Twelfth Night Explores the Nature of Love

The play Twelfth Night explores many different types of love between it's characters. With so much love and so many different levels and kinds, love easily appears to be the central theme of the play from the complex love triangle between Viola, Oliva and Orsino to hinted at homosexual love from Antonio to Sebastion, it is easily the central theme. The first love in the play is Orsino's love for Olivia. Although Orsino has never met Oliva before in his life he claims to be madly in love with her and sends messenger after messenger to tell her of his love. This uneducated and mostly appearance related love could easily just be infatuation. This could be proven when Orsino quickly asks Viola to marry him as though he never loved Oliva to begin with. Another, but a lot different, example of love in Twelfth Night is the self love Malvolio has for himself. Malvolio only cares about his social rank, becoming a gentleman. Then when he receives the letter from â€Å"Olivia† he becomes ecstatic and even says that he will make him the real head of the house rather then just a steward if they marry. The plans to use Olivia's love for him as a tool to reach where he wants to be. Another example of love, and probably the most true, is Viola's love for Orsino. Viola's love for Orsino is the most true because Viola and Orsino really know eachother. They talk and spend time together, even if they are both â€Å"men† they manage to get to know eachother. Also their live seems true because even though she loves Orsino she would go try and â€Å"Woo† Oliva so Orsino could be happy. There is also little ways showing love in the play Twelfth Night. For instance the idea that Antonio loves Sebastian is brought up by the way he speaks to Sebastian and the way he comes to Llyria with him even though he can go to jail. The last example of love is Maria and Toby, we know that Maria's love is true but whether or not Toby loves her is a mystery. Oliva's love for Cesario, Toby and Maria, Oliva and Sebastian, â€Å"Oliva's† letter to Malvolio, Viola and Orsino, and Orsino's love for Oliva easily show that love is a central them in Twelfth Night.

Compulsive gambling Essay

More than 5 million Americans are pathological, compulsive and problem gamblers, and another 15 million are at risk of becoming just like them. A common definition of problem gambling is: a progressive disorder characterized by a continuous or periodic loss of control over gambling and irrational thinking and behavior despite the consequences. When gambling interferes with any one’s life, it can be categorize as an addiction or disease, just like alcohol and drug addiction is categorize as a disease. A study conducted for the National Gambling Impact Study Commission found that 20 million American have or could develop gambling problems. Also they have estimated those 1. 8 million American adults as well as up to 1. 1 million American adolescents age 12 through 17 engage in severe â€Å"pathological† gambling each year. As legalize gambling has become more common in the United States; problems have sprung up as well. That negative influence is becoming more apparent as gambling is more widely available. It is becoming increasingly easy to gamble in the United States particularly in the last 10 years, and problems with gambling are much more common now than they ever were. Studies show that for every dollar gambling produces for a regional economy, three dollars are lost because of the economic and social cost of gambling. The study has also said that if the government legalizes more gambling, taxpayers will lose money, whether they gamble or not. The gambling industry believes it is just selling an innocent form of family entertainment, but they don’t mention how much the players lose or how gambling encourages addictive behavior or the enormous costs it creates for the rest of society. It has been said that, gamblers with higher counts of gambling symptoms will have higher rates of problem. There many consequences associated with compulsive, pathological and problem gamblers. Examples of such consequences include job and financial problems, divorce, poor health, and criminal involvement. These addictions are the lifeblood of the gambling industry, said an economist from the University of Illinois by name Earl Grinols. He researches and found out, that casinos earn more than half their revenues from compulsive, pathological, and problem gamblers. â€Å"The casino industry is heavily dependent on the revenues of psychologically sick people†, says Grinols. Millions of families are paying a heavy price, not just financially, but also strains in family and marital relationship. Family members of compulsive and pathological gamblers are hurt by their disease, mainly because an emotional withdrawal occurs, which leads to separation.

The Effect of Modern Lifestyle on Student Productivity

TOPIC: THE EFFECT OF MODERN LIFESTYLE (TECHNOLOGY) ON STUDENT PRODUCTIVITY 1. 0 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Background of study Over the past few decades, technology has been drastically changing the way our society functions. The current generation is becoming completely dependent on new technologies. According to â€Å"Peter H. Martorella – 1997† Technology has opened the world of communication in a way before inexperienced.It also allows for more tasks to be completed in less time. In essence, technology has made the world smaller. The danger is when we get so reliant on technology that we cease to do things ourselves, limiting our activity and interaction with the world around us. With advancement within culture and society, there are positive and negative influences. Many studies and articles had been conducted and printed upon the effect of technologies upon the modern society.As for example an article had been released by Aydan Corken on May 2009 on The Negative Effects of Advancing Technology on Society. In this particular article it stated the negative effects of the advancing technology. Among the effects of that is stated in this useful article are laziness, decreasing of the communication skills, false information and so much more. Does this also affect the students’ productivity? This had intrigued us on doing a research the negative effect of technology upon the students. William F.Massy and Robert Zemsky who writing article about Using Information Technology to Enhance Academic Productivity says that IT eases the limits of time and space for education activities and IT will bring the best lecturers to students via multimedia anytime and anywhere so that, like the recordings of the country's most celebrated artists, those of the best will drive out those of the merely good. This sort of access is especially important for the increasing numbers of nontraditional students in higher education, who often have job or family responsibilities limiting their possible school hours.So with IT they says that it will make students life easier and efficient because it can cut cost and time consume rather than using traditional ways to study which is not efficient and time consuming. A research made by Leigh Linden (2006) who takes 2,156 students from 60 Gyan Shala schools in India as sample. The researches were made to test the effectiveness of Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) towards the students found that technology really helps those students to understand about their learning. 58. 3 percent of children in fifth grade could read at the second grade level.Half of 9-10 years old school children could demonstrate basic numeric problem solving skills. This shows how technology can be implementing in students learning. If the technology is well used then the result will be astonishing. These Computer-assisted learning programs are generating excitement in India, where the high-tech industry is successful. Walter Johnson High Sc hool made a research that the internet is very beneficial for academic reasons. It provides many resources such as Dictionary. com, Thesaurus. com, Edline. net, and Collegeboard. org, which are advantageous and helpful for students.It really helps students in making their homework and assignment given by their teacher. Teachers also feel satisfied about the quality of work done by the student. With technology, learning enterprise much more outcome-oriented, a change that has important implications for learning productivity. In fact, the areas that have made the most inroads with IT are subjects like foreign languages, math, and writing, whose outcomes can be most easily delineated. Continuous assessment provides the data needed to map the relation between cost and benefit, thus opening the way for experimentation and innovation.In other words technology will empower students to have greater control over the learning process, with all the benefits associated with active learning and personal responsibility. Not only will students decide when to learn and how to learn, increasingly they will also decide what to learn and how that learning is to be certified But according to the NY Times, a study in 2010 from the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that children and teens â€Å"spend more than seven and a half hours a day (on an electronic device), compared with less than six and a half hours five years ago. The number of hours has probably increased since then due to the new inventions of this modern age. So parents nowadays are questioning about the effect of technology towards their kids productivity. This is because technology such as hand phone, laptop or video games can make this kid negligent with the technology. It appears that students are unable to focus on their school work during class and at home because of the increasing number of media outlets and new, appealing uses of modern technology. One of the researchers says that Technology may cause numerou s health problems.For example, according to Practice, Medical News Today, PR Log and Poynton, scientists, researchers and doctors such as Darius Lakdawalla, Tomas Philipson, Amy Drescher and Charles Poynton are concerned about the links between technology, obesity/heart problems, eye strain, deafness and muscle issues. This will cause students productivity decreasing because of health problems. Students who use hand phones or laptop for a period of time can cause eye problems or changes in behavior. The students could not give a full commitment to their productivity if they have health problems. So this will decrease their productivity.Gloria (essay. forum. com) says that technology helps improve high educational institute. Computers are used by high educational institute such as university or college across the country to help improve student learning ability. Computer simulation is used in flight school to allow students learning to fly without risks of accidents. University and c ollege use computers in testing environments to allow students taking tests to get instant feedback. Many students use the internet for research or getting online help. This proves that technology simply increase the productivity effectively and efficiently.This is mainly because there are only few researches that had been done or available towards this topic. Many researchers in the past had argued upon this topic as their result are various and they still fail in finding a definite result. Based on a research that had been done in the United States on The impact of Education Technology on student Achievement by John Schacter in 1999 it stated that the students that use technology in their students have a higher passing rate and consume less time in their studies. This clash with the book that was wrote by Junko Yamamoto, C. Jay Hertzog, Joseph C.Kush, Ron Lombar (Technology Implementation and Teacher Education: Reflective Models). In this book it stated that the students will face problems such as non-participation in class, laziness and etc. Thorough this research we hope to find out the real affect of technology towards students. 1. 2 Statement of problem Students in Uitm Puncak Alam already faced the effect of technology-based lifestyle on their productivity in life. A research made by James Kulik (1994) showed that technology do not increased student productivity as technology do not had positive effect on them.Student were became heavily depended on the technology and do not realized on how the technology can possible effected them or dangerous that came with the technology will effect on their productivity. This situation showed that government should took this matter seriously as this matter can lead the country to produce unproductively. Many research can be made to find out the effect of technology on student productivity so the people will be alarmed upon this problem especially student. 1. 3 Purpose of the study Nowadays technology was became more importance to our life, no matter if you were a business man, a doctor, or a student.The bond between the technology and student at present compare to the past are much stronger. Due to this fact, a study will be done in obtaining the data in order to decode this issue. The purpose of study described in this research report to assess the student of the effect of technology in their studies, related to their productivity. 1. 4 Objective of the Study The objectives of the study are: 1. To describe how university students in Uitm Puncak Alam currently use technology in their learning. 2. To find out how technology- based lifestyle affects the university students’ in Uitm Puncak Alam productivity. . To investigate the students’ in Uitm Puncak Alam level of awareness of the potential effects of technology. 1. 5 RESEARCH QUESTION Objective 1 To describe how university students in Uitm Puncal Alam currently use technology in their learning. Research question 1: How often uni versity student in Uitm Puncak Alam use technology in their learning? What is the level of effectiveness if student in Uitm Puncak Alam use the technology in their learning? Objective 2 To find out how technology- based lifestyle affects the university students’ in Uitm Puncak Alam productivity.Research question 2: What is the effectiveness of technology towards student in Uitm Puncak Alam productivity? How does this factor influence your (student) productivity? Objective 3 To investigates the students’ in Uitm Puncak Alam level of awareness of the potential effects of technology. Research question 3: What is the level of awareness of student in Uitm Puncak Alam upon the potential effect of technology? How is the level of awareness on student in Uitm Puncak Alam affect the potential effect of technology? 1. 6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYAfter going through a deep process of searching and finding resources we had find out that there are only few research that had been done on this particular case. In addition to this fact we had also find out that currently there are still no definite result on the effect of technology towards the students Through this study we can gathered the data that were essential to this related parties such us parents, lectures, and universities or maybe even to the ministry of education. This can created the awareness of the stated parties upon the real effect of technology towards the students. The affect of this particular factor are very important as it determine and underline the reason for the success or failure of the future generations. 1. 7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY In the process of obtaining the relevant data, we had decided to choose the students of University Technology Mara [(Uitm) (Puncak Alam Branch)] as our respondent. This covered approximately 50 students that were equally divided between the diploma and degree students of this chosen university. In carrying out this study we used the â€Å"questionnaire† method and we were also been giving out a short briefing before or while the respondents answer the questionnaires.This was done to boost the effectiveness of the collected data and also to create awareness among the chosen respondent. 2. 0RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2. 1 INTRODUCTION This section discusses the methodology of the research. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of the technology based-lifestyle on the degree and diploma student of University Technology Mara (UITM), Puncak Alam Campus. In obtaining and interpreting the effect of technology based lifestyle on their degree and diploma student, 50 students from UITM Puncak Alam were chosen as our respondents for this research study.Data from the research were collected through questionnaires and small briefing. 2. 2 RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS This research utilized both the quantitative and qualitative research methodology. The instruments used to collect data were questionnaire and a small briefing. A set of quest ionnaire containing ten questions were distributed to 50 respondents. Various types of questions were used in the questionnaire such as yes-no, listing/ choice, likert-skale and closed-ended. In section 1, the question asks on respondent about personal detail such as: program of study, current semester and gadget they own.While in section 2, the question asks on how the technologies can help them in their study and their opinion about the real effect of technology-based lifestyle on the student’s productivity. The questionnaire was distributed to 50 students, 25 degree students and 25 diploma students. The data for the research come from the interview was utilized to confirm the finding from the questionnaire and then analyze. Other than that small briefing also the method that we use to obtain the data, these method uses while the respondents in group and be given briefing on how to answer the questionnaire. . 3 RESPONDENTS OF THE STUDY The respondents of this study were the degree and diploma students of UITM Puncak Alam Campus. 50 students were randomly selected to participate in the questionnaire survey. 25 respondents from degree students and 25 respondents from diploma students randomly. 2. 4 RESEARCH PROCEDURE Before the actual data collection period, a pilot study was conducted ton assess the validity of the research instrument. A total of six interviewers were selected to distribute the questionnaire.During actual study, the questionnaire were distributed in various places such library, cafe, student lounge and also at the bus stops. Respondent were approached with a question asking on how important are technology in their life and ask their personal opinion upon that issues. While the questionnaires were being answered, the interviewer briefly gave a small talk on hoe the effect could really affect their productivity level. This small talk functions as a spark to create and heighten the awareness level of the respondent upon the effect of tech nology based-lifestyle upon students. . 5 DATA ANALYSIS To analyze the data a total of 5 variables there are the types of gadget, productivity, time consuming of study, the life-style and environment. The data were entered into the computer using SPSS software. The results were presented through frequency accounts and other descriptive statistic. While distributing questionnaire to the respondent (student) they will briefed about the effect the technology based life-styles while fill up the form. The objectives of briefing merely to help them to open their mind about the current technology benefit.We will not influencing about their decision. It is up to their own perception to decide whether it is good or not after been given briefing. The data that were gathered then will be transcribed into graphs, charts and table to project the analyzed da 3. 0 Introduction of Findings The research on THE EFFECT OF MODERN LIFESTYLE (TECHNOLOGY) ON STUDENT PRODUCTIVITY focused on the life of stu dent in the era of technology. Before we proceed with the questionnaire, firstly we explained about the respondent. Our target respondent was among the student form UiTM Puncak Alam.There are 2 programmed in this campus consist of diploma and degree. We had 50 questionnaires to distribute among the student in the campus. 50 questionnaires are divided into half, 25 questionnaires for diploma student and another half is for degree student. As we conducted our survey, we were using questionnaires methods. While the respondent answered the questionnaire we gave a small explanation to the respondent for their understanding before they answered the following question. 3. 1 Questionnaire Findings Objective 1 To describe how university students currently use technology in their learning.Question: †¢Rate the effect of technologies on your studies. †¢How technologies help you in your learning. †¢Does technologies help you in your studies Objective 2 To find out how technology- based lifestyle affects the university students’ productivity. Question: †¢Do you agree that technology can increase a student’s productivity †¢If yes, how effective the technology help you in your studies †¢Do you agree that technology and education is a perfect mix †¢Technology is useful for student to complete their task/assignment Objective 3To investigates the students’ level of awareness of the potential effects of technology. Question: †¢Briefly explain how technology helps you in completing your task. †¢Technology does more harm than good for students especially in their learning 3. 1. 1 DEMOGRAPHIC The chart above shows every current semester respondent in this campus UiTM P. Alam. When we conduct this research, our target population is in the campus Uitm Puncak Alam itself, but the scope is the student who studying here.Both programme we were accepting to proceed and to choose randomly from 25 diplomas’ student and 25 degrees’ student to success this research it is the effect of the technology-based lifestyle on student productivity. 3. 1. 2 LEVEL OF STUDY The chart showed the programme of study in the Uitm P. Alam. There both programme study in this campus which are diploma and degree level. Based on our topic the effect of a technology lifestyle-on students’ productivity, this programme of study we separate it follow between diploma student and degree student. 5 students come from diploma and the rest should in the degree student. Total for both student have same percentage on helping our research. 3. 1. 3 GENDER This chart showed the gender of the respondents that have been taken into in uitm puncak alam campus. Based on our topic the effect of a technology lifestyle-on students’ productivity, this program of study we separate it follow between diploma student and degree student. 25 students come from diploma and the rest should in the degree student. Total for both stu dent have same percentage on helping our research. . 1. 1. 1 HOW TECHNOLOGY IS USED IN LEARNING. The figure 2 shows the different type of gadget respondents have that they are using right now. From the chart itself, majorities are comes from hand phones user followed by the second highest, they are using a laptop. The rate Mp3/Mp4 among this respondent is quite higher than i-pad, PC and others. 50 respondents do not mean that they all have hand phone or i-pad. Majority of the university student often use technology in their learning by using hand phones and laptops as their top tools of technology .Most of the students showed that laptop and communication device in learning increase their level of effectiveness. The high awareness of the technology tells the student how to make technology easier in learning. Most of the students now days is easily influenced thus giving the good effect of technology towards student productivity. 3. 1. 1. 2 DOES TECHNOLOGY HELP STUDENT IN THEIR STUDY ? As we can see from the chart, it is the answer from the respondents whether technology help student in their study. Most of the respondent says the answer is Yes while rest say No. ue to the effect of modern lifestyle (technology) on student productivity is become as apart from our life student will use. Technology frequently to do their task or assignment and most of respondent agree that technology helps them in learning because as we can see that almost class in our campus has a learning support equipment like a computer (PC), laptop, and projector. Other than that, students do not need to bring a book or notes but it enough if they read the books. They also can keep the notes that they get from the lecturer in their pen drive so that they do not worry to loss their notes or miss the important things.From this survey also we know respondent feedback about the change from time to time how technology helps student in their learning, from used the chalk and talk technique like a v isual aids. Obviously, we can see how technology helps students in their learning and the level of effectiveness if student use the technology in their learning. 3. 1. 1. 3 DO YOU AGREE THAT TECHNOLOGY CAN INCREASE THE STUDENT’S PRODUCTIVITY Base on the bar chart, it shows that weather technology can increase a students’ productivity or not.From the previous chart most of the respondent said the technology can help student in their study, to do their task or assignment , gather a lot of information and show the level of effectiveness if student use the technology in their learning, but for this question most of the respondent said No. This question is to measure the level effectiveness of technology on student productivity. From this chart we get the result show that 35 of our respondent are does not agree that the technology can increase the student productivity while another 15 agree with that question.From the feedback we get from the respondent, it is show that tec hnology does not give any impact to a student however they believe that students’ productivity is related with how much the effort that student have in their studies. The effect of modern life-style (technology) does not influences of students’ productivity because technology as a equipment that support the student in their learning while the productivity comes out from the student itself. 3. 1. 1. 4 TECHNOLOGY DOES MORE HARM THAN GOOD FOR STUDENT ESPECIALLY IN THEIR LEARNING. From the chart above, we can see that the result that given by the respondent eather technology does harm than good for student especially in their learning. From the result, 8 people from our respondent give the answer uncertainty follow by 15 respondent answers strongly disagree, 20 respondent give the answer disagree, 5 people said agree and 2 people answer agree. From the feedback from our respondent it shows most of the student said that the technology does not harm student especially in the ir learning but technology are helping to get some information, to do task or assignment and making their life as a student easier.This question is related with the level of awareness of student upon the potential effect of technology. Means that, what are the potential affect from that technology that can help students in their learning. Students realized that the technology is very useful to them but it doesn’t mean it will effect on students’ productivity. Because the modern lifestyle nowadays student are more depending on technology and they think that by technology they can finished their task smoothly without thinks wisely about their productivity as a students.CONCLUSION As we are expected from this research, technology has been drastically changing the way of student in generation Y and generation X in their process of learning. Now days, the generation Y is becoming completely dependent on the technologies that many studies and articles had concluded. We can s ee the different of performance of both generations where generations X is more committed in their action rather than generation Y.This research is try to find out how technologies affected the students in UiTm Puncak Alam on the usage of technologies, the students productivity and their awareness towards technologies that drastically becoming more easier to their user. To gain these objectives, we use questionnaire as our method toward respondents to gain the data on this research. In the questionnaire we use the quantitative and the qualitative question that consist of three sections. Using this method give us the experiences on how to conduct and overcome respondents behavior toward the question on our questionnaire.After we go through the phase, we can conclude: 1. The type of technologies that students of Puncak Alam use is more on phone rather than others. 2. We also can conclude in this research technologies are helpful in their studies, where as they use technologies in prin ting the handout, web surfing for learning, communicating and others. 3. In this research we also find that the productivity of the student strongly affected against technologies, but in the other hand the level of positive impact also does not reach the bench mark that is (technologies) required to help the student in the study.The result of this study indicate that technologies and the students productivity are two different factors that will never ever compliment the students in increasing their productivity. However these findings are only true for UiTM Puncak Alam Campus students only and cannot be generalizing to others students and universities. The same study need to be conducted with different students from others universities to see if they are any similarities with the factors that will influence the students level of productivity due to technologies. FULL REPORT THE EFFECT OF MODERN LIFESTYLE (TECHNOLOGY) ON STUDENT PRODUCTIVITY

Globalisation leads to the homogenisation of culture. Discuss Essay

Globalisation leads to the homogenisation of culture. Discuss - Essay Example Globalization has brought many hopes to such countries as they can utilize the expertise and technology of developed countries for the mobilization of their idle resources. Another important aspect of globalization is the cultural homogenization. The exchange of labour force across the boarders is a common thing at present because of globalization. Outsourcing and offshoring of business are common things at present which need the interaction of multicultural workforce. In short globalization has forced the world to develop towards a common culture. This paper briefly analyses the homogenization of culture as a result of globalization. Berry, (2008) has defined Globalization as the multiplicity of linkages and interconnections between nations (Berry, 2008, p.329). Kalantzis & Cope (2006) have referred globalization as the enemy of diversity (Kalantzis & Cope, 2006, p.402). Peng, (2009) has argued that Globalization brings closer integration of the countries and the people of the world by acting like the swings of a pendulum (Peng, 2009, p.19). Globalization has been defined in many ways by different people. It is the sum of all the definitions given above. The essence of Globalization is the unification of global culture for the collective growth. The major enemy for economic growth in many countries is the conflicts between countries. For example, the conflicts like India-Pakistan, Israel - Palestinians, US-Afghanistan etc are causing immense damage to the economic development prospects of these countries. Many people argue that the current financial crisis in America was the child of different wars America engag ed in different countries. Pakistan also is a victim of underdevelopment because of the increasing conflicts even inside the country. In short, conflicts and wars can retard the economic progress of a country. On the other hand,

Euthanasia Or Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Euthanasia Or Abortion - Essay Example The older concept was never differentiated from suicide and both activities were seen as similar in historic times and the definition assigned to the word euthanasia was very different from current world’s definition. In the Greek period, the act of euthanasia was recognized a means of death which was happy and satisfactory in nature and was hardly ever used and it was not used as a means of assisted suicide or mercy killing as it is use today. The meaning of the concept of euthanasia has experienced various changes in English language. In different periods, in different cultures, the definition of the word has altered from a happy means of death to murder which is not acceptable by the society or the law. Those individuals who are in favor of euthanasia state that not all societies in the past had a negative opinion on euthanasia and the western culture even favored it. For example the Eskimos used to conduct activities almost similar to euthanasia when an individual suffered from physical illnesses and became dependant on others, this especially used to take place while the resources became short or scarce (Atwood-Gailey 24). But these practices were only operated after enough care was given to the patient and there was no way to cure the patient. Even during the older period, the elders or those who were recognized as seniors used to give up their own lives in activities such as euthanasia for the betterment and the wellbeing of their children and upcoming generations. Pros and Cons The main advantage of euthanasia is that this activity can save the immense suffering that a patient goes through while he/she is on death bed and suffering from a disease that is incurable and very painful. Secondly it is the right of every individual to decide what is right or wrong for him/her and they have equal liberty to decide about their health, even the US constitution states that all individuals are free. Patients suffering from incurable disease are mostly those who loose the ability to even conduct their basic tasks such as washing themselves and taking care of themselves and they become dependant on others (McDougall 200). Due to these patients who want to die as independent individual and who give great importance to their dignity should be allowed to indulge in euthanasia. A huge amount of money is spend in taking care and hospitalization of a terminally ill patient, in certain cases individuals have ended up selling their own estates and what ever they own to cure themselves but certain illnesses are incurable and death is the destiny. In such cases euthanasia will help the individual in saving his treasure and passing it on to the upcoming generations so they can live a better life. Ample amount of the time of the physicians and nurses is wasted on terminally ill patient as they require higher degree of care, this time can be used to save and cure those patients who have higher probability of being cured. When individuals are termina lly ill, they start loosing their organs one by one, if these organs can be saved through euthanasia, some other patients who still have higher probability of living can benefit from these organs. Families are even adversely impacted when their loved ones are near to death and are suffering from

Wire Systems in Telecommunications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wire Systems in Telecommunications - Essay Example He is still using these techniques. Initially, he was bound to serve his purpose through the medium of nature since he opened eye in its lap and there was no other techno logy or resources available for this purpose. Historical Background: Relationship to the Needs of the Society Native Americans, in ancient times, used a distinctive technique for communication called smoke signals. This may be termed as the first and foremost means of signal based communication. In this technique, columns or puffs of smoke were dispatched into the air in different shapes and frequencies on encoding side. On the other decoding side, signals would be perceived as desired by the signaler. These smoke signals cannot be declared or rated precisely a full language, but were typically used as short signals of communication. Some of the standard signals even retain information today. For example, one puff of smoke dispatched into the air was supposed to signal intended viewer’s attention. While, on t he other hand, two puffs meant nothing dangerous and every thing is all right. Contrary to this, three puffs signal hazard, call for aid, or merely some expected trouble. The smoke was produced by putting together green branches or leaves of grass into the fire. In this practice, blankets are used to direct the smoke puffs. Beside this, important events were also discernible by smoke signals. These events constitute war, birth, marriage or death. There were also light and heavy signals in vogue, each meaning variegated things. One meant good event, while the other meant bad news. The popularity or authenticity of this system can be viewed from this fact that this smoke signals methods being the old form of Native American communication, are still used today by the strategic personnel. As far as the mechanism of production and comprehension of these signals was concerned, it was not random. Every thing was calculated and sensitive frequency oriented, though, not as sophisticated and digitalized calculated as contemporary technology. One can consider smoke signals as a visual telegraph. The viewer can see smoke signals over a stretched distance, and decode the smoke to interpret the nature of message. In order to create smoke signals, put a blanket over the fire. Afterwards, include grass and newly born green branches to generate more smoke. To launch a short puff of smoke, raise the cover hurriedly, then put it down again. For long puffs of smoke, intuitively manage to raise the cover for a longer but for tentatively accurate time. Coordinate and manage time and distance ratio with a specific speed to get the target or desired length of the puffs. Variation of puff sends a distinctive message. Smoke signals cannot be asserted as standardized. The users, then using the required code, always conclude the target for communication. In digitalized technology today, to log on means to enter a specific cyber account or to turn our computers on. In the same way, for sm oke signals, the signalers also log on, by adding logs to this fire or smoke. Wire System Communication Advancement in Canada and US During the next decade we will see a change in the way we communicate with machines and the equipment that we use. The user will respond directly to questions that their equipment asks them with the technology having voice recognition of the user's voice. Improved shopping systems will help businesses order what they need while the persons are at home, on the road, or flying to a business venture. Live video will become a wave of the future replacing conventional communications. Some experts believe that virtual reality could take over the video feeds period. With the growth of technology

Not working 40hr work week Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Not working 40hr work week - Research Paper Example The union is clearly correct that the company did not provide notice of offenses, as the August 2001 letter was not labeled as warning. Also, in July 2001 his shift changed and management did not explain these changes to the grievant. The grievant could easily misunderstand the hours of work change, as it stated â€Å"from 3 pm to 12 pm† not from 3 pm to 12 am. This can easily be confusing, as one portion states a 40 hour week, but the times add up to a 105 hour week. Also, the company stated that the CBA was â€Å"clear and unambiguous† which it was not. Also, the company claimed that the grievant had a history of not working the required number of hours per day (8) and he would be suspended if this continued. The grievant had not worked a full 8 hour shift since he started as a doorman. He worked from 3 pm to 11 pm with an unpaid hour for dinner. That is, again, only 7 hours. 2. The CBA provisions dictate this award because of the inaccurate times laid out in the regi stered letter. Also, the grievant was told that he â€Å"will work an 8-hour day and a 40-hour work week.† If this does not happen, he will be suspended. The letter was not a warning and could easily be perceived as a simple letter of the change of his hours of work. There was no explanation of the CBA to the grievant, leaving him to his own devices to understand the readings. 3.

Macroeconomic in Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Macroeconomic in Finance - Essay Example These models also highlight the interrelatedness of variables in the economy, which is one of the core concepts in contemporary macroeconomics. Explain how the effectiveness of both fiscal and monetary policy is dependent on the sensitivity of money demand to the interest rate in the closed-economy. Explain how other factors may also impact on policy effectiveness. Monetary policy is "the government or central bank process of managing the money supply to achieve specific goals such as constraining inflation, maintaining an exchange rate, achieving full employment, or economic growth." The monetary policy tools refer to the policy tools of the central bank used to affect the money supply and interest rates such as open market operations, changes in the discount rates, and changes in the reserve requirements (Mishkin 2004). It should be noted that the effectiveness of all these policies rests on the relationship between money supply and interest rate. Accordingly, an increase in the money supply tends to bring a reduction in the interest rate while a decrease in money supply brings about a rise in interest rates. It is notable that without affecting the interest rate, monetary policy renders no effect on the economy. For example, a government wishing to eliminate unemployment pursues an expansionary monetary policy lowering the reserve ratio. Th is in effect will lead to excess reserve rates and encourages bank lending while increasing the money supply. Since interest rate is inversely related with money supply, interest rate falls which encourages investment. Aggregate demand increases and unemployment is reduced or eliminated through the creation of

Arabic Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Arabic Culture - Essay Example The Arabic language is a unifying language that is spoken by people classified as Semites and who are Asians of African origin while the language remains to have a lot of resemblance with Hebrew language. Arabic language is widely used among the Arabs and Muslims together with extensive use among the local communities as a vernacular language. There is a notable difference in the dialect of Arabic language which range from the modern standard, the media and the educated and the Arabic as vernacular (Mellor 55). Arabic language plays a significant role in the Arabic culture. For instance, some terminologies used in the Quran which is written in Arabic cannot be translated to other languages thereby, making Arabic a unifying factor in the Arab culture. Some of the terms that cannot be translated are kept in their original formats making it essential for people intending to become Islamic scholars to study the Arabic language (Mellor 111). In addition, Classical Arabic which is the main language used to write the Quran is the sole language used for presiding religious functions including prayers and Quran studying. It is for this reasons that I conclude that Arabic language plays a critical role in Arabic culture due to its usage in Quran writing which is a unifying book among the Arabs who are

Brand marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Brand marketing - Essay Example Brand is the design, name, symbol, term or other characteristic that generally identifies whether a product is distinct or can be differentiated from other sellers’ products.A brand is considered as an intangible assetEffective branding strategy helps an organization to achieve several potential competitive advantages in competitive global market place. Several leading organizations around the globe are trying to increase their core competencies through the implementation of several unique competitive strategies. This particular essay will discuss various theories in order to assess the relationship of different customers with several B2C brands. This essay will consider and evaluate various authors’ academic literature regarding a brand. Moreover, the essay will reveal how a brand can drive both financial and non financial brand performance metrics. Finally the essay will summarize and conclude the whole findings. Discussion This part of the essay will provide answers of two essay questions. Question (A) It has been discussed earlier that brand is an intangible asset. The brand owners effectively manage their brands in order to develop shareholder value. Several organizations adopt branding to differentiate their products from other market competitors. This branding is subsequently used in marketing, advertisement and business. Coca Cola is a key modern example of brand that belongs to the Coca Cola Company. Several organizations generally focus on brand valuation. Brand valuation is a key management technique which ascribes a significant monetary value to brand (Ariely, 2009, p.23). Moreover, it allows the organization to manage the marketing investments to maximize the value of shareholders. Appropriate branding strategy can result in high sales growth. For example, if a customer likes regular Coke under the Coca Cola Company, then the customer will surely try other products under the company. Brand is a significant personality that helps to id entify a company or a product or a service. According to Kotler (2000), a brand can be defined as the name that is associated with one or more than one product in the specific product line of an organization (Kotler, 2000, p.396). Whenever a marketer or an organization develops a new name, design or logo for a newly developed product, he or she has developed a brand. Branding is one of the initial and important steps within the product or service marketing process. According to Urde (1999), for a longer period of time brand has been treated as the important element of a product or a service (Urde, 1999, p.197). Some individuals distinguished the psychological aspect and brand associations like feelings, perceptions, images, thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, thoughts and experiences. However, the experiential aspect consists of the sum of total points of contacts associated with the brand. This is known as brand experience. According to Baldegger (2012), this brand experience is known as a specific brand action that is perceived by an individual. Sometimes this psychological aspect can be referred as brand image. Brand image is a symbolic construct that is developed within customers’ mind (Baldegger, 2012, p.39). Brand image consists of expectations and information associated with an organization or a product or a service. It is important for an organization to carefully develop a brand management strategy. Careful brand management strategy seeks to develop products and services related to the target audience. It is important for the organizations to achieve significant brand recognition of their products and services (Browayes and Price, 2008, p.192). Effective branding strategy always increases the core competency of a product or service. A strong brand name always demand high price for the products or services as a strong brand name always develops strong brand awareness and market demand. Strong brand

Business Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Business Analysis - Essay Example My perspective of the mentioned learning outcomes is that the business environment is a complex setting with diverse factors that influence all the decisions that managers make concerning business. This work will seek to demonstrate the interrelations of the mentioned learning outcomes and their relevance to the performance of firms. The environment consists of both internal and external factors that interplay to affect the way businesses make choices regarding what to produce and what to sell on the market. For this case, the market place forms the biggest force in the external environment that affects the choices from within the internal environment. I understand that the government forms unit of regulation of business activities in both the micro and macroeconomic environments. Economics deals with the choices that people make because of the limited resources, which for this case, contains both the individual producers and consumers as well as the aggregate economy. Microeconomics is, therefore, the study of individuals within an economy while macroeconomic concerns the aggregate economy. Both firms and consumers within the economy have to make choices regarding the use of limited resources. For this case, the consumers form the market forces because they affect the levels of demand for the goods and services that the firms make within the economy. I understand that the choices that companies make concerning the production of their products constitute the market structures such as the oligopolies, monopolies, and perfect competition. Managers of the firms have to make choices of the best alternatives that will give the best returns after studying the activities of their competitors. Such decisions constitute the market curves, which are actual theoretical tools that predict the likely outcomes of a given decision concerning the production of goods and services. It is evident that the

The Spread of the Renaissance Essay Example for Free

The Spread of the Renaissance Essay What do Da Vinci, Petrarch, Alberti, Erasmus and Shakespeare have in common? More than just being from Europe, these great men of arts and literature all flourished during the Medieval Ages. They are all product of the renaissance period and greatly enriched the development of philosophy and humanism during this period right after the Dark Ages. Renaissance, which literally means â€Å"rebirth† in French, was a cultural movement in Europe. This era took place mainly in Italy then later spread throughout Europe from 14th to 17th centuries. Generally, it was characterized by the revival of learning based on classical sources in the fields of philosophy, religion, politics, literature, arts and science. The primary subject of renaissance was humanism. People believed in the active search for knowledge instead of accepting what already existed (â€Å"Renaissance†, 2007). It was the time when the ancient Greek and Roman literature were rediscovered and relearned. The recovery was headed by Giovanni Boccaccio and Francesco Petrarch. Instead of writing in Latin, which was the lingua franca of the church and the elite during that era, these writers wrote in Italian. This paved the way for other writers succeeding them to follow their beginning. These writers wrote epic poems all in Italian. In Italy, the spread of public knowledge in religious and secular understanding was due to the establishments of public libraries and translation of classical Latin works into vernaculars. One significant work was that of Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, which gave light to a study of modern politics. The spread of Renaissance in other parts of Europe came in the mid-15th to 16th century. It was exported to France by King Charles the VIII after he invaded Italy. The exportation included Italian artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Francois Rebelais, Pierre de Ronsard and Michael de Mantaigne. Da Vinci, on one hand, has built for France spectacular palaces. He was renowned for his great works like Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, two artistic renditions that has transpired through ages. He had become one of the famous icons of the Renaissance. The wave also reached Poland, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and Germany though the centers of this movement came to be France and England. In England, more than simply the expansion of the arts, Renaissance also impacted the religious practices and beliefs. The period is closely related to the Protestant Reformation that divided the powerful Roman Catholic Church. The reformation led by Martin Luther brought forth the creation of other religious movements — Calvinism, Presbyterianism, Anabaptism and Anglicanism. On the other hand, writers like William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, John Milton and Edmund Spencer gave life the English literature. Shakespeare has already become the greatest embodiment of classical English literature. The Renaissance Age truly gave birth to new understanding of previously acclaimed knowledge of the arts. Furthermore, it has paved a way for more knowledge and ideas to flourish. Not only that the Italians are the masters that provided inspiration (â€Å"Defining the Renaissance†, 2007) but it had come to give justice to the arts of other countries. Though it was mainly focused in Europe, the effect, impact and influence of the era has traversed many continents, races and generations. The movements, products, inventions and ideologies that were created during that era are still regarded until this present to be the exemplary and catalyst for the current movements. The Modern era has been greatly influenced by this period of history. References: Renaissance. (2007). Research Machines. Retrieved September 17, 2007 from http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0011726.html Defining the Renaissance (2007). Looking at the Renaissance. Retrieved September 17, 2007 from http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/renaissance2/defining.htm

The Bonesetters Daughter | Character Analysis

The Bonesetters Daughter | Character Analysis LuLing: Ruths mother. She immigrated to United States from China through her sister, Gao Ling. She shows how her life had changed through her writings in part 2. She is very emotional character who loves and acts passionately Ruth: LuLings daughter (of course). As her mother loses memory, she becomes more considerate about LuLing, and searches for her memory instead. This eventually helps Ruth grow mature and find her own identity. Theme Finding Identity Through searching mothers history, Ruth finds out the background of her immigrant mother. This eventually builds up Ruths maturity and her identity as a Chinese Woman. Chapter Notes Part 1 Chapter 1 Ruth Young lost her faith on August 12th for eight years. It happened first at Arts house in San Francisco. August 12th was a day shooting stars fell. Her mother took this as an omen and told Ruth that they were actually melting ghost bodies. Ruth was a book doctor and she had daughters named Dory and Fia. Ruth always looked her day through fingers of her hands, listing from 1 to 10. One day, Ruth couldnt memorize what nine was. Art, who Ruth had met in a yoga class 10 years ago, complained about making things too much complicated. Ruth finally remembered her number 9 was to take her mother to the doctor. Chapter 2 When Ruth was young, she loved spicy turnips instead of junk food. She had imagined through the limited space, which she continued to present. Everyone looked down at her job, for she made it seem easier. She helped to write The Cult of Personal freedom, The Cult of Compassion, The Cult of Envy, The Biology of Sexual Attraction, The Physic of Human Nature, and The Geography of the Soul to make books more interesting. One of the clients had a pseudonym of Agapi Agnos with real name of Doris DeMatteo. Gideon described her so accommodating that would bend backwad. LuLing was very healthy except that she had a type of memory loss that Ruth thought about taking her to the therapist. She always tried to teach Ruth with Chinese. GaoLing and LuLing were two different women who sometimes fought, and sometimes went along. Two sisters had married to brothers named Edmund and Edwin. Edwin died in a car accident. Luling always lamented on her great husbands death. Her mothers health was getting w orse. Chapter 3 Luling asked about Fia starting sixth grade while it was actually Dory. Luling had forgotten that her cat, Fu-fu, died by a dog. Dr. wHuey examined Luling. On documents, Lulings birth year was 1921, but she told him that its 1916. Ruth got frustrated by the complex questions doctor asked the mother. Luling said she had seen O.J. kill his wife in real life. The doctor suggested that Lulings might have Alzheimers. Ruth told Art about this in Chinese, but her children complained about speaking in Chinese. Arts daughter calls Luling Walpo Ruth remembered her past when her mother talked to her in Chinese. Ruth just decided to be silent while her mothers treated. Lulin brought a sand tray and a brush to make Ruth write. Lulings call Precious Auntie as Doggie and asked for forgivenesss. Ruth invited Miriam, Arts divorced wife, to Moon Festival dinner. Chapter 4 On the night of Full Moon Festival, Ruth excitedly picked a place called Fountain Court, which her mother disliked. Dinner went on as the Chinese style of Thanksgiving. There were Billy with his four children, Sally the aeronautical engineer, and George the Violinist of SF Symphony. None of the children liked the dinner for its looks. Gaoling told people about the incident when Luling persisted to say she had paid the bill. Ruth gave out a speech and presents to her family. Ruth was satisfied with dinner. Luling was in confusion and said Precious Auntie was her real mother. Luling gave Ruth the necklace that Ruth had given her for present. Ruth was about her mothers symptoms. Chapter 5 Ruth insured Luling that she was alright, and Luling said she wasnt afraid of death. Luling now visited her for dinner every day. Ruth realized that her mother was mentally ill. Luling became angry when Ruth treated her as a special client. Luling often threatened to kill herself, as if she had no reason to live on. Ruth hired maids and housekeepers, but they all quitted for Lulings violent behaviors. Ruth had a plan to go to Hawaii within few days, but she decided that she would stay with her mother. One of Ruths clients named Ted fired Ruth as a ghost writer. Ruth went to her mothers house, but she was found through calling cops. LuLing was trying to go to grocery store. Ruth finally asked GaoLing to help take care of her mom. Chapter 6 When Ruth was young, she often thought about death. She and her mother used to live at the flatlands of Berkeley. There was a couple named Lance and Dottie. Ruth had a crush on Lance, who was as handsome as a celebrity. Ruth convinced her mother that she got invited to watch the Wizard of Oz together, Ruth put herself right on toilet which had Lances urine and thought she was going to be pregnant. Dottie found out about this, and the couple divorced in confusion. Ruth apologized to Lance, but Lance tried to rape Ruth. Ruth told her mother that Precious Auntie wanted them to move to San Francisco. Chapter 7 Ruth began to clean the house. Ruth threw away everything her mother had been saving. She found a diary on cupboard. She once got into a huge fight with her mother about smoking cigarettes, which had Ruth to write harsh things on the diary. When Ruth arrived home, she found out that her mother fell off out of window and broke her bodies. Ruth regretted what she had written on the diary. Ruth and LuLing frequently got into fight still. Ruth found mothers writings and decided to translate them to learn more about her past. Part 2 Luling was raised by the Liu Clan within the village called Immortal Heart. Precious Auntie called Luling a doggie. After ancient tree died, the fame of the village had declined. The family was working in ink-making, and was successful enough. About thirty people lived together. Precious Aunties father had a ability of bonesetting to heal bones. He was so good that patient came from everywhere. One day, coffin maker and Baby Uncle saw their fortunes. Precious Auntie was a rooster, while Chang was a snake, which was a great match. Precious Auntie however, turned down Chang to marrie Hu Sen. Chang killed her father during the marriage, and Hu Sen died from Horse kicking him. Precious Auntie tried to commit suicide by drinking burning oil, but it only left her scarred. In 1929, scientist went to Dragon Bone Hill. Rumors said that scientists were buying the bones with a good price. Precious Auntie put back the bones to where they were found. Scientists were looking for Peking Man. Precious Auntie, however, didnt say where the bones were, while everyone was so eager to sell bones. One day, Chang came and LuLing accidently told she knew where the bones were. Few days later, Peking asked LuLing to come over for marriage arrangement. LuLing ignored Precious Aunt and went to Old Widow Laus house for preparation. Even though LuLing felt uncomfortable, she could make everyone happy with the meeting, except for Precious Auntie. Since Changs asked LuLing to be their family, Precious Auntie stopped to help LuLing. Precious Auntie gave LuLing a writing that said how she was LuLings real mother. LuLing, however, couldnt finish it, and never got to discover the truth. Precious Auntie was found dead after LuLing announced her future marriage with the Changs. LuLing, in sadness, cancelled the marriage and left for the End of the World to search for corpse of Precious Auntie. The familys ink shop burnt down by the ghost of Precious Auntie. The officials came to inform father about the damages he had done to the neighbors and asked for payment. Father called for a priest to capture the ghost, and sent LuLing to orphanage to stop ghost from returning. LuLing was influenced by some foreigners in the orphanage that she changed her religion to Christianity. LuLing was one of the few who could read and write, among seventy children. When there was a good weather, Teacher Pan took the girls to Dragon Bone Hill. The girls helped scientists when they were asked to. Precious Auntie had left oracle bone and small photograph of her for LuLing. One day, LuLing found a letter from Gao Ling that she wasnt satisfied with her marriage to Chang. Kai Jing, Teacher Pan, and LuLing made a banner for New Year, and took it to the fair. Kai Jing explained how magnificent the banner was. LuLing fell in love with Kai Jing. LuLing and Kai Jing tried to make love, but the storage room was so filthy. The news that there will soon be a war against Japanese reaches the orphanage. GaoLing came over and talked how the priest was actually a fraud. She stayed at the orphanage, and built a friendship with Sister Yu. LuLing and Kai Jing married. Even though the war was still held, Kai Jing went to dig for dragon bones. He and other men got caught by soldiers to join army against Japanese. They soon found out that Chinese were captured, and soldiers were shot one by one. Japanese soldiers occupied the orphanage and forced men to speak where the communists were. Japanese people kill every single man except for Teacher Pan. LuLing and other girls faked to have diseases with chicken bloods to go to Peking. Teacher Pan and girls continued on with the ink shop to live on. War finally ended in 1945. Miss Grutoff was sick and she needed to go to America for treatment. Gao Ling promised to invite LuLing and followed Miss Grutoff as an assistant. Teacher Pan also planned to marry. LuLing received a letter that Miss Grutoff had died and that LuLing had to wait until Gao Ling became a citizen. LuLing decided to move to cheaper house to support herself until Gao Ling invited her. LuLing had internal conflict of selling oracle bone, but she decided to just keep it. She became a made Miss Patsy and Lady Ina. This improved LuLings English skills. Gao Ling sent a letter indicating their future husbands. Fu Nan came in to ask for money, threatening their situations. With the money LuLing had been earning and by selling the bone, she could buy the ticket and flew to United States. Part 3 Chapter 1 Ruth asked Mr. Tang to translate her mothers paper. She discussed about staying with her mother with Art, who disapproved the plan. Ruth tried to make her mother to draw things that could bring her memory back. Twice a week, Ruth went to Vallejo Street for dinner. Art wanted Ruth back, but Ruth was trying to take care of her mother. Mr. Tang finished his work and gave the paper to Ruth. LuLing actually enjoyed a talk with Mr. Tang. Ruth was surprised by the paper that had been translated. Art suggested moving LuLing to assisted-living residence, but LuLing refused. So they brought up a plan of radon leak to deceive LuLing to move to Mira Mar Manor. Chapter 2 The Young Family gathered to celebrate Gao Lings 77th (or 82nd) birthday. Ruth and Gao Ling talked about LuLings writings. Ruth said LuLing was moving into safer home. Gao Ling explains some stories like how Chang was executed for cheating on people and the origin of name Ruth, which came from Miss Grutoff and Sister Yu. There was also stock market money LuLing had saved for Ruth. LuLing had fallen into the pool and almost drowned herself, which drove Ruth to sadness. Ruth and Art had their anniversary dinner at Brunos supper club. Chapter 3 Ruth visited Asian Art Museum with her mother, Art, and Mr. Tang. Mr. Tang showed the Oracle Bone. LuLings family name was Gu, which meant bone. Ruth finally found that Precious Aunties real name was Gu Lix Xin.

Calculation of Body Surface Area (BSA) for Blood Volume

Calculation of Body Surface Area (BSA) for Blood Volume CHAPTER 25 Calculation of Body Surface Area, Circulating Blood Volume,  Requirement of Blood Products Namita Mishra, Sudha Rawat, Vishva Nath Sharma BODY SURFACE AREA (BSA) Body surface area (BSA) is the area of the external surface of the body, expressed in square meters (m2). In physiology and medicine, the body surface area is the measured or calculated surface of human body. It is used to calculate metabolic, electrolyte, nutritional requirements, drug dosage, and expected pulmonary function measurements. BSA is a measurement used in many medical tasks. For many clinical purposes BSA is a better indicator of metabolic mass than body weight because it is less affected by abnormal adipose mass. Nevertheless, there have been several important critiques of the use of BSA in determining the dosage of medications with a narrow  therapeutic index  like many chemotherapy medications. USES OF THE BSA To gain an appreciation of the true required glomerular filtration rate (GFR) renal clearance is usually divided by the BSA. To calculate a better approximation of the required cardiac output as for example in children, cardiac index is used. Cardiac output = Cardiac Index / BSA Chemotherapy is often dosed according to the patient’s BSA. Glucocorticoid dosing is also expressed in terms of BSA for calculating maintenance doses or to compare high dose use with maintenance requirement. CALCULATION OF BSA It is difficult to actually measure the surface area of the human body so various calculations have been published to arrive at the BSA without direct measurement. The most widely used is the Du Bois formula: BSA = 0.007184 X W0.425 X H0.725 A commonly used and simple one is the Mosteller formula: 0R BSA = ( [ H X W]/ 3600)1/2 Where H = Height W = weight for example : Patient’s weight = 65 Kg Patient’s height = 165 cm BSA = ([65 X 165])/3600)1/2 BSA= 1.72 m2 Recently, a weight-based formula was validated in the pediatric age group that does not include a square root, making it easier to use. It is [4Wkg+7]/[90+Wkg]. AVERAGE VALUES Average BSA for various weights: WEIGHT (Kg) BSA (m2) 1.5 4 0.13 – 0.26 4.1 – 9 0.26 – 0.48 9.1 – 14 0.48 – 0.56 14.1 – 20 0.56 – 0.71 20.1 – 26 0.71 – 0.84 26.1 34 0.84 – 1.0 34.1 – 50 1.0 – 1.4 50.1 66 1.4 – 1.63 Over 66.1 Over 1.63 EFFECTIVE CIRCULATING VOLUME Blood volume is the volume of blood (both red blood cells and plasma) in the circulatory system of any individual. A typical adult has a blood volume of approximately between 4.7 and 5 liters, with females generally having less blood volume than males. Blood volume (BV) can be calculated given the hematocrit (HCT; the fraction of blood that is red blood cells) and plasma volume (PV): BV = PV/ (1-HCT) Diagnostic technologies are commercially available to measure human blood volume. A recent radio nucleotide study called BVA (Blood Volume Analysis)-100, provides a measure of Red Blood Cells and Plasma with 98% accuracy. BLOOD VOLUME ESTIMATION WEIGHT (kg) BLOOD VOLUME ( ml/kg) New born to 10 85 11 to 20 80 21 to 30 75 31 to 40 70 Above 40 65 CIRCULATING VOLUME OF THE CPB CIRCUIT PRIMING VOLUME: the minimum amount of fluid (hemic or non hemic fluid) used to de- air the complete cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit is called priming volume or the circulating volume of CPB circuit. Priming of the CPB circuit is an important task for the perfusionist. Generally the main objectives of priming are: To deair the CPB circuit To check for any leaks in the circuit To check for any mistake in the assembling of the circuit To meet the need for the extra volume required to prime the CPB circuit as the patient’s blood volume is not sufficient enough to prime the CPB circuit. For achieving sufficient hemodilution. It is a standard practice to use a non blood CPB prime because of the benefits of hemodilution and concerns about blood borne diseases. The total priming volume is determined by the hardware selected for the circuit to be employed. Following are the tables showing the volume required to de-air various oxygenators, arterial filters and tubing. CPB CIRCUIT AND TOTAL PRIMING VOLUME WITH VARIOUS WEIGHT GROUP Weight Group (Kg) Boot Size (inches) Venous line Size (inches) Arterial line Size (inches) Total Priming Volume (ml) 0-4 1/4 1/4 1/4 450 4.1-8 3/8 1/4 1/4 600 8-12 3/8 3/8 1/4 800 12.1-25 3/8 3/8 3/8 1100 >25 1/2 1/2 3/8 1800 TUBING SIZE WITH VOLUME (ml/feet) SIZE (inch) VOLUME (ml/feet) 3/32† 1.8 1/8† 2.5 3/16† 5 1/4† 9.65 3/8† 21.7 1/2† 38.6 SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS: In cases where patient is deeply cyanotic the size of the oxygenator and tubing size is selected keeping in mind the requirement of higher degree of hemodilution and higher requirement of arterial blood flows because of the presence of large (or major) aorto-pulmonary collaterals (MAPCA’s). MAPCAs arise from the aorta or its large branches and supply blood to the pulmonary arteries, because of blockade of the main pulmonary arteries. These MAPCAs ‘steal’ part of the cardiac output of the aorta and this results in reduced systemic perfusion and thus increased pump flows are required during CPB in cyanosed patients with MAPCAs to compensate for this ‘stolen’ cardiac output. CACULATION OF BLOOD AND BLOOD PRODUCT REQUIREMENT The hematocrit (HCT), also known as packed cell volume (PCV) or erythrocyte volume fraction (EVF) is the volume percentage (%) of red blood cells in blood. It is normally about 45% for men and 40% for women. It is considered an integral part of a person’s complete blood count along with hemoglobin concentration, white blood cell count, and platelet count. Haemoglobin concentration is reduced as a normal consequence of CPB with hemodilution. Thus the hematocrit that will result from the hemodilution caused due to priming volume of the CPB circuit should be determined. Several calculations are required to assess hemodilution and blood product requirements. To determine the effects of hemodilution, the volume concentration formula is used. C1 X Pt BV = C2 X TVon CPB Where Pt BV = patient’s blood volume ( patient’s body weight X blood volume factor) TVon CPB = total volume on CPB (total priming volume + patient’s total blood volume) C1 = Pre bypass hematocrit of the patient (%) C2 = calculated hemodilutional hematocrit (%) A decision must be made initially regarding the desired hematocrit during cardiopulmonary bypass. Based on the results of the randomized clinical study from Children’s Hospital, Boston ,it seems reasonable to consider a hematocrit of 25% to be the minimal acceptable hematocrit for any cardiopulmonary bypass condition. When the desired hematocrit has been selected the amount of bank blood that must be added to the prime should be calculated. Prime RBC vol = {[C3]x[Pt BV + PV]} {Pt RBC vol} Where Prime RBC vol = volume of blood required in prime C3 = desired HCT on bypass Pt BV = patient’s blood volume ( patients body weight X blood volume factor) PV = total priming volume of the CPB circuit to be used Pt RBC vol = patient’s blood volume X patient’s pre bypass hematocrit For example: Patient’s weight = 5 Kg Pre bypass hematocrit (C1) = 40% Patients blood volume (Pt BV) = 5 X 85 = 425 ml (85 is blood volume factor for 5 Kg) PV (total priming volume of the CPB circuit to be used) = 600ml TVOn CPB = (600 + 425) = 1025ml Calculated hemodilutional HCT (%) (C2) = C1 X Pt BV / TVon CPB = 40 X 425 / 1025 = 16.5 % 16.5 is the hematocrit on bypass. If there is a certain desired hematocrit, then to achieve that hematocrit, the amount packed RBCs if needed for the same patient can be calculated as follows: C3 (desired HCT) = 30 % Pt BV = 425 ml PV = 600 ml TV On CPB = (Pt BV + PV) = (425 + 600) = 1025 ml Pt RBC vol = 425 X 0.40 = 170 Prime RBC vol = {[C3]X [Pt BV + PV]}-{Pt RBC vol} = {[0.30] X [1025]}-{170} = 137.5 Volume of RBCs needed in prime = 137.5 The hematocrit of packed RBCs is 70% thus 137.5/0.70 = 196 ml 196 ml of packed RBCs are needed to achieve a hematocrit of 30%. Thus, 196 ml of the clear prime fluid is removed from the priming volume to account for the added packed RBCs. Therefore the calculation of priming volume now has 196 ml of packed RBCs and 404 ml of prime (crystalloid or colloid). In some cyanotic cases where the patient’s pre bypass hematocrit is more, the blood is diluted to obtain an optimal hematocrit during cardiopulmonary bypass in order to decrease the viscosity of the blood to improve tissue perfusion and to prevent hemolysis. Thus the effect of priming fluid added to dilute the blood can also be calculated as: TVon CPB X C4 = TVon CPB 1 X C5 WHERE TVon CPB = total volume on CPB (total priming volume + patient’s total blood volume) = 1025ml C4 = Hematocrit (of cyanotic patient) on bypass = 0.60 TVon CPB1 = total volume on CPB after adding 500 ml of priming fluid to the CPB circuit. TVon CPB1 = (1025 + 500) = 1525 ml C5 = the new (affected) Hematocrit Thus C5 = (1025 X 0.60) / 1525 = 0.40 40 % is the new hematocrit achieved after adding 500 ml of priming fluid. FIBRINOGEN A critical consideration is plasma fibrinogen dilution. Normal plasma fibrinogen levels are 150-400 mg./dL. The infant/ pediatric patients relative low blood volume with priming requirements of the ECC circuit causes the fibrinogen concentration to be adversely diluted. During CPB, it is desirable to maintain the plasma fibrinogen concentration above 100 mg./dL. in order to prevent impairment of post-CPB hemostasis. Given an example of a 5 Kilogram patient with blood volume of (5 x 85) 425 ml, pre bypass hematocrit of 55%, hematocrit on CPB of 25%, priming volume of 800ml of the circuit to be used for CPB and fibrinogen level of 275 mg/dl. To calculate the effect of priming, patient’s plasma volume is calculated by following formula: BV = PV/ (1-HCT) PV = (1-HCT) X BV Thus PV = (1-0.55) X 425 = 191ml PV = 191ml Patient’s fibrinogen = 191 X 275 mg/100ml = 525 mg Number of milligrams required = (425 + 800 ) X (1.00-0.25) = 9.19 dl If the goal is 100mg/dl, then 919 mg of fibrinogen are needed. Amount of fibrinogen to be added = 919 – 525 = 394mg. 394 mg of fibrinogen must be added to the prime to achieve a goal of 100 mg per dl. FFP usually contains 200 mg of fibrinogen per dl. Thus ml of FPP needed = (394/200) X 100 = 197 ml. Now for the calculation of priming volume the 197ml of the prime fluid (crystalloid or colloid) is replaced by FPP. Thus the clear prime volume becomes 603ml. Suggested reading Jianfeng Wang, Eiji Hihara. A unified formula for calculating body surface area of humans and animal. Eur j Appl Physiol.2004;92:13-17 Dill DB, Costill DL. Calculation of percentage changes in volumes of blood, plasma, and red cells in dehydration. J. Appl. Physiol. 1974; 37(2):247-248. Tarazi RC .Pulmonary blood volume. Eur Heart J.1985Oct;6SupplC:43 Tarazi RC . Blood volume.. Eur Heart J.1985;6SupplC:41-42

Free Trade Essays -- Economy, Developing Countries

What is free trade? Many American’s have a broad and sometimes-false idea of what free trade actually is. Free trade â€Å"refers to the economic philosophy and practice of reducing barriers such as tariffs, taxes, subsidies and quotas so that raw materials, goods and services can move unhampered across national borders.† (68) Various options have arisen about whether or not free trade benefits developing counties or not. I believe that free trade is not favorable or helpful towards developing counties. Free trade benefits few but not the masses, is in favor of rich companies with large corporations, means a loss of power and political control on a national, regional and local levels of government, as well as allows for child labor and there for loses out economically. Many people here in the United States are not well informed about Free Trade or its drawbacks. By giving people the information and steering them toward a better form of trade such as Fair Trade we could possible help those other counties that are dealing with the effects of free trade. When dealing with free trade the commercial benefits are hard to miss, more choices on cars and products, lower coasts on goods so consumers can by more products and live the good life. (p.68) However, digging deep in to the effects of free trade shows us that that it benefits few but not the masses. For example, the US will benefit from cheap labor and low tariff cost, paying less for more but the workers in the countries where the product is being manufactured will not benefit and neither will the country. (p. 71) By having cheap labor those people cannot afford to buy luxury items or even basic items, which in turn will affect that counties economy. By having youth workers not in sc... ...or those who did have jobs. (p. 95) This is an example of how free trade can be harmful to developing countries. When consumers lose jobs they can no long afford to pay for not just luxury items but basic living expenses that other industry are selling which sends a county into economic tailspin. I propose that rich nations should be more morally accountable for manufacturing companies they have around the world. Places like Wal-Mart and the gap here in the US should be paying workers fair wages, have decent working hours, no children worker under 16, and safe working conditions. U.S companies should follow the laws we have in our own country and abide by them in others. I believe that the government should reward socially responsible companies at first and then create laws here stating that when having companies abroad you must follow the laws we have here.

Anyone lived in a pretty how town :: Literary Analysis, E.E. Cummings

â€Å"Anyone lived in a pretty how town,† by E.E. Cummings, is a poem that alludes to the circle of life and how birth and death are a natural part of this cycle. This meaning is conveyed by a complex metaphor; broken down, this metaphor slides away to reveal the true social commentary behind it. This poem is an allegory; the speaker uses pronouns with unclear antecedents to mask the true meaning and add poetic flair to the simple belief he or she presents. The first poetic device the speaker uses to convey his or her meaning in this poem is the unorthodox grammar and sentence structure. The poem starts with the lines â€Å"anyone lived in a pretty how town / (with up so floating many bells down)† (1 – 2). In this case, this improper grammar reinforces the point that is the story of â€Å"anyone† (1). As such, the â€Å"how town† (1) represents the fact that the name of the town does not need to be specified, as this happens to everyone in every town. The speaker therefore alludes that the events of this poem are natural and they happen to anyone anywhere. E.E. Cummings deliberately uses â€Å"anyone† (1) and â€Å"no one† (12) as pronouns with ambiguous antecedents to generalize the poem’s meaning to society and all people in it. In this way, the speaker uses these thoughts as social commentary. The speaker also manipulates time to bring out his or her message. Lines 3, 8, 11, 21, 34, and 36 all contain some order of either â€Å"spring summer autumn winter† (3), as in lines 11 and 34, or â€Å"sun moon stars rain† (8), as in lines 11, 21, and 36. As the order of these seasons changes, it indicates the passage of time. This manipulation of time draws attention away from these lines and towards the lines with deeper meaning hidden within. However, there is another form of time: the progression of life. The speaker comments on the growth of children in terms of their maturity levels and how as they get older, children tend to forget their childish whims and fancies and move on. He or she says that they â€Å"guessed (but only a few / and down they forgot as up they grew† (9-10). He or she then goes on to say that â€Å"no one loved [anyone] more by more† (12), hinting at a relationship in development, foreshadowing a possible marriage.

Night World : Huntress Chapter 14

Did you have trouble getting away?† Hugh said It was the next morning, a very different sort of day from yesterday. The sky was overcast and the air was heavy. Everyone Jez had passed at the Concord BART station looked a little depressed. â€Å"Eh, a little,† she said, and sat down by Hugh on the platform. They were at the far end of the station, beyond the covered area with benches, beside a little concrete security house. It was a safe and private meeting place since the station was almost deserted after the morning commute. â€Å"They chained up my bike with this huge chain. Claire drove me to school-she's been watching me like a werewolf guarding dinner. And Aunt Nan called the office to make sure I didn't cut† Hugh shifted in concern. There was a tiny breath of warm wind, and it stirred his fair hair. â€Å"So what did you do?† Jez grinned. â€Å"I cut.† She shrugged and added, â€Å"I got a guy from my auto shop class to drive me here. It wasn't hard.† He smiled at her sadly, his gray eyes distant. â€Å"But they're going to find out. Jez, I'm really sorry for completely messing up your life.† She shrugged again. â€Å"Yeah, but if I don't do it, everybody's life is going to be even more completely messed up. Every human's.† â€Å"I know.† He shivered slightly. Then he drew up his legs, clasping his arms around them. He looked at her with his chin on his knees. â€Å"So what did you find out?† â€Å"That the girl Morgead thought was the Wild Power isn't.† He looks so cute that way, Jez thought helplessly. So-compact. Morgead would never sit like that. Hugh winced. â€Å"Great. You're sure?† â€Å"Yeah. It was a little kid, eight years old, and she was something special-but not that. She was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jez tried to think of a way to describe it. Hugh watched her with eyes that were clear and fathomless, sad and wry and gentle all at once. And suddenly Jez got it. She gasped. â€Å"Goddess-I know! She was like you. That kid was an Old Soul.† Hugh's eyebrows went up. â€Å"You think?† â€Å"I'm sure of it. She had that same way of looking at you as if she's seen all of history and she knows that you're just a little part. That†¦ trig picture' look. As if she were beyond stupid human things.† â€Å"But not a Wild Power,† Hugh said softly. He looked half discouraged and half relieved. â€Å"So then the Morgead connection is useless.† â€Å"Actually, no. Because he's got evidence for the Wild Power on videotape.† Jez explained about the movie and the fire and the blue flash. â€Å"So somebody around that kid is probably it. I know that area and so does Morgead. We may be able to find out who.† Hugh chewed his lip. Then he looked directly at her. â€Å"It sounds dangerous. Just how is Morgead taking tins-you coming back and all?† Jez stared out across the BART tracks. They looked like regular train tracks, except for the big one labeled danger electric third rah.. There was a sound like faraway thunder, and then a train came whizzing up like a sleek futuristic white dragon. It stopped and a few people got on and off in the distance. She waited until it left again to answer. â€Å"He†¦ wasn't very happy at first. But then he kind of got used to it. I don't think he's going to make any trouble-unless he finds out, you know.† She wasn't sure what else to say. She didn't want to talk to Hugh about Morgead-and she certainly didn't want to explain what had happened. Especially not when she was so confused about it all herself. â€Å"You still think he'd hate you if he found out you were half human?† Hugh's voice was quiet. Jez laughed shortly. â€Å"Believe it. He would.† There was a silence, while Hugh looked at her. Suddenly Jez found her mind posing an odd question. If it were Hugh or Morgead, which would she take? Of course, it was a completely ridiculous question. She couldn't have either of them. Hugh was an Old Soul, and beyond her reach. Not to mention that he only thought of her as a friend. And Morgead might be her soulmate, but he would murder her if he ever discovered the truth. But still, if she did have a choice†¦ Hugh or Morgead? A day ago she'd have said Hugh without question. How strange that now it came up the other way. Because, impossible as it was, deadly as she knew it to be, it was Morgead she was in love with. And she had only just understood that this moment. What a pity that there was no hope in the world for them. Jez found herself giving another short laugh- and then she realized that Hugh was still looking at her. She could feel color rise to her cheeks. â€Å"You were miles away again.† Tm just foggy. Not enough sleep, I guess.† Plus all that fun yesterday. She was still sore from the stick fight and the fall with Iona. But that wasn't Hugh's problem. She took a breath, groping for another subject. â€Å"You know, there was something I wanted to ask you. Morgead said the Council had dug up another prophecy-about where each of the Wild Powers is from. Have you heard it?† When he shook his head, she quoted: â€Å"One from the land of kings long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One from the Day World where two eyes are watching; One from the twilight to be one with the dark.† â€Å"Interesting.† Hugh's gray eyes had lit up. † ‘One from the hearth'†¦ that's got to be the Harman witches. Their last name was originally ‘Hearth-Woman.' â€Å" â€Å"Yeah. But the line about the one from the Day World-that one's a human, right?† â€Å"It sounds like it.† â€Å"That's what Morgead thought-that's why he thought the little girl might be a Wild Power even though she was human. But what I can't figure out is what it means by ‘where two eyes are watching.'† â€Å"Mmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Hugh gazed into the distance, as if he liked the challenge. â€Å"The only thing I can think of that combines the idea of ‘Day* and ‘eyes' is a poem. It goes something like ‘The Night has a thousand eyes, and the Day only one.' The one eye being the sun, you know, and the thousand eyes the stars at night.† â€Å"Hmpf. What about the moon?† Hugh grinned. ‘I don't know. Maybe the author wasn't good at astronomy.† â€Å"Well-that doesn't help much. I thought it might be a clue. But the truth is that we don't even know if it's the human Wild Power we're after.† Hugh put his chin on his knees again. â€Å"True. But I'll let Circle Daybreak know about that prophecy. It might help eventually.† He was silent a moment, then added, â€Å"You know, they dug up something interesting, too. Apparently the Hopi Tribe predicted the end of the world pretty accurately.† â€Å"The Hopi?† â€Å"I should say, the ends of the worlds. They knew that it had happened before their time, and that it would happen again. Their legend says that the first world was destroyed by fire. The second world was destroyed by ice. The third world ended in water- a universal flood. And the fourth world-well, that's ours. It's supposed to end in blood and darkness- and end soon.† Jez murmured, â€Å"The first world-?† â€Å"Don't remember your Night World history?† He tched at her, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. â€Å"The first civilization was the shapeshifters'. Back when humans were scared to go out of their caves, the shapeshifters ruled and the humans thought of them as gods. Animal spirits, totems. It was Shapeshifter World. That lasted for about ten thousand years, until a bunch of volcanoes suddenly became active-â€Å" â€Å"Fire.† â€Å"Yeah. The weather changed, people migrated, and the shapeshifters lost control. After that it was really Witch World. The witches did better than everybody else for ten thousand years, but then there was an Ice Age-â€Å" â€Å"And the Night Wars,† Jez said, remembering. â€Å"When the vampires fought the witches.† â€Å"Right. And after all that, the vampires were in control; it was Vampire World. Which lasted about another ten thousand years, until the flood. And after the flood, human civilization really started. It was Human World, and it has been for a long time. The Night People have just been hanging on around the edges, hiding. But. . .† He paused and straightened. â€Å"That started about eight thousand B.C.† â€Å"Oh.† â€Å"Yeah. The millennium marks the end of our ten thousand years.† He gave his gentle, half-mocking smile. â€Å"We humans are about to lose our lease. Something's going to happen to bring blood and darkness and then there'll be a whole new world.† â€Å"Only if we don't stop it,† Jez said. â€Å"And we will- because we have to.† Hugh's smiled changed, softening. â€Å"I think we're lucky to have people like you trying.† Then he lost the smile completely. He looked uncertain. â€Å"Jez- you know, Old Souls aren't really beyond ‘stupid human things.' We're as human as anybody. And we †¦ I mean, and I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Jez's heart was beating uncomfortably fast. The way he was looking at her-she'd never seen Hugh look like that at anything or anyone. Another rumble in the distance, and then a train came rushing in. Hugh blinked, glanced up at the digital clock display above the platform, then checked his watch. He cursed. Tm supposed to be somewhere. I'm late.† Jez's heart gave a strange thump. But not of disappointment. Weirdly, it was more like relief. â€Å"Me, too,† she said. â€Å"I'm supposed to meet Morgead before everybody else gets out of school. I ought to take the next train to San Francisco.† He still hesitated. â€Å"Jez-â€Å" â€Å"Go on,† she said, standing up. â€Å"Ill call you if I turn up anything. Wish me luck.† â€Å"Be careful,† he said instead, and then he was hurrying away. Jez watched him go. She couldn't help wondering what he had been about to say. Then she turned to walk back to the central part of the station. She was partway around the concrete guardhouse when she heard a noise on the other side. A stealthy, sneaking noise. Not the kind a security guard would make. Jez didn't hesitate. Smoothly, completely soundless herself, she changed course, turning back and going around the structure the other way to get behind the sneaker. The instant she had a clear view of the intruder's back, she jumped. She landed on top of her quarry, with a control hold on the person's wrist. But she already knew that this wasn't going to be a fight to the death. â€Å"Jez-ow-it's me!† Claire spluttered. â€Å"I know it's you, Claire.† â€Å"Let go of my arm!† â€Å"I don't think so, Claire. You having an interesting morning? Hear any good jokes?† â€Å"Jez!† Claire struggled, hurting herself, then got mad and hurt herself more trying to hit Jez. Jez allowed her to sit up, still keeping hold of her. Claire's face was flushed and wrathful, her dark hair sticking in strands to her cheeks. Her eyes were shooting sparks. â€Å"Okay, so I'm sorry for eavesdropping. I followed you when Greg Ludlum drove you here. I wanted to know what you were doing. I didn't know that you were completely freaking insane!† â€Å"Well, it's too bad you didn't figure it out earlier. Because unfortunately I have to kill you now to keep you from talking.† Claire's eyes widened and she choked. Jez suddenly realized that underneath all the sparks and the yelling her cousin was terrified. She let go of Claire's arm and Claire slumped away from her, rubbing it. â€Å"You-you are insane, aren't you?† Claire looked at her sideways, through clinging strands of hair. â€Å"I mean, all that stuff about the world ending-it's some kind of bizarre game you're playing with your weird friends, isn't it? Some kind of Dungeons and Dragons stuff†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"What do you think, Claire?† Jez stood up and offered Claire a hand, worried that someone might notice them. She kept that hand on Claire as she herded Claire back behind the guard house. The truth was that this situation wasn't funny. Claire really was in trouble-because Jez was in trouble. Her entire cover was blown. Everything she'd worked for in the past year-Claire could destroy it all. Claire knew way too much, and Claire hated her enough to use it. â€Å"I think †¦ I don't know what to think.† Claire swallowed. â€Å"Who was that guy?† â€Å"One of my weird friends. Right?† â€Å"He didn't seem so weird. When he said things- I don't know. They sounded†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Claire's voice trailed off. Finally it came back, almost inaudibly. â€Å"Real.† â€Å"Great.† I am going to have to kill her. What else can I do? â€Å"It's not a game, is it?† Claire said, looking at her. All the anger was gone from the dark eyes now. They were simply bewildered and frightened. Then Claire shook her head. â€Å"But, I mean, it's impossible. Vampires and shapeshifters and witches-it's all just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her voice trailed off again. Jez was simply looking at her, with eyes that might be less silvery than a year ago, but that she knew were still pretty strange. And after a few moments Claire's gaze lost its focus and her whole body seemed to fall in on itself, as if it had lost something vital. Innocence maybe, Jez thought grimly. â€Å"Oh, God, it is true,† Claire whispered. ‘I mean, it's really true. That's why you're gone all the time, isn't it? You're off-doing something.† Jez said, â€Å"Yeah.† Claire sagged against the guardhouse. â€Å"Oh, God. I †¦ God. I feel so strange. It's like-nothing is what I thought.† Yeah, I know the feeling, Jez thought. When the whole world turns around and you have to adjust in two seconds flat. It happened to me, too, a year ago. But none of that was going to help Claire. All she could say was â€Å"I'm sorry.† Claire didn't seem to hear her. She was speaking in a voice that was just a breath. â€Å"That's why†¦ that's why all that weird stuff with your father. Nobody knowing anything about his family and all. I knew from the beginning that there was something about you; I just couldn't tell what it was.† Oh, great, Jez thought. Here it comes. She tried to keep her face impassive as Claire faced her squarely, raising her eyes with a look somewhere between wonder and dread. â€Å"That guy-he said you were only half human. Which means you're half†¦ something else?† â€Å"I'm half human and half vampire,† Jez said quietly. The interesting thing was that it was so easy to get out. She'd only ever spoken the words aloud to one person before: Hugh. Now she looked to see if Claire would actually faint or just fall down. Claire did neither. She just shut her eyes. â€Å"You know the really insane thing? I believe that.† She opened her eyes again. â€Å"But-I didn't know you could be. Half and half.† â€Å"Neither did anybody else, till I was born. I'm the only one.† Jez examined her cousin, realized that she really wasn't going to faint. When she spoke again, her voice came out more challenging than she meant it to. â€Å"So now that you know, Claire, what are you going to do about it?† â€Å"What do you mean, what am I going to do?† Claire glanced around, then her voice dropped as her eyes glinted with interest. â€Å"Look-do you, like, have to drink blood and everything?† â€Å"Not anymore,† Jez said shortly. What was this? Who would have thought that studious, straitlaced Claire would have such an interest in vampires? â€Å"But you mean you used to?† â€Å"Before I came to live with you guys. I thought I was a full vampire then. But I found out that I could live without it, as long as I didn't use my powers.† â€Å"You've got powers? Really? What kind?† â€Å"No kind. Look, enough with the questions. I told you, I'm not a vampire anymore.† â€Å"And you're not evil.† Claire said it flatly. Jez looked at her, startled. â€Å"What makes you say that?† â€Å"I heard what you were talking about, saving the world and all. I didn't understand it, but it sounded like you were on the right side. And-† Claire hesitated, then shrugged. â€Å"And I know you, okay? I mean, you're arrogant and stubborn and you never explain anything, but you're not evil. You just aren't-inside. I can tell.† Jez laughed. A real laugh. She couldn't help it. Of all people, Claire. She'd misjudged this girl who was her own age but had nothing else in common with her. Her cousin had unexpected depths. â€Å"Well, thanks,† she said. â€Å"I try not to be too evil- these days.† Then she sobered. â€Å"Look, Claire, if you really think that, and if you really believe that the stuff you heard was true-â€Å" â€Å"About the end of the world? I don't believe it. I mean, I heard it, and I believe you believe it-and when I first heard it I kind of believed it, but-â€Å" â€Å"Just-skip the rest and plain believe it, Claire. It happens to be the truth. And I'm trying to do something about it.† â€Å"Something about a Wild Power, right?† Claire wasn't sagging anymore. She looked almost excited. â€Å"But what's a-â€Å" â€Å"You don't need to know. The point is that if you want to, you can help me.† â€Å"I can? Really?† â€Å"You can help me by going back to school and forgetting that this ever happened. You can help me by keeping my secret and not ever saying a word about this to anybody. And, incidentally, you'll be keeping your family safe at the same time.† Claire looked away, worked her jaw. â€Å"This stuff you're doing is pretty dangerous.† It wasn't a question. â€Å"Very dangerous.† Jez stepped back. â€Å"And I'm late for it right now. So do we have a deal? Will you help me or not? Can I trust you?† â€Å"Or otherwise you're gonna kill me, right?† Claire looked at her sarcastically. Jez rolled her eyes. â€Å"Don't tempt me. Seriously, are you going to help?† â€Å"No.† Jez froze, looking down at the shorter girl. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Jez-don't get mad, but I don't think I can. Not that way.† Claire was looking back up steadily, her small face serious and surprisingly determined. ‘I mean how can I possibly just walk away, after hearing all that? If everything you said is true, how can I forget?† â€Å"You can because you have to. We all do what we have to do.† Jez looked around the station. Another train should be coming any minute. She simply didn't have time to spend convincing a human to stay out of business that would kill her. To properly explain it to Claire would take days. All she could do was ask for something she never would have imagined Claire could give her. â€Å"Claire†¦ there's no way I can convince you or make you do what I want. But I'm asking you-† She let out her breath and went on: â€Å"I'm asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to walk away and at least try to forget this. And to believe that I'm trying the best I can to do the right thing.† Claire kept looking at her steadily for a moment. Then, all at once, the dark eyes filled. They turned away, and Claire's throat moved once as she swallowed. Then, slowly, she nodded. â€Å"Okay,† she whispered. â€Å"I mean-it's okay for now. I mean, I guess I can talk to you later about it.† Jez let out her breath. â€Å"That's right.† Claire stood there for another second, then straightened her shoulders and turned away. But just as suddenly she turned back, looking tense and almost explosive. â€Å"There's something I have to say to you.† Jez glanced down the tracks. No train. â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"It's-it's†¦ that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I bugged you and tried to get Mom mad at you and everything. I was just-I was jealous because they let you get away with anything, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She shook her head fiercely and then went on, shrugging grimly as if she hated to admit it. â€Å"And, yeah, because you're so gorgeous and confident and everything. It made me feel bad and I wanted to hurt you. So. Anyway. There. I'm sorry.† She started to walk away, wobbling a little. â€Å"Claire.† Claire paused, then turned around. Jez spoke a little hesitantly around the obstruction in her throat. â€Å"It's okay. And thank you.† â€Å"Yeah.† Claire grinned and gave a little shrug. â€Å"See ya later.† She turned around and started walking again. See ya, Jez thought. She felt suddenly tired and strangely emotional. There was too much inside hen sadness and relief and worry and a new feeling for Claire. She crossed her arms and looked around the station, trying to relax, taking deep, even breaths. And saw two werewolves coming straight for Claire.