the Taichung–Changhua metropolitan area, the second largest metropolitan area in Taiwan.


title: Taichung

text: Located in the Taichung Basin, the city was initially developed from several scattered hamlets helmed by the Taiwanese indigenous peoples. It was constructed to be the new capital of Taiwan Province and renamed as "Taiwan-fu" in the late Qing dynastic era between 1887 and 1894. During the Japanese era from 1895, the urban planning of present-day city of Taichung was performed and developed by the Japanese. From the start of ROC rule in 1945, the urban area of Taichung was organized as a provincial city up until 25 December 2010, when the original provincial city and Taichung County were merged into a new special municipality.


title: Taichung

text: The city is home to the National Museum of Natural Science, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, the National Taichung Theater, the National Library of Public Information, and the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, as well as many cultural sites, including the historic Taichung Park, the Lin Family Gardens, and many temples.


title: Taichung

text: The Atayal aborigines as well as several Taiwanese Plains Aboriginal tribes (including the Taokas, Papora, Pazeh, Hoanya and Babuzas) populated the plains that make up modern Taichung. They were originally hunter gatherers who later lived by cultivating millet and taro. In the 17th century, the Papora, Babuza, Pazeh, and Hoanya established the Kingdom of Middag<nowiki>, occupying the western part of present-day Taichung.</nowiki>


title: Taichung

text: In 1684, Zhuluo County was established, encompassing the underdeveloped northern two-thirds of Taiwan. Modern-day Taichung traces its beginnings to a settlement named "Toatun" () in 1705. To strengthen Qing control, a garrison was established in 1721 near the site of present-day Taichung Park by Lan Ting-chen.


title: Taichung

text: North of the city, on the Dajia River, an aboriginal revolt broke out in 1731 after Chinese officials moved in and compelled them to provide labor. The revolt spread through the city as far south as Changhua County in May 1732 before the rebels were chased into the mountains by Qing forces. In 1786, another rebellion against the Qing, known as the Lin Shuangwen rebellion, began as an attempt to overthrow the government and restore the Ming dynasty. Unfortunately, as the rebels moved northward, they turned to slaughter and looting. They were eventually defeated by a coalition of Qing forces, Hakka, Quanzhou Fujianese descendants, and aboriginal volunteers.


title: Taichung

text: When Taiwan Province was declared an independent province in 1887, the government intended to construct its capital city at the centrally located "Toatun", which was also designated as the seat of Taiwan Prefecture. Thus the city took the title of "Taiwan-fu", meaning "capital city of Taiwan", from modern-day Tainan, which had held the title for more than 200 years. Qing official Liu Ming-chuan received permission to oversee development of the area, which included constructing a railway through the city. However, the provincial capital was ultimately moved to Taipei.


title: Taichung

text: After the Qing dynasty lost the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, Taiwan was ceded to Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki, and the name of the city was changed to . The Japanese sought to develop the city to make it the first "modern" area of Taiwan and invested in roads, dams, and levees. In 1901, was established as one of twenty local administrative districts on the island. In 1904, the town of Taichū had a population of 6,423, and Taichū District had more than 207,000.


title: Taichung

text: Taichū Park was completed in 1903. A tower marking the old north gate was moved to the new park where it stands today. The first market in Taichū was built in 1908, along Jiguang Road between the Zhongzheng and Chenggong Roads and it is still in use today. The Japanese undertook a north–south island railway project. Taichū Train Station was completed and began operation in 1917, and still operates today. Taichū City was officially declared by Japanese authorities in 1920, and Taichū City Hall was completed in 1924 after eleven years of construction. , now known as Taichung Airport, was constructed during Japanese rule.


title: Taichung

text: Taichū Middle School (now known as Taichung First Senior High School) was founded in 1915 by elite members of local gentry, including Lin Hsien-tang and his brother , two wealthy Taiwanese intellectuals of the era. This was in an effort to teach children the culture of Taiwan and to foster the spirit of the Taiwanese localization movement. The Taiwanese Cultural Association, founded in 1921 in Taipei by Lin Hsien-tang, was moved to Taichū in 1927. Most of the members of this association were from Taichū and the surrounding area. The city became a center of Taiwanese culture and nationalism.


title: Taichung

text: From 1926 to 1945, Taichū Prefecture covered modern-day Taichung as well as Changhua County and Nantou County.


title: Taichung

text: After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in October 1945, Taichung County was established, which consists of present-day area of Taichung City, Miaoli County and Taoyuan City. In 1947 the first mayor of Taichung County (which included Taichung City) was Lai Tien Shen. The position was appointed by the government to rule during the interim period. In 1950, Miaoli and Taoyuan were taken out from Taichung County area to form Miaoli County and Taoyuan County respectively. In June 2009, the Executive Yuan approved the plan to merge Taichung City and Taichung County to form a larger Taichung City. On 25 December 2010, the city was merged with the surrounding Taichung County to create a special municipality of 2.65 million people spread across .


title: Taichung

text: In 2020, Taichung was classified as a "Gamma" level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung City is located in the Taichung Basin along the main western coastal plain that stretches along the west coast from northern Taiwan almost to the southern tip. The city borders Changhua County, Nantou County, Hualien County, Yilan County, Hsinchu County and Miaoli County.


title: Taichung

text: The Central Mountain Range lies just to the east of the city. Rolling hills run to the north leading to Miaoli County, while flat coastal plains dominate the landscape to the south leading to Changhua County and the Taiwan Strait to the west. The Dadu Plateau lies to the northwest.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung has a warm humid subtropical climate (Köppen "Cwa") bordering on a tropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of . The highest temperature of the year occurs in July and August, while the lowest temperature occurs in January and February. Daytime temperatures remain warm to hot year-round, though night time temperatures during the winter months are significantly cooler than those during the summer and the warm daytime temperature. Its average annual rainfall is just above , relatively low compared to other major cities of Taiwan. The average humidity is 80%.


title: Taichung

text: Due to the protection provided by the Central Mountain Range to the east and the Miaoli hills to the north, Taichung is rarely severely affected by typhoons. However, occasional typhoons emerging from the South China Sea can pose a threat to the city as evidenced by Typhoon Wayne in 1986, which struck the west coast of Taiwan near Taichung.


title: Taichung

text: Due to Taichung plain's strong radiative cooling effect , Taichung City is one of the few cities of Taiwan where the year round average daily low temperature falls below , with even most cities of northern Taiwan, such as Taipei and Keelung having an average low of over .


title: Taichung

text: Taichung's population was estimated to be 2,816,667 in March 2020. There are slightly more females in the city (50.97%) than males. 24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly. According to Ministry of Interior statistics, the fertility rate in Taichung City in 2007 was 1.165 for each woman.


title: Taichung

text: The city surpassed Kaohsiung to become the second largest city in Taiwan in July 2017, growing at the 2nd fastest rate in Taiwan from 2012 to 2017. Recent population increases have been attributed to natural population growth, more people moving to the city, and subsidized housing.


title: Taichung

text: Unlike Taipei in the north, which is solidly in the Pan-Blue political camp, and the southern cities of Kaohsiung and Tainan that are solidly Pan-Green, Taichung is more balanced, with the urban city center area leaning Blue and the suburban and rural areas leaning Green. In fact, both major political parties have won a mayoral election among the last four with at least 49 percent of the vote (Democratic Progressive Party in 1997 and 2014 and the Kuomintang in 2001 and 2005). Similarly, the Kuomintang majority in the city council is not as large as it is in other cities, and is only negligible when one excludes Beitun District, which is solidly pro-Kuomintang.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung City's executive branch is headed by mayor Lu Shiow-yen of the Kuomintang. Taichung's legislative branch is a unicameral 46-member City Council. Each member is elected from one of six member districts where each voter has only one vote.


title: Taichung

text: Inner Taichung refers to the eight former districts of Taichung City before the merger with Taichung County on December 25, 2010. Colors indicate statutory language status of Hakka language in the respective subdivisions. Note that Heping District is also an indigenous area of the Atayal people.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung is home to many industries. Taichung's Industrial Zone, located in Xitun District, is home to many factories, while nearby World Trade Center Taichung hosts many industrial conventions every year. Taichung is also home to the Central Taiwan Science Park, known for the many semiconductor factories located there, most notably TSMC. Taichung is also known for its bicycle manufacturing. Notable business located in Taichung include Giant Bicycles, SRAM, and TRP Brakes. Merida Bicycles is also located in nearby Dacun, Changhua.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung is most famous for its suncakes. Taichung's Chun Shui Tang teahouse () is where bubble tea was invented.


title: Taichung

text: The recent surge in population resulted in the growth of the retail sector, with the opening of large department stores in Xitun District.


title: Taichung

text: Two railways run parallel to each other in Taichung: the Taichung Line, which passes through the urban areas in the interior, and the West Coast Line, which passes through rural areas closer to the coastal shore. Taichung railway station is located in the heart of the city in Central District and numerous bus companies provide connections to other towns by bus.


title: Taichung

text: The THSR Taichung Station is located in Wuri, serving travel demands of both Taichung City and the northern parts of Changhua County. THSR Taichung Station is accessible by local trains, MRT Green Line, as well as free shuttle buses into the city.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung Port, located on the coast in Taichung City, is the second largest cargo facility on the island capable of handling container shipping. Despite being the second largest port on the island of Taiwan, there are no passenger ferry services available and the port is closed to unauthorized personnel.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung City generally follows a radial road layout, with its center at Taichung railway station. Major roads start in Central District and run outwards, including Taiwan Boulevard, Xiangshang Road, Zhongqing Road, and Zhongshan Road.


title: Taichung

text: Freeway 1 runs along the Fazi River on the outskirts of the city, while Freeway 3 runs along the Dadu River to the coastal plains on the west, where it then runs parallel to the coastline. Freeway 4 begins in Qingshui District and terminates in Fengyuan District. Highway 74, known as the Taichung Ring Expressway circles the outskirts of the city, while Highway 63, known as the Zhongtou Expressway, runs from Taichung southward to Caotun, Nantou. Many other highways run through the city.


title: Taichung

text: The most frequently used public transportation system in Taichung is by bus, with 18 bus companies providing 275 routes that cover all districts. All station names are announced in both Mandarin and English, while some also providing Hokkien pronunciations. For passengers using a contactless smartcard (for example, an EasyCard), the first 10 kilometers are free.


title: Taichung

text: The city currently has one MRT line, the Green line, which opened on April 25, 2021. Other lines are currently under planning.


title: Taichung

text: For a short period of time, the city operated a bus rapid transit system, named the BRT Blue Line, running down Taiwan Boulevard. It used articulated buses running a specialized lane, a first in Taiwan. The system began operation in July 2014; however, it did little to ameliorate traffic congestion, and was terminated within a year. The lane and specialized bus stops are currently used as a general bus lane, with bus lines 300-310 running through it.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung International Airport is the third and newest international airport in Taiwan. It occupies the western corner of Ching Chuan Kang Air Base (CCK) and is about 20 kilometers (12 mi) from downtown Taichung City. The current airport replaced Shuinan Airport as Taichung's airport in 2004.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung City is in the process of implementing Hanyu Pinyin on road signs throughout the city. However, there are still signs displaying spellings from previously used romanization systems, as well as Tongyong Pinyin and systems that do not conform to any standard system. Unlike Taipei, which uses a capital letter at the beginning of every syllable, Taichung City uses the standard form of Hanyu Pinyin on street signs erected in recent years. However, the municipal website uses the Taipei system. Most major intersections have at least one sign containing some form of romanization. Nearly every intersection in the downtown area has signs in Hanyu Pinyin. However, outside of the downtown area, while coverage by Hanyu Pinyin signs is improving, many intersections have signs in other romanization systems (especially Wade–Giles and MPS2) or no Romanized signs at all.


title: Taichung

text: Taichung has a large number of temples, many of which hold historic and cultural value. According to a 2018 survey by the city government, Taichung is home to 1,012 registered temples, of which 774 are Taoist and 208 are Buddhist.


title: Taichung

text: The Goddess Mazu is one of the most popular Deity. Jenn Lann Temple is the starting point of the annual Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage, one of two largest such pilgrimages in Taiwan (along with the Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage). Each year, worshippers carry a litter containing a statue of Mazu and travel on foot to Xingang, Chiayi and back. Lecheng Temple hosts a similar Eighteen Villages Pilgrimage, where the temple's "Hanxi Mazu" is paraded through eighteen villages for good luck. Other notable Mazu temples include Wanhe Temple and Haotian Temple.


title: Taichung

text: Confucianism is a crucial part of many Chinese cultures. In Taichung, there are two historic major temples dedicated to Wenchang Dijun, the patron deity of literature: Beitun Wenchang Temple and Nantun Wenchang Temple. The Taichung Confucian Temple is a large and relatively new complex dedicated to Confucius himself. There are also several ancestral shrines in Taichung, notably the Lin Family Ancestral Shrine, the Zhang Family Temple, and the Zhang Liao Family Temple.


title: Taichung

text: The Sinon Bulls was a professional baseball team playing in the four-team Chinese Professional Baseball League. While they were identified with Taichung City, many of their “home games” were played outside of the city due to the inadequacies of the old Taichung Baseball Field. The team was expected to move into the newly completed Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in 2008, but never did. At the end of the 2012 season, Sinon Corporation announced its intention to sell the team. By late December, an agreement was reached between Sinon Corporation and E-United Group, and the team was renamed EDA Rhinos and moved to Kaohsiung. The "Special Force II" division of the Flash Wolves esports team is known as the Taichung Flash Wolves, the team competed in the Special Force II Pro League (SF2PL) based in Taipei. Taichung is home to Taichung City FC, a club which strives to represent Taichung in soccer tournaments as well as charitable events.


title: Taichung

text: In 2015, after the CTBC Holdings took ownership of the Brother Elephants and renamed the team CTBC Brothers, they made Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium their home as part of the CPBL's effort to establish home fields.


title: Taichung

text: During the COVID-19 pandemic, a professional basketball league P. LEAGUE+ was established in 2020. The league hosted the third stop of the preseason schedule at National Taiwan University of Sport (國立台灣體育運動大學) on November 21 and 22. In the inaugural season 2020–2021, the Formosa Taishin Dreamers have scheduled two of their twelve home games at NTUS.


title: Taichung

text: Cup Marathon is held on the city's streets every autumn, either in October or November. Recent major sporting events held by Taichung include:


title: Taichung

text: Taichung has signed sister city agreements with nineteen cities in nine countries since 1965. They are listed below along with the dates that the agreements were signed.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: The Arizona bark scorpion ("Centruroides sculpturatus", once included in "Centruroides exilicauda") is a small light brown scorpion common to the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. An adult male can reach 8 cm in length (3.14 inches), while a female is slightly smaller, with a maximum length of 7 cm (2.75 inches).


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: Arizona bark scorpions are eaten by a wide variety of animals such as pallid bats, birds (especially owls), reptiles, and other vertebrates. Some examples include spiders, snakes, peccaries, rodents, and other scorpions. Development, pesticides and collecting scorpions for research or the pet trade also reduces the bark scorpion population.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: The painful and potentially deadly venom of Arizona bark scorpions has little effect on grasshopper mice. Scientists have found the scorpion toxin acts as an analgesic rather than a pain stimulant in grasshopper mice.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: Arizona bark scorpions have a gestation period of several months, are born live, and are gently guided onto their mother's back. The female usually gives birth to anywhere from 25 to 35 young. These remain with their mother until their first molt, which can be up to 3 weeks after birth. Arizona bark scorpions have a life expectancy of about 6 years.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: Arizona bark scorpions, like most other scorpions, are incredibly resilient. During US nuclear testing, scorpions, along with cockroaches and lizards, were found near ground zero with no recorded adverse effects.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: The Arizona bark scorpion is nocturnal, and particularly well adapted to the desert: layers of wax on its exoskeleton make it resistant to water loss. Nevertheless, Arizona bark scorpions hide during the heat of the day, typically under rocks, wood piles, or tree bark. Arizona bark scorpions do not burrow, and are commonly found in homes, requiring only 1/16 of an inch for entry.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: Arizona bark scorpions prefer riparian areas with mesquite, cottonwood, and sycamore groves, all of which have sufficient moisture and humidity to support insects and other prey species. The popularity of irrigated lawns, and other systems which increase environmental humidity in residential areas, has led to a massive increase in the number of these animals in some areas.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: "Centruroides" scorpions are unusual in that they are the only genus in the Southwest that can climb walls, trees, and other objects with a sufficiently rough surface. Arizona bark scorpions practice negative geotaxis, preferring an upside down orientation, which often results in people being stung due to the scorpion being on the underside of an object.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: The Arizona bark scorpion preys on small and medium-sized animals such as beetles, spiders, crickets, cockroaches, other insects and other scorpions.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: The range of the Arizona bark scorpion is from southern California, southern Arizona and western New Mexico. They are also found in Baja California, Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: The Arizona bark scorpion is the most venomous scorpion in North America, and its venom can cause severe pain (coupled with numbness, tingling, and vomiting) in adult humans, typically lasting between 24 and 72 hours. Temporary dysfunction in the area stung is common; e.g. a hand or possibly arm can be immobilized or experience convulsions. It also may cause loss of breath for a short time. Due to the extreme pain induced, many victims describe sensations of electrical jolts after envenomation. Two recorded fatalities have occurred in the state of Arizona since 1968; the number of victims stung each year in Arizona and New Mexico is estimated to be in the thousands.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: An antivenin was developed for this species at Arizona State University by Dr. Herbert L. Stahnke, and produced in quantities sufficient to treat individuals within the state of Arizona. This antivenin was not FDA approved, but use within the state of Arizona was allowable and very successful in shortening the duration of symptoms and hospitalization. Production of this antivenin ceased by 2000 and the product was unavailable by 2004. A Mexican-produced antivenin, Anascorp [Antivenin Centruroides (scorpion) F(ab′), Laboratorios Silanes, Instituto Bioclon SA de CV], received FDA approval on August 3, 2011, and is now in use.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: Arizona poison control centers suggest immediate medical attention if severe symptoms occur, particularly in young children. The Poison Center may be reached at 1-800-222-1222.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: Arizona bark scorpions, like most other scorpions, will glow when exposed to a blacklight. This is particularly useful in scorpion detection, since Arizona bark scorpions are active during the night, and can be easily spotted using this method. Typical UV LED flashlights enable their human operator to readily detect Arizona bark scorpions at a distance of approximately six feet. Newly molted Arizona bark scorpions will not glow under ultraviolet light for a few days after molting.


title: Arizona bark scorpion

text: Arizona bark scorpions are tan or light beige tone in color and very small, making them difficult to detect especially on natural terrain (rocky land, multiple vegetation and soil textured land). They are not known to seek out people, but look for places to hide unless provoked or defending their young. Several methods of control have historically been used to control Arizona bark scorpions, such as physical barriers (scorpions are unable to climb smooth surfaces), pesticides, glue boards, and removing any scorpion congregation areas in the vicinity of the building.


title: 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

text: The knockout stage was the second and final stage of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, following the group stage. The top two teams from each group (16 in total) advance to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination style tournament. A match was played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals to determine which team finished in third place.


title: 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

text: Germany progressed thanks to two goals from Lukas Podolski inside the opening 12 minutes. His first was in the fourth minute; German captain Michael Ballack sent a pass to Miroslav Klose, who was tackled by goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, only for an onrushing Podolski to turn the ball in. Eight minutes later, a pass from Klose found Podolski, who scored his second goal. On 35 minutes, Teddy Lučić received a second yellow card for a foul on Klose. In the 52nd minute, Henrik Larsson won a penalty for Sweden when he was challenged by Christoph Metzelder, only for Larsson himself to shoot the ball over the crossbar. Afterwards, Germany held out for a 2–0 win.


title: 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

text: Switzerland became the first team in the history of the FIFA World Cup to leave an edition of the tournament without conceding a single goal.


title: 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage

text: Defending world champions Brazil went out in the quarter-finals after Zinedine Zidane found an unmarked Thierry Henry from a free kick, the striker having been given a free run at the ball after his marker, Roberto Carlos, stopped to tie his shoe.


title: Matt Passmore

text: Matthew Passmore (born 24 December 1973) is an Australian actor. He is known for "McLeod's Daughters" (2006–2009), "Blue Heelers" (2003), "Last Man Standing" (2005), and his first American television show, "The Glades" (2010–2013).


title: Matt Passmore

text: Passmore began his career on the children's television series "Play School". Later on, he took on a variety of roles on Australian television shows such as "Always Greener", "Blue Heelers", "The Cooks", "Last Man Standing", "McLeod's Daughters", and "Underbelly: Tale of Two Cities". Passmore also starred in USA Network's "Satisfaction".


title: Mangli

text: Satyavathi Rathod, colloquially and popularly known as Mangli, is an Indian playback singer, television presenter and actress. She is popular for her traditional Banjara attire and known for her Telangana songs and performance at festival events in India and abroad. She is presently working with a Telugu-language web channel, Mic TV, featuring in popular video songs on special occasions like Bathukamma, Bonalu, Sankranthi, Telangana Formation Day, Ugadhi, Sammakka Sarakka Jatara and many.


title: Mangli

text: Mangli was born in a Banjara community. Her mother tongue (native language) is Lambadi. She did her diploma in Carnatic Music from SV University. Her father encouraged her to become a singer from a young age. Inspired by her teachers, she wanted to become a music teacher. Mangli moved to Hyderabad and Bengaluru to begin a career in anchoring.


title: Mangli

text: Mangli has a younger sister, Indravathi Chauhan, who became famous after singing the hit song "" from the movie "". The song was dubbed in Kannada and Mangli sang the Kannada lyrics for the dubbed version.


title: Mangli

text: She got her first break in her career in 2013, when she was invited as a guest artist on Telugu News channel, V6 News for a Dasara festival special show called as "Dhoom Dham". Her popular show on V6 News, where she played as "Maatakari Mangli", on the satirical news show, "Teenmaar Vaarthalu", along with Bithiri Sathi and Savitri was a hit. She worked with HMTV news channel's, "Jordar News" on the satirical news show along with Sujatha.


title: Mangli

text: She is presently working with a web channel, MIC TV as an anchor and folk song singer. She interviews celebrities called as "Mangli Muchata with". She sings songs on Telangana festivals like Bathukamma, Bonalu and Telangana Formation Day. Her song, "Orugallu Kotanadugu", for 2018 Telangana Formation Day has become a hit. She sang in some Tollywood films like "Sapthagiri Express, Raj Mahal, Needhi Naadi Oka Katha, George Reddy" and <nowiki>"</nowiki>Ramuloo Ramulaa<nowiki>"</nowiki> song from 2020 action-drama Tollywood film "Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo".


title: Mangli

text: In February 2018, she contested on a show hosted by Lakshmi Manchu "Maharani". In 2021, her song “Saranga Dariya” for the film "Love Story" became widely popular.


title: Potassium dichromate

text: Potassium dichromate, , is a common inorganic chemical reagent, most commonly used as an oxidizing agent in various laboratory and industrial applications. As with all hexavalent chromium compounds, it is acutely and chronically harmful to health. It is a crystalline ionic solid with a very bright, red-orange color. The salt is popular in the laboratory because it is not deliquescent, in contrast to the more industrially relevant salt sodium dichromate.