Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2010 October 23

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October 23[edit]

Towel bars in bathroom design[edit]

These days homes usually have two full bathrooms, sometimes more, so fewer occupants are sharing the same bathroom. In older constructions, there's one bathroom for the whole family, so five or six people may need to share the same bathroom. However, there's usually only one pre-installed towel bar. That seems to be an obvious design flaw. But how could it be so common? Did people not hang their towels in the bathroom when those homes were built? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.114.146.113 (talk) 09:08, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I have to disagree. There probably aren't many bathrooms in DR Congo for example. 92.24.178.5 (talk) 11:42, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

In our house,there was one hand towel hung up for everyone to use.It was changed every day,the spares were kept in an airing cupboard.If you wanted a bath,you got the first clean bath sheet out of the airing cupboard and used that.Hotclaws (talk) 12:44, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

As in many other areas, people had to be more creative and cooperative. If you've only got one towel rack and multiple towels you can do things like fold the towels vertically before hanging them, or bunching them up once on the rack. Of course you don't really want to hang a wet towel like that, so you need to dry it elsewhere, outside or on an airing rack. --jjron (talk) 14:42, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
We hang our towels on the shower curtain rail, there is easily enough room there, and they can be taken down when the shower is in use. 148.197.121.205 (talk) 19:19, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
I have seen in stores multiple towel bars which hang from the official installed towel bar. Towel bars can also easily be installed on the inside of the wooden bathroom door. Folding damp towels up to fit several on one towel bar would invite mildew. Edison (talk) 20:02, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Does the OP assume that in bygone days every member of a family had his or her own towel(s)? People shared towels back then. (Some still do.) — Michael J 22:06, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Agree that one towel in the bathroom, used by whomever took a bath or shower on a given day, was likely many decades ago. Edison (talk) 04:15, 25 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
(OP posting from another IP) I didn't know that people used to share towels in a family. It seems like such a bad idea. If one family member has a skin infection, it could spread to the others through the towel. Also, the person who gets "second dip" of a towel gets a damp towel, which feels cold when it touches your skin. It's not very pleasant. --173.49.9.250 (talk) 12:29, 25 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, there was a risk of cross-infection, but as to the damp towel... People did not bathe as often, so it would be quite possible for different members of the household to have different bath nights, and so have a dry towel. Less possible when heating the water for the bath was a big deal, and so people tended to share bathwater too. In those times, people would typically wash daily using a bowl of (possibly cold) water and a flannel, either individual or (for poorer households) shared. If your choice is between washing at all, or not washing, concerns about contagious skin diseases have to go by the wayside. 86.163.212.182 (talk) 17:48, 25 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

aminoglycosides[edit]

how does genetic variation affect aminoglycosides side effects?41.138.174.168 (talk) 18:49, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Why did you post this question again 10 minutes after posting it the first time? Were you expecting an instant response? -- Jack of Oz ... speak! ... 20:34, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
And you should have posted it on the Science ref desk? Rojomoke (talk) 22:59, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

No i wasn't. Did not do it intentionallay, new here. sorry.41.138.174.102 (talk) 23:03, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Do you mean genetic variation of the bacteria or the host? Millions and millions of bacteria, generating millions more offspring at rate X and generating mutations at every reproduction can lead to enough genetic variation that at least some of them can make it through the killing effect of the antibiotic in question if it is not potent enough to kill of the bacteria -- perhaps that's a quick and easy response, if not perhaps somewhat inaccurate for the sake of time. DRosenbach (Talk | Contribs) 00:31, 24 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The general topic you should look at is pharmacogenetics. A known side effect of aminoglycoside antibiotics is hearing loss, and a mitochondrial DNA mutation called A1555G significantly increases the risk of developing hearing loss in people exposed to aminoglycosides. Keep in mind that this is a very rare genetic variant. There may be other more common genetic variants that subtly influence the risk for side effects. --- Medical geneticist (talk) 01:33, 24 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

i meant genetic variation of the host, how it increases the occurance of the side effects. okay, i'l look up pharmacogenetics. thank you for the help.41.138.174.231 (talk) 12:19, 24 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

USS Valley Forge LPH-8 ships log for the year beginning Jan.30,1969 to Sept. 30,1969[edit]

I am trying to find the date that the USS Valley Forge LPH-8 anchored in Da Nang Harbor, and allowed ships company to dis-embark for a Party. I think the name of the beach was "White Beach" Ships company was divided into three liberty sections. We were taken on shore for a cookout and party for some R&R. I am trying to find what day and date that happened. I would think that somewhere in the ships log, that would be noted. Thank you

I'm not sure how you get the imformation back to me, but my e-mail address is <Removed> 71.55.178.67 (talk) 22:00, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You'll have to come back here for any responses. We don't leave email addresses on this page to save you from spam. Rojomoke (talk) 23:04, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Logs older than 30 years but dated later than 1941 are available from:

Modern Military Branch, National Archives
8601 Adelphi Road,
College Park, MD 20740-6001 
Telephone (301) 837-3510

Cheers. HausTalk 23:47, 23 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]