International Trade and Finance Speech Essay Example for Free

International Trade and Finance Speech Essay This speech delivered by the Speaker of the House to a group of reporters surrounding the topics of international trade, foreign exchange rates, import surplus and how they each impact different constituencies. It will also explain why the government would not be able to restrict importation of goods from China, or if wanted to impose tariffs. The Economy and international Trade The United States was once the highest exporter in all the world. Today, the United States has a negative balance of trade, because of the fact that we now import more goods than we export goods. An example of an import would be oil. The oil that we have imported impacts our businesses and our consumers by making gasoline and other oil derivatives more expensive. This makes prices increase because consumers will have to pay for goods from the fact that the cost of driving will go up. This is a major reason why the government is trying to encourage the development of alternate forms of energy such as coal or natural gas. The goods that the United States imports are not always negative. American consumers have benefited greatly from the imports such as electronics or apparel that is made mostly in Asia. The cost of production for these goods are lower in China and most other Asian countries, making it much cheaper for Americans to buy these types of goods that are being manufactured overseas. The reality of international trade is that production will naturally shift to places where goods can be manufactured more efficiently and at a lower price. What the United States has to focus on is developing new technologies and products of higher quality. With a focus based on innovation and quality instead of labor costs. International trade has an impact on the country’s GDP, the financial markets, and importantly university students. The GDP of the United States becomes stronger when we export goods more than we import goods. If negative trade balances become consistent it can lead to deficits, which will in turn cause the government to borrow more. If the government borrows more this will have an impact on the financial markets which could in time make it more costly for the United States to cover all its deficits. We need to promote our exports in order to help the GDP and make our country more impressive to investors. A healthier economy will create enough employment for those needed, especially university graduates that will be trained for the field. The quotas and tariffs regarding the government’s choices has a direct impact on our trade and the relations that we have with other countries. Reducing tariffs and participating in free trade agreements helps our export businesses. This is a reason why our government has in the past worked for establishing trade agreements with countries as South Korea, Panama, and Colombia. When a free trade agreement takes place the trading partners will erase their quotas or tariffs against products from America, this makes it easier for us to send our products to those countries. Trade is a two way engagement, where both are finding a way to benefit, with consumers benefiting as well and our exports getting higher. Foreign exchange rates are the rates of one type of currency converted to another. Such as the rate for exchange between American dollars and Japan’s Yen which is 76 Yen per dollar. Some currencies are fixed with others. The rates of floating currency is determined by the supply and demand. An example is if the European demand for the dollar increases, the supply and demand relationship between them will cause the price to increase of the dollar in relation to the euro. There are many factors that affect exchange rates that include interest rates, unemployment, political instability, inflation, and GDP. When our GDP becomes higher and our exports become level with our imports, the stronger our currency will be and we will have a better overall financial health. There are some people that believe in protectionist policies that include restricting goods that are coming in from China and several other countries, including imposing tariffs that would increase costs for purchasing of goods in the United States. This kind of policy would be populist and fueled with the good intentions of trying to protect our American jobs, its actual consequences would be an elevating trade war with an opposite effect. History proves that when governments have attempted to restrict trade and enforced protectionist measures, other countries will attempt to retaliate and adopt similar policies. An example is the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which broke records by increasing tariffs on 25,000 goods which had an end effect of reducing imports and exports by 50% as trade partners began with similar style tariffs. This will translate into more unemployment as companies that will export their goods will see a drastic demand drop. Restricting imports from China woul d bring drastic measures from the Chinese government, and our companies would struggle as they would be unable to export goods to that part of the world. References Colander, D. C. (2010). Macroeconomics (8th Ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin International Trade, ISSN 0020-7810, 2011, Volume 45, Issue 1, p. 79 The Journal of Economics, ISSN 0895-3309, 2007, Volume 21, Issue 3, p. 105 Foreign Policy, ISSN 0015-7228, 11/2003, Issue 139, p. 20 The American Foreign Trade, ISSN 0002-8282, 12/1928, Volume 18, Issue 4, pp. 706 713

Active Chemical Ingredients in Topical First Aid Treatments

Active Chemical Ingredients in Topical First Aid Treatments AN INVESTIGATION ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ACTIVE CHEMICAL INGREDIENTS IN TOPICAL FIRST AID TREATMENTS AGAINST STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS. Aim The aim of this investigation is to experimentally determine which first aid product and its active ingredients are most effective against Staphylococcus aureus, and to establish how and why the chemical compounds of the active ingredients in each product affected the results. Introduction The idea for this exploration was developed as a result of an experiment and study that were conducted and taught in my medical microbiology class. The specific lesson that caught my interest was focused on the skin flora as well as infection causing bacteria. This, combined with the lab about the effects of specific antibiotics on bacteria as well as my considerable experience with first aid and disaster response skills led me to think about the importance of antibiotics for medication and treatments. I decided that my investigation would concentrate on topical first aid products against the occasionally pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, a member of the skin flora. My choice to pick a ubiquitous bacterium was because I wanted to focus on the more practical implementations of the investigation and could evaluate for myself which first aid product would be most useful in real world applications. Background    This investigation requires background information about the biochemistry or mechanisms of action in specific compounds and the Kirby-Bauer test. These are described below. Kirby-Bauer Test The Kirby-Bauer test or disk diffusion tests allows for scientists to test the antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria. A disk is impregnated with a substance and placed on a petri dish and a zone of inhibition or inhibition zone appears after days or hours after incubation. The inhibition zone represents the area in which the bacteria has stopped growing or has been killed by the antibiotic. The size of the inhibition zone indicates the effectiveness of the antibiotic (the larger the diameter of the zone of inhibition the more effective the substance is). Mechanism of Action in Compounds This investigation focuses on five specific compounds which are active first aid antiseptic or antibiotic ingredients in the products that will be tested. These compounds are: benzalkonium chloride, triclosan, bacitracin zinc, polymyxin B sulfate, and neomycin sulfate. This information will be sectioned into Part A, B, C, D, and E. Part A: Benzalkonium Chloride Benzalkonium chloride is a member of the quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) which are also known as cationic agents/surfactants. Furthermore, quaternary ammonium compounds have positively charged structures. Thus, the cationic zone of benzalkonium chloride disrupts the intermolecular attractions/electrostatic interactions of the negatively charged cell components, destroys the outer membrane, and ultimately kills the pathogen. Part B: Triclosan Triclosan works to inhibit bacterial growth through its mechanomolecular energy. This mechanomolecular energy is as a result of the ether single-bond rotations on the central oxygen atom. Subsequently, the rapid and fluctuating vibratory movements of the bonds in the molecule disrupt bacterial membranes which easily allow the chemical compound to enter the cells membrane. Once triclosan enters the cell membrane, it binds and blocks the active sites of the enoyl-acyl carrier-protein reductase enzyme (ENR) thus preventing the process of fatty acid synthesis. This fatty acid process is critical for building the pathogens cell membrane and its other vital functions necessary for processes like reproduction. Furthermore, at extremely low concentrations, triclosan can develop into a crystalline form by ring stacking, thus interfering with essential enzymes including the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) coenzyme of bacteria. Figure 1: Figure 1 visualizes the two benzene rings and the central oxygen atom in the Triclosan compound. Part C: Bacitracin Zinc Bacitracin has antimicrobial activity primarily because of its ability to bind to divalent metal ions, in this case the Zn ²Ã‚ Ã‚ º cation, resulting in bacitracin zinc. The Zn ²Ã‚ Ã‚ º ion forms a ternary 1:1:1 antibiotic-metal-lipid complex. This means that the divalent metal ion complex can tightly bind to the lipid C‚†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã¢â‚¬ ¦-isoprenyl pyrophosphate molecules of the cell, acting like a bridge between the pyrophosphate and bacitracin zinc. Once the C‚†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã¢â‚¬ ¦-isoprenyl pyrophosphate has been compromised due to its inability to dephosphorylate or remove its phosphate (PO43ˆ’) through the pyrophosphatase enzyme and hydrolysis process, the pyrophosphate can no longer transport lipids into the cell-wall. Subsequently, this inhibits the process of cell-wall synthesis and results in the weakening of the cell wall and ultimately leads to bacterial death. Part D: Polymyxin B Sulfate The mechanism of action of polymyxin B sulfate is similar to that of benzalkonium chloride, in that it is also classified as a cationic surfactant. Therefore, like benzalkonium chloride, polymyxin B sulfate alters the external membrane of bacterial cells. Additionally, because of its positively charged amino group in the cyclic peptide region in the compound, it has an electrostatic attraction for the negatively charged lipopolysaccharide layer of bacterial cells and binds to these specific sites. Once these sites have been compromised, the outer membrane of the bacterial cell becomes destabilized and weakened. Figure 2: Figure 2 visualizes the amino group and cyclic peptide region of polymyxin B sulfate which is the primary mechanism of antimicrobial action within the compound. Part E: Neomycin Sulfate Neomycin sulfate is classified as an aminoglycoside antibiotic which means it has an amino group (-NH‚‚) attached to derivatives of sugar called glycosides. Aminoglycosides are highly positive in charge due to the presence of amino groups and have a high electrostatic attraction for the negatively charged outer surface of bacteria. This electrostatic interaction disrupts the membrane of the bacteria due to the displacement of Mg ²Ã‚ Ã‚ º and Ca ²Ã‚ Ã‚ º bridges and creates temporary openings in the bacterial cell membrane. Subsequently, this process causes intracellular content leakage and further increases the antibiotic intake in the bacteria. Additionally, rRNA molecules of bacteria are highly negative in charge because of the presence of phosphate groups. This negative charge has an electrostatic attraction with the positively charged antibiotic and allows the aminoglycoside to easily bind to the rRNA of the bacteria and thereafter inhibits the process of protei n synthesis leading to bacterial cell death. Prediction The initial prediction is that NEOSPORIN ® Original Ointment will be the most effective compared to Bactine Spray and CVS Health Instant First Aid Spray because it is a triple antibiotic and has a greater variety of active ingredients that can kill bacteria. Experimental Procedure and Methodology Variables The independent variables for this experiment are the different first aid products because each product should influence the dependent variable (diameter of inhibition zone). The dependent variable is the size of the inhibition zones because the length depends on what first aid product is used. The controls of the investigation are the incubation time, petri dish, Staphylococcus aureus, method of inoculation, the incubator, and the amount of each drug because they are variables that are kept constant throughout each trial and for each product tested. It is important to maintain the controls throughout all trials so that measurements can be as consistent as possible. Safety and Environmental Ethics It is important to keep in mind the risks and safety precautions before attempting this experiment. These risks include residual bacterial contamination on the skin and burning. It is highly advised to wear gloves or rubber insulator gloves when needed and to wash hands frequently throughout the experiment. Additionally, an environmental ethical consideration must be taken in account because experimenting with antibacterial products can contribute to antibacterial resistance. However, the effects would be negligible due to the small scale size of the experiment. Materials 125 ml of Agar Absorbent bibulous paper Hole puncher Sharpie Ruler (with millimeters) Gloves 12 Petri dishes Incubator @34  °C; set at 4.5 12 strips of Parafilm Forceps Tweezers Large beaker Hot plate Rubber insulator gloves Bunsen burner Strikers Inoculating loop Staphylococcus aureus NEOSPORIN ® Original Ointment Bactine Spray CVS Health Instant First Aid Spray Procedure Heat up 125 ml of agar in a beaker filled with water on a hotplate and wait until the agar is clear all the way through. Use forceps and rubber insulator gloves to remove the agar out of the beaker. Pour about the same amount of agar in each petri dish and wait until the agar sets (5-10 minutes). Use isolated Staphylococcus aureus and a heated and then cooled inoculating loop to carefully swab the culture into the 12 petri dishes. Make sure to go in a zigzag motion and cover all areas. Label each petri dish #1-#3: NEOSPORIN ® Original Ointment #4-#6: Bactine Spray #7-#9: CVS Health Instant First Aid Spray #10-#12: Control Punch at least 12 holes into absorbent bibulous paper. Soak the disks with each of the drug solutions. Use tweezers that have been heated up and cooled down with water to minimize bacterial contamination. Additionally, each time a different product is being impregnated into the disks, reheat and cool the tweezers to minimize cross-product contamination. Place three disks containing NEOSPORIN ® Original Ointment in petri dishes #1, #2, and #3. Place three disks containing Bactine Spray in petri dishes #4, #5, #6. Place three disks containing CVS Health Instant First Aid Spray in petri dishes #7, #8, #9. Leave the remaining three petri dishes with no disks in order to show that the petri dishes have pure cultures of Staphylococcus aureus. Use parafilm to seal all the petri dishes. Flip over all petri dishes and place in incubator at 34  °C on the 4.5 setting (the optimal temperature and conditions for bacterial growth) Measure the diameter of the inhibition zones (including the disk) 48 hours post inoculation with a ruler (in mm) and record data. Repeat all steps for Trial 2 and Trial 3 making sure all conditions are maintained. Results Product Name Table 1: Recorded Length of Inhibition Zones on Staphylococcus aureusà ¡Ã‚ µÃ†â€™ Trial 1  ± 0.5 mm Trial 2  ± 0.5 mm Trial 3  ± 0.5 mm Mean  ± 0.5 mmà ¡Ã‚ µÃ¢â‚¬ ¡ NEOSPORIN ® Original Ointment 14.0 17.0 16.0 15.4 14.0 16.0 18.0 12.0 16.0 16.0 Bactine Spray 12.0 16.0 18.0 16.3 16.0 17.0 18.0 16.0 14.0 20.0 CVS Health Instant First Aid Spray 7.0 0.0 8.0 5.2 0.0 8.0 8.0 0.0 7.0 9.0 a- Diameter of zone of inhibition (mm) including disk diameter of 6mm b- Average diameter of inhibition zone after 3 trials for each product *The values that were found to have 0.0mm were petri dishes that had no zone of inhibition *Controls were not included as they only served to show that the petri dishes had pure samples of Staphylococcus aureus and are irrelevant to be included in the processed data Conclusion and Evaluation The objective of the experiment was to investigate the effectiveness of the active chemical ingredients in topical first aid treatments against Staphylococcus aureus. The initial aims of the investigation have been reached. The results of the experiment have suggested that Bactine Spray is the most effective against Staphylococcus aureus followed by NEOSPORIN ® Original Ointment then CVS Health Instant First Aid Spray. Thus, the initial prediction was incorrect. Bactine Spray contained 0.13% of benzalkonium chloride and in this investigation had an average length of 16.3 mm for its zone of inhibition (Table 1). According to a study done by Ali Fazlara (a member of the Department of Food Hygiene at Shahid Chamran University) and Maryam Ekhtelat (a researcher at Shahid Chamran University in the Department of Microbiology) found that because Staphylococcus aureus has a highly negative charge on its cell wall due to its slight anionic teichoic acids and peptidoglycan molecules, it allows for the cationic benzalkonium chloride to bind easily to specficically Staphylococcus aureus cell wall and thus block the active sites for essential enzymes to undergo their normal biochemical reactions for the bacterial cell. Therefore, benzalkonium chloride should theoretically be highly effective against Staphylococcus aureus. The data collected seems to support this and underpins the known fact that benzalkonium chloride is bacteriostatic (a chemical agent t hat stops bacteria from reproducing) at low concentrations. The investigation also suggests that NEOSPORIN ® Original Ointment was the second most effective against Staphylococcus aureus compared with the Bactine Spray and CVS Health Instant First Aid Spray. The active ingredients within this first aid product are bacitracin zinc (400 units), neomycin sulfate (3.5mg), and polymyxin B sulfate (5,000 units). NEOSPORIN ® Original Ointment resulted in an average zone of inhibition diameter of 15.4 mm, as shown in Table 1. The possible reason for why NEOSPORIN ® Original Ointment was not as effective against Staphylococcus aureus in this investigation is because of antibacterial resistance to some or all of the active ingredients by the bacteria. Studies have proposed that the isolate primarily found in the United States called USA300 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), has been increasingly discovered to have been resistant to neomycin sulfate, bacitracin zinc, and polymyxin B sulfate. In this investigation, it can be suggested that CVS Health Instant First Aid Spray, with a concentration of 0.13% of triclosan was the least effective against Staphylococcus aureus. It resulted in an average zone of inhibition diameter of 5.2 mm according to Table 1. A possible conclusion that can be reached based on the results is the increasingly proven theory that Staphylococcus aureus has a progressively high antimicrobial resistance to triclosan. This is due in part because triclosan was the most common active ingredient in over the counter (OTC) products, which contributed greatly to Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial resistance. As a matter of fact, the FDA banned triclosan on consumer antibacterial wash products because of the health related risks from bacterial resistance. However, some products still use triclosan because it banned to be used in soaps. These conclusions are incomplete and require improvements in order to thoroughly and further confirm the results and achieve consistent values. The addition of more trials would further eliminate any systematic errors that may have occurred such as error when impregnating disks with the products or cross-product contamination. Any instances of random error can be best alleviated by the use of a Vernier calliper (a measuring instrument that is used for measuring diameters) instead of a ruler. The use of a calliper to measure would contribute to higher precision and less measurement uncertainty. Extending the investigation to other normal bacterial skin flora would be interesting to see the extent of the effectiveness of Bactine Spray, NEOSPORIN ® Original Ointment, and CVS Health Instant First Aid Spray on different bacteria. Works Cited   Ã‚   Chittapragada, Maruthi, and Sarah Roberts. Aminoglycosides: Molecular Insights on the Recognition of RNA and Aminoglycoside Mimics. Perspectives in Medicinal Chemistry, 2009. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2754922/. Accessed 15 Feb. 2017. Economou, Nicoleta J., et al. High-resolution crystal structure reveals molecular details of target recognition by bacitracin. 2013. www.pnas.org/content/110/35/14207.full.pdf. Accessed 13 Feb. 2017. Fazlara, Ali, and Maryam Ekhtelat. The Disinfectant Effects of Benzalkonium Chloride on Some Important Foodborne Pathogens. IDOSI, 2012. www.idosi.org/aejaes/jaes12(1)12/4.pdf. Accessed 16 Feb. 2017. Federal Drug Administration. FDA Issues Final Rule on Safety and Effectiveness of Antibacterial Soaps. U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page, 2 Sept. 2016, www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm517478.htm. Accessed 16 Feb. 2017. Kaya, Deniz. Quarternary Ammonium Compounds. 21 Jan. 2010, Accessed 9 Feb. 2017. Kling, Jim. Antibiotic Ointments May Fuel Resistance and Spread of MRSA. Medscape, 14 Sept. 2011, www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749666. Accessed 16 Feb. 2017. Maxka, Jim. Organic Chemistry Interactive Notes. Organic Chemistry, North Arizona University. Arizona. Reading. McDonnell, Gerald, and A. D. Russell. Antiseptics and Disinfectants: Activity, Action, and Resistance. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 1999. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC88911/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2017. Petersen, Richard C. Triclosan Antimicrobial Polymers. HHS Public Access, 2016. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4893770/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2017. . Triclosan Computational Conformational Chemistry Analysis ForAntimicrobial Properties in Polymers. HHS Public Access, 2015. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4394635/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2017. Polymxyin B Sulfate. Digital Photograph. Accessed 13 Feb. 2017. Pub Chem. Aerosporin | C56H100N16O17S PubChem. The PubChem Project, pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Polymyxin_B_sulfate#section=Related-Compounds. Accessed 13 Feb. 2017. Ramin Khajavi, Morteza Sattari and Ali Ashjaran, 2007. The Antimicrobial Effect of Benzalkonium Chloride on Some Pathogenic Microbes Observed on Fibers of Acrylic Carpet. Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, 10: 598-601. Stone, K. J., and Jack L. Strominger. Mechanism of Action of Bacitracin: Complexation with Metal Ion and C55-Isoprenyl Pyrophosphate. 1971. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC389626/pdf/pnas00087-0326.pdf. Accessed 12 Feb. 2017. Tay, William M., et al. 1H NMR, Mechanism, and Mononuclear Oxidative Activity ofthe Antibiotic Metallopeptide Bacitracin: The Role of D-Glu-4,Interaction with Pyrophosphate Moiety, DNA Binding andCleavage, and Bioactivity. JACS Articles, 2010. Accessed 13 Feb. 2017. Unblok Bio Solutions. Ammonium. Unblok Bio-Fix, unblok.co/ammonium/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2017.

Video game addiction

Video game addiction Video Games; is it really an Addiction? There are many addictions out there among us in the world and each addiction has been known to cause problems. The definition of addiction can be many things, but in this particular research paper I am going to discuss Video game Addictions. Specifically World of Warcraft gaming addictions and what this addiction does to the gamers life. Such as not socializing outside of the game and also people who let this addiction get so bad that it interferes with relationships and even their marriages. Video game addiction is an excessive use of computer video games in which one lets the addiction interfere with normal daily life. In this research paper I will use my own experiences along with facts of this addiction and what the effects on real life of a World of Warcraft player. I will also have a one on one interview with someone I believe to be a World of Warcraft addict. The Culprit WOW (World of Warcraft) is a (MMORPG) or Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Millions of people from all over the world play together and create groups and quest thru the game to get the best gear and to just be the best in game. This game is setup with monthly subscription fees whether you play or not you get billed. WOW also has a game card system which allows gamers to buy time in advance. The only downfall to this is you pay you play otherwise money is being wasted when youre not playing Many gamers continually play and play to keep up with their online friends and when I say keep up I am referring to levels of ones character or achievements in-game. The dazzling effects of the water look so real and graphical details of terrain and characters are magnificent. Gamers do not want to be left behind; I know I never wanted to be left behind. I played for hours on end trying to keep up with everyone and eventually I realized this has to end. Problems were on the horizon and I seen them coming. I can write even more about why people are drawn to play WOW for hours on end but I want to know how this addiction is affecting their lives outside of WOW. Who is Addicted? I have read many articles on this particular topic and find that this is not only common with young youth but also with adults. Gender is also not an issue. Do people realize they are spending too much time involved in a fantasy world? Do people who play see no problems at all? Its all about self control and setting priorities first, but unfortunately gamers usually do not have anything prioritized. While over time this excessive misuse can lead to bigger problems down the road. Also keep in mind that World of Warcraft has 11,000,000 million monthly subscribers that pay to play this game as much as they can. Most people believe that its normal for kids to play video games, but not all day every day. Excessive gaming in kids can lead to many social problems from disobedience with parents to kids actually withdrawing themselves with the real world to play in a fantasy one. Adults are also addicts when it comes to video games. Their ages range from 18-50 years old who actively play this game on a daily basis, while older players keep their video gaming a secret from others. Why do people get addicted? There are many, many articles and journals on this particular topic that talk about WOW addicts and there consequences. What I fail to see in my research are questions such as: Why are people addicted to these games? Is it really an addiction? Is it because real life is somewhat stressful and playing this game places one in a fantasy world free of stress? Or do people play to just pass the time? When I played, I did feel less stressful in-game. I sometimes felt like I was a completely different person, someone who I wanted to be fictitiously. Maybe there are others out there that feel the same way as I once did. Many will agree that its the thrill of the game or the next big raid where forty online players will battle a boss all at the same time with strategic force. One theory of addictions says Turner (2008) is that people become addicted to things/activities that are either positively reinforcing (receive rewards) or negatively reinforcing (escape from something aversive). Video games offer the potential for both. Woods (2008) study said people identified as having a video game addiction often use the games to cope with stress. However, using games to relax and escape from reality is not necessarily a problem. If people choose to play video games instead of dealing with problems or responsibilities, this is a symptom of their problems, not a cause. There are many other reasons why people reach for the fantasy world. Children and teens that play excessively have social problems and cannot seem to communicate with their peers. Some even get bullied in school. So in turn go home and play this game where no one bullies them and makes socializing easier when its not face to face communication. This may not be true for most youth but the ones that are addicted use it as an escape. Maybe people get addicted just because they want to play. The consequences of this addiction Adults also have been known to become addicted to WOW with serious consequences. Yes the game is fun to play but the fact of the matter is adults have responsibilities such as work, their relationship with their spouse and kids. People spend up to 16 hours a day if not more playing this online game knowing that there is school or work tomorrow. There also was a kid that played 36 hours straight and collapsed from dehydration that I read awhile back online. Marriages have ended due to this addiction. Spouses who devote their entire extra spare time playing WOW in the mean time the other spouse is feeling neglected. The WOW player is so involved within the game that he/she does not realize how bad this addiction is getting. Why does it come down to this? Are video game addictions like another form of narcotics such as crack? Can one be rehabilitated and be able to live a normal life in the real world instead of a fantasy one. Addiction rehabilitation There are many self help programs out there for people who feel that they cannot control this obsessive behavior over video games. Sven Rollenhagen (2009) said There is no known medical diagnosis of conditions brought on by excessive game-playing, but it is clear they have a very powerful addictive hold over many people who use them. Many psychologists do not believe that video game addictions are real but then again some do. There need to be more studies done on this topic. Griffiths (2008) said the fact that several studies overestimate the prevalence of video game addiction does not mean that it does not exist. There are also groups of psychologist willing to go as far as playing WOW to see its addictive traits first hand to get a better grasp on the matter. This means they become the gamer who is addicted to understand more fully what goes on in the minds of addicts. Interview with a gamer I setup an interview with an associate of mine to get a few answers and opinions on his addiction to World of Warcraft. His name is Matt and works everyday as head chef for a fine Restaurant. Matt said I play World of Warcraft whenever I am not working, it is something to do. I mentioned to him that many people spend hours playing the game to be the best knowing that there are priorities to be done. How do you handle these priorities? Matt said without hesitation, What priorities? I work and I play need I do anymore? Then I went on to ask what about relationships, dating of the sort. Matt declined to answer my question other than to say She left me a long time ago and I am happy without her (M. Walzcak, personal communication, November 11, 2009). These are the things happening to many people around the world not just Matt. The game takes over in their minds speaking for them, not knowing that this may affect things later on. Just small signs of whats to come for Matt. Or maybe he will realize that priorities and relationships whether their your friends or spouse should come first and foremost considering the game will still be there and your friends may not. We find out that there may be many different reasons why these games can be addictive. Some would play to pass time while others play it because it is all they think about, even though there excessive play time is ruining marriages, relationships and friendships along with their jobs. Is there hope for an video game addict, many say yes while others disagree entirely saying it is not a mental disorder in need of treatment. Wood (2008) said it is concluded that the most likely reasons that people play video games excessively are due to either ineffective time management skills, or as a symptomatic response to other underlying problems that they are escaping from, rather than any inherent addictive properties of the actual games. In conclusion, I feel this answers most of the questions we have been pondering on throughout this paper. I may have not got all the info needed to perform an in-depth analysis but this is definitely a great start. The more I research the more I figure out why I am sometimes addicted to the newest game out there and so to for others. References Griffiths, M. (2008). Video game addiction: Further thoughts and observations. International Journal of Mental Health Addiction, 6, 182 185. R, Sven. (2009, February 27). World of Warcraft more addictive then cocaine. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/4863325/World-of-Warcraft-more-addictive-than-cocaine.html Turner, N. (2008). A comment on Problems with the concept of video game addiction: Some case study examples. International Journal of Mental Health Addiction, 6, 186 190. Wood, R. (2008). Problems with the concept of video game addiction: Some case study examples. International Journal of Mental Health Addiction, 6, 169 178.

Physics of Fencing :: sport physics fencing sword fighting

Before I begin my discussion about how physics effects fencing and how fencers use physics for more effective fencing, I will briefly discuss the origins of the sport of fencing. The first two fencing manuals were created and published in 1471and 1474. These emerged from an attempt at developing a system to teach people how to weild a light sword more effectively inbattle and duels in Frankfurt, Germany. Over the years, two distinct styles emerge. They were French and Italian. The french style relied mostly on strategy while Itialian used mostly physical strenght(Roswell). The first foils emerged during the seventeenth century for a more effective way of teaching students the "art" of dueling. In the eighteenth century, the rules were created for fencing as a sport. It is from these rules that today's rules for fencing were created(Roswell) In fencing there are three types of weapons that are taught. They are the epee, foil, and sabre. For the sake of this paper, the weapon being demonstrated is foil and the style is modern Italian. So without further ado.... Let us begin our discussion of physics with basic moves, and then move on to more advanced moves in fencing. Basic Fencing To begin with, we will discuss the effects of gravity on the body in the regular or "on garde" stance., and what forces are used during the "thrust" and the "lunge". On Garde Look at a picture of what a fencer looks like in the "on garde" position. As you can see, the larger arrow shows the pull of gravity. The smaller arrows show where gravity is pulling the limbs. Red being for the legs and yellow for the arms. Lunge Next, we will discuss the lunge. Below you will see two more images. First it is from the thrust position. Then the next image shows the lunge position. The lunge picture shows the forward momentum in the blue arrow. As in the previous pictures, the same colors are used for the same gravity applications, but the major difference is the effects of gravity on the legs. In this position, the effects of gravity are more severe because the legs are again further from the center mass of the body and therefore, more of the force of gravity is "pushing down" on the legs. So that will conclude the discussion of basic stances and physics of them. Next, we will discuss the more advanced moves and how fencers use physics to their advantage with them.

Sunset Blvd. Essay -- essays research papers

The Thematic Intentions of Sunset Boulevard   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The film Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder and staring the main characters of Norma Desmond, Joe Gillis, and Max Von Mayerling is ideal example of how important film making techniques help depict a movie’s core theme intentions with vivid clarity. Classic Hollywood is the first thing that comes to mind when one speaks about this film’s style. This signature category combined with the visual style of realism and it’s continuity editing; detailed mise-en-scene and all of its characteristics; and lastly the use of reoccurring motifs with formalistic qualities make the audience grasp the central theme of just how vicious the actual motion industry can be to the individuals that keep its alive. I hope to convey all of this through a detailed explanation involving and about specific scenes included in the film and a direct tie-in of how the precise attributes above play such an important role in expressing that theme. The first scene that will be analyzed is that of opening credits and just how exactly this begins to set the stage for the main theme. In the very first frame, which also becomes the establishing shot, we come to a high angle shot that is zoomed in close on the words â€Å"Sunset Blvd† painted on a street curb as the image is also flooded with dramatic nondiegetic music. This becomes very important because the curb is also the gutter. Here, not even ten seconds into the movie, do we get our first glimpse of what the film is about; the mise-en-scene here involving a symbolic visual correlation to the central theme an this gutter frame is depicted through this entire establishing shot. Along with this we get more connection through the voice over actually describing, in an almost a sarcastic manner which should not be the case at all, about a murder on this high class, high status block. It’s almost as if this is a clear depiction of the true chaos tied in with how this H ollywood life can and will be to the people involved with it. As the film zooms out to a long shot of Sunset, we see the police brigade come and wiz by through a very quick pan shot. The next thing is a cross cut to the actual mansion where more commotion is viewed at an obvious murder scene. Bottom line is that the mise-en-scene involved here does an excellent job setting up the movie’s thematic intentions.... ... truly thinks is going to be another film. The whole scene in its’ entirety depicts that once again the â€Å"dream† can be destroyed just as her life has done the same. The final integration of this motif comes in the very last frame as the movie fades out; only this is not a normal fade out. Instead Wilder chooses to blur the fade into an eerie white, which gives us a sense that the dream is now finally over. In conclusion I hoped to have demonstrated just how the all the specific film making techniques used throughout the film help to define the central theme as it is intertwined with the action. As I have conveyed, realism is just one of the very important aspects that help the production of this film come to the close of its’ solid final cut. I think that this being the ultimate visual style of the picture it is what made this movie so great. It got the point across and it definitely had an influence on the way films were shot after it. In a way, it becomes sort of ironic. A film created in Hollywood that molds a horrid model of how messed up its own surroundings can be, actually end up shaping the industry it finds itself in. That in my opinion is, in itself, supreme filmmaking.

AIDS & progres

Although progress has been in treating HIV infection and AIDS, the epidemic remains a critical public health issue in all communities across the country and around the world.Prevention, early detection, and ongoing treatment remain important aspects of care for people with HIV infections and AIDS.Nurses in all settings encounter people with this disease; thus, nurses need an understanding of the disorder, knowledge of the physical and psychological consequences associated with the diagnosis, and expert assessment and clinical management skills to provide optimal care for people with HIV infection and AIDS.In 1987, just 6 years after the first cases of AIDS were reported, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first antiretroviral agent; in 1988nthe first randomized controlled trial of primary prophylaxis of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia appeared in the literature; and in 1995 protease inhibitors joined the growing number of antiretroviral agents.Improved treatment of HIV and AIDS has resulted in increased survival times; in 1996, 1997, and 1998, age-adjusted death rates fell 29%, 48%, and 21%, respectively.II. BackgroundSince acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized more than 20 years ago, remarkable progress has been made in improving the quality and duration of life of persons with HIV infection.During the first decade, this progress was associated with recognition of opportunistic disease processes, more effective therapy for complications, and introduction of prophylaxis against common opportunistic infections (OIs).The second decade has witnessed progress in developing highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) as well as continuing progress in treating OIs (Letvin, Bloom & Hoffman, 2001).Since the HIV serologic test (enzyme immunoassay [EIA], formerly enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ALISHA], became available in 1984, allowing early diagnosis of the infection before onset of symptoms, HIV infection has been b est managed as a chronic disease   and most appropriately managed in an outpatient care setting (Gallant, 2001).A. EpidemiologyIn fall 1982, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a case definition of AIDS after the first 100 cases were reported. Since then, the CDC has revised the case definition a number of times (1985, 1987, and 1993).All 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. dependencies and possessions, and independent nations in free association with the United States report AIDS cases to the CDC using a uniform surveillance case definition and case report from (CDC, 2002).Starting in the late 1990s, more states started to implement HIV case reporting in response to the changing epidemic and the need for information on persons with HIV infection who have not developed AIDS.As of December 2001, there were 816,149 reported cases of HIV/AIDS and 506, 154 adults, adolescents, and children in the United States (including U.S. dependencies, possession, and associated nations) living with AIDS. Unprotected sex and sharing of injection drug use equipment are the major means of transmission of HIV.A total of 43, 158 AIDS cases were diagnosed in 2001. For men diagnosed with AIDS during 2001, 59% were in the exposure category of men who have sex with men; 24% in injection drug use; and 7% in heterosexual contact.In women diagnosed with AIDS during that same period, 44% reported injection drug use and 52% reported heterosexual contact. Comparing race/ethnicity amount the three largest groups diagnosed in 2001, 20,752 were black, not Hispanics (CDC, 2002).The number of people living with AIDS is not evenly distributed throughout the United States. States with the largest number of reported AIDS cases during 2001 were New York (7,476), Florida (5,138), California (4,315), Texas (2,892), and Maryland (1,860) (CDC, 2002).AIDS has reached epidemic proportions in some other parts of the world. According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV /AIDS, more than 18.3 million people worldwide have died of AIDS and 34.3 million people are infected with HIV, with 5.4 million people newly infected with HIV in 1999 alone (Letvin, Bloom & Hoffman, 2001).UNAIDS (2001) reports that since the epidemic began, more than 60 million people have been infected with the virus, making it the most devastating disease ever.The earliest confirmed case of HIV infection was found in blood drawn from an African man in 1959 (Stephenson, 2003). Although factors associated with the spread of HIV in Africa in the 1960s; however, social changes such as easier access to transportation, increasing population density, and more frequent sexual contacts may have been more important (Stephenson 2003).III. DiscussionA. SymptomsTreatment of specific manifestations of HIV infection and AIDS in the person with advanced disease targets symptoms. Patients with HIV/AIDS experience a number of symptoms related to the disease as well as the effects of treatment. Som e of the vivid symptoms are as follows:Respiratory Manifestation. Shortness of breath, dyspnea (labored breathing), cough, chest pain, and fever associated with various OIs, such as those caused by Pneumocystis carinii, Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare, CMV, and Legionella species.The most common infection in people with AIDS is Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), one of the first OIs described in association with AIDS.PCP. PCP is the most common OIs resulting in an AIDS diagnosis. Without prophylactic therapy, PCP will develop in 80% of all HIV-infected individuals. P. carinii was originally classified as a protozoan; however, studies and analysis of its ribosomal RNA structure suggest that it is a fungus.Its structure and antimicrobial sensitivity are very different from other disease-causing fungi. P. carinii causes disease only in immunocompromised hosts, invading and proliferating within the pulmonary alveoli with resultant consolidation of the pulmonary parenchyma.

Harivansh Rai Bachan Essay

Harivanshrai Srivastav (November 27, 1907 – January 18, 2003) was a Hindi poet. He born in an ordinary Kayasth family in a small town near Allahabad. He was called â€Å"bachchan† at home, which means â€Å"child.† He received his formal schooling in a municipal school and attended Kayasth Paathshaalas to learn Urdu, which was the family tradition so as to help getting jobs in court. He completed his later education both at the Allahabad University and Banaras Hindu University. Since he gave up his university education to participate in the great upsurge of nationalism that began in 1930. Realizing that this was not the path he wanted to follow, he went back to university. However from 1941 to 1952 he taught in the English Department at the Allahabad University and after that he spent the next two years at Cambridge University doing his doctoral thesis on W.B. Yeats. It was then, that he used ‘Bachchan’ as his last name instead of Srivasta. Harivanshrai’s thesis got him his PhD at Cambridge. He however is the second Indian to get his doctorate in English literature from Cambridge. After returning to India he again took to teaching and also served at All India Radio, Allahabad. In 1955, Harivanshrai shifted to Delhi to join the External Affairs Ministry as an officer on Special duty and during the period of 10 years that he served he was also associated with the evolution of Hindi as the official language. He also enriched Hindi through his translations of major writings. As a poet is famous for his poem Madhushala (a bar selling alcoholic drinks). Besides Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat, he will also be remembered for his Hindi translations of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Othello and also the Bhagvad Gita. However in Nov 1984 he wrote his last poem ‘Ek November1984’ on Indira Gandhi’s assassination. He got married to Shyama his first wife in 1926. She was just 14 yrs old. But she died 10 yrs later after suffering from a long spell of TB. Shortly after her death Harivanshrai married Teji Suri in 1942. The birth of his two sons Amitabh and Ajitabh changed the course of his life as his days of hardship ended when both his sons did extremely well in their careers – Amitabh became a superstar and a multi billionaire and Ajitab turned out to be a successful business magnate in England. Harivanshrai was nominated to the Indian Rajya Sabha in 1966 and received the Sahitya Akademi award three years later. In 1976 he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his immense contribution to Hindi literature. He was also honoured with the Saraswati Samman, the Sovietland Nehru Award and the Lotus Award of the Afro-Asian writers’ conference, for his unique contribution to the world of letters. But if ever asked to introduce himself, he had a simple introduction: Mitti ka tan, masti ka man, kshan-bhar jivan — mera parichay. (A body of clay, a mind full of play, a moment’s life – that is me.). Dr. Harivanshrai Bachchan’ passed away on January 18, 2003, Dr Bachchan was 94 years old and had been suffering from serious respiratory ailments.