The Fateful Day free essay sample

The Fateful Day It happened as my three excited brothers, parents, our golden beagle-basset, and I drove the last thirty minute stretch to my grandparents house. Wed been on the road for an hour, having Just grabbed some lunch from a McDonalds drive thru. I could never have imagined the drastic turn of events that took place that ordinary day. The day I understood how you never know how much you love someone, in my case my family, until you think youve almost lost them. Are we there yet? Joel, my usually cheerful, three year old brother moaned. Thirty more minutes. Pass some more fries to your brother please, Dad answered. I moved my seat belt strap behind my back so I could reach Joel, who was strapped in a car seat to my left. Then I grabbed a couple hot, salty fries from the red and yellow McDonalds bag. We will write a custom essay sample on The Fateful Day or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As I leaned over and placed the fries in his gaping mouth, suddenly my surroundings became a blur. Our red minivan collided with a monstrous truck, causing my body to fling around like a rag doll. I was hanging over the side of my seat, the seat belt strap hat I should have been wearing properly, useless behind me. As I forced myself to sit up, my back ached with an excruciating pain that Id never felt before. My head throbbed and I felt warm blood gushing from my forehead and nose. The windshield was shattered, tiny silver shards scattered across the dashboard. Smoke clouded the air outside. Everything I saw was hazy as agonizing distress overcame my seven year old body. Waves of nausea coursed through me. But a single thought consumed my mind. Was everyone alive? Dad? I whispered. A sickening feeling crawled into my stomach and my heart beat faster with each passing second. Dad! I called urgently. Tears had formed two rivers under my eyes. I waited for him to answer, but after I heard nothing, I Just started screaming. Dad! Dad!! Mom? Mom!! I had lost control of myself, and continued wailing their names over and over. My body was shaking uncontrollably and the more I tried to control it, the more violently I shook. Then finally I saw my Dads face slowly turn toward me. His blue eyes stared into nine and he gently whispered that we were going to be okay. When he reached out and grasped my hand, I felt much more at ease and my sobs died down. Is mom okay? He reassured me that she was fine, and so with childlike faith I trusted in his words that we would all be okay. My brothers were crying, but I noticed that they werent seriously injured, Just terribly shaken up. Although I trembled from the traumatic incident, I felt my despair alleviate. I was so thankful to know that I hadnt lost the people I loved most on that fateful day. By debilitate

Free Essays on The Weekend

Today’s American society is working more, only to have less leisure time. There seems to be an increasing trend to work an increasing amount of hours. People are not valuing there leisure time like they should. American families are evolving around what Juliet Schor calls, the work and spend cycle. This is an idea of working, not to save money, but only to spend it on material goods. Americans are mass consuming goods at an increasing rate. Many American households consume as much as three to four times as what a European family household might consume. I believe the United States may have a waste management problem that will not be able to be solved. With all this consumption of goods, I would like to think that Americans would put a higher degree of importance on their leisure time. This is not the case; American families seem to be enjoying the television a lot more than any other culture. Is watching television really a form of leisure? People all around the glo be work day after day waiting for that two day period of time which is called the weekend. This is when the real ideal of mass consumption takes place. From the ideals of Juliet Schor’s â€Å"The Overworked American† to Witold Rybczynski’s â€Å"Waiting for the Weekend† today’s families are working longer hours only to mass consume. The mass consumption of goods mostly takes place during a two-day increment, The Weekend. According to Schor (1992), â€Å"Americans report that they only have sixteen and a half hours of leisure a week, after the obligations of job and household are taken care of†(p.1). Americans really need to start putting a higher degree of importance on their leisure time. The rise of capitalism has made many Americans extremely greedy. American families are consuming so many material goods, if productivity doesn’t increase, prices will have to fall. The trend of buying goods only to keep up with a status quo (The Jones’) will kee... Free Essays on The Weekend Free Essays on The Weekend Today’s American society is working more, only to have less leisure time. There seems to be an increasing trend to work an increasing amount of hours. People are not valuing there leisure time like they should. American families are evolving around what Juliet Schor calls, the work and spend cycle. This is an idea of working, not to save money, but only to spend it on material goods. Americans are mass consuming goods at an increasing rate. Many American households consume as much as three to four times as what a European family household might consume. I believe the United States may have a waste management problem that will not be able to be solved. With all this consumption of goods, I would like to think that Americans would put a higher degree of importance on their leisure time. This is not the case; American families seem to be enjoying the television a lot more than any other culture. Is watching television really a form of leisure? People all around the glo be work day after day waiting for that two day period of time which is called the weekend. This is when the real ideal of mass consumption takes place. From the ideals of Juliet Schor’s â€Å"The Overworked American† to Witold Rybczynski’s â€Å"Waiting for the Weekend† today’s families are working longer hours only to mass consume. The mass consumption of goods mostly takes place during a two-day increment, The Weekend. According to Schor (1992), â€Å"Americans report that they only have sixteen and a half hours of leisure a week, after the obligations of job and household are taken care of†(p.1). Americans really need to start putting a higher degree of importance on their leisure time. The rise of capitalism has made many Americans extremely greedy. American families are consuming so many material goods, if productivity doesn’t increase, prices will have to fall. The trend of buying goods only to keep up with a status quo (The Jones’) will kee...

And Also

And Also And Also And Also By Maeve Maddox Brian Shone writes: I work for the NHS and I attend many meetings during the week, a common term used throughout each meeting is â€Å"and also† this I believe is incorrect.  This term is also used in my Catholic Church liturgy; The Lord be with you, and also with you.  Should we be using two words together that mean the same? Although the addition of â€Å"also† after â€Å"and† is often verbose, the two words do not mean quite the same thing. And is a conjunction. It joins words, phrases and clauses. Also is an adverb meaning â€Å"in the same manner, in addition, as well.† It’s useful when some sort of contrast is wanted. Compare the following pairs: This new policy is intended to stop pilfering and save money. This new policy is intended to stop pilfering and also save money. Remodeling will improve safety and attract new customers. Remodeling will improve safety and also attract new customers. In the first pair, the two ideasstopping pilfering and saving moneyare so closely related that the and is sufficient. In the second pair, the connection between the two ideasimproving safety and attracting new customersis not perhaps as obvious, so the also has a purpose. The line from the Catholic liturgy quoted above is the ICEL (International Commission on English in the Liturgy) rendering of Latin Dominus vobiscum, et cum spiritu tuo, literally, â€Å"The Lord be with you, and with your spirit.† This particular translation happens to be one of many that have come under fire by critics of an English rendering of the Catholic Missal made in the Sixties. When the dust settles, the line will probably be amended to â€Å"and with your spirit.† The speakers in the business meetings who throw in also after and may feel that the extra word adds weight to whatever it is they are saying. Generally speaking, â€Å"also† is redundant following â€Å"and.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite Adjectives225 Foreign Phrases to Inspire YouUsing "zeitgeist" Coherently

Alzheimer's disease Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Alzheimer's disease - Research Paper Example As of 2006, there were 26.6 million Alzheimer’s sufferers in the world; it is predicted that roughly one in every eighty-five people will suffer from Alzheimer’s by the year 2050 (â€Å"Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet†). There is no definite cause of Alzheimer’s. Many scientists believe that the disease can be caused by genetics, environment, and lifestyle, though even these have not been definitely pinpointed. It is believed that whatever it is that does cause Alzheimer’s gradually happens over a long period of time, especially if the aforementioned factors are part of the cause of the disease. However, the effect that the disease has on the brain tissue, the starting point of the catalyst for the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, is very clear. The disease damages and kills brain cells and the brain tissue deteriorates. Since doctors and scientists have been unable to determine the exact cause of the disease, they instead focus on what happens before and after a person has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. There are two types of neuron damage that have been seen most in people with Alzheimer’s: plaques and tangles. Plaques are masses of a normally harmless protein known as beta-amyloid that has the ability to interfere with communication between brain cells (Feng et al). The abnormal processing of this protein has shown to effect functions of the brain. Tangles involve the protein known as tau. This protein is important for the brain to function properly, but when they undergo alterations they become twisted. During the twisting, the neurons become damaged, causing them to die. When these two proteins react the way they do, they slow down or completely destroy vital components of the brain, thus negatively effecting the functioning of the brain and the memory. Another possible cause of Alzheimer’s is a breakdown of myelin in the brain, an event that usually takes place as a person gets older. When myelin breaks down, there

Identify the one event introduced in the post-Civil War era that you Essay

Identify the one event introduced in the post-Civil War era that you feel best represents Twain's imagery of the Gilded Age and explain your reasoning for this selection - Essay Example ndals had become more common to the extent that similar events were being referred to as â€Å"Grantism,† a term that effectively captured greed and dishonesty of leaders of the time. The then citizens thought that funds from these investments were eventually used to bankroll Republican Party operations (Elder, 2002). This is especially true considering that the dealings led to the creation of the Liberal Republican Party. Regardless, the actual loophole for these corrupt Gilded Age deals was the then prevailing spoils system, in which better-endowed people used their influence to reward their relatives, friends and corrupt business allies with lucrative government tenders (Gerrard, & Newell, 2006). As Gerrard and Newell (2006) said, an ever-growing citizenry, however, began to acknowledge the fact that the civil service needed urgent reform. The Dawes Act of 1887 for example, was a major piece of legislation which mandated the president to oversee the granting of land and citizenship to Indians (Gerrard, & Newell, 2006). The Act arguably set the pace for more accountability by state officers as evidenced in the Manifest Destiny, when it comes to the allocation of national resources. Manifest Destiny sought to correct acts of greed and dishonesty that were synonymous with the Gilded Age and build a better society where every community had a

Dengue Fever: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention

Dengue Fever: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention Dengue fever Dengue fever is a disease that is triggered by a virus (DENV) and there are different serotypes related viruses (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, DENV-4) (Byron et al., 2009; Whitehorn et al., 2011). However they have 60-80% homology The virus belongs to the flaviviridae family genus and the flavivirus which is an aborvirus that is arthropod borne (Roach, 2002; Byron et al., 2009). Severity of dengue fever can progress to Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) or Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) (Byron et al., 2009). It is an icosahedral virus that has an enveloped single stranded, positive sense genome (Byron et al., 2009; Whitethorn et al., 2011).      Figure 1. Dengue virus evoluntary tree (Hesse, 2007) Transmission of Dengue virus The virus is transmitted through a biological vector to human bloodstream from mosquito bites. The arthropod vector is Aedes mosquito mainly Aedes aegypti that is common in tropic or subtropics regions (Byron et al., 2009).  Aedes albopictu is another mosquito vector. The mosquito that has acquired the virus can transmit it to uninfected human for the rest of its life (). Human being are the reservoir for the virus, mosquito bite an infected human to obtain the virus which it will transmit to another human being who will now become a carrier () Another reservoir is monkey in the DENV virus sylvatic cycle. The virus is found in the mosquitoes salivary gland and can also be transmitted from adult mosquito to its egg making it preserving the virus from season to season (Rolland, 1995) Figure 1. Transmission cycles of dengue virus (Byron et al., 2009) Symptoms and Clinical features of dengue fever Infection by DENV maybe asymptomatic or show a wide range of clinical symptoms (Byron et al., 2009). Symptom are more severe in children below 15 years than in adults (Byron et al., 2009; Carlos et al., 2005). Dengue fever initiate with a high fever whereby the body temperature increases up to (104-105) Fahrenheit within 4-5 day from infection (Guzman et al., 2002). After 2-5 days of fever a red rash might appear followed by a second severe rash again that looks like measles accompanied by increase skin sensitivity and discomfort (Harris et al., 2000). Other symptoms are fatigue, muscle ache, joint ache, vomiting, Nausea, swollen lymph nodes, headache especially on the area behind the eyes, nasal stiffness, sore throat, coughing, retro-orbital pain, arthralgia, myalgia and gastrointestinal pain ( Byron et al., 2009; Guilarde et al., 2008). Leukopenia is common while thrombocytopenia is occasional, likely in patients with haemorrhagic signs like petechiae, gingival bleeding and epista xis (Guilarde et al., 2008; Kittigul et al., 2008) Pathogenesis of the Dengue virus (DENV) Lack of animal models results to lack of knowledge of the actual pathogenesis of the virus but it anticipated it is multifactorial (Bryon, 2009).Dengue fever virus have four serotypes (homology of surface antigen) which make it hard for the immune system to combat and this is the basis of it virulence(Ross, 2010; Limon et al., 2005). Host genetics and background, viral genetics and host immune status determines the pathogenesis and how the immune system reacts (Sierra et al., 2007; Quinlivan, 2007; Tanaka and Mizokami, 2007; Byron et al., 2009). Once the virus access the body system through the skin epidermis Langerhans and keratinocytes cells are initially infected. However the immune system responds by producing antibodies that stick structural protein while inactivating the virus and hindering macrophage infection by the virus. At this point primary infection occurs which is the dengue fever. However antibody adherence does not inactivate the virus, viral replication occurs by att aching to the cell surface entry inside the cell cytoplasm and translation of viral proteins (Rothman, 2010; Byron et al., 2009). Subsequently the virus enters the blood stream and results ( primary viremia) where it will attach various tissue macrophages in various organs likely macrophages within the spleen (Bracken, 2005; Byron et al., 2009). As the virus replication expands to macrophages, monocytes, liver cells, bone marrow, the viral load of DENV increases (Chang et al., 2002; Burke and Kliks, 2006). Viral replication efficiency determines the viral load which can be measure in blood to determine the severity of the infection (Hesse, 2000; Halstead, 2003; Green and Rothman, 2006; Byron, 2009). Infected cells die through apoptosis and to some extend by necrosis (Byron et al., 2009; Chakravarti et al., 2006). Necrosis causes release of toxins which triggers coagulation and fibrinolytic systems. Based on bone marrow stromal severity of infection, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-18 leve ls hemopiosis is inhibited reducing blood thrombogenicity (Byron et al., 2009; Chao et al., 2009). Viral load and viral tropism will increase resulting to severe thrombocytopenia and platelet dysfunction which cause capillary fragility, easy bruising and also gastrointestinal mucosal bleeding which are features of DHF while the infection triggers development of specific antibody and cellular immune response against DENV (Nachman, 2008; Chang et al., 2002). Ig antibodies bind to the virus during secondary infection thereby eliciting the infection by increasing the viral load (Nachman, 2008; Byron et al., 2009) If another different serotype invades the body, the immune system combats it the same way as it did previously due to minor difference present within various serotypes (Bryon, 2009; Huerre et al., 2001). Moreso, the dengue viruses have M proteins that assist in apoptosis of their target cell. Furthermore upon macrophage invasion, DENV, it triggers the pro-inflammatory cytokines release as well as other mediators by antigen presenting cells, cross reactive T-cells of low and high avidity, HLA and endothelial cells of the immune system which compromise abnormal homeostasis and tissue permeability (Byron et al., 2009; Carlos et al., 2005). This slows down virus elimination and can cause a more severe secondary infection, such as DHF or DSS (Byron et al., 2009). Figure 2 Proposed pathogenicity of dengue virus (Byron et al., 2009). Diagnosis of dengue fever Dengue fever is diagnosed based on the clinical symptoms. Test and examination to identify the DENV can be done through antibody titre of the DENV (Jesse et al., 2004; Hesse, 2007). Another method is by doing a white blood cell count which is very low in infected patient (Jesse et al., 2004; Hesse, 2007; Ross 2010).Blood test to detect DENV via serology and ELISA to identify IGM antibodies (Hesse, 2007; Byron et al., 2009; Whitehorn et al., 2011). Carrying out a liver function test (ALT and AST) which is elevated in infected individuals (Byron et al., 2009). Further laboratory tests like polymerase chain reaction can be done for the virus types, specifically RT-PCR which identify viral RNA in patient samples (blood,liver,CFS) and can be modified to quantitative RT-PRC or using a Taqman probe when dealing with small quantities Of RNA (Hesse, 2007; Ross, 2010). Immunohistochemistry using antidengue monoclonal antibodies to identify viral RNA (Jesse et al., 2004) Prevention Can be done by shielding away from the Aedes mosquitoe and also reducing the mosquito population by covering the body through clothing to reduce chances of mosquito bites. Mosquitoe nets can be used (Argawal et al., 1998; Byron et al., 2009). Moreso travelling in times or to areas where mosquitoes are absent (An et al., 2004).Usage of mosquitoe repellents is also essential. In high risk areas, hose opening should be closed (windows, doors etc.) (Byron et al., 2004). Eliminating water stagnant by covering them as well as putting insecticides can kill the mosquitoe (Argawal et al., 1998; Byron et al., 2009). Moreso still water collecting containers like drums, flowerpots buckets should be eliminated (Byron et al., 2009) furthermore the World Health Organisation have made efforts to enforce correct disposal of these items via chemical methods and environmental management (World Health Organisation Media Centre, 2002; Argawal et al., 1998; Byron et al., 2009). Improving community dengue virus vector control programs and moreso monitoring and surveillance should be done in order to determine the control measures effectiveness (World Health Organisation Media Centre, 2002) Currently there is no vaccine against the dengue fever virus but there is ongoing research to develop vaccine against the virus (Byron et al., 2009). One promising vaccine been worked on is a live attenuated virus vaccine named West Nile virus, which is measles based virus to eradicate dengue (World Health Organisation Media Centre, 2002). This vaccine have been used in Thailand although there is no evidence that it can combat all four serotypes of dengue in order to avoid complications of dengue fever (DHF and DSS) (Argawal et al., 1998; Byron et al., 2009; World Health Organisation Media Centre, 2002). Treatment Treatment for dengue virus is not specific, to care for symptoms like dehydration, the patient must rest and consume copious amount of fluids, intravenous electrolytes is given to compensate the dehydration (Jesse et al., 2004; Hesse, 2007). For high fever, joint pain and headache antipyretic drugs like Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and codeine should be administered (Jesse et al., 2004; Hesse, 2007; Byron et al., 2009). Moreso drugs such as corticosteroids or carbazochrome sodium sulfonate are administered in order to inhibit the increase capillary permeability as well as stopping plasma leakage (Byron et al., 2009). Asprin and non-steroidal should be administered under doctor supervision for anti- inflammatory purposes (Byron et al., 2009). Treatment can reduce the mortality rate from 20% to 1% (Jesse et al., 2004; Hesse, 2007; Byron et al., 2009). Epidemiology Dengue fever has re-emerged since 20 years ago accompanied by an expansion in geographic distribution thereby increasing the epidemic, moreso with the upcome of hyperendemicity (Debarati and Schimmer, 2005). An estimation by the World Health Organisation of about 2.5 billion people are affected by the dengue virus each year. World Health Organisation estimated, that yearly there are 50-100 million cases per year with more than 500 000 cases of hospital admission with 15,00 deaths (World Health Organisation, 2002; Debarati and Schimmer, 2005 ). Dengue fever endemic has increase from 9 countries in 1970 to 100 countries currently (Debarati and Schimmer, 2005; World Health Organisation, 2002 ). The first dengue fever epidemics occurred in 1779-1780 in continents like Africa, Asia and South America (). Recently in 1998, there was a pandemic in United States resulting to less than 1% fatality rate. The mortality rate ranges from 1-10 % (Debarati and Schimmer, 2005; Byron et al., 2009). In creasing expansion of the disease all over the world is due to increase in population as well as lack of vector control programs (Gubler et al., 2004; Hesse, 2000). However due to control and preventive measures the number of cases is increasing from travellers who are carrying the virus from high risk areas such as sub-tropical and tropical region (Byron et al., 2009). Figure 3. Global epidemiology of Dengue virus (LaRive, 2008). Global cases and outbreaks of dengue fever In Venezuela, 2007 there was an outbreak of 80,000 dengue fever cases in which 6,000 persisted to DHF. In the same year above 890,000 cases were reported in America of which 26,000 persisted to DHF the route of transmission being endemic and from travellers ( Byron et al., 2009; World Health Organisation Media Centre, 2002). Most recent outbreak occurred in 2005 in Brownsville Texas with 25 reported cases and 16 DHF (Whitethorn et al., 2011) The virus was also transmitted to neighbouring state Tamaulipas where there was 1251 case reported in which 223 had DHF (Bebarati and Schimmer, 2005; Whitehorn et al., 2011).

Role of Senco

This part of the essay will discuss the role of SENCO’s and how it has evolved. It will start of briefly introducing the role of a SENCO, and the responsibilities, followed by how their role has evolved and then the impact of recent government policy. A SENCO is a teacher with responsibility for co-ordinating special needs support within a school. Fielder 2008 claims that â€Å"the modern SENCO has to be able to bridge the gap between professionals, carers and students with SEN†. According to Cowne and Jones 2001 a SENCO can be looked upon as a main figure in making institutional change, and is also seen as a leadership role within a school community. Supporting this is Mckenzie 2007 who also points out that the role of SENCO undertaken by a senior member of staff is more effective as they have a voice as member of senior management team. Government and legislative documents emphasise the high level of expertise that is required for SEN Coordinators (SENCOs) to carry out their increasingly complex role. The 2001 Code of practice says that he SENCO should take the lead in further assessment of the child’s particular strengths and weaknesses; in planning future support for the child in discussion with colleagues; and in monitoring and afterwards reviewing the action taken. The SENCO should also ensure that appropriate records are kept including a record of children at Early Years Action and Early Years Action Plus and those with statements. From the SEN Code of Practice 2001 the role of the educational needs coordinator in school has attracted a good deal of attention since the Code of Practice on the identification and assessment of SEN was introduced in 1994. Not only did the code make it a requirement for all schools to have a named coordinator for SEN in place, it prescribed a considerable range of duties and responsibilities, described as ‘onerous’ and ‘breathtaking broad’ (Gains 1994). The role of SENCO has developed considerably since the implementation of Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 1994. The demands and responsibilities have increased significantly. The SENCO’s role now has also evolved to be a lead professional, knowledge/information manager and advocate, resource manager, partnership manager, quality assuror, facilitator, and solution assembler. In mainstream primary schools the key responsibilities of SENCO has evolved as they now need to include overseeing the day to day operation of the schools policy, coordinating provision for children with special educational needs, liaising with and advising fellow teachers, managing learning support assistants, overseeing the records of all children with SEN, liaising with parents, contributing to the in-service training of staff, liaising with external agencies including LEA’s support and educational psychology services, health and social services and voluntary bodies (Cheminais 2005). Other roles carried out by the SENCO include encouraging class teachers and helping define targets on I. E. P. s for those children who are registered on the SEN register, along with the reviews on a half term basis, looking at behaviour issues of children throughout the school, monitoring the attendance of children, managing support staff, assisting the teacher with their planning to in cooperate differentiated work for the SEN children and liaising with parents and external agencies to help with the progression of children within the setting. Nolan and Gersch 1996 agreed that close communication and co-operation, and a clear understanding of responsibilities are crucial to the success of partnership between the school and outside agencies and the SENCO is the link between them. Cole 2005 concludes by arguing that the role of the SENCO needs to be reconceptualised, redefined and remunerated as a senior management post within mainstream schools. If this were to be enforced by national policy, every mainstream school could have at least one powerful advocate for inclusion of the children with learning difficulties/disabilities.