Sunday, January 26, 2020

Causes of Epidemic Diseases

Causes of Epidemic Diseases Throughout the history of mankind there have been many diseases that have spread quickly becoming an epidemic, a lot of these diseases are preventable if only individuals had access to important information pertaining to the spread of the disease. There are many ways to prevent the spread of these diseases and there are many different types of disease with multiple symptoms. According to Medicine.net, an epidemic is the occurrence of more cases of a disease than would be expected in a community or region during a given time period, a sudden severe outbreak of a disease such as SARS. Also epidemic diseases are the classification of a disease that occur as a new case in human population through spreading quickly and extensively by infection, so these kinds of diseases affect many individuals in an area at the same time. Generally epidemic diseases appear and high rate in crowed population, where health conditions are bad and medicinal services can not provided such as in underdeveloped countries, particularly in Africa. There are some famous examples for epidemic diseases, such as the Black Death during the Medieval Europe and the Great Influenza Pandemic that occurred by the end of First World War. But today, AIDS and Bird Flu are two dangerous epidemic diseases, and lets not forget Ebola Hemorrhagic, West Nile, Mad cow, small pox and H1N1 swine flu. These diseases have been a global problem which has threatened all individuals in the world. AIDS has become a pandemic and has killed millions young and old. According to Burke Weill, AIDS is a disease that attacks the immune system leading to susceptibility to opportunistic infection and eventually death. AIDS is a great example of a disease which became an epidemic and eventually a pandemic. Additionally, epidemic diseases have occurred as a result of three important factors, which are agent, host, and environment. That is, agents are the cause of epidemic diseases and host increase the effects of diseases and environmental situations permit host e xposure to the agent. â€Å"The year 1918 embodied one of the greatest epidemics in the history of mankind. By years end, 50 million innocent lives would be taken by a virus, including over 600,000 in the United States alone (Simonsen, 1997). The virus was influenza and it spanned the entire globe in 1918. It is known as the worst influenza epidemic ever. The virus caused sickness, death, and grief to every part of the world. One of the most shocking aspects of the 1918 influenza virus was how quickly and easily it spread. One person infected with the virus could spread it to hundreds by simply coughing. What made matters and the spread of the virus worse was World War I (CDC). During the Great War, influenza afflicted military personnel from the United States were shipped all over the North America, Europe, and other various continents spreading the disease. Therefore, this paper will argue that the United States military was a major contributing factor to the spread of the Influenza virus in 1918.† Before the emergence of SARS-CoV, no efforts were put into the search for antiviral drugs against corona viruses. The rapid transmission and high mortality rate made SARS a global threat for which no efficacious therapy was available and empirical strategies had to be used to treat the patients. According to wikipedia.org, new insights into the field of the SARS-CoV genome structure and pathogenesis revealed novel potential anti-corona virus targets. Several proteins encoded by the SARS-CoV could be considered as targets for therapeutic intervention: the spike protein, the main protease, the NTPase/helicase, the RNA dependent RNA polymerase and different other viral protein-mediated processes. Potential anti-SARS-CoV drugs are currently being developed in vivo. The development of effective drugs against SARS-CoV may also provide new strategies for the prevention or treatment of other corona virus diseases in animals or humans. Passive immunization has been successful in establishing protection from SARS-CoV suggesting an important role for neutralizing antibodies. One important property of future vaccine candidates is the ability to give protection against multiple variant strains of SARS-CoV, especially in senescent populations that are most at risk for severe disease. SARS may be suspected in a patient who has: any of the symptoms, including a fever of 38  °C (100.4  °F) or higher, and either a history of: contact (sexual or casual) with someone with a diagnosis of SARS within the last 10 days or travel to any of the regions identified by the who as areas with recent local transmission of SARS (affected regions as of 10 May 2003 were parts of China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the province of Ontario, Canada) (Smith, 2006). Mad cow disease is a progressive neurological disorder of cattle that results from infection. Mad cow disease† is a fatal and communicable brain disease of cows that has a very long incubation period. Decades after infection, the brains of infected cattle develop numerous small cavities as nerve cells die. The holes produce a marked spongy appearance that gives the disease its scientific name, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) (txtwriter.com). Central nervous system function is progressively degraded, until death eventually occurs. Many people have got this disease and died. In addition, mad cow disease is caused by consumption of infected meat. Unfortunately there is no cure for mad cow disease. The origin of smallpox is uncertain, but it is believed to have originated in Africa and then spread to India and China thousands of years ago. The first recorded smallpox epidemic was in 1350 BC during the Egyptian-Hittite war. Epidemics occurred in the North American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. Millions of people died in Europe and Mexico as a result of widespread smallpox epidemics. The vaccine that was created for small pox is called dryvax. Smallpox is caused by the variola virus, which is spread through close contact with a person who has symptoms of the disease. A person with smallpox has infected saliva, and face-to-face contact can spread the virus. The virus could also be spread through other body fluids and contaminated clothing or bed linen. Smallpox is highly contagious, and people who have it are most infectious during the first week of illness (Meadows, 2003). The symptoms of small pox are as follows; high fever, fatigue, headaches, backaches, and vomiting; in addition, a rash on the face, arms, legs and other areas of the body. The rash turns into raised bumps that become pus-filled blisters (Meadows, 2003). Scabs develop and usually fall off three to four weeks later. There is no proven treatment that exists for smallpox. However, people with smallpox are given intravenous fluids and medicine to control fever and pain, and antibiotics are given to prevent or treat possible bacterial infections. Two treatments for smallpox–Vaccinia Immune Globulin (VIG) and cidofovir–are being studied and could be given under investigational new drug protocols (Meadows, 2003). Swine Flu symptoms are; cough sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. The vaccine for swine flu is called the H1N1 vaccine. However, the treatment for swine flu is a medication called tamiflu and relenza. The dose for this medication is seventy-five milligrams twice a day for five day, which is for someone that has been diagnosed with swine flu. On the other hand, a person that was exposed to it would tale tamiflu seventy-five milligrams once a day for ten days. There have been many diseases throughout history that have become an epidemic and a lot of these diseases are preventable. The epidemic diseases have occurred as a result of three important factors, which are agent, host, and environment. In addition, the influenza virus of 1918 is known as the worst influenza epidemic ever killing 50 million people and it spread from the United States to parts of North America, Europe, and other various continents. SARS-CoV has a rapid transmission and high mortality rate. This in turn, made SARS a global threat for which no efficacious therapy was available. Before its emergence, no efforts were put into the search for antiviral drugs against corona viruses. Now Passive immunization has been successful in establishing protection from SARS-CoV. There is not a cure for small pox and other epidemic diseases. The medical community treats the diseases the best they can and the best way to combat diseases is to prevent the disease from spreading. References  ·Seasonal Influenza: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3273 disease/us_flu-related_deaths.htm Simonsen L et al. The impact of influenza epidemics on mortality: introducing a severity index. Am J Public Health. 1997; 87(12):1944-1950. Severe acute respiratory syndrome: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome#Research http://txtwriter.com/Onscience/Articles/europemadcow1.html Meadows, Michelle. 2003. An Update on Smallpox.Retrieved from: http://www.mamashealth.com/infect/smallpox.asp Smith, R. D. (2006). Responding to global infectious disease outbreaks: Lessons from SARS on the role of risk perception, communication and management. Journal of Social Science and Medicine, 63, 3113-3123

Friday, January 17, 2020

Oral or written argument Essay

Given that the ideas can not be truly and completely explained by words, one have to recognize that every oral or written argument ever told or explained is inherently subjective. Therefore, every fact described by a human is an opinion, and every opinion is somehow a fact. Thusly, every word should be considered from two points of view: from the point of view of fact and from the point of view of opinion. This relates to the testimony before the court as well. Every judge should realize, that even the most honest person can interpret the facts wrongfully or simply mistake. Moreover, even the judge himself is not free from subjectivity, although the level of objectivity is one of the key factors determining his or her professionalism. Therefore, upon examination of the testimony, a judge has to consider it as one fact and witnesses’ probable level of subjectivity as another fact. At that it would be useful to classify the questions put before a witness during examination into two groups. Some of the questions are questions of fact (what’s happened? ), other questions are questions of opinion (do you think that? ). For sure, the second kind of questions includes a greater extent of subjectivity, although the first kind can not be recognized completely objective as well. In order to find out the truth, all the testimonies have to be reviewed in combination. Neither of the testimonies can be absolutely true and accurate. Only consideration of the testimonies and other proofs in the case would allow a judge to create a more or less straight story of the case. Question 2 As a judge, I have to answer several questions in order to determine whether a person with multiple personality disorder should witness or not. Firstly, I have to find out whether a person can witness at all. In order to do that I would call the experts to examine that persons’s mental condition and his or her state at the moment. In case the experts recognize, that the person is principally able to provide a valid testimony, I would further doubt his or her possible words and ask myself a second question: how critical the person’s testimony is for the case and how can it influence my view of the case. My decision can not be bases solely on the testimony of mentally infringed individual, yet his or her testimony may be usefull for clarification of some circumstances. I would rather rely on such witness to determine the facts, than in case I needed his or her opinion. In case I came to a conclusion, that I still need this witness, I would properly examine him or her in the presence of the experts who would observe the individual’s behavior during examination and inform me of possible deviations. Having completed the examination, I would consider how much do the words of the witness conform with other testimonies and proofs in the case. In case I would find no logical controversions, I would consider the words of such witness as a valid testimony. Yet I would keep in mind, that this testimony is provided by a doubdtful witness and critically evaluate this testimony. Works Cited: http://www. boogieonline. com/seeking/know/meaning. html

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Author James Patterson Biography

James Patterson (born March 22, 1947), perhaps best known as the writer of the Alex Cross detective series, ranks among the most prolific of contemporary American authors. He even holds the Guinness World Record for the number of New York Times number one best-selling novels sold and he was the first author to sell more than one million ebooks. Fast Facts: James Patterson Known For: Prolific and best-selling author with many works adapted to popular filmsBorn: March 22, 1947 in Newburgh, Newburgh, NY, U.S.Parents: Isabelle and Charles PattersonEducation: Manhattan College, Vanderbilt UniversityPublished Works: Alex Cross series, Womens Murder Club series, Maximum Ride series, Michael Bennett series, Middle School series, I Funny seriesAwards and Honors:  Edgar Award, BCA Mystery Guilds Thriller of the Year, International Thriller of the Year award, and Childrens Choice Book Award for Author of the YearSpouse: Susan PattersonChildren: Jack PattersonNotable Quote: Theres no such thing as a kid who hates reading. There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books. Early Life Before Patterson headed off to college, his family moved to the Boston area, where he took a part-time night job at a mental hospital. The solitude of that job allowed him to develop an appetite for reading literature; he spent most of his salary on books. He lists â€Å"One Hundred Years of Solitude† by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as a favorite. Patterson went on to graduate from Manhattan College and holds a masters’ degree in English literature from Vanderbilt University.   In 1971, he went to work for the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, where he eventually became CEO. It was there that Patterson came up with the iconic phrase â€Å"Toys R Us Kid.† This advertising background is apparent in the marketing of his books, as Patterson supervises the design of book covers down to the last detail and was one of the first authors to orchestrate advertising his books on television. His techniques have even inspired a case study at Harvard Business School; â€Å"Marketing James Patterson† examines the effectiveness of the writer’s strategies. Published Works and Style Despite his widespread popularity—he’s sold some 300 million books—Patterson’s methods are not without controversy. He uses a group of co-authors, which allows him to publish his works at such an impressive rate. His critics, who include contemporary authors such as Stephen King, question whether Patterson  is too focused on quantity at the expense of quality. James Pattersons first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, was published in 1976, after being turned down by more than 30 publishers. Patterson told The New York Times that his first book compares favorably to his current works in one way: â€Å"The sentences are superior to a lot of the stuff I write now, but the story isn’t as good.† Despite its slow start, The Thomas Berryman Number won an Edgar Award for crime fiction that year. Patterson makes no secret of his current use of co-authors, a group that includes Andrew Gross, Maxine Paetro, and Peter De Jong. He likens the approach to the collaborative efforts of Gilbert and Sullivan or Rodgers and Hammerstein: Patterson says he writes an outline, which he sends to the co-author for refining, and the two collaborate throughout the writing process. He’s said that his strength lies in concocting plots, not in parsing individual sentences, which suggests he has refined (and perhaps improved) his writing technique since his first novel.   Despite the criticism that his style is mechanical, Patterson has hit on a commercially successful formula. He’s written 20 novels featuring detective Alex Cross, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, 14 books in The Women’s Murder Club series, and the Witch and Wizard and Daniel X series. Hollywood Blockbusters and Childhood Literacy Given their broad commercial appeal, its no surprise that several of Pattersons novels have been made into movies. Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman has played Alex Cross in adaptations of  Along Came a Spider (2001) and  Kiss the Girls  (1997), which also starred Ashley Judd.​ In 2011, Patterson wrote an op-ed for CNN urging parents to become more involved in getting their kids to read. He discovered his son Jack wasnt an avid reader. When Jack turned 8, Patterson and his wife Susie made a deal with him. He could be excused from chores over summer vacation if he would read every day. Patterson later launched the child literacy initiative Read Kiddo Read, which offers advice for age-appropriate books for kids of various ages.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Robert Browning and the Power of the Dramatic Monologue Form

Robert Browning and the Power of the Dramatic Monologue Form The dramatic monologue form, widely used by Victorian poets, allows the writer to engage more directly with his reader by placing him in the role of listener. Robert Browning utilised the form to a famously profound effect, creating a startling aspect to his poetry. In poems such as â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover,† and â€Å"My Last Duchess,† for example, Browning induces a feeling of intimacy by presenting the reader as the ‘confidant’ to the narrator’s crimes; in â€Å"Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister,† the reader is more a witness to the narrator’s increasing instability. Thus, Browning is able to use the dramatic monologue form both to expose the narrator’s frailties, and as a channel†¦show more content†¦Browning immediately makes this attitude appear ridiculous by demonstrating the Duke’s bullish approach to the painter of his wife’s image. The Duke condemns the â€Å"earnest glance† required by the painter’s profession in exaggerating its â€Å"depth and passion.† The Duke seems to interpret his wife’s happiness as an affront to his â€Å"gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name,† complaining that â€Å"She had/ A heart†¦ too soon made glad, / Too easily impressed.† The envy stems from a materialistic fixation similar to that of the Bishop in â€Å"The Bishop Orders His Tomb at Saint Praxed’s Church,† whose holiness is undermined with an obsession for an extravagant resting place. â€Å"Vanity, saith the preacher, vanity!† declares the Bishop in the poem’s opening line, setting the tone for the rest of the monologue. The Bishop appears transfixed with the idea of an overstated tomb that would undermine the â€Å"paltry onion-stone† of that of his rival, Old Gandolf. He interrupts his philosophising to declare that the tomb should be â€Å"Peach-blossom marble all†¦ True peach/ Rosy and flawless.† Later though, he supersedes even this outrageous demand, asserting â€Å"All lapis, all, my sons,† referring to the incredibly rare lapis lazuli, â€Å"Big as a Jew’s head† and â€Å"Blue as a vein o’er the Madonna’s breast† that he had stolen from the church. The requests seem outrageous for a man who has vowed to live in poverty. However, the most despicable examples of his vanity are demonstrated byShow MoreRelatedAchievement of Self-Expression Through Concealment in Dramatic Monologue2761 Words   |  12 PagesHow does the dramatic monologue achieve self expression through concealment? Discuss with reference to any three Browning poems. When discussing the poetic form of dramatic monologue it is rare that it is not associated with and its usage attributed to the poet Robert Browning. Robert Browning has been considered the master of the dramatic monologue. 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Within My Last Duchess, Browning uses the character and voice of the Duke to pass comment upon some of the themes of the Italian Renaissance, particularly the juxtaposition between aesthetics and moralityRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Robert Brownings My Last Duchess794 Words   |  4 Pagesyet he is strikingly charming, both in his use of language and his genial speech. A remarkably immoral man nevertheless has a sense of beauty and of how to reel in his listener. In the dra matic monologue My Last Duchess by Robert Browning we see the grim character of the Duke that hides behind his charm and power. The Dukes extreme demand for control comes across as his most noteworthy characteristic. The obvious manifestation of this is not only the murder of his wife but also the way the DukeRead MoreA Comparison of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning and Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson674 Words   |  3 PagesA Comparison of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning and Ulysses by Alfred Lord Tennyson These two poems, or monologues, were written by Robert Browning (My last Duchess) and Alfred Lord Tennyson (Ulysses), in the 19th century during the reign of Queen Victoria. Many other influential writers were also born in this period. During this time, Britain’s population doubled from 17.5 million to 37 million. Britain was a very powerful nation with a strong economy, and hadRead More The Sinister Duke in Robert Brownings My Last Duchess Essay1418 Words   |  6 PagesThe Sinister Duke in Robert Brownings My Last Duchess In Robert Brownings My Last Duchess, a portrait of the egocentric and power loving Duke of Ferrara is painted for us. Although the dukes monologue appears on the surface to be about his late wife, a close reading will show that the mention of his last duchess is merely a side note in his self-important speech. Browning uses the dramatic monologue form very skillfully to show us the controlling, jealous, and arrogant traits the duke possessedRead More Porphyria’s Lover, My Last Duchess and The Laboratory Essay2600 Words   |  11 Pages In this essay I hope to prove that Robert Browning’s murder mystery poems are fulfilled with intrigue and excitement. I also hope to prove that in his poems he creates vivid characters and uses poetic techniques to expose a world of madness and wickedness. To show that the statements above are true I will be writing about the characters, the poetic features in each poem and the madness and wickedness in each poem. This essay will include three of Robert Browning’s poems; they are Porphyria’s