Effects of Alcohol Essay Example for Free

Effects of Alcohol Essay Alcohol is a depressant that affects your vision, coordination, reaction time, multitasking ability, judgment, and decision-making. How can you drive safely if you can’t see, think, and move around well and react quickly? Alcohol affects your ability to identify dangerous situations and make good decisions when you know danger is ahead, and it slows your reaction time even if you do make a good decision. In addition, having alcohol in the body while you’re driving messes up your distance and speed perception, making you see things farther or closer than they really are, or makes you feel like you’re driving the speed limit when you’re really speeding. You need quick decision-making, reflexes, accurate perception, and multitasking skills to drive well and safely. Even one drink can make you an unsafe driver. And remember, driving with any alcohol in your bloodstream or in your car is illegal if you’re under the age of 21. Overall Effects of Alcohol Short-term effects In low doses, alcohol produces: A relaxing effect Reduced tension Lowered inhibitions Poor concentration Slow reflexes Slow reaction time Reduced coordination Slower brain activity Sensations and perceptions that are less clear In medium doses, alcohol produces: Slurred speech Sleepiness Altered emotions Poor vision Sleepiness and disruption of sleeping patterns Increased urine production More blood flow to skin surface Lower core body temperature In high doses, alcohol produces: Vomiting Uncontrolled urination Uncontrolled defecation Breathing difficulties Passing out Alcohol poisoning Coma Possible death Long-term effects of alcohol Disrupts normal brain development; Liver damage and cirrhosis of the liver; Brain cells die, decreasing brain mass; Stomach and intestinal ulcers and destroyed organs; Blood pressure increases, causing heart disease, heart attack, or stroke; Male sperm production decreases; Lower levels of iron and vitamin B, causing anemia; Alcoholism; Death; and Fetal alcohol syndrome in unborn children.

Hyperacusis :: Term Papers Research

Hyperacusis Hyperacusis is used to describe a high level of sensitivity to sound. It is also known as dysacusis, oxylacusis, hypersensitive hearing, or phonophobia. Persons with hyperacusis do not show abnormalloudness growth but an abnormal discomfort for suprathreshold sound (Barnes & Marriage, 1995). Audiograms for hyperacusis sufferers are typically normal. They show normal sound thresholds but the sensitivity level is above normal. The comfort level for most people is below 100 decibels. People with hyperacusis can experience discomfort at 40 to 50 decibels or lower (Schwade, 1995). The disorder may be frequency-specific (Schwade, 1995). Not all sounds of the same loudness (number of decibels) cause discomfort, but only sounds within a certain range, thus a small change of frequency may cause discomfort at low volume. The prevalence rate of hyperacusis is unknown. It frequently occurs with tinnitus, which afflicts approximately 40 million poeple in the United States (Hazell & Jastreboff, 1933). A questionnaire in a clinic population by Sanchez and Stephens (1997) found that eight percent of tinnitus sufferers have hyperacusis. These two studies would suggest about 3 million people in the United States have hyperacusis. Further a survey conducted by the Autism Research Institute found up to 40% of children with autism to be affected by hyperacusis. Hyperacusis also has an occurence rate of 95% in children with Williams syndrome (Borse, Curfs, & Fryns, 1997). These facts plus its comorbidity with many other diseases leads one to believe hyperacusis is not an extremely rare disease. Hyperacusis is a poorly understood disorder resulting in many theories of etiology and prognosis. Hyperacusis can occur alone or in conjunction with other disorders. A sudden single burst of noise (Schwade, 1995), a head injury (American Speech-Language Hearing Association, 1995), or surgery to the face or jaw (Barnes & Marriage, 1995) can result in hyperacusis. Barnes and Marriage also proposed two types of hyperacusis, peripheral and central. Peripheral hyperacusis is when the earÕs built in mechanism against loud or sharp sound seems to have been turned off. Absence of acoustic reflexes, positive history of vestibular disorders, MeniereÕs disease, or perilymph fistula account for peripheral hyperacusis. Hyperacusis co-occurring with BellÕs palsy, Ramsey Hunt syndrome, and myasthenia gravis is also considered to be peripheral hyperacusis. Hyperacusis is also an otological complication of herpes zoster (Adour, 1994) and craniomandibular disorders (Erlander and Rubinstein, 1991). Barnes and Marriage (1995) proposed another type of hyperacusis called central hyperacusis. Central hyperacusis results in an inability to tolerate specific but not necessarily loud sounds. Hyperacusis :: Term Papers Research Hyperacusis Hyperacusis is used to describe a high level of sensitivity to sound. It is also known as dysacusis, oxylacusis, hypersensitive hearing, or phonophobia. Persons with hyperacusis do not show abnormalloudness growth but an abnormal discomfort for suprathreshold sound (Barnes & Marriage, 1995). Audiograms for hyperacusis sufferers are typically normal. They show normal sound thresholds but the sensitivity level is above normal. The comfort level for most people is below 100 decibels. People with hyperacusis can experience discomfort at 40 to 50 decibels or lower (Schwade, 1995). The disorder may be frequency-specific (Schwade, 1995). Not all sounds of the same loudness (number of decibels) cause discomfort, but only sounds within a certain range, thus a small change of frequency may cause discomfort at low volume. The prevalence rate of hyperacusis is unknown. It frequently occurs with tinnitus, which afflicts approximately 40 million poeple in the United States (Hazell & Jastreboff, 1933). A questionnaire in a clinic population by Sanchez and Stephens (1997) found that eight percent of tinnitus sufferers have hyperacusis. These two studies would suggest about 3 million people in the United States have hyperacusis. Further a survey conducted by the Autism Research Institute found up to 40% of children with autism to be affected by hyperacusis. Hyperacusis also has an occurence rate of 95% in children with Williams syndrome (Borse, Curfs, & Fryns, 1997). These facts plus its comorbidity with many other diseases leads one to believe hyperacusis is not an extremely rare disease. Hyperacusis is a poorly understood disorder resulting in many theories of etiology and prognosis. Hyperacusis can occur alone or in conjunction with other disorders. A sudden single burst of noise (Schwade, 1995), a head injury (American Speech-Language Hearing Association, 1995), or surgery to the face or jaw (Barnes & Marriage, 1995) can result in hyperacusis. Barnes and Marriage also proposed two types of hyperacusis, peripheral and central. Peripheral hyperacusis is when the earÕs built in mechanism against loud or sharp sound seems to have been turned off. Absence of acoustic reflexes, positive history of vestibular disorders, MeniereÕs disease, or perilymph fistula account for peripheral hyperacusis. Hyperacusis co-occurring with BellÕs palsy, Ramsey Hunt syndrome, and myasthenia gravis is also considered to be peripheral hyperacusis. Hyperacusis is also an otological complication of herpes zoster (Adour, 1994) and craniomandibular disorders (Erlander and Rubinstein, 1991). Barnes and Marriage (1995) proposed another type of hyperacusis called central hyperacusis. Central hyperacusis results in an inability to tolerate specific but not necessarily loud sounds.

The Giant Panda

The giant panda, which lives only in China outside of captivity, has captured the hearts of people of all ages across the globe. From their furry black and white body to their shy and docile nature, they are considered one of the most loved animals. ï ¿ ¼Quick Fact The estimated number of giant pandas in the wild varies between 1,500 and 3,000.Intriguing Giant Panda MysteriesWhile most adore their fluffy fur and round head, which help give them their cuddly bear quality, others are fascinated by the many mysteries of the giant panda. Did you know that a giant panda may actually be a raccoon, they have an opposable pseudo thumb, and they’re technically a carnivore even though their diet is primarily vegetarian? These things and more have baffled scientists and naturalists for hundreds of years.Opposable Pseudo ThumbA characteristic of the giant panda that has mystified scientists is their movable, elongated wrist bone that acts like an opposable thumb. This human-like quality that helps give them an even more cuddly-bear appearance enables the giant panda to pick up objects and even eat sitting up. ï ¿ ¼Quick Fact Giant pandas have five clawed toes and one pseudo thumb. Their pseudo thumb, along with pads of skin, help the giant panda strip the more nutritious small bamboo shoots and leaves while they hold the stalk in their mouth.Small Bear or Large Raccoon?Giant pandas are generally referred to as bears and are typically called panda bears rather than giant pandas. Though we may think they look like bears, there has been a great deal of discussion for decades about where giant pandas actually fit in the animal kingdom. Much of the debate has been whether they are more closely related to the red panda, once thought to be a member of the raccoon family, than the bear family.While a giant panda has a body that resembles a small bear and climbs trees like a bear, it also has several characteristics in common with the red panda. For example, both giant pan das and red pandas eat bamboo and have the same pseudo thumb. The  table below lists the main characteristics the giant panda shares with the bear and red panda.ï ¿ ¹ BearRed Pandaï ¿ » ï ¿ ¹ ShapeDietï ¿ » ï ¿ ¹ SizePawsï ¿ » ï ¿ ¹ Shaggy furEyesï ¿ » ï ¿ ¹ GaitNose and teethï ¿ »Cat-like featuresWhile the body of a giant panda looks like that of a bear and the dark circles around its eyes resemble those of a red panda or raccoon, its pupils have vertical slits like the eyes of a cat. Because of their unusual eyes, a popular Chinese name for panda is ‘big bear cat’ orÃ¥ ¤ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã§â€ Å Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¨ ²â€œ /dà   xià ³ng mÄ o, pronounced as dah-sshyong-maow. DNA resultsDNA analysis has put one mystery to rest. It has revealed that while the red panda is a distant relative, the giant panda's closest relative is the spectacled bear from South America.Mostly Vegetarian DietGiant pandas love bamboo! In fact, their diet is 99% bamboo. Along with bamboo, they eat o ther plants, small rodents, and occasionally fish. The mystery behind their diet is they have the digestive system of a carnivore. ï ¿ ¼Their ability to digest bamboo is attributed to tiny microbes that live within their digestive system. Since they can only digest about 20% of what they eat, the average giant panda consumes around 14 kilograms (30 pounds) of bamboo a day. In comparison, humans eat about 2 kilograms (5 pounds) of food a day. This enormous diet means the giant panda spends more than 12 hours a day eating to stay nourished. ï ¿ ¼Quick Fact As the seasons change, the giant panda prefers different species and parts of bamboo.Tiny CubsAn infant giant panda cub is about the size of a croissant, weighs less than a coffee cup, and is about 900 times smaller than its mother. An average adult mother weighs around 91 kilograms (200 pounds) while a newborn weighs only 83 to 190 grams (3 to 4 ounces).Other Fun Giant Panda FactsResearchers have recently discovered the gene resp onsible for tasting savory or umami flavors, such as meat, is inactive in giant pandas. For many centuries, giant pandas were thought to be a mythical creature, similar to a dragon or unicorn. Unlike other bears in the region, giant pandas don’t hibernate.Giant pandas can stand erect on their hind legs but rarely walk. The Qinling panda, another giant panda species with a dark brown and light brown coat, lives only in the mountains of Shaanxi. Giant pandas have very sensitive hearing and smell, but they have poor eyesight. A newborn giant panda is blind and looks like a tiny, pink, hairless mouse.

Giant Beaver (Castoroides) - Facts and Figures

Name:Â  Giant Beaver; also known as Castoroides (Greek for of the beaver family); pronounced CASS-tore-OY-deez Habitat:Â  Woodlands of North America Historical Epoch:Â  Late Pliocene-Modern (3 million-10,000 years ago) Size and Weight:Â  About eight feet long and 200 pounds Diet:Â  Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; narrow tail; six-inch-long incisors About the Giant Beaver (Castoroides) It sounds like the punchline to a prehistoric joke: an eight-foot-long, 200-pound beaver with six-inch-long incisors, a narrow tail, and long, shaggy hair. But Castoroides, also known as the Giant Beaver, really existed, and it fit right in with the other plus-sized megafauna of its late Pliocene and Pleistocene ecosystem. Like modern beavers, the Giant Beaver probably led a partially aquatic lifestyle--especially since it was too big and bulky to move about sleekly on land, where it would have made a tasty meal for a hungry Saber-Tooth Tiger. (By the way, other than both being mammals, the Giant Beaver was completely unrelated to the beaver-like Castorocauda, which lived during the late Jurassic period.) The question everyone asks is: did the Giant Beaver build equally giant dams? Sadly, if it did, no evidence of these gigantic construction projects has been preserved into modern times, though some enthusiasts point to a four-foot-high dam in Ohio (which may well have been made by another animal, or be a natural formation). Like the other mammalian megafauna of the last Ice Age, the extinction of the Giant Beaver was hastened by the early human settlers of North America, who may have valued this shaggy beast for its fur as well as its meat.