| 1521/ The
Sound Pressure Levels typical of commonly encountered noise
sources in decibels, with the threshold of hearing being zero.
Rustle of leaves - 10; Soft whisper - 30; Mosquito buzzing -
40; Average townhouse - 50; Ordinary conversation - 60; Busy
street - 70; Power mower - 100; Threshold of pain - 120; Loud
Rock Concert - 130; Jet engine at 30m - 150; Rocket engine at
30m - 180.
1522/ As used
honda engines go the 00 S2000's 2.0L, 11.0:1, DOHC VTEC
four-banger would be a compelling choice. It develops 240
net horsepower at 8,300 rpm, the highest output per liter
of any normally aspirated production automobile engine. Yet
the engine was one of the first to fully meet California's
LEV (Low Emission Vehicle) smog standards.
1523/ The speed of sound
in water is approximately 1500 m/s while the speed of sound
in air is approximately 340 m/s. Therefore, a 20 Hz sound
in the water is 75 m long whereas a 20 Hz sound in air is
17 m long. Humans generally hear sound waves whose frequencies
are between 20 and 20,000 Hz. Below 20 Hz, sounds are referred
to as infrasonic, and above 20,000 Hz as ultrasonic.
1524/ Every year over
800 million chickens are killed in the UK for their meat.
They are crammed into windowless sheds, containing around
40,000 birds. They are selectively bred to reach 'slaughter
size' in just 41 days. more
1525/ African elephants
are the largest mammals living on solid ground. They reach
lengths up to 7.5 m and weights up to 7500 kg.
1526/ Research has shown
that the sun impacts our productivity at work and school.
Workers in offices with constant sunlight and large windows
have been shown to be both more efficient with their time
and more accurate in completing their tasks. They also have
25% to 60% less sick time then their coworkers in darker parts
of the building. Workers who say they regularly go outside
in the sunshine are more motivated in their careers and more
likely to suggest new approaches to a problem.
1527/ The same is true
in schools. Schools with more daylight saw their students
outperform counterparts in darker schools by 5% to 15%.
1528/ Daniel F. Kripke,
a researcher with the University of California San Diego,
surveyed adults in San Diego, who wore wrist meters to register
the amount of sunlight they received during the day. The study
found that the majority were only exposed to sunlight for
less than one hour per day and some did not go outdoors at
all during a 48-hour period.
1529/ The more than 1,000
disorders of the brain and nervous system result in more hospitalizations
tha any other disease group, including cancer and heart disease.
Neurological illnesses affect more than 50 million Americans
annually at costs exceeding $400 billion.
1530/ In 1973, scientists
discovered receptors for opiates on neurons in several regions
of the brain that suggested the brain must make substances
very similar to opium. Shortly thereafter, scientists made
their first discovery of an opiate produced by the brain that
resembles morphine, an opium derivative used medically to
kill pain. They named it enkephalin, literally meaning 'in
the head'. Subsequently, other opiates known as endorphins
- from endogenous morphine - were discovered.
1531/ The brain reaches
its maximum weight near age 20 and slowly loses about 10 percent
of its weight over a lifetime.
1532/ Each year in the
US, more than 97 million Americans suffer chronic, debilitating
headaches or a bout with a bad back or the pain of arthritis
- all at a total cost of some $100 billion.
1533/ Epilepsy can start
at any age and can result from inheriting a mutant gene. It
can also result from a wide variety of diseases or injuries
(including head injury), birth trauma, brain infection (such
as meningitis), brain tumours, stroke, drug intoxication,
drug or alcohol withdrawal states and metabolic disorders.
More than a dozen mutant genes that cause human epilepsy have
been identified during the past decade. In 70 percent of cases,
however, the cause is unknown.
1534/ Manic depression
affects 1.2 percent of Americans aged 18 or older annually,
or 2.2 million individuals. Approximately equal numbers of
men and women suffer from the condition.
1535/ In 1997, 1.5 million
Americans were current cocaine users.
1536/ The most common
central nervous system disease of young adults after epilepsy
is multiple sclerosis (MS) which affects more than 300,000
people in the US. interestingly, the disease is five times
more prevalent in temperate zones, such as the Northern United
States and Northern Europe, than it is in the tropics.
1537/ Roughly one in
every 500 people in America suffers from Tourettes Syndrome,
a little understood genetic condition that affects males three
to four times as frequently as females. Symptoms usually appear
between the ages of four and eight, but in rare cases may
emerge as late as 18. The symptoms include motor and vocal
tics that are repetitive, involuntary movements or utterances
that are rapid and sudden. The disorder seems to result from
a hypersensitivity of domamine receptors, and the neurotransmitter,
serotonin, has also been implicated.
1538/ Recycling all of
your home's waste newsprint, cardboard, glass, and metal can
reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 850 pounds a year.
1539/ Enough energy is
saved by recycling one aluminium can to run a TV set for three
hours or to light one 100 watt bulb for 20 hours.
1540/ Annually, enough
energy is saved by recycling steel to supply Los Angeles with
electricity for almost 10 years.
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