Essay --

â€Å"As of 2012, approximately 400,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with MS, with 10,000 new cases being diagnosed each year. Worldwide, MS affects between 1.5 and 2.5 million people.† (Davidson, Fallon, Slomski & Cataldo, 2013, p. 2228). With statistics like this many people have encountered individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The purpose of this report is to describe in detail this disease and how MRI is the modality of choice to diagnose. The Disease MS is an autoimmune disease. This means that the body’s immune system attacks normal tissue. Immune cells attack and obliterate the myelin sheath that surrounds neurons found in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin is an important component of neurons because it acts as an insulator. Myelin sheaths help electric signals travel efficiently from the brain to areas of the body, and â€Å"speeds transmission and prevents electrical activity in one cell from short-circuiting to another cell† (Davidson et al., 2013, p. 2228). MS attacks these myelin sheaths and disrupts the efficiency of that signal. It can be compared to a radio transmission. When myelin is working properly, one can hear a clear broadcast. However, when myelin is attacked and destroyed the transmission is no longer clear. It is jarbbled, hence, it alters and disrupts the message. When myelin is destroyed it turns into scar tissue called a plaque. This plaque will appear as â€Å"small round areas o f gray neurons without the white myelin covering† (Davidson et al., 2013, p. 2228). Causes There is no known reason to explain why the body starts attacking its own myelin sheaths. Though there has been much research, researchers have not been able to pinpoint a trigger. However, through this resear... ...em, because cortical bone does not produce a signal in MRI. This area is often obscured on CT because of the beam hardening artifact. The use of gadolinium better differentiates and increases sensitivity in detecting lesions. Diffusion-weighted imaging also gives MRI the ability to determine the age of lesions or differentiate acute from chronic ischemic changes (Pierce & Dubose, 2012). In conclusion, MS is a disease affecting many individuals. It can shorten the individual’s lifespan, but many treatment options are available to help cope with the symptoms. MRI is an evolving modality as it was just introduced in the 1990s and many advances have been made in the past couple of years. MRI is more sensitive than CT in detecting changes in the white matter of the brain. That is why MRI is the modality of choice to help diagnose a case of Multiple Sclerosis.

Infomatics Needs Assessment Essay

Changes in healthcare and advancements in technology have allowed for new and exciting opportunities to intergrade in the two fields. The government has supported healthcare facilities during this transition since 2009, by providing stimulus money to assist in the transition from paper to electronic medical records (EMR). The Obama administration will start fining healthcare facilities that have not made this transitioned to EMRs by 2015. In order to take advantage of this opportunity and to avoid fines, we must heed this mandate. Many facilities are finding it difficult to find the right system for their work places. This proves the importance of a needs assessment. â€Å"A needs assessment is a systematic set of procedures that are used to determine needs, examine their nature and causes, and set priorities for future action.† Need for Needs Assessment A needs assessment is an integral and necessary part to implementing change. Preforming this assessment will save money by preventing facilities from spending money on needless changes. During the process it is determined if there really is a need for this change. It also can provide alternative options if the original plan was found to be suboptimal. If the assessment determines that the plan for change is appropriate, the assessment will help set priorities and determine how to allocate resources such as people, money and facilities. Important considerations There are a few important aspects of this assessment that must be considered such as: definition of the need, the targeted group and consequences. During a needs assessment the â€Å"need† will have to be clearly defined. â€Å"A need is a discrepancy or gap between what is and what should be.† For the purposes of healthcare the gap is between paper medical records and electronic medical records. The targeted group most also be defined to ensure that the need fits the group. The question; is this a critical  change? Must be answered. Finally, the consequences for misfortune must also be addressed. In healthcare the facility must consider the consequences if implementation of the electronic medical record failed. They would be at a great finical loss. Collection of data Data from internal and external environment must be collected. Internal data can be collected from employees, and current technology. Employees can be interviewed for data or the facility can request surveys be filled out. External data can be collected from published literature, information from vendors, regulatory and accreditation requirements, information trending, and organizations like HIMSS or KLAS. HIMSS. Health care information and management systems, vision is to improve health care through incorporation of information technology. KLAS is an organization that collects feedback about healthcare systems and produces ratings. Both these organization can help narrow down the electronic medical record that will fit this facility. Members involved in needs assessment During the assessment the people affected should be consulted and directly involved in both the needs assessment and the designing of the program. In healthcare, doctors and nurses should be involved because they will be using the systems. Unit manger will be able to give a unique perspective to help with the functionality of the system and will also be able to boost morale regarding the change. Finally, the designers of the system should be included in the conferences with all other stakeholders. It is important the designers are present to help keep expectation as close to reality as possible. Conclusion All medical facilities are faced with the need to implement an electronic medical record in the upcoming years. It is important that this facility finds the right system the first time to avoid unnecessary finical loss. Preforming a needs assessment is the best way to aid in making the best decision. References (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/compneedsassessment.pdf Why Is Assessment Important? (n.d.). Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/assessment-guide-importance DeSilets, Lynore D, EdD,R.N., B.C. (2006). Needs assessment. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 37(4), 148-9. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223317102?accountid=458 Hebda, T., & Czar, P. (2013). Handbook of informatics for nurses & healthcare professionals (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson. KLAS Helps Healthcare Providers by Measuring Vendor Performance. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2015, from http://www.klasresearch.com/ HIMSS – Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2015, from http://www.himss.org/ Jackson, D. (2013, September 23). Most health care records now are electronic. Retrieved March 17, 2015, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/07/16/obama-electronic-health-care-r ecord-keeping/2521217/

Attracting Cockroaches with Different Substances

Reason: The reason I did this project was because I am absolutely fascinated by cockroaches. I think they are really interesting. It also makes me happy that I’m the only person I know of who is not scared of cockroaches. We have cockroaches that will come into our house to escape from the cold outside, so I thought, why not get rid of some of them? But I had to know what kind of bait to put out for them in order to accomplish this. So that is how I came up with this. Hypothesis: If the peanut butter, the butter, the cheese, and the bread are tested, then the butter will attract the most cockroaches. If the peanut butter, the butter, the cheese, and the bread are tested, then the bread will attract the least amount of cockroaches. Experiment What I did: Well, first I put four 4 by 10 sticky traps on our counter. Then, I got out some butter, some peanut butter, some bread, and some cheese out. After that, I got a tablespoon and scooped the substances out. I put the tablespoon of each substance on its own sticky trap. The butter on one, the peanut butter on another, and so on and so forth. Then I turned off the light and went to bed. When I got up, I got my data book out and went out to our counters. When I turned on the light, I counted how many cockroaches were on each sticky trap and I recorded my results. I tested this out ten times, and each time I recorded my results. Discussion Comparing: It was very interesting because according to my research, cockroaches like moist substances that they can easily pick up. But instead of going for the moist substances I put out, they went for the dry ones! Another thing I didn’t look at before was the temperature. The temperature really affected my results. According to my research, cockroaches can be seen the most inside houses when it is cold outside. And my results proved that it was true. When I did my project, it showed that as the temperature got colder, more and more cockroaches got stuck on the sticky trap. Uncontrolled Events: I think one uncontrolled event was the temperature. The temperature fell while I was doing my project. Usually, cockroaches will come indoors to escape from the cold outdoors. More cockroaches came in when the temperature dropped. Another thing I couldn’t control would be the exact place I put the sticky traps. I mean, I did put them on the counter, but I couldn’t put them all in the exact same place. What if a cockroach was just making his way across the counters when he got stuck on the sticky trap? What I would have done differently: If I had to do my project again, I would add in the temperatures of the night as well, because it really does affect my results. Either that, or I would make sure the temperature was pretty much the same each night. If it wasn’t around the temperature that I wanted, I would wait for the next night. I would also have added more bait to test because four traps really isn’t that much. Other Experiments that can be done: Some other experiments that can be done would be like, how the temperature effects on how active the cockroaches are, or what traps trap cockroaches best. You could also see if cockroaches are more active at night or in the daytime. According to my research though, cockroaches like to come out at night, while it’s still dark out, because to them, light means that somebody is there and can hurt them. But when it’s dark out, that’s the signal that everybody is asleep. One last test somebody could do, would be how long a cockroach could survive without food or water. Would it be affected if they had been fed a lot before the experiment started? What if they had only been fed a little bit before the experiment started? Conclusion Results: My results showed that the roaches went for the bread and cheese more than the butter and peanut butter, so my hypothesis was wrong. Each night, hardly any cockroaches went for the butter and peanut butter. They would mostly all go to the bread and cheese.

Man Made Disaster Essay

Free and compulsory education to all children up to the age fourteen is constitutional commitment in India. The Parliament of India has recently passed Right to Education Act through which education has become fundamental right of all children of age group 6-14 year. The site – Education for All (EFA) in India presents up-to-date information regarding activities initiated in the field ofelementary education in India. It presents National Policy on Education (1986,NPE) & its Programme of Action (POA, 1994) as well as goals and objectives of Education for All in India. A separate section is devoted on to District Primary Education Programme(DPEP) in terms of its framework, planning methodology adopted in developing District Primary Education Plans. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), launched in 2001is the most recent initiatives of the Government of India, which presents its guidelines, planning methodology, data on elementary education created under District Information System for Education(DISE), list of districts covered, addresses of state implementation societies and outcome of the research studies conducted on schoolattendance, teachers absenteeism, out-of-school children, mid-day meal and many other aspects of elementary education in India. The site has got separate channel for Educational Management Information System (EMIS) and presents school, district and state report cards as well as elementary education in rural and urban India and DISE Flash Statistics and analysis of data in the form of Elementary Education in India: Progress towards UEE, Analytical Report for 2006-07 and previous years. In addition, district-specific information on key variables concerning all the aspects of universal elementary education (UEE) is also presented. The site presents recent activities towards Rastriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) which is the most recent initiative of Government of India to achieve the goal of universalisation of secondary education (USE). It has got separate channel for educational statistics and presents Selected Educational Statistics brought out by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) for different years. In addition, the site also presents state and district-wise population(male, female & total, sex ratio, child sex ratio (o-6 year), density of population, population by religions, workers and non-workers and other such variables) and literacy rates (male, female & total, rural and urban areas and scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) based on 2001 Census. It also presents book reviews, educational links, UNESCO-UIS software for educational planners and many important documents such as common school system, modules on district educational planning and projections and forecasting of population, enrolment and teachers all which are important for those interested in educational planning and administration. It has got a separate channel on educational planning covering training at district (DIET), block, cluster and national level.

Black Aesthetics Essay

Black Aesthetics The word â€Å"aesthetics† can be defined as a branch of philosophy that critically reflects on art, culture, and nature. It is a view, opinion, or an attitude toward what is considered offensive or acceptable. It is more scientifically defined as a critical judgment of the sensory emotional values that exude from the nature of beauty, art, and taste. Aesthetics as it pertains to the black community or simply â€Å"black aesthetics† refers to ideologies and perspectives of art that centers around back culture and life. Black aesthetics spawned from the Blacks Arts Movement of the 1960’s where blacks demonstrated that you didn’t have to assimilate into white American culture. The movement refers to a period of African American creativity beginning in the mid-1960’s and continuing through much of the 1970’s. It was a pivotal moment in African American literature. It inspired black people to establish their own publishing houses, magazines, journals and art institutions. It led to the creation of African American Studies programs within universities. It all precipitated from the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965. Linked both chronologically and ideologically with the Black Power Movement, The BAM recognized the idea of two cultural Americas: one black and one white. The BAM pressed for the creation of a distinctive Black Aesthetic in which black artists created for black audiences. The movement saw artistic production as the key to revising Black American’s perceptions of themselves, thus the Black Aesthetic was believed to be an integral component of the economic, political, and cultural empowerment of the Black community. The Black Arts Movement called for an explicit connection between art and politics. This movement created the most prevalent era in black art history by taking stereotypes and racism and turning it into artistic value. The concepts of Black Power, Nationalism, Community, and Performance all influenced the formation of this national movement, and it proliferated through community institutions, theatrical performance, literature, and music. One of the biggest problems that black Americans have been dealing with since being removed from our homeland is self-identification within western civilization. American culture was initially shaped by many European races and cultures coming together through shared ideals and values in which, has attributed to our diversity. However, other races did not always have a choice; all of the enslaved Africans were forced to assimilate. During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, many African nations were struggling for their independence from Europe. Their struggles correlate to the struggle of blacks in the United States during the same time period. Since the 1880’s, when European nations colonized Africa, Europe had almost complete control over the continent, but this changed during the 1950’s and 1960’s. By 1958, ten African countries had gained their independence, and sixteen more joined the list in 1960 alone. With these nations gaining heir independence, it demonstrated the ability of blacks to overpower their white oppressors. The Black Power and Black Arts Movement in the United States were the result of just that. Who are black people, what are black people, what is their relationship to America and the world? It must be repeated that the whole myth of â€Å"Negro citizenship,† perpetuated by the white elite, has confused the thinking of radical and progressive blacks and whites in this country. The broad masses of black people react to American society in the same manner as colonial peoples react to the West in Africa, and Latin America, and had the same relationship that of the colonized toward the colonizer. Too long have we allowed white people to interpret the importance and meaning of the cultural aspects of our society. We have allowed them to tell us what was good about our Afro-American music, art, and literature. How can a white person who is not part of the black psyche (except as the oppressor) interpret the meaning of the blues to us who are manifestations of the songs themselves? Black people concerning the contributions that we have made in shaping this country must make a thorough re-examination. If this re-examination and re-evaluation is not made, and black people are not given their proper due and respect, then the rivalries and contradictions are going to become more and more evident, more and more intense, until there is a national uproar.

ETHICS FINAL Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ETHICS FINAL - Assignment Example To others it is pivoting their institutions to greater heights of returns. Business ethics play a key role in establishing how such achievements are made. Quoting from the book â€Å"in the wake of the recent spate of corporate collapses in which management had engaged in questionable or illegal practices†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Text, page 282), is an indication of some of the ways that managers opt to take to realize the goals of the organization. It is trivial knowledge that each decision made is subject to some consequences. A business that practices ethical business protocol, is guaranteed a good reputation with other firms. Furthermore the financial state of the organization is improved considerably. A firm with a good reputation boosts of a huge number of customers, this is as a result of increased confidence in the firm. Such a firm assures customers of good quality products and services, thus it is destined to be favored by the general public. Poor business ethics are a setback to the progress of a firm. Notably business ethics trickle down from the highest management level to the junior management level, managers are delegated to be the role models, and it is their responsibility to ensure that this conduct trickles down the management levels. There are two theories that explain business ethics, according to Milton Friedman, the management’s main objective is to ensure that it returns considerable profits to the shareholders. This should be done without deception or abuse of power. Generally Milton advocates for social responsibility, but another group of people advocates for corporate responsibility. Unlike the social responsibility concept that argues that business ethics should be

Encountering The Old Testament Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Encountering The Old Testament - Term Paper Example The response of God to the injustice of humans is justice, implying that humans would always get whatever they wanted. It is evidenced that the evil are punished by God and the righteous are blessed by God. The redemption and mercy, which is developed in the stories of the Bible appear to be a contrast of the standard retribution. In different books, redemption is seen in two categories. In other situations, one individual forgives another through ignoring the offence of the other or by just forgetting the offence. Jacob goes back to his homeland immediately after cheating his own brother. In this case, we expect vengeance and hatred from Esau. However, Jacob is welcomed by Esau with an embrace, changing the expectations of Jacob despite the fact that Jacob had changed Esau’s fate. Apart from this, King David is seen to treat all his enemies with mercy and kindness, an act that appears as short-sighted in terms of dismissal of justice that is traditional. Another type of redem ption is used in the third party intervention as a sacrifice mediator to reduce the anger of God with wrongdoers. The frantic prayer of Moses in Mount Sinai made God to alter his mind and shift from having the Israelites destroyed.  In this case, the promise of God is a mirror of the acts of humans in the law of religion to forgive the sins of humans according to the offerings and sacrifices. The covenant of God with the humans includes all His promises to provide Abraham together with his descendants the religious laws and the Promised Land that is provided to the Israelites. On the other hand, the covenant takes after the ancient treaties and legal codes whereby a landowner identifies the vassal condition so as to protect the return on vassal. The covenant in the Bible does not represent a mere agreement but a relationship that is passionate