Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2014 March 7

= March 7 =

Paper size of UK DBS certificates
Does anyone know if this size has a name? It's clearly not an ISO 216 standard.--Leon (talk) 16:56, 7 March 2014 (UTC)


 * Disclosure and Barring Service? --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  21:40, 7 March 2014 (UTC)


 * Yes, that is what I mean by DBS. And no, this is not a request for legal advice.--Leon (talk) 22:11, 7 March 2014 (UTC)
 * We have a list of paper sizes. Is it foolscap, which was the standard size in the UK before the move to A4?. CS Miller (talk) 16:50, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
 * All the examples that appear in a Google search appear to be the standard A4 size. MilborneOne (talk) 17:32, 8 March 2014 (UTC)


 * I have just measured my own DBS clearance. It is 207.5mm wide by 404 mm deep (approx 8 3/16" x 15 7/16"), a fraction narrower than A4 and considerably longer.  This includes the upper portion containing the recipient's address for posting, which is an integral part of the document. It feels slightly rougher along the long edges than the short, suggesting the possibility that it is continuous stationery, but this could also be due to the direction of the grain of the heavyweight watermarked paper used - I can't be sure.  I cannot find any specific reference to paper this size elsewhere.  Bearing in mind the importance of these certificates and the potential safeguarding implications of a successful forgery, it is quite possible that they have been deliberately designed to use a nonstandard paper size. -  Ka renjc (talk) 18:47, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Sounds like foolscap to me. --TammyMoet (talk) 20:51, 8 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Foolscap is 13 1/2 inches deep. A DBS is almost 3 inches longer.  It's not foolscap.  -  Ka renjc (talk) 00:05, 9 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Looks like twice Kings then. --TammyMoet (talk) 15:14, 9 March 2014 (UTC)

Smell of Sleep
Odd title, I know, it's just I have never heard anyone talk about this before. I have noticed that a bedroom always has a distinctive smell after someone has been sleeping in there for a few hours or so. I find this interesting because there is no such smell when the person has been in there for a few hours and not sleeping. I don't know if anyone has noticed this before, but if you have, please feel free to shed light on the reason for this. KägeTorä - (影虎) ( TALK )  17:02, 7 March 2014 (UTC)


 * Since no one has asked, are there two people in the bed? μηδείς (talk) 05:02, 8 March 2014 (UTC)


 * I don't think it matters. I was once a pubescent teenager, but I was never aware of this issue then.  However, I have two sons who went through this stage, and who had separate rooms, and the smell that emanated from their rooms in the mornings was often quite something.  --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  05:45, 8 March 2014 (UTC)


 * TMI! TMI! My Kingdom for a horse, TMI! μηδείς (talk) 06:34, 8 March 2014 (UTC)


 * Catherine the Great? Or am I missing something? --Stephan Schulz (talk) 13:29, 8 March 2014 (UTC)


 * I have absolutely no idea what that comment was about, or why it was 'relevant', if at all.  KägeTorä - (影虎)  ( TALK )  17:44, 8 March 2014 (UTC)


 * Let's just say the "special use" to which Catherine legendarily put her stallion (note: a mare would not have done) was not remotely in the mind of Richard III. --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  18:44, 8 March 2014 (UTC)


 * One possible source I can suggest is dried saliva, as drooling may be a characteristic behavior in sleep among people not known to do so in a waking state. -- Deborahjay (talk) 18:02, 8 March 2014 (UTC)


 * Yes, I was thinking along those lines - maybe, breathing with one's mouth open.  KägeTorä - (影虎)  ( TALK )  07:27, 9 March 2014 (UTC)


 * Sweat too. Hot Stop talk-contribs 07:32, 9 March 2014 (UTC)


 * Considering the components from physiology (body heat + exhalations + secretions) and environment (bedclothes and garments + air) in an enclosed space (partly ventilated or not), see Miasma theory. -- Deborahjay (talk) 11:04, 9 March 2014 (UTC)


 * Bad breath emanating from sleepers open mouth? Ever smelt a small room after a drunk persons been there a few hous?--109.144.197.176 (talk) 01:16, 11 March 2014 (UTC)


 * No Saliva. 70.174.141.142 (talk) 01:49, 11 March 2014 (UTC)


 * I vote for armpit odor. Some reasons:


 * 1) Many shower in the morning, so the bacteria reach their peak right before they shower. Cure: Shower before bed.


 * 2) Temperature control is less effective while asleep. You aren't likely to turn down the heat, shed clothes, get a cold drink, etc., while asleep.  So, this makes sweating more likely.  Cure: Adjust thermostat down and to a quicker cycle time (only allowing temp to vary by 1 degree, for example).


 * 3) Layers of bedclothes and blankets can keep that humidity in, instead of allowing it to vent. Cure: Fabrics that breath.  Cotton instead of polyester, for example.


 * 4) A closed bedroom door can keep the stink in the room. Cure: Open the door or window. StuRat (talk) 21:38, 12 March 2014 (UTC)