Mary Barton Essay

Elizabeth Gaskell’s â€Å"Mary Barton† is a novel of social reform that explores injustice, abuse and inequality. The novel is especially concerned with the societal condition of England at the time. In her â€Å"Preface† Mrs. Gaskell asserted, â€Å"I know nothing of Political Economy, or the theories of the trade. I have tried to write truthfully†. The â€Å"truth† of â€Å"Mary Barton† is not political or economic but the truth of the human heart. The novel is not about industrial conditions but about people living in those conditions. Mrs. Gaskell’s social aim in writing is to inform rather than to reform. Her aim in writing is to give â€Å"utterance to the agony† and to explicate the consequences of â€Å"the seeming injustice of the inequalities of fortune†. In â€Å"Mary Barton†, the protagonist John Barton asks with bitter vehemence about the injustice of the massive gulf between the upper and lower classes: â€Å"Why are they so separate, so distinct, when God has made them all? [†¦ ] We are their slaves as long as we can work; we pile up fortunes with the sweat of our brows; and yet we are to live as separate as Dives and Lazarus, with a great gulf betwixt us†. John Barton is ultimately driven to the act of murder by his outrage at the gulf fixed between the rich and the poor. John Barton is ultimately a victim of society and an example of how a man full of human kindness is hardened into hatred and violence. As the author tells the reader his wife’s death meant that â€Å"one of the ties which bound him down to the gentle humanities of earth was loosened†. The string of events that followed – the strike, the Davenports’ starvation and fever, the employees’ arrogant isolation and the failure of the petition, seem to purposely show that the world reckons the poor folk no account. And as John Barton lies on his deathbed his enemy Mr. Carson sits in his library quite unable to hate his son’s murderer. At the end Mr. Carson forgives John Barton and the murderer dies in the arms of the man whose son he has murdered and this image explicates the novel’s pivotal theme in the hope of human heartedness. In her novel Mrs. Gaskell presents men and women at the extreme of suffering at which point only the most radical of human actions remain be they despair and hatred or alternatively human compassion and forgiveness.

Ramifications of Participation Contracts Essay

Providers must review participation contracts very carefully before signing and agreeing to one to avoid any consequences or negative effects for themselves. These participation contracts are put in place to allow the providers to have an overview of a plan to make decisions of participation. Providers can either gain financially or lose revenue when they participate in these contracts so it is best they go over them cautiously. Participation contracts can either be a gain or a fail for the provider. There have been cases where the provider loses revenue because the contract offers or pays less than the physicians set fees but can also increase patient numbers at the same time. With discounted fee-for-service, physicians are paid for every service and test provided based on a fee schedule or pre-determined discount from the usual fee charged by the physician. Physicians are only at risk if the cost of their care is greater than the payment the health plan will give them. This is typically why physicians will only test what is absolutely necessary. There are positive and negative ramifications of discounted fee-for-service arrangements. Positive ramifications of discounted fee-for-service arrangements are mainly geared towards the patient. When a patient is insured by a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) and uses a physician within their network, their co-pays tend to be lower and they only pay an annual premium. Using an out-of-network provider would result in higher out-of-pocket costs for the patients. The most significant negative ramifications of discounted fee-for-service arrangements is that preventative care is not covered. This really affects the patient more so than the physician because any unnecessary tests or exams would be an out-of-pocket cost for the patient. There are benefits and disadvantages for not only the physician but also the patient when it comes to discounted fee-for-service and participation contracts. It is very  critical that the physician look closely at the participation contracts and choose what is best for their practice or facility. References: Valerius, J., Bayes, N., Newby, C., & Blochowiak, J. (2014). Medical insurance: An integrated claims process approach (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Human hibernation for space travel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human hibernation for space travel - Essay Example Hibernation or winter sleep is the condition normally found in animals. Under this condition, there is a reduced heart rate with significant drop in the body temperature and metabolism. In case of mammals the body temperature reaches 2-4?C above the freezing point, while the organism consumes little oxygen as low as 2% of normal rates. Under such conditions an animal could stay without movement or food and does not require much energy (Long term space travel). The phenomenon could be exploited for humans when they travel interstellar distances. During this process activities like parks, plants, hospitals are negligible and individual is required to sleep with the onset of journey and then steady state is maintained with a slow supply of fresh air and low temperature constantly till the end of the journey. This is less energy consuming process as compared to daily routine activities (Long term space travel). In a study at North Carolina University geneticists have revealed the presenc e of genes capable of producing enzymes critical for hibernation. The presence of such genes is reported in humans. They are responsible for accountability of energy conservation process of body. Of these two genes, the first is capable of producing an enzyme that can breakdown their fat deposits to generate energy. On the other hand the second hibernation gene is concerned with conservation of glucose supply to the body. The conservation process takes care to supply required energy to central nervous system for the sustainability of life.

Self-Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Self-Assessment - Essay Example for human resource management in which decisions, actions are interpreted from psychological and ethical perspectives, and this means improvement is a necessity. I have a moderate potential for success in managing in a global environment. This suggests average capacity in general intelligence, business knowledge, interpersonal skills, commitment, courage, cross cultural competencies, and ability to learn from experience. My style is directive style and even though it might be appropriate for management roles, it is not suitable for leadership. I believe analytical and behavioural decision-making styles are suitable for the effective charismatic and transformations leadership styles. My sore are also high and this means ability to operate in different environments. Within the high range however, my score was the lowest and this means need for improvement in aspects such as reaction to emergencies and adjusting to changes. Collaboration is my primary conflict management style and I believe it is the best because of involved honesty. Collaboration and forcing are my secondary styles and situational application means that I can manage conflict effectively. Assessment results reveal my competence in desire for performance, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and conflict management. I am however not yet perfect in the areas and improvements are still needed. I am however, average in the other aspects that are assessed and serious measures for improvements are needed. Mentorship, trainings and seminars will help in the improvements. The skills are important to management because they empower a manager to understand subordinates’ needs, to meet the needs, and to influence subordinates towards an organization’s

Next Marketing Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Next Marketing Strategy - Case Study Example The company designs, manufactures and sells clothes under the brand name 'Next' and targets people between the age group of 20 to 40. Since its expansion drive in 1999, the company had to close down its international outlets that were managed by it directly, and has since then concentrated on franchising options for the overseas markets. It operates in well over 20 different countries. Since 1999, the company's primary activities have been progressing along two major sections namely retail clothing and catalog sales. The retail section of the company contributes to around two thirds of the company's income. It was around 821 million in 1999. Moreover, the company has also adopted the policy of closing down smaller stores and has been in favor of opening superstores. Under its 'Next catalog' banner, the company offers the service of enabling customers to order products using a catalog, after which the purchased products are delivered to the customer's home. In fact, this method of sho pping (under the next brand) has become ingrained in the minds of the common Briton. One of the primary differences between other companies and next happens to be the fact that the latter focuses on the middle class customers. It designs and markets affordable clothes that are contemporary unlike other retail houses such as marks & Spencer that produces fashionable garments under various brand names. Likewise, the company has also adopted the policy of designing its clothes under its watchful eye, but in an attempt to cut down costs, it has been getting the goods produced in countries such as china, where the cost of production is comparatively much cheaper. The production operations are handled by the company's house in Hong Kong. The company has also started offering financial services under the next brand credit financing. In spite of these branches, retail and catalog sales continue to be the two main contributors to the company's revenues. The current trend and pattern of expansion of the company suggests a pattern similar to the one that Marks & Spencer had been following a little while earlier (except the approach of in-country production followed by M&S, which proved costly). Many industry experts predict that he company today stands at a crossroad, where speculating where the company would be faced in the near future would be extremely hard to figure out. The company now holds just a little over half of the stores it used to own way back during the 80s and most have been closed down as a result of next finding itself unable to manage such a large chain. Moreover, during that period of the 80s and the 90s, the company was not ale to register any significant rise in sales as a result of these expansions. The stagnant UK market since the last decade has forced the company to turn towards overseas markets, which is regarded by many as a moderate policy. The shutting down of small shops, paving the way for bigger store s has helped it manage its operations in a better manner, which is evident from the fact that the company's revenues started to climb since the move was taken. The most notable points about the company and its operating environment are as listed below: 1. End of international expansion in 1999 as a

Corporate Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Corporate Strategy - Essay Example It is a company owned by Dipti Mahapatra in India and has been in the business for close to two decades. Having started in the year 1988, this company started out as a small unit with four tailors and has now gone ahead to become one of the most prestigious names in interior decoration in the state of Orissa. The demand for Dipti’s products grew and there was a market for interior decoration. By 1993, Dipti was busy undertaking several turnkey projects for complete furnishing of guest houses, hotels, as well as the Governor’s residences in the state of Orissa. Orissa is a small state in the Eastern part of India. It is cut off from any major development that takes place elsewhere in the country. For this reasons, Dipti wanted to shift. Following are the problems that she has encountered: Before laying down the formal plan of action, it is necessary to understand the elements that will be involved in the strategy that has been developed later in the paper, from the perspective of the company. This will help us understand the exact application of the theories through the length and breadth of the paper. A major part of Dipti’s plan of action must include following a strategy based on gaining competitive advantage as well as achieving sustainable entrepreneurial growth. Let us first examine competitive advantage to see how and where it will fit in with the overall growth and expansion of the Anukul group. Michael E Porter has paved the way for revolutionary strategising trends and a whole new perspective on competition through his competitive advantage theory. In the corporate world, Porters first book Competitive Strategy (1980), which he wrote in his thirties, became an international best seller, and is considered to be an authoritative piece of work on corporate strategy. The book, which has been published in nineteen languages and re-printed approaching sixty times, changed the way business leaders’ minds worked. Further,

Judithand Tobit and the Protestant canon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Judithand Tobit and the Protestant canon - Essay Example God could be described as someone that used magic to heal people especially when he sent the archangel Raphael to heal Tobit and drive the demon from Sarah with the gall, liver and the heart of the fish. The attitude of God towards morality is in question in the books of Judith and Tobit as Judith was not depicted as a woman that was full of morals as she tried to seduce Holofernes (Unger, 1951). The character of God is not consistent with his character in the Protestant canon as there are some inconsistencies in the way God was presented in the Protestant canon when compared with the books of Judith and Tobit. In the Protestant Canon, God does not absolve people of their sins by merely giving alms and being nice to their neighbors. It is divine repentance and grace that make God forgive people of their sins and after this, good works would follow and so is the character of God in the Protestant Canon. God teaches his people to strive to be moral in all their deeds as he loved women of virtue in the protestant canon (Horne, 1841). God does not like violence as the killing of the men of Shechem by Simeon and Levi was condemned by God and this is quite inconsistent with the murder of Holofernes that was carried out by Judith as this was judged as an act of God. God is not magical in the Protestant canon as he makes use of the word to deliver his people of demons and this quite different from what the character of God that was depicted in the book of Tobit when God instructed Angel Raphael to use some magical potions to drive the demon Asmodeous out. In using some sort of magical concoction by using the gall of the fish to heal Tobit’s blindness, God was presented more as a magician but he was presented more as the person that had the authority over all being, by just speaking the word in the Protestant canon (Bruce, 1950). There is however a similarity in the Protestants canon and the books of Tobit and Judith as God sends his angel to his people in their time

Exercise assignments Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Exercise assignments - Coursework Example This is the view that whatever is going to happen, is going to happen, regardless of what we do. At the end of the day, the perspectives of believers in the doctrine shows that everything is controlled by the way of presence and past human impact. This is about God being in control of all that happens through history, including his decision of sparing some individuals for himself, while permitting others to go their own specific route along the way of sin. It is an idea hard joined to Gods sway, which is a statement used to portray the complete and private control God has over his creation. This is the idea that each occasion is required by forerunner occasions and conditions together with the laws of nature. The thought is aged, yet first got subject to illumination and numerical examination in the eighteenth century. Freedom is the right and limit of individuals to focus their own particular movements, in a group which can accommodate the full improvement of human possibility. Flexibility may be delighted in by people yet just in and through the group. Fatalism is the belief that all events are irrevocably fixed and predetermined so that human beings cannot alter them in any way. Hard determinism is the theory that if all events are caused, then freedom is incompatible with Determinism while Soft determinism is the theory that all events are caused but that some events and causes originate with human beings. The hard determinist criticizes the soft determinist by questioning how human beings can be said to originate any events when, if one traces causes back far enough, they end up being outside of the control of human beings (Thiroux & Krasemann, 2006). Some of the problems associated with these theories is that hard determinists push language out of context. Their arguments do not account for the complexity of the nature of human beings. Like the psychological egoist, they try to reduce

Leadership Model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership Model - Essay Example With some mettle and wisdom, an individual becomes a successful and an effective leader. This paper seeks to review the leadership model adapted from Montgomery, Copley, and Associates and use it to select any Northouse case study that has not been assigned as a critical thinking activity. Also, the paper will use the outlined model to express personal and professional experience as a result of the implementation of the model. Northouse (2010) and his counterparts colleagues have drafted many literature pieces suggesting that leadership behaviors are partitioned into four major groups. The structural framework consists of leaders that focus their attention on the organizational environment, policy implementation, product testing, and organizational structures. In a compelling leadership circumstance, the structural leader is a social modeler with a unique leadership that is based on outline and analysis. However, in an ineffective leadership circumstance, the structural leader behaves like a tyrant who concentrates on details only. The human resource framework consists of leaders who frequently communicate with their workers and encourage them to uphold the image of the organization. As a result, they provide opportunities, enhance cooperation, coordinate decision-making process, and support workers in the organization. Human resource leaders are considered catalytic in an effective situation. They are also viewed as fraud master especially in an ineffective circumstance. Other frameworks include political and symbolic frameworks. For political framework, the leader is considered an advocate that helps to build the organization by establishing a platform for coalitions and partnerships. However, such a leader would be considered ineffective if the person manipulates the workers in an organization. The symbolic framework allows leaders who impress most of the workers in an organization. Symbolic leaders are a source

Angie's list company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Angie's list company - Research Paper Example For instance, it uses an F-grading-system that is monitored through improved technology (â€Å"Angies List Unveils Naughty & Nice List – Newsroom† pr.10). Human review is used to certify clarity and genuineness of the reviews posted by the consumers. Utmost local companies rely on the company’s excellent review service. Angie’s List, Inc offers services in approximately 200 cities in the United States. The company offers satisfactory services to numerous small businesses. This implies that most companies and consumers appreciate the competence in service and technological reliability of Angie’s List Company ("Angies List Reports First Quarter 2014 Results (:ANGI)." Pr.6). It has a culture of inaugurating locally based affiliations. Local respondents insist that the company has assumed and partaken as one among the most reliable legal advisors. Most importantly, the founders and employees believe in sustained innovation with an objective of ascertaining better services. Success and failure are feasible experiences that any business can undergo. Angie’s List Company may have suffered from insignificant losses when it commenced operations. However, the company has gathered an admirable pace in development over the past few years. First, it intends to invest more on infrastructure and technology ("Angies List Loss Widens - Newsroom" pr.4). The company has a tendency of improving the quality of services through the adoption of new and reliable technology. In addition, increased infrastructural units will effectively harbor the 500 employees that the company intends to hire. Ideally, the company’s reputable status in customer review service is deemed to remain sustained in the

Fort Hays State University BSN Program Essay Example for Free

Fort Hays State University BSN Program Essay Fort Hays State University is a public university that serves an immediate community of 20,000 people and a regional population of 400,000 in western Kansas. The nursing program at this institution offers a variety of degrees in the health field, including a BS in Nursing (Welcome to FHSU, 2009). The demographics of full-time students who attend this university are about 2,300 woman and 1,883 men (undergraduate) and 228 women and 141 men (graduate). Nearly 65% of the students are white, and about 80% live in college-owned or college-affiliated housing. Entering students typically score between 18 (25th percentile) and 24 (75th percentile) on the ACT, so they tend to have average to above-average academic ability (Common Data Set, 2009). In a recent interview, Professor Rawls and Professor Ingalls (pseudonyms), two nursing educators at FHSU, indicated that the primary need of the students in the program is to serve an increasingly diverse population of patients in a variety of health care settings. They both indicated that there are several ways that the faculty in the nursing program address this need, including implementing the use of the latest technology in their courses, and using a variety of teaching strategies to address learner needs (P. Rawls and P. Ingalls, personal communication, June 19, 2009). Professor Rawls teaches NURS 320 – Health Care Ethics – which is offered in the first semester of the nursing program. Because this is an introductory course, Professor Rawls philosophy is to make the course as student-friendly as possible, including opportunities for students to work together and independently. According to her syllabus, her teaching strategies include group discussions, small group work, worksheets and journaling, online discussions, videos, and independent studies (Health Care Ethics syllabus, 2009). Professor Ingalls teaches NURS 330 – Older Adult and the Family in Retirement – which is offered in the second semester of the nursing program. Professor Ingalls believes it is most important for the learners to understand the life-span nature of nursing, that good nursing care is critical from birth to death. She also strives to demonstrate that nursing does not simply involve the care of the patient, but the patient’s family as well. She also uses a variety of instructional strategies to meet student needs, including team-teaching, lectures, videos, guest speakers, computer based assignments, discussion of case study and research articles, and the use of technology (Older Adult syllabus, 2009). Both of these instructors attempt to make their course syllabi student-centered by providing a topical outline, so that students know what they will be studying. However, two modifications in particular would make their syllabi stronger. First, the instructors did not include course policies in their syllabi. Students would find it helpful to know what the course expectations are, rather than merely learning of the subjects they will be studying. Second, instructors might include specific assignments that students will be expected to complete. This addition would allow students to allot adequate time to the assignment and to acquire any special materials they would need. References Common Data Set (2009). Retrieved June 19, 2009 from http://www. fhsu. edu/about/cds/cds2008-2009. html. NURS 320 Health Care Ethics syllabus. Retrieved June 19, 2009 from http://www. fhsu. edu/syllabus/nurs/kkriffel/nurs320ockr-S09. pdf. NURS 330 Older Adult and the Family in Retirement syllabus. Retrieved June 19, 2009 from http://www. fhsu. edu/syllabus/nurs/csinsley/nurs330occi-S09. pdf. Welcome to Fort Hays State University (2009). Retrieved June 19, 2009 from http://www. fhsu. edu/nursing/.

Treatments for Patients with Prostate Cancer

Treatments for Patients with Prostate Cancer EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS WITH PROSTATE CANCER TO ACHIEVE A BIOCHEMICAL RECURRENCE FREE SURVIVAL Mariam O. Akinwale MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF THE AMERICAS Mentor: Dr. Akintola Odutola Manuscript word count: 4205 HYPOTHESIS: In the treatment of aggressive and metastatic prostate cancer, patients who undergo radical prostatectomy with additional radiation therapy and/or hormonal therapy have less recurrence rate in comparison to those who receive radical prostatectomy alone due to its additive curative effect. ABSTRACT (word count: 275) Hypothesis: In the treatment of aggressive and metastatic prostate cancer, patients who undergo radical prostatectomy with additional radiation therapy and/or hormonal therapy have less recurrence rate in comparison to those who receive radical prostatectomy alone due to its additive curative effect. Method: The articles reviewed in this studies were obtained from PubMed. The database search combined terms from three themes: men above the age of 50, radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy or hormonal therapy and prostate cancer remission. This search yielded 72 articles after inclusion criteria were considered. A total of 32 articles were used for final review after excluding 40 articles that did not compare management options for treatment of prostate cancer. Result: Better life-expectancy have been indicated in patient treated with radiotherapy with hormonal therapy compared to patient treated with radical prostatectomy only. However, radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy with hormonal therapy are far more efficient compared to radiotherapy with hormonal therapy. The use of hormonal therapy for treatment of prostate cancer has always been frowned at because of its life-threating side effects but its patient-survival rate supersedes that of radical prostatectomy as a monotherapy. Conclusion: Combination therapy of radical prostatectomy with radiotherapy and hormonal therapy for treatment of patients with either benign or metastatic prostate cancer have a longer life-expectancy than radiotherapy with hormonal therapy, while patients treated with radiotherapy and hormonal therapy have a longer life-expectancy than those with radical prostatectomy with radiotherapy even after considering the side effects of hormonal therapy. Screening tests may help with early detection of biochemical recurrence and also prevent overtreatment with radiotherapy and/or hormonal therapy after radical prostatectomy. Keywords: radical prostatectomy, adjuvant radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, biochemical recurrence, prostates cancer INTRODUCTION Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second commonest cancer in males above age 60. African- Americans have the highest prevalence in the US. Risk factors include diets high in beef and milk. Two hundred and thirty-three thousand new cases are diagnosed yearly with 29,480 mortality reported in 2014. (American Cancer Society, 2014) Given these statistics, it is very important to diagnose and treat PC early in order to reduce the risk of high mortality. Several treatments options are available in the management of PCa. Low- risk prostate cancer is managed by active surveillance in order to prevent unnecessary exposure to radiation or surgery. Intermediate or high- risk non-metastatic prostate cancer is treated with prostatectomy or radiation therapy (Zietman et al., 2010). Aggressive and metastatic prostate cancers are treated with variable combinations of radical prostatectomy (RP), radiation therapy (RT), chemotherapy, cryosurgery, hormonal therapy (HT) and bisphosphates. These combination therapeutic options address the tendency of aggressive PCa to metastasize to neighbouring structures/organs. This study is designed to evaluate a specific combination of treatment option in the management of aggressive and metastatic PCa. It is hypothesized that patients with aggressive PCa who undergo radical prostatectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy have less recurrence rate compared to those who receive radical prostatectomy alone due to its additive curative effect (Thompson et al., 2013). This study is significant because evidence suggests that different combination treatments of aggressive PCa are associated with different recurrence rate. The identification of the combination therapy with the lowest recurrence rate and longer life-expectancy is essential in this study. I chose this topic because it is important for family practice physicians to have accurate information to give to their patients regarding best treatment options for aggressive metastatic PCa. METHOD The articles reviewed in this studies were obtained from PubMed. The database search combined terms from four themes: specific population (older men OR men above 50 OR prostate cancer patient OR post prostatectomy patient OR recurrent prostate cancer patient), intervention (prostate cancer adjuvant therapy OR prostate cancer adjuvant radiotherapy OR prostate cancer adjuvant chemotherapy), comparison (radical prostatectomy) and possible outcomes (prostate cancer recurrence OR prostate cancer remission OR prostate cancer curative OR prostate cancer life span OR prostate cancer prognosis OR prostate cancer quality of life). Boolean operators used were OR and AND. OR was used to capture each term within a theme and AND was used to link each theme within parentheses. Filters used were: article types (randomized controlled trial), text availability (free full text), publication dates (5 years), and limited to human. Inclusion criteria Articles that were included in the systematic review of this study had to meet the following criteria: used randomised clinical trials, cohort studies and meta-analysis; prostate cancer population; radical prostatectomy with adjuvant radiotherapy and hormonal therapy as intervention; radical prostatectomy only as comparison; and prostate cancer recurrence, prostate cancer remission, prostate cancer curative, prostate cancer life span, prostate cancer prognosis, prostate cancer quality of life as outcome. Localized and high risk prostate cancer management were included in the study. Exclusion criteria Population of women and men below the age of 50 were excluded. Articles published prior to 2011 and were not written in English language were excluded. Articles that were not free full text were excluded. Articles that did not compare RP+RT+HT with radical prostatectomy only were excluded. RESULTS This search yielded 72 articles after inclusion criteria were considered. A total of 27 articles were used for final review after excluding articles that did not compare management options for treatment of prostate cancer. Treatment of Prostate Cancer with Radical Retropubic Prostatectomy (RRP) And Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection (PLND) Before we can lay emphasises on other possible treatments to prevent biochemical recurrence (BCR) after RP, we have to talk about RRP and PLND. According to one of the studies cited in this systematic review, ten of 11 patients with histologically confirmed lymph node metastasis (LNM) showed a PSA response (Winter et al., 2015). Three of 10 patients with single LNM had a complete biochemical remission (median follow-up 72months, range 31.0-83) (Winter et al., 2015). In five cases with single LNM PSA decreased et al., 2015). All of the additionally removed 30 LNs were completely negative (Winter et al., 2015). Treatment of Prostate Cancer with Radical Prostatectomy (RP), PLND and Hormonal Therapy (HT) The above combination therapies have been reported to be commonly used for the treatment of metastatic PCa to lymph nodes and other neighboring tissues than localized PCa due to its higher efficacy and potency for the treatment of metastatic PCa. The first article I will be talking about under this subtopic had a mean follow-up of 5.3 years and LNM occurred in 140 patients. An average of 10.9 lymph nodes was dissected from patient with pN1 through a method known as extended sentinel lymph node dissection (eSLND) (Muck et al., 2015). After the surgery, 121 patients with pN1 patients received adjuvant ADT for a sort period of time (Muck et al., 2015). Average survival year for; recurrence-free survival (RFS), RFS after secondary treatment, case-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS) were 4.7, 7.0, 8.8, and 8.1 years, respectively (Muck et al., 2015). RFS, CSS, and OS were significantly correlated with tumor staging (Muck et al., 2015). The second article focuses on the 67 Chinese patients with lymph node metastasis (LNM) after RP and extended PLND, and these patients received continuous adjuvant ADT. The median follow-up of this study was 46.7 months and two patients were lost to follow-up. BCR-free survival was recorded annually indicating 52%, 40%, 22% for the first 3 years respectively and a more significant survival was observed in patients with 5-year BCR free-survival which shows a 93% free-local recurrence, 83% free-systemic metastasis and 96% cancer death-free (Qin et al,2015). Postoperative BCR-free survival was 27.5 months (Qin et al.,2015). Even though a lot of articles support the positive effect of HT as a treatment for PCa, we also have to consider the adverse effect of HT including depression. According to Lee et al, 2015, patients who are treated with ADT have shown to a significant prolonged depressive state (pet al.,2016). The depressive state in correlation to ADT is confirmed when compared to a control by indicating a p value less than 0.001 (Lee et al.,2016) Apart from the adverse effect associated with HT, metastasis have been reported after adjuvant ADT has been used for treatment of both localized and high-risk PCAa (Taguchi et al., 2014). Taguchi et al. reported 9 (4.6%) patients developed metastasis and 6 (3.0%) died from PCa. Eight of nine metastatic patients had a GS greater than 9 and developed a metastasis to the bone, while the remaining one had a GS greater than 7 and developed lymphatic spread (Taguchi et al.,2014). Based on the findings above, optimal timing of salvage ADT for BCR after RP is crucial. According to a study by Taguchi et al., biochemical recurrence was seen in one patients (2.0%) in the ultra-early group and seen in 12 patients (17.1%) in the early salvage ADT group (Taguchi et al.,2014). Only one patient in the early salvage ADT group developed metastasis to a left supraclavicular lymph node, and no patient died from PCa during follow-up (Taguchi et al.,2014). Treatment of prostate cancer with Radical Prostatectomy (RP) and Radiation Therapy (RT) In order to examine the effect of RT after RP, an article which compared outcome of patients treated with radiotherapy after radical prostatectomy and patients who were under active surveillance after radical prostatectomy (Petruzzeillo et al., 2014). Patients who were under surveillance had a longer follow-up but higher recurrence rate and short life-expectancy (Petruzzeillo et al.,2014). Another article was able to back-up this finding, indicating significant longer life-expectancy and lower risk of recurrence (Gandaglia et al.,2014). However, the earlier administration of radiotherapy after RP is very essential. Studies had if indicated that patients who had ultra-early radiotherapy after RP had lower recurrence and longer life-expectancy (Azelie et al.,2012). A number of reports have associated early RT after RP to decrease risk of BCR and longer overall survival (OS). According to Gandaglia et al, patients with high risk score benefitted more from early radiotherapy compared to patients with lower risk scores (Gandaglia et al.,2014). The risk scores were determined based on its association to increasing 5- to 10- year prostates cancer mortality rates with a p value less than 0.001 (Gandaglia et al.,2014). the risk score was associated with increasing 5- and 10-year cancer-specià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ c mortality rates (P et al., 2014). However, adjuvant RT after RP have shown to present with gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicities. A study indicating the use of real-time tumor-tracking intensity-modulate radiation therapy (RT-IMRT) as a much preferable RT for treatment of PCa with less adverse effects (Shinohara et al.,2013). In patient treated with RT-IMRT have shown to have better quality of life with little or no risk of urinary and sexual dysfunction (Shinohara et al., 2013). No patients treated with RT-IMRT after RP have gastrointestinal discomfort (Azelie et al.,2012). An article has indicated that earlier RT can lower the risk of adverse effect such as gastrointestinal and urinary dysfunction (Hegarty et al.,2015). Another concern is excessive treatment of PCa with RP+RT using standardized guideline. Patients who underwent RT after RP using this standard guideline 27 patients out of 163 patients had recurrence and 3 out 87 with PSAet al.,2014). Hence the other patients were over treated and therefore exposing them to preventable adverse effects. Treatment of Prostate Cancer with Radical Prostatectomy(RP), Radiation Therapy(RT) and Hormonal Therapy (HT) For the treatment of high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) different evidence-based therapies exist such as (RT+HT), (RP+RT), and (RP+RT+HT). RT + HT resulted in a longer life-expectancy which is always greater than 1 compared to RP+RT (Parikh et al.,2012). However, RP+RT+HT combination have a greater than 0.5 longer life-expectancy compared to RT+HT after considering their side effects (Parikh et al.,2012). Treatment of Prostate Cancer with Radical Prostatectomy (RP), Radiation Therapy (RT), Hormonal Therapy (HT) and Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (NCHT). Patients with local and metastatic PCa are prone to recurrence after RP. Hence adjuvant therapies are required to reduce biochemical failure and also prolong life-expectancy. Therefore, it is important to study the adverse effect of these combination therapies (RP+RT+HT+NCHT). The major adverse effect associated with these combinations are gastrointestinal and urinary dysfunction while leucopenia and neutropenia mainly for NCHT (Guttilla et al.,2014) and (Thalgotti et al.,2014). Gastrointestinal and urinary dysfunction are seen in low grade pathologically (Guttilla et al.,2014). Thalgotti et al.,2014 reviewed the percentile of blood toxicity after patients have been administered the combination therapies; 90% had neutropenia and 53.8% leucopenia in the studied patients (Thalgotti et al.,2014). Effective Screening Test to Aid Prevention of Biochemical Recurrence (BCR) Eighty-eight miRNAs were identified to be significantly (p36months) (Bell et al.,2015). Nine miRNAs were identified to be significantly (pet al.,2015). Based on the efficacy of the above result a new prognostic stick has been created, composed of miRNA-4516 and miRNA-601, Gleason score and lymph node status (Bell et al.,2015). A study was done to assess which patients would benefit the most from RT after RP using 11C-choline PET/CT. In order to identify which patients would benefit the most from restaging 11C-choline PET/CT before RT, 11C-choline PET/CT was positive in 28.4% of patients (172/605) (Castellucci et al, 2016). Castellucci et al.,2016 categorized these patients based on staging: Eighty-three of 605 patients were positive locally, 72 of 605 patients had systemic metastasis, and 17 of 605 patients had both local recurrence and systemic metastasis (Catellucci et al., 2016). At multi-analysis; PSA, PSA doubling time (PSAdt), and ADT were signià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cant predictors for positive scan results, whereas PSA and PSAdt were signià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ cantly related to distant recurrence detection (Pet al.,2016). Genomic classifier (GC) used to predict biochemical recurrence and distant metastasis in men receiving radiotherapy (RT) after radical prostatectomy (RP). Illustrating Den et al.,2015, the measurement of GC was used to predict recurrence of PCA at 5 years after receiving RT (Den et al.,2015). A multi-analysis was done which no correlation between GC and PSA before RP. However, patients with low GC had no significance recurrence at 5 years after RT while patients with high GC had recurrence at 5 years after RT (Den et al.,2015). DISCUSSION This reviews attempted to answer the question: Can adjuvant therapy be used in patients that have undergone radical prostatectomy to prevent local recurrences? The general collective consensus of articles included in this review supported the hypothesis that in the treatment of aggressive and metastatic prostate cancer, patients who undergo radical prostatectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy with hormonal therapy have less recurrence rate in comparison to those who receive radical prostatectomy alone due to its additive curative effect (Parikh et al.,2012; Kyrdalen et al.,2012; Hayachi et al., 2012; Shinohara et al.,2013; Kaplan et al.,2013; Linder et al.,2013; Azelie et al.,2012; Miyake et al.,2014; Taguchi et al.,2014; Muck et al.,2014; Gandaglia et al,2015; Den et al.,2014; Castellucci et al.,2014; Lee M. et al., 2015; Kang et al.,2014; Thalgotti et al.,2014; Sato et al.,2014; Gutilla et al.,2014; Kim et al.,2016; Rosenkrantz et al.,2015; Petruzzeillo et al.,2014;Den et al.,2014; Lee J. et al.,2015; Qin et al.,2015; Mizowaki et al,2015; Winter et al.,2015; Bell et al,2015; Hegarty et al.,2015; Den et al., 2015; Taguchi et al.,2014). Only one article concluded that patient with High Gleason score (GS) carry a risk of bone metastasis and cancer specific-death after RP with ADT (Taguchi et al.,2014). Seven articles laid more emphasise on the combination therapys adverse effects such as gastrointestinal, genitourinary toxicities and sexual dysfunction (Shinohara et al.,2013) and specifically; diabetes mellitus, heart disease, osteoporosis (Parikh et al.,2012) and depression for HT (Lee M. et al.,2015). However, few articles addressed these adverse effects by recommending ultra-early RT after RP (Azelia et al.,2012 and Hegarty et al.,2015) and early HT after RP (Taguchi et al.,2014 and Sato et al., 2014). However, early RT after RP does not only reduce gastrointestinal and gastrourinary toxicities but it also prolongs quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) and lowers biochemical recurrence (BCR) (Azelie et al.,2012, Sato et al.,2014 and Gandgalia et al.,2014). Radiotherapy such as Real-time tumor-tracking intensity-modulated RT (RT-IMRT) may be a better treatment for localized PCa even though it has a similar effect as RP because of the adverse effects associated with RP such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction (Azelie et al.,2012). Hence, better quality of life with RT compared to RP (Shinohara et al.,2013). An article compared RT after RP with observation alone (OA) after RP which reviewed 87.1% to 30% biochemical progression-free survival, respectively (Petruzzeillo et al.,2014). This result lays further emphasises on the efficacy of RT after RP. Despite all the articles emphasizing the efficacy of adjuvant RT and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) after RP, there is concern for excessive treatment of PCa using AUA/ASTRO guideline on adjuvant RT. A particular article stretched on the concern by concluding that patients treated with RT who met the AUA/ASTRO guideline should be carefully considered to prevent excessive treatment (Kang et al., 2014). This is because in the article, among 163 patients with high risk BCR according to AUA/ASTRO guideline, only 27 patients developed BCR and treated with RT (Kang et al., 2014). In addition, in 87 patients with pre-operative PSAet al., 2014). Some articles (Gutilla et al,2014; Gutilla et al,2014 and Thalgott et al.,2014) considered the effectiveness of screening test on predicting biochemical failure in order to prevent BCR after RP. Several screening test were considered and tested. Specific miRNA (miR-4516 and miR-601), 11C-Choline PET/CT, Genomic Classifier (GC) and whole-lesion histogram apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) metric have sensitivity and specificity for BCR after RP (Bell et al.,2015; Castellucci et al.,2015; Den et al.,2015; Den et al.,2014 and Rosenkrantz et al.,2015). These screenings can help to identify specific treatment for BCR, for example, patients with low GC scores are best treated with RT only, whereas those with high GC scores beneà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ t from additional therapies (Den et al., 2014). Some studies verified that the trimodality therapy (RP+RT+HT) has shown an increase in quality of life expectancy (QALE) (Parikh et al.,2012; Guttilla et al.,2014; Kyradalen et al.,2012 and Den et al.,2014). Limitations of the search strategy include searching only one database (PubMed), only one source of information is used (database), only published data is included, only data from the last 5 years is included, only articles published in the English language are included, and only one reviewer is reviewing the abstracts. The major limitation of this systematic review is use of more retrospective cohort than clinical trials and use of only free-full articles and also broad question covering several treatment options such as different types of adjuvant radiation therapies, hormonal therapies and inclusion of some chemotherapies. Future research may consider comparing multiple interventions in a single randomized clinical trial with several approaches to allow for better comparison across clinical outcome measures. Further research may consider more screening test to prevent overtreatment. APPENDICES First Author Date of Publication Study Design Level of Evidence Study Population Therapy Outcome Azelie C. 2012 Randomized Clinical trial 1b 178 patients were referred for daily exclusive image guided IMRT (IG-IMRT) and 69 patients were the control group IG-IMRT vs RP+IMRT Patients with low risk PCa treated with IG-IMRT had a more significant outcome compared to the control group (patient treated with RP + IMRT) Bell E. March, 2015 Prospective Cohort Study without controls 4 43 patients who undergone RT after RP miRNAs miRNA signatures (Notably, two novel miRNAs: miR-4516 and miR-601) can be used as a diagnostic tool to determine patients who will benefit from additional therapy after RP. Castellucci P. Nov., 2015 Case series 4 605 patients treated with RT after RP. RT+RP vs ADT at the time of 11C-choline PET/CT At the early stage of BCr after RP 11C-choline PET/CT should be suggested before ADT is administered. Den R. March, 2015 Randomized Clinical Trials 1b 188 patients with positive margin of PCa at Thomas Jefferson University and Mayo Clinic between 1990 and 2009 were considered. Neoadjuvant HT, IMRT, salvage RT, ART In patients treated with RT after RP,genomic classifier (GC) was a good prognostic tool for determining metastasis. Den R. August, 2014 Randomized Clinical trial 1b 139 patients who underwent RT after RP that were identified with pT3 or positive prostate margin. Using genetic classifier to predict biochemical failure after RP+RT The genetic classifier (GC) predicted biochemical failure and metastasis after RP +RT. Patients with lower GC may benefit from delayed RT, as opposed to those with higher GC. Gandaglia G. August, 2014 Randomized Clinical trial 1b 7616 prostate cancer patients treated with RP. Early treatment with RT after RP vs not receiving early RT after RP Patients with two or more adverse pathological characteristics at RP might beneà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ t the most from adjuvant RT in terms of reduced cancer specific mortality. Guttilla A. 2014 Randomized Clinical Trial 1b 35 patients with newly diagnosed high-risk localized prostate cancer IMRT, RP, ADT, docetaxel-based chemotherapy This treatment phase for high-risk PCa indicated an acceptable oncological outcome. Hayashi S. July, 2012 Retrospective Cohort Study without controls 4 41 patients were treated with external beam RT as salvage RT because of increasing PSA levels following RP. RT after radical prostatectomy Lymphatic invasion is reported after RT+RP Vascular invasion is not associated with biochemical failure in PCa treatment. Hegarty S. February, 2015 Prospective Cohort Study without controls 4 Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked database, we identified 6,137 prostate cancer patients diagnosed during 1995-2007 who had one or more adverse pathological features after prostatectomy. RT after RP RT after RP is associated with adverse effects such as gastrointestinal and genitourinary toxicities while early treatment with RT is not associated with these adverse effects. Kaplan J. 2013 Retrospective Cohort Study without controls 4 577 men with LN metastases discovered during RP and 177 men underwent ART with no distant metastases Adjuvant RT, RP ART after RP in men with LN-positive prostate cancer was associated recurrence free-survival. Kang J. 2014 Retrospective Cohort Study without controls 3b 163 men who had pT2-3 with undetectable PSA level after RP who had metastasis. Adjuvant RT (ART) after RP ART in patient who met the ASTRO/AUA criteria should be applied more selectively to avoid overtreatment. Kyrdalen A. 2012 Randomized Clinical Trial 1b 771 compliers were divided into four groups (i) no treatment, (ii) RP, (iii)RT without HT and (iv) RT+HT No treatment vs RP vs RT vs RT+HT No treatment group: had the highest level of moderate/severe bladder outlet-obstruction. RP group: reported more urinary incontinent compared to other treatment groups and also the highest prevalence of poor erectile functions. RT group: reported highest gastrointestinal dysfunction and fecal leakage compared to RP and no treatment group. Bladder outlet obstruction and poor sexual drive were significantly associated with low quality of life. Lee J. July, 2015 Prospective Cohort Study without controls 4 307 patients who underwent RP at Seoul National University Hospital between January,2006 and July,2007. RP According to this finding, SHBG may be useful in selection of candidate for adjuvant treatment following RP. Lee. M 2015 Observational studies with controls 3b 61 men with prostate cancer and their match control group (n=61) without cancer ADT This article indicates an association with PCa patient developing depression after receiving ADT. Linder B. 2013 Retrospective Cohort Study without controls 4 419 patients who received additional HT Adjuvant HT after RP Adjuvant HT after RP with high-risk PCa does not increase non-prostate cancer (such as cardiovascular disease) mortality, even in patient with multiple comorbidities. Mizowaki T. April, 2015 Observational Study with controls 3b Patients with localized PCa from the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study (JROSG) who were treated with RP before 2005 and those who received RT in 2007.. HT, RT Hormonal therapy was combined with radiotherapy which resulted in a longer life- expectancy. Muck A. March, 2014 Retrospective Cohort Study without controls 4 819 patients with localized prostate cancer (PCa) Extended sentinel lymph node dissection (eSLND) and RP. The use of ESLND and RP in patients with low risk can serve serve as complete cure for BCR. Parikh R. Jan., 2012

Can Sustainable Development Address The North South Divide Politics Essay

Can Sustainable Development Address The North South Divide Politics Essay The North-South divide, is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, it can also be seen as a critical factor for achieving global sustainability. During the course of this text, key ideas and actions related to this issue, will be considered. Sustainable development and the North-South divide will be introduced, followed by an overview and discussion of the situation and status quo. The divide and its solution will be summarised and the text will conclude, with my perspective on the issue. WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT? The word sustainable means to sustain, to keep from failing during stress or difficulty. Therefore, an action can be considered sustainable, if it has the capacity to sustain. So what does this mean for our society? Plainly speaking, any instance were actions as a result of our survival, sustain, leave intact or protect the environment, from the stress of our existence within it, can be considered to be sustainable. The most commonly recognised threat, albeit debatable by some, is the impact of climate change on the environment (Carter, 2001). This and other environmental problems such as biodiversity and overconsumption, have resulted in sustainable development becoming a prominent and central issue in international politics (Carter, 2001). The ability of the present generation to meet its needs without undermining the ability of future generations to meet their needs (Carter, 2001) The definition of sustainable development quoted from Carter (2001), arose to suggest that, it is possible to have economic development and protect the environment at the same time. The definition above is as abigious as the concept, which is still being debated. Notwithstanding, the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in 1992, to oversee and implement the concept in different countries (Carter, 2001). Sustainable development, gives priority to the worlds poor both in the North and in the South, providing the opportunity to live a good life to all. It also recognises, the need to moderate our demand on resources, from the enviornment (Carter, 2001). THE NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE The International Monetary Fund (IMF), was developed to reach a goal of an internationally managed economy. However, the fund is much smaller than the original proposed in 1942, by Keynes and together with the World Bank, it served to aid primarily the global North (Raffer and Singer, 2001). The current system is an incomplete version of the Bretton woods system, lacking Keynes International Trade Organisation (ITO), among other pillars of support. The general idea of the system, was to sustain the economy and prevent another great depression, both in the global North and South (Raffer and Singer, 2001). In addition, the system intended for the IMF and the World Bank to be agencies of the United Nations (UN), guided by the UN General Assembly and the UN Economic and Social Council, to achieve its goal. As a result of the incomplete system being modified and implemented to suit, countries in the global south experienced balance of payments crisis and the subsequent debt crisis (Raffer and Singer, 2001). However, it left intact and in some cases fuelled the growth of economies in the North, driving a biased development. The quote below, puts into perspective the current issue and the reason for a need of consensus between the North and South, bridging the divide on the issue of climate change mitigation. For the next decades, we are locked-in to an unavoidable rise in global mean temperatures by virtue of our past emissions, due to factors such as the large thermal inertia of the earths oceans. This is unlikely to pass wihtout creating serious climate hazards (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) under BaU conditions the number of people affected by weather related disasters in 2030 would be somewhere between 220 and 860 million in the worst case () (Muller, 2002) During the percieved economic growth, globalisation and the IT revolution, swept the world. This wave created a division between the countries that, successfully took advantage of the revolution and those that did/could not (Kawaguchi, 2002). Taking advantage of the scenario, the subsequent economic growth that followed in the North -which was driven by fossil fuel- further widened the economic divide between the North and the South (Koehn, 2004). This divide and the following growth and development experienced by the North, can be seen as a catalyst or root cause, of the current North-South divide on the climate issue. The divide between the North and South on the issue of mitigating global climate change has been confirmed, it was stated that the most important issue for developing countries (the global South) is the dissproportionate human impact burden, which has until recently largely been ignored by the North (Muller, 2002). For example, consider for a moment the agenda for emissions mitigation, which has been firmly set by the industrialised world (Muller, 2002). This agenda, places disportionate burden on countries around the world. Especially those that cannot afford it and those more concerned with other immediate issues (Evans, 2009). The nature of the climate change equity problem, clarifies the stance both North and South side take, in dealing with the current climate crisis. In the North, it is regarded as a need to allocate emission mitigation targets, while in the South it is regarded as a need to assign responsibility for and the sharing of climate impact burdens (Muller, 2002). In addition, it is the perspective of the South, that the proposals for reductions in emissions do not account for disporportionate historical contributions of developed countries. Further adding, that the in effect the structural inequities embedded in the current international economic order, have been extended (Koehn, 2004; Evans, 2009). The Norths response to this perspective, is to disregard historical contributions and system inequities, focussing instead on gross emissions and future projections (Koehn, 2004). The reason for this is that, climate change in the eyes of the North is seen as a problem of polluting the environment and while impacts on human welfare are regarded as potentially life-style-threatening, they are seen to be deserved (Muller, 2002). This presents an overriding moral purpose of environmental integrity. To put it plainly, there is the acceptance of pollution from industralisation, being the cause of the climate crisis. However, there is also denial of the disproportionate nature of the proposed solution, resultant burden and welfare issues relevance. In the South however, the situation is very different (Muller, 2002). Climate change is seen as a human welfare problem, with the people as its prime victims. In addition, there is also the issue of equity between the human culprits and the human victims (Muller, 2002). There is compelling evidence that human-induced climate change is warming the earths atmosphere. The global heat poses a threat to ecological sustainability in the North and South (Koehn, 2004; Evans, 2009). In higher lattitudes this will cause rising sea levels and increase the likelihood of natural disasters, as well as increasing the vulnerability of human populations (Koehn, 2004). This presents a scenario of the inevitibility of climate change impact and its associated burdens, both in the global North and the global South. As an obvious consequence, there is the need to make ready and present innovative and effective solutions by the collective nations, for climate change impacts in the near and medium-term. This will provide the oppourtunity to mitigate and reduce the inevitable impact, in the North and in the South (Evans, 2009). The report, Bridging the Divide: Redressing The Balance, argues that we have reached a point where we must face the inevitability and begin to prepa re disaster responses (Muller, 2002). Notwithstanding, there are nations that are still in disagreement. Gurdial Singh Nijar who represented the Asia-Pacific group, says that without fair and equitable access and benefit-sharing (ABS) protocol, there will be no agreement. Leahy (2010) in his press release goes on to say that, there is concensus that countries, which supply valuable resources to the industrial world should be compensated. However, the situation may not be as straight forward as it seems, since the national representatives have been undergoing complex negotiations for six years (Leahy, 2010). So far, the negotiations have played along the traditional North-South divide, posing the danger of turning them into a sort of collective bargaining. Furthermore, as a result of current rise in economies of some developing countries, this approach has become obselete (Kawaguchi, 2002). To put it all more simply, the problem is the inability to agree on a soltuion, for the inevitable unfair distribution of climate imp act burdens (Muller, 2002). In one of the preparotory sessions, a delegate from the North and one from the South were discussing the form of the Charter. The Northern delegate offered that the Charter should be a short, poetic statement that could be reproduced on posters (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) on the walls of childrens bedrooms (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) as a message of inspiration (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) The Southern delegate responded that most children in the South do not have their own bedrooms and many of them are unable to read. (Wapner, 2003) THE JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT IN BRIEF The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in Johannesburg supported the sustainable development concept, which suggests that the environment can be cherished without sacrificing economic growth, especially in southern (developing) countries (Kawaguchi, 2002). In addition the summit recognized that poverty alleviation cannot come by safeguarding the natural environment alone, but requires actively intervening in the economic system. Futhermore, this can be best achieved, by rigorously considering networks and partnership models of economic development, which are linked to empowerment drivers (Kawaguchi, 2002). The WSSD also recongnises, that access to natural resources plays a major role in development, while in developing countries it also under pins Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Petrie, 2007). A key contribution of the WSSD, was to establish partnerships. Thereby, translating overall principles into hands-on actions, towards adressing specific challenges of sustainabl e development (Wapner, 2003). It is the perception, that sustainable development has failed to bring together the North and the South. As a result, a lot of effort has gone into modifying the concept, so that it can meet interests of both sides (Wapner, 2003). One example of such efforts, is Kawaguchi (2002) proposal of the concept of global sharing, which encourages the sharing of strategies, responsibilities, experiences and information. I understand the importance of fossil fuels to the American people. Dick Cheney understands that. The president understands that Frederick D. Palmer, Executive Vice President for Legal and External Affairs at Peabody (Koehn, 2004) A SOLUTION IN SIGHT? The UN says that without an ABS (access and benefit-sharing) agreement, countries have shut down their genetic resources. As a result, a species of fly attacking mango populations in Kenya, cannot be properly controlled since the flys natural predator in Asia cannot be obtained (Leahy, 2010). The solution to a problem of this magnitude is not simple, made harder still by the lack of sufficient hands-on action to mitgate the threat. Although, there are some schemes, strategies and innitiatives, these should not wrongly be seen as being able to sufficiently sustain the weight of the climate change impact. The task is still very much incomplete, after all, the goal is to create a system that will sustain us (and the environment) through the climate threat. For that to happen, action must be taken. Actions like a complete UN inspired by Keynes or actions like bridging the divide between the North and the South. There have been a few attempts in the past to bridge the divide. The first was a Joint Implementation (JI) mechanism, which was based on the concept that transferring clean technologies to other nations, towards reducing green house gas (GHG) emisssions, could count towards obligations of the nations suppling the technology. The JI mechanism was meant to lower the compliance costs for Northern nations under the Kyoto protocol (Evans, 2009). To the South, this is clearly biased as the benefits will almost surely fall soley in the North, giving Northern nations the oppourtunity to force weaker nations to meet obligations for them. In the end JI was incorporated as a mechanism used amongst Northern nations (Evans, 2009). The second attempt, dubbed the Brazilian proposal was the Clean Development Fund (CDF), designed to provide financing for emissions mitigations projects in Southern nations (Evans, 2009). This would be done by allocating funds collected from Northern nations, who failed to meet their Kyoto requirements. However, Northern nation opposed this structure arguing that it is politically toxic, going on to create a more positive cooperative mechanism. This is how the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) came to be (Evans, 2009). Kyoto protocols Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), is currently the only policy initiative linking developing nations emissions to international cooperative efforts on climate change. It has been hailed as the grand compromise of the North-South divide over climate change mitigation (Evans, 2009). CDM is a market based mechanism, which allows Northern nations with binding emissions reduction commitments under the Kyoto protocol, to earn credits towards meeting their commitments. They do so by implementing emission reduction projects in Southern nations, where it is most cost effective. Southern nations in exchange, gain from the transfer of project related sustainable development benefits (Evans, 2009). However, what a benefit is in terms of sustainable development under CDM is left undefined, creating vagueness and subsequent conflict of interests. As a result, Southern nations place more emphasis on the development aspect of susatianable development, while the North tends to focus more on the GHG related definition of sustainability when assessing the benefits of CDM (Evans, 2009). This serves to drive continued tension over the issues of compensation for historical debt and equity of the South, and the Northern proirities of cost-efficiency and free markets, even with CDM in place (Evans, 2009). It is also thought that instead of facilitating enviornmentally sustainable development efforts in Southern nations, CDM can deter them from pursuing sustainable development paths, as doing so would decrease their ability to attract CDM investment in the future (Evans, 2009). The current means of evaluating the efficiency of CDM is synonymous with cost-effectiveness, however CDM is not meant to just facilitate low-cost emissions reductions. Rather it is designed to engage Southern nations in the global effort to reduce emissions (Evans, 2009). As a result it is more important to focus on factors of the mechanism that concern the South. The efficiency therefore should be, synonymous instead with mitigating the North-South divide, towards reconciling the interests of both sides. Despite the existsence of North-South cooperation in CDM today, the divide nonetheless spreads throughout the mechanism, resulting in divergent demands and expectations based on different priorities and perceptions of what the CDM should offer (Evans, 2009). The earth is a complex geo-biochemical entity whose precise functioning, as well as the complex interactions that occur among its myriad elements, we are yet to understand fully. Its fragile self-regenerative systems (e.g. the carbon cycle) have limited capacity for processing anthropogenic environmental contamination (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) the excess accumulates to disrupt or disable the systems themselves (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) this is the main reason for the mounting environmental predicament confronting us today. (Nath, 2004) ONE WORLD INTRICATELY CONNECTED Under the current regime, the old has been abandoned and the North no longer only care about the environment, neither do the South only care about development, both unable to concieve of one factor deviod of the other (Wapner, 2003). However, Northern governments are letting fall environment issues in favour of economic development (Wapner, 2003). The UNFCCC says that, developing countries will play a significant role in determining the success of multilateral climate change regime. It is accepted that there is a need for increasing attention towards accomodating Southern interests in the CDM specifically (Muller, 2002; Evans, 2009). The economy has been seen to drive growth and development. However, it is also the problem and the best solution towards our survival, is to embrace growth via knowledge and science. It will be necessary to abandon the driving psyche of the economic bottom-line, as well as the excessive consumption of our resources, otherwise our survival is forfiet. The brundtland report stated that, the adoption of less-consumptive and less-polluting life-styles, is required to progress towards global sustainability (Nath, 2004). However, since the rich and powerful are as unlikely to renounce their wealth, as the poor are unlikely to rein in their developments towards a better life, there is a fundamental problem. Ideas in the North, like sustainable consumption a concept which provided policies and strategies in the Netherlands, to curb levels of consumption, attempt to reduce the nations impact on the environment (Spaargaren and Martens, 2005). On the other hand, even though the role of the resources sector in sustainable development is disconnected from the social fabric of life in the developed world, it is seen as the lifeblood of the economy in developing countries (Petrie, 2007). Once again the bottom line inhibits our progress and survival, it is not the economy or planet that needs saving, it is us. Although they are important, if we are not around to support the economy it will crash and the planet, well it will survive whether we do or not. Our prime directive in this crisis should be human welfare and welfare growth/development; charity they say begins at home. You Americans raped your environment in order to develop your country and raise your standard of living. Now we Jamaicans reserve the right to do the same. Jamaican Official (Evans, 2009) CONCLUSION It is reasonable to conclude that an abandonment of market mechanisms may be necessary to facilitate the substantive perticipation of Southern nations in global emissions abatement efforts which is required by the severity of the climate crisis. After all, a crisis of this magnitude will undoubtedly drain the piggy bank, those who do survive will be more valuable than abstract numbers and values, especially when it comes to rebuilding. Therefore, it is imperitive we accept that, protecting the economy in favour of the environment and/or human welfare is detrimental to our survival. It is clear that the crisis is inevitable just as it is clear that we are entangled with the fate of the planet, for better or worse. Where sustainable development has failed CDM seems to fair better, even though it too has not completely solved the problem. The solution does not lie solely in the realm of policy but also in the state of mind of the people. Just like a train changes from a dead end track to a clear one, so also do we need a change of paradigm. In addition, science, knowledge and a true, unified UN will be indispensible tools in our efforts. Furthermore, these tools will aid to bridge the Nouth-South divide on the climate issue, putting both sides on the same page.

Friendship in Of Mice and Men and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part T

Friendship in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and the essay on Friendship by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity. -- (Khalil Gibran) Once I was looking on the internet that what is friends and what is friendship, since I never know what it was or never really read a definition of them. I was looking all over the place and I found this: â€Å"No one knows the exact definition of "Friendship"; however, they do have their own way to tell if they have a friend or not.† From the bedtime stories parents read to their children when they are going to bed, to the books students ready in high school, or the books adults ready have one most common element friendship. The history in the American literature three were many books, essays and songs about great friendships some are still famous and some are lost, in the era where people become friends by following each other on Instagram or sending request on Facebook. Mostly all persons on earth have a best friend and people say that it is hard to fine because a best friend should be some on whom you can always count on and that a person always count on you too. Sometimes having right person as your friends can help you but at the same time if you are in companionship of a bad person it can hurt you too. Who is the bad person and who is the good person is totally up to the person’s personal choice? Some books and movies have a stereotypical character o... ...micemen/ Mignon, Charles W., and H. Rose. CliffsNotes on Emerson's Essays. 01 May 2014 literature/e/emersons-essays/ralph-waldo-emerson-biography Van Kirk, Susan. CliffsNotes on Of Mice and Men. 01 May 2014 literature/o/of-mice-and-men/of-mice-and-men-at-a-glance References Steinbeck, J (1937) Of Mice and Men. Covici Friede. Alexie, S (September 2007) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Emerson, R Friendship. Spark Notes Editors. (2007). Spark Note on Of Mice and Men. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/micemen/ Mignon, Charles W., and H. Rose. CliffsNotes on Emerson's Essays. 01 May 2014 literature/e/emersons-essays/ralph-waldo-emerson-biography Van Kirk, Susan. CliffsNotes on Of Mice and Men. 01 May 2014 literature/o/of-mice-and-men/of-mice-and-men-at-a-glance

Raves :: essays research papers

Raves Imagine you are in your room and it’s about 1:00 in the morning. It’s pitch black outside and you’ve been lost for hours. There’s nothing good on the radio. You’re dying of thirst and you’re drenched with sweat. You’re just about to turn around and open your window for some fresh air and you hear it. The bass is in sync with your heartbeat and the lights are flashing everywhere. So you follow this music and you arrive at your destination: A rave. It is the vibe that is so commonly talked about within this culture. The dictionary defines "Rave" as: to utter in madness or frenzy; to say wildly; to rave nonsense, which makes you wonder why raves were ever called raves to begin with. Raves consist of about 300-6,000 kids aged to about 17-25. A big empty wear house, lights, a fog machine and a DJ. Every single rave has 1 type of music: techno with a lot of base. It's electronically created with a very fast-pace. Techno music has its origins in gay dance clubs. Hip-hop also has had a big impact on techno music. Rave dancing ranges from being highly choreographed and stylistic all the way to thrusting your body back and forth. Ravers say they lose themselves to the beat and become one with the music by letting the music control their movements. Someone once said: Techno was made not only to be played, but to be listened to loud†¦we are called not to listen, but to feel. How do you know when the rave is and where? Well flyers are put up. A flyer isn’t going to straight out say â€Å"RAVE!† you have to look for the secret messages only Ravers know. They do this to avoid the mainstream. A rave poster can be spotted by noticing that within the words that are on the poster, every E, X, and K, are capitalized. There are certain colors that the flyers will have on them. A lot of times there will be a cartoon character on it, or smiley faces and aliens. Now, I could do a whole paper on fashion. There are four classes of people grouped by what they wear not how much money you have or what kind of car you drive. The most common class is the â€Å"Candy Ravers† they are always female and have short hair that’s usually in barrettes or pigtails.

Profile of the Self Essay -- Decision Making Personality Essays

Profile of the Self  Ã‚   â€Å"You are requested to close the eyes.† This urging that Sigmund Freud experienced in a dream helped to unlock repressed feelings, and gave him insight into his personality. Fortunately, there are now tests available to help us to understand ourselves. Our behavior can be determined and understood by analyzing different aspects of ourselves. The four main aspects are: Decision Making, Self-Concept, Interpersonal Relationships, and Affect. Decision Making is very important.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Making decisions is really much more complicated than it seems. When I make decisions, my Id, Ego, and Superego decide my fate. Unfortunately for me, my Id wins far too often, as I often do not study enough. Other personality traits, such as my tendency to over-think and analyze too many things, also play a role. This can influence my other behaviors by making me seem cold and distant with others because I’m too busy thinking. My self-concept is also important.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Self-concept is how I view myself. This affects me in a number of ways. My self esteem and role expectations are all based off of my self-concept. My self-concept also can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If I think that I have low self discipline, then I may subconsciously change my behavior to achieve what I think I am or should be. My real self still does not meet with my ideal self, which could potentially cause problems, or cause things to go well. My inadequacies in orderliness can never improve as long a...

How successful was the Nazi’ Economic Policy between 1933 and 1939

In 1932, 5. 6 million people were unemployed. Hitler aimed to massively decrease unemployment in Germany and this was one of the most attractive aims, from the voters' point of view, on the economic policy. High employment would mean a boost in the economy. He also aimed to remove Jews from the economy, thus creating jobs for Aryans as well as excluding the ‘aliens'. After World War 1, the Treaty of Versailles demanded that Germany pay reparations of 6600 million to the victorious nations. This was an enormous figure and because the treaty also removed Germany's most productive industrial areas from her, such as the Ruhr, she struggled to pay them. This was one element that caused Germany's economy to collapse; because she was unable to gain sufficiently from industry. Hitler therefore aimed to end the reparation payments, thus giving Germany a greater chance of recovering a successful economy because she would have more funds available to develop industry. The level of industrial production in Germany was very low compared to the glorious days of the Kaiser. Hitler planned to increase it in order to give Germany a chance in boosting her economy. If Germany could boost her levels of industry; she would gain more money and, therefore, have more money available to further develop industry, thus creating an exponential rise in production. Hitler believed that the Jews were responsible for the downfall of the great nation of Germany. He blamed them for the loss of World War 1 and believed they were taking part in a conspiracy to completely destroy the country. Therefore, he aimed to remove Jews from the economy to maintain a secure Germany. Jews also dominated many successful businesses and Hitler disliked this because it disagreed with his ideas about Aryans being the master race. Therefore, he aimed to remove them to give Aryans job opportunities and exclude Jews from Germany. The Treaty of Versailles had limited Germany's armies and called for disarmament. This meant Germany had no means of protecting herself and was powerless and weak in the eyes of other nations. Hitler was a great believer in the use of weapons and the need for powerful armies. Therefore, he aimed to devote time and money to develop the army once again and make a visual impression of a more powerful Germany. Hitler's eventual aim was to make Germany a self-sufficient Country. This meant that he wanted Germany to be completely independent and manufacture everything she needed within her borders, not relying on foreign imports for any material at all. This was a very high aim indeed because she had lost her colonies as a result of the Treaty of Versailles and had limited access to many vital raw materials unless she imported them. The Nazi's ambitious yet promising Economic Policy was very appealing to the desperate German citizens at the time and perhaps it was one of the main reasons people voted Nazi; they simply wanted to see their country and themselves thrive. However, I must now look at the degree of success and whether the citizens got what they were promised. During the Weimar Republic Streseman managed to join Germany to the League of Nations. He then began to reverse reparation payments implemented by the Treaty of Versailles in order to relieve some of the stress the nation was burdened with. Before Hitler came to power in 1933, Heinrich Bruning, former chancellor, had already managed to cancel out the remaining reparations through negotiation. Therefore, when Hitler was made chancellor, the aim of ending reparations had already been achieved; therefore, he could not take credit for this. However, he benefited from this because Germany was no longer under the influence of the Allies. The German citizens associated Hitler with independence and hope because The Treaty of Versailles was no longer such a prominent reminder of the disasters of World War 1. They believed Hitler could make Germany powerful once again. Hitler tackled unemployment by creating vast numbers of jobs. He set up programs to build many autobahns (motorways) across Germany. The workers were forced to build the roads manually, using old technology, in a similar style to that of the Romans, so that the job would take much longer and insure they remained employed for a greater time period. In just one year since Hitler became chancellor (1934), one million people were employed building these roads. The building of high rise flats also created further job vacancies. The remaining unemployed citizens were sent to the SA, SS, other Nazi organisations, Gestapo, Army, Navy or shipbuilding. This helped to reduce unemployment to just one million by 1936, and to negligible levels by 1938. Aryanisation of the economy was also achieved in 1938, when all Jews were removed from the economy and this helped additionally to increase Aryan employment. Hitler was very successful in reducing unemployment. The whole of Germany being employed meant that the economy could grow because people had money to spend on luxury items. This in turn meant that industrial production could be boosted and the economy improved. Hitler also created his own added advantages to high levels of employment because of the fields in which he created jobs. He managed to build roads which would be useful for transporting armies, and also increase the size of Nazi organisations, secret services, and the army. Many of the unemployed people would have been the working class and by giving them jobs in the Nazi party they would have been forced to work for Hitler and, therefore, give him support; thus making the Nazis even more powerful. I was unemployed for many years. I'd have made a pact with the devil to get work. Hitler came along and got me work so I followed him. ‘ A German worker. Employment greatly reduced the risk of an attempted revolution because people were happy when they had jobs and money. In 1930, the size of the German army was 100,000 compared to the pre-Word War 1 figure of 2,200,000. The Treaty of Versailles had put limits on the German army in order to prevent them from becoming powerful again, but by 1933 Hitler was sufficiently confident the League of Nations had little influence and would not intervene. He increased the army to 800,050 in 1933 and allowed four billion Reichmarks for expenditure. In 1938, 26 billion reichmarks were allowed. Half of the over all budget was spent on the air force or Luftwaffe and this paid off well in the bombing campaigns of World War 2. When the army was finally used for the war, it was sufficiently developed to last for six years without lacking efficiency. Therefore, Hitler was successful in rearming Germany because his military campaigns had some success. In rearming Germany he was also successful in emitting a powerful image to other nations and restoring the German' citizens confidence. When the people were aware of the large strong armies, they became proud and gave Hitler more support because he had made Germany powerful once more. Developing the army also made sure he was prepared for military campaigns in expanding Germany's influence. After unemployment decreased, industrial production increased and the economy thrived. The demand for millions of Heil Hitler uniforms meant a boom in the textiles industry as factories strived to produce enough. The building of new houses and flats meant a demand for household goods and people buying these items with their wages put money into the economy. The rearmament of the army also meant that the demand for weapons and equipment set the steel mills, coal- mines and factories back into production (also increasing long term employment). This boosted industrial production and, therefore, boosted the economy. Gross National Production increased by 68% between 1933 and 1938; this was more than a doubling. ‘Recovery did occur at a faster rate until at a higher level than almost anywhere in Europe' Richard Overy. Therefore, Hitler was successful in increasing industrial activity in Germany. This meant confidence in the Nazi party grew because citizens were aware of the economic boom. Germany began to thrive and become rich from industry and this meant Hitler could spend more money on developing the armies and making his country powerful. Between 1933 and 1936, Jews remained in the economy. This was because Jewish businesses were too valuable to the German economy to be destroyed. Hitler waited until the economy was stabilised and thriving until he began to exclude Jews. The Berlin Olympics further delayed this aim because Hitler didn't want other nations to witness his blatant anti-Semitic actions. However, by 1938 Aryanisation of the economy had been achieved and all Jewish businesses removed. The unemployed Jews were not counted in unemployment figures because they were not considered citizens after the Nuremberg Laws of 1935. Hitler was, therefore, successful in this aim because no Jew had a job in Germany and this created more jobs for Aryans and forced Jews into submission. After 1939, synthetic rubber or bung (very important in industry) could be produced enough in Germany so that her demands were met import more. However, prior to 1939, it could not. Also, Only half of German oil requirements were met by domestic oil fields or ersatz, the remaining requirements had to be imported in order to continue hydrocarbon-related production. Between 1939 and 1945 Germany was totally dependant on Sweden for imports of iron ore to manufacture war materials and such like. Therefore, Hitler was not very successful in making Germany an Autarkic country because Germany was not 100% self sufficient and relied on other countries to continue successful industrial production, There was no overall increase in agricultural production during Hitler's time in power. Although wheat and vegetable oil manufacture increased, this was at the expense of the prosperity of meat production. Even with the increased amounts of home produced vegetable oil, its high demand as a lubricant for factory machinery meant that more had to be imported in order to keep industry running. Germany also imported much of her food. Therefore, Hitler did not succeed in making Germany self-sufficient because she relied on other countries in order to keep running efficiently. Without imports, her industry would have collapsed and the economic policy would have lacked success. In conclusion, most of the Nazi aims in the Economic Policy were successful. Hitler managed to raise employment levels to almost 100%; more than double industrial production, exclude Jews; rearm and develop an army powerful enough to fight a war with much success for six years; and, therefore, greatly boost Germany's economy and the public's spirits. He did not, however, create and Autarkic country. This was a long-term aim and if he had been successful in World War 2 he would have achieved this.

Nervous System (Science Report) Essay

-The nervous system is a very complex system in the body. It has many, many parts. The nervous system is divided into two main systems, the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system. The spinal cord and the brain make up the CNS. Its main job is to get the information from the body and send out instructions. The peripheral nervous system is made up of all of the nerves and the wiring. This system sends the messages from the brain to the rest of the body. -The peripheral nervous system consists of the nerves that lie outside the brain and the spinal cord. These nerves carry impulses like sensations and information from the body to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the body. Thus, the peripheral nervous system connects the CNS to the muscles of the body. -The central nervous system (CNS) is the processing center for the nervous system. It receives information from and sends information to the peripheral nervous system. The two main organs of the CNS are the brain and spinal cord. The brain processes and interprets sensory information sent from the spinal cord. Both the brain and spinal cord are protected by three layers of connective tissue called the meninges. -The function nervous system is the major controlling, regulatory, and communicating system in the body. It is the center of all mental activity including thought, learning, and memory. II. The organs Central Nervous System Brain the brain is one of the most important organs in the human body system. It is the center of all commands. It monitors all the conscious and unconscious processes of the body. The brain coordinates various organs of the body and controls all the voluntary movements in the body. The brain is the organ that helps you remember things, learn, understand, think, create, talk, hear, taste, etc. The brain is divided into three segments, that is, fore brain, mid brain and the hind brain. The fore brain consists of the cerebral hemispheres and olfactory lobes. The mid brain is the region that mostly contains optic lobes, and the hind brain is the region that includes the cerebellum and the medulla oblongata. The pituitary gland is present in the lower side of the fore brain. It is called the ‘master gland’ as it regulates the function of many other glands in the body. Spinal Cord The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that run down the back from the brain in the spinal column. The spinal cord is about 40 cm in length and as wide as the thumb. The function of the spinal cord is to relay all the impulses, information and sensations from all around the body, internally and externally, to the brain. If the spinal cord gets affected due to an injury, it may sever some or most of the connections between the brain and other parts of the body, leading to paralysis in different parts of the body like the upper and lower limbs. Peripheral Nervous System Nerves The 31 pairs of spinal nerves branch off and reach out to different parts of the body and perform different functions. The nerves of the cervical region supply information to the back of the head, neck, shoulders, arms, hands and the diaphragm. The nerves of the thoracic region supply information to the chest and some parts of the abdomen. The lumbar region nerves cover the lower back, parts of the thighs and the legs. The nerves of the sacral region provide information to the buttocks, most of the leg, feet, anal and genital area. Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System The PNS is further divided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system contains sensory (afferent) neurons that carry information from organs/muscles to the CNS, and motor (efferent) neurons that carry information from the brain and spinal cord to muscles of the body. Sensory neurons provide the brain all the information regarding the environment. The somatic nervous system plays an important role in transmitting the information and controlling voluntary movement. Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous System The autonomic system regulates the involuntary body functions like respiration, heartbeat, blood flow and digestion. It is further subdivided into the sympathetic nervous system which regulates your flight-or-fight responses, and the parasympathetic system that helps regulate various normal functions of the body, for example, sexual arousal, salivation, lacrimation (shedding tears), urination, digestion, and defecation. Functions of the parasympathetic nerves include constriction of eye pupils, increase in secretion of saliva, increased digestion, decrease in heartbeat, etc. The sympathetic nerve functions involve dilation of eye pupils, sweating, production of goose bumps, decrease in digestion, etc. One of the important nerves, the vagus nerve is divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. The sensory system is also a part of the nervous system. Sensory systems for vision, hearing, somatic sensation (touch), taste and olfaction (smell) work with the help of the sensory receptors, neural pathways and certain parts in the brain that help process sensory information. When you feel cold or hot, it is the sensory neurons that are doing their work. The motor neurons are reactors, that help the body react to different environment. For example, the immediate pulling away of your hand when you touch a hot stove is a motor neuron reaction. The somatic motor neurons convey orders to the muscles. A subsystem of the peripheral nervous system is the enteric nervous system. Normally, it communicates with the CNS but studies show that it works autonomously too. It regulates the gastrointestinal system in the body. III. Multiple Sclerosis| A chronic disease of the nervous system that can affect young and middle-aged adults. The course of this illness usually involves recurrent relapses followed by remissions, but some patients experience a chronic progressive course.| The myelin sheaths surrounding nerves in the brain and spinal cord are damaged, which affects the function of the nerves involved. Also associated with aging.| Tremor, rigidity and poverty of spontaneous movements. The commonest symptom is tremor, which often affects one hand, spreading first to the leg on the same side then to the other limbs. It is most profound in resting limbs, interfering with such actions as holding a cup. The patient has an expressionless face, an unmodulated voice, an increasing tendency to stoop, and a shuffling walk.| Sciatica| A common condition arising from compression of, or damage to, a nerve or nerve root.| Usually caused by degeneration of an intervertebral disc, which protrudes laterally to compress a lower lumbar or an upper sacral spinal nerve root.The onset may be sudden, brought on by an awkward lifting or twisting movement.| Pain felt down the back and outer side of the thigh, leg, and foot. The back is stiff and painful. There may be numbness and weakness in the leg.| IV. A. The cortex gets its name from the Latin word for â€Å"bark† (of atree).B. There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the human brain.C. The average human brain weighs about 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms).D. Unlike humans, the octopus does not have a blind spot.E. The average length of the adult spinal cord is 45 cm for men and 43 cmfor women.

Frantz Fanon on “National Culture”

In â€Å"On National Culture,† an essay collected in The Wretched of the Earth, Frantz Fanon foregrounds the following paradox: â€Å"national identity,† while vital to the emergence of a Third World revolution, paradoxically limits such efforts at liberation because it re-inscribes an essentialist, totalizing, fetishized, often middle-class specific understanding of â€Å"nation† rather than encouraging a nuanced articulation of an oppressed people's cultural heterogeneity across class lines.In other words, although the concept of â€Å"nation† unfairly characterizes colonized subjects as historically unified in their primitiveness or exoticness, the term's promise of solidarity and unity often proves helpful nonetheless in their attempts at political amelioration. Fanon encourages a materialist conceptualization of the nation that is based not so much on collective cultural traditions or ancestor-worship as political agency and the collective attempt to dismantle the economic foundations of colonial rule.Colonialism, as Fanon argues, not only physically disarms the colonized subject but robs her of a â€Å"pre-colonial† cultural heritage. And yet, if colonialism in this sense galvanizes the native intellectual to â€Å"renew contact once more with the oldest and most pre-colonial spring of life of their people,† Fanon is careful to point out that these attempts at recovering national continuity throughout history are often contrived and ultimately self-defeating.â€Å"I am ready to concede,† he admits, â€Å"that on the plane of factual being the past existence of an Aztec civilization does not change anything very much in the diet of the Mexican peasant of today. † In the passage below, Fanon explains that â€Å"national identity† only carries meaning insofar as it reflects the combined revolutionary efforts of an oppressed people aiming at collective liberation: A national culture is not a folkl ore, not an abstract populism that believes it can discover the people's true nature.It is not made up of the inert dregs of gratuitous actions, that is to say actions which are less and less attached to the ever-present reality of the people. A national culture is the whole body of efforts made by a people in the sphere of thought to describe, justify, and praise the action through which that people has created itself and keeps itself in existence.