Progeria Essay Example for Free

Progeria Essay As much as i love to learn about commonly known dieseases in class one diesease that striked me as i was watching a tv show last year was progeria. Progeria is derived from the Greek work meaning prematurely old. Jonathan Hutchinson and Hastings Gilford discovered the syndrome in 1886. The name Hutchinson Gilford progeria syndrome existed because of this. doctors have discovered a single gene mutation responsible for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. The gene is called lamin A this is the protein necessary for holding the center of a cell together. Researchers believe the genetic mutation enables the cell to be unstable, which appears to lead to progerias characteristic aging process. As newborns with progeria it usually appear normal but as times progess the cchildrens growth ceases and they start developing characteristics of the eldelry. A study from the Netherlands has shows that 1 in 4 million births (within the Netherlands) are diagnoesed with progeria Currently, there are 80 known cases in the world. Approximately 140 cases have been reported in medical history. Classical Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome is usually caused by a odd mutation taking place during the early stages of embryo development. It is almost never passed on from affected parent to child, as affected children rarely live long enough to have children themselves. Theres no cure for progeria Regular monitoring for cardiovascular disease may help with managing your childs condition. Some children undergo coronary artery bypass surgery or dilation of cardiac arteries to slow the progression of cardiovascular disease. Drugs known as FTIs, which were developed for treating cancer, have shown hope in laboratory studies in correcting the cell defects that cause progeria. FTIs are currently are being studied in human clinical trials for treatment of progeria. interstingly Children affected with progeria age rapidly – about 7 to 10 times faster than normal which means their looks and physiology resemble a 70- to 80-year-old person, but they keep a dwarfish child-like body. Death usually occurs between the ages of 12 and 14 years. This generally happens as a result of cardiovascular deterioration, which includes things atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure. Typically doctors will not find the following features usually dealing with aging Tumors, Cataracts, Hearing Loss, Diabetes. The outcome is very poor and that is because death always occurs in cases of Progeria. There is currently no cure for this mortal disease and the only treatment is to simply deal with the reducing the complications that come up such as the cardiovascular deterioration. The earliest influences of progeria on popular culture occurred in the 1922 short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald (and later released as a feature film in 2008). The main character, Benjamin Button, is born as a seventy-year-old man and ages backwards; it has been suggested that this was inspired by progeria. Also Charles Dickens may have described a case of progeria in the family of Smallweed of Bleak House, specifically in the grandfather and his grandchildren Judy and twin brother Bart. A Bollywood movie Paa was made about the condition and in it the lead character (Amitabh Bachchan) played an 11-year-old child affected by progeria. The movie Renaissance deals with progeria. In episode sixteen of the first season of the television show The X-Files, the corrupt doctor had experimented on children with Progeria. In the 4 book series Otherland by Tad Williams one of the main characters suffers from progeria. in 1978 book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, which explores God and the problem of evil, was written in response to his 14 year old sons death by progeria. Amd lastly South African artist/hip hop artist Leon Botha was one of the oldest known Progeria sufferers, surviving to the age of 26 before his death in June 2011 in conclusion progeria is a diesease that has effected many and kiled many children altering their life immensly. the fact that there is no cure for this diesease is some what a hard truth for patients with this diesease. socially also many progeria patients are not accepted because of their physical abnormalities and disfigures. Never the less exstensive research has been sought out in order to cure and treat progeria.

Why I Have No Hero Essay -- essays research papers

Why I Have No Hero   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is a hero? Does one have to have superpowers, special abilities or incredible talent to be considered one? Well, some of us seem to think so. Then there is the everyday teacher or local figure that is considered a hero to selected individuals in their community. To me a hero has to have a few selected qualities, and I haven't met anyone who can fulfill all three.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, a hero must be good at heart. A hero has to know how to give and take accordingly. When he/she is needed to make a great sacrifice to help the community, their closest friends, or even their greatest enemies, they need to know that it is okay to make that sacrifice and know they did the right thing. That person also needs to go out and make a difference in their community and not need any more motivation than the good feeling they feel when they've made a positive impact on the few people they met with and helped. A person that is to be considered a hero must be naturally good and work for good and be there when they are needed most. They should not have to feel guilty about the negative effects of something they have done if the good it causes out weighs the bad.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Honesty is a good trait to have if you want to be a hero. A hero needs to be honest with the public so that he/she will get the public's support to retain that hero status among them, and possibly gain that stat...

Causes of Tsunamis

sunami: the Great Waves Tsunami is a Japanese word with the English translation, â€Å"harbor wave. † Represented by two characters, the top character, â€Å"tsu,† means harbor, while the bottom character, â€Å"nami,† means â€Å"wave. † In the past, tsunamis were sometimes referred to as â€Å"tidal waves† by the general public, and as â€Å"seismic sea waves† by the scientific community. The term â€Å"tidal wave† is a misnomer; although a tsunami's impact upon a coastline is dependent upon the tidal level at the time a tsunami strikes, tsunamis are unrelated to the tides. Tides result from the imbalanced, extraterrestrial, gravitational influences of the moon, sun, and planets. The term â€Å"seismic sea wave† is also misleading. â€Å"Seismic† implies an earthquake-related generation mechanism, but a tsunami can also be caused by a nonseismic event, such as a landslide or meteorite impact. Tsunamis are a threat to life and property to anyone living near the ocean. For example, in 1992 and 1993 over 2,000 people were killed by tsunamis occurring in Nicaragua, Indonesia and Japan. Property damage was nearly one billion dollars. The 1960 Chile Earthquake generated a Pacific-wide tsunami that caused widespread death and destruction in Chile, Hawaii, Japan and other areas in the Pacific. Large tsunamis have been known to rise over 100 feet, while tsunamis 10 to 20 feet high can be very destructive and cause many deaths and injuries. What Cause Tsunamis? Tsunamis, also called seismic sea waves or, incorrectly, tidal waves, generally are caused by earthquakes, less commonly by submarine landslides, infrequently by submarine volcanic eruptions and very rarely by a large meteorite impact in the ocean. Submarine volcanic eruptions have the potential to produce truly awesome tsunami waves. The Great Krakatau Volcanic Eruption of 1883 generated giant waves reaching heights of 125 feet above sea-level, killing thousands of people and wiping out numerous coastal villages. Ring of Fire About two-thirds of the earth is covered by the waters of the four oceans. The Pacific Ocean is the world's largest, covering more than one third of the total surface area of our planet. The Pacific Ocean is surrounded by a series of mountain chains, deep ocean trenches and island arcs, sometimes called a â€Å"ring of fire. † The great size of the Pacific Ocean and the large earthquakes associated with the â€Å"ring of fire† combine to produce deadly tsunamis. Tsunamis on the Move Wave Height and Water Depth In the open ocean a tsunami is less than a few feet high at the surface, but its wave height increases rapidly in shallow water. Tsunamis wave energy extends from the surface to the bottom in the deepest waters. As the tsunami attacks the coastline, the wave energy is compressed into a much shorter distance creating destructive, live-threatening waves. In the deep ocean, destructive tsunamis can be small–often only a few feet or less in height–and cannot be seen nor can they be felt by ships. But, as the tsunami reaches shallower coastal waters, wave height can increase rapidly. Sometimes, coastal waters are drawn out into the ocean just before the tsunami strikes. When this occurs, more shoreline may be exposed than even at the lowest tide. This major withdrawal of the sea should be taken as a warning of the tsunami waves that will follow How Fast? Where the ocean is over 20,000 feet deep, unnoticed tsunami waves can travel at the speed of a commercial jet plane, nearly 600 miles per hour. They can move from one side of the Pacific Ocean to the other in less than a day. This great speed makes it important to be aware of the tsunami as soon as it is generated. Scientists can predict when a tsunami will arrive since the speed of the waves varies with the square root of the water depth. Tsunamis travel much slower in shallower coastal waters where their wave heights begin to increase dramatically. How Big? Offshore and coastal features can determine the size and impact of tsunami waves. Reefs, bays, entrances to rivers, undersea features and the slop of the beach all help to modify the tsunami as it attacks the coastline. When the tsunami reaches the coast and moves inland, the water level can rise many feet. In extreme cases, water level has risen to more than 50 feet for tsunamis of distant origin and over 100 feet for tsunami waves generated near the earthquake's epicenter. The first wave may not be the largest in the series of waves. One coastal community may see no damaging wave activity while in another community destructive waves can be large and violent. The flooding can extend inland by 1000 feet or more, covering large expanses of land with water and debris.

Metacognitive Skills

Metacognition refers to learners' automatic awareness of their own knowledge and their ability to understand, control, and manipulate their own cognitive processes. 2 Metacognitive skills are important not only in school, but throughout life. For example, Mumford (1986) says that it is essential that an effective manager be a person who has learned to learn. He describes this person as one who knows the stages in the process of learning and understands his or her own preferred approaches to it – a person who can identify and overcome blocks to learning and can bring learning from off-the-job learning to on-the-job situations. As you read this section, do not worry about distinguishing between metacognitive skills and some of the other terms in this chapter. Metacognition overlaps heavily with some of these other terms. The terminology simply supplies an additional useful way to look at thought processes. Metacognition is a relatively new field, and theorists have not yet settled on conventional terminology. However, most metacognitive research falls within the following categories: 1. Metamemory. This refers to the learners' awareness of and knowledge about their own memory systems and strategies for using their memories effectively. Metamemory includes (a) awareness of different memory strategies, (b) knowledge of which strategy to use for a particular memory task, and (c) knowledge of how to use a given memory strategy most effectively. 2. Metacomprehension. This term refers to the learners' ability to monitor the degree to which they understand information being communicated to them, to recognize failures to comprehend, and to employ repair strategies when failures are identified. Learners with poor metacomprehension skills often finish reading passages without even knowing that they have not understood them. On the other hand, learners who are more adept at metacomprehension will check for confusion or inconsistency, and undertake a corrective strategy, such as rereading, relating different parts of the passage to one another, looking for topic sentences or summary paragraphs, or relating the current information to prior knowledge. (See Harris et al. , 1988; – add more) 3. Self-Regulation. This term refers to the learners' ability to make adjustments in their own learning processes in response to their perception of feedback regarding their current status of learning. The concept of self-regulation overlaps heavily with the preceding two terms; its focus is on the ability of the learners themselves to monitor their own learning (without external stimuli or persuasion) and to maintain the attitudes necessary to invoke and employ these strategies on their own. To learn most effectively, students should not only understand what strategies are available and the purposes these strategies will serve, but also become capable of adequately selecting, employing, monitoring, and evaluating their use of these strategies. (See Hallahan et al. , 1979; Graham & Harris, 1992; Reid & Harris, 1989, 1993. In addition to its obvious cognitive components, metacognition often has important affective or personality components. For example, an important part of comprehension is approaching a reading task with the attitude that the topic is important and worth comprehending. Being aware of the importance of a positive attitude and deliberately fostering such an attitude is an example of a metacognitive skill. In the preceding paragraph, metacognition has been described as a conscious awareness of one's own knowledge and the conscious ability to understand, control, and manipulate one's own cognitive processes. This is not quite accurate; but it's difficult to define metacognition more accurately. (It's easier to point out examples of metacognitive activity than to define what it is. ) It would be more accurate to say that metacognitive strategies are almost always potentially conscious and potentially controllable (Pressley, Borkowski, & Schneider, 1987). For example, good readers automatically (unconsciously) employ metacognitive strategies to focus their attention, to derive meaning, and to make adjustments when something goes wrong. They do not think about or label these skills while performing them; but if we ask them what they were doing that was successful, they can usually describe their metacognitive processes accurately. In addition, when serious problems arise – as when there is a distraction, when they encounter extremely difficult or contradictory text, or when they have to advise someone else regarding the same skill – they slow down and become consciously aware of their metacognitive activity. While it is occasionally useful to consciously reflect on one's metacognitive processes and while it useful to make learners aware of these processes while they are trying to acquire them, these skills become most effective when they become overlearned and automatic. If these skills were not automatic and unconscious, they would occupy some of the effort of the working memory; and this would have the result of making reading, listening, and other cognitive activities less efficient. Therefore, like any other skill that becomes automatic and requires minimal activity in the working memory, metacognitive skills work best when they are overlearned and can operate unconsciously. Learners with good metacognitive skills are able to monitor and direct their own learning processes. Like many other processes, metacognitive skills are learned by applying principles from almost every other chapter in this book. When learning a metacognitive skill, learners typically go through the following steps (Pressley, Borkowski, & Schneider, 1987): 1. They establish a motivation to learn a metacognitive process. This occurs when either they themselves or someone else points gives them reason to believe that there would be some benefit to knowing how to apply the process. (Motivation is discussed in chapter 5). 2. They focus their attention on what it is that they or someone else does that is metacognitively useful. This proper focusing of attention puts the necessary information into working memory (Chapter 6). Sometimes this focusing of attention can occur through modeling (Chapter 12), and sometimes it occurs during personal experience. 3. They talk to themselves about the metacognitive process. This talk can arise during their interactions with others, but it is their talk to themselves that is essential. This self talk serves several purposes: oIt enables them to understand and encode the process (Chapter 6). oIt enables them to practice the process (Chapter 3). oIt enables them to obtain feedback and to make adjustments regarding their effective use of the process (Chapters 3 and 12). oIt enables them to transfer the process to new situations beyond those in which it has already been used (Chapters 3 and 6). 4. Eventually, they begin to use the process without even being aware that they are doing so. This process usually represents a high-level implementation of the phases of learning and instruction described by Gagne and discussed in Chapter 3 of this book. When teachers intervene to help students develop a metacognitive process, they often use the scaffolded instruction strategies described in chapter 12. In addition, the techniques of cooperative learning and peer tutoring (discussed in Chapter 15) often provide opportunities for students to talk to others about their thought processes; and it is often the process of formulating thoughts in order to express them to others that leads to metacognitive development (Piaget, 1964). Finally, it is interesting to note an important relationship between the higher order skills of metacognition and the basic or factual skills that may be a part of a specific unit of instruction. Students typically learn metacognitive skills while they are involved in learning something else. If they are to do this successfully, it is extremely important that the learners have overlearned the prerequisite content knowledge for the subject matter topic being studied. If that prerequisite knowledge has not been mastered to a sufficient level of automaticity, then the working memory of the learner will be overwhelmed by the subject matter; and the result will be no time for metacognitive reflection. For example, when children who have largely mastered the prerequisite skills try to solve a word problem in arithmetic, they can afford to talk to themselves about what they are doing, because their working memory is not totally occupied with other demands. That is, well prepared children will have time for metacognitive practice. On the other hand, when children who are missing some of these prerequisite skills try to solve the same problem, their working memory is likely to be totally occupied with a frantic need to find the basic skills and facts needed to solve the problem. If this is the case, they not only have solved the problem less effectively; but they also have little or no time for practicing or developing metacognitive skills. When teachers and parents try to help students, it is important not to do too much thinking for them. By doing their thinking for the children they wish to help, adults or knowledgeable peers may make them experts at seeking help, rather than expert thinkers. On the other hand, by setting tasks at an appropriate level and prompting children to think about what they are doing as they successfully complete these tasks, adults can help children become independent and successful thinkers (Biemiller & Meichenbaum, 1992). In other words, it is often better to say, What should you do next? † and then to prompt the children as necessary, instead of simply telling them what to do. The preceding paragraph describes how the intellectual rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Knowledge of factual information and basic skills provides a foundation for developing metacognitive skills; and metacognitive skills enable students to master information and solve problems more easily. If teachers hope to help low-performing students break out of their intellectual imprisonment, they must find a way to help them develop both an automatic grasp of basic skills and effective metacognitive skills to enable self-directed learning. Misconceptions with regard to specific subject matter were discussed in Chapters 4 and 6. Wittrock (1991) notes that learners' misconceptions about learning-to-learn skills and about metacognitive strategies are also a critical source of learning problems. For example, a student who adheres to a belief that the best way to learn scientific concepts is to repeat the definitions ten times each night before going to bed is not as likely to come to an understanding of these concepts as a person who has a more effective conception of how to master these concepts. Finally, note that a major purpose of this book is to help you develop your metacognitive skills. In chapter 1 I suggested that you apply various strategies while reading this book. If you have done so, there is a good chance that by now you understand the rationale of many of these principles and can see how they contribute to your own learning. By becoming consciously aware of these strategies and how they work, you will not only be able to use these principles to teach others more effectively, you'll also be able to use them to monitor and improve your own thought processes. That's metacognition!

Free Essays on Twains View Of Religion In Huck Finn

Religion is useless, worthless, mindless and for those not grounded in reality. Or so Mark Twain would say, as indicated in the novel Huckleberry Finn. Twain’s attitude towards religion, one of cynicism and mockery, is thinly veiled in this story. Although sometimes considered a children’s anecdote, Huckleberry Finn takes shots at Christianity that clearly illustrate the author’s viewpoint towards organized religion. Mark Twain has no patience for religion or for those who subscribe to its validity. Far from being a devout Bible believer, Twain considers religion superstition. In fact, from looking at the novel, you could deduce that Twain has more respect for superstition than for religion. For example, Huck expects bad luck to follow in his wake after accidentally killing a spider and later touching a rattlesnake skin. Soon afterwards, bad luck does follow in the form of Huck’s father returning and Jim being bitten by a snake. However, when Huck prays to the Lord and nothing happens, we are thereby given the assumption that religion is worthless. Religion is portrayed as being more worthless, in fact, than seemingly irrational superstition. Although superstitious people are usually regarded as gullible and insecure people, Twain portrays religious people as even more gullible and insecure in his story. According to Twain, religious people are naive and overly impractical. For example, when Huck’s father is taken in by the new judge, his conversion is pronounced loud and clear, with the judges family being taken in by Huck’s father’s act. Additionally, the revival meeting made a great fool out of religion and moves of God. Not only does this promote the gullibility of Christians but also the powerlessness and impracticality of God and His Word. Tom Sawyer takes all his ideas and his ‘rules’ (for the gang of thieves and for helping Jim escape) from books. Books thus form a foundation for civilization... Free Essays on Twain's View Of Religion In Huck Finn Free Essays on Twain's View Of Religion In Huck Finn Religion is useless, worthless, mindless and for those not grounded in reality. Or so Mark Twain would say, as indicated in the novel Huckleberry Finn. Twain’s attitude towards religion, one of cynicism and mockery, is thinly veiled in this story. Although sometimes considered a children’s anecdote, Huckleberry Finn takes shots at Christianity that clearly illustrate the author’s viewpoint towards organized religion. Mark Twain has no patience for religion or for those who subscribe to its validity. Far from being a devout Bible believer, Twain considers religion superstition. In fact, from looking at the novel, you could deduce that Twain has more respect for superstition than for religion. For example, Huck expects bad luck to follow in his wake after accidentally killing a spider and later touching a rattlesnake skin. Soon afterwards, bad luck does follow in the form of Huck’s father returning and Jim being bitten by a snake. However, when Huck prays to the Lord and nothing happens, we are thereby given the assumption that religion is worthless. Religion is portrayed as being more worthless, in fact, than seemingly irrational superstition. Although superstitious people are usually regarded as gullible and insecure people, Twain portrays religious people as even more gullible and insecure in his story. According to Twain, religious people are naive and overly impractical. For example, when Huck’s father is taken in by the new judge, his conversion is pronounced loud and clear, with the judges family being taken in by Huck’s father’s act. Additionally, the revival meeting made a great fool out of religion and moves of God. Not only does this promote the gullibility of Christians but also the powerlessness and impracticality of God and His Word. Tom Sawyer takes all his ideas and his ‘rules’ (for the gang of thieves and for helping Jim escape) from books. Books thus form a foundation for civilization...

Changing the Text Direction in Microsoft Word

Changing the Text Direction in Microsoft Word Changing the Text Direction in Microsoft Word If you regularly use Microsoft Word with a language that reads from right-to-left, you may find that the right-to-left format remains when you try to write in English. This is because the text direction defaults to right-to-left in versions of Microsoft Word sold in some regions. Luckily, if youre using a Windows computer, changing the direction of text is easy via the left-to-right command. Only the most recent versions of Word for Mac support this feature, so if you encounter this problem, the best option is to copy and paste the text into a new document. Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar The first thing you need to do is add the left-to-right command to the Quick Access Toolbar. To do this, click the arrow next to the Redo button and choose More Commands from the dropdown list. Accessing the menus. On the next screen, you have the option to choose commands to add to the toolbar. If you cant see the left-to-right command, chose All Commands from the top menu. All commands. Next, scroll down and choose Left-to-Right Text Direction. The name of the command here may depend on the version of Word youre using. In Word 2010, this command is called Ltr run, while Word 2003 lists it as Ltr para. Left-to-right text direction. Now the button will be displayed on the toolbar (you can use a similar process to add it to the main ribbon if you right click on the ribbon and select Customize the Ribbon). LTR and RTL on the Quick Access Toolbar. Now select the text that is showing right-to-left, click the button, and it should switch to left-to-right. Repeat this last step anywhere in your document, including footnotes and comment boxes, where the text direction displays from right-to-left. Its also worth noting that you can select the Right-to-Left Text Direction command using the same method. This is useful if you need to switch back to the original format at any point. Formatting from Proofed If you would like to get your paper formatted perfectly, send it to the professionals at Proofed!

Federal Reserve System, Interest Rates and Money Supply (SLP) Essay

Federal Reserve System, Interest Rates and Money Supply (SLP) - Essay Example By increasing the interest rates Federal Reserve attempts to condense the supply of money by making it more expensive to obtain. There is no immediate effect on market with the increase in interest rate. However what happens immediately is that it suddenly becomes more costly for banks to borrow money from the central banks pushing the banks to increase the interest rates for lending money to their customers. (Siddhartha Jha, 2011) Expenses necessary for the survival are called committed expenses. As these expenses are mandatory, there purchasing decisions are not affected by fluctuations within the interest rate environment. Further, such expenses are met against cash so interest expenses are not applicable. Committed expenses include rent, transportation, groceries, and health insurance, telephone and electricity bills. Expenses associated with consumer goods, which depreciate quickly and rarely add value to one’s bottom line are called discretionary expenses. Expenses on designer clothes, vacation packages, high-end electronics and memberships to exclusive clubs are discretionary expenses. With the rise in interest rates discretionary spending reduces sharply because higher interest rates increase financing costs and lower disposable income. (John Bates, 2011) Spending on big ticket items expenses like purchasing a car or financing a home is encouraged with stable incomes and low interest rates. The spending decisions for big-ticket items are more so affected by the overall economy because despite a low-interest rate environment, one would be unlikely to take on a mortgage to buy a new home, if one’s job is in jeopardy. On the contrary, a strong economy and impressive stock market returns encourage raising cash to purchase a luxury car. Lower interest rates on real estate loans are better for the real estate market in general because it