A Wisdom Archive on towel

The design of a bathroom must account for the use of both hot and cold water, in significant quantities, for cleaning the human body. Water may be splashed on the walls and floor and hot humid air may cause condensation on cold surfaces. From a decorating point of view the bathroom presents a challenge. Ceiling, wall and floor materials and coverings should be impervious to water and readily and easily cleaned. The use of ceramic or glass, as well as smooth plastic materials, is common in bathrooms for their ease of cleaning. However, such s ...

Read more here: » Bathroom: Encyclopedia II - Bathroom - Design considerations

These days, saunas are an integral part of the way of life in Finland. They are found everywhere: in private apartments, corporate headquarters and even in the Parliament. The sauna tradition is so strong that even Finns abroad enjoy a good sauna, probably the reason why the Finnish Church in Rotherhithe, London has its own sauna. Finnish soldiers on peacekeeping missions are famous for their saunas; even on the UNMEE mission in Eritrea, a sauna was one of the first buildings to be erected. (A second world war-era Finnish military field manual states that a rest of eight hours is all that is required for a battalion ...

Read more here: » Sauna: Encyclopedia II - Sauna - Finnish sauna customs

Hats are made from a variety of materials, including wool and fur felt, twill, canvas, leather and straw. Fabric, leather and straw hats are specially constructed to be a certain shape. Most felt, straw, and some fabric hats differ only by cosmetics, determined by how the hat is blocked, or shaped by a mold or by hand. Blocking the hat shapes the crown by applying steam to the material to soften the fabric and, once finished and dried, fix the shape of the hat. If the hat's material is strong enough, it often can be reblocked to anoth ...

Read more here: » Hat: Encyclopedia II - Hat - Physical attributes

Extreme intricacies regulate the menstrual cycle. For many years, researchers have argued over which regulatory system has ultimate control: the hypothalamus, the pituitary, or the ovary with its growing follicle; but all three systems have to interact. In any scenario, the growing follicle has a critical role: it matures the lining, provides the appropriate feedback to the hypothalamus and pituitary, and modifies the mucus changes at the cervix. Two sex hormones play a role in the control of the menstrual cycle: estradiol and progesterone. ...

Read more here: » Menstrual cycle: Encyclopedia II - Menstrual cycle - Hormonal control

A regular menstrual cycle as described here only occurs in the great apes. Menstrual cycles vary in length from an average of 29 days in orangutans to an average of 37 days in chimpanzees. Females of other mammalian species go through certain episodes called "estrus" or "heat" in each breeding season. During these times, ovulation occurs and females become receptive to mating, a fact advertised to males in some way. If no fertilisation takes place, the uterus reabsorbs the endometrium: no menstrual bleeding occurs. Significant differe ...

Read more here: » Menstrual cycle: Encyclopedia II - Menstrual cycle - Menstruation in other mammals

The length of the follicular phase — and consequently the length of the menstrual cycle — may vary widely. The luteal phase, however, almost always takes the same number of days. Some women have a luteal phase of 10 days, others of 16 days (the average is 14 days), but for each individual woman, this length will remain constant. Sperm survive inside a woman for 3 days on average, with survival time up to five days considered normal. A pregnancy resulting from sperm life of eight days has been documented

Read more here: » Menstrual cycle: Encyclopedia II - Menstrual cycle - The fertile window

The terms "menstruation" and "menses" come from the Latin mensis (month), which in turn relates to the Greek mene (moon) and to the roots of the English words month and moon — reflecting the fact that the moon also takes close to 28 days to revolve around the Earth (actually 27.32 days). The synodical lunar month, the period between two new moons (or full moons), is 29.53 days long. Many women, after a period of not being exposed to artificial nighttime lighting, find thei ...

Read more here: » Menstrual cycle: Encyclopedia II - Menstrual cycle - Etymology and the lunar month

Menstrual cycle - Mysticism. Mystics have sometimes elaborated "equivalencies", analogising the waxing and waning of the moon with influences on human menstruation. In this spiritual, moon goddess, or astrological context some women call menstruation their "moontime". Some ancient views also regarded menstruation as a cleansing of the body: compare bloodletting as a major medical treatment of pre-modern times. Menstrual cycle - Religion. ...

Read more here: » Menstrual cycle: Encyclopedia II - Menstrual cycle - Culture and menstruation

As of 1911, matting is a general term embracing many coarse woven or plaited fibrous materials used for covering floors or furniture, for hanging as screens, for wrapping up heavy merchandise and for other miscellaneous purposes. In the United Kingdom, under the name of "coir" matting, a large amount of a coarse kind of carpet is made from coconut fibre; and the same material, as well as strips of cane, Manila hemp, various grasses and rushes, is largely employed in various forms for making doormats. Large quantities of the coconut fi ...

Read more here: » Mat: Encyclopedia II - Mat - Historically

Women show considerable variation in the lengths of their menstrual cycles, and the length of the menstrual cycle differs in different animals (see below). While cycle length may vary, 28 days is generally taken as representative of the average ovulatory cycle in women. Convention uses the onset of menstrual bleeding to mark the beginning of the cycle, so the first day of bleeding is called "Cycle Day one". One can divide the menstrual cycle into f ...

Read more here: » Menstrual cycle: Encyclopedia II - Menstrual cycle - The normal menstrual cycle in humans