Hydrocephalus Disease Essay Example for Free

Hydrocephalus Disease Essay There are many birth defects being discovered all around the world. However, the birth defect I found to be most interesting was hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus is one of the single most common birth defects and most people have never heard of it. What happens is, the brain is producing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) normally and fluid is drained from the brain into the spinal canal and is reabsorbed by the body, keeping the amount in the brain balanced. But when normal drainage doesn’t occur, the brain produces too much CSF fluid to be able to drain normally which leads to the build-up of fluid in the ventricles of the brain and causes pressure and enlarging of the head. Hydrocephalic skulls can be found in ancient Egyptian medical literature from 2500 BC to 500 AD but was described more clearly by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates in the 4th century BC. Hydrocephalus may be caused by genetic defects or certain infections during pregnancy. If the mother has infections such as the chicken pox or mumps during pregnancy it makes the risk of the baby having hydrocephalus greater because the infection creates a blockage in the brain which doesn’t allow the CSF fluid to drain properly and when this happens it starts to put pressure on the brain causing the embryos head to enlarge. Some malformations of the brain may cause hydrocephalus such as spinal bifida and dandy-walker syndrome as well. Also it can occur when the ventricles produce too much CSF fluid or when the bloodstream cannot reabsorb the fluid that was produced. â€Å"Each year, 1 in 1,000 children are born and diagnosed with hydrocephalus.† This is fairly large number especially when the latest statistics reveal that a child is born in the U.S. every 8.1 seconds, meaning that a child is born with hydrocephalus every 135 minutes. Many cases of hydrocephalus are most likely detected in the utero or at birth as early as the first trimester. The doctors can somewhat tell whether or not the baby in the utero has hydrocephalus or not by doing multiple ultrasounds throughout the months but it may not show the obstruction precisely. There are limited studies available on the long-term prognosis of those with prenatal hydrocephalus. There aren’t any treatments to treat this birth defect while in the utero but there are some after birth. One of the treatments is called â€Å"Shunting†. Shunt procedures, involve surgically implanting one end of a catheter (flexible tube) into a ventricle of the brain and placing the other end in the abdominal cavity, chambers of the heart, or space around the lungs where fluid is drained and absorbed by the bloodstream. A valve in the shunt system regulates the flow to prevent over-draining and under-draining. This procedure can be quite dramatic because the head circumference can shrink as much a 7-8 centimeters in the first week. However, there are risks such as infection when performing this procedure. Infections occur in 5-10% of shunting operations. Hydrocephalic skulls can be found in ancient Egyptian medical literature from 2500 BC to 500 AD but was described more clearly by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates in the 4th century BC. Hydrocephalus cases were originally described by Hippocrates who believed that this disease was cause by an extra cerebral accumulation of water. Hydrocephalus and its side effects can cause many common side effects such as confusion, loss of vision, headaches, problems driving a car, and diabetes. â€Å"Approximately one third of patients who are treated for hydrocephalus will attain a normal intelligence level (i.e., a mean score of between 80 and 100 points on an IQ test) or higher. These patients are more apt to be self-sufficient and capable of leading a normal life.† Some people have success with the outcome of hydrocephalus and some do not. â€Å"A thorough neuropsychological examination can cost up to $2,000, particularly if the findings are reviewed with you afterwards.† It cost a lot of money just for an examination to be done. But when they are examining you they can help you develop strategies to maximize performance of various tasks and to help make you more conscious about the conditions and its effects. The long-term outlook for a child born with hydrocephalus depends on how serious the problem is and other associated abnormalities. Doctors recommend that children receive follow up care and evaluations to prevent infection and monitor the functions of the shunt. Normal pressure hydrocephalus was found to be significantly more seen in males. It can occur at any age group. With good, early treatment, a normal lifespan with few limitations can be reached. After surgery, trained medicals professionals monitor the patient. Headaches may start to disappear because of the release of pressure on the brain. People may improve quickly or it might take weeks or months to improve and in some patients little or no improvement is possible. The length of time that a person will stay at hospital depends on how fast they recover. Hydrocephalus is a common disease not many people know about and should take time to learn about. It can have some serious side effects if you don’t have it treated right away. There are limited treatments today to cure hydrocephalus but it doesn’t mean people aren’t trying to find more.

At Cooloola Essay -- English Literature Essays

At Cooloola At Cooloola is a lyrical poem written by a well recognized Australian poet, Judith Wright. This poem creatively describes a beautiful scene of nature. The poet uses highly descriptive language and a diverse range of poetic devices to engage the reader into imagining a picture of how peaceful and serene this exquisite the scenery is down by Lake Cooloola. Underlying the subject matter is the implied theme that the lake is under threat from â€Å"conquering people† who will not protect its â€Å"white shores of sand, plumreed and paperbark†. This poem reflects Judith Wright’s concern for our special and unique flora and fauna, how fortunate we are to have stunning scenery, how easily mankind can destroy it, and our need to appreciate it. This poem portrays the unfortunate incident that occurred at Lake Cooloola due to white settlement. This tragic poem captures the essence of the peaceful partnership the wildlife shares with the land. â€Å"Walking on clean sand among prints of bird and animal† This illustrates the tranquil scene before the massacre of the Aboriginal people took place. â€Å"The invader’s feet will tangle in nets there and his blood be thinned by fears† This quote from the poem found in stanza three describes how after many years of the invasion, white people started to feel sorry and remorseful for the impact which white settlement had on Aborigines. This relates to Judith Wright’s concern for the Aboriginal people and the land which human settl...

Human Resource Development Simulation Essay

Being a training director is not an easy job because, aside from dealing with different personalities who will under you for training, a training director has to make sure that such trainings will also benefit the company as a whole. In a situation wherein the CEO of the company is looking for tangible evidences that construe the organization’s training programs effectiveness, it is only but right to show him/her profound evidences of your efforts as the training officer. Before presenting to the CEO proofs of the effective implementation of the training programs and that such spending has not really gone to waste, I would like to utilize survey forms and evaluation of the performance appraisal of the employees who have gone to the training. The question now lies – why use survey and performance rating of employees who have gone training as gauge for a measurable return on investment (ROI)? SURVEYS – I find surveys as an effective tool for measuring the ROI because this will determine the familiarity of the products and services of the company among the populace. Even though people have not yet bought the company’s products nor avail its services, it is a nice thing already that the consumers know the existence of the company. Surveys will be implemented through scientific sampling of respondents in the community who will answer questionnaires that bear questions about the services and products of the company. If the results turn-out will reflect that majority of the respondents know the products and services of the company, then it means that the training programs, in a way, has contributed the company’s run. PERFORMANCE RATING OF THE TRAINEESAFTER THE TRAINING – A good performance training is the best evidence that the training is, indeed, very effective. A well-trained employee will contribute in the company’s ROI because aside that he/she will be a utility in the company, his/her knowledge can expand more; hence, he/she might project new ideas that can further enhance the functionality of the company.

A reflection of Odysseus and Modern Day Heroes Essay

Written about two thousand and seven hundred years earlier, the Odyssey is still influencing modern storytelling today. Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca and protagonist of Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey was recognized as a great hero of his time. He was known for his defining qualities of superior strength and athleticism, sharp intellect, sensual ness, and a thirst for glory. These character traits are still being used to attribute modern day fictional heroes such as Neo, Captain Jack Sparrow, James Bond, and Spiderman. Accordingly, the heroic qualities of Odysseus can be still be seen in today’s modern day fictional heroes. Odysseus’s superior strength and athleticism resembles to modern day character of Neo in The Matrix. In the Odyssey, Penelope told the suitors that she would marry who ever was able to string Odysseus’s old bow and shoot it through twelve axe heads. Many suitors attempted this task but not a single one was even strong enough to string the bow. However, â€Å"Without any strain, Odysseus strung the great bow†¦ Taking the string and the head grooves he drew to the middle grip, and from the very chair where he sat, bending the bow before him, let the arrow fly, nor missed any axes from the first handle on, but the bronze-weighted arrow passed through all, and out the other end† (Homer, 319 – 320). Odysseus’s ability to string the incredibly stiff bow and to shoot it through twelve axe heads when not a single other suitor could do it depicts his sheer strength and athleticism. This ability is also apparent with Neo from the movie The Matrix. In the movie, Neo has the ability to freely manipulate the simulated reality of the Matrix. This skill, allows him to have superhuman strength and agility, and the ability to brush off attacks that would kill or disable a normal human being with relative ease. There is a particular scene that exemplifies this where Neo fights off about thirty agents with his bare hands. As depicted in the script written by the Wachowski Brothers, â€Å"Their attack is a devastating onslaught of speed and power closing in around Neo like a vise. But Neo is a mirage, slipping and flipping around them in a deadly counter attack, heaving agents in the air† (Wachowski Brother, 18). Neo’s superhuman strength and athleticism is comparable to Odysseus. Both characters are way stronger and quicker than the average warrior, which enables them to fight off exceptional opponents. Besides Brute strength, Odysseus shares many  other deeper qualities with modern day heroes. Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean shares Odysseus’s knack for quick thinking and cleverness. Odysseus demonstrates this trait when trying to escape from the Polyphemus’s cave by tricking Polyphemus into thinking that his name is Nobody. When Odysseus finally attacks the Cyclops and blinds him, Polyphemus cries for help saying, â€Å"‘Good Friends, Nobody is killing me by force or treachery.’ So then the others speaking in winged words gave him an answer: ‘If alone as you are none uses violence on you,'† (Homer, 147). Odysseus’s cleverness to say that his name is Nobody prevents the other Cyclopes from entering the cave and allows him escape with his men. Captain Jack Sparrow also possesses this same trait of cleverness. Sparrow is often out skilled in sword fighting by other characters so he resorts to using negotiation in order to distract his enemies or turn them against each other. Sparrow stated, â€Å"Why fight when you can negotiate? All one needs is the proper leverage† (Walt Disney Pictures). There is a scene that exemplifies this when a group of soldiers catch Sparrow trying to steal one of their ships. The Soldiers ask Sparrow, â€Å"What’s your business in Port Royal,? And no lies!† Sparrow answers, â€Å"I confess: I intend to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, and go on the account, do a little honest pirating† (Walt Disney Pictures). Sparrow is so openly honest about his mischief that the soldiers don’t even believe him. This clever use of words and psychology help Sparrow escape from the Soldiers and eventually steal their ship. Both Sparrow and Odysseus use this type of sharp cunning intellect to get what they need. Odysseus also shares his trait of sensual ness to women with the modern day hero of James Bond. There were numerous occasions where Odysseus came across a beautiful woman and lived a luxurious life with her before continuing his journey home. Three such examples were Calypso, Nausicaa, and Circe. With Circe in particular, Circe turned all of Odysseus crew into swine, but he was able to resist her powers, which caused her to fall in love with him. Odysseus then decided to spend a year of luxury on her island as her lover. Odysseus said, â€Å"We sat there feasting on unlimited meat and sweet wine. But when the sun went down and the sacred darkness came over†¦ but I, mounting  the surpassingly beautiful bed of Circe, clasped her by the knees and entreated her† (Homer, 164). Odysseus enjoyed his luxurious life with Circe in an exotic land, but only to a point. Eventually, he decided to focus on the greater task at hand and return home to Ithaca. James Bond possesses this same trait of sensual ness towards women throughout all of the bond films. In just about every film, Bond comes across a beautiful female that he ends up spending an intimate time with before going off to save the world. In Casino Royal, Bond enters a relationship with Solange. Solange says to Bond, â€Å"What is it about bad men? You†¦ my husband. I had so many chances to be happy, so many nice guys. Why can’t nice guys be more like you?† Bond replies, â€Å"Because then they’d be bad.† Solange kissing him some more, â€Å"Mmmmm, yeah†¦!† (MGM). Bonds smoothness and intellect help him win over the hearts of numerous women just like Odysseus. However, both Bond and Odysseus never get too wrapped up in a relationship to forget what their greater goals are. Bond always moves on and saves the world and Odysseus always leaves his lover in order to return home to Ithaca. Both characters have a strong sense of sensual n ess towards females, but it never seems to distract them from their main goals. Lastly, a trait that may not be seen as positive is Odysseus’ lust for pride and glory, which is shared with the modern day hero, Spiderman. Like other Greek heroes, Odysseus longed to win kleos, which is glory won through great deeds. This kleos sometimes led Odysseus into taking pride in his own glorious acts when it wasn’t really necessary. After cleverly tricking the Polyphemus and escaping from his lair, Odysseus said, â€Å"Cyclops, if any mortal man ever asks you who it was that inflicted upon your eye this shameful blinding, tell him that you were blinded by Odysseus, sacker of cities† (150, Homer). Odysseus could not resist his thirst for glory after defeating the Cyclops and needed to reveal his name for the sake of his own pride. Peter Parker as Spiderman possesses this same quality. When Peter first learned of his new spider powers, he tried to use them to impress other people. He took pictures of himself fighting criminals and sent them to the newspa per for people to see. He wanted other people to see how amazing his powers were and to glorify him for them. According to the story synopsis, â€Å"At first, Peter decides to use these powers to make money to  impress Mary Jane. He appears in a wrestling match and, armed with his new spider strength, wins the match in record time† (Marvel, and Columbia Pictures). Peter used his powers to glorify his own image just like Odysseus. However, this trait between the two characters does not benefit them in any way, so why is it relevant between two heroes?The fact that both Odysseus and Spiderman had a strong sense of pride provided room in the stories for it to be overcome. This trait of pride had drastic consequences for both characters. Spiderman’s pride caused him to spend too much time on impressing other people when he could have been a hero. This prevented him from saving his uncle Ben from being murdered because he was preoccupied. Odysseus pride caused him to reveal his true identity to Poseidon, who in turn seeked vengeance on him. This lead to a great amount suffering that Odysseus had to endure on his journey home. However, both characters were able to overcome their pride to a certain degree by the end of the stories. Spiderman eventually learned that â€Å"with great power, comes great responsibility† and to use his powers to protect the city from evil and not for his own glory (Marvel, and Columbia Pictures). By the end of the epic, Odysseus seemed much more willing to temper pride with patience. When disguised as a beggar, he did not immediately react to the abuse he received from the suitors. Instead, he endured it until the trap was set for him to strike down on them. In a sense, the quality that was passed down from the Odyssey to modern day heroes is the ability to overcome pride and the glorified self. Many of today’s fictional heroes resemble the character traits of Odysseus. Odysseus’ brute strength and athleticism can be seen in Neo. His cleverness and quick thinking resemble Captain Jack Sparrow. His sensual ness towards women, but without losing sight of the greater goal is comparable to James Bond. And his pride and thirst for glory is shared with Spiderman and how both of them were able to suppress it. Overall, it’s remarkable that today’s characters still resemble such an ancient hero. Will our idea of what makes a hero ever change? Works Cited Elliot, Ted, Terry Roscio, and Walt Disney Pictures. â€Å"Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl Screenplay.† hundland.com. 3 Nov. 2008 . Homer. The Odyssey. 1967. Trans. Richard Lattimore. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 2007. Marvel, and Columbia Pictures. â€Å"Spider-Man The Story.† Spider-Man Official site. 3 Nov. 2008 . Purvis, Neal, Robert Wade, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). â€Å"Casino Royale Script.† Script-O-Rama. 3 Nov. 2008 . Wachowski Brothers. â€Å"The Matrix Reloaded Screenplay.† horrorlair.com. 3 Nov. 2008 .

Frankenstein Essays (382 words) - Frankenstein, Free Essays

Frankenstein Essays (382 words) - Frankenstein, Free Essays Frankenstein This is an English book report on "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley Frankenstein The story of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is about a man who created something that messes with nature, and nature came back to mess with him because nature is more powerful than man. Victor Frankenstein was very interested in natural philosophy and chemistry and basically tried to play G-d by creating life. When he found the secret of activating dead flesh, he created a superhuman being composed of rotted corpses. What he did was considered unthinkable, and he was haunted by his own creation. When the monster escaped, Frankenstein knew that he had to deal with the consequences of what the monster might do. Frankenstein received a letter one day which informed him of his younger brother William's murder, and immediately suspected that he was responsible, for he was the creator of the hideous monster. A friend of the family named Justine Moritz was the "presumed" murderer, and Frankenstein was determined to prove her innocent. Circumstantial evidence, however, led the courts to believe Justine guilty, because found in her pocket was a photograph which had belonged to William. Justine had been put to death, and Frankenstein had yet to find his creation. Finally, upon their meeting, the monster confessed to his creator of what he had been through, how he was rejected by society, and finally, how he had come to kill William. When William had revealed his name to the monster, the monster immediately figured that by killing the young boy, he would have revenge on Frankenstein for giving him life. The monster did not understand the concept of right and wrong and he especially didn't mean to kill anybody. His expression of anger ended up being violent, even fatal to the victim, and it just worked out that he killed people. As the monster's story continued, he demanded of Frankenstein a female mate who he can be with until his end, and promised to live away from society. Frankenstein, meanwhile, tried to restore the monster's demented mind so he could live a normal life. Although at first Frankenstein agreed to create a friend for the monster, he changed his mind for fear that between the two of them, his life, as well as many others, would be in danger. The creature wanted revenge, and so everything important in Frankenstein's life ended up being destroyed, including his wife and best friend.

New Charter School Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New Charter School Proposal - Assignment Example However, henceforth first preference will be provided to students from its own school, the Mount Carmel High School. The Mount Carmel High School is being launched as a premium school with modern methods of learning. The school will engage its students in critical thinking, analysis, research and other resources that will markedly depart from the traditional pedagogy teaching alone. The school is open to students of all culture and beliefs without discrimination on the basis of race and religion. Learning by appropriate use of pedagogy, interactive technology, group discussions, and analysis will be encouraged. Students will also be encouraged to be involved in arts, music, and learning a foreign language. The learning curve with consist of the medium that engages the students’ interest from their early days in school. There will be extracurricular activities such as publishing of magazine, elocution, dance, an annual fair for the development of students’ mental faculties. Activities are aimed with the child’s all-round development in view. The school is expecting to start with the 6th grade with 80 students. This grade will be divided into four sections. So the teacher-students’ ratio will be not more than twenty students per teacher at any given time. The curriculum will consist of the key subjects, viz. language, mathematics, science, and social science. English will be the main language. Mathematics will comprise algebra and geometry. Students will have the options of studying the subjects through pedagogy, interactive technology or both. The options to study will be monitored regularly through appropriate tests. The students will be given enough time for learning and evaluations.

Homesexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Homesexuality - Essay Example n in the year 2006, the pension protection act gave protection to same sex couples and workers who choose to leave their retirement benefits to people who were not their spouses. As of September 2014, only 9 states have outlawed same sex marriages, and another 10 states that are awaiting court decisions. The other states (majority) have legalized gay marriages. Homosexuality was some time back branded as sexual deviancy. Sexual deviancy in this case is used to describe something abnormal. Hence homosexuality was branded as something abnormal and against the norms of the society. This is, however, is not the case anymore. As of the year 1960, homosexuality was illegal in all the American states. This has changed with time as only today 9 states have completely outlawed homosexuality. This shows that the society is embracing same sex marriages and not branding homosexuals as criminals or people who are mentally challenged. Therefore, I think that homosexuality is departing from