Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on the disease Cryptosporidiosis Essay

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on the disease Cryptosporidiosis - Essay Example Cryptosporidium hominis, Cryptosporidium parvum, Cryptosporidium meleagridis, Cryptosporidium felis and Cryptosporidium canis have been identified as the major types of Cryptosporidium that cause infection in humans. While presence of C. canis, C. felis and C. meleagridis has been confirmed in AIDS patients. They have the capability to infect both immuno-competent and immuno-compromised individuals (Tzipori, p. 884-886). It considered an important source of morbidity and mortality in young children. Every year about 400-500 people in New York alone are infected by the parasite. It has been known to cause short term diarrhea in young children but if severe may even cause long term problems in immuno-compromised persons (Guerrant, p. 707-13). This parasite is usually found in the soil food and water, or surfaces that are known to come in contact with feces. It is how ever not known to spread via contact with blood (CDC). Most Infections tend to spread by the oral-fecal route. That entails the droppings of an infected animal and the transmission of the parasite via the mouth. This parasite can also spread by person to person, by eating contaminated food and by drinking contaminated water. It is in fact because the parasite is transmitted via the oral fecal route that it is often found in people with poor hygiene, diapered children and people with diarrhea. The infection can also spread by eating contaminated, uncooked food and also by touching hands which may be infected with the parasite to the mouth. Exposure to feces via sexual contact may also be one more source of infection (CDC). Never the less it is important to note that a short term infection may have long term consequences (Guerrant, p. 707-13). The degree of in fection is usually directly related to the severity and onset of disease. Some adults with incompetent immune systems such as seen widely

Blue Back Square Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Blue Back Square - Essay Example Therefore, in defining a myth, three aspects have to be considered: the signifier, the signified, and the sign (Barthes, 114). The significant according to Barthes has to be the original crisis within a subject about which people have to try and create meaning. The literature about the item may be termed as the signifier, while the relationship between the crisis and the language used may be termed as the signification. All above aspects have to be reduced to mere language, whether in form of symbolism, or the language used to describe such an object. In this article, the architectural work in Blue Back Square, the significance of the square and the myths that may be used to describe and construct meaning regarding the city will be illustrated in explaining the meaning of myth. Lynch (6) explains that the environmental or observable images in a particular place are as a result of the observer and the environment. In this case as Lynch elaborates, the environment offers distinctions a nd inherent relations, with the observer using their adaptations and reasoning to construct, organize and give meaning to what they see. The image observed in this case, limits and gives more emphasis on what is perceived, while the image is then tested with multiple inputs of perception, making the reality observed from such a building to have multiple realities between different observers; this makes any phenomena to qualify in being a myth. For example, in Blue Back Square, in West Hartford town, the community stands out in its peculiar and unique characteristics that make people to try in constructing meanings regarding the symbolism, or what is being communicated by such a culture, in what amounts to be a myth. The locality takes pride in many architectural works, which are perceived to communicate certain aspects in history or cultural orientation. For example, in Blue Back Square, though the square is in the middle of another city, the place looks like a city in its own, comp lete with a unique identity described by a rich heritage of buildings, some of which are a few hundred years old, and a rich mixture of different cultures from Europe, blacks, Moroccans, and others. The rich cultural heritage provides a rich mixture of cultures represented by buildings, people, and other styles that make people to construct the meaning regarding signification communicated by such different stylistic works, which gives the inner city a unique and beautiful image from the rest. The attempt to construct such signification constitutes to a myth in this case, as more and more explanations have to be made on the same. In other words, a myth needs the signified, which is the heritage and cultural context communicated by such architectural work, the signifier which is the language used to construct such meaning, and the signification, which is the relationship between the signifier and signification, or work that has to be done (Berthes, 114). Moreover, speech or message in this case is not constructed only through written language, but also through the photography, and the perceived images of such buildings. The purpose of a myth is to cause an impression which is treasured among the people with whom such impression is credited to, despite the reality of truth. For example,

The Awareness of Mental Health among the American Public Essay

The Awareness of Mental Health among the American Public - Essay Example The total number of death cases in the Civil War is almost the same as the death cases in almost all other wars combined. Furthermore, more than one out of every five white men who participated in the war died (Vinovskis 1990, as cited in Costa n.d.). Studies about the prisoners of war (POWs) during World War II and the Korean War also suggest that they have higher risks of death from diseases involving the heart and greater prevalence rates or neurological and psychological disorders (Beebe 1980, as cited in Costa n.d.). The baby boomers, on the other hand, are so concerned with their health that herbal medicine's popularity increased significantly in the last decade. The television and magazines are full of advertisements about alternative ways to fight diseases, maintain good body resistance, and most importantly, aging. But what about mental health Is the American public so busy about hiring nurses from third world countries to attend to the health needs of the veterans of war Or are we busier in finding better ways to prevent aging How was the public's awareness of mental health different from the pre-war period "The mental health system in the United States has moved well beyond the official ignorance that prevailed in the 1970s and now recognizes PTSD as a diagnosable disorder. Armed with this diagnosis and prodded by veterans, rape victims, and survivors of genocide, we have begun to appreciate the profound and sometimes irreversible changes produced by overwhelming stress. These include fundamental alterations in perception, cognition, behavior, emotional reactivity, brain function, personal identity, worldview, and spiritual beliefs." (Freidman 2005). The previous passage may have been an answer. The world wars taught us so much about mental disorders: PTSD and other trauma, amnesia, psychosis among others. Before, psychologists who were treating veterans who were traumatized a decade or two after their war experiences did not worry that the certain mental illness the veterans may have has a stigma attached to it. Such stigma usually prevents disclosure of PTSD symptoms, thus, makes treatment and therapy difficult, or worse, impossible. Today, psychologists look at every aspect in which the environment or the society might affect a traumatized person directly, or via stigmas (Friedman 2005). From cases of mental disorders acquired by the veterans and victims of war, the awareness of mental health problems spread to the other sectors of the public. We now recognize that experiences need not be as grave as a genocide in order to worry about PTSD or other mental disorder. Other kinds of events like accidents, abuse, and disasters may also cause mental disorders. However, it seems illogical that we do not to pay as much attention to mental health as we do on beauty and anti-aging products. Yes, we may have progressed in terms of psychological treatment and research, and yes, we have increased awareness on mental health, but what is lacking is the promotion of mental health, especially to citizens of lower socio-economic status. We know very well that the elite can afford psychiatrists and psychologists, and there are many of them around. What about the common man Why isn't there a single television advertisement on mental health, or at least

Israel and Gaza Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Israel and Gaza - Essay Example Moreover, the conflict has been propagated by the fact that no serious or proper peace building has been taken into consideration by the two nations. Instead, they keep employing military techniques to solve their differences despite that external stakeholders have made various attempts to create peace between the two nations. The conflict between Israel and Palestine over the control of the Gaza Strip has not only led to loss of lives, destruction of property and environmental degradation, but also led to the deterioration of the relationship between Gaza Leadership and the West Bank. Specifically, the relationship between Gaza leadership and the Palestinian Leadership has generally been affected positively in that; collaboration between Jordan and Palestine as well as other Arabian Nations has been developed (Palestinian Liberation Organization), the PLO, with the main purpose of destroying the Jewish Nation. This emanate from the fact that Israel is currently in control of a large percentage of the West Bank hence which falls under the Jordan territory. The United Nations has conducted various studies geared towards evaluation of the capacity of Gaza to support livelihoods; the results of these studies have been made available to the public in the form of a report. According to the UN report concerning this issue, the capacity of Gaza to support life has been reduced in a number of ways. To begin with, the conflicts have negatively affected various facets of social life for instance: The economic status of the Gaza Strip has been deterioration since early 1990’s with a greater effect experienced on the GDP of the nation. However, the shadow economy of Gaza (Tunnel Economy) has greatly developed over the years owing to the fact that tremendous amounts of goods have been smuggled through hundreds of tunnels by most tunnel workers. On the other hand, small quantities of agricultural products are also

The European debt crisis of 2009 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The European debt crisis of 2009 - Essay Example Ireland was another major economy which was hit hard by the sovereign debt crisis due to the fact that Irish government actually guaranteed the loans of six large banks having portfolios in the property sector. Due to the heavy losses suffered by these banks, Irish government faced the task of honoring its guarantees and hence crisis started to emerge regarding the possible default by the Irish government. Portugal, Spain, Italy were three other major economies which faced the similar debt crisis due to high government debt and the looming default possibilities.In order to deal with the debt crisis, EU offered bailout packages to the different economies facing such crisis. The overall bailout packages offered to these countries, however, were a combination of the support offered by World Bank, IMF, EU Central Bank and other bilateral and individual arrangements. Overall, more than 480 billion euros were offered to 9 countries of the region to avert any possible sovereign debt default s due to the crisis.Apart from giving the emergency support, other measures were also taken including the creation of the European Financial Stability Facility, European financial stability mechanism, and other measures were put in place. One of the key criticisms of the overall governance structure at EU wide level which resulted in this crisis was based upon the argument that at EU wide level, countries are allowed to pursue their independent fiscal policies, however; monetary policy was being directed through European central bank.

Guidelines for Proposal Write Up and Presentation Essay Example for Free

Guidelines for Proposal Write Up and Presentation Essay The proposal should be about 2-4 pages. The basic content can be as follows. 1.1 Executive Summary An Executive Summary, which provides a brief (about two paragraphs) overview of the proposed project. This is probably the most important section of your proposal, because it provides a clearly defined problem and proposed solution procedure, and a description of the expected project deliverables. The Executive Summary is often the only section of your proposal that some readers will read; and must present all the relevant information as clearly and effectively as possible. It is often the last thing to be written. 1.2 Goal The specific objectives of project. What are the defining features and benefits of this product? 1.3 Background and Motivation What are the needs or problems that you are trying to address? Why do these needs (still) exist? Why are these problems worth solving? Who is the customer? Write 2-4 paragraphs. -What is the setting and history behind this project? -What is the problem to be addressed? -What are some current approaches to this problem? -Why is this problem worth solving or worth solving better? -How will this product be better than previous approaches? 1.4  System Architecture and Approach This section identifies the approach that the team will use to meet the project objectives. You should explain here your principal tasks, their  duration, their sequence and their particular purposes. Wherever possible, the methods and task to be performed should be outlined in logical sequence and explained in detail. Do not assume the reviewer will fill in the gaps in your logic. A common way of identifying project milestones and due dates is to use a graphic representation of the task relationships, such as a Gantt Chart (a bar chart showing timeliness for each principal task) or a PERT/CPM Chart (a network representation of the project that shows the sequential relationship between project activities). The Solution Procedure should also describe the relevant instrumentation and facilities required to complete the research or product development. The Solution Procedure should include a budget that estimates the anticipated RD costs over the life of the project. Wherever possible , provide sufficient commentary on the budget to facilitate 1.5 Deliverables Briefly list project deliverables. When you are done, what will you deliver to the customer? 1.6 Team Organization (Optional) This section provides a summary of the groups qualifications for the project. Identify key personnel and describe directly related education and experience. Also include each members responsibility for the duration of the project. An organizational chart to identify the specific areas of responsibility of each team member may be appropriate. 1.7  Required Resources (Optional) The list of resources/help that you hope to get from the instructor. 1.8  Time Table Part of the proposal will be a proposed schedule. This time table will be used to evaluate and manage the project. Key assumptions that affect the plan should be documented here. The project plan should be updated throughout the life-time of the project. Examples at: http://readyset.tigris.org/nonav/templates/plan.html 2 2.1  Project Proposal Presentation  Length 10 to 15 minutes presentation + discussions afterwards, in total 25min each person. If you decide to use powerpoint, you should prepare for 10-15 pages of slides. 2.2 2.3 Motivation (the same as proposal write-up) Input/Output Define the task. Show some brief examples that will be produced by by your project. 2.4 System Architecture (the same as proposal write-up) If the project includes many components, you can select the most crucial parts to present. 2.5 2.6 Time Table (the same as proposal write-up) Implementation Details (optional) You could briefly talk about the approaches you are using, and why they fit into the task. 2.7 Preliminary Demo (optional) If you have some preliminary system done by your presentation date, show it to the class. 2.8 Summary and Closing Mark (optional) Briefly recaps the key points of the proposal. Summarize the current problem, the steps you propose to take to solve the problem, and the benefits to the client.

Characterisation in 2D Animations

Characterisation in 2D Animations The main problem that animation faces is that it is an overtly fake diegetic form. The viewer is presented with a constructed reality of drawings and paintings, which may represent the real world, but unlike photographic film, does not look like it. The challenge therefore is to create characters that may believably inhabit their particular diegetic reality. Animators have strived to find a way to resolve this issue through their character design and an awareness of how to deliver narrative information through their characters. This essay will illustrate the solutions that animators have found to make their audiences believe what is put in front of them. In 1914 Winsor McCay took up the (self-imposed) challenge of making dinosaurs live again via animation. The result was Gertie the Dinosaur a semi-live act with McCay performing onstage with the projected film behind him. Gertie herself was obviously an animated projection and to make her believable she had to have a strong individual character. McCay achieved this through his own interactions with the character of Gertie. He talks to her and asks her to perform tricks, which she obliges to do. We are also drawn attention to the fact that she is thirsty and she drains a lake. The performance would climax with her picking up McCay (as he exits the stage.) and bounding of the screen with him on his back. Through this series of call and response between the live action McCay and the animated Gertie, McCay creates the illusion of human understanding within the animated dinosaur. There is also at one point a look of glee in her face after a fight scene when she throws the defeated mammoth into a lake. Through the human interaction and the animation McCay has anthropomorphically endowed the animated creature with human emotions: he has made her believable to the audience by giving her recognizable human traits. In his book Understanding Animation Paul Wells recognizes that the use of attributing animated animal characters anthropomorphic characteristics has become a mainstay of character development. It will be discussed in further detail later in the essay. The basic principles of characterization as a narrative strategy in animation have been summed up by Wells. The character may be understood through its costume or construction, its ability to gesture or move and the associative aspects of its design. It is pertinent at this point to discuss these aspects of character design. Regardless of if an animated character is an animal or human, animators rarely try to completely reproduce natural form. As such the problem is that they are presenting viewers with unnatural looking beings. If the viewer is to accept the characters shown before them, the characters themselves must be presented as believable. This is why animators rely on exaggeration of individual features to suggest certain character types. Halas and Manvelldescribe this in their book the technique of film Animation. Characterization is achieved by the distortion of shapes and forms big eyes, big mouth, big nose, large head small body etc. What is stressed by animators is the gesturing parts of the body, particularly the features of the head. The eyes, nose, mouth and ears are all vital in creating the illusion of human emotion. There is a general rule of thumb with regards to which shapes go with what characters: kind gentle characters tend to have soft rounded faces with wide smiles and large rounded eyes. Porky Pig is a great example of this principle. He is the embodiment of the jolly fat man. Villains on the other hand are much more angular. They often have a rather sharp chin and small eyes and a crooked mouth that somehow lends itself to a wicked smile. They are often presented as grotesque, much like the Evil queen in Snow White and her incarnation as the old crone. These generalizations serve as visual shorthand for the viewer; they optimise the impact of the character through economy and allow the viewer to make connections and process narrative information about the characters more quickly. In the words of W ells, animation manages to compress a high degree of narrative information into a limited period of time through a process of condensation. This method of economy and condensation was born out of functionality as much as anything. Partially it was due to the fact that cartoons are usually very short. As such narrative information has to be delivered with great speed. Also when television became the dominant domain of the animated short, characters had to be easily recognizable on the small screen. Its much easier to do this by recognizing one or two strong individual characteristics than several small ones. Most importantly however the simpler that a character is to draw, the quicker they become to reproduce. They rely on caricature and stereotype to relay narrative information quickly and succinctly. Halas and Manvell go on in their book to describe the visual style of Tom and Jerry in terms of the aesthetic principles of animation: The drawing and coloring have an economy and a visual impact that matches the overwhelming vitality and sometimes the crudity of the action and characterization. This highlights the importance of economy. Extraneous details can confuse the situation and detract from overall characterization. What is needed is a just a couple of well-chosen details. In 1917 Max Fleischer invented the rotoscope. This device allowed animators to successfully mimic natural movement by blowing up still frames of photography and allowing the animator to copy them exactly. Max and his brother Dave were both inspired by the work of Winsor McCay and between them were instrumental in the development of both technological and character development of animation. The rotoscope worked by using a drawing board with a frosted glass center. One frame of photography at a time was shone onto the glass and the image was traced. It provided an accurate reference of movement and articulation so that on screen movement could be replicated with a lot more fluidity. By doing this animators were able to draw more complicated figures in a believable and convincing way. Richard Willams has drawn examples of some of these more complicated characters in his book the animators survival kit. The examples that will be discussed here are the representation of the young and old woman as drawn by Williams. By taking two examples of opposing but similar characters, we can see how the rotoscope paved the way for the development of characterization in animation. The young woman is characterized mainly be her curvaceous figure. She has a strong convex curve along her back and an hourglass figure that extenuates her breast, slim waist and shoulders. She stands upright and tall. She also has sleek long legs and flowing long hair. This form communicates her youth vitality and energy. The old woman by contrast has a much rounder concave curve of the back, which seems to curve round into her body giving her a rounded torso. The breast is also molded into this rounded torso that desexualizes her. Her hair is also shorter. She is hunched forward making her look tired and weary. The lower body is also rounded and she wears a long skirt to cover the legs. In contrast we see only the ankles and feet of the old woman and she is given short dumpy legs. These two examples s how the importance of form and shape in delivering character information. These two figures could represent the same character at different ages but the presentation of form provides us with completely different information about the characters. Williams also stresses the importance of movement to illustrate character. As stated earlier this art of animation was greatly enhanced by the development of the rotoscope. The way that a character moves can be fluid and smooth which would suggest grace or elegance. Alternatively movements can be jerky or plodding, which will in turn infer characteristics of weakness or foolishness. Again he uses examples to discuss and illustrate the main differences between the masculine and feminine walk. The feminine walk is smooth and elegant. She keeps her legs close together and as such the footsteps run straight along the line of action. As a result there is very little up and down body movement. The feminine walk seems to glide along the line of action. The masculine walk however is much more aggressive. The feet are kept well apart, far out from the line of action. The masculine walk is a full on stride, which makes the character as wide as possible. There is much more up and down movement on the body. This makes the walk much more kinetic and at the same time suggests power and strength. Much like the generalizations about character form, these conventions can be subverted to comic effect or to deliver more information. For example a Masculine walk may become a drunken walk if the feet are allowed to cross the line of action. (I.E. if the right foot passes across the center of the body and steps down on the left and vice versa.) Through these examples it is clear that the way that the animator makes the character move is vital to characterization. The Fleischer brothers were also responsible for two of the most beloved cartoon characters of the thirties: Popeye and Betty Boop. These two characters are archetypes of hero and heroine character traits. It seems only fitting therefore to discuss how these characters are so distinct, and the methods used to give them such strong individual identities. Popeye originally appeared in Comic strip form some years before his screen debut in 1933. During this time of American economic depression he was a figure of aspiration for the workingman. As a navy man he had a career that stood for American strength and pride; this also made him stand out as the champion of the just causes. As such he was the embodiment of the strong everyman in times of hardship. He is identified as a sailor by the uniform that he wears with style and pride. He embodies the macho sailor stereotype by striding along with a sailors walk, feet apart rocking from side to side. He also has the iconic tattoo of an anchor on his arm; this marks him out as a man who figuratively wears his heart on his sleeve. His physical appearance is defined by the exaggeration of his muscle; importantly however Popeyes strength comes from eating spinach. Although he is always strong and muscular, it is not until he eats the spinach that he has the strength needed to defeat Bluto. After he has eaten the spinach his forearms are inflated to appear three times the normal size. As Wells points out Popeyes masculinity is predominantly defined by the association between his own organic expansion and the strength of hard metal or machines. As his muscles grow they either transform shape into anvils or air brakes or we see moving pictures of locomotives or battleships on his form arms. Po peyes physical strength therefore is amplified by the imagery but he also associated with American mechanical or military strength. Popeye is remembered for his fights with Bluto but the important thing to bear in mind is that he is not a troublemaker and is usually a very amiable character. He has the characteristic rounded face of the jolly fat man. He walks around with a smile making jokes to himself and being generally full of life. There is also his voice that characterizes him as a salty old piece of seaweed. It is only when his girlfriend Olive Oil is put in jeopardy that he is called into fight; thus he is characterized as a rescuer rather than a man of violence. Betty Boop first appeared in 1930 in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes. Her Face and body defined her femininity; she has a large head with huge childish doe eyes and full red lips. She also has the typical hourglass figure with a full bust that shows of a lot of cleavage. She was also a dancer and her movement and walk were characterized mainly by the feminine swing of the hips. After the first cartoon her skirts got smaller and smaller and she became much more overtly sexualized. She was an embodiment of femininity or at least the male fantasy of femininity. The blend of sexual charge and childlike innocence that came through mainly from her eyes and her distinctive voice disturbed the censors. Her raunchiness was toned down after the Hayes code of 1934. Now that the development of human characterization has been addressed; it is important at this point to addresses the role of anthropomorphism again. The rise and success of the animation of Walt Disney, Chuck Jones and Tex Avery are prime examples of how the lending of human characteristics to animals and vice versa has created some of the must vivid and enduring icons of animation. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck et al have become such fixed images in the popular psyche that it is important to understand what made these characters so memorable. When dealing with animals we must bear in mind the association that people already have with those particular beasts. Any given animal will have a mythology and literary tradition that comes with it; by being away of these traditions animators have been able to associate these ancient traditions with their own creations. For example foxes are sly and cunning; sharks are ferocious and unforgiving; horse and lions are heroic and noble creatures both ferocious yet majestic. When an animator is devising a character they tend to marry the preconceived ideas that people have about a particular beast with the traits they desire for their character. This is what wells calls associative relations and opens the form of animation into a narrative dialectic that requires an extra-textual understanding on behalf of the viewer. A good example of how the principle of associative relations works would be Kaa from The Jungle Book. The snake has a literary history that dates back to the story of Adam and Eve. It was the seductive yet untrustworthy snake that facilitated mans fall from paradise. The snake is sly; professing friendship but always has his own agenda. The snake glides along the flow in a smooth fluid motion, which is at once deadly and seductive. Kaa is attributed with these characteristics through legend and association. This is further illustrated by his ability of hypnotism, which is of course a human discipline. He talks to Mowgli and soothes him to sleep with soft words and hypnosis in order to eat him. In dealing with associations that are so deeply rooted in the common psyche the characters themselves become instantly memorable. Animal characteristics can also be applied to human characters. Heroes are often seen riding horses; the horse itself is a creature of nobility and heroism; and the tradition of the hero on horse back is one that has permeated every folklore around the globe. The human therefore basks in the reflective glory of its animal companion. The best way to summarize the use of anthropomorphism in characterization is to say that the human in the animal identifies the human character within. In turn the animal in the human illustrates and enriches the character of the human. Animators create artificial worlds and diegetic domains for characters to inhabit. As mentioned at the outset of this essay the problem is that the animated world we are presented with is so overtly fake that it is a challenge to make the characters believable. Animators exploit the fantasy element of their work; they draw attention to the fact that we are presented with talking pigs and indestructible heroes through comic exaggeration of their abilities and their follies. However what Animators do manage to do; is insert enough natural movement and recognizable human emotion into their creations that we except them fully as real believable characters within their own right. Bibliography Bordwell and Thompson. (2001) Film Art: An Introduction, New York: McGraw Hill. Canemaker, J. (ed.) (1988) Storytelling in Animation: The Art of the Animated Image Vol. 2, Los Angeles: AFI. Griffin, H. (2001) The Animators guide to 2D Computer Animation, Oxford: Focal Press, Halas, J and Manvell, R. (1968) The Technique of Film Animation, Norwich: Focal press Limited. Wells, P. (1998) Understanding Animation, New York: Routledge. Williams, R. (2001) The Animators Survival Kit, New York: Faber and Faber.