The Sea Wolf free essay sample

An analysis of this story by Jack London, focusing on how the characters depict true human nature. This paper introduces and discusses the story Sea Wolf by Jack London. Specifically, it looks at what views of human nature are expressed in the novel, and how the main characters justify their beliefs about human nature and behavior. The Sea Wolf is one of Jack Londons most famous books, and one of the first of over 50 books he would write. In this novel, he gives the reader a glimpse at the many sides of human nature, from the cruelty and heartlessness of the captain, to the naivete and kindness of the main character, Humphrey Van Weyden, called Hump by the captain and crew. He is a gentleman in the middle of some of the most crass and unappealing people he has ever met.

Article # 7 (due 11-2) Example

Article # 7 (due 11 Article # 7 (due 11 Health Care Financial Management: Reporting Practices and Ethics al affiliation Health Care Financial Management: Reporting Practices and EthicsReporting practices in an organization account for the highest percentage of the safety of finances for health care providers. Reporting of ethics and practices ensures that the finances received from patients go through the right channel and get into best use. According to Marvin (2012) health care organizations should pay attention to the accounting practices and show adherence to the financial management procedures.Reporting practices in an organization ensure that, with the continuing rise in the costs of health care, the management can manage the budgets rather than leaving the task to consumers particularly patients. According to the study works of Marvin (2012) the services that health care providers offer and the criteria of payment for these services affect the operations of the organization, whereby, if the ethics are not in conside ration, massive losses.The health care providers should ensure that the financial environment of the organization is conducive by providing the best health care facilities. The facilities include a superb information system for the recording of information. This ensures that all information is in one concrete data base and patient information is not at risk of getting in the wrong hands.Impact on the health care organization and its financial operationsAccording to Marvin (2012), maintaining a proficient reporting practice has a positive implication on the final financial records of the organization. This is to ensure that the financial management of health care providers is efficient to reduce the losses that accrue due to poor reporting practices. To maintain the safety of the financial records, the management to maintain a robust reporting system.ReferenceMarvin, D. (2012, August 6). Health Care Financial Management: Reporting Practices and Ethics. Modern physician, 20-21.

Foundation S N Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Foundation S N - Essay Example Eating and drinking are integral parts of human existence, and this is a very important part of activities of daily living in Roper et als model of living. I was given to understand that as a nurse, I have a primary role within the multidisciplinary team to ensure that my patient receive food, fluids, and adequate nutrition when he is under my care. My plan also involved educating him regarding a healthy diet (Mentes, Chang, and Morris, 2006, 392-406). This patient had difficulty in eating and drinking due to stroke and resultant paralysis. Being fully aware that it was primarily my responsibility to feed him and ensure that he meets his nutritional requirements, I first assessed his clinical situation (Fowles and Feucht, 2004, 429-433). Assistance would be necessary, but my goal would be to set a goal of achieving independence in terms of eating and drinking. I knew that the thought of having to be fed is a threat to the patients individual integrity and self-esteem. Similar feelings were happening in the patient, and I demonstrated considerable care and sensitivity to handle the whole affair of feeding and drinking and made every effort to minimise the negative aspects (Wilson, 2006, 413-416). Before preparing and serving the meal, this patient was offered a bedpan followed by facilities for hand washing. Eating would have been easier if the patient could have been able to sit out of bed, but this was next to impossible in this case, since he was bedfast and had no balance to maintain a straight posture. As a result, support was arranged to make him sit upright on the bed, and a suitable table was arranged and placed in front of him where the food and drink can be kept. This would allow him to see his food and indicate preferences. I offered the patient also the opportunity to clean his teeth and use a mouthwash. To ensure a relaxed social atmosphere, I sat at the same level as him. Prior to this, I identified

Social Justice in the Holy War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Justice in the Holy War - Essay Example The same asserts as written in the Qur’an that it is the duty of all believers to engage in this war â€Å"with their goods and lives† for they will be rewarded if slain in the process (K. 3:157-158, 169-172); while those who do not participate in this endeavour shall expect relentless retribution at their doors (K. 9:81-82, 48:16). Regrettably, thousands of innocent civilians form part of the catastrophe with every assault; worse, it is not adequately rationalized how such injustice can be irreproachable. This lifelong discord between Muslims and the Western religions is in reference to their separate views on social justice. While most democratic countries do not interfere in the spiritual practices by legitimate organizations, they avow to implement essential measures should peace and order is compromised. Muslims are directed to stand against the enemy of the church and to readily use force when called for by the situation. Quite the opposite, the Western government and its constituents employ due process of law—conscientious deliberations are carried out before war is declared, and death sentence through electrocution, gas chamber, or lethal injection is conceded. Jihad entails exerting the maximum potential to attain a goal that is purely dedicated for God’s cause. One who is devoted to this cause is compelled to use all physical, intellectual, financial, economic, and spiritual capacities to service it; employs whatever force he or she can when confronting that which blocks his or her way; and when necessary dies for it (Jonsson 511). In other words, the cause justifies the means; that regardless of the consequence, the exercise of jihad is all that counts. Life itself is of lesser importance, and to live a life free of violence has no bearing at all. "The fruits of the greater jihad are the conviction that the individual sacrifices himself and his material well-being and must bear martyrdom for the purpose of confronting the enemy, in the way of God† (Hamzeh 37). Then again, the Muslims are encouraged to fight against seduction, superstition, wrong belief, carnal desire, and evil inclinations in the quest of intellectual and spiritual enlightenment (Jonsson 513). This notion of the greater jihad is a battle against oneself—to place â€Å"one’s power and faculties under the yoke of Allah’s commands and purging the domain of one’s body of satanic elements and their forces† (Hamzeh 36). To denounce evil in an effort to purify the body and soul is an exceptional Islamic doctrine that is in harmony with that of the other religions; yet, evil is another element that the former gives distinct connotations to. While the notorious Osama bin Laden, founder of the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda, bluntly refers to the Americans as abomination, those that suppose otherwise denies him the right to call himself a Muslim. In the Quran, two basic words, 'Adl and Qist, broadly t ranslates as justice. Adl in Islam means a balanced approach to all things, including life. Therefore, Adl also pertains to a person who is â€Å"morally, behaviorally, and spiritually balanced† (Barazangi, et al 19). Qust, on the other hand, refers to the way in which Muslims deal with one another, and God deals with us. Qist essentially concerns human social interaction, if we use the term to include both God and humans in this interchange. It includes the notion of fairness in dealing with others (Barazangi, et al 19). Authors Capeheart and Milovanovic propose that social justice is concerned not in the narrow focus of what is just for the individual alone, but what is just for the social whole. Given the current global condition, social justice must include an understanding

Causal Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Causal Argument - Essay Example In the course of the ruling, the regulation was improved to permit States to opt-out of growing admission to Medicaid (Troy 30-32). The law necessitated all American citizens to have a health insurance plan by 2014 with an option of paying a month fee for every month short of minimum necessary coverage. The health plan was shared responsibility, which was unofficial to individual’s mandate. Supreme Court administrated it to be a tax plan but rather not a mandate by ruling June 28, 2012 (Troy 30-33). The healthcare law does not alter the approach to which insurance is obtained, since people can still purchase private insurance, acquire employer-established insurance, and acquire healthcare insurance plan via government programs like Medicaid or Medicare. However, the Obama Care only adds new ways of purchasing the insurance cover and plans. According to the law, insurance can only be purchased through state health insurance marketplaces where the insured obtain cost assistance and acquire apples-to-apples evaluations of plans (Hollander 1). According to the law, each insurance cover categories have their open enrollment times, consequently making certain categories of insurance plan to be purchased only during specific period of the year (Hollander 1). The Health Care Act is a problem to some quotas of the Americans who view it as expensive while others view is at cheaper. It necessitates all American citizens to buy a private health care insurance plan, get immunity or remit a tax fine on their end year taxes. According to the law, citizens who are unable to afford health insurance cost either qualify for Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP or acquire support in the formula of tax credits or support with the up-front costs via their State’s Health Insurance Exchange Marketplace (Wear 17-20). Those who cannot afford even after assistance especially when the insurance cost is more than 8 percent of their families

Properties of Cartilage Tissue

Properties of Cartilage Tissue Chapter 1 1.1 Introduction Joint cartilage is highly sophisticated and has been optimised by evolution. There have been considerable research interests related to the cartilage cells, chondrocytes. In the last decades these studies made cartilage the first and very successful tissue engineering treatment. (Brittberg et al. 1994) 1.2 Categorization of cartilage tissue Cartilage tissue are categorised in three major types by their different biochemical composition and structure of their extracellular matrix (ECM). Elastic cartilage has a few cells, a small concentration of proteoglycans (PGs), and a relatively high proportion of elastin fibres. It is found in the epiglottis, small laryngeal, the external ear, auditory tube, and the small bronchi, where it is generally required to resist bending forces. Fibrocartilage also contains a small concentration of PGs, but far less elastin. The meniscus in the knee joint is made of fibrocartilaginous tissue. The third and most widespread cartilage in the human body is hyaline. It is resistant to compression or tensile forces due to the network organisation of type II collagen fibres associated with a high concentration of PGs. Hyaline cartilage can be found in the nose, the trachea, bronchi, and synovial joints. In the latter case, it is termed as articular cartilage, representing a unique type of connectiv e tissue. Its outwards thin layer covers the articulating joint surfaces and belies a specific structure with unique mechanical properties. These two layers acting as a covering material, is fibricated by the viscous synovial fluid. The joint capsule encloses the entire joint and retains the synovial fluid. (Schulz and Bader, 2006) 1.3 Composition of articular cartilage Articular cartilage is composed of chondrocytes and an extracellular matrix that consists of proteoglycans, collagens and water. (Darling and Athanasiou 2005) Chondrocytes contribute only between 5% of the tissue volume; the remaining 95% being composed of extracellular matrix (ECM), which is synthesised by the chondrocytes. (Mollenhauer, 2008; Buckwalter et al. 1988) The ECM of articular cartilage consists of about 60-85% water and dissolved electrolytes. The solid framework is composed of collagens (10-20%), PGs (3-10%), noncollagenous proteins and glycoproteins. (Buckwalter et al. 1997; Buckwalter et al. 1990) In articular cartilage, 95% of collagen in the ECM is comprised of collagen type II fibrils. The rest other collagen types are collagen type IX and XI and a small fraction of types III, VI, XII and XIV. (Eyre 2002) Type-I collagen forms thick fibres. Type-III forms thin  ¬Ã‚ bres. Unlike these two collagens, Type-II collagen which is present in hyaline and elastic cartila ges does not form  ¬Ã‚ bres, and its very thin  ¬Ã‚ brils are disposed as a loose mesh that strongly interacts with the ground substance. (Montes, 1996) This collagen component in articular cartilage provides tensile stiffness and strength to the tissue and opposes the swelling capacity generated by highly negatively charged glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) of the proteoglycans (PGs). The majority (50-85%) of the overall PG content in this tissue type were presented by large molecule aggrecan. This consist of a protein backbone, the core protein, to which unbranched GAGs side chains of chondroitin sulphate (CS) and keratan sulfate (KS) are covalently attached. ( 1.1) (Watanabe et al. 1998; Schulz and Bader, 2006) 1.1. Illustration of the extracellular matrix (ECM) organization of articular cartilage (Left) and the schematic sketches (Right) of the most relevant polysaccharides of proteoglycans (PGs) in articular cartilage. The PGs consist of a strand of hyaluronic acid (HA), to which a core protein is non-covalently attached. On the core protein, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as keratan sulphate (KS) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) are covalently bound in a bottle brush fashion. (Modified from Schulz and Bader, 2006 and Mow and Wang, 1999) 1.4 Low capacity of self-repair The aneural and avascular nature of articular cartilage, coupled with its low cellularity, contribute to both the limited rate and incomplete nature of the repair process following damage. (Heywood et al., 2004) In addition, the low mitotic potential of chondrocytes in vivo also contributes to its poor ability to undergo self-repair. (Kuroda et al., 2006) Indeed, in experimental studies on adult animals, full-thickness cartilage defects extending into the subchondral bone, have been reported to heal with the formation of fibrous tissue, which contains relatively low amounts of type II collagen and aggrecan. It is also composed of a relatively high content present in type I collagen, not present in normal adult articular cartilage and accordingly exhibits impaired mechanical integrity. (Hjertquist et al., 1971; Eyre et al., 1992) 1.5 Metabolism of articular cartilage Joint cartilage is supplied with nutrients and oxygen by the synovial fluid diffusion facilitated by compressive cyclic loading during joint movements as a pumping function. (Mollenhauer, 2008) Chondrocytes are imbedded in ECM. Within synovial joints, oxygen supply to articular chondrocytes is very limited. The oxygen tensions are very low varying from around 6% at the joint surface to 1% in the deep layers of healthy articular cartilage. It is supposed to be even further decreased under pathological conditions, such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. The metabolism of chondrocytes is largely glycolytic. Oxygen-dependent energy generated by oxidative phosphorylation is just a minor contributor to the overall energy in chondrocytes. Articular chondrocytes appear to show a so-called negative Pasteur effect, whereby, glycolysis falls as O2 levels drop leading to the fall in ATP and matrix synthesis. (Gibson JS et al., 2008) A negative Pasteur effect would make chondrocytes parti cularly liable to suffer a shortage of energy under anoxic conditions. (Lee and Urban, 1997) Changes in O2 tension also have profound effects on cell phenotype, gene expression, and morphology, as well as response to, and production of, cytokines. Condrocytes live in hypoxic environments implies that speci ¬Ã‚ c factors are required to control certain genes that are responsible for glucose metabolism, energy metabolism, pH regulation, and other responses. The most important component of this hypoxic response is mediated by transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), which is present in most hypoxia inducible genes. (Pfander and Gelse, 2007; Gibson JS et al., 2008) HIF-1a is necessary for anaerobic energy generation by upregulation of glycolytic enzymes and glucose transporters. (Yudoh et al. 2005) A previous study shows chondrocytes are not able to survive hypoxia in the absence of HIF-1. (Schipani et al. 2001) Moreover, the matrix turnover in articular cartilage is extremely slow. Proteoglycan turnover is up to 25 years. Collagen half-life is estimated to range from several decades up to 400 years. No immune-competent cells (macrophages, T-cells) enter the cartilage tissue. Thus chondrocytes have to defend themselves against hostile microorganisms, leading to its immunologically privileged. (Mollenhauer, 2008) 1.6 Mechanical conditions in vivo In vivo joint loading can result in high peak mechanical stresses (15-20 MPa) that occur over very short durations (1 s) causing cartilage compressive strains of only 1-3%. (Mollenhauer, 2008; Hodge et al., 1986) In contrast, sustained physiological stresses applied to knee joints for 5-30 min can cause compressive strains in certain knee cartilages as high as 40-45%. (Mollenhauer, 2008; Herberhold et al., 1999) A study of the response of articular cartilage from humans to impact load showed that articular cartilage could withstand impact loads of as much as 25 MPa at strain rates from 500 to 1000 s-1 without apparent damage. Impact loads exceeding this level caused chondrocyte death or fissure in the hip or knee. (Repo RU and Finlay JB, 1977) Chapter 2 Osteoarthritis and Treatments 2.1 Osteoarthritis, diagnosis and classification Most cartilage defects are due to direct trauma, but may also occur in avascular necrosis, osteochondritis dissecans, and a variety of cartilage disorders. The defect may be limited to the joint surface (chondral) or involve the underlying bone (osteochondral). (NHS guidance 2006) Articular cartilage defects can progress to osteoarthritis (OA) in some patients, which is a major health problem in developed countries. (Kuroda et al. 2006; Schulz and Bader, 2006; Buckwalter, 2002; Cicuttini 1996) Symptoms may include pain, catching, locking and swelling, and may lead to degenerative changes within the joint. (NHS guidance 2006) Arthroscopy has been used as the â€Å"gold standard† to confirmed cartilage defects. In a review of 31,516 knee arthroscopies of cartilage injury patients, the incidence of chondral lesions was 63%; the incidence of full-thickness articular cartilage lesions with exposed bone were 20% , with 5% of these occurring in patients under 40-years-old. (Marlovits, et al. 2008) Osteoarthritis (OA) severity is commonly graded from radiographic images in accordance with the Kellgren and Lawrence scale Bilateral. (Kellgren and Bier, 1956; Kellgren and Lawrence, 1957) Osteoporosis and erosions which included narrowing of joint space were recorded separately and graded as follows: 0 = no changes; 1 = doubtful joint space narrowing; 2 = minimal change, mostly characterized by osteophytes; 3 = moderate change, characterized by multiple osteophytes and/or definite joint space narrowing; and 4 = severe change, characterized by marked joint space narrowing with bone-on-bone contact with large osteophytes. (Kellgren and Bier, 1956; Husing et al. 2003) The radiologic grade of OA was inversely associated with the joint space width (JSW). (Agnesi et al. 2008) MRI is currently the standard method for cartilage evaluation, as it is a non-invasive, non-contact, multi-planar technique capable of producing high resolution, high contrast images in serial contiguous slices and it enables morphological assessment of the cartilage surface, thickness, volume and subchondral bone. The MRI classification of articular chondral defects are as follows: 1=Abnormal intrachondral signal with a normal chondral surface; 2=Mild surface irregularity and/or focal loss of less than 50% of the cartilage thickness; 3=Severe surface irregularity with focal loss of 50% to 100% of the cartilage thickness; 4=Complete loss of articular cartilage, with exposure of subchondral bone. (Marlovits et al. 2008) Agnesi et al. compared the radiologic grading of OA patients with the joint surface width measurements obtained from MRI images. (Agnesi et al. 2008) 2.2 Non-tissue engineering treatments Pain caused by osteoarthritis can be reduced through a number of methods. (Altman et al. 2006) These include: â€Å"Exercise programmes (strength and flexibility) and lifestyle changes Medication Dietary supplements Knee viscosupplementation Guidelines for viscosupplementation Other injections Custom foot orthotics Knee braces Other assisted devices (canes and walkers) Surgery† Total knee replacement is most commonly performed in people over 60 years of age. (NHS guidance, 2006; Altman et al., 2006; Brittberg et al., 1994) Besides that, the most frequently used treatments include the mosaicplasty, marrow stimulation, and autologous condrocyte implantation (ACI). (Steinwachs et al., 2008) Mosaicplasty is an autologous osteochondral transplantation method through which cylindrical periosteum grafts are taken from periphery of the patellofemoral area which bears less weight, and transplanted to defective areas. This transplantation can be done with various diameters of grafts. (Haklar et al., 2008; NHS guidance, 2006) Marrow stimulation methods include arthroscopic surgery to smooth the surface of the damaged cartilage area; microfracture, drilling, abrasion. All marrow stimulation methods base on the penetration of the subchondral bone plate at the bottom of the cartilage defect. The outflowing bone marrow blood contains the mesenchymal stem cells which are s tabilised by the clot formation in the defect. These pluripotent stem cells which are able to differentiate into fibrochondrocytes, result in fibrocartilage repair with varying amounts of type I, II and III collagen. (Steinwachs et al., 2008) 2.3 The tissue engineering treatment A 1984 study in rabbits reported successful treatment of focal patellar defects with the use of autologous condrocyte implantation (ACI). One year after transplantation, newly formed cartilage-like tissue typically covered about 70 percent of the defect. (Grande et al. 1989) In 1987, Mats Brittber et al. firstly performed ACI in 23 people with deep cartilage defects in the knee. (Brittberg et al., 1994) ACI is described as a three steps procedure: cartilage cells are taken from a minor load-bearing area on the upper medial femoral condyle of the damaged knee via an arthroscopic procedure, cultivated for four to six weeks in a laboratory and then, in open surgery, introduced back into the damaged area as a liquid or mesh-like transplant; at last, a periosteal flap sutured in place to secure the transplant. ( 2.1) (Husing et al., 2008) The cell density of the cultivated cell solution is required to be 30 x 106 cells/ml, or 2 x 106 cells per cm2 in a clinical setting today. (Brittberg e t al., 2003) Genzyme Biosurgery with its product Carticel ® was the first company which introduced ACT into the market and is market leader in USA. Carticel ® is a classic ACT procedure using the periosteal cover. (Husing et al., 2008) Today the periosteum is often replaced by an artificial resorbable cover such as collagen I/III and hyaluronan membrane, such as ChondroGide or Restore (De Puy, Warzaw, Indiana). (Gooding et al., 2006; Jones and Peterson, 2006) Another new method uses chondrocytes cultured on a three-dimensional, biodegradable scaffold. The scaffold, cut to the required size, is fixed into the lesion site with anchoring stitches. This method does not need the cover, thus simplifying the surgery and shorting the surgery time; opens up the possibility of arthroscopic surgery instead of open surgery which causes more tissue damage. HYALOGRAFT from Italy is one of the European market leaders. It is a cartilage substitute made of autologous chondrocytes delivered on a biocompatible tridimentsional matrix, entirely composed of a derivative of hyaluronic acid. (Marcacci et al. 2005) 2.4 Clinical follow-ups of ACI Brittberg studied the long-term durability of ACI-treated patients, 61 patients were followed for at least five years up to 11 years post-surgery (mean 7.4 years). After two years, 50 out of 61 patients were graded good-excellent. At the five to 11 years follow-up, 51 of the 61 were graded good-excellent. The total failure rate was 16% (10/61) at mean 7.4 years. (Brittberg et al., 2003) Since 1997 the year the FDA approved ACI, this method has been widely performed all over the world, in more than 20 000 patients. It has been reported to be effective in  improving clinical symptoms, such as pain and function. (Wakitani et al., 2008) 2.5 Randomised studies In 2004, Knutsen et al. studied 80 patients who needed local cartilage repair because of symptomatic lesions on the femoral condyles measuring 2-10cm2. The results showed there was no signi ¬Ã‚ cant difference in macroscopic or histological results between ACI and microfracture, and that there was no association between the histological  ¬Ã‚ ndings and the clinical outcome at the 2-year time point. (Knutsen et al., 2004) In the same series, there were no signi ¬Ã‚ cant differences in results at 5 years follow-up. (Knutsen et al., 2007) In another randomised controlled study that compared mosaicplasty with ACI, there was no significant difference in the number of patients who had an excellent or good clinical outcome at 1 year (69% [29/42] and 88% [51/58], respectively). In the subgroup of patients who had repairs to lesions of the medial femoral condyle, significantly more patients who had ACI had an excellent or good outcome (88% [21/24]) compared with those who had mosaicplasty (72% [21/29]) (p 2.6 The limitation of ACI The microfracture is a very simple and low-cost procedure whereas ACI costs almost $10 000 per patient. If ACI is not found to be more effective for improving articular cartilage repair than microfracture, the procedure will not be continued. (Wakitani et al., 2008) There are several possible reasons which should be blamed for the limitations of the traditional ACI procedure. The cell source in ACI is the cartilage tissue taken from a minor load-bearing area on the upper medial femoral condyle of the damaged knee via an arthroscopic procedure. However, Wiseman et al. found the chondrocytes isolated from the low loaded area of the knee joint respond in a distinct manner with the chondrocytes from the high loaded area, which suggests the traditional cell source of ACI may not provide enough mechanical response and may further lead to the insufficient mechanical properties of the repaired tissue. (Wiseman et al. 2003) As cultured in monolayer, chondrocytes undergo a process of dedifferentiation and adopt a more  ¬Ã‚ broblast-like morphology, which is accompanied by an increase in proliferation (Glowacki et al., 1983) and an altered phenotype. Type II collagen, the major protein produced by chondrocytes in articular cartilage, are down-regulated culture, while collagen types I and III are increased. (Stocks et al., 2002; Benya et al., 1978) The agregating proteoglycan aggrecan of articular cartilage, is down-regulated during dedifferentiation and replaced by proteoglycans not speci ¬Ã‚ c to cartilage, such as versican. (Glowacki et al., 1983; Stocks et al., 2002) Therefore, monolayer cultured chondrocytes do not express the true chondrocyte phenotype, and their ability to regenerate damaged cartilage tissue is impaired. Upon implantation, dedifferentiated cells may form a  ¬Ã‚ brous tissue expressing collagen type I that does not have the proper mechanical properties, which may lead to deg radation and failure of the repair tissue. (Brodkin et al., 2004) Chondrocytes grown in conditions that support their round shape, such as plating in high-density monolayer (Kuettner et al., 1982; Watt, 1988) and seeding in 3-D gels (Benya et al., 1982) can maintain their differentiated phenotype much longer compared to cells spread in monolayer cultures. Chapter 3 Tissue engineering strategies for articular cartilage 3.1 Introduction Although ACI can still be considered to be one of commonly form of repair of cartilage defects, it does have a number of scientific limitations. Some of those can be resolved using a more comprehensive tissue engineered strategy which incorporates cells, scaffold materials and potentially biochemical, biomechanical and/or physical stimulation in a controlled bioreactor environment. 3.2 Cell sources For a conventional ACI approach, chondrocytes are derived from the low loading area and then cultured in a monolayer. However, chondrocytes derived from the low load bearing area of the knee joint respond in a distinct manner with the chondrocytes from the high loaded area. Chondrocytes cultured in monolayer have a dedifferentiation phenomenon (Described in the previous chapter). In addition, the limitation of the transplant volume is always a major problem in autograft to be overcome (Kitaoka et al., 2001). Thus, potential cell sources are widely studied for the future improvement of ACI approach. Chondrocytes from immature animals (approximately 1-6 weeks old) have been used widely in tissue engineering studies for their ability to increase matrix synthesis and to produce better mechanical properties (Darling and Athanasiou, 2005). Kitaoka et al. examined the possibility of using hyaline cartilage of costal cartilage as a substitute to the knee joint articular cartilage. Costal cartilage cells are derived from 8-week-old male SV40 large T-antigen transgenic mice. Three mouse chondrocyte cell lines (MCC-2, MCC-5, and MCC-35) were established using cloning cylinders, which is a kind of mold. These cell lines showed chondrocytic characteristics, including formation of cartilage nodules that could be stained with alcian blue, and mRNA expression for type II collagen, type XI collagen, ALPase, osteopontin, aggrecan, and link protein (Kitaoka et al., 2001). Animal-derived bone marrow cells, in particular from rabbit origin, have shown a highly variable chondrogenic potential (Solchaga et al., 1999). The establishment of some bone marrow stromal cell lines having the ability of diffrentiation to chondrocyte has been reported, as well as some other cell lines established from rat calvaria, mouse c-fos-induced cartilage tumor and mouse embryonic carcinoma, respectively. Each of the cell lines showed chondrocytic phenotypes (Kitaoka et al., 2001). LVEC cells derived from EBs of human embryonic germ cells were reported to be homogenously differentiated into hyaline cartilage. Three dimensional tissue formation is achieved by encapsulating cells in synthetic hydrogels poly (ethylene glycol diacrylate) (PEGDA) followed by incubation in chondrocyte-conditioned medium (for the recipe, please see the paper) (Varghese et al., 2006). Periosteum consists of two layers. Fibroblasts are from the fibrous layer and progenitor cells are from the cambium layer. Progenitor cells are supposed to be able to differentiate into chondrocytes. Emans et al. compared the chondrocyte and the periosteum cell as cell source for autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) on animals. The results turned out that the condrtocytes are much better for ACI procedure (Emans et al., 2006). 3.3 Scaffolds Biomaterial scaffolds provide a critical means of controlling engineered tissue architecture and mechanical properties; allow cells attach, grow in and proliferation; allow the cell signals travelling through (Freed et al., 2006). In many in vitro or in vivo approaches, cells are grown on biomaterial scaffolds for further research or just for implantation, where new functional tissue is formed, remodelled and integrated into the body. The biomaterials which compose scaffolds are required to satisfy several properties. At first, the material as a support structure must possess enough mechanical strength to protect the cells contained in. Secondly, the material must have some bioactivity to accommodate cells for attachment, growth, proliferation and migration. The material should act as a vehicle for gene, protein and oxygen delivery. Furthermore, the material should be biodegradable for the new cartilage to form and replace the original structure. In this regard, the material should be non-toxic, non-inflammatory active, and also non-immunogenic. Finally, the material should be easy to handle for surgery procedure (Stoop, 2008). 3.3.1 Natural materials Collagen-based biomaterials are widely used in todays clinical practice (for example, haemostasis and cosmetic surgery). Collagen is also be commonly used as main components in tissue engineered skin products. Several commercial autologous chondrocyte transplantation (ACT) products have used collagenous membraneas the replacement for the periosteum to close the defect, such as ChondroGide or Restore (De Puy, Warzaw, Indiana) (Cicuttini et al., 1996; Jones and Peterson, 2006) The .combination of collagen with glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in scaffolds had a positive effect on chondrocyte phenotype. Condrocytes were cultured in porous type I collagen matrices in the presence and absence of covalently attached chondroitin sulfate (CS) up to 14 days in a study (van Susante et al., 2001). Hyaluronic acid is a non-sulphated GAG that makes up a large proportion of cartilage extracellular matrix. In its unmodified form, it has a high biocompatibility (Schulz and Bader, 2007). Matrices composed of hyaluronan have been frequently used as a carrier for chondrocytes. Facchini et al. con ¬Ã‚ rms the hyaluronan derivative scaffold Hyaff  ®11 as a suitable scaffold both for chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of articular cartilage defects in their study. HYALOGRAFT from Italy is one of the European market leaders for ACT. It is a cartilage substitute made of autologous chondrocytes delivered on a biocompatible tridimentsional matrix, entirely composed of a derivative of hyaluronic acid (Marcacci et al., 2005). Fibrin plays a major role in general wound healing and specially during healing of osteochondral defects. Fibrin glue is currently used for the fixation of other chondrocyte scaffold constructs in defects. Some investigators used fibrin glues as a matrix, but owing to the exceedingly high concentrations and protein densities involved, the glue impeded rather than facilitated cell invasion and did not support a healing response (Stoop, 2008). Susante et al. found fibrin glue does not offer enough biomechanical support as a three-dimensional scaffold (van Susante et al., 1999). Another study found fibrin and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) hybrid scaffold promotes early chondrogenesis of articular chondrocytes in vitro. They used the natural polymer fibrin to immobilize cells and to provide homogenous cells distribution in PLGA scaffolds (Shaban et al., 2008). Sugar-based natural polymers such as chitosan, alginate and agarose can be formulated as hydrogels and in some cases sponges or pads. Although these materials are extensively used in in vitro research, their role in in vivo cartilage reconstruction is still limited (Stoop, 2008). Alginate possesses a number of suitable properties as a scaffold material for cartilage tissue engineering. The mobility of alginate allows the ability of cells to be distributed throughout the scaffold before the gelling phase. Its well-characterized mechanical properties are suitable for the transmission of mechanical stimuli to cells. Furthermore, it has been proved its ability to reestablish and maintain the differentiated state of chondrocytes during long-term culture (Heywood et al., 2004). Agarose is a clear, thermoreversible hydrogel which has been applied in numerous studies in cartilage tissue engineering. This hydrogel is supportive of the chondrocyte phenotype and allows for the synthesis of a fu nctional extracellular matrix. Agarose is neutrally charged, and forms solid gels at room temperature. The initial strength of the gel is dependent on the rate of gelling, which in turn is dependent on the ambient temperature. Gel strength is also strongly dependent on the concentration of the gel in solution. Basic science studies involving agarose gel formation have demonstrated that rapid cooling leads to a decreased, more homogeneous pore size. Increasing the gel concentration additionally decreases gel pore size and permeability. A number of studies have used agarose for the investigation of chondrocyte growth and response to mechanical stimuli (Ho MMY et al., 2003). 3.3.2 Synthetic materials Potential synthetic material scaffolds for the tissue engineering of bone or cartilage include: PL (Polylactic acid) PGLA (Polyglycolicacid and copolymers) CF-PU-PLLA (Carbonfibre-Polyurethane-Poly(L-lactide)-Graft) CF-Polyester (Polyester-Carbonfibre) PU (Polyurethane) PLLA (Capralactone (Poly-L-Lactide/epsilon-Caprolactone) PLLA-PPD (Poly- L-Lactic Acid and Poly- p-Dioxanol) PVA-H (Polyvinylalcohol-Hydrogel) ß-TCP (Tricalcium phosphate) CDHA (Calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite) (Haasper et al., 2008) The major advantages of the synthetic polymers are their design flexibility and avoid of disease transmission. Synthetic polymers can be easily processed into highly porous 3-dimensional scaffolds, fibres, sheets, blocks or microspheres. However, there are also disadvantages of some synthetic polymers, such as the potential increase in local pH resulting from acidic degradation products, excessive inflammatory responses and poor clearance and chronic inflammation associated with high molecular weight polymer (Stoop, 2008). Poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), poly(lactic acid) (PLA), and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) have been investigated for use as cartilage tissue engineering scaffolds (Cima et al., 1991; Vacanti et al., 1991). Both, in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated these scaffold maintained the chondrocyte phenotype and the production of cartilage-speci ¬Ã‚ c extracellular matrix (ECM) (Barnewitz et al., 2006; Kaps et al., 2006). In addition, PLGA is used as a scaffold material for matrix-based autologous chondrocyte transplantation clinically for more than 3 years (Ossendorf et al., 2007). 3.4 Biomedical stimulation Growth factors are proved to be able to promote the formation of new cartilage tissue in both explants and engineered constructs (Darling and Athanasiou, 2005). Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) can dramatically increase biosynthesis level of choncroctyes, especially in the presence of mechanical stimulation (Bonassar et al. 2001; Jin et al. 2003). Transforming growth factor-ÃŽ ²1 (TGF-ÃŽ ²1) increases biosynthesis in engineered constructs and also stimulates the cellular proliferation (Blunk et al. 2002; van der Kraan et al. 1992). Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) stimulates cell proliferation (Adolphe et al. 1984) and biosynthesis (Fujimoto et al. 1999) in chondrocytes which were cultured under a variety of conditions. 3.5 Mechanical stimulation ACI is considered a proper way for the repair of cartilage defect. However, one of the obstacles to the use of autologous chondrocytes is the limited in vitro proliferation rate of these cells. A lot of stimulations have been found to be effective in stimulating cell proliferation and ECM synthesis, including mechanical, electrical, ultrasound (Parvizi et al., 1999; Noriega et al., 2007) and even laser (Torricelli et al., 2001) stimulation. Mechanical forces due to body movement are experienced by articular cartilage every day. These forces include direct compression, tensile and shear forces, or the generation of hydrostatic pressure and electric gradients. Some level of these forces is beneficial to chondrocytes. (Schulz and Bader, 2007; Shieh and Athanasiou, 2007) There are many studies which have described the design of bioreactor systems, which can apply shear forces, perfusion, tension, hydrostatic pressure, static compression, dynamic compression on cartilage explants, monolayer cultured cells or tissue engineered constructs. (Schulz and Bader, 2007) Previous work on these bioreactor systems has demonstrated that chondrocytes are highly mechanosensitive. A summary of the key studies is provided in Table 3.1. Static compression leads to decreased levels of sulfate and proline incorporation (Sah et al., 1989; Ragan et al., 1999). Type II collagen and aggrecan gene expression increase transiently, but decrease when exposed to longer durations of static compression (Ragan et al., 1999). In contrast, dynamic compression of cartilage explants stimulates sulfate and proline incorporation, while chondrocytes em bedded in hydrogels produce more matrix and form robust constructs when cyclically compressed. (Lee and Bader, 1997; Mauck et al., 2000) Table 3.1. Influence of the different models of mechanical stimulation on the biochemical response of articular chondrocytes. References Type of m

Does the movie THE PASSION bring about anti semitism Essay -- essays r

The Passion of the Christ, by Mel Gibson has taken America by storm. In the US alone, it made $83,848,082 its first weekend. As of April 25, 2004 it has grossed worldwide over $364 billion. Not bad for a movie with a budget of $30 million.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie is subject to a lot of criticism. People are worried about many things. Are the images depicted correct? Is it too gory? What will people’s reaction be? Will any demographic of people get hurt from the movie? A Catholic teacher from California was fired for offering students extra credit to see the Passion. (It is a rated â€Å"R† movie) There are many other problems too. Does The Passion bring about acts of anti-semitism? This will be the purpose of this paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To answer this question, I conducted a simple experiment with different variable. The first variable is age. The second is location. I interviewed sixteen people, (eight women and eight men) and asked them the same questions. Four males and females are from the Binghamton area, and four males and females are from the Long Island area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I grouped the ages from 18-25, 25-35, 35-55, and 55 and on. I asked each person their faith/religion. I originally asked more than 16 people, but people who refused to answer the question or people of no faith were thrown out. I conducted the experiments at Loews Town Square 9, located at 2425 Vestal Parkway, Binghamton, and Loews Roosevelt Raceway, located at 1025 Corporate Drive in Westbury, Long Island.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I asked each person six question. The results follow: Sex:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Male Age Group:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   18-25  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Location:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Binghamton  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Religion/Faith: Christian  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Extra Pertinent Information: Very religious. Attends services regularly. Thoughts before movie: Excited to see a religious movie. Would you consider yourself an aggressive or easily agitated person? â€Å"Not really. Pretty laid back.† Do you consider yourself a religious person? Yes. Definitely. Do you think the movie will make people angry at th... ...s of the experiment are clear. One hundred percent of people showed aggression towards the Jews, after all but two claimed to not have an aggressive personality. Just look at message boards posted throughout the internet, or just talk to people. The aggression is there. And unfortunately, Mel Gibson’s movie is causing hostile acts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I did not see the movie until the experiment was complete, in order to keep this experiment unbiased. I think that the anti-semitism in the movie was extraordinarily clear. I actually think it is totally contrary to the Catholic doctrine. Another thing is the history of the Gibson family. Mel’s father, Hutton, is an open anti-semite, holocaust denier, and accuses the current pope of being Jewish. When a person grows up in a household learning that, it stays with the person. I can prove this with another experiment. Kids who grow up getting physically abused, are usually abusive parents themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, the movie does cause anti-semitism and anti-semitic acts. The evidence is clear from the experiment. Hopefully, the world can get through this without any incidents.

The movie “A Beautiful Mind” Essay

The movie is titled â€Å"A Beautiful Mind† and the psychological disorder that is depicted in it is schizophrenia. In the movie, the main character is Josh Nash is depicted as being schizophrenic in the following ways. In one instance, he is revealed as being able to hear voices that other people could not hear. This voices are seen as controlling agents of the actions he does. The voices in the movie control his thoughts and to some extend seem like they want to harm him. His behavior is quiet terrifying to the people around Nash. The depiction of psychological disorder of schizophrenia is a true picture of the condition as it occurs in real life. Another symptom of the disorder that was evident in the movie is the fact the sitting for several hours without any movement or speech. Nash had bout where he could not move or speak for a lot of hours. This is the typical behavior of schizophrenic people. He seemed fine most of the time but as soon as he made a revelation of what was on his mind people were shocked on what was going on in his mind. The portrayal of an individual with schizophrenic disorder in the movie â€Å"A Beautiful Mind† was indeed a realistic portrayal of the disorder CITATION Bus03 l 1033 ( Buss & Buss, 2003). My reaction after viewing the movie is that schizophrenia is a psychological disorder that affects families and societies in general. The people who are diagnosed with this condition find it quiet difficult to live a normal life as they rely so much on other people to help them in their daily activities. The only solution to it is by coping with the symptoms of the disease. References BIBLIOGRAPHY Buss, E. H., & Buss, A. H. (2003). Schizophrenia: Seven Approaches. Transaction Publishers. Source document

Trash Islands - the Ocean Garbage Patch

Trash Islands - the Ocean Garbage Patch As our global population expands, so does the amount of trash we produce, and a large portion of that trash then ends up in the worlds oceans. Due to oceanic currents, much of the trash is carried to areas where the currents meet. These collections of trash have recently been referred to as marine trash islands. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch The Great Pacific Garbage Patchsometimes called the Eastern Garbage Patchis an area with an intense concentration of marine trash located between Hawaii and California. The exact size of the patch is unknown, however, because it is constantly growing. The patch developed in this area because of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre- one of many oceanic gyres caused by a convergence of ocean currents and wind. As the currents meet, the earth’s Coriolis Effect (the deflection of moving objects caused by the Earth’s rotation) causes the water to slowly rotate, creating a funnel for anything in the water. Because this is a subtropical gyre in the northern hemisphere it rotates clockwise. It’s also a high-pressure zone with hot equatorial air and comprises much of the area known as the horse latitudes. Due to the tendency of items to collect in oceanic gyres, the existence of a garbage patch was predicted in 1988 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) after years of monitoring the amount of trash being dumped into the worlds oceans. The patch was not officially discovered until 1997, though, because of its remote location and harsh conditions for navigation. That year, Captain Charles Moore passed through the area after competing in a sailing race and discovered debris floating over the entire area he was crossing. Atlantic and Other Oceanic Trash Islands Though the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the most widely publicized of the so-called trash islands, the Atlantic Ocean has one as well in the Sargasso Sea. The Sargasso Sea is located in the North Atlantic Ocean between 70 and 40 degrees west longitude and 25 and 35 degrees north latitude. It is bounded by the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Current, the Canary Current, and the North Atlantic Equatorial current. Like the currents carrying trash into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, these four currents carry a portion of the worlds trash to the middle of the Sargasso Sea where it becomes trapped. In addition to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the Sargasso Sea, there are five other major tropical oceanic gyres in the worldall with conditions similar to those found in these first two. Components of Trash Islands After studying the trash found in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Moore learned that 90% of the trash found there was plastic. His research groupas well as NOAAhas studied the Sargasso Sea and other patches around the world and their studies in those locations have had the same findings. It is estimated that 80% of the plastic in the ocean comes from land sources while 20% comes from ships at sea. The plastics in the patches consist of items like water bottles, cups, bottle caps, plastic bags, and fish netting. It’s not just  large plastic items that make up the trash islands, however. In his studies, Moore found that the majority of the plastic in the worlds oceans is made up of billions of pounds of raw plastic pellets called nurdles. These pellets are a byproduct of plastics manufacturing. It is significant that most of the trash is plastic because it does not break down easilyespecially in water. When plastic is on land, it is more easily heated and breaks down faster. In the ocean, the plastic is cooled by the water and becomes coated with algae which shield it from sunlight. Because of these factors, the plastic in the world’s oceans will last well into the future. Garbage Islands Impacts on Wildlife The presence of the plastic in these patches is having a significant impact on wildlife in a number of ways. Whales, seabirds, and other animals can easily be snared in the nylon  nets and six-pack rings prevalent in the garbage patches. They are also in danger of choking on things like balloons, straws, and sandwich wrap. Additionally, fish, seabirds, jellyfish, and oceanic filter feeders easily mistake brightly colored plastic pellets for fish eggs and krill. Research has shown that over time, the plastic pellets can concentrate toxins which are passed on to sea animals when they eat them. This could poison them or cause genetic problems. Once the toxins are concentrated in the tissue of one animal, they can magnify across the food chain similar to the pesticide DDT. Finally, the floating trash can also aid in the spread of species to new habitats. Take, for instance, a type of barnacle. It can attach to a floating plastic bottle, grow, and move to an area where it is not naturally found. The arrival of the new barnacle could then possibly cause problems for the areas native species. The Future for the Trash Islands Research conducted by Moore, NOAA, and other agencies show that  trash islands are continuing to grow. Attempts have been made to clean them up but there is simply too much material over too large of an area to make any significant impact. Some of the best ways to aid in the cleanup of these islands are to suppress their growth by enacting stronger recycling and disposal policies, cleaning up the worlds beaches, and reducing the amount of trash going into the worlds oceans.

Napoleons Fascism Essays

Napoleons Fascism Essays Napoleons Fascism Essay Napoleons Fascism Essay Mussolini had a darwinistic view on life and the struggle of existence. His definition of fascism greatly represents that view and opens up new ideas of life being a duty to serve specific purposes. Mussolini describes fascism as a rule that does not give the majority the right to regulate itself, it believes in heroism and holiness, the rule of divine leaders. Also, he describes that the majority is not capable of ruling, and that nobles are elected through meeting a degree of courage. He explains that there are extreme inequalities in the general public and that political equality, indefinite progress and happiness are all myths. Mussolini viewed the Fascist party as an â€Å"ethic† state, giving it personality, viewing it as an almost divine power. Lastly, Mussolini states the importance of a strong military and dedicated peoples ready to sacrifice for their nation. He emphasizes how disciplined peoples with a strong sense of duty create a stable and orderly nation. His obsession with war lead to the expansion of mass society and leveled social classes. According to Mussolini, his creation of fascism completely rejects ideas of peace and instead to looks to war and sacrifice as the deciding factor between true nobles and cowards. He states that pacifism is an act of cowardice and that war brings forth all human strength and distinguishes between the weak and the dignified. Mussolini explains that fascism views life as a struggle and conquest, furthering his darwinistic views. Mussolini’s claims to restore regulation and use of propaganda fueled people’s hopes in his leadership and promise of order, even if that meant a war-like order. These promises led to Mussolini’s popularity in the first years of his rule due to the people of Italy who were dissatisfied with the anarchy that surrounded them and seemed to believe in any person who promised a restoration of order. In his definition, Mussolini describes that there are great inequalities in the general public as well as in politics. He states that these inequalities are a sort of necessary evil that distinguish between social classes. He also believes that the inequalities in mankind can never â€Å"be permanently leveled† through processes such as universal suffrage and that such processes shouldn’t be put into place because inequalities are beneficial to society as a whole. Mussolini also states that the war between the classes will not be the leading force behind change but should be seen as a beneficial conflict that may bring about order. Through making statements like this, Mussolini was giving the public his truths instead of fabricating his ideas. Mussolini also used traditional values and appreciation of religious beliefs to keep his people united, rich or poor, peasant or worker. In return for his strong sense of values and understanding what role the church played in education as well as in family policy that he portrayed, Mussolini gained acceptance for his fascist tactics from the church who had prior to criticized his policies. This approval from the church furthered his acceptance and popularity from the general public. Mussolini’s separation of the social classes in fact did the opposite and leveled them in society as well as on the battlefield. In the definition, fascism is described as a rule that represents solely the people of Italy, whom were gaining power and again rising after a downfall. Mussolini explains that a great nation demands discipline as well as a sense of sacrifice and duty. He states in what ways militarized politics are beneficial to a society and how total dedication to ones nation is an absolute necessary in maintaining a powerful state. This is evident in his making criticism of the state a criminal offense which in turn led to his wiping out of any parliamentary opposition. Mussolini’s attacks on newspaper offices and striking workers were brutal yet gave Italians a sense of order in their country. He explains in what ways a Fascist state leaves some freedoms to its people yet maintains a sense of organization and that an undisciplined nation is useless and harms freedom. He also states that the individual is not the deciding factor but the state is. Statements as such may have shown the people of Italy that they were being oppressed, leading to revolution. Mussolini made his militaristic approaches and authoritarian advances look appealing to his people which in turn lead to a sequence of disastrous events following the war. These events included economic downfalls and strikes throughout Europe, racism, and a surge to global imperialism. Mussolini viewed peace as an undesirable illusion and pacifism as an act of cowardice. These views gave rise to his state power and advocates both inside and out of Italy. Mussolini’s first followers were drawn in by his militaristic rule and his promise of a divine like military. His war obsession drew in veterans as well as the unemployed by promising them a sense of nobility through their sacrifice. In his definition, Mussolini explains the importance of an obedient and sacrificial nation, ready to battle for their country. His rejection of ideas like peace and pacifism gave his followers a sense of an orderly nation, which was greatly needed during that time. Mussolini’s explanation of the separation of social classes as a necessity and something that may create change in the nation. For this reason, Mussolini states that the majority is incapable of ruling itself, and that noble rulers among himself will come forth to create an orderly nation.

Small Alex Saves the Big Boys Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Small Alex Saves the Big Boys - Essay Example It was the tradition in that village that the boys had to get fruits from the forest for their families every week. However, the boys were warned never to go near the river as it was believed to be inhabited by giants. Despite his size, Alex would always go with his age mates to gather fruits, as tradition demanded. However, Alex dreaded those journeys with the big boys to the forest. Once in the forest, the big boys would easily reach for fruits on big trees and soon their baskets would be full. On the other hand, Alex always had to struggle to reach the trees and this made him much slower than the others in filling his basket. The big boys would take advantage and go to the river to swim. They would swim and play until they saw Alex coming with his basket and then they would join him in going home. Every time, the big boys would make Alex swear that he would not report them to their elders that they had swum. â€Å"Will you report us to the elders?† they would ask Alex. â₠¬Å"No, I will not! I will never report you† Alex would answer in fright. â€Å"Good, because if you do, we will feed you to the giants the next time we come to the forest! Ha! Ha! Ha!† the group leader would threaten sarcastically. â€Å"Ha! Ha! Ha!† the other boys would join in laughter. Alex really hated himself for being so small and for â€Å"looking like a girl† that he could not defend himself from the big boys. â€Å"God I really hate this body! My hands and feet are too tiny and I am too short!† Alex would always complain whenever he was alone. â€Å"Why can’t I be as big as boys my age? Why can’t I swim with them in the river? Why can’t I defend myself from them?† Alex would wonder to himself and tears would roll up in his beautiful blue eyes. One day, the boys were sent to gather fruits as was the custom. Just like they had done in the past, they quickly filled their baskets then ran to the river to swim, leavin g Alex behind. After Alex had filled his basket, he started strolling down the path leading to river, on the way home. Suddenly, there was a loud roar from behind him. â€Å"HA! HA! HA! HA! Today is my lucky day! I have one more boy to eat!† a loud voice thundered. Alex almost fainted when he turned around. The biggest giant anyone had ever seen was standing right behind him. The giant had one eye, a big mouth, four hands, and two feet. Upon looking closely, Alex saw one of the big boys in the hands of the giant. Alex dropped his basket and started running as fast as he could, calling the other boys. â€Å"I already swallowed all the others, you are next!† said the giant as it swallowed the boy it had been holding. Alex was terrified. As the giant reached out to grasp him, due to his small size, Alex was able to slip through the fingers of the giant and climb up a tree. Up on the tree, Alex remembered a story he had heard. It claimed that giants had one more eye at the back and that if someone hit that eye, the giant would drop dead. To his amazement, Alex realized that the giant had an additional eye at the back of its head. Alex reached out and grabbed a branch, pulled at it with all his strength then hit the giant’s eye. The giant fell with a thunderous sound and Alex climbed down the tree, ran home and informed the elders. Soon, the giant was slain and all the boys it had swallowed were taken out of its stomach. All the big boys thanked Alex for saving their lives and apologized for having mistreated him on previous occasions. That evening, a celebration was held in honor of Alex,

Network Architectures for Data Centers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Network Architectures for Data Centers - Essay Example On the other hand, at the present technology has changed. Additionally, there is an increase in demands for operational sustainable, efficiencies corporate processes, dynamic operational service diversification, and cost efficiency. In addition, these ever-increasing demands put the data center in the crosshairs of business analysis as its significance has increased more than ever before (LSI Corporation, 2012). This paper presents a detailed analysis of network architectures for data centers. This research will offer a comprehensive analysis of some of the major aspects required for the development and application of data center architecture application and their possible implication for better corporate management. Introduction At the present, data centers serve as the central command center for the majority of business organizations in spite of size and industry. Without a doubt, it offers an excellent support for managing huge amounts of information and data, and ensures effectiv e execution of business operations 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. In this scenario, network based data centers are designed, developed and maintained to store, process, and exchange information and data for economic services corporations, companies, transport business, administration, utilities, educational institutions, network carriers and internet service providers (ISPs). In fact, investments in the development of data centers are growing at a rate of more than 20 percent per year. In view of the fact that the business organizations completely depend on latest information technologies to take actions thus the current data centers have become less efficient along the lines of competence, effortlessness and agility of maintenance (H3C Technologies Co., Limited, 2012; Juniper Networks, Inc., 2012; Greenberg, Lahiri, Maltz, Patel, & Sengupta, 2012). In addition, in the field of data centers, several major trends are happening in parallel, with each representing a fundamental chan ge in terms of how it is managed. Data centers currently include both networking and server arrangements. However, the server part of this technology based infrastructure is at the present far down the road of technology based commoditization, in this scenario high end corporate class servers have been replaced by large amounts of low cost technology based servers. Additionally, new technology based improvement in distributed technology based computing and administration systems have supported the irregularity of individual network servers to be masked by the collective communication reliability of the data center system as a whole (H3C Technologies Co., Limited, 2012; Juniper Networks, Inc., 2012; Greenberg, Lahiri, Maltz, Patel, & Sengupta, 2012). Moreover, the quality and performance of network architectures for data