Monday, January 20, 2020

Education Beyond Undergraduate Essay -- Masters Graduate School Essays

Education Beyond Undergraduate Graduate or professional education is an often-debated topic for a large number of University seniors. Regardless of the undergraduate degree many students must decide whether to enter the job market or go to school for another couple of years. When these students are faced with this decision it is important to look at what they consider. Is it job satisfaction, future pay, or the mere fact that they want to spend a few more years in college? These issues are all very important to students in very different manners. An important reason students consider continuing their education beyond their undergraduate degree is job satisfaction. Through my marketing classes, I have learned that my generation (generation X) is more concerned with their job satisfaction than compensation or benefits. Was job satisfaction a motivator in my decision to continue my education beyond graduate school? Definitely, I feel that with the graduate degree I plan to receive will enable me to attain a job that will make me happy. I think that this is something all college students think about when they try to pick a major in college. If I am satisfied with my job when I get into the â€Å"real world,† it will not matter to me what pay I receive. Is it possible that there are students who decide to continue their education just for the difference in pay they receive? I truly think it is. It is important to consider how students that go beyond an undergraduate degree pay for their schooling. As a person who is planning to go through Law School, I think that whether or not a person goes beyond undergraduate depends on how hard they struggled financially during their undergraduate schooling. I feel that if th... ...hings are very important to a lot of people. A large number of people want to receive an education that gives them a better shot at being economically stable in the future. It is very important for students to consider an education beyond undergraduate. I believe that many students are faced with this decision at the end of each school year. It is also viable to believe that these three items in this essay are of great significance to these graduating seniors. When a student spends four to five years in undergraduate school, they feel worn out and feel that school is the last place that they want to be. But, after considering some of these facts, they may feel that a graduate or professional education is exactly what they should do whether they look at future job satisfaction, future compensation, or just want to spend a few more years with their friends.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 16

As I walked into my building after dropping Seth off, I was surprised to see the guy who staffed the front desk still working. He usually went home at dinnertime. A sheaf of papers in his hands indicated some sort of mandatory overtime. He brightened when he saw me. â€Å"Miss Kincaid! I have something for you.† I blanked for a moment, then remembered the daily Post-it reminders on my door. There'd been a total of three now. â€Å"Oh, yeah,† I said. â€Å"Sorry I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet. I keep forgetting.† He was already rustling around for something behind him on the other side of the window. I strolled over, just as he heaved a huge box up onto the counter. The printing on the side was upside down, but I could still make it out: Christmas Tree – Austrian Fir. â€Å"Oh, man,† I grumbled. â€Å"This is somebody's idea of a – â€Å" But the guy was busy hauling another box up to the counter, a smaller one with pictures on the side depicting the ‘pre-decorated fiber optic tree' inside. It was followed by another box, a bit smaller than the Austrian Fir, and a smaller one still that was about two-by-two feet. These last two boxes were wrapped in glittery green paper, with a wrapping job so perfect that only one being on earth could have managed it: Peter. The desk guy surveyed the boxes. â€Å"You must really like Christmas.† â€Å"I thought each of those notes was a reminder for the same package.† â€Å"Nope. New one each day. Want some help?† We hauled the trees up to my apartment and deposited them on the living room floor. I thanked him, and as soon as he left, Aubrey emerged and began stalking the boxes. â€Å"That's a lot of tannenbaum,† a voice behind me suddenly said. I jumped and turned around. Yasmine. â€Å"Don't do that. Carter does exactly the same thing.† â€Å"Sorry,† she said, looking sheepish. â€Å"Wasn't intentional. I just got here.† She walked over to the boxes, tilting her head to read them. She wore jeans and an LSU sweatshirt, her black hair pulled into the trademark ponytail that made her look seventeen. â€Å"What's up with all these?† I took off my coat and flounced onto the couch with a sigh. â€Å"My friend Peter started this whole buzz that I needed a Christmas tree after Carter burned mine down. So I guess everyone made good on it.† â€Å"Wait,† she said. â€Å"Did you say Carter burned down your Christmas tree?† â€Å"Yeah, it's a long story.† â€Å"He must feel bad.† She pointed to the little fiber optic tree, the one that was already decorated. Words were scrawled on the side of the box in spidery, nearly illegible writing: G – Figured you could handle this one. Ready and decorated! – C P.S. – And flame retardant. â€Å"Hmm,† I mused. â€Å"‘C' could be Cody too.† â€Å"Nah. I recognize the poor attempt at penmanship. It's Carter.† â€Å"Okay, so the angel repents. But who are the rest from?† We soon found out. The wrapping job on the two matching boxes had already given Peter away. The larger box contained a very beautiful, very expensive tree with ‘winter moss green' needles that were lightly dusted with silver glitter. The smaller box contained a matched set of lights and ornaments all done in purple and fuchsia. Peter apparently hadn't trusted me to decorate his gift myself. The Austrian Fir turned out to be from the bookstore staff. A card from Maddie read: Surprise! We all pitched in for it. Now you can't be a Scrooge. It was signed by other store workers, as well as Seth. I looked back and forth between the boxes. â€Å"It's a Christmas miracle. I had no tree. Now I have a forest.† â€Å"C'mon,† said Yasmine. â€Å"I'll help you set them up.† I looked at her in surprise. â€Å"Aren't you here to meet up with Vince or something?† She shook her head. â€Å"I'm here to talk to you.† Uh-oh. I didn't really want to set up the Christmas trees, but a being vastly more powerful than me did, so I set to it. Carter's tree was the easiest since all I had to do was plug it in. I placed it in a window sill, one with an outlet right underneath. The tree's fiber optic needles lit up to pale pink, then purple, then teal, then white. â€Å"Good God,† I said. â€Å"It's the Christmas tree equivalent of a lava lamp.† â€Å"I like it,† declared Yasmine. â€Å"It's got moxie.† She looked really excited. She could have been a kid on Christmas morning. You'd think after seeing so many Christmases (and trees) in her existence, they'd get kind of old. She pointed at Peter's tree. â€Å"Let's do the prissy one now.† We were stringing purple lights on the ‘winter moss green' tree when she finally started The Talk. â€Å"So. Vincent told me what happened.† She paused as she looped the lights over a branch. â€Å"I'm glad your guy is okay.† â€Å"Me too. He was lucky†¦if Vincent hadn't been there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  More silence. I didn't entirely know where Yasmine was going with this. My guess was that she was concerned I'd tell someone about Vincent. I felt absolutely certain, however, that she wasn't going to threaten to break my kneecaps or anything to keep me silent. In fact, I realized then that what she wanted was reassurance. It was a crazy and startling idea. She was an angel, after all. A being of hope and peace, a being that others prayed to for comfort. Yet, here she was, seeking it from me – a creature of Hell. â€Å"I meant it,† I told her. â€Å"What I said to him. I'm not going to tell anyone.† â€Å"I believe you,† she said, confusion all over her face. Angels knew when others were telling the truth. â€Å"But I don't understand it. Why? Why wouldn't you? You could get into big trouble if your superiors – if Jerome – found out you knew and weren't telling.† Vincent had said the same thing. It was true. â€Å"Your people tend to get pissed off over stuff like that.† â€Å"What, and yours don't? Would they be forgiving if they found out?† She looked away from me, diverting her attention to hanging a pink glass dove. â€Å"Look,† I said. â€Å"I work for Hell, but I don't, like, delight in others' suffering. Especially since I like both of you. I don't want to see you get into trouble. I don't even think what you're doing is wrong. Dangerous, maybe, but not wrong.† â€Å"Which part? The loving part or the nephilim part?† I shrugged. â€Å"It's all risky.† She smiled at me. â€Å"You talk about nephilim pretty calmly. Most people – in our circles – go running for the hills.† â€Å"I met one once. Dated him.† I hung a bejeweled purple orb on the tree. â€Å"He was scary as hell, yeah. Had this whole homicidal revenge thing going on, which kind of negated his sexiness a little. But at the end of the day†¦I don't know. He wasn't much of a monster. He couldn't help being born what he was.† I was glad to be free of Roman, glad he was somewhere far away from me. He'd posed too much of a threat to both me and those I loved. Still, there had been something in him I found appealing. It was why we'd connected before things literally blew up. I understood his weariness with the games Heaven and Hell played. He'd offered to take me away and free me from it all, and there were days I would still wake up and long for that. â€Å"No,† Yasmine agreed. â€Å"They can't help what they are. And it's not their fault. But their existence is a reminder of our faults†¦of our weaknesses.† She held her hands open in front of her, studying them as though they held answers. â€Å"None of us higher immortals want to be shown that we're weak. That's our hubris, I guess. Especially the angels. No one's perfect, but we like to play that we are.† She sighed and let her hands drop. â€Å"I should walk away from this. I should have a long time ago.† I jerked my head up. â€Å"But you love him.† â€Å"Sometimes loving someone means you have to do what's ultimately good. What you need instead of what you want.† â€Å"I suppose. But ending it seems so extreme. There must be a way to†¦I don't know, have it all.† The door opened, and Vincent walked in. He didn't look surprised to see either of us, but then, he would have sensed our auras. His eyes met Yasmine's, and it was like lightning crackling through the room. Both of them lit up, shining in a way that I doubted my succubus glamour could even begin to compete with. He expressed surprise over my Yuletide Forest but jumped in to help us, appearing just as excited as Yasmine over the activity. The two of them never touched, but I noticed the same thing that I had at breakfast: an intimacy in the way they interacted with each other. They didn't need to touch. Their relationship was obvious, and I wondered how it was possible none of the other angels had ever noticed this. Maybe it was like what Yasmine had mentioned about angels and hubris. Maybe angels always assumed they were perfect and were too blind to see flaws in each other, whereas someone like me – who exploited weakness – knew what to look for. We finished Peter's tree, and then I found my ornaments from last year – the ones that hadn't been destroyed in the fire – and used them on the bookstore's tree. When my woodland paradise was finally complete, Yasmine and Vincent made their farewells and left. I still had no idea what their divine mission in Seattle was, but I assumed it had universal consequences. I felt a little weird that it had been put on hold to decorate my home. As I cleaned up the boxes, I kept thinking about what Yasmine had said about needing versus wanting. In some ways, that was what Seth and I did. We wanted to have sex. We needed to avoid it. I also found myself recalling Andrew again, that annoyingly good priest who'd caused me so many headaches. I hadn't thought much about his story since last week, but as my body mindlessly completed chores, the images began replaying in my mind. Despite my best efforts, he'd remained a bastion of purity and willpower. While frustrating, it nonetheless continued to make the game fun. And although I didn't appreciate it as much back then as I did now, I sort of took pleasure in just hanging around him. He was good company, and he came to mean more to me than just a sexual conquest. It was obvious he cared about me too. It would figure that things went bad between us on a beautiful, sunny day. I remembered it distinctly. I had wandered over to the church he ministered out of and sat with him in the vegetable garden. I stayed clear of the dirt, conscious of the yellow silk dress my bishop had just had made for me. Andrew, less concerned, worked on his knees, unhesitatingly digging in – literally – and cultivating the church's small crop. â€Å"Don't you have other people who could do this for you?† Squinting up at me in the bright light, he smiled. â€Å"Nothing compares to the satisfaction of doing something yourself.† â€Å"If you say so.† He returned to his work, and I continued to sit quietly, watching him and the lazy vista of that golden afternoon. Not far away, the sounds of daily hustle and bustle carried over. I liked this town – it was a nice break from the large, busy cities I'd spent most of my succubus time in. Eventually, though, I knew I'd grow restless and move onto some place with a little more excitement. I turned back to Andrew. â€Å"Thomas Brewer just got back from Cadwell. He says they're all getting sick there.† Andrew nodded. â€Å"People are getting sick everywhere. There have been outbreaks in a lot of the western towns.† â€Å"Are you worried?† He shrugged. â€Å"What comes will come. None of us can change God's will.† I grimaced. I'd heard about this illness, what later generations would call the Black Death. The rapid onset. The blackened skin. The swollen lumps. Even if it couldn't technically hurt me, I didn't want to see it spread here. â€Å"I don't think God can be as merciful as you say in mass if He's inflicting something like that on his people.† â€Å"It's a test, Cecily. God is always testing us. It makes us stronger.† â€Å"Or dead.† He didn't respond. â€Å"What will you do if it comes?† I pushed. â€Å"Geoffrey says he'll leave. Will you go with him?† His dark eyebrows rose in surprise, like I'd asked if the sun would take tomorrow off. â€Å"Of course not. I mean, as bishop, I'm sure Geoffrey must†¦do what is necessary to continue fulfilling his duties, but me? I serve the people. I will continue to serve the people. If they're sick, I'll tend them.† My sarcasm gave way to shock, and I leapt to my feet, striding toward him. â€Å"You can't do that! Haven't you heard about this? People don't come back from it. The only thing to do is get out and let it run its course.† It was true. Call it cruel, but as I'd told Liam on our post-auction date, that was the way the world had dealt with epidemics for a lot of human history. Certainly, some people cared and ministered unto others, but when disease grew really terrible, with no clear answer in sight, ignorance and fear reigned supreme. Most people of that era saw the simplest solution as putting as much distance as possible between them and the illness. Andrew stood up as well, wearing an expression so annoyingly wise and serene as he faced me. â€Å"If that's what you must do, then you must do it. My place is here.† I didn't even have seduction on my mind when I reached out and grabbed his hands. He flinched with surprise but didn't let go. â€Å"It's stupid,† I told him earnestly. â€Å"You can't stop it. You'll die, and I – I can't watch that.† â€Å"Then go. Go with Geoffrey. Or go†¦out to the convent. It's isolated. You'd be safe there.† I scowled. â€Å"Not that again.† â€Å"I just want what's best for you, that's all.† One of his hands reached up and cupped my chin. â€Å"I don't want to see you suffer either.† It occurred to me then how close we stood. The heat building between our bodies rivaled that of the sunshine pounding down on us from above. Andrew, realizing this too, started and tried to pull away. I held on to his hand, anger flaring up in my chest. â€Å"So that's how you'll let it end then? You spend your whole life living in poverty and chastity, only to die in a pile of stinking corpses with oozing sores and rotting skin?† â€Å"If that's what God – â€Å" â€Å"Stop it,† I said, leaning forward. â€Å"Just stop it. Don't you get it? God doesn't care. He's not even paying attention.† â€Å"Cecily – â€Å" I didn't let him finish. Instead, I pressed my mouth against his mouth, molding my body to his. I don't know if he'd ever kissed anyone else before, but if not, he was a quick study. He didn't break from me. In fact I would have sworn there was an eagerness to his lips as they explored mine, willingly letting my tongue stroke and dance with his. And oh, God help me, he was so very good and noble that I tasted a sunburst of energy just from that kiss alone. It poured into me like honey, glorious and sweet. And surprisingly, it was me who finally broke the kiss, though I still stayed pressed against his body, my arms encircling him. â€Å"Don't you see how stupid it is?† I whispered, our lips so close we shared each other's breath. â€Å"Are you going to die without having lived? Without having tasted everything that's out there? Are you really just going to rush into death like that?† His eyes weighed me, his own hands resting on my waist. â€Å"I don't need fleshly pleasures to complete my life.† â€Å"You're lying,† I told him. â€Å"You want to.† â€Å"Wanting and needing are two different things.† He stepped away from me, and I suddenly felt incomplete without his body against mine. I had a fleeting flash of some connection bigger than both of us, and then it was gone. â€Å"A long life means nothing if it's empty and has no purpose. Better to live a short one filled with the things that are important to you.† â€Å"You're a fool,† I snapped. â€Å"I'm not going to stay and watch you die.† â€Å"Then go.† And I did.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Liver function tests - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2563 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Health Essay Type Essay any type Did you like this example? Introduction The liver is the largest internal organ in the body. In adult the liver weighs approximately 1-2.5 kilograms. It is â€Å"wedge-shaped†, soft and reddish-brown in colour. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Liver function tests" essay for you Create order It is situated underneath the diaphragm. The liver is divided into right and left lobes by the middle hepatic vein. The right lobe is bigger and consists of caudate and quadrate lobes. The blood is supplied to the liver constitute 25% of the resting cardiac output and through two major blood vessels: hepatic artery and portal vein. Blood leaves the liver via the hepatic vein, which drains directly into the inferior vena cava. Bile is formed in the liver and it is collected in the bile capillaries which drain into the right and left hepatic ducts. The liver is organised in lobules within which blood flows past hepatic cells via sinusoids from branches of the portal vein (bringing absorbed materials from gastrointestinal tract) to the central vein of each lobule. Hepatic artery blood (providing oxygen needed for many of the metabolic processes carried out by the liver) also enters the sinusoids. The central veins coalesce to form the hepatic veins which drain into the inferior vena cava. Each liver cell is also apposed to several bile canaliculi. The canaliculi coalesce to form the right and left hepatic ducts, which join outside the liver to form the common hepatic duct. The cystic duct drains the gallbladder. The hepatic duct unites with the cystic duct to form the common bile duct. The common bile duct enters the duodenum at the papilla. Ganong, (1995) Hepatocytes or parenchymal (liver cells) which further classified on the basis of their site in the lobule comprise about 60% kupffer cells lining the hepatic sinusoids comprise 30% of the liver cells and the remaining 10% of cells consist of vascular and supporting tissue and bile ducts. The significant important of the liver came from the ability of this organ to perform a wide variety of functions which contribute in the body homeostasis, in particular regulation of blood sugar. When there is an excess sugar, the pancreatic cells secret the hormone insulin that converts excess sugar into glycogen (st orage form of glucose). Glycogen provide rapid accessible source of energy for the body when blood glucose decrease. Also gluconeogenesis (formation of new glucose) from amino acids such as alanine and ascorbic acid take place in liver. The coagulation factors which are required for blood clotting, albumin and various lipoproteins which are required for transport of lipid in blood stream are synthesized in the liver. The only exception of protein synthesis is the synthesis of immunoglobulin. Cholesterol which serves as precursor of steroid hormones is mostly synthesized in by the liver. Also liver has the ability to excrete and detoxify e.g. ammonia formed from the breakdown of amino acids or microbial action in the gastrointestinal tract converted to urea. Steroid hormones which are inactivated by conjugation with glucuronate and sulphate excreted into urine as water soluble forms. A wide range of medications (drugs) inactivated by endoplasmic reticulum enzymes and some are excr eted in the bile. Kupffer cells in the hepatic sinusoid extract toxins absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Other important excretory function is the excretion of bile acid formed from cholesterol in the liver to gall bladder where it stored until required for lipid digestion in the small intestine. The ability of liver to carry out its excretory function of the metabolism end products depends on, healthy functioning hepatocytes, adequate blood flow through the liver and patent biliary duct. The other important function of liver is Storage of vitamins such as vitamin A, D and vitamin B12. In addition, metabolism and excretion of bilirubin is one of the major functions of the liver. Bilirubin is an ecteric waste product pigment formed from the breakdown of haemoglobin (Hb) in the red blood cells in the lymph reticular system at the end of their life span which is approximately 120 days. Normally an adult produces about 450 umol/L daily. Gaw et al, (1999). Hb contains four hae m group, an iron atom and prophyrin ring attached to each haem group. When Hb molecules metabolize, the iron atoms are removed and reused again in the processing of a new Hb molecule. The prophyrin ring breaks to form a open tetrapyrole derivative biliverdin chain which is further reduced to form unconjugated bilirubin (lipid soluble).Whitby, (1988). The lipid-soluble bilirubin can cross cell membrane include brain barrier and cause brain cell damage. Therefore it has to be transported by a special carrier called albumin in the plasma in order to be converted to water-soluble so that can be excreted into bile. The binding of albumin accomplished by being not enter cells readily and also not filtered through glumerulus unless there is glomerular proteinuria. When the albumin-bilirubin complex reach the liver, it dissociates by the receptors on the plasma at the same time. Inside hepatocytes, bilirubin molecules join to relatively non-specific anion binding proteins called ligandin (Y protein), is soluble transport protein in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Calbreath, (1992). The glucuronic acid molecules attach to unconjugated bilirubin molecules to form bilirubin glucuronides in a reaction mediated by uridine diphosphate (UDP). Bilirubin glucuronides complex is water-soluble conjugated bilirubin which then excreted into small intestine. The conjugation process depends on the active secretion of bile acids and therefore serum bile acids concentration are more sensitive index of hepatic transport function than the total bilirubin. Small amount undergoes reabsorption in the small intestine and the rest is degraded by bacterial action mainly in the colon where it is de-conjugated to form urobilinogen. Portions of urobilinogen re-enter the hepatic circulation and excreted by the liver into bile. Small fraction filtered by kidney into urine, but the majority is excreted in faeces providing its orange-yellow characteristic. If the bilirary tract becomes block ed, serum bilirubin concentration will rise as uncojugated bilirubin not excreted and the patient becomes jaundice. Jaundice is a yellow discoloration of the skin or the sclera of the eye. The yellowish coloration is caused by an excess amount of bilirubin in the plasma which is not detectable until the concentration is greater than 40 umol/L. gaw, et al (1999). The normal concentration is up to 20 umol/L. causes of jaundice classified into three categories including haemolytic (prehepatic) jaundice characterized by an increased breakdown of haemoglobin, hepatic jaundice due to failure of the conjugation mechanism and post hepatic or obstructive jaundice because of obstruction of biliary system. Most newborn babies are characterized with physiological or neonatal jaundice due to natural process of breaking down RBCs. As their livers are immature, they can not process bilirubin as quickly as when they are old. This increase in bilirubin concentration and has no significance to do wit h liver. Marshal, (2000). In clinical practice usually all the tests related to liver diseases are called liver function tests (LFT). Biochemical tests include measurement of bilirubin, the aminotransferases (ALT and AST), albumin total protein and alkaline pkosphatase in serum specimen. Albumin and total protein reflect the synthetic liver function. ALT and AST used to measure the severity of liver cells damage although they are not specific index of acute damage to hepatocytes, but they are sensitve indicators to cytoplasmic and mitochondrial membrane. Gaw, et al (1999). Increased conjugation bilirubin concentration and increased ALP activity at sinusoidal surface indicate cholestasis, a blockage in the bile flow. Prolonged cholestasis can result in severe jaundice with very high bilirubin concentration result in deposition of bile salts, characterized by itching, bleeding due to vitamin K malabsorption, cholesterol retention and dark urine with pale stool. The prothrombin time (PT) which is used to asses the synthetic function of liver is prolonged due to cholestasis. Measurement of ? glutamyl transferase can give an indication of hepatocellular enzyme induction due to drugs or alcohol. Materials and method Please refer to medical biochemistry practical book (BMS2). Result Calculation Determination of ALP The equation obtained from the graph is used to calculate the amount of phenol liberated by the action of ALP. The equation is: Y = 0.1753 The enzyme activity is measured in international unit per 1 minute (IU/1) therefore to obtain the activity, the result has to be converted first to umol/1 and then divided by the incubation time (15 minutes) as follow: (Value of phenol concentration in mmol/1 X 1000) / 15 = IU/L Patient 1: Result: 0.207 / 0.1753 = 1.18083 x 1000   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  = 1180.8 umol/L To get the enzyme activity in 1 minute: = 1180.8 / 15 = 78.7 IU/L ALP enzyme activity of patient 1= 78.7 IU/L Patient 2: Result: 0.215 / 0.1753 = 1.2264 x 1000   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  = 1226.4 umol/L To get the enzyme act ivity in 1 minute: = 1226.4 / 15 = 81.7 IU/L ALP enzyme activity of patient 2 = 81.7 IU/L Determination of bilirubin The concentration of bilirubin is calculated by using the following equation Absorbance of the test x STD concentration Absorbance of STD Result: Patient 1 = (0.413/0.431) x 350 = 335.3 umol/L Patient 2 = (0.037/0.431) x 350 = 30 umol/L The results of Aspartate transaminase (AST), albumin and total protein were provided by the tutor. Conclusion The biochemical finding shows that patient 1 may have haemolytic disease where as the other patient (patient 2) suffer from acute hepatitis. Discussion Liver function test are done to asses the integrity of the liver to carry out its normal synthetic and metabolic functions. This is achieved through series of numerical tests that reflect the healthiness of the liver when comparing the result obtained with normal reference ranges. The measurements of enzyme activities are very useful in following the progress of the liver disease once the diagnosis has been made. From the result it is obvious that patient 1 ha s got normal TP, ALB, AST and ALP results, which means that there is liver damage. Total protein is combined of immunoglobulin proteins and other proteins. A persons total protein level gives information about the liver damage, kidney damage and nutritional health. Albumin is small protein made in the liver. If a person suffers from liver damage, the albumin concentration will drop because the liver can not maintain the normal production of albumin. Aspartate transminase (AST) is the enzyme found in the liver, heart and muscle. Levels of this enzyme are usually assessed in conjugation with reading for other liver enzyme to determine or monitor the liver involvement. On other hand the bilirubin is very high above the normal range (hyperbilirubiaemia) and normally the bilirubin which is present in plasma is unconjugated bilirubin. Since the unconjugated bilirubin is high it indicates that is excessive red blood cells (RBCs) destruction (haemolysis) which occurs in haemolytic anaemi a. Normally the red blood cells survival is 120 days, but in haemolytic anaemia is less. Because of that the RBCs are destroyed in large quantities in the RE system (particularly the spleen). When the RBCs are destroyed, the haemoglobin is released and bilirubin is produced. It is mainly produced from the haem moiety of the haemoglobin (it is also produced from myoglobin, cytochroms and peroxidase, which are widely distributed in the body). The liver can not conjugate and remove this large amount of unconjugated bilirubin and since it is protein bound the renal glomeruli can not filter it. That leads to overflow of unconjugated bilirubin in blood circulation. These mean that this patient may have haemolytic jaundice (prehepatic jaundice), because the protein synthesis is normal and ALP, AST are normal which means that there is no liver involvement. Haemolytic jaundice also occurs in haemolytic Disease of Newborn, transfusion of incompatible blood, hereditary spherocytosis and aut oimmune red cell destruction. Marshall,(2000). The results of patient 2 show normal total protein, albumin and ALP. There is a slight increase in bilirubin level (hyperbilirubinaemia) and AST is above the very high. AST is an intracellular enzyme and is mostly found in the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial membrane of hepatocytes. So it is a sensitive marker for the severity of damage hepatocytes. ALP concentration usually rises in cholestasis (this is by extra-hepatic obstruction of the bile duct) but in this patient was normal, which means that the kupffer cells and sinusoidal surface is not yet damaged. Total protein and albumin were also normal and that indicates that the metabolism and synthesis in the liver is not yet affected. Bilirubin was slightly high which support that there is liver disease and due to this, there is defect of bile salt and bile pigment excretion. In addition to that, conjugation and detoxification functions are well defected because of hepatic cells damag ed. These happen due to a condition called Hepatitis (liver inflammation). Hepatitis is the common cause of acute liver injury. Acute hepatitis usually occurs due to viral infection particularly with hepatitis viruses A, B, C, D and E, but also Epstein-bar virus and cytomegalovirus or toxin (e.g. alcohol and paracetamol). Marshall, (2000) In the early stages of hepatitis, increased plasma ALT and AST activities may be the only abnormal chemical finding. There will be also an increased level of urobilinogen and bilirubin in urine (the urine will be darkened). The stool may be very pale due to impaired biliary excretion of bilirubin and urobilinogen then disappears more or less completely from the urine. Marshall, (2000) The above results reveal that liver is functioning well but partly defected because of the early stage of the disease. This patient may have acute liver disease (Acute hepatitis). To confirm these results hepatitis virus profiles should be done. Question Jaundice in the newborn is common. Why? Jaundice in the newborn is called Neonatal Jaundice. It is common because before birth, an infant get rid of bilirubin through the mothers blood and liver system. After birth, the babys liver has to take over processing on its own. The activity of the hepatic conjugation enzyme is usually low at birth but increases rapidly thereafter. Almost all newborns have higher than normal level of bilirubin; because the immaturity of their livers. In most cases, the babys system continues to develop and can soon process bilirubin. However, some infants may need medical treatment to prevent serious complications which can occur due to the accumulation of bilirubin. There are at least two significant processes that predispose normal infants to jaundice: The rate of bilirubin production is higher in infants than adults because their red blood cells have half-life and turn over more rapidly. Infants have a relatively limited ability to conjugate bilirubin and conjugation in the liver is necessary for efficient elimination. Write short notes on Gilberts disease. Gilberts disease is a harmless inherited condition in which the unconjugated bilirubin level in the blood is increased. Bilirubin is an end product of haemoglobin breakdown and it is conjugated in the liver with glucuronate. This process is catalysed by specific enzyme called uidine diophosphate glucuronyl transferase which is found in endoplasmic reticulum, which helps the body to conjugate bilirubin and get rid of it. Thus Gilberts syndrome is a genetic disorder which means that there is slight deficiency of this enzyme. Patient with Gilberts disease can have intermittent bilirubin level but the values are often increased when blood is drown after a period of fasting or during a time of concurrent viral illness or when the person is stressed, either physically or mentally. People with Gilberts syndrome are not ill but they may complain of vague abdominal discomfort and general fatigue for which no cause found. The condition is not usua lly apparent until adolescence or early adult life. It is sometimes discovered incidentally, in the course of investigations done for related reasons. All liver function tests (LFTs) are normal, except for serum bilirubin which is raised. X-ray and liver biopsy show that there is no liver disease. Gilberts syndrome should not be regarded as a disease and people with the syndrome are not ill.

Friday, December 27, 2019

Definition and Examples of Vignettes in Prose

In composition, a  vignette is a verbal sketch—a brief essay  or story  or any carefully crafted short work of prose. Sometimes called a slice of life. A vignette may be either fiction or  nonfiction, either a piece thats complete in itself or one part of a larger work. In their book  Studying Children in Context (1998), M. Elizabeth Graue and Daniel J. Walsh characterize  vignettes as crystallizations that are developed for retelling. Vignettes, they say, put ideas in concrete context, allowing us to see how abstract notions play out in lived experience.  Ã‚   The term vignette (adapted  from a word in Middle French meaning vine) referred originally to a decorative design used in books and manuscripts. The term gained its literary sense in the late 19th century. See Examples and Observations below. Also, see: AnecdoteCharacter (Genre)  and  Character SketchComposing a Character SketchCreative NonfictionDescriptionHow to Write a Descriptive ParagraphNarrative Examples of Vignettes By the Railway Side by Alice MeynellEudora Weltys Sketch of Miss DulingEvan S. Connells Narrative Sketch of Mrs. BridgeHarry Crews Sketch of His StepfatherHemingways Use of RepetitionMy Home of Yesteryear: A Students Descriptive Essay Examples and Observations Composing Vignettes- There are no hard-and-fast guidelines for  writing a vignette, though some may prescribe that the content should contain sufficient descriptive detail, analytic commentary, critical or evaluative perspectives, and so forth. But literary writing is a creative enterprise, and the vignette offers the researcher an opportunity to venture away from traditional scholarly discourse and into evocative prose that remains firmly rooted in the data but is not a slave to it.(Matthew B. Miles, A. Michael Huberman, and Johnny Saldana,  Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook, 3rd ed.  Sage, 2014)- If one is  writing a vignette  about a dearly beloved Volkswagen, one will probably play down the general characteristics which it shares with all VWs and focus instead on its peculiarities—the way it coughs on cold mornings, the time it climbed an icy hill when all the other cars had stalled, etc.(Noretta Koertge, Rational Reconstructions. Essays in Memory o f Imre Lakatos, ed. by  Robert S. Cohen et al. Springer, 1976)E.B. Whites Vignettes[In his early casuals for The New Yorker magazine] E.B. White focused on an unobserved tableau or vignette: a janitor polishing a fireplug with liquid from a Gordons Gin bottle, an unemployed man idling on the street, an old drunk on the subway, noises of New York City, a fantasy drawn from elements observed from an apartment window. As he wrote to his brother Stanley, these were the small things of the day, the trivial matters of the heart, the inconsequential but near things of this living, the little capsule[s] of truth continually important as the subtext of Whites writing.The faint squeak of mortality he listened for sounded particularly in the casuals in which White used himself as a central character. The persona varies from piece to piece, but usually the first-person narrator is someone struggling with embarrassment or confusion over trivial events.(Robert L. Root, Jr., E.B. White: The Emer gence of an Essayist. University of Iowa Press, 1999)An  E.B. White  Vignette on RailroadsThe strong streak of insanity in railroads, which accounts for a childs instinctive feeling for them and for a mans unashamed devotion to them, is congenital; there seems to be no reason to fear that any disturbing improvement in the railroads condition will set in. Lying at peace but awake in a Pullman berth all one hot night recently, we followed with dreamy satisfaction the familiar symphony of the cars—the diner departing (furioso) at midnight, the long, fever-laden silences between runs, the timeless gossip of rail and wheel during the runs, the crescendos and diminuendos, the piffling poop-pooping of the diesels horn. For the most part, railroading is unchanged from our childhood. The water in which one washes ones face at morn is still without any real wetness, the little ladder leading to the upper is still the symbol of the tremendous adventure of the night, the green clothe s hammock still sways with the curves, and there is still no foolproof place to store ones trousers.Our journey really began several days earlier, at the ticket window of a small station in the country, when the agent showed signs of cracking under the paperwork. Its hard to believe, he said, that after all these years I still got to write the word Providence in here every time I make out one of these things. Now, theres no possible conceivable way you could make this journey without going through Providence, yet the Company wants the word written in here just the same. O.K., here she goes! He gravely wrote Providence in the proper space, and we experienced anew the reassurance that rail travel is unchanged and unchanging, and that it suits our temperament perfectly—a dash of lunacy, a sense of detachment, not much speed, and no altitude whatsoever.(E.B. White, Railroads. The Second Tree From the Corner. Harper Row, 1954)Two Vignettes by Annie Dillard: The Return of Winter a nd Playing Football- It snowed and it cleared and I kicked  and pounded the snow. I roamed the darkening snowy neighborhood, oblivious. I bit and crumbled on my tongue the sweet, metallic worms of ice that had formed in rows on my mittens. I took a mitten off to fetch some wool strands from my mouth. Deeper the blue shadows grew on the sidewalk snow, and longer; the blue shadows joined and spread upward from the streets like rising water. I walked wordless and unseeing, dumb and sunk in my skull, until—what was that?The streetlights had come on—yellow, bing—and the new light woke me like noise. I surfaced once again and saw: it was winter now, winter again. The air had grown blue dark; the skies were shrinking; the streetlights had come on; and I was here outside in the dimming days snow, alive.- Some boys taught me to play football. This was fine sport. You thought up a new strategy for every play and whispered it to the others. You went out for a pass, fooli ng everyone. Best, you got to throw yourself mightily at someone’s running legs. Either you brought him down or you hit the ground flat out on your chin, with your arms empty before you. It was all or nothing. If you hesitated in fear, you would miss and get hurt: you would take a hard fall while the kid got away. But if you flung yourself wholeheartedly at the back of his knees—if you gathered and joined body and soul and pointed them diving fearlessly—then you likely wouldn’t get hurt, and you’d stop the ball. Your fate, and your team’s score, depended on your concentration and courage. Nothing girls did could compare with it.(Annie Dillard, An American Childhood. Harper Row, 1987)A Hemingway Vignette on a Matadors DeathMaera lay still, his head on his arms, his face in the sand. He felt warm and sticky from the bleeding. Each time he felt the horn coming. Sometimes the bull only bumped him with his head. Once the horn went all the way th rough him and he felt it go into the sand. Some one had the bull by the tail. They were swearing at him and flopping the cape in his face. Then the bull was gone. Some men picked Maera up and started to run with him toward the barriers through the gate out the passageway around under the grandstand to the infirmary. They laid Maera down on a cot and one of the men went out for the doctor. The others stood around. The doctor came running from the corral where he had been sewing up picador horses. He had to stop and wash his hands. There was a great shouting going on in the grandstand overhead. Maera felt everything getting larger and larger and then smaller and smaller. Then it got larger and larger and larger and then smaller and smaller. Then everything commenced to run faster and faster as when they speed up a cinematograph film. Then he was dead.(Ernest Hemingway, Chapter 14 of In Our Time. Charles Scribners Sons, 1925)​ Pronunciation: vin-YET

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Stand by Me Movie Paper - 593 Words

Functions of Friendship Stand by Me explores the groups’ transition from â€Å"care-free† children to young adults. As the group of four journeys to find the dead body, they also make a personal journey in their individual identity. They break away from their parents care by saying that they are camping out in one of the boys’ backyard, while also breaking away from their parents support and discovering who they are as individuals. Dacey states that â€Å"peer influence serves important social and psychological functions. When adolescents do not have the chance to be part of a peer group, they miss out on important learning experiences† (2008: 328). With their parents removed, the boys rely on the friendship they have with one-another†¦show more content†¦According to Dr. Bodinger-deUriarte, â€Å"emotional intimacy is a basic human need that involves sharing and caring on a deep and meaningful level. Actual friendship is perceived as a rel ationship that provides a safe place to share the private concerns, fears, hopes and deeply personal ideas of self that are emergent at this time† (2011). This is exemplified by Gordy’s and Chris’ ability to open up emotionally to each other. Chris was able confide in Gordy about how he felt that whole town was judging him as a bad person based on his family’s poor reputation. Gordy was able confide in Chris about how his parents were neglecting him since the death of his brother. Both boys would hug and comfort the other when they were emotionally upset and most importantly they both trusted each other reveal these emotional issues. Dr. Bodinger-deUriarte also states that â€Å"true affection can be provided by friends as well - this involves a combination of nurturance, protectiveness, kindness and fond feelings† (2011). This is further exemplified when Chris plays the role of Gordy’s father by encouraging him and supporting him to pur sue his dreams of being a writer. The intimacy and affection that was present in Gordy’s and Chris’ friendship will help mend the trust issues that Gordy has from the neglect from his parents. - David Arsene References Bodinger-deUriarte, C. 2011. â€Å"6 Functions of Friendship Adolescence† inShow MoreRelatedThe Movie Watched Is A Few Good Men And It Was Obtained At 123movies Essay1116 Words   |  5 PagesThe title of the movie watched is A Few Good Men and it was obtained at 123movies.gs. Its major characters are Lt. Daniel Kaffee, Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway, Colonel Nathan R. Jessep, and Lance Corporal Harold Dawson. Five themes that the movie dramatically displayed were how plea deals were done, the respect judges get, the responsibilities of a judge, the responsibilities of a defense attorney, and it also showed very little of what a bailiff does in the courtroom. 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But in relation to the movie Wanted it stands for nothing but a guy that wanted no more in life but to find his purpose. A lot of us in this world never actually find our purpose in life, we just kind of settle for what we are able to do. We go through trials and tribulations to find ourselves, and find anything that will make our lives more satisfyingRead MoreMovie, Film Stars Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, And James Mcavoy1715 Words   |  7 PagesWanted Wanted! When you hear, or say that term, the visual that may come to mind may be: criminal, old western movie, or even a comparison to a relationship. But in relation to the movie Wanted it stands for nothing but a guy that wanted no more in life but to find his purpose. A lot of us in this world never actually find our purpose in life, we just kind of settle for what we are able to do. We go through trials and tribulations to find ourselves, and find anything that will make our lives more

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Australia Common Tendency Smoking Cigarettes †Free Samples

Question: Discuss About The Australia Common Tendency Smoking Cigarettes? Answer: Introduction The Australians have a common tendency of smoking cigarettes. The smoking rate of the adult includes the persons who are regular smokers. At present, the smoking rate of an adult of this nation has declined as compared to previous few years (Clarke and Prentice 2012). This essay reflects on the present consumption of cigarettes and its market. It also facilitates in investigating the factors that influences cigarettes demand and supply. In addition, the product nature and its demand elasticity is also discussed in this study. Moreover, the elasticity of cigarettes has been assessed according to its current demand and supply. Few measures adopted by the Australian government that affects the cigarettes production is also explained in this study. Discussion The market is analyzed based on the demand and supply of a particular product. Product demand refers to the consumers wants that considers their capacity of purchasing power. There are different variables that influence products demand discussed below. Demand determinants Cigarette price- Goods price is inversely related with the demand for quantity of the good. Therefore, increase in cigarettes price leads to fall in demand for cigarettes. Customers income level- As cigarette is a luxury good, the individuals satisfies their demand if their income level rises. Thus, the purchasers income and the demand for quantity of cigarettes are positively related with each other. Consumers taste and preference- The demand for a particular good also depends on the consumers tastes and preference. The preference for cigarettes varies among the individuals. This change in preference might increase or decrease the cigarettes demand in the market. Supply determinants Supply of commodities refers to the total commodity that the manufacturer is eager to supply in the current market. Few variables that influences the cigarettes supply are illustrated below: Goods price level- The commodity price provides a positive effect on the cigarette supply. Therefore, as the cigarette price increases, the manufacturers strategize in selling more good and vice-versa (Callard and Collishaw 2013). Input costs- The input cost including the labor and raw materials cost acts in negative way on the supply of total amount of cigarettes in the society (Newbold et al. 2012). However, the cost of production increases with the increase in input cost, thereby decreasing the product supply. Analyzing the result of demand and supply of certain product According to law of demand, the cost of cigarettes is negatively related with the demand for its quantity with other factors influencing product demand remaining stable. As a result, this leads to negatively sloped demand curve (Koo 2013). On the contrary, the law of supply depicts positive relationship between the supply of total quantity of cigarettes and its price. Therefore, this reflects positive sloping supply curve . The market equilibrium occurs when the demand for product intersects with the supply of product. This portrays the equilibrium price of the cigarettes and its quantity demanded in Australia. Figure 1: Equilibrium price and quantity demanded of cigarettes Source: (As created by author) In the above diagram, DD represents the demand curve for cigarettes and SS depicts cigarettes supply curve (Rios et al. 2013). The intersection of these two curves corresponds to equilibrium price of cigarettes shown by Pe and its quantity demanded reflected by Qe. Elasticity of a certain good signifies the sensitivity of demand for quantity of product in respect of its price change. In case of elastic goods, the change in demand for its quantity becomes higher than its price change (Scollo et al. 2014). Cigarettes are such kind of product in which small increase in its price leads to reduction in its total consumption. Hence, this portrays that cigarettes are elastic good. The figure shown below reflects demand curve of elastic product such as cigarettes. Figure 2: Demand elasticity of cigarettes Source: (As created by author) In this diagram, cigarettes demand curve is flatter than original demand curve. Cigarettes initial price (P1) corresponds to the demand for its quantity (Q1). However, as price of cigarettes falls from P1 to P2, the demand for its total quantity rises from Q1 to Q2. Measures taken by the government The Australian government has taken an initiative in prohibiting smoking in public places. They also advised the cigarettes manufacturing entities to include graphic health caution on the cigarette packets (Bauer 2014). In addition, Australian government raised tax of cigarettes and hence the cost of cigarettes production. They also adopted a law of increasing tobacco excise in three years gap. The prohibition act of tobacco advertisement is also designed by the government that aims to impose restraint on exposing public to its advertisement through media. These policies adopted by Australian government have reduced cigarettes consumption and this declined its demand. Conclusion Recent statistics reflect that smoking rate among adults in Australia reduced in 2017 as compared to 2016. The variables influencing cigarettes demand and supply in the nation has facilitated in assessing the market change for cigarettes. As cigarettes is analyzed as elastic product, small change in its price impacts on its quantity demanded in higher way. Thus, Australian government has implemented various measures for decreasing cigarettes consumption in the nation References Bauer, M.J.R., 2014. Principles of microeconomics. Baumol, W.J. and Blinder, A.S., 2015.Microeconomics: Principles and policy. Cengage Learning. Callard, C.D. and Collishaw, N.E., 2013. Supply-side options for an endgame for the tobacco industry.Tobacco control,22(suppl 1), pp.i10-i13. Clarke, H. and Prentice, D., 2012. Will plain packaging reduce cigarette consumption?.Economic Papers: A journal of applied economics and policy,31(3), pp.303-317. Koo, D., 2013.Elements of optimization: with applications in economics and business. Springer Science Business Media. Newbold, P., Carlson, W. and Thorne, B., 2012.Statistics for business and economics. Pearson. Rios, M.C., McConnell, C.R. and Brue, S.L., 2013.Economics: Principles, problems, and policies. McGraw-Hill. Scollo, M., Zacher, M., Durkin, S. and Wakefield, M., 2014. Early evidence about the predicted unintended consequences of standardised packaging of tobacco products in Australia: a cross-sectional study of the place of purchase, regular brands and use of illicit tobacco.BMJ open,4(8), p.e005873.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Superstition Essays - Folklore, Luck, Superstitions, Magic

Superstition Md. Mosharaf Bhuiayan ENG 1003 11/9/00 8:30 PM Prof. Dunning Emerged in Superstition In the middle of the night often my mother cries out, Oh God! The dog is whining in the middle of the night; this is inauspicious. Something terrible is coming! Riaz, go feed the dog. She is surrounded by all those superstitious beliefs. She even has book named Fazilatnama or Virtuous Obligation about all those superstitions, like what brings luck and what brings adversity. I am however a very rational person. I tend to believe in reason more than feeling, but I also happen to be superstitious- in my fashion and my culture. My superstitions are those that my mother conveyed to me, which are probably passed into her by her mother. Also the country Bangladesh, in which, I have grown most of my youth is full of superstitious beliefs. So superstitions are passed in the same way as my native language and my culture passed to me. Some examples of common everyday superstitions of my culture are the belief that if your palm itches, you will obtain money; that if your sole itches, you may tra vel; that if your right eyelash throbbed, you will face happiness. And the most common in all over the world as well as in my country is the belief that the number 13 is unlucky, and that a black cat crossing your path can affect your luck. According to The Little Oxford Dictionary, superstition is belief in the existence or power of the supernatural; irrational fear of the unknown; a religion or practice based on such tendencies; widely hold out but wrong idea. Now why do believe in something that has no logical explanation and according to science, which is completely wrong? We can find the answer in the definition of superstition. Though there is no rational explanation, we believe or obey those superstitions because we are afraid of the consequence of not obeying those rules. For example, my mother used to make me feed the dog in the middle of the night to save me from that unknown but something evil, because my mother believes that a dog can sense this evil and feeding the dog is also one way of offering food to that evil. The evil will release me because I offered him food. Also this is a belief that everyone else believes. Now it may be wrong, preposterous, but all the other people think its right and you believe it too. For example, in my country everybody believes that it is inauspicious to travel on an amaavasyaa or New Moon day. On a New Moon day, it is believed that all the demons of the universe walk on the earth and collision with one of them could bring something ominous or harmful. So, that is why my mother would not let me go out at that night because she wants to save me from that unknown but harmful demon. On the other hand, Science is the knowledge of the physical world and its phenomenon, which depends on testing facts and systematic experimentations. My country may be full of superstitions, but many of them can be debunked through logical and scientific experimentation. For example, my mother believes that a dog whines in the middle of the night because it can see all the harmful demons around him. She also believes that on the amaavasyaa or new Moon day all the demons walk around the earth. So during amaavasyaa our dog should whine all night long because he can see those demons (if there any) around him. However during some of the amaavasya I did not even see him whining at all. So the dog only whines when he is hungry and only food can make him stop whining in the middle of the night. Now the widespread belief that it is inauspicious to travel on an amaavasyaa can be proved wrong through logical explanation. This superstition must have evolved before the advent of electricity. It would have been problematic to be stuck at night on a lonely road and plundered by lurking thieves with no moonlight to light up the way. So at that time when there was no electricity, people made superstitions in order to