Boletus edulis

Jovan Stosic June 26, 2019

Boletus edulis (English: penny bun, cep, porcino or porcini) is a basidiomycete fungus, and the type species of the genus Boletus. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere across Europe, Asia, and North America, it does not occur naturally in the Southern Hemisphere, although it has been introduced to southern Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Several closely related European mushrooms formerly thought to be varieties or forms of B. edulis have been shown using molecular phylogenetic analysis to be distinct species, and others previously classed as separate species are conspecific with this species. The western North American species commonly known as the California king bolete (Boletus edulis var. grandedulis) is a large, darker-coloured variant first formally identified in 2007.

The fungus grows in deciduous and coniferous forests and tree plantations, forming symbiotic ectomycorrhizal associations with living trees by enveloping the tree’s underground roots with sheaths of fungal tissue. The fungus produces spore-bearing fruit bodies above ground in summer and autumn. The fruit body has a large brown cap which on occasion can reach 35 cm (14 in) in diameter and 3 kg (6.6 lb) in weight. Like other boletes, it has tubes extending downward from the underside of the cap, rather than gills; spores escape at maturity through the tube openings, or pores. The pore surface of the B. edulis fruit body is whitish when young, but ages to a greenish-yellow. The stout stipe, or stem, is white or yellowish in colour, up to 25 cm (10 in) tall and 10 cm (4 in) thick, and partially covered with a raised network pattern, or reticulations.

Prized as an ingredient in various foods, B. edulis is an edible mushroom held in high regard in many cuisines, and is commonly prepared and eaten in soups, pasta, or risotto. The mushroom is low in fat and digestible carbohydrates, and high in protein, vitamins, mineralsand dietary fibre. Although it is sold commercially, it is very difficult to cultivate. Available fresh in autumn in Central, Southern and Northern Europe, it is most often dried, packaged and distributed worldwide. It keeps its flavour after drying, and it is then reconstituted and used in cooking. B. edulis is one of the few fungi sold pickled. The fungus also produces a variety of organic compounds with a diverse spectrum of biological activity, including the steroid derivative ergosterol, a sugar binding protein, antiviral compounds, antioxidants, and phytochelatins, which give the organism resistance to toxic heavy metals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boletus_edulis

WordPress table is marked as crashed and last repair failed

Jovan Stosic June 24, 2019

(1) Log in to your phpMyAdmin or connect to it via your web hosting (cPanel?) backend.
(2) Select the database with the crashed table.
(3) Put a checkmark next to each crashed table.
(4) Select “Repair table” from the “With selected:” drop down at the bottom of the list.
(5) You’re done!

https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp_options-table-is-marked-as-crashed-and-last-repair-failed-10/

What is a narrow-wide chainring and what are its benefits and drawbacks?

Jovan Stosic June 20, 2019

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Modern chains have inner and outer links. On a conventional chainring, all of the teeth are the same width, and therefore have to be narrow enough to fit into the chain’s inner links. This means that there’s enough space for the chain to move about a bit from side to side on the chainring, which can cause it to fall off.

Historically this hasn’t been much of a problem, since on geared bikes the front derailleur cage tends to stop it from falling off, and on single-speed bikes there’s no chain slack or gear changing at the rear to cause chain-drop.

However, when you remove the front derailleur, but keep the rear derailleur (as is becoming common with single-ring setups), dropping the chain becomes more of a problem. This can happen when changing gear on the cassette, or when a bump causes the chain to go slack momentarily.

Narrow-wide chainrings have alternating narrow and wide teeth that fit into the inner and outer links respectively. This makes the chain more secure on the chainring and less likely to fall off.

A narrow-wide ring is only necessary if you have a single chainring at the front and a rear derailleur. They won’t work at all if you have more than one chainring at the front, since you won’t be able to change gear. You don’t need a special cassette, but you might benefit from using a clutched rear derailleur (particularly on a MTB), which prevents the chain from going slack on bumpy terrain.

A well-established alternative to a narrow-wide ring is a chain guide, which behaves somewhat like a front derailleur in keeping the chain from falling off:

https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/43184/what-is-a-narrow-wide-chainring-and-what-are-its-benefits-and-drawbacks