Death Penalty Essay Introduction Essay

A death penalty is one of the oldest corrections familiar to mankind. Strictly speaking, it was applied even before the criminal law appears in a modern sense of the word. One of the problems worries not only lawyers but a whole society, causing a lot of discussions, disputes and debates, was and still is an issue of execution. At the moment, its relevance is also connected with the fact that now a lot of states are going to soften own legislation, abolishing the supreme penalty. In this connection, a question arises as to validity and admissibility of its application. The presence or absence of the capital punishment is a kind of indicator of culture and quality of life, security and public mentality. That is why in socially and economically well-off countries, the death is much calmer, philosophically, not as exaggerated as in unsettled states. The relevance of such an investigation is due to the matter that much is said and written, confirmed by judicial and extrajudicial practice regarding severe punishments as never frightening things. This is explained, first of all, by the fact they were most frequently applied to criminals who, for various reasons, either did not fear death or ignored it. An attitude of mass consciousness to the capital punishment and scale of its usage serves as a barometer of the community’s morality, its social and mental health. To date, 111 countries have abandoned it, but there are still many governments that have resorted to it so far. Each state faces such dilemma: should the death penalty be applied as discipline for especially serious crimes or adhere to the principles of humanism? How effective is it? How does the public opinion influence the abolition or retention of similar penalty? A modern society was divided into two camps. Each of the groups has enough weighty arguments, which it is difficult to disagree. The main motives of supporters of execution are its preventive nature, economic feasibility, and justice of retaliation. In other words, a lot of citizens consider the rule of mutual murder as justified. An alternative point of view also has its justifications and deserves no less attention. Opponents of capital punishment point to an imperfection of the judicial system and its frequent mistakes, an inconsistency of the indicated problem in the context of international law, financial costs, as well as doubtfulness of a preventive effect. In light of increased terrorist attacks, there was another argument like suicide bomber did not scare death. Perhaps, only organizers of the attacks themselves are not in a hurry to part with life. And for them, an execution is a quite likely outcome. However, outraged public opinion requires a fair impact on the offenders and does not want to tolerate the facts of insufficiently severe sentences or an abandonment of life by dangerous, incorrigible criminals. And no matter how incompetent, uncivilized it may be, it cannot be ignored. Otherwise, instead of verdicts, according to the law and the court, a â€Å"punitive presumption† of the population begins. Thus, there can be no unequivocal decision on the issue of death penalty. It affects political, legal, socio-economic, moral-religious, cultural-psychological and other spheres of activity. There are criminals who do not deserve life, but punishment is not all-powerful. Since criminality is of a multilateral and deep nature, the measures to struggle against it must also be complex.

The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening Chapter One

â€Å"Are you having a good time?† Elena asked. I am now . Stefan didn't say it, but Elena knew it was what he was thinking. She could see it in the way he stared at her. She had never been so sure of her power. Except that actually he didn't look as if he were having a good time; he looked stricken, in pain, as if he couldn't take one more minute of this. The band was starting up, a slow dance. He was still staring at her, drinking her in. Those green eyes darkening, going black with desire. She had the sudden feeling that he might jerk her to him and kiss her hard, without ever saying a word. â€Å"Would you like to dance?† she said softly. I'm playing with fire, with something I don't understand, she thought suddenly. And in that instant she realized that she was frightened. Her heart began to pound violently. It was as if those green eyes spoke to some part of her that was buried deep beneath the surface-and that part was screaming â€Å"danger† at her. Some instinct older than civilization was telling her to run, to flee. She didn't move. The Awakening Chapter One September 4 Dear Diary, Something awful is going to happen today. I don't know why I wrote that. It's crazy. There'sno reason for me to be upset and every reason for me to be happy, but†¦ But here I am at 5:30 in the morning, awake and scared. I keep telling myself it's just that I'm all messed up from the time difference between France and here. But that doesn't explain why I feel so scared. So lost. The day before yesterday, while Aunt Judith and Margaret and I were driving back from the airport, I had such a strange feeling. When we turned onto our street I suddenly thought, â€Å"Mom and Dad are waiting for us at home. I bet they'll be on the front porch or in the living room looking out the window. They must have missed me so much.† I know. That sounds totally crazy. But even when I saw the house and the empty front porch I still felt that way. I ran up the steps and I tried the door and knocked with the knocker. And when Aunt Judith unlocked the door I burst inside and just stood in the hallway listening, expecting to hear Mom coming down the stairs or Dad calling from the den. Just then Aunt Judith let a suitcase crash down on the floor behind me and sighed a huge sigh and said, â€Å"We're home.† And Margaret laughed. And the most horrible feeling I've ever felt in my life came over me. I've never felt so utterly and completely lost. Home. I'm home. Why does that sound like a he? I was born here in Fell's Church. I've always lived in this house, always. This is my same old bedroom, with the scorch mark on the floorboards where Caroline and I tried to sneak cigarettes in 5th grade and nearly choked ourselves. I can look out the window and see the big quince tree Matt and the guys climbed up to crash my birthday slumber party two years ago. This is my bed, my chair, my dresser. But right now everything looks strange to me, as if I don't belong here. It's me that's out of place. And the worst thing is that I feel there's somewhere I do belong, but I just can't find it. I was too tired yesterday to go to Orientation. Meredith picked up my schedule for me, but I didn't feel like talking to her on the phone. Aunt Judith told everyone who called that I had jet lag and was sleeping, but she watched me at dinner with a funny look on her face. I've got to see the crowd today, though. We're supposed to meet in the parking lot before school. Is that why I'm scared? Am I frightened of them? Elena Gilbert stopped writing. She stared at the last line she had written and then shook her head, pen hovering over the small book with the blue velvet cover. Then, with a sudden gesture, she lifted her head and threw pen and book at the big bay window, where they bounced off harmlessly and landed on the upholstered window seat. It was all so completely ridiculous. Since when had she, Elena Gilbert, been scared of meeting people? Since when had she been scared of anything ? She stood up and angrily thrust her arms into a red silk kimono. She didn't even glance at the elaborate Victorian mirror above the cherrywood dresser; she knew what she'd see. Elena Gilbert, cool and blond and slender, the fashion trendsetter, the high school senior, the girl every boy wanted and every girl wanted to be. Who just now had an unaccustomed scowl on her face and a pinch to her mouth. A hot bath and some coffee and I'll calm down, she thought. The morning ritual of washing and dressing was soothing, and she dawdled over it, sorting through her new outfits from Paris. She finally chose a pale rose top and white linen shorts combo that made her look like a raspberry sundae. Good enough to eat, she thought, and the mirror showed a girl with a secret smile. Her earlier fears had melted away, forgotten. â€Å"Elena! Where are you? You're going to be late for school!† The voice drifted faintly up from below. Elena ran the brush one more time through silky hair and pulled it back with a deep rose ribbon. Then she grabbed her backpack and went down the stairs. In the kitchen, four-year-old Margaret was eating cereal at the kitchen table, and Aunt Judith was burning something on the stove. Aunt Judith was the sort of woman who always looked vaguely flustered; she had a thin, mild face and light flyaway hair pushed back untidily. Elena landed a peck on her cheek. â€Å"Good morning, everybody. Sorry I don't have time for breakfast.† â€Å"But, Elena, you can't just go off without eating. You need your protein-† â€Å"I'll get a doughnut before school,† said Elena briskly. She dropped a kiss on Margaret's tow head and turned to go. â€Å"But, Elena-† â€Å"And I'll probably go home with Bonnie or Meredith after school, so don't wait dinner. Bye!† â€Å"Elena-† Elena was already at the front door. She closed it behind her, cutting off Aunt Judith's distant protests, and stepped out onto the front porch. And stopped. All the bad feelings of the morning rushed over her again. The anxiety, the fear. And the certainty that something terrible was about to happen. Maple Street was deserted. The tall Victorian houses looked strange and silent, as if they might all be empty inside, like the houses on an abandoned movie set. They looked as if they were empty ofpeople , but full of strange watching things. That was it; something was watching her. The sky overhead was not blue but milky and opaque, like a giant bowl turned upside down. The air was stifling, and Elena felt sure that there were eyes on her. She caught sight of something dark in the branches of the old quince tree in front of the house. It was a crow, sitting as still as the yellow-tinged leaves around it. And it was the thing watching her. She tried to tell herself that this was ridiculous, but somehow she knew . It was the biggest crow she had ever seen, plump and sleek, with rainbows shining in its black feathers. She could see every detail of it clearly: the greedy dark claws, the sharp beak, the single glittering black eye. It was so motionless that it might have been a wax model of a bird sitting there. But as she stared at it, Elena felt herself flush slowly, heat coming in waves up her throat and cheeks. Because it was†¦ looking at her. Looking the way boys looked at her when she wore a bathing suit or a sheer blouse. As if it were undressing her with its eyes. Before she realized what she was doing, she had dropped her backpack and picked up a stone from beside the driveway. â€Å"Get out of here,† she said, and heard the shaking anger in her own voice. â€Å"Go on! Getaway !† With the last word, she threw the stone. There was an explosion of leaves, but the crow soared up unharmed. Its wings were huge, and they made enough racket for a whole flock of crows. Elena crouched, suddenly panicked as it flapped directly over her head, the wind of its wings ruffling her blond hair. But it swooped up again and circled, a black silhouette against the paper-white sky. Then, with one harsh croak, it wheeled away toward the woods. Elena straightened up slowly, then glanced around, self-conscious. She couldn't believe what she had just done. But now that the bird was gone, the sky felt ordinary again. A little wind made the leaves flutter, and Elena took a deep breath. Down the street a door opened and several children poured out, laughing. She smiled at them, and took another breath, relief sweeping through her like sunlight. How could she have been so silly? This was a beautiful day, full of promise, and nothing bad was going to happen. Nothing bad was going to happen-except that she was going to be late getting to school. The whole crowd would be waiting for her in the parking lot. You could always tell everyone you stopped to throw stones at a Peeping Tom, she thought, and almost giggled. Now,that would give them something to think about. Without a backward glance at the quince tree, she began to walk as quickly as she could down the street. The crow crashed through the top of the massive oak, and Stefan's head jerked up reflexively. When he saw it was only a bird, he relaxed. His eyes dropped to the limp white form in his hands, and he felt his face twist in regret. He hadn't meant to kill it. He would have hunted something larger than a rabbit if he'd known how hungry he was. But, of course, that was the very thing that frightened him: never knowing how strong the hunger would be, or what he might have to do to satisfy it. He was lucky that this time he'd killed only a rabbit. He stood beneath the ancient oak trees, sunlight filtering down onto his curly hair. In jeans and T-shirt, Stefan Salvatore looked exactly like a normal high school student. He wasn't. Deep in the woods, where no one would see him, he'd come to feed. Now he licked at his gums and lips painstakingly, to make sure there was no stain on them. He didn't want to take any chances. This masquerade was going to be hard enough to pull off as it was. For a moment he wondered, again, if he should just give it all up. Perhaps he should go back to Italy, back to his hiding place. What made him think that he could rejoin the world of daylight? But he was tired of living in shadows. He was tired of the darkness, and of the things that lived in it. Most of all, he was tired of being alone. He wasn't sure why he'd chosen Fell's Church, Virginia. It was a young town, by his standards; the oldest buildings had been put up only a century and a half ago. But memories and ghosts of the Civil War still lived here, as real as the supermarkets and fast-food joints. Stefan appreciated respect for the past. He thought he might come to like the people of Fell's Church. And perhaps-just perhaps-he might find a place among them. He'd never be accepted completely, of course. A bitter smile curved his lips at the idea. He knew better than to hope forthat . There would never be a place where he could belong completely, where he could truly be himself. Unless he chose to belong to the shadows†¦ He slapped the thought away. He'd renounced the darkness; he'd left the shadows behind him. He was blotting all those long years out and starting afresh, today. Stefan realized he was still holding the rabbit. Gently, he laid it down on the bed of brown oak leaves. Far away, too far for human ears to pick up, he recognized the noises of a fox. Come along, brother hunter, he thought sadly. Your breakfast is waiting. As he slung his jacket over his shoulder, he noticed the crow that had disturbed him earlier. It was still perched in the oak tree, and it seemed to be watching him. There was a wrongness about it. He started to send a probing thought toward it, to examine the bird, and stopped himself. Remember your promise, he thought. You don't use the Powers unless it is absolutely necessary. Not unless there is no other choice. Moving almost silently among the dead leaves and dry twigs, he made his way toward the edge of the woods. His car was parked there. He glanced back, once, and saw that the crow had left the branches and dropped down on the rabbit. There was something sinister in the way it spread its wings over the limp white body, something sinister and triumphant. Stefan's throat tightened, and he almost strode back to chase the bird away. Still, it had as much right to eat as the fox did, he told himself. As much right as he did. If he encountered the bird again, he'd look into its mind, he decided. Just now, he tore his eyes from the sight of it and hurried on through the woods, jaw set. He didn't want to be late arriving at Robert E. Lee High School.

How Music Reflects Society

During the baroque period, music had certain characteristics that are specific to the time period. For example, Contrast is an important characteristic in a baroque drama. The differences between loud and soft, solo and ensemble, different instruments and timbres all play an important role in many baroque compositions. In previous musical eras, a piece of music tended to consist of a single melody, perhaps with several melodies played simultaneously. Not until the baroque period did the concept of â€Å"melody† and â€Å"harmony† truly begin to be used in music. The practice of basso continuo also came into the focus of music during the baroque. The harpsichord was a very prominent instrument in the music during the baroque, and was featured in many of the pieces. Opera was a new creation during the baroque, and many composers began to write opera pieces. An opera is a drama that is primarily sung, accompanied by instruments, and presented on stage. Operas typically alternate between recitative, speech-like song that advances the plot, and arias, songs in which characters express feelings at particular points in the action. Choruses and dances are also frequently included. Many of the operas are based on Greek mythology, and many are religious. Many of the most famous baroque compositions were performed in churches for a service, or as part of a private concert or celebration in the home of a wealthy patron. During the course of the baroque, however, public performances became more common, particularly in the genres of opera and oratorio. John Sebastian Bach was one of the baroque’s most famous composers. He was born in Eisenach, Germany, into a family of working musicians. In 1695, when he was just nine years old, his parents died and he was sent to live with his brother, Johann Christoph, an organist. While the lived with his brother he learned to play the keyboard and studied composition on his own. Bach's style is baroque, characterized by a lot of notes, simple motoric rhythms, and steady shifts of underlying harmony, he music was described by some people as ‘sewing-machine music'. But he explored harmony much more deeply than other composers of the time: compared to say Handel or Vivaldi, Bach's music can contain extraordinarily ‘jazzy' chords and will jump off to many different harmonic areas. Bach’s song Jesus bleibet meine Freude is a perfect example of the music of the baroque era. It features the basso continuo much like many of the other pieces of the baroque. It has a very light feel to it, which was popular of the music during the baroque. Also, a choir, much like a church choir, sings it. The beat is steady, and the contrast of loud and soft is noticed in this piece. The notes go from low, to high, back to low. Strings are the dominant instrument in this song, and there is not much to the actual music other than voice and one instrument, the violin.

Final Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Final - Case Study Example Such situation may arise in the transient cardiac arrest that can be managed with resuscitation and the cardio-respiratory systems kicks back to function. In addition, a patient should be confirmed dead when an extensive attempt of cardio-respiratory arrest reversal has been attempted for more than five minutes  has  failed.  In addition,  there is no central pulse on palpation, heart sounds on auscultation as well as lack of blood pressure. It can be concluded that Ms. Robaczynski did not follow all these criteria; therefore, she did active killing. If at all, Mr. Gessner had asked to be disconnected from his respirator then Ms. Robaczynski could not have committed a crime. This is because the patients have a right to refuse treatment and would wish to have a peaceful death rather than battle with the disease. In such cases, the patient sign a legal document of â€Å"Do not resuscitate† in which a patient states that in case their heart stop, then they should not be resuscitated. Even though, DNR has several ethical debates but it is legally accepted and no healthcare provider can be convicted of a crime in following the patient instruction (Sanders, Schepp, & Baird,

MGT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MGT - Essay Example FoldRite Furniture Company was started in the year 1986. The company has been operation with the management being involved in a number of initiatives that have been aimed at its continued growth and profitability. The company operated in a very competitive environment and there was always a need to be more innovative in order to stay ahead. In 2006, there was a change in ownership which warranted some changes in management. However, the company had experienced a growth rate of over 3.5% from 1999 to 2006. This is evidenced by the increase in revenues from $47.5M to $60.3M. This recorded growth was well above that of the industry at the time. However, the company had a cyclic nature at this time as there was a growth and decline sort of scenario which was occasioned by a financial turmoil and loss of yields and general decline in productivity occasioned by high staff turnover. The turnover of staff meant that the company was mainly reliant on the inexperienced staff members at most ti mes. There was also an increase in the production lead time and increased margins. In 2007, the company began undergoing a transformation that was started when a new CEO was recruited. The new CEO, Marshal Epstein only made two changes to the structure of the organization and these proved to be vital in its rejuvenation. The first major change was that he reduced the number of products that the company offered while at the same time embarked on the consolidation of manufacturing. The other major change was that he reduced the lead time to a maximum of a fortnight and also made sure that the shipping policy was changed to reflect only two days. Despite the recession in the latter years, the company was profitable in 2009. FoldRite has a very dynamic market structure and although the demand for their products is seasonal, they have managed to spread out and rely on a large market base. Currently, the largest market segment is the

Room Division Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Room Division Operation Management - Essay Example Other organisations such as learning institutions provide accommodation plus reception services (Pizam 2010, p. 103). For instance, higher education institutions such as colleges and universities provide accommodation inform of hostels (Andrews 2008, p. 38). Accommodation services in such organisations comprise of administration, booking, as well as communication services, while the reception services comprise of enquiries, cashiers plus room allocation services (Pizam 2010, p. 103). Accommodation and front office services are split into diverse departments and have a number of functions (Pizam 2010, p. 103). They include a front office manager whose works is to provide high quality services through providing more than the demands of the clients (Andrews 2008, p. 39). This manager plans, organises, controls, as well as directs all the functioning expenses plus the issue connected to the revenues (Pizam 2010, p. 103). The work of the guest service personnel is to welcome guests/customers who arrive at the hotel, show them the reception for clearing purposes, assign the guests their rooms plus assisting the customers carry their belongings to their rooms (Pizam 2010, p. 103). They also book and organise for guests’ arrival. Finally, night auditors work at the front office and they complement the work of the front office manager, as well as the guest service personnel. They also posts charges for numerous services offered to the guest (Andrews 2008, p. 39). A number of legal and statutory requirements help prevent business oppression and preserve competition by regulating the business functions (Pizam 2010, p. 104). The law urges that hotel operators should agree on the scope concerning operations and terms of rates, room provision and business conditions along with uniforms. In addition, the room allocation law counts or holds the innkeepers accountable for the customers’ property (Andrews 2008, p. 39). Nevertheless, this

Economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Economics - Assignment Example With customs preference agreement, countries that sign the agreement are assured of preferential customs levels unlike countries that are not part of the agreement. Under an economic union, economic policies are integrated for member countries. This means that members of an economic union enjoy the same trade policies as well as unified economic regulations and policies. A common market takes a customs union a step further to account for eliminated barriers when it comes to the movement of factors of production. Finally, political integration combines most or all of the above discussed trade agreements. Jagdish Bhagwati supports free trade agreements and subsequently connects them to the welfare of the society. He argues that free trade agreements translate to better living standards unlike trade barriers, restrictions, or sanctions. Moreover, Jagdish Bhagwati contends that social and environmental issues are better addressed through free trade agreements. In other words, Jagdish Bhagwati supports the concept and practice of free trade agreements in almost every aspect of the contemporary global

Employee Ownership and Effect on Attitude Essay

Employee Ownership and Effect on Attitude - Essay Example Majority believe that employees sharing ownership tend to be hard workers who subsequently pay more attention to the quality of the work that they deliver compared to their non-owner counterparts. Moreover, Keef (1998) further asserts that employ owners are also highly inclined to vote their shares for the interest of an organization. Klein (1987) also recognizes certain sociological effects of employee share ownership within an organization. He posits that allowing employees to some ownership of a company is a form of wealth distribution among workers and consequently enhance the wide and equitable distribution of the products of economic success. Consequently, this also serves to reduce possible management or labour-related conflicts. Some proponents of the employee ownership have also approached the issue from a political stance and have viewed the strategy as a symbol of economic democracy within an organization. Nevertheless, there have been a number of concerns that have been r aised by the opponents of employee ownership. Most have argued that by allowing employees to own a stake in an organization, they are likely to be exposed to unwarranted risks. In addition, there will also be a likelihood of an increase of management and labour-related conflicts. ... companies. Employee ownership can take place in a number of ways. The process is usually multidimensional in its approach. When talking about employee ownership, there are four major aspects that normally come in mind. To begin with, the first dimension of employee ownership is the determination of the percentage of workers who will actively participate in ownership of the firm. Another aspect to be taken into account when making decision pertaining to employee ownership is the percentage of ownership to be held by employees within an organization. Similarly, prior to allowing employees to have the legal ownership of a company’s shares, the rights and privileges employees will have as result of owning a stake in the company will also be determined. The rights and privileges held by the employees are usually determined by the manner in which the employees own the company’s shares (Trewhitt, 2000). Employees can assume either direct or indirect ownership of a company. In indirect ownership of a company, the employees own the company’s stocks through a workers trust, whereas for direct ownership, employees can willingly purchase or sale a company’s stocks. Kruse (2002) affirms that nearly 7.7% percent of all workers in the private sector in the U.S. own shares in their companies either directly or indirectly, a figure that translates to nearly 20 million workers. According to Vuaghan (1995) employee ownership may have a positive effect on behaviour and attitude of employees on the condition that such employees regard the value of their ownership as a means for greater income and job security. On the contrary, it may pose very little or no effect on their attitude and behaviour or even have a negative influence on the same if the

Managing Activities to Achieve Results Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Managing Activities to Achieve Results - Essay Example Tesco’s website states that the vision of the company is â€Å"for Tesco to be most highly valued by the customers we serve, the communities in which we operate, our loyal and committed staff and our shareholders; to be a growth company; a modern and innovative company and winning locally, applying our skills globally† (Tesco Plc, 2011b). This can be broken down into four key aspects each of which has implications for the structure and culture of the business.-  To be the most highly valued business: to be highly valued as a business, Tesco needs to continue its focus on satisfying customers. This involves all levels of management. Specifically, the company needs to ensure that the customers are happy with the service they receive at the individual level, through interactions with frontline (level one) staff. In addition, value within the company image must be maintained, with business advertising and actions reflecting their desire to help the customer. This can be s een in the focus of the company culture on satisfying customers, and in the manner in which all levels of the business interact and communicate with one another. -  To remain a growth company: the organisational structure of Tesco allows for significant communication across different areas of the business. Because of this, the company is able to quickly adapt to any important events such as sudden demand for a particular item or a national or global crisis.The company visualizes itself to be serving and retaining its loyal customers.... Tesco Plc’s company culture is to consider that their customers are above all else and aim to give customers a positive experience to ensure that they continue to shop at the company . To achieve this all the levels of management within the organisation interact and communicate efficiently with one another with a strong focus on customer service and customer satisfaction. 1b) Tesco’s website states that the vision of the company is â€Å"for Tesco to be most highly valued by the customers we serve, the communities in which we operate, our loyal and committed staff and our shareholders; to be a growth company; a modern and innovative company and winning locally, applying our skills globally† . This can be broken down into four key aspects each of which has implications for the structure and culture of the business. To be the most highly valued business: to be highly valued as a business, Tesco needs to continue its focus on satisfying customers. This involves all levels of management. Specifically, the company needs to ensure that the customers are happy with the service they receive at the individual level, through interactions with frontline (level one) staff. In addition, value within the company image must be maintained, with business advertising and actions reflecting their desire to help the customer. This can be seen in the focus of the company culture on satisfying customers, and in the manner in which all levels of the business interact and communicate with one another. To remain a growth company: the organisational structure of Tesco allows for significant communication across different areas of the business. Because of this, the company is able to quickly adapt to any important events such as sudden demand for a particular item or

The Synthesis of Sulfanilamide Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Synthesis of Sulfanilamide - Lab Report Example Sulfanilamide (which is also known as 4-Aminobenzenesulfonamide) is a sulfonamide antibacterial. It belongs to a group of chemotherapeutic agents called sulfa drugs which were discovered in the 1930s. It has a molecular formula of C6H8N2O2S and molecular weight of 172.2049. It contains the sulfonamide functional group that is attached to aniline chemically. It functions by inhibiting competitively enzymatic reactions which involves para - aminobenzoic acid. When it is administered, it facilitates the dying of micro-organisms since the micro-organism are unable to make folic acid which is essential in cell division (TEBBUTT, Peter, 1998). It was the first drugs used successfully to combat diseases such as pneumonia, blood poisoning and meningitis. 2.5 ml of 0.1 Ml NaOH is added to the glass wall and 1.8 grams of acetanilide is placed in a dry 50ml Erlenmeyer flask. The acetanilide is melted by heating it gently with a Bunsen burner after which the flask is allowed to cool in the ice bath. In the hood, 5ml of chrolosulfonic acid is transferred to acetanilide and the flask is attached to the apparatus. After ten minutes, the flask is removed and heated in the additional 10 minutes in a hot water bath that is at a temperature of 70oC to facilitate completion of the reaction. Afterwards, 30 grams of crushed ice are then added to the 250 ml beaker and the mixture transferred using a pipette (while stirring the mixture) onto the ice. The flask is then rinsed using 5ml cold water and then transferred to the beaker containing the ice resulting in the formation of a precipitate. The precipitate is then stirred to facilitate the breakage of bigger lumps. The beaker and the flask are rinsed using ice water. In the hood, a water bath is prepared in the 250 ml beaker at a temperature of 70oC after which the crude is then placed into the Erlenmeyer flask.

Relationship between French and Industrial Revolutions Essay

Relationship between French and Industrial Revolutions - Essay Example Another characteristic f the revolution is the population growth that it sparked. Following the revolution, the western population increased six times within two decades (Stanley, 24). This revolution saw the creation of factories, the rise of the working class, modernization and the rise of unions and organizations that effectively fought for the rights of the workers. However, the revolution also came with negative impacts on the society. Child labor and deaths, as well as an upsurge of diseases such as cancer are some of the negative impacts. French revolution on the other hand was a period of radical social and political transformations, which had a great impact in France as a country and the whole of the Europe community (Stanley, 20). The monarchial system was eliminated and a new political system was established. With the revolution, the aristocratic and religious privileges that were enjoyed by the ruling class ended, and a system that encompassed the creation of equality of all people was established in its place. The principles of enlightenment and of individual rights were effectively established, eliminating the traditional hierarchy system (Stanley, 48). Hunger and poverty, which was widely spread amongst the population, was a major cause for the unrests that eventually saw the revolution take place. The relationship between the French and the industrial revolution is most notable in the effects both created. It is through both that the reality of modernity in the western world was realized. The common characteristic of these revolutions is that they created new structures in the society, which paved way for modernization and equality (Stanley, 39). The French revolution transformed the country from the aristocratic monarchial leadership to a people led system of government. This way, it created a channel through which the common man could be heard, and through which their needs could be identified. A characteristic relationship between the two rev olutions is that they affected every individuals in the countries they took place. The two revolutions also affected all the aspects of the society, transforming the whole traditional society into modernity. The industrial and the French revolution are credited with sparking modernity in the whole of Europe and America (Stanley, 60). The European middle class was made by the two revolutions, in that the industrial revolution created jobs for the people, which granted them income and wealth. The French revolution on the other hand brought many changes in the political and governance system that opened up opportunities for the people in agriculture as well as in industries that eventually developed. This way, the revolutions served to establish the working class and improve the lifestyle of the people. The two revolutions marked a beginning of a different lifestyle for the people (). Both revolutions are related in the sense that they had a great impact in determining the future of th eir countries and the future generations (Stanley, 55). The present political, social, and economic systems in Europe can be traced back to the French and the industrial revolutions. The current workers and labor organizations, as well as many organizations that fight for human rights in the modern world can effectively trace their roots to the two revolutions. A major relationship between the two revolutions is the economic concepts that the two revolutio

Convention on Prohibition of Biological Weapons Essay Example for Free

Convention on Prohibition of Biological Weapons Essay The ‘Biological Weapons Convention’ (BWC, for short) is an international treaty aimed at stopping the production and use of biological agents that multiply the diseases among people. This treaty is officially termed as the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction. It came into effect in 1975, and by 2000, nearly 150 nations had signed the treaty. By virtue of clauses of the treaty, countries have been prohibited to possess big amounts of biological agents or toxins, and all the systems of weaponry to pass them on. Also all the member nations or the signatories may not trade into biological weapons or help other countries to develop them. It was also made obligatory for the United States and the Soviet Union who conducted experiments to produce biological weapons during the Cold War, a period of non-active hostility between nations after World War II (1939-1945), were called upon to ratify the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in 970s. But since the treaty did not provide for the means of verifications or inspections, nations had merely agreed to stand by it in good faith. And it was as early as 2000, when some of the governments had tried to figure out methods to carry out inspection and verification. (Biological Weapons Convention, 2007) Efforts to Avert Germ-warfare through BWC are Proving Hopeless The US has assessed a number of programs through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for her defense against probable biological, chemical, and radiological attacks, but the approach is basically aimed at protecting the troops and military equipment. Nearly 100 of the signatories of the Biological Weapons Convention made a review of the progress of BWC in 2002, but to their dismay and worry all of them found the situation quite deplorable and disappointing. Another survey conducted by Amy Smithson of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, found that more than 80% of the senior government officials, and congressmen thought that a biological attack in the near future was very likely, especially in view of Al-Qaeda’s revealed rudimentary experiments with ricin and anthrax. And it is also very well known that nearly all antidotes for anthrax do not suffice. Besides, 40% of members had never submitted the required report, which is an utter violation of the BWC rules. Ms Amy Smithson added that had there were more emergent and serious efforts, the things might have moved ahead into Bio-safety and Bio-security. The director of UNIDIR (UNs disarmament research institute in Geneva), Patricia Lewis, commented that although apparently the progress of work over the past few years has proved useful, yet to be more efficient and systematic, there is an ardent need of a foolproof action plan, which, she feared, may not be due until 2008. Is America Safe from Biological Attack? Although huge spending has been made on her bio-defense, the US appears as vulnerable as ever to a concerted terrorist attack. Therefore development of a better strategy and a much stronger defense is simply inconceivable without a change in the policy of federal government. It is also a part of hard American history nearly seven years back when the nation had hardly recovered from the wounds of 9/11, than someone sent Anthrax Spores to reputed Journalists and famed politicians through the US mail. The result was that five people died and more than seventeen got sick, and it was painful to observe that none of the culprits was ever caught. This attack added to the already growing fears in the US, about the hard-liners and bio-terrorists being so determined to spread disease and mayhem across the nation. To combat the threat, the Bush administration launched an unparalleled bio-defense plan, and until today almost $44 billion has been spent by the US federal government for providing protection to the civilians, organizations, and for buying the latest remedies such as the classic smallpox vaccine. â€Å"But the pertinent question is whether this colossal spending has made Americans any safer? † The veterans at the Center for Bio-security at the University of Pittsburgh say that the answer is a big No. â€Å"Denouncing the government efforts as insufficient they hold that the US remains unable to defend itself against any anthrax attack involving more than a few envelopes. So where is the big success†? (Biological Weapons Convention, 2007) One of the many bio-defense efforts made by the administration is the Bio-Shield project, which was launched in 2004, and was aimed at turning drug companies into defense entrepreneurs, delivering products to fight against a potential bio-weapons threat. Although there is much in store for the Project Bio-Shield like a $5. 6 billion package to be spent by 2014 on drugs, yet the pharmaceutical companies, much against expectations haven’t done enough that could accomplish the Bio-Shields objectives. The lukewarm response by these companies has been a cause of perpetrating a bill in the US Congress, in order to make the Bio-Shield a more effective and more viable a project. Has Project Bio-Shield Proved Sufficient for US Bio-defense Needs Apparently the Bio-Shields strategy appears quite prudently designed. â€Å"But companies normally do not cater for remedies for the unique kind of diseases thought most likely to be used as weapons, simply because there are no profits in it†. Resultantly the Project Bio-Shield promises companies to buy them only the special drugs and vaccines that would counter threats of bio-weapons, giving them an option and a free hand to do the rest of job. If such is the case then why there has so far been a very sluggish response is a question which must be answered with firmness if not with finality. (New Scientist, 2003) â€Å"In fact Project BioShield has awarded contracts for 7 products, worth $2 billion. They are: 1. Two for antibody-based therapies for botulism and anthrax. 2. One for 10 million doses of the militarys existing anthrax vaccine. 3. One biggest funding of $878 million has been guaranteed to VaxGen of Brisbane, California, for 75 million doses of a purer, new-generation anthrax vaccine. 4. One order is for 20 million doses of an improved smallpox vaccine from the Danish firm Bavarian Nordic, and 5. Project BioShield has provided $4 million to universities to fund basic pathogen research. Brad Smith of the Center for Bio-security said, The government has never done anything like this before, He also asserted that the department of Homeland Security must first decide what designated threats really are, and only then should the Department of Health commissions drugs or vaccines be designed to protect against them. He added that the diseases it picked so far pertain only to anthrax, botulism and smallpox. However, the targeted one bug, one drug approach has been seen by some experts as basically wrong. A better approach, they say, would be to aim for broad-spectrum remedies that work against many different bacteria or viruses. But then it would be more cost-effective; would offer mere defense blanket against terrorists with whatever their choice of bio-weapon be, and would also come with additional advantage of protection against natural diseases. Tucker remarked, if something works for flu and for bio-weapons as well, why not do that? † (New Scientist, 2003) A recent research by think tanks like Tucker and Andrew Grotto shows that much more effort is yet required. Only seven states and four cities have the capability to administer stockpiled vaccines on a large scale, Tucker said. He added that most Americans live in states that have no plans for dealing with large numbers of casualties caused by contagious diseases. The new bill that was presented before the Congress attempted to address some of these problems i. e. to appoint a new health secretary for public health; to improve the quality of equipment for medical emergencies, and to provide $1 billion as annual funding. But this would not have been enough to solve the delivery problem, or give hospitals the capacity to deal with a surge in patients. Although the bill, presented before Congress, mandated research into new tools and methods for developing drugs and vaccines, yet it did not go ahead in the way to taking Project Bio-Shields focus away from the one bug, one drug strategy and on to a broader spectrum of remedies. But this newest Bio-Shield Project certainly did no go any further to solve the problems of how to get remedies out to any probable and potential victims of the bio-weapons attack. (MacKenzie and Debora, 2006) References Academic Research Premier Can the line against bio-terror hold? 2006 (Economist, 00130613, Vol. 381). Biological Weapons Convention 2007 http://www. worldbookonline. com/wb/Article? id=ar726514st=biological+warfare Accessed, July 7, 2007 Bob. B. 2007 ‘WMD Antidotes Still Go to Iraq’ (National Journal, 03604217, Vol. 39, Issue Lussier, Frances M. 2007 Gas mask. http://www. worldbookonline. com/wb/Article? id=ar217900 Accessed, July 7, 2007 MacKenzie, Debora. 2006. â€Å"Fortress America† (New Scientist: Vol. 191, p18-21) Ross. S. ‘America the Beautifuls Germ Warfare Rash’, Jul/Aug2007 (Humanist, 00187399 Vol. 67, Issue 4)

Impact of Social Determinants on Health

Impact of Social Determinants on Health Song et al (2011) studied the influence of social determinants of health on disease rates. They specified AIDS as the disease of concern and utilized data from American Community Survey. They used correlation and partial correlation coefficients quantify the effect of socioeconomic determinants on AIDS diagnosis rates in certain areas and found that the AIDS diagnosis rate was mutually related with kind, marital status and population density. Poverty, education level and unemployment also determine the cause of disease in an individual. In developed and developing countries socioeconomic status proved to be an important cause of cardiovascular disease. Survey studies showed that education was the most important socioeconomic determinant in relation to cardiovascular risk factor. Smoking was also a major cause of cardiovascular disease. Low socioeconomic status had a direct relationship with higher levels of cardiovascular risk factors (Yu et al, 2000; Reddy et al, 2002; Jeemon Reddy, 2010; Thurston et al, 2005; Janati et al, 2011 and Lang et al, 2012). Lantz et al (1998) investigated the impact of education, income and health behaviors on the risk of dying within the next 7.5 years with longitudinal survey study. The results of cross tabulation showed that the mortality rate has a strong association with education and income. Habib et al (2012) conducted a questionnaire based survey to measure the social, economic, demographic and geographic influence on the disease of bronchial asthma in Kashmir valley. After analysis in SPSS they concluded that non smokers, males working in farms and females working with animals have a high incidence of Bronchial Asthma. The study also showed a significant relationship between the age and disease. Arif and Naheed (2012) used â€Å"The Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement Survey 2004-05† conducted by the Federal Bureau of Statistics to determine the socioeconomic, demographic, environmental and geographical factors of diarrhea morbidity among the sampled children. Their study found a relationship between diarrhea morbidity and economic factors particularly ownership of land, livestock and housing conditions. Child’s gender and age, total number of children born, mother’s age and education and sources of drinking water did show significant effect on the diarrhea morbidity among children. Aranha et al (2011) conducted a survey in Brazil’s district Sà £o Paulo, to determine the association between children’s respiratory diseases reported by parents, attendance at school, parents’ educational level, family income and socioeconomic status. By applying chi square test they concluded that the health of children is associated with parents’ higher education, particularly mothers. Family income, analyzed according to per capita income did not affect the number of reports of respiratory diseases from parents. Deolalikar and Laxminarayan (2000) used data from 1997 Cambodia Socioeconomic Survey to estimate the influence of socioeconomic variables on the extent of disease transmission within villages in Cambodia. They concluded that infectious diseases were the leading cause of morbidity in the country. Younger adults were less likely to get infected by others, but it increased with age. Income and the availability of a doctor had a significant effect on disease transmission. Survey studies based on different countries showed a strong association between socioeconomic factors (income, education and occupational position) and obesity. After analysis there was a significant effect of consumption of low quality food due to economic factors on increased obesity. For men, both the highest level of occupational position and general education completed were found to have a significant effect on obesity while women in the lowest income group were three times as likely to be obese as women in the highest income group (Kuntz and Lampert, 2010; Akil and Ahmad, 2011 and Larsen et al, 2003). Yin et al (2011) used data from the 2007 China Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance of 49,363 Chinese men and women aged 15-69 years to examine the association between the prevalence of self-reported physician diagnosed Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and socioeconomic status defined by both educational level and annual household income. Multivariable logistic regression modeling was performed. Among nonsmokers, low educational level and household income were associated with a significant higher prevalence of COPD. Siponen et al (2011) tried to study the relationship between the health of Finnish children under 12 years of age and parental socioeconomic factors (educational level, household income and working status) by conducting population based survey. The analysis was done by using Pearson’s Chi-Square tests, and logistic regression analysis with 95% confidence intervals. The results showed that parental socioeconomic factors were not associated with the health of children aged under 12 years in Finland. Washington State Department of Health (2007) examined Washington adults and inferred that adults with lower incomes or less education were more likely to smoke, obessed, or ate fewer fruits and vegetables than adults with the broader culture, higher incomes and more education. In cultures where smoking was culturally unacceptable for women, women died less often from smoking-related diseases than women in groups where smoking was socially accepted. Lack of access to or inadequate use of medical services, contributed to relatively poorer health among people. In lower socioeconomic position groups health care received by the poor was inferior in quality. People of higher socioeconomic position had larger networks of social support. Low levels of social capital had been associated with higher mortality rates. People who experienced racism were more likely to have poor mental health and unhealthy lifestyles. Hosseinpoor et al (2012) took self-reported data, stratified by sex and low or middle income, from 232,056 adult participants in 48 countries, derived from the 2002–2004 World Health Survey. A Poisson regression model with a robust variance and cross tabulations were used deducing the following results. Men reported higher prevalence than women for current daily smoking and heavy episodic alcohol drinking, and women had higher growth of physical inactivity. In both sexes, low fruit and vegetable consumption were significantly higher. Braveman (2011) concluded that there was a strong relationship between income, education and health. Health was improved if income or education increased. Stressful events and circumstances followed a socioeconomic incline, decreased as income increased. Lee (1997) examined the effects of age, nativity, population size of place of residence, occupation, and household wealth on the disease and mortality experiences of Union army recruits while in service using Logistic regression. The patterns of mortality among recruits were different from the pattern of mortality among civilian populations. Wealth had a significant effect only for diseases on which nutritional influence was definite. Migration spread communicable diseases and exposed newcomers to different disease environments, which increased morbidity and mortality rate. Ghias et al (2012) studied the patients having HCV positive living in province of Punjab, Pakistan. Socio-demographic factors and risk factors were sought out using questionnaire. Logistic regression and artificial neural network methods were applied and found that patient’s education, patient’s liver disease history, family history of hepatitis C, migration, family size, history of blood transfusion, injection’s history, endoscopy, general surgery, dental surgery, tattooing and minor surgery by barber were 12 main risk factors that had significant influence on HCV infection. REFERENCES Song, R. et al (2011) â€Å"Identifying The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On Disease Rates Using Correlation Analysis Of Area-Based Summary Information† Public Health Reports Supplement 3, Volume 126, 70-80. Yu, Z. et al (2000) â€Å"Associations Between Socioeconomic Status And Cardiovascular Risk Factors In An Urban Population In China† Bulletin of the World Health Organization Volume 78, No. 11, 1296-1305. Reddy, K. et al (2002) † Socioeconomic Status And The Prevalence Of Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors† Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr Volume 11, No. 2, 98–103. Jeemon, P. Reddy, K. (2010) †Social Determinants Of Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes In Indians† Indian J Med Res Volume 132, 617-622. Thurston, R. et al (2005) â€Å"Is The Association Between Socioeconomic Position And Coronary Heart Disease Stronger In Women Than In Men?† American Journal of Epidemiology Volume 162, No. 1, 57-65. Janati, A. et al (2011) â€Å"Socioeconomic Status and Coronary Heart Disease† Health Promotion Perspectives Volume 1, No. 2, 105-110. Lang, T. et al (2012) â€Å"Social Determinants Of Cardiovascular Diseases† Public Health Reviews Volume 33, No. 2, 601-622. Lantz, P. et al (1998) â€Å"Socioeconomic Factors, Health Behaviors, and Mortality† JAMA Volume 279, No. 21, 1703-1708. Habib, A. et al (2012) â€Å"Socioeconomic, Demographic and Geographic Influence on Disease Activity of Bronchial Asthma in Kashmir Valley† IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (JDMS) ISSN: 2279-0853, ISBN: 2279-0861, Volume 2, No. 6, 04-07. Arif, A. and Naheed, R. (2012) â€Å"Socio-Economic Determinants Of Diarrhoea Morbidity In Pakistan† Academic Research International ISSN-L: 2223-9553, ISSN: 2223-9944 ISSN-L: 2223-9553, ISSN: 2223-9944, Volume 2, No. 1, 490-518. Aranha, M. et al (2011) â€Å"Relationship Between Respiratory Tract Diseases Declared By Parents And Socioeconomic And Cultural Factors† Rev Paul Pediatr Volume 29, No. 3, 352-356. Deolalikar , A. and Laxminarayan, R. (2000) â€Å"Socioeconomic Determinants of Disease Transmission in Cambodia† Resources for the Future Discussion Paper, 00–32. Kuntz, B. and Lampert, T. (2010) â€Å"Socioeconomic Factors and Obesity† Deutsches Ärzteblatt International Volume 107, No. 30, 517-22. Akil, L. and ; Ahmad, H. (2011) â€Å"Effects Of Socioeconomic Factors On Obesity Rates In Four Southern States And Colorado† Ethnicity Disease Volume 21, 58-62. Larsen, P. et al (2003) â€Å"The Relationship of Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Factors, and Overweight in U.S.Adolescents†OBESITY RESEARCH Volume 11, No.1, 121-129. Yin, P. et al (2011) â€Å"Prevalence Of COPD And Its Association With Socioeconomic Status In China: Findings From China Chronic Disease Risk Factor Surveillance 2007† BMC Public Health Volume 11, 586-593. Siponen, M. et al (2011) â€Å"Children’s Health And Parental Socioeconomic Factors: A Population-Based Survey In Finland† BMC Public Health Volume 11, 457-464. Washington State Department of Health (2007) â€Å"Social and Economic Determinants of Health† The Health of Washington State Volume 1, No. 3, 01-07. Hosseinpoor, A. et al (2012) â€Å"Socioeconomic inequalities in risk factors for noncommunicable diseases in low-income and middle income countries: results from the World Health Survey† BMC Public Health Volume 12, 912-924. Braveman, P. (2011) â€Å"Accumulating Knowledge on the Social Determinants of Health and Infectious Disease† Public Health Reports Supplement 3, Volume 126, 28-30. Lee, C. (1997) â€Å"Socioeconomic Background, Disease, and Mortality among Union Army Recruits: Implications for Economic and Demographic History† Explorations in Economic History Volume 34, 27-55. Ghias, M. et al (2012) â€Å"Statistical Modelling and Analysis of Risk Factors for Hepatitis C Infection in Punjab, Pakistan† World Applied Sciences Journal Volume 20, No. 2, 241-252.

Infective Endocarditis Caused by Viridans Streptococci

Infective Endocarditis Caused by Viridans Streptococci Case Study 1: Infective endocarditis caused by viridans streptococci Case Study 2: Haemorrhagic fever caused by Ebolavirus Case Study 1 Subject is a 48-year-old man with a history of mitral valve regurgitation who presents with a 10-day history of fatigue, fever and general malaise. Some reddish lesions are noted on his palm, which he has never noticed before. He denies any cough, but has mild new shortness of breath with exertion and with lying down flat at night in bed. He is generally in good health except for a root canal operation approximately 3 weeks previously. The history of mitral valve regurgitation is thought to be secondary to rheumatic fever as a child. Heart examination is notable for a loud systolic murmur best heard at the left sternal border with radiation over to the axilla. Lungs are clear and abdominal examination is normal. Skin examination is significant for several scattered reddish lesions over his palms and soles that are not painful when pressure is applied. Lab tests: Blood count shows WBC 14.8 with 86% neutrophils; blood cultures grew out gram-positive cocci in chains that are alpha haemolytic on horse blood agar. Evidence for Diagnosis Mitral valve regurgitation would account for the fatigue, and also the shortness of breath in the patient, however other symptoms are present that this alone cannot explain. The first of these is the fever suffered by the patient, which would signify an infection. The second is the presence of lesions on the palms and soles; Petechiae such as these, known as Janeway lesions, are an indicator of endocarditis (O’Connor, 2002), and the patient’s history of mitral valve regurgitation, along with a recent history of root canal work confirm that this is a likely diagnosis. The lungs and abdomen of the patient are clear, as would be expected in a case of endocarditis, however examination of the heart sounds displayed a clear murmer. The patient’s blood results showed clear signs of infection, with leukocytosis and elevated neutrophil count. The bacteria cultured from the patient’s blood can be easily identified as Streptococci, and since this is known to be a cau sative organism of endocarditis (Brooks, Butel and Morse, 2004, pp.197), it makes the diagnosis very likely. Further Testing Required While the diagnosis in this case should be straight forward due to bacteraemia and presence of peripheral stigmata, according to the Duke criteria, which is used as a tool for diagnosis of infective endocarditis, this patient would be classified as having only possible infective endocarditis. As they display some of the necessary pathologic and clinical criteria, they would need further tests to determine if it was definitely infective endocarditis (Li et al., 2000). The Duke Criteria was developed by Durack et al. (1994) as a means of better distinguishing infective endocarditis from other causes of cardiac problems; these were evaluated as being superior to previous methods for diagnosis (Bayer et al., 1994)(Cecchi et al., 1997)(Hoen et al., 1995) The criteria have been used since, though there have been studies done into improving the criteria further. According to these criteria, the patient’s diagnosis could be confirmed by carrying out other tests such as an ECG, echocar diogram, and chest x-ray, to exclude other possible cardiac problems. However, the patient would also meet two major criteria, and therefore be classified as definite infective endocarditis if two further cultures of blood grew causative bacteria. While the most likely causative organism is viridans streptococci, as Streptococcus pneumonia is more commonly associated with bacterial pneumonia or meningitis, the two can be differentiated quite simply by testing with optochin. S. pneumonia are susceptible to this microbial agent, where viridans streptococci are resistant. Suspending the bacteria in bile salts would also provide a suitable distinction, as S. pneumonia would lyse, where viridans streptococci are insoluble (Brooks, Butel and Morse, 2004, pp.197). Endocarditis as a result of streptococcal infection Microbiology Many textbooks, and in fact some journal articles refer to the group of streptococci which cause endocarditis by the name Streptococcus viridans, however this is actually a misnomer, as the viridans streptococci are actually a group of several different bacteria, and are referred to as viridans simply because they produce a green halo when grown on blood agar (Elliott et al., 1997, pp.30-1). Viridans streptococci are often found resident in abundance in the mouth, where they are usually commensal, or cause only mild infections; once in the blood stream, these usually passive bacteria can become pathogenic, and lead to endocarditis upon reaching the heart (Brooks, Butel and Morse, 2004, pp.197). The bacteria are able to proliferate in structurally abnormal valve surfaces and gradually lead to the destruction of the valves, resulting in regurgitation (O’Connor, 2002). Those valves damaged by rheumatic fever are particularly prone to infection (Heritage, Evans and Killington, 1999, p.185). Symptoms The physical symptoms suffered by the patient are a result of the body’s response to the infection; the fever and general malaise suffered by the patient would be as a result of cytokine generation from the low-grade infection, and the petechiae in the skin, known as Janeway lesions, are the result of immune complexes being deposited in small vessels there (O’Connor, 2002). Prophylaxis Any patient, such as the one here, assessed from their previous medical history to be at risk from endocarditis, should be given prophylactic treatment before undergoing invasive dental surgery. The current guidelines outlined by Ramsdale et al. (2004) recommend amoxicillin for this purpose, or clindamycin for those allergic to penicillin. This particular patient would only be considered a moderate risk according to the new guidelines, so there would be no need for gentamicin, however those considered at high risk would be given this intravenously in addition to IV amoxicillin/clindamycin. Treatment A combination of penicillin and gentamicin are used to treat streptococcal endocarditis. While studies have found that there is only a limited resistance to penicillin in sufferers at present, vancomycin can be used a viable alternative in those allergic to penicillin and those with more resistant strains (Johnson et al., 2001). For those who do not respond to antimicrobial treatment, surgery is often a viable option, replacing the infected valves. While not always successful, this offers an improved prognosis for those where other treatment is unsuccessful (Moon et al., 1997). Prognosis If left untreated, infective endocarditis is always fatal, as the destruction of a valve will prevent the heart from working. Even if treated, the disease carries a high morbidity and mortality rate. The factors which impact strongest on prognosis are uncontrolled infection and congestive heart failure. It is for this reason that early diagnosis and antimicrobial treatment is necessary. However, constant improvements in surgical procedures are leading to a better prognosis for those not responding to treatment (Karth et al., 2002). It could be reasoned that these advances in surgery will become even more important in prognosis as incidences of antimicrobial resistance increase, which is surely inevitable judging by trends in other bacterial infections such as Staphylococcus aureus. Case Study 4 A 34-year-old woman researcher studying chimpanzee behaviour in the Ivory Coast found several of the animals were dying. She dissected one several hours after it died and found that it had died of haemorrhage, and had non-clotting blood. She wore household gloves, but no mask or gown during the dissection. Eight days later she developed a fever and headache, which did not respond to malaria treatment. Five days into her illness, she developed vomiting, diarrhoea, a rash, and renal failure. Antibiotics did not improve her condition and she was transported home in isolation. The patient is lethargic but communicative. She has lymphadenopathy. Her lung exam is normal. She has a mildly tender and enlarged liver and spleen. Lab tests: She has a white blood cell count of 3.6, haematocrit of 40, and low platelets of 83. She has a low fibrinogen of 0.8. Her clotting times are normal, however. Serological tests for anthrax, dengue fever, chikungunya, yellow fever, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Rift Valley fever, Lassa fever, and Hantavirus are all negative. Evidence for Diagnosis The history of the patient suggests that she is suffering from something that has arisen from her contact with an infected chimpanzee. While a number of zoonotic diseases are known to be prevalent in the African continent, the majority of those have already been ruled out by negative test results. One which has not is the Ebolavirus, which gives rise to Ebola haemorrhagic fever. Transmission of the Ebolavirus from dead animals has been documented in the past, including in the Ivory Coast (WHO, 2004; CDC, 2005). The onset of the patient’s symptoms fits with the known timescale for the Ebolavirus of 2 to 21 days; the fever and headache which she experienced are classic symptoms. Later in the disease sufferers also usually develop diarrhoea, vomiting, and possibly a rash (CDC, 2005). It would obviously be expected that antibiotics would bring no improvement to the illness, as the infection is viral. In a physical examination, it would be expected that a patient infected with Ebolavirus would have an enlarged liver and spleen, as this is where virus replication is particularly proliferant. Sanchez et al. (2004) also specifies the lungs as also being one of the main sites of virus replication, implying that the patient should be suffering from tenderness of the lungs also, however this evidence is taken from studies into the Sudan strain of Ebolavirus, and this is much more likely to be the Ivory Coast strain, so some symptoms may differ. In the laboratory examination, it is expected to see a normal haemocrit, accompanied by leucopenia and thrombocytopenia as displayed in the patient. It would be usual for the clotting time to be shortened, however this patient has low levels of fibrinogen, possibly due to some secondary cause, which may alter the clotting time, making it higher than expected. Further Testing Required While virus isolation, transmission electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription-PCR, antigen capture ELISA, and IgG or IgM antibody capture ELISA can all been used to show Ebolavirus as the causitive agent, there are conflicting reports over which techniques are preferable for use. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (2005) suggest that in a patient at this stage of the disease, testing should be carried out for IgM and IgG antibodies, Kurosaki et al. (2006) and Towner et al. (2004) recommend RT-PCR as the most efficient technique. Ebolavirus Aetiology Ebola belongs to the filoviruses or Filoviridae, which is divided into two genera, the Ebolavirus and the Marburgvirus. The Ebolavirus genus is split into four separate species: Ivory Coast ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, Zaire ebolavirus and Reston ebolavirus (Hensley et al., 2005). While the disease is zoonotic, the natural reservoir of the disease is not non-human primates; the actual reservoir and the mode of transition into apes is so far unknown, although studies are currently being undertaken on the suggestion that bats may play a role. Transmission into humans is rare, and is often one isolated case (Peterson et al., 2004), although if the proper precautions are not taken it is possible for the disease to spread in the human population. Epidemiology The disease has appeared sporadically since its initial recognition in 1976, and has occurred only in specific geographical areas as per the names of the different strains (CDC, 2005). It is generally agreed that the virus is transmitted via direct contact with the blood or bodily secretions from another infected person (Dowell et al., 1999; WHO, 2004), due to the extensive viral involvement in the subcutaneous tissue (Peters, 2005). It is believed that this is also the case among non-human primates, such as the chimpanzees, although this is so far unconfirmed (CDC, 2005). In laboratory studies, the virus has shown the ability to be spread via aerosol between rhesus monkeys (Johnson et al., 1995), and while some authors such as Heeney (2006) list the virus as being aerosol, there have so far been no such documented cases in a real-world setting between humans (CDC, 2005; Dowell et al., 1999). Symptoms The World Health Organisation (2004) lists the main symptoms of the Ebolavirus as being a sudden onset of fever, accompanied by intense weakness and muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat. After a few days this is followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, rashes, liver and kidney dysfunction and sometimes also both internal and external bleeding. Pathogenesis The pathogenesis of Ebolavirus is currently very hard to study, due to the rarity of occurrences in humans, and also due to the dangerous nature of collecting, storing and analysing samples from those cases. The illness is severe due to the ability of the virus to supress both adaptive and innate immune responses, and the ability to cause extreme inflammatory responses and intravascular coagulation (Mahanty and Bray, 2004). At the current time it is thought that monocytes and macrophages in the body are infected during the early stages of the virus, and these then carry the virus to other areas (Sanchez et al., 2004). The infected monocytes express large amounts of tissue factor, leading to intravascular coagulation, and causing tissue damage. Infected macrophages secrete cytokines which cause apoptosis of lymphocytes in tissues that are required for the acquired immune response (Peters, 2005), hence the presence of leucopenia in blood count results. The mobile infected cells carry the viral agent to lymph nodes, where the virus further replicates and is spread through the body. Upon reaching the liver, spleen and other tissues, parenchymal cells, including hepatocytes and adrenal cortical cells will become infected (Mahanty and Bray, 2004). This is what leads to the enlarged organs, and will also result in an increase in the levels of liver enzymes in the blood. Prophylaxis and Treatment Some progress has been made in the formation of vaccines, and these have proved successful in testing on non-human primates (Hensley et al., 2005). However other sources report that all attempts so far have met with outright failure (Peters, 2005). Barrier nursing techniques appear to be effective in preventing the spread of the disease (Dowell et al., 1999; Formenty et al., 1999). Prognosis The Zaire strain of Ebolavirus is reportedly the most lethal (Mahanty and Bray, 2004); there is only one reported case of a human contracting the Ivory Coast strain, presenting similarly to the patient, and they survived (Formenty et al., 1999). It is very difficult to form an accurate prognosis however due to the limited results on which to base it. References Bayer A.S., Ward J.I., Ginzton L.E. and Shapiro S.M. (1994) Evaluation of new clinical criteria for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis. American Journal of Medicine, 96 (3), pp.220-2 Brooks G.F., Butel J.S. and Morse S.A. (2004) Medical Microbiology 23rd Edition. McGraw-Hill, p.197 CDC (2005) Centres for Disease Control and Prevention [online]- November 18, 2005.- available from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/ebola/qa.htm [cited February 2, 2007] Cecchi E., Parrini I., Chinaglia A., Pomari F., Brusasco G., Bobbio M., Trinchero R. and Brusca A. (1997) New diagnostic criteria for infective endocarditis. A study of sensitivity and specificity Eureopean Heart Journal, 18 (7), pp. 1149-56 Dowell S. F., Mukunu R., Ksiazek T. G., Khan A. S., Rollin P. E. and Peters C. J. (1999) Transmission of Ebola hemorrhagic fever: A study of risk factors in family members, Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1995. Journal of Infectious Disease, 179 Suppl. 1, pp. S87-S91 Durack D.T., Lukes A.S. and Bright D.K. (1994) New criteria for diagnosis of infective endocarditis: utilization of specific echocardiographic findings, American Journal of Medicine, 96 (3), pp. 200-9 Elliott M., Hastings U., Desselberger R. and Reid G. (1997) Lecture Notes on Medical Microbiology Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing, pp.30-1 Formenty P., Hatz C., Le Guenno B., Stoll A., Rogenmoser P. and Widmer A. (1999) Human infection due to Ebola virus, subtype Cote dIvoire: Clinical and biologic presentation. Journal of Infectious Diease, 179 Suppl. 1, pp.S48-S53 Heeney J.L. (2006) Zoonotic viral diseases and the frontier of early diagnosis, control and prevention. Journal of Internal Medicine, 260, pp. 399-408 Hensley L., Jones S., Feldmann H., Jahrling P. and Geisbert T. (2005) Ebola and Marburg viruses: Pathogenesis and development of countermeasures. Current Molecular Medicine, 5, pp. 761 772 Heritage J., Evans E.G.V. and Killington R.A. (1999) Microbiology in Action. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, p. 185 Hoen B., Selton-Suty C., Danchin N., Weber M., Villemot J.P., Mathieu P., Floquet J. and Canton P. (1995) Evaluation of the Duke criteria versus the Beth Israel criteria for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis. Clinical Infectious Disease,21 (4), pp. 905-9 Johnson A.P. [et al.] (2001) Antibiotic susceptibility of streptococci and related genera causing endocarditis: analysis of UK reference laboratory referrals, January 1996 to March 2000. BMJ, 322, p. 7283 Johnson E., Jaax N., White J. and Jahrling P. (1995) Lethal experimental infections of rhesus monkeys by aerosolized Ebola virus. International Journal of Experimental Pathology, 76 (4), pp. 227-236 Karth G.D. [et al.] (2002) Complicated infective endocarditis necessitating ICU admission clinical course and prognosis. Critical Care, 6 (2), pp. 149 154 Kurosaki Y., Takada A., Ebihara H., Grolla A., Kamo N., Feldmann H., Kawaoka Y. and Yasuda J. (2006) Rapid and simple detection of Ebola virus by reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification. Journal of Virological Methods, doi: 10.1016. Li J.S., Sexton D.J., Mick N., Nettles R., Fowler V.G., Ryan T., Bashore T. and Corey G.R. (2000) Proposed modifications to the Duke Criteria for the diagnosis of Infective Endocarditis. Clinical Infectious Disease, 30, pp.633-638 Mahanty S. and Bray M. (2004) Pathogenesis of filoviral haemorrhagic fevers. The Lancet, 4 (8) pp. 487-498 Moon M.R., Stinson E.B. and Miller D.C. (1997) Surgical treatment of endocarditis. Progress in Cardiovascular Diease, 40 (3) pp. 239-64 OConnor D. (2002) Pathology. Elsevier Health Sciences Peters C. J. (2005) Marburg and Ebola Arming ourselves against the deadly filoviruses. New England Journal of Medicine, 325 (25), pp. 2571-2573. Peterson A.T., Bauer J.T. and Mills J.N. (2004) Ecologic and geographic distribution of filovirus disease. Emerging Infectious Dieases, 10 (1), pp. 40-7. Ramsdale D.R. et al (2004) Dental aspects of Endocarditis Prophylaxis : New Recommendations from a Working Group of the British Cardiac Society Clinical Practice Committee and Royal College of Physicians Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit [Report]: Working Group of the British Cardiac Society Clinical Practice Committee and Royal College of Physicians Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation, 19 April 2004. Sanchez A., Lukwiya M., Bausch D., Manharty S., Sanchez A., Wagoner K. and Rollin P. (2004) Analysis of human peripheral blood samples from fatal and nonfatl cases of Ebola (Sudan) haemorrhagic fever: Cellular responses, virus oad and nitric oxide levels. Journal of Virology, 78 (19), pp.10370-10377. Towner J.S. [et al.] (2004) Rapid diagnosis of Ebola hemorrhagic fever by reverse transcription-PCR in an outbreak setting and assessment of patient viral load as a predictor of outcome. Journal of Virology, 78 (8), pp. 4330-4341 WHO (2005) World Health Organisation Ebola Factsheet [Online]available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/index.html [cited February 2, 2007]

Joy Harjo (1951--) :: Artist Poet Joy Harjo Biography Essays

Joy Harjo (1951--) Joy Foster was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 9th, 1951 to Wynema Baker and Allen W. Foster. She is an enrolled member of the Creek tribe, and is also of Cherokee, French, and Irish descent. Descended from a long line of tribal leaders on her father’s side, including Monahwee, leader of the Red Stick War against Andrew Jackson, she often incorporates into her poetry themes of Indian survival amidst contemporary American life. In 1970, at the age of 19, with the blessings of her parents, Foster took the last name of her maternal grandmother, Naomi Harjo. As she often credits her great aunt, Lois Harjo, with teaching her about her Indian identity, this name change may have helped her to solidify her public link with this heritage. Although primarily known as a poet, Harjo conceives of herself as a visual artist. She left Oklahoma at age 16 to attend the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, originally studying painting. After attending a reading by poet Simon Ortiz, she changed her major to poetry. At 17, she returned to Oklahoma to give birth to her son, Phil Dayn, walking four blocks while in labor to the Indian hospital in Talequah. Her daughter, Rainy Dawn, was born four years later in Albuquerque. For years, Harjo supported herself and her children with a variety of jobs: waitress, service-station attendant, hospital janitor, nurse’s assistant, dance teacher. She then went on to earn a B.A. in English from the University of New Mexico in 1976 and an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Iowa’s famed Iowa Writer’s Workshop in 1978. She then went on to an impressive list of teaching positions beginning with the Institute of American Indian Arts and ending with her current position with the American Indian Studies Program at the University of California at Los Angeles. Harjo is an award-winning poet many times over. She has won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers Circle of the Americas, the Oklahoma Book Award in 1995 for The Woman Who Fell from the Sky and in 2003 for How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems, the William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America for and the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation for In Mad Love and War (1991), among other awards.

Child Abuse and The Law Essay -- Child Abuse Legislation

Child abuse is a social problem that affects millions of children each year. Not only does child abuse have multiple societal repercussions, but also individual repercussions that produce lifelong scars. There are many forms of child abuse; sexual, physical, verbal, and emotional. Some of the facts presented in this paper will be painful to absorb. That does not change the fact that these problems must be addressed. It has been reported that one out of three girls, and one out of seven boys are sexually abused by the time they reach the age of 18. The most prevalent form of child sexual abuse is now recognized to be, incest. A study that showed approximately 27% of the women in every state of the union, and 16% of the men said they had been sexually abused as children. Child Abuse Laws Child abuse. Two words that should never have to be seen side by side. Yet, child abuse is very much a reality in this world. Unfortunately, to wish otherwise would be the same as to wish for a perfect world. We must do the best that we can as a society with the power of laws on our side to help the innocent young victims of child abuse. We have a responsibility as human beings to do all that we can for these children. Some of us fulfill this responsibility by promoting awareness, some by donating time, money, or services, some by getting laws passed, and some by enforcing laws that protect children from all kinds of abuse. The purpose of this study was to research child abuse from all angles to try to understand what we as a society may be doing wrong & also what we may be doing right to help the young victims of child abuse. To look at all types of studies & compare them & try to break them down to better understand them. The first things that should be understood are the characteristics of the offenders, the types of offenses, & some of the societal issues that are listed as possible causes of child abuse. Studies show that the characteristics of sexual abuse offenders are; dependent, inadequate individuals with early family histories characterized by conflict, disruption, abandonment, abuse, and exploitation. In 1997, over 3 million children were reported for child abuse and neglect to child protective service agencies in the U.S. These figures have gone up from year to year approximately 1.7% per year. Since 1985, the rate of child abuse fatalities has increased b... ...to visit him in prison twice a month and to phone him once a week. This is appalling that a child could be forced into visits under these circumstances. There is much to be said about the lasting effects of child abuse. It shouldn't hurt to be a child, yet children continue to be victimized every day. Statistics show that the abused child all too often grows up to be an offender. It is so important that we do everything possible to break this cycle. Bibliography 1. http://www.abanet.org/child/challenge.html 2. http://www.abanet.org/media/factbooks/ch26.html 3. http://www.abanet.org/child/about.html 4. http://redwood.northcoast.com/-dka/deadkids.html 5. http://web.raex.com/joeclark/falsehtm 6. http://sbi.jus.state.nc.us 7. http://www.childsexualabuse.org/act.htm 8. http://www.VOCALNY.org 9. http://www.youthlaw.org 10. http://www.abuse-excuse.com 11. http://freenet.msp.mn.us/people/kaplan/abuseframe.htm 12. http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/meganslaw.html 13. http://www.childabuse.org 14. http://www.clinicalsocialwork.com/incest.html 15. http://www.abuse-excuse.com/laws.htm#mondale 16. http://members.xoom.com/xoom/ProtectChild/index.html

Leadership Distinctive Project

Most of us start out on life’s journey full of optimism and high hopes.   Life is magical; everyday is an exciting new adventure.   We get up everyday and go about our daily businesses, yet many times we do this without understanding why we are here, and what we were created for. This is because instead of leading our life, our life leads us.   We live life as it comes without a real plan, without clear thought and without purposeful direction.   And when we function this way life controls and ultimately overcomes us. Having a deep devotion to Christianity and commitment to Godly values helps us discover the things that give real meaning to life.   It also helps to develop the vital attitudes that will enable you to live it with joy and fulfillment and we can also lead others along that path.   Life may not be easy or without challenges but God has promised that in Christ we can have â€Å"life †¦..to the full†(John10:10 Niv).   Think, you can impact or influence those that you work with whether in offices, business associates or in sports etc.   When you have a purpose driven life i.e.(Mathew 28:18-20) this is what life is all about; leading others to Christ. Someone once said â€Å"life is what happens to you as you are making other plans†.  Ã‚   We are here for a reason, God has not yet finished with us. Life has to be engaged, not avoided yet it is also a choice to live a life of sacrifice and self-denial for this is a mandatory condition for those who claim to follow Christ (Luke 9:23) saying ‘No’ to self and ‘Yes’ to Jesus.   It is so easy to live life on a shallow level, lacking in discipline, exerting more energy and putting more emphasis on worldly accomplishment that would not count for eternity.   The scripture teaches us that all these are nothing compared to knowing Christ and living for the sake of Christ (Phillipians 3:8).   Only the things connected to Christ will live forever, all others will vanish like smoke. God did not create us and left us to figure out life for ourselves but he has given us instructions through his word the Bible.   Unfortunately although we know better, many of us try to figure out life for ourselves rather than go by the instructions written by the maker; â€Å"All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.(2Timothy3:16-17 )   The Bible is the original owner’s manual, telling us all we need to know so that life will run well, and broadens our understanding of God. In order to lead others, we need to commit ourselves to the scripture that it may guide and help us develop the grounding values of life and be able to help others in our society solve problems.   In many areas of our life, God tells us exactly what we should do, in other areas there are no specific laws or commands for every detail but there are principles to guide our actions and attitudes.   Study the scriptures, be analytical and learn from examples, good or bad of biblical leadership qualities.   Above all, Imitate Jesus who lived out before us the ultimate example of how to please God and how to live a truly fulfilling life.(1John2:6) There is no way you can broaden your knowledge or deepen your skill without letting other people in your life or collaborating with others in the community or those whom have the same values as you do.   We can be successful in other things, but unless we have people in our lives who are close to us, know us and tell us what we need to hear and not what we want to hear then our lives will be very empty. We need people to share with, learn from and give ourselves to or we will be lonely and unfulfilled (remember the immortal words of the poet John Donne, â€Å"No man is an island†).   You have to genuinely decide to like people and know that you need them in your life i.e. (Proverbs 17:17 a friend loves at all times).   You need the encouragement and wisdom of other people (Hebrews 3:13) if not so life will loose its meaning, sparkle and joy. In a Readers Digest (Sept.2002 pp.112-7) article, â€Å"Friends the secret to a longer life† by Katherine griffin writes of a number of studies attesting to the health benefits of friendship.   She states that people with strong social network are shown to boost their chances of surviving life-threatening illnesses, have stronger more resilient immune systems, improve their mental health and live longer than people without social support.   We need people in our lives and God has programmed us this way.   We are made to need the love, support and companionship of other people.   Therefore, living a purpose driven life helps you find fresh hope, direction and inspiration to continue your journey on a glorious and triumphant note. Reference: The Holy Bible NIV Griffin K.,Readers Digest(2002)

Health Care Financial Accounting Essay

Financial management is a very complex process across the business organizations. The increasing competition, complexity of business, rising expectations of investors etc can lure any organization to use unethical financial management tactics to make their books look better. But this can be extremely chaotic In future. Healthcare organizations are especially prone to such practices because of the extreme financial pressure and critical nature of business operations. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the different aspects of the financial management, generally accepted accounting principles and the suggested ethical practices in this regard. Financial management is not merely a record of debits and credits. It is a measure of the health of an organization. The four elements of financial management consist of: planning, control, organizing and directing, decision making. The business operations must be planned and the management must be well aware of all the business aspects. The management needs to follow a systematic process to make ethical decisions in sync with the goals of the organization. It must be ensured that sufficient fund is available to perform business operations in time. The management must have the control of business operations and thus the financial activities. The management needs to ensure that each part of the organization is adhering to the goals established for it. The management needs to decide how effectively the resources can be used to achieve the goals. This helps in maintaining the financial health of the organization. There is always a possibility of a financial situation in an organization when a difficult decision is to be taken. Such circumstances require prompt decision making capability along with the understanding of the consequences of the decisions. In addition to the complexity of financial management, there are general accepted accounting principles. The general accepted accounting principles also referred to as (GAAP). Generally Accepted Accounting Principles are not any written rules. They are just the recommended accounting practices to maintain accurate, fair and consistent financial reporting. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) have worked together to come out with GAAP. They revise the recommendations as and when required (Investopedia, n. d). Though every nation is free to adhere to any accounting system but GAAP is internationally followed to allow the interaction of organizations and their financial reports at international level. Ethics in financial management is very essential in all types of organization but it is even more important in health care organizations. A primary reason is that patients and their families are vulnerable to unethical practices. They deserve honesty in the financial aspects. The boards, executives, clinicians and the staff are equally responsible in this process. Another reason is that the health care organizations bear extreme financial pressure and it becomes very difficult for the finance department to strike a balance between the facilities and expenses. If the financial health of the organization declines, it sets up a negative spiral of loss of business. There have been several incidents of unethical financial management practices because of the increasing complexity of business operations. Therefore, several examples of ethical practice and conduct are suggested to avoid any unfair and dishonest incident. There are several financial circumstances that challenge the management to take right decision in a speedy manner. There may be quick unethical measures available that may settle the problem temporarily. But the management must not follow such measures as they may prove chaotic in longer run. They must take the ethical financial decisions. In a 2004 news articles that discusses compromising situation.. This articles states, â€Å"The financial pressures experienced by most healthcare organizations are intense. Not surprisingly, financial statements receive frequent and persistent scrutiny. Declining financial performance makes the organization and its management team look bad. If financial covenants aren’t met, a hospital’s bond rating may be down-graded, resulting in reduced access to low-cost capital and other serious financial ramifications. For whatever reason, the board, management team, and external constituencies may want to â€Å"make the numbers look better. † The heat is on the CFO to â€Å"do the books differently† (Tyler, 2004). In this example, the CFO is responsible to be honest. Manipulating the books the make the number look better would unethical. However, the CFO must make ethical financial decisions. Another example of good ethics is a business leader’s sincerity. A business organization can have positive as well as negative circumstances. It is very easy to rejoice the positive results but the otherwise is tough. The leaders must be sincere enough to shoulder the responsibility of the negative incidents. They should also be capable of setting high standards of financial ethics in their organizations. It affects the hierarchy and thus the overall ethical health of the organization is positively influenced. For example, â€Å"the Healthcare Group Purchasing Industry Initiative (HGPII), an organization dedicated to promoting the highest ethical standards and practices for the healthcare group purchasing industry, announced steps that will allow for even more transparency. They are activating a formal process to ensure prompt and fair resolution of supplier complaints regarding a group purchasing organization’s (GPO) purchasing process; and they are implementing an Independent Advisory Council to have outside observers make sure they are doing everything possible in terms of ethical standard† (Freeman, 2010). Finally it can be concluded that planning, control, organizing and directing, and decision making constitute the financial management. There are generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) that recommend the best practices to avoid unethical financial reporting. Moreover, there are several examples of ethical conduct for financial aspects. As healthcare organizations are financially very much pressurized and involve a very risky real time business model, they need to be more sincere in financial management.

Mandatory Life without Parole for Juveniles Essay

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Currently, over 2,500 people are serving a life sentence without the option of parole for crimes committed as adolescents. Fortunately, this policy is not considered in all states. Twelve states have discontinued life sentences without the option of parole for juveniles. Almost two- thirds of life without parole sentences for juveniles (JLWOP) happens in five states. Seventy-three children were ages 13 or 14 at time that their crime was committed. Research has been conducted that proves the vast difference in brain development of a child compared to an adult. Society does not allow minors to purchase cigarettes or alcohol, enlist into the military or enter into a legal binding agreement such as an apartment lease until the age of 18 or older because of the knowledge that minors are not mature enough to make certain decisions. However, when a minor commits homicide we allow them to be sentenced as an adult and disregard their partial brain development and decreased culpability. It is the responsibility of society to protect our children from cruel and unusual punishment such as juvenile life without parole sentences. The policy brief will give a history of the juvenile justice system, trends, and current state. Brief will also address importance of the problem and recommendations for reform of this policy. CONTEXT AND IMPORTANCE OF THE PROBLEM Almost everyone would agree that children are the core of our future. Therefore, it is imperative that we have laws/policies in place that will protect them from cruel and unusual punishment in any capacity. However, much debate continues to arise concerning mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole for juvenile offenders. In attempting to change a social policy concerning the juvenile justice system it is important to address the concern in its context. Therefore, reviewing the history of the juvenile justice system is imperative when attempting to understand the system in its current state. The attitude of society towards juvenile offenders has drastically changed over the years and therefore impacted the overall goal of the system. The juvenile system was established in the late 1800s with the goal to reform and rehabilitate. During this time it was the  belief that â€Å"bad environments caused bad children†. Consequently, specialized institutions called reformatories were formed to inseminate home like environments. The main belief that motivated this structure of the system was that children were far different from adults and would have unique individualized needs. Contrary to the gentle idea of reformatories children were often subjected to harsh labor conditions in factories and farms. Often, children who reached fifteen years of age were seen as children with little to no hope of rehabilitation and as a result were transferred to adult prisons. During this era the system was not prepared to address serious offenses committed by juveniles and therefore lacked execution of formal due process rights. In 1899 the first juvenile court system was created and soon after in 1906 the first federal system followed. By 1925, almost all states established juvenile court systems and probation services. Due to a case in 1966 the Court decided that juveniles had the right to have procedural protections and due process rights. In the late 1980s violent crimes committed by juveniles dramatically increased. The increase in crime resulted in stricter crime legislation all through the nation. The new legislation was said to be motivated by fear due to frequent incidents of school violence. This legislation formed the belief that adult crimes should be addressed with adult punishment. Consequences to juvenile crime seemed to be more punitive, contrary to past ideas of rehabilitation and reform for juveniles. The number of juvenile offenders being imprisoned enlarged and the cruelty of sentencing began to include life without parole. More recently, it seems that the overall attitude of society has changed again towards juvenile offenders. Society has begun to focus on the obvious differences between children and adults and children’s ability to mature and change. Recent studies on adolescent brain development confirm that children are different from adults in ways that are important when attempting to identify appropriate sentences for juveniles. In addition, recent Supreme Court rulings have banned the use of capital punishment for juveniles and also limited life without parole sentences to homicide offenders. Furthermore, in 2012 the Court ordered judges to consider each individual child’s mitigating circumstances. This ruling prohibited mandatory sentences of life without parole for all juveniles. In 2005, Roper v. Simmons, the Supreme Court ruled that juveniles can no longer be sentenced to death for  crimes committed when they were younger than 18 years of age. This ruling stated that a death sentence was cruel and unusual punishment for juveniles as they are immature and therefore less culpable. Consequently, this ruling affected 72 juvenile offenders in twelve states. Before this decision 22 people were killed for crimes committed as minors. Following the Roper decision the harshest sentence for a minor was life without parole. In 2010 Graham v. Florida, the Court prohibited life without parole sentencing for minors not convicted of murder. The ruling immediately affected the sentencing of 123 prisoners. Following this ruling it was recognized that crimes that do not end in murder were less deserving of the most serious punishment. After the rulings that prohibited the death penalty for minors and restricted the sentence of life without parole to murder crimes almost 2,500 prisoners were serving sentences of life without parole for crimes committed as minors. However, in 2012 Miller v. Alabama and Jackson v. Hobbs, the Supreme Court ruled that for minors the life without parole sentence was a direct violation of the Eighth Amendment. This ruling required that judges consider the juveniles character and extenuating circumstances in an attempt to give a fair sentence. As stated previously, a number of professionals have reported that adolescent brains are not fully developed and therefore over time will develop and provide capability for change as children mature. Adolescence is known to be noticeable by â€Å"transient rashness and inability to assess consequences.† In addition, people serving life without parole sentences lives vary but usually have been plagued with difficult upbringings, exposure to violence, and direct abuse. It is important that when determining sentencing for a juvenile that family and home environment are considered. Moreover, racial inequality seems to factor into the burden of this sentence. â€Å"While 23.2% of juvenile arrests for murder involve an African American suspected of killing a white person, 42.4% of JLWOP sentences are for African-American convicted of this crime. White juvenile offenders with African American victims are only half as likely to receive JLWOP sentences†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Approximately 2,000 prisoners who are currently serving juvenile life without parole sentences may be affected by this decision. The most recent ruling, Miller v. Alabama affects mandatory sentencing  policies in 29 states and the federal government. There are currently no guidelines about how states should implement retroactivity of this ruling. As a result, there have been very different reactions to the way that states will handle retroactivity of this ruling. Some state Supreme Courts have decided that Mille implies retroactively and other states have decided that Miller is not retroactive. However, most states have not changed their statues and therefore have left many prisoners anxiously waiting for possible resentencing. Currently, fifteen states do not have prisoners serving life without parole sentences and the remaining 35 states have less than 100 prisoners serving life without parole sentences for crimes committed as juveniles. Furthermore, the monetary cost for JLWOP is astronomical. Housing cost for juveniles serving LWOP requires decades of public expenditures. It is estimated that the annual cost for incarceration per inmate is approximately 31,000. Due to increased medical expenses after the age of 55 the annual cost raises to 65,000. Therefore, a lifetime sentence for a juvenile will cost taxpayers almost 2 million dollars. SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS There have been great strides concerning cruel and unusual punishment for sentencing of juvenile offenders. Removing juvenile life without parole for all juveniles would not guarantee release of offenders. However, it would provide the opportunity for the offender’s case to be reviewed once he/she has served a realistic amount of their sentence. During this review the offenders individual circumstances, such as their family and home environment would be considered when decided to grant the possibility of parole. In several other countries a mandatory review is completed once the offenders serve 10 to 15 years of their sentence. However, if sufficient rehabilitation has not occurred the individual will remain in prison and another review be granted in the next five years. There is growing support for this method of reform concerning JLWOP. The state of California now provides offenders a realistic opportunity at parole after 15-25 years if their crime was committed while they w ere minors. Also, requiring Miller’s retroactivity for all states would be a great stride  in the area of policy reform. Opponents to retroactivity argue that Miller did not ban life without parole for juvenile offenders but instead required that a judge follow a particular process when imposing the penalty. Those against retroactivity also highlight the significant cost of requiring this. They also dispute that resentencing could take resources from current cases in order to focus on old cases where facts may not be available or non-existent. Furthermore, this could activate the right to counsel for offenders who wish to challenge their sentence which would also add to the cost of retroactivity. Opponents strongly insist that funds would be better directed at reforming juvenile sentencing for sentencing after Miller. On the contrary, proponents of retroactivity argue that the court meant for its ruling to be retroactive. Opponents state that â€Å"once a new rule is functional to the defendant in the case announcing the rule, evenhanded justice requires that it be applied retroactively to all who are similarly situated.† For that reason, when the Court reversed Jackson v. Hobbs it also authorized the retroactivity of other cases similar positioned. Replacing mandatory life without parole with lesser sentences such as life with the possibility of parole or eliminating juvenile life without parole altogether is also another recommendation for reform of this policy. The best solution seems to be individualized sentencing for juvenile offenders. This solution would require individual sentence hearing for minors with crimes of murder and individual evaluation. However, if this law was required to be retroactive family of the victims would directly be affected by this change. Families may have to endure the potential impact of parole board hearing for the offender. In addition, community members who have a financial investment in the business of prisons would also be directly affected as their revenue would greatly decrease over time. Lastly, schools and Social workers can work to identify children who may be experiencing difficulty in the family and home environment and offer services in an attempt to prevent the child from committing a crime and therefore having to be introduced to the juvenile justice system. REFERENCES The End of Mandatory Juvenile Life without Parole. Kennedy, Megan. Criminal Justice Policy Review. Sep. 2014, Vol. 25 Issue 5, p553-578. 26p DO1: 10. 1177/0887430341. Review for Release: Juvenile Offenders, State Parole Practices & the Eight Amendment. Russell, Sarah French. Indiana Law Journal. Winter 2014, Vol. 89 Issue 1, p373-440. 68p. Just Grow Up Already: The Diminished Culpability of Juvenile Gang Members After Miller V. Alabama. Kellogg, Sarah A. Boston College Law Review. 2014, Vol. 55 Issue 1, p265-299. 35p. Branded for Life: The Unconstitutionality of Mandatory& Life time Juvenile Sex Offender Registration& Notification. Parker, Shannon C. Virginia Journal of Social Policy& the Law. 2014, Vol. 21 Issue 1, p167-205. Criminal Law-Juvenile Life without Parole Sentences-Eleventh Circuit Holds that Miller Is Not Retroactive. Harvard Law Review. Feb. 2014, Vol. 127. Issue 4, p1252-1259. 8p. Mitigating After Miller: Legislative Considerations & Remedies for the Future of Juvenile Sentencing. Fiorillo, Sara E. Boston University Law Review. Dec 2013, Vol. 93 Issue 6, p2095- 2129, 35p. Symposium: Bombshell or Baby step? The Ramifications of Miller V Alabama for Sentencing Law& Juvenile Crime Policy. Litton, Paul. Missouri Law Review. Fall 2013, Vol 78 Issue 4, P 1003-1014. 12p.