Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Mummy at the Dining Room Table

The Mummy at the Dining Room Table provides many examples of unusual and difficult cases, and assures the reader that there is hope for every situation. One of the most helpful aspects of the book is that it can be used to prepare for a patient and condition, for which the therapist in not familiar. . While every patient is different, the book provides the consistent message, which therapy is helpful and people can grow and change and succeed. The book gives a large number of examples and treatment strategies that can be helpful to any clinician.Reading about the experiences of experts such as Albert Ellis, William Glasser and Jay Haley is like seeing the theories and techniques in action. The book has use for the clinician as well as the patients. It points out what clinicians learn from their clients, and how they grow as clinicians, becoming more expert and insightful. The clinician learns more about human emotion from every client in which they come in contact.One of the aspects of this book that can be intimidating to the new therapist is the creativity and expertise of the clinicians in the book. Each therapist has a unique and dynamic personality. They are interesting people. Someone new to the field, without the experience and confidence may find the case example and techniques intimidating to some degree. Reminding oneself that everyone started out as new and tentative in the field can help overcome that intimidation.These are well-known and highly successful therapists talking about their most memorable clients and situation. The book tells the stories in a dramatic, interesting and at times funny way. It is so helpful to read the behind the scenes accounts of the therapists preparation for these unusual case scenario. Even the most expert of therapists are always learning and researching. We learn that power of the therapeutic relationship cannot be underestimated and that even the most unusual patients and problems can be treated. Hope is an importa nt part of treatment. With insight, an open mind and hard work, success often comes. The cases situations, therapists, clients and therapeutic techniques are fascinating.The books make it clear that fieldwork, videotaping and supervision are so important. It is a reminder that our patients are real people and not subjects of an experiment. The therapist has a responsibility to be prepared and well trained. Many of the therapists in this book have done extensive research on their techniques. These therapists take a journey with their clients and are able to help them develop solutions to their problems.  Ã‚  In Chapter One, â€Å"The Man Who Wanted His Nose Cut Off†, the new therapist, Jeffrey Kottler was inwardly shocked by his client’s confession that he had been having a sexual and somewhat romantic relationship with a cow. Kottler only saw this client twice but learned an extremely valuable lesson for a therapist. He learned that the simple act of listening, in a non-judgmental way is actually therapeutic. He listened and reflected back to his client and did not judge or attempt to change or analyze anything in these two sessions.He simply listened and by the second session, it seemed that the client Manny had come to his own solution.   While Manny’s solution was not what Kottler would have though was ideal, for Manny it was apparently a fine solution for Manny and he never returned to therapy. Clients will not always complete the journey or the goal that we as therapists have in mind.My personal preference and belief system is most congruent with humanistic an existentialism. This approach to therapy is open minded, flexible, client centered and believes in the goodness of the client and of humanities ability to change and grow. Existential psychology grew from the writings of such well-known philosophers as Kierkegaard, Sartre and Camus. Much of their writings talked about the ability of human beings to come through adversity.The y focus on self-reliance and responsibility and come out on the other side with a philosophy that focused on self-reliance, authenticity, responsibility, and mortality. Rollo May, is one humanistic psychologist that translates the philosophy to psychology. His therapy focuses on the here and now and a clients freedom to choose. Existential psychology focuses less on the person’s genetics, experiences as a child or family or origin and more on the person’s perceptions, responses and conscious choices in the immediate. The existential believers see the motive for behavioral as the rift between existential anxiety and freedom.In the case of Manny, a therapist could easily be entrapped in the reasons for his sexual behavior with a cow and his apparent attraction to the cow. The therapist could look at his family history and try to determine if something led him to this behavior. Another therapist may be inclined to believe that he simply never had proper sex education and so was finding it difficult to relate to human women. Perhaps all Manny knows is how cows have sex. No matter what the reason, the treatment is to relieve Manny of his unhappiness. He came in complaining about his nose and then quickly began to talk about the cow.The key to treating many was in the relationship between the therapist and the client. As Kottler learned I believe, easing the anxiety may have been the real key to treating Manny. Relieving some of the anxiety through acceptance began the treatment process for Manny. The end result, which seemed to give Manny the freedom to pursue this bovine relationship and simply cover up the smell. This may not have been the best outcome at all and I believe there is a lesson there as well. With several more sessions, Kottler may have been able to address the anxiety Manny feels regarding relationships with humans.This certainly may have required some sex education as well as some exploration into family dynamics, but it would also ha ve required a discussion on what he wanted in terms of a romantic relationship.   He may have moved to discuss the issue of existential angst and the desire for meaningful relationships with humansKottler talks at the end of his chapter, about another patient who was distressed by his desire to dress in women’s clothing. Kottlers reaction and apparent acceptance relieved the anxiety for this man. The man was disturbed by his thought but had difficulty managing them, that was is reason for coming to treatment. Ultimately, with therapy, the man's disturbing thoughts subsided to a level he was able to accept. I believe Kottler’s examples speak about the importance of the therapeutic relationship as the major tool in therapy.With both of these patients, therapy could have, and may have   helped the person examine their relationships and make conscious choices that would relived the anxiety and fear that exists without a meaning to ones life. Manny’s future thera py might have moved him towards self-discovery and reflection that he has the ability and freedom to develop meaningful, fulfilling human relationships that result in happiness. He may have been able to discover why he was at the time, using cows for sexual gratification and how he might ultimately, and move to fulfilling intimate relationship with a human.Carl Rogers, with his humanistic focus, believes that humans are good, and desire to be the best and do the best person possible. People do not always accomplish this desire easily, which is where therapy becomes important. Manny, given the freedom to talk and lead the conversation to some extent, could have worked towards self-actualization. If Manny is disturbed by his current relationship and want to move towards relationships that he will find more fulfilling, therapy can be the key. The therapeutic environment can allow him to explore anything in a safe environment and then he can make choices for his life. Manny may have bee n able to understand the concepts of   â€Å"real self†Ã‚   versus â€Å"ideal self†, meaning what he is and what he wants to become or move towards.The many case examples in this work all speak to the hop and powerfulness of therapy and relationships. My belief in the humanistic approach is even stronger as I read these examples. People with such disturbing problems including the woman who hanged herself to test her husband and the family with the mummy at the table, all can have a positive ending. Though not perfect, and perhaps not what the therapist would want, but progress can be made.In the chapter by Carlson, with the same title as the book, a family had mummified a female member of the family. We actually learn about this because the main character of the chapter, Trina is seeking to understand herself better. She feels it is important to establish contact with her family, which we are aware is somewhat dysfunctional. As it turns out, Trina’s aunt has been mummified because the family felt that it would ease their grief. The woman died at home and so with the help of a friend in the medical field, the woman was embalmed and mummified.The family would actually sit her at the dining room table .It seems that the entire family, including her husband and children are involved with the caretaking of the mummified woman.   This example, and this family is probably the most bizarre of the books many odd cases. As a humanistic therapist, this family, if they were in treatment, would need ample time to o talk a process the decisions they had made and the reasoning behind the decisions.Addressing grief, the loss of a close personal relationship and perhaps acknowledging that many people may feel the same way about the loss of a loved one. Most people however, do not have the resources to embalm and mummify.   As with the case of Manny, the behavior is odd and troublesome and probably illegal. However, it is possible trough understandin g, flexibility, a non-judgmental attitude and hope, that the family can have a successful outcome.Each example case in the book is real and each saw some measure of success. Each therapist, no matter what he level of experience at the time of the particular case, learned something from the treatment process. While these cases are shocking and interesting to read about, their treatment process and the relationship with the therapist is not really that different from treatment with other patients.It is important for therapists to understand and look for the uniqueness in each individual and not to just seek out the unusual or overlook the more typical.   Even the most seemingly straightforward problems, can be complicated and unusual once unraveled. This was so with the case of Trina, who began in treatment to address a standard marital issue.   The key to treatment is the training and understanding of the therapist, the belief that treatment is possible and then the therapeutic r elationship..

Friday, August 30, 2019

Analysis of Othello’s Soliloquy Essay

Soliloquies are an integral part to most William Shakespeare plays and one of the most important soliloquies was that of the tragic protagonist in the play, Othello. A soliloquy is speech often used to reveal thoughts or feelings that is delivered by a character in a play to him or herself, or directly to the audience. The tragic protagonist of the play is no one other than Othello, who the play is named after. Othello is the brave General of the Venetian army who by listening to the deceitful Iago becomes falsely jealous of his wife, Desdemona. In this soliloquy or passage (Act 5, Scene 2, line 1-24), Othello is about to commit the murder of his beautiful wife, Desdemona on false prefixes. Previous to Act 5, scene 2, Iago had convinced Othello that Desdemona had made him a cuckold. Othello is totally overcome with rage and love and is deciding to kill Desdemona. This scene is the climax of the play in which the end product of Iago’s scheming is revealed. In this scene, Othello is lying next to the sleeping Desdemona and is preparing to kill her. In this soliloquy, Othello reveals his decision to kill Desdemona even though he does not want to because he still loves her. Othello is very emotional and still feels very strongly about Desdemona. This is first observed through repetition. In the beginning of his soliloquy, Othello says â€Å"It is the cause,†(Act 5, scene 2, lines 1 and 3) and later repeats â€Å"put out the light,† (Act 5, scene 2, lines 7 and 10) three times each. The repetition shows that Othello is trying to force himself to kill Desdemona because he really does not want. He repeats the words to justify his actions. In addition, the repetition emphasizes Othello’s emotions, which are very regretful of the action he is about to do. Further on in the soliloquy, Othello repeats â€Å"one more,† (Act 5, scene 2, lines 18, 19, and 21) three times, in reference to giving Desdemona a kiss. This repetition also emphasizes Othello’s emotions in that he does not want to kill Desdemona, but feels it is for the best. Othello’s conflicting feelings are shown when he says â€Å"So sweet was ne’er so fatal† (Act 5, scene 2, line 23). By referring to Desdemona as â€Å"sweet† and â€Å"fatal,† two opposites, Othello shows his conflict over how he feels about her. Although Othello still loves Desdemona, he shows his determination to kill her. The first item Othello compares Desdemona to is a light when he says â€Å"Put out the light, put out the light. / If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, / I can again thy former light restore / should I repent me† (Act 5, scene 2, lines 7-10). In comparing Desdemona to a light, Othello says that he will â€Å"put out the light,† or â€Å"quench her,† both actions of killing. On the other hand, since Desdemona is represented by light, and without light, life is dark, by killing Desdemona, Othello will darken his life. This shows that Othello needs Desdemona and therefore that he loves her. Next Othello compares Desdemona to a rose in the quote, â€Å"When I have plucked the / rose, / I cannot give it vital growth again. / It needs must whither† (Act 5, scene 2, lines 13-16). When a rose is plucked, its life is taken away, which reflects Othello’s intention of killing Desdemona. Othello realizes that if he kills Desdemona, this process is irreversible. In contrast to that, by comparing Desdemona to a rose, he shows his love for her because a rose is a symbol of beauty and love. This comparison is an indication of Othello’s love for Desdemona, but also his wish to kill her. In this soliloquy, Othello is speaking to the sleeping Desdemona about what he intends to do with her. The soliloquy is filled with devices such as repetition, pairing of opposites, and metaphors, which add intensity to his basic intention. This scene is the one most filled with tension in the entire play because he loves her but feels he needs to kill her.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

What challenges do the educational philosophies of Paulo Freire and Research Paper

What challenges do the educational philosophies of Paulo Freire and Waldorf schools pose - Research Paper Example What challenges do the educational philosophies of Paulo Freire and Waldorf schools pose? The Waldorf schools on the other hand rely on the educational philosophy which was developed by Steiner Rudolph. The educational philosophy of the Waldorf schools is mainly based on the belief that various developmental stages in children are the best when it comes to children learning different things. This is so because it is believed that children can only learn different things in life when their physical, spiritual and intellectual capabilities are in terms with the kind of information presented to them (Petrash, 2002). The essay below seeks to address the challenges posed by the educational philosophies of the Waldorf schools and Paulo Freire to the testing requirements of state and local school districts. The testing requirements in the state and local district schools have received challenges in various ways by the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire. Most of the state and local district schools have a tendency of not giving their students a voice of their own. Therefore i f, the Paulo philosophy is incorporated in the local and state district schools, then the students will tend to be more demanding. In such cases when students are more demanding, the relationship between the students and the teachers becomes mayhem (Freire, 2000). Once the teacher-student relationship becomes chaotic, then the testing requirements of the schools are negatively affected. The students may feel oppressed by the teachers when the teachers fail to meet their demands, and this makes them be violent. Another challenge posed by the educational philosophy by Paulo Freire to the testing requirements of the local and state district schools is when the students accuse teachers of being irresponsible and disobliging in the sense that they fail to listen to the opinions brought about by the students. Such situation demoralizes the students to the extent of them not performing well in their school work (Irwin, 2012). Since most of the local and state district schools have a tenden cy of allowing their teachers to provide students with knowledge, the educational philosophy by Paulo Freire may be a challenge to the testing requirements of the schools. The educational philosophy by Paulo Freire advocates that teachers and students should interact equally in the acquisition of knowledge so that students may learn to have a voice in the oppressive society. It becomes a challenge because once students are used to being fed with knowledge by their teachers, it is quite difficult for them to interact with the teachers and give out their opinion on what they are taught (Dewey, 2009). Students in most of the district schools do not know how to interpret the knowledge they learn in school in the real world. In most occasions, these students tend to memorize what their teachers feed them with and fail to know what the knowledge they have been fed with really means in the real world. This becomes a significant challenge to the testing requirements of the local and state d istrict schools. For this case, the students continue being the oppressed, and that they lack to obtain the powers of speaking for themselves (Freire, 2000). Another challenge that is posed by the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire to the testing requirements of the district schools is the fact that teachers in these schools tend to fear engaging with students in

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Child Labor laws in agriculture in the US Research Paper

Child Labor laws in agriculture in the US - Research Paper Example US laws with respect to child labor in agricultural and nonagricultural field are entirely different. Minimum age for nonhazardous work in nonagricultural field is 14 for children whereas for hazardous work in the same sector, it is 16. On the other hand, at the age of 10 itself, children can start their work in agricultural sector, if they get parental consent. At the age of 14, children can undertake any work in the agricultural sector without parental consent. Authorities have the belief that agricultural sector is comparatively safe and secure for children to start their works. Even the minimum wage laws are different for agricultural sector. â€Å"Many agricultural employers are exempt from federal minimum wage requirements and they are exempt from overtime requirements under federal law†. In other words, agricultural employers can force the workers to do overtime and that also without providing any overtime allowances to them. Children seem to be the major victims in the agricultural field because of such controversial laws. It should be noted that in any other sector, employees may have trade unions whereas in agricultural sector, such unions are not prevailing and therefore the dictatorships of the employers are taking place in this sector.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

No Smoking Legislation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

No Smoking Legislation - Essay Example The designated locations for the display have similar characteristics, they all holds large number of persons. The legislation has some exceptions to particular business premises; the law allows the businesses to designate or allocate enclosed regions where their customers can smoke. No smoking legislation is effective in reducing health problems in the population (Ahn, 2012). Different countries globally have adopted the legislation after carrying out researches. There has been evident change in terms of health as a result of the ban; cases related with both active and passive smoking drastically reduced. Personally, I support the ban or no smoking legislation, with the bar it has reduced the number of children admitted as result of asthmatic attacks in hospital at both United States and United Kingdom (Carter, 2012). Children are the most victims of passive smoking in the society, hence, ban in public smoking will be an initiative to safeguard children’s and passive smokerâ €™s health. Statistics shows that before the ban, the percentage of children being admitted due to serious asthma attacks were increasing by 2.2% each year in United States. After the implementation of the no smoking legislation, the percentage of children admission accordingly to asthmatic attack reduced by 12.3% and there is further reduction by 3% annually. Other research conducted in Scotland and china had similar outcome, reflecting in the reduction of public health problem because of passive or active smoking. Therefore, on personal perspective, the ban on public smoking should continue to be implemented (Carter, 2012). Past and Current Cases Related To Ban There have been many cases that evolved after execution of no smoking in public policy, which are both positive and negative. On the past cases, after public ban, there was court petition at Ohio to stop implementation of the law. People who filed the petition were citizens and other business personalities. For the busi ness owners, they filled their petition citing that the law was invading on the business property rights, hence affecting their ability to generate income (Ahn, 2012). Citizen filed petition on the ground that it affect their personal life, thus citing that the law should either be amended or abolished. After implementation of the law, there has been imposition of fine to the public and private premises that violates the act. Many businesses have been taken to court after failing to abide to the law. In some of the past cases where bars at Ohio failed to respect laws; bars did not have posters on No smoking and it allowed its citizens to smoke in public. The magistrate fined the bars showing examples to other business to abide to the provided decree. After the attainment of ban in several parts globally, countries have gone further to abolish or prohibits advertisement of tobacco product. Some countries prohibited Tobacco Company to sponsor any sporting events. The ban of sponsorshi p and advertisement in the European Union (EU) in the year 2005 impelled formula one management to find other ways, which allows display of the livery or racing color of tobacco sponsorship (Gilleskie & Strumpf, 2000). These later led to some of the scheduled races to be cancelled in the

Monday, August 26, 2019

Aeorodynamic and Myoeslastic forces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aeorodynamic and Myoeslastic forces - Essay Example â€Å"The glottis is the opening in the larynx that exists anteriorly (to the front) between the vocal folds and posteriorly (to the back) between the arytenoid cartilages. The part of the glottis between the vocal folds is known as the membranous glottis and the part of the glottis between the arytenoid cartilages is known as the cartilaginous glottis† {Mannel 2005] The function of the vocal folds in terms of closing and opening depends on the air pressure that is developed below and above the glottis. The glottal flow or glottal pulse remains zero when the phonation is in the closed phase, and the glottal pulse slowly increases during the opening phase of the phonation process. â€Å"The nature of phonation is such that the glottal pulses occurs as a series of pulses. The vibration has involves the pulse rate of the glottis with the additional function of the myoelastic and the aerodynamic forces. The combination of the elastic and the aerodynamic forces sets up as an oscillatory opening and closing of the glottis, causing what would otherwise be a steady air stream leaving lungs to be broken into a series of puffs of air many times per second †¦The sound that results form these puffs is called as phonation.†[Sherman Fitch III 1986]. The myolelastic and aerodynamic force initiates the vibration of the vocal folds. This aerodynamic forces initiates the vibrations of the tissues†. [Courey [2003]

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Evaluate How Normality Can Be Facilitated and Maintained During Essay

Evaluate How Normality Can Be Facilitated and Maintained During Childbirth - Essay Example It was a mystery how they gained the knowledge and skills in these areas. In modern times, they are not only responsible for attending women in labour and birth but also help her family especially the birth partner in dealing with the situation. In this paper we shall discuss how normality can be achieved during childbirth by the midwives. There are various factors that a midwife has to consider and take care of while preparing a woman to give birth. A midwife never works all alone; she is connected to many different individuals like her colleagues, supervisors, other health professionals and their families. It is very important for a midwife to satisfy the needs and aspirations of the women and her family she is dealing with. A midwife should treat each woman as a distinct individual and respects her values and beliefs regarding pregnancy. It should be remembered that the experiences during pregnancy, birth and postpartum period affects women, babies, fathers and their families in a huge way and have a long lasting impact on society too. The midwives should ensure that every woman had a joyful and healthy birth experience ( Levisley, 2011). Good communication skills A midwife should have the ability to communicate well and at the same time the power to listen patiently to a woman through her various stages of pregnancy. A small action or gesture by us can make a huge difference to the care and treatment of the patients, their infants and partners. A midwife should always keep in mind that although she deals with matters of births everyday but a new mother may not know about the process of pregnancy. Certain special behaviors like being compassionate, pleasant, providing continuous support, unbiased information, consistently reassuring the to-be mothers are expected from a midwife (Nasak, 2005). There are some actions which will go a long way in enhancing the admission, birth, postnatal and discharge stages of pregnancy –having patience, providing contin uous support and praise to the patient. The midwife should be able to provide the information regarding the various aspects of pregnancy and birth, for example the effects of different forms of pain relief, without being prejudiced. Some other ways which might help the mother is by providing them written information in booklets or notice boards. A midwife is responsible for making accurate medical notes which is passed onto the health visitor. In case of mothers with second babies, it has been observed that the midwives are less inclined to inform and support them but it is very important to remember that the mothers still needed their advice as each birth and child is different. It is the duty of a midwife to handle every patient equally regardless of her age, profession or previous experience (Nasak, 2005). Environment Every woman should be given the opportunity to choose a place where she feels secured, relaxed and cared for giving birth. Her personal preferences, emotional wellb eing and privacy should be respected and taken care of. A mother’s ability and confidence to give birth is enhanced or diminished by the ability of the midwife and the environment where she gives birth. The midwife should encourage the woman to opt for home birth because this is the place she will feel most relaxed. The choice of time and place where the pregnant woman would like to take antenatal and postnatal classes should be adjusted according to her convenience. Nowadays, places other than the hospital and clinics

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Personal view of Health Promotion and the values that underpin it Essay

Personal view of Health Promotion and the values that underpin it - Essay Example lthier lifestyles.† As an academic writing, the structure of the essay shall be built on the Gibbs’ model of reflection whiles trying to make bare, how my ideas, thoughts and views have changed since studying health promotion; how the changes I have identified changed how I think about ethical dilemmas and health promotion and how the changes I have identified changed how my thinking about ethical issues related to health promotion in general up to this point in time. Diagrammatically, the structure of the essay shall look like this: Health promotion is undoubtedly one of the best ways and most dependable hopes for the attaining a universal healthy lifestyle for all (Koduah, 2009). Indeed Koduah is not far from right people health promotion concerns itself with preventive healthcare rather than curative health care (Forest, 2001) and as the saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Due to certain personal encounters I have had as far ill-health is concerned, I took keen interest in the course, Health Promotion. Sadly though, upon relating some of the models, methodologies, concepts and preventive health theories learnt in class to what pertains in some local communities I was privileged to have gone to offer volunteer health delivery to, I find that our local authorities really have long ways to go as far as health promotion and for that matter, preventive health is concerned. The local community does not embark on any health promotion policies and there is no education among the local people on how to preven t diseases (Cartesian Health Report, 2005). The very first feeling I have towards the described scenario is that there is being a great disparity in the health promotion policy among healthcare providers. If every head counts as is proverbially said, then none should enjoy good health service at the expense of the other (Terry, 2001). The Minnesota Department of Health has a Community Health Promotion that I feel should serve as a model and an ideal

Discuss terrorism conducted in the interest of environmental Essay

Discuss terrorism conducted in the interest of environmental causes(ecoterrorism).How can ecoterrorism be stopped - Essay Example sition against some form of abuse upon nature, such as the over-exploitation of the environment, use of plants, animals, and other natural resources beyond the normal ways, which these people think are detrimental to the over-all state of our ecology. In a legal context, the official definition referred here is based on a law promulgated by a government entity. Although other definitions exist and are used officially such as those used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, discussions are focused as far as the meaning of ecoterrorism through a law passed in the state of Pennsylvania. House Bill 213 published by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2006 defined ecoterrorism within the context of criminalizing the acts of harming properties to intimidate individuals lawfully involved in activities that use animals, plants, or other natural resources. But those sectors branded as ecoterrorists contest the meaning and remarked that the use of the term is a form of propaganda against their cause. They claimed that the term connotes terror inflected against the ecology which is the opposite of what these groups are fighting for. It is further alleged that the use of ecoterrorism in branding environmental activism is a political maneuver of the opponents of the causes for environmental activism. This is a fatal blow as far as extremists are concerned since the acceptance of the term has created acceptance that environmental activists are terrorists. This classification would result to â€Å"more investigation, infiltration, and disruption of radical environmental groups regardless of whether any law is actually violated, longer terms of incarceration for convicted activists, and the harassment of mainstream environmental groups† (R. Smith 564). The violent acts mentioned in the law and described by authorities as eco-terrorism are varied. These include: arson offenses, causing or risking catastrophe, vandalisms in any form, crop destruction, burglary, criminal trespass,

Friday, August 23, 2019

Health Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Literacy - Essay Example The websites have authority because they include the people responsible for their content such as verifying the legitimacy of the website and authors’ qualification for writing health journals and articles (Eysenbach, 2002). In terms of coverage, the websites successfully address the topics clearly and provide supporting evidence for any assertions made. Websites that address pharmacy concerns include http://www.diahome.org/en-US.aspx, https://www.medicare.gov/ and http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugShortages/. The websites are very objectives because their content is supported by evidence and is not biased. They are updated regularly and the content displayed is current, with dates posted and updated indicated within the web pages. They are well maintained, with user friendly features that allow easy navigation. Websites that address health care topics include https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/cshcn/, https://www.healthcare.gov/ and http://www.hrsa.gov/. They cover the topics comprehensively, and present supportive evidence for arguments. They address information needs of their target audience in a simple manner. The websites appear organize with links that open quickly to display content (Eysenbach, 2002). The sites appear well maintained and often updated to maintain currency of their content. Websites addressing health concerns include: https://www.healthconcerns.com/, http://www.mentalhealthconcern.org/ and http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/issues/policy. These sites are accurate because they list the sources of factual information and avoid grammatical errors. They are objective in that the information provided is free from. The sites cover the topics comprehensively, addressing key areas in a brief but precise way. They avoid medical jargon to make their content easy to understand for all

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Electronic documents Essay Example for Free

Electronic documents Essay Before the birth if the World Wide Web, people used to rely solely on written and printed documents on paper. Researches depended on books and journals that can be found in libraries and bookstores. When one needed to look for a source, they would know only one place to look into which are libraries. This has been the traditional way of learning and still continues to become one of the main ways to learn. However, since the birth of the internet, electronic medium have come out and they have been used as sources by most students and scholars. Most users of such technology have enjoyed its services as it offers convenience at most. With a lot more advantages to this new medium, researchers can find different data in just one click and a few seconds. Paper documents have long been used even before the idea of electronic documents was brought up to the minds of people. There was even a time when it was the only medium known to mankind. Before Google and Yahoo, there were only but dictionaries and thesauruses. But why is it that paper documents seem to have been forgotten and buried immediately by its users as soon as electronic sources and the cyberspace arrived? This paper will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both paper documents and electronic documents. Perhaps readers will become enlightened as to why people have chosen electronic documents over paper documents most of the time. The paper will also be able to show which medium should be used in certain aspects which will depend on the needs of the users, depending on the strengths and weaknesses of both media. ARGUMENTS One of the main reasons why electronic documents are chosen over paper documents nowadays is because of the convenience that it offers. Looking for electronic documents can be done at home as long as you have a computer which is something that almost every home has. Yes, due to the widespread of electronic documents and the students’ preference of such over paper documents, computers have been in demand as well, and are almost a necessity for every student or professional. The convenience that electronic documents offers is far from what paper documents have in store for its users: manual searching and reading, especially when looking for a specific topic. This takes up a lot of time and energy. However, it teaches researchers to research well and not solely rely on instant searches. In line with convenience that electronic sources offer is the summaries and reviews that can be found online or even in word processors. This is a feature that can help users access information faster and have a better understanding on a certain document or topic. However, a fallback of this is that, most of the time researchers rely too much on the summaries and reviews and tend not to read the whole section anymore. This â€Å"shortcut† can either work as an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on the usage of readers. Although a lot of people own computers and laptops, there are still a few who do not. And this is due to the fact that computers can be expensive. An alternative to not owning a personal computer for access to electronic documents is to go to internet shops. However, such services are not free, unlike for paper documents which can be found in different libraries. Most documents that are in paper can be bought, but most of the time, they can be borrowed, which is one advantage over electronic sources. Electronic sources are often questioned of its credibility as there are a lot of sites which can be accessed by anyone, even those who are not experts on areas that they have written about. Take for example sites such as Wikipedia. org and About. com. These sites give fast but unreliable information. But since these sites give complete documents, a lot of researchers settle for them, which becomes a disadvantage for electronic sources. There are also some who claim to be experts but are hard to verify. The main problem with electronic sources is that, people behind the internet are hard to trace which makes it hard to find out whether one site is credible or not. Paper documents however have all the details and information essential to prove that such documents indeed come from credible sources. Most of the time there is a background of the author located inside the book, which proves the credibility of the document. This is done with some electronic sources as well, but in very few. Filing is one of the issues between electronic and paper documents. The problem with paper documents is that they get destroyed in floods, rains and fires. They easily get lost as well, especially if the filing was not very organized. For example, books in libraries can be easily lost if they are misplaced in the wrong shelf. However, electronic sources are easier to manage as they can be found in just one click. Databases will not get destroyed when they get wet or burned, as long as they are stored properly or even uploaded on the internet. The downside of electronic sources on this matter is that viruses can get to different documents saved in a personal computer which will lead to the deletion of such files. Also, there can be a lot of errors that can possibly happen in this technology which might endanger the presence of electronic documents. For example, computers crash for no reason at all and in one click, files can be thrown away and most of them can never be recovered. A major downfall of paper documents is its effects on the environment. Of course, it is common knowledge that papers come from trees. To produce one ton of paper, 17 trees are cut down, so paper documents take a lot out of the environment, not only through trees but also through water. To produce a paperback book, 28 liters of water is consumed, which can be a week supply of water for an individual. These facts only show that papers consume a lot of from the environment which might turn out to be very costly for humans in the future. Although electronic sources have turned out to be very convenient for its readers and users, it has become the opposite for publishers. The internet has a lot of issues as to its legality. There are a lot of illegal downloads which causes authors and publishers to lose credit from their work. The copyrights of different sources are pushed aside as there are a lot of free accesses to different sources and documents. A plus side on paper documents however is that it is highly accessible and very much portable. There are libraries everywhere and money is almost not a requirement. Also, the grammar and spelling is better because paper documents go through rigorous copyediting to ensure the quality of the documents, which in turn, makes it more reliable for the researchers and scholars using such medium. Electronic sources have lower production costs than paper documents. This is because paper documents have to be mass produced individually while electronic sources can reach millions of people in just one site. For example, one book has to have thousands of copies for it to make a mark. However, one source only needs to be posted in one site and needs words of mouth for it to reach a lot of people. This makes the distribution of information through electronic sources faster and easier. Documents that are electronic will be able to last for a long time as there are no storage costs as opposed to paper documents that require a lot of space. Storage costs a lot and so does shipping, and if such documents do not get sold, storage will still need to be paid for, which is why storage time is limited as much as possible. Cyberspace is almost unlimited as it is evolving every day, which is why people can rely on the fact that what they found yesterday will still be in cyberspace the next weeks, months or even years. Although it was discussed earlier that paper documents are portable, electronic documents are more portable since the beginning of diskettes, Compact Discs and Flash Drives. The information that has been researched from the electronic source can now be saved in different storage devices (flash drives are commonly used today). Such devices can be placed in pockets and purses and almost do not weigh anything, as compared with paper documents that have huge masses and sizes that are very difficult to carry around. There are a lot of arguments which have been discussed. It is not easy to weigh the advantages of both medium as they have been very helpful to researchers, students, professionals and those who simply need information. Others may say that paper documents have been outdated a long time ago and electronic documents are the new paper documents in this generation. But there are still some who prefer paper documents over electronic sources which is not so bad since people lived through paper documents way before electronic documents came to life. Bibliography Lunsford, K. (1995). Electronic Texts and the Internet: A Review of The English Server. In K. Lunsford, Computers and the Humanities (pp. 297-305). Springer.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Hiv Aids Media In Uk Health And Social Care Essay

Hiv Aids Media In Uk Health And Social Care Essay It is estimated that over 30 million people worldwide live with HIV leading to around 2 million deaths per year. In the UK HIV is one of the fastest growing illnesses and as of June 2010 there has been 26,262 new cases of AIDS diagnosis with over 19,000 HIV related deaths.  [i]   Despite various health and government campaigns designed to inform the public of HIV transmission and prevention in the UK; rates of diagnosis of the disease still continue to rise. This essays aims to understand if media campaigns are effective to induce a change in both prevention and the number of individuals who are willing to undergo testing? If this is not the case then what factors contribute to its current stigma? Finally, has the media been effective enough to change the publics perception to the disease in todays society compared to when it first hit the headlines? Through these arguments, conclusions and recommendations for future effective awareness and media techniques can be drawn. The History of AIDS in the media The media is considered to be the most influential tool having a direct ability to influence mass target audiences. This was made more powerful through the invention of the internet where information could be broadcast worldwide, allowing more people than ever to access information. Throughout the years, portrayal of HIV and AIDS through newspapers, television, radio, posters, leaflets and educational advertisements have had a direct effect on the way the disease is perceived by the general public. For example, when AIDS first hit the global headlines in the early 1980s it was displayed by the media as being a new, unknown disease with a direct link to individuals only involved in homosexual activity. This reflected a time where same sex relationships were frowned upon and how this taboo was seen to result in death. There were also cases of how infected blood transfusion products acted as a transmission route, this led to terms such as killer blood  [ii]  and labelling AIDS as a gay plaque  [iii]  . The early perception of the disease is shown through newspapers including influential and renounced broadsheets like The Daily Telegraph in 1983 with their main headline of Gay Plague May Lead to Blood Ban on Homosexuals. This was a paper which was targeted at many affluent people with a high degree of social status and education. In 1982 The Terrence Higgins Trust was formed, the first campaign of its kind. This charity group was dedicated in supporting, preventing and campaigning for greater public understanding of HIV. Through this new slant of providing a support frame work for infected individuals, charities started to focus on prevention, education and aiding the families of those affected. Through the growth of science and research more understanding was obtained about the disease and it was no longer a fear of the unknown but more focus on how transmission of the disease can be prevented. Hence this lead to government campaigns in the new millennia, educating the general population rather than inducing fear. The perception and stigma of HIV Today there is still a wide stigma which surrounds many cultures, religious and ethic groups. Landlords have evicted individuals with AIDS and the Social Security Administration is interviewing patients by phone rather than face to face.  [iv]  Dr David Spencer, Commisioner of Health, New York City The question lies in whether the media has been effective enough to overcome stigmatisation within the associated groups. An eye opening story of how AIDS has been portrayed through the media and its direct influence on discrimination and prejudice was shown by the case of Ryan White, a haemophiliac who became infected in 1984. As HIV was poorly understood at the time, many parents and teachers protested against his attendance, signing petitions to exclude him from campus even though scientists at the time knew that HIV was not transmittable through any form of casual contact. He worked as a paperboy and many people along his route cancelled their subscriptions in fear that the disease was contractible through newsprint. This shows the extent of how HIV was perceived and the fear of contraction, which instigated threats of violence and legal cases towards the family. When White was allowed to return to school in 1986 he was deeply unhappy. He had few friends and school policy required him to eat with disposable utensils, have a separate bathroom and his requirement to attend gym class was dismissed. How ever, the most shocking event came about when a bullet was fired through the Whites front room window and the family decided it was time to leave. He was later enrolled into another school and was greeted by the superintendent and a handful of students who were educated about the disease and who were not afraid to shake his hand. This shows the detrimental difference that education makes towards public perception and how prejudice and discrimination can be limited.  [v]   Hence through the array of inaccurate information, the fear of prejudice and discrimination has lead to stigmatisation. This has had an effect on the willingness of individuals to acquire HIV testing, and be open about a positive status despite the reduced visibility of the symptoms of the disease such as skin and muscle wastage. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has made discrimination within the workplace illegal for people associated with HIV and AIDS. However this does not combat the prejudice and stigmatisation an individual may encounter from their colleagues. Hence subtle discrimination is more common as it is difficult to tackle in comparison to open discrimination. These are the reasons why people choose not to disclose their HIV status, as for many people living with the disease the most hurtful prejudice that they may face comes from those to who they would normally turn to for support. Close family, friends and partners have been known to turn their back on people diagnosed with HIV. In addition, the sense of belonging that being part of a community provides can quickly disappear when that community appears to discriminate against you simply because of its own prejudice against HIV, this often leads to financial and further social difficulties. The media is therefore faced with the difficult task of changing peoples perceptions, of which there have been a few successful outcomes. EastEnders a popular UK television soap explored the issues of HIV and AIDS with regards to antiretroviral drugs, safe sex, prejudice and the difficulties that can occur in a relationship. The producers worked closely with The Terrence Higgins Trust throughout the story and it was found that after the characters positive diagnosis in 1991 this correlated with the highest peak in HIV testing requests  [vi]  . This was influential as the soap showed someone living with HIV as opposed to dying with the disease, and the storyline was so successful in raising awareness that a 1999 survey conducted by the National AIDS Trust found teenagers got most of their information about HIV from the soap.  [vii]  When the character died in 2004 campaigners suggested that he was killed too early as advancements in drugs were helping people live much longer a nd was not reflective of what was happening at the time. Lisa Power, head of policy at the Terrence Higgins Trust, stated that, one decent soap episode is worth a thousand leaflets in schools. That is why we would always go out of our way to help scriptwriters. TV and films can be very powerful.  [viii]  Ã‚   How the media has changed the perception of HIV /AIDS Horizon produced a BBC documentary Killer in the Village which showed the perception that the media had of HIV and AIDS back in 1983. Terms such as killer disease highlighted the fear of the disease by gay men who walk in its shadow. Even though the programmes aim was to provide information on this new cancer the way that the issue was dealt with showed the prejudice that even health care workers and politicians who tried to shed light on the subject held.  [ix]   Advertisements were steamed on TV warning viewers about contracting the disease which would lead to death. They were not based on educating the public but mostly warning of the dangers of the disease, this was perhaps due to the lack of understanding of the topic. This is clearly shown in one of the earlier T.V advertisements produced in Australia in 1987.  [x]  Here we see that AIDS has been given the face of the grim reaper, a metaphoric analogy showing that AIDS equals death. He is seen to throw a bowling bowl at his target the general public and they are seen to fall which is a symbol of death. Another advert produced in the US in the same year shows a vulnerable child lying in bed with the disease and with his last breathe reaches out to the public with the message DONT GET IT!.  [xi]   The later HIV and AIDS television campaigns have become the main source of education for the general public with information commercials showing links to help lines for more information. Marketers feel in order to sell their products to the teenage target audience they have to use sex to appeal to them, this is shown though clothing and perfume lines. Therefore it is evident to get teenagers attention about the dangers of unprotected sex, advertisements have had to be made more graphical and explicit. This is made apparent through later television campaigns as such produced by MTV in 1999  [xii]  where couples are seen to engage in intercourse in a relatable fashion and then the newly infected partner is shot by the infected one. This would have seen to be too controversial back in the 1980s. However towards the end of the commercial it shows a bullet being stopped by a condom, this analogy of how death can be stopped by wearing a condom adds a powerful element in getting the mes sage across. A recent advertisement campaign produced by the NHS in 2009  [xiii]  again showed couples engaging in risky sexual behaviour. Names of STIs such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea were shown throughout the commercial however notably there was no mention of HIV or AIDS. For what possible reason has HIV and AIDS, which a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide appear to have been forgotten in recent campaigns? Perhaps the predominance of HIV transmission in the media in previous years had overshadowed more s common and less serious STIs, decreasing their awareness and allowing them to rise significantly. As a result, government and health authorities could be trying to draw greater focus to these, meanwhile dangerously oversighting the significant risk of HIV transmission in todays young population. In more recent times, the media has tried to make HIV and AIDS more relatable to the general public by using celebrities and figure heads. Celebrities with HIV and AIDS are not shown in a bad light but more of a lesson to be learned from. They have been seen as individuals who people look up to as role models and leaders, where people form an identification with them hence they can relate to these individuals including famous people such as Rock Hudson and Freddy Mercury who lost their lives to AIDS. One significant change that aadvertising has provided is promoting the use of condoms with slogans such as stay safe, use a condom  [xiv]  , highlighting condoms as an important factor in the prevention pathway. In March 2009, during the Popes visit to Africa the Pope denounced the use of condoms saying that the best way to be free of the disease was through abstinence. However, in November he changed his statement saying that the use of condoms to reduce the risk of infection is a first step on the road to a more human sexuality, rather than not to use it and risk the lives of others.  [xv]   The change in the perception of both the media and the public can be seen through the introduction of HIV dating websites and international conferences held for journalists to provide them with the latest statistics and different ways of educating the public. Conclusions and Recommendations HIV is on the increase and still continues to rise regardless of media attention. A press release from NAT (a UK charity designed to change societys view on HIV/AIDS) in November 2010 revealed that in the UK the number of HIV transmissions being diagnosed still remains high with no hint of a decline when compared to previous years. The HPA (Health Protection Agency) has revealed that although overall rates of diagnoses have shown a decline, this is largely due to fewer diagnosis been made in those infected overseas. Therefore greater intervention other than media is required to make people more aware of the disease. The stigmatisation surrounding HIV and AIDS still continues and this also acts as barrier for people to willingly undergo testing. They believe a diagnosis could have a knock on effect amongst their social, religious and cultural group if anyone found out about their positive status, therefore by not being tested traps them into a false sense of security which acts as a source of denial. Therefore in order to overcome this barrier stigmatisation needs to be removed, the only reason why this is difficult is because people see it as a punishment for immoral behaviour and still associate the disease with drug use and homosexual behaviour whereas currently it is heterosexual women who have seen the biggest rise in new infection over the last decade with 4,220 cases acquired heterosexually in 2008 in comparison to only 2,760 acquired homosexually.  [xvi]   In todays society, the majority of young people see contraceptions main function as protection against pregnancy, not against diseases. Especially since the first hormonal contraceptive pill was approved by the FDA in 1960.  [xvii]  It is readily available and free of charge to young girls, therefore the use of condom is deemed unnecessary in some young peoples eyes. Therefore the use of a condom should be deemed as essential in sexual activity, not to prevent pregnancy, but to prevent a fatal disease. A further reason for the increased spread of HIV in the UK, is 18-30s holidays. These holidays, promoted through advertisement in the media, encourage binge drinking and sex. It is seen as one of the main attraction of the holiday. However, a combination of these results in a high risk of HIV transmission. Being under the influence of alcoholic hugely affects ones perception of safety and decreases the probability of remembering, or caring, if a condom is used. This alone would increase the spread of HIV. One of the most popular countries for these types of holidays is Greece. Over the last decade, Greece has experienced an influx of migrants from countries in South Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Studies show that 12% of new infections between the years 1989 and 2003 occurred in immigrants.  [xviii]   the results suggest an increasing trend of HIV-seropositive migrants in Greece during recent years.  [xix]   Therefore, these alcohol -fuelled holidays can result in people from the UK becoming infected with the virus and increasing the spread once returning to the UK. Recommendations A. Research should be undertaken to map the current prevalence of HIV prejudice and types of HIV discrimination experienced in the UK, and Terrence Higgins Trust should establish a database of case studies. B. The Department of Health should ensure that their concerns about the role of stigma in HIV transmission and illness be met by, amongst other strategies suggested here, supporting projects to aid people with HIV in challenging prejudice and discrimination through positive role models, speaker and media work and support networks. C. The Government should enact agreed proposals to extend the Disability Discrimination Act to cover medical conditions from the point of diagnosis, rather than the onset of illness, in the next legislative session. D. Health promotion agencies producing information on sexual health and HIV should include, as appropriate, messages countering prejudice and discrimination both in the general population and within targeted communities. E. In addition to the Codes of Practice produced by the Disability Rights Commission offering guidance to the providers of goods and services about their legal obligations, the Government should legislate to tackle the discrimination encountered by people with HIV and other medical conditions when they access goods and services. F. HIV prevention information targeting Africans, Black people and/or asylum seekers should be produced but their messages and formats need to take into account the concerns of these communities around potential prejudice. G. HIV information providers to African people in the UK should produce materials which make clear their medical and legal rights if diagnosed with HIV In conclusion the requirement of good HIV information through TV, wind-up radios (e.g. in Africa), HIV issues in soap-operas which are most influential, accessible HIV tests, expensive counselling for those proving positive, safe-sex promotion, fewer sexual partners, decreased alcohol use to avoid risky behaviour, and good trials found circumcision helps prevent HIV transmission is necessary to continue and increase prevention campaigns thus providing further education about the disease process, its transmission and how it can be prevented. Hence the mainstay of management relies on education including promotion of safe sex, needle exchange programmes, screening of blood transfusion products and public awareness campaigns. Therefore the only real way of getting rid of any associated stigma is to find a cure for HIV.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Transmission Electron Microscopy Biology Essay

The Transmission Electron Microscopy Biology Essay The transmission electron microscope operates on the same basic principles as the light microscope but uses electrons instead of light. What you can see with a light microscope is limited by the wavelength of light. TEMs use electrons as light source and their much lower wavelength make it possible to get a resolution a thousand times better than with a light microscope. TEM uses a technique whereby a beam of electrons is transmitted through an ultra-thin specimen, interacting with the specimen as it passes through. An image is formed from the interaction of the electrons transmitted through the specimen; the image is magnified and focused onto an imaging device, such as a fluorescent screen, on a layer of photographic film, or to be detected by a sensor such as a CCD camera. TEMs are capable of imaging at a significantly higher resolution than light microscopes, owing to the small de Broglie wavelength of electrons. This enables the instruments user to examine fine detail-even as small as a single column of atoms, which is tens of thousands times smaller than the smallest resolvable object in a light microscope. TEM forms a major analysis method in a range of scientific fields, in both physical and biological sciences. TEMs find application in cancer research, virology, materials science as well as pollution, nanotechnology, and semiconductor research. History of TEMs The first operational electron microscope was presented by Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll in 1932, and 6 years later Ruska had a first version on the market. In 1986 Ruska received a Nobel Prize in physics for his fundamental work in electron optics and for the design of the first electron microscope. The following table gives a basic outline of the history of the electron microscope by decades. Year Specimens Application/development Instrumentation/theory Resolution 1940s Replicas oxide carbon plastics surfaces slip steps extracted particles fractography -50kV, single condenser -little or no theory; a first basic theory of electron microscopy was published in 1949 by Heidenreich. ~10nm 1950s Thin foils: from bulk deposited defects phase transitions -100kV -contrast theory developed. ~0.5-2nm 1960s metals semiconductors ceramics minerals Dynamic in-situ studies substructure of solids radiation damage microdiffraction -high voltage electron microscopes (Toulouse: 1.2 and 3MeV) -scanning electron microscopes -accessories for in-situ studies -controlled experiments 0.3nm (transmission) ~15-20nm (scanning) 1970s catalysts quasicrystals High resolution imaging lattice imaging -Analytical transmission electron microscopy -scanning transmission electron microscopy -energy dispersive x-ray spectra -electron energy loss spectroscopy -commercial high voltage electron microscopy (0.4-1.5MeV) -high resolution imaging theory 0.2nm (transmission) 7nm (standard scanning) 1980s virtually all materials atomic resolution in close-packed solids surface imaging small particles -commercial medium-voltage high-resolution/analytical electron microscopy (300-400kV) -improved analytical capabilities -energy filtering imaging -ultra-high vacuum microscopes 0.15nm (transmission) 5nm (scanning at 1kV) 1990s fast computation for image simulation alloy design nanostructures integrated digital scanning and image processing -surface atomic microscopy -orientation imaging microscopy 0.1nm (transmission) 3nm (scanning at 1kV) 2000s Electron microscopy in the 1960s In 1969 RCA dropped out of the electron microscope business, having decided that they could make more money selling record albums and consumer electronic devices.   General Electric had never become a major power in the electron microscope business. This left the field wide open for companies such as JEOL, Hitachi, and Akashi in Japan, and Philips, Siemens, and Zeiss in Europe. The resolution of the best TEMs was now approximately 0.3 nm (3 Ã…); JEOL claimed a resolution of 0.2 nm (2 Ã…) for its 1968 model JEM-100B. Accelerating voltages were still typically in the 100 kV range, although JEOL marketed a 200 kV instrument in 1967 called the JEM-200. Philips marketed a very popular 100 kV microscope called the EM 300 in 1966. They claimed that this was the first fully-transistorized electron microscope, and that it could attain a point resolution of 0.5 nm (5 Ã…). More than 1,850 units of the EM 300 were sold. Another approach to the study of materials that emerged in the 1960s involved increasing the accelerating voltage of the electron gun to extreme levels up to 3 MeV in an effort to penetrate more deeply into thicker samples. CEMES-LOE/CNRS at Toulouse, France, developed a 3MeV instrument around 1965, followed closely by JEOL, which released a 1 MeV microscope, the JEM-1000, in 1966. (One MeV represents a million electron volts, while one kV is a thousand electron volts. So 1,000 kV= 1 MeV.) These ultrahigh voltage EMs were so large that they typically occupied their own two-story building. The electron gun and its associated high voltage electronics were located near the ceiling of the second story, while the operator sat at the bottom of the microscope column looking at the fluorescent screen. Hitachis 1964 model HU-500 stood 4 meters tall; later, higher MeV versions eventually made this look small. On the left is a photograph of the 1 MeV Atomic Resolution Microscope (ARM) at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Electron microscopy in the 1970s The 1970s were a time of rapid development on all fronts in the electron microscope industry. Further improvements in TEM came from brighter electron sources (lanthanum hexaboride and field emission guns). The resolution of the TEM was pushed to 0.2 nm (2 Ã…) in the 1970s, with better results reported in some cases for lattice imaging resolutions; Hitachi claimed a 1.4 Ã… lattice resolution for its 1975 model H-500 TEM, and JEOL claimed the same resolution for its 1973 model JEM-100C. Accelerating voltages of 100 kV maximum had become the norm. In contrast to the low cost instruments, Philips 1972 model EM 301 TEM was designed for high performance and versatility for the skilled operator who had the time to coax the best results from his instrument. The EM 400 introduced in 1975 used a LAB6 electron gun, which was ten times as bright as the standard tungsten filament at the time. On the down side, the reactivity of lanthanum hexaboride required an ultra-clean vacuum system of 10-6 Torr. In 1977 Philips introduced accessories for the EM 400, including a secondary electron detector for topographical studies and a field emission gun (FEG) a single crystal tungsten tipped filament that emits electrons from a very localized region of the tip to produce narrow, bright electron beams. FEGs can have100 to 1,000 times the brightness of a LAB6 filament, with electron beam diameters as small as 1 nm. Vacuum requirements for these FEGs are 10-10 Torr. JEOL started with the JEM-100B Analytical model in 1970, which added scanning ability and an EDX x-ray spectrometer to the TEM. This was improved upon by the JEM-100C in 1973, with its 1.4 Ã… resolution, and further upgraded by the JEM-100CX Analytical model in 1976, which added an ultraclean vacuum system and a LAB6 electron gun. In the ultrahigh voltage EM market, The Hitachi 3MeV HU-3000 was installed at Osaka University in 1970. This accelerating voltage was the highest ever for an electron microscope. A resolution of 4.6 Ã… was reported for this instrument. The 1976 model H-1250 had a maximum voltage of 1250 kV, but a superior resolution of 2.04 Ã…. Electron microscopy in the 1980s During the 1980s TEM resolutions were further reduced to 1.0 to 1.5Ã…, making imaging of atoms in lattice planes possible. Microprocessor control of microscopes and computerized analysis of data became common due to the emergence of the personal computer in the early 80s. This microprocessor control brought about such features as an auto-stigmator and auto-focus, freeing the microscope operator from the mundane tasks that had always been involved in using the instrument. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) detectors were incorporated in STEMs and AEMs, allowing detection of low atomic number elements that could not be seen using x-ray techniques. The demands of the fast-growing integrated circuits industry produced electron microscopes designed for non-destructive testing of semiconductor wafers and for functional testing of ICs. Smaller electron beam sizes made it possible to switch from microprobe to nanoprobe technology. Elemental mapping of a samples surface could now be done on a nanometer level. Development of low cost instruments was not a priority in the 1980s. Some that were developed in the 1970s continued to be sold, but development was focused on high-performance, high-resolution, microprocessor-controlled instruments. JEOL produced 7 new TEM units between 1980 and 1986. These included the JEM-1200 EX (1981), which added microprocessor control to the JEM-100 CX (1976). The same model equipped with an EDS x-ray spectrometer was called the JEM-1200 EX/Analytical microscope. The 1984 model JEM-2000 FX/Analytical had a maximum voltage of 200 kV and a resolution of 2.8 Ã…; this instrument marked the switch from a microprobe beam to a nanoprobe. The JEM-4000 FX/Analytical microscope introduced in 1986 raised the acceleration voltage to 400 kV, which produced a beam probe size only 2 nm in diameter. After years of a standard 100 kV accelerating voltage with a few ultrahigh voltage units thrown in, these medium-voltage microscopes finally became popular. Electron microscopy in the 1990s The 1990s produced several corporate mergers in the electron microscope industry. Carl Zeiss and Leica joined to form LEO Electron Microscopy, Inc. In 1996 Philips bought Electroscan, the developer of the environmental SEM in the 1980s, to form Philips Electroscan. The following year Philips Electron Optics and a company called FEI merged under the name FEI to continue manufacturing electron microscopes. Hitachi and JEOL remained independent entities. The resolution of TEMs had already reached its theoretical limit (the best possible resolution predicted by calculations), so the 1Ã… resolution obtained using field emission gun (FEG) electron sources remained the standard. Medium voltage range instruments up to 300 kV were common, although 100 kV instruments still kept their long lasting popularity. Computers were now a vital part of every electron microscope, with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) being the norm. They were involved in both the control of the instrument and the processing of data, including post-analysis enhancement of micrographs using contrast-enhancing software. JEOL offered TEMs with maximum accelerating voltages of 120, 200, and 300 kV. The 120 kV model JEM1230 had a resolution of 0.2 nm (2Ã…). The JEM-2010 F FasTEM (200 kV) and the JEM-3000 F FasTEM (300 kV) both used FEG sources and achieved resolutions of 0.1 nm (1.0 Ã…). Three meetings of the Electron Microscopy Society of America (1968, 1975, and 1980) The Electron Microscopy Society of America (now known as the Microscopy Society of America) was founded in 1942, when it began holding annual meetings for instrument makers and users to gather and discuss the technology and its applications. The topics of papers given at these meetings present a snapshot of the state of electron microscopy at the time. A brief look at three of these meetings shows the evolution of the technology and its applications over a 12-year period. In the brief twelve-year span of 1968 to 1980, the physical sciences overtook the biological sciences at EMSA meetings, judging solely on number of papers presented. A large part of this development is probably due to the emergence of the scanning electron microscope in 1965, which made examination of the surface of bulk specimens possible for the first time. Since physical scientists could now look at real samples instead of replicas or thin films, activity in microscopy of materials increased dramatically. With no similar dramatic development in biological microscopy, the balance shifted. The Science of TEMs Comparison of Light (LM) and Electron Microscopes. a. Similarities 1) Illumination system: produces required radiation and directs it onto the specimen. Consists of a source, which emits the radiation, and a condenser lens, which focuses the illuminating beam (allowing variations of intensity to be made) on the specimen. 2) Specimen stage: situated between the illumination and imaging systems. 3) Imaging system: Lenses which together produce the final magnified image of the specimen. Consists of i) an objective lens which focuses the beam after it passes through the specimen and forms an intermediate image of the specimen and ii) the projector lens(es) which magnifies a portion of the intermediate image to form the final image. 4) Image recording system: Converts the radiation into a permanent image (typically on a photographic emulsion) that can be viewed. b. Differences 1) Optical lenses are generally made of glass with fixed focal lengths whereas magnetic lenses are constructed with ferromagnetic materials and windings of copper wire producing a focal length which can be changed by varying the current through the coil. 2) Magnification in the LM is generally changed by switching between different power objective lenses mounted on a rotating turret above the specimen. It can also be changed if oculars (eyepieces) of different power are used. In the TEM the magnification (focal length) of the objective remains fixed while the focal length of the projector lens is changed to vary magnification. 3) The LM has a small depth of field, thus different focal levels can be seen in the specimen. The large (relative) depth of field in the TEM means that the entire (thin) specimen is in focus simultaneously. 4) Mechanisms of image formation vary (phase and amplitude contrast). 5) TEMs are generally constructed with the radiation source at the top of the instrument: the source is generally situated at the bottom of LMs. 6) TEM is operated at high vacuum (since the mean free path of electrons in air is very small) so most specimens (biological) must be dehydrated. 7) TEM specimens (biological) are rapidly damaged by the electron beam. 8) TEMs can achieve higher magnification and better resolution than LMs. 9) Price tag!!! (100x more than LM) Figure below shows the cross-sectional view of a standard TEM. Figure shows the transmission electron microscope at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Figure shows a schematic outline of a TEM. A TEM contains four parts: electron source, electromagnetic lens system, sample holder, and imaging system. A. Electron Source The electron gun produces a beam of electrons whose kinetic energy is high enough to enable them to pass through thin areas of the TEM specimen. The gun consists of an electron source, also known as the cathode because it is at a high negative potential, and an electron-accelerating chamber. There are several types of electron source, operating on different physical principles, which we now discuss. i. Thermionic Emission Figure 3-1 shows a common form of electron gun. The electron source is a V-shaped (hairpin) filament made of tungsten (W) wire, spot-welded to straight-wire leads that are mounted in a ceramic or glass socket, allowing the filament assembly to be exchanged easily when the filament eventually burns out. A direct (dc) current heats the filament to about 2700 K, at which temperature tungsten emits electrons into the surrounding vacuum by the process known as thermionic emission. Figure 3-1. Thermionic electron gun containing a tungsten filament F, Wehnelt electrode W, ceramic high-voltage insulator C, and o-ring seal O to the lower part of the TEM column. An autobias resistor, RB (actually located inside the high-voltage generator, as in Fig. 3-6) is used to generate a potential difference between W and F; thereby controlling the electron-emission current, Ie. Arrows denote the direction of electron flow that gives rise to the emission current. Raising the temperature of the cathode causes the nuclei of its atoms to vibrate with increased amplitude. Because the conduction electrons are in thermodynamic equilibrium with the atoms, they share this thermal energy, and a small proportion of them achieve energies above the vacuum level, enabling them to escape across the metal/vacuum interface. The rate of electron emission can be represented as a current density Je(in A/m2) at the cathode surface, which is given by the Richardson law: Where T is the absolute temperature (in K) of the cathode and A is the Richardson constant (~106Am-2K-2), which depends to some degree on the cathode material but not on its temperature; k is the Boltzmann constant (1.38 x 10-23J/K), and kT is approximately the mean thermal energy of an atom. ii. Schottky emission The thermionic emission of electrons can be increased by applying an electrostatic field to the cathode surface. This field lowers the height of the potential barrier (which keeps electrons inside the cathode) by an amount, the so-called Schottky effect. A Schottky source consists of a pointed crystal of tungsten welded to the end of V-shaped tungsten filament. The tip is coated with zirconium oxide (ZrO) to provide a low work function (~2.8 eV) and needs to be heated to only about 1800 K to provide adequate electron emission. Because the tip is very sharp, electrons are emitted from a very small area, resulting in a relatively high current density ( Je ~ 107A/m2) at the surface. Because the ZrO is easily poisoned by ambient gases, the Schottky source requires a vacuum substantially better than that of a LaB6 source. iii. Field emission If the electrostatic field at a tip of a cathode is increased sufficiently, the width (horizontal in Fig.3-4) of the potential barrier becomes small enough to allow electrons to escape through the surface potential barrier by quantum-mechanical tunneling, a process known as field emission. The probability of electron tunneling becomes high when the barrier width, w is comparable to de Broglie wavelength of the electron. This wavelength is related to the electron momentum p by p=h/ÃŽÂ » where h= 6.63 x 10-34 Js is the Planck constant. Because the barrier width is smallest for electrons at the top of the conduction band, they are the ones most likely to escape. Because thermal excitation is not required, a field-emission tip can operate at room temperature, and the process is sometimes called cold field emission. As there is no evaporation of tungsten during normal operation, the tip can last for many months or even years before replacement. It is heated (flashed) from time to time to remove adsorbed gases, which affect the work function and cause the emission current to be unstable. Even so, cold field emission requires ultra-high vacuum (UHV: pressure ~ 10-8 Pa) to achieve stable operation, requiring an elaborate vacuum system and resulting in substantially greater cost of the instrument. B. Electromagnetic Lens System The TEM may be required to produce a highly magnified (e.g, M = 105) image of a specimen on a fluorescent screen, of diameter typically 15 cm. To ensure that the screen image is not too dim, most of the electrons that pass through the specimen should fall within this diameter, which is equivalent to a diameter of (15 cm)/M = 1.5  µm at the specimen. For viewing larger areas of specimen, however, the final-image magnification might need to be as low as 2000, requiring an illumination diameter of 75  µm at the specimen. In order to achieve the required flexibility, the condenser-lens system must contain at least two electron lenses. The first condenser (C1) lens is a strong magnetic lens, with a focal length f that may be as small as 2 mm. Using the virtual electron source(diameter ds) as its object, C1 produces areal image of diameter d1. Because the lens is located 20 cm or more below the object, the object distance, u ~ 20 cm >> f and so the image distance v ~ f. The second condenser (C2) lens is a weak magnetic lens ( f ~ several centimeters) that provides little or no magnification (M ~ 1) but allows the diameter of illumination (d) at the specimen to be varied continuously over a wide range. The C2 lens also contains the condenser aperture (the hole in the condenser diaphragm) whose diameter D can be changed in order to control the convergence semi-angle of the illumination, the maximum angle by which the incident electrons deviate from the optic axis. Figure shows lens action within the accelerating field of an electron gun, between the electron source and the anode. Curvature of the equipotential surfaces around the hole in the Wehnelt electrode constitutes a converging electrostatic lens (equivalent to a convex lens in light optics), whereas the non-uniform field just above the aperture in the anode creates a diverging lens (the equivalent of a concave lens in light optics). C. Sample Holder To allow observation in different brands or models of microscope, TEM specimens are always made circular with a diameter of 3 mm. Perpendicular to this disk, the specimen must be thin enough (at least in some regions) to allow electrons to be transmitted to form the magnified image. The specimen stage is designed to hold the specimen as stationary as possible, as any drift or vibration would be magnified in the final image, impairing its spatial resolution (especially if the image is recorded by a camera over a period of several seconds). But in order to view all possible regions of the specimen, it is also necessary to move the specimen horizontally over a distance of up to3 mm if necessary. The design of the stage must also allow the specimen to be inserted into the vacuum of the TEM column without introducing air. This is achieved by inserting the specimen through an airlock, a small chamber into which the specimen is placed initially and which can be evacuated before the specimen enters the TEM column. Not surprisingly, the specimen stage and airlock are the most mechanically complex and precision-machined parts of the TEM. There are two basic designs of the specimen stage: side-entry and top-entry. In a side-entry stage, the specimen is clamped (for example, by a threaded ring) close to the end of a rod-shaped specimen holder and is inserted horizontally through the airlock. The airlock-evacuation valve and a high-vacuum valve (at the entrance to the TEM column) are activated by rotation of the specimen holder about its long axis; see figure (a). One advantage of this side-entry design is that it is easy to arrange for precision motion of the specimen. Translation in the horizontal plane (x and y directions) and in the vertical (z) direction is often achieved by applying the appropriate movement to an end-stop that makes contact with the pointed end of the specimen holder. A further advantage of the side-entry stage is that heating of a specimen is easy to arrange, by installing a small heater at the end of the specimen holder, with electrical leads running along the inside of the holder to a power supply located outside the TEM. The ability to change the temperature of a specimen allows structural changes in a material (such as phase transitions)to be studied at the microscopic level. Specimen cooling can also be achieved, by incorporating (inside the side-entry holder) a heat-conducting metal rod whose outer end is immersed in liquid nitrogen (at 77 K). One disadvantage of the side-entry design is that mechanical vibration  picked up from the TEM column or from acoustical vibrations in the external air, is transmitted directly to the specimen. In addition, any thermal expansion of the specimen holder can cause drift of the specimen and of the TEM image. These problems have been largely overcome by careful design, including choice of materials used to construct the specimen holder. As a result, side-entry holders are widely used, even for high-resolution imaging. In a top-entry stage, the specimen is clamped to the bottom end of a cylindrical holder that is equipped with a conical collar; see Figure (b). The holder is loaded into position through an airlock by means of a sliding and tilting arm, which is then detached and retracted. Inside the TEM, the cone of the specimen holder fits snugly into a conical well of the specimen stage, which can be translated in the (x and y) horizontal directions by a precision gear mechanism. The major advantage of a top-entry design is that the loading arm is disengaged after the specimen is loaded, so the specimen holder is less liable to pick up vibrations from the TEM environment. In addition, its axially symmetric design tends to ensure that any thermal expansion occurs radially about the optic axis and therefore becomes small close to the axis. However, in disadvantage views, it is more difficult to provide tilting, heating, or cooling of the specimen. Although such facilities have all been implemented in top-entry stages, they require elaborate precision engineering, making the holder fragile and expensive. Because the specimen is held at the bottom of its holder, it is difficult to collect more than a small fraction of the x-rays that are generated  by the transmitted beam and emitted in the upward direction, making this design less attractive for high-sensitivity elemental analysis. D. Imaging System The sample is placed in front of the objective lens in a form of thin foil, thin section or fine particles transparent for the electron beam. (Figure. 3). The objective lens forms an image of the electron density distribution at the exit surface of the specimen based on the electron optical principles. The diffraction, projection and intermediate lenses below the objective lens are used to focus and magnify either the diffraction pattern or the image onto a fluorescent screen, which converts the electrons into visible light signal. There are three important mechanisms, which produce image contrast in the electron microscope: mass-thickness contrast, phase contrast and diffraction or amplitude contrast. i. Mass-thickness contrast arises from incoherent elastic scattering of electrons. As electrons go through the specimen they are scattered off axis by elastic nuclear interaction also called Rutherford scattering. The cross section for elastic scattering is a function of the atomic number (Z). As the thickness of the specimen increases the elastic scattering also increases since the mean-free path remains fixed. Also specimens consisting of higher Z elements will scatter more electrons than low-Z specimens. This will create differential intensity in an image formed from thicker regions where fewer electrons will be transmitted to the image compared to a thinner or low atomic number region, which will be brighter in the image plane. In TEM, the mass-thickness contrast is affected by the size of the objective aperture and the accelerating voltage. Smaller apertures will increase the difference in the ratio of scattered and transmitted electrons and as a consequence will increase the contrast between regions of different thickness of mass. Lowering the accelerating voltage will lead to similar effect since the scattering angle and the cross section increase which also will cause increase in the relative contrast between higher mass and lower mass regions. ii. Phase contrast. Some of the electrons leaving the specimen are recombined to form the image so that phase differences present at the exit surface of the specimen are converted into intensity differences in the image. Phase contrast is the dominant mechanism for object detail iii. Diffraction contrast. Diffracted electrons leaving the lower surface of a crystalline specimen are intercepted by the objective aperture and prevented from contributing to the image. Alternatively only one diffracted beam forms the image. Diffraction contrast is the dominant mechanism delineating object detail >15 Ã… in crystalline specimens and is important and widely used contrast mechanism for study of crystal defects. Using this approach considerable quantitative information about the defect structure of the specimen may be obtained without operating the microscope at maximum resolution. Vacuum System Electron microscopes cannot operate in air for a number of reasons. The penetration of electrons through air is typically no more than 1 meter, so after coming on meter from the gun, the whole beam would be lost to collisions of the electrons with the air molecules. It is also not possible to generate the high charge difference between the anode and cathode in the gun because air is not a perfect insulator. Finally, the beam on the specimen while in air would trap all sorts of rubbish (air is full of hydrocarbon molecules) on the specimen, crack them (removing hydrogen, oxygen, etc.) and thus leave a thick carbon contamination layer on the specimen. Each electron microscope therefore has a vacuum system. The degree of sophistication of the vacuum system depends on the requirements. Simple imaging of biological thin sections is much less demanding than cryo applications or small-probe analysis in materials science and a thermionic gun can operate under much worse vacuum than a Field E mission Gun (FEG). The most basic vacuum system consists of a vessel connected to a pump that removes the air. The vacuum system of an electron microscope is considerably more complicated, containing a number of vessels, pumps, valves (to separate different vessels) and gauges (to measure vacuum pressures). From the bottom up we can distinguish four vessels in the vacuum system: The buffer tank The projection chamber The column (specimen area) The electron gun area Sometimes a tubomolecular pump (TMP), essentially a high-speed turbine fan, is used in place of (or to supplement) a diffusion pump. Usually an ion pump is used to achieve pressures below 10-4Pa, as required to operate a LaB6, Schottky, or field-emission electron source. By applying a potential difference of several kilovolts between large electrodes, a low-pressure discharge is set up (aided by the presence of a magnetic field) which removes gas molecules by burying them in one of the electrodes. Figure shows cross section through a diffusion pump. The arrows show oil vapor leaving jets within the baffle assembly. Water flowing within a coiled metal tube keeps the walls cool. Frequently, liquid nitrogen is used to help in achieving adequate vacuum inside the TEM, through a process known as cryo

Monday, August 19, 2019

Independence and Failure in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Independence and Failure in Macbeth Peasants of the early sixteenth century are often pictured carrying a bundle of limbs tied with vines on their backs. This is a perfect metaphor for the events in Macbeth. Macbeth is one of many thanes, or limbs, bundled together. The thanes are united by the king, or the vine. Scotland, or the peasant, carries the bundle by the sweat of his brow. They carry the bundle for fires on cold nights, or wars, and to build homes, or castles, to protect them from the elements, or invaders. If the limbs are tied improperly, one limb may slip to the side and cause the peasant, or nation, to stumble or fall. If the limb slides completely out, the rest of the limbs may follow because the bundle is loose. Marriage is like a triangle. Each spouse makes up one of the leaning sides, and marriage the lower side. The three together are very strong, but to stand they all must be united. The longer a marriage is held the longer the bottom stretches, and the more dependent each person becomes on the othe r. If one side tries to stand on its own then the second will fall on the first as it tries to stand. This metaphor also excellently exemplifies the catastrophe that occurs in Macbeth as both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth try to separate. Macbeth is a eighteenth century play written by William Shakespeare. Using these two metaphors, the breakdown in the relationship between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth and between the king and the thanes and how they perfectly parallel each other because each is caused by Macbeth's will to be independent. According to Webster's dictionary, the archaic definition of independence is "competence" (1148). To be independent is not to be "subject to control by others" (Gove 1148). This means that independence is to be in control of ones decisions and to feel they are good decisions. Macbeth, on the other hand, feels independence is to not be subordinate to others like the king. To be independent, one must be strong. Inner strength, not physical strength, is needed. Inner strength is only accomplished by having a high self-esteem. Macbeth does not and must use others to reach for independence. Macbeth needs this strength: It [Macbeth] hurls a universe against a man, and if the universe that strikes is more impressive than the man who is stricken, as great as his size and gaunt as his soul may be he will fall.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Essay --

The Society of Tennis Tennis is the world’s fastest growing sport today for many reasons. One of the biggest reasons is the variety of opponents one can face. In examining the game of tennis, most players can be categorized into one of four groups, the talented, the rabbits, the pushers, and the blasters. These different players make the game different each time one plays. This changes each match for the better, or for the worse. The Talent is a player who is able to adapt his game to give him the best advantage against any opponent, in any weather condition, whenever needed. He can drop shot, blast, â€Å"thread the needle†, find weaknesses, and reflex volley. This player will find what works best and dismantle the game. The talent will exhaust almost any player. At the highest levels, the talent may choose to play directly into his opponent’s strength. Bill Tilden was notorious for this tactic. When asked why he attacked the other players’ strengths, his answer was, â€Å"That way, once I’ve broken him down, all he has to fall back on are his weaknesses.† The talent tends to be able to change strategies and tactics in the blink of an eye. He may, within a set, even within a point, switch from one pattern to another to keep the opponent off balance no matter the situation. The Rabbit is quick and tireless. He believes he can return any ball and becomes a â€Å"human backboard.† This player relies on his opponent’s misses, rather than on any â€Å"money shot† of his own. His strength is that while retrieving, they keep the opponent pinned to his/her own baseline. The rabbit has consistent depth and uniformly steady pace on his strokes. He just doesn’t seem to work the corners or angles the way most baseliners do. If one is playing the baseline game ... ...y of a rabbit, but the inconsistency of the pusher. Every once in a while, a seemingly lazy player could walk onto the court and instantly become one of the talented. The other talented would work out off-season, practice off season. But this kid refuses to put forth the effort. He just doesn’t understand where he really belongs on the court. The talented are players who exude confidence. They have finesse, power, speed, and strategy. They compare to the well-rounded, athletic, and social A-student. On the other hand, the rabbits strive to be talented and model the talented’s behavior yet don’t quite reach that goal. The pushers would like to be accepted but don’t want to put forth the effort to raise his game. The blaster resembles the athletes in the school who force bluster their way through the school. These people are accepted due to their immense power.

Saint Fancis Of Assisi :: essays research papers

Saint Fancis of Assisi Saint Francis was born in 1182, in Assisi Italy. His real name is Giovanni Francesco Bernardone, but his father wanted him to be called Francis. He received very little education as a child, even though his father was a rich merchant. His father, Pietro di Bernardone, was a wealthy merchant, and his mother's name was Pica. Francis always dreamed about riding through the town as a hero. His father wanted Francis to learn about being a silk merchant, but Francis wasn't interested. Later, the city he lived in, Assissi, got into a battle with a neighboring city of Perugia, and Francis fought in the battle. He bought fancy horses, swords, and clothes to impress others. He was captured and put in jail for 1 year, and during this time he came down with a severe illness. After he was released from prison he decided to change his life. Francis visited many places, but lived in Assisi Italy. He had also lived in Mt. Subasio in 1208. There, during mass, he heard a voice saying to him three times to go out into the world and to posses nothing and do good everywhere. He then went to the Holy Land, but on his way his ship was wrecked so he had to return back to Assisi. Then he went to Egypt were he wanted to convert the Sultan but had no success. He again tried to go to the Holy Land and this time succeeded. He lived there until 1220. During this time 5 other Franciscan brothers were martyred. Francis too was willing to die for his faith, but was spared. He returned to Assisi. St. Francis had many accomplishments in his life. He began his religious life after he survived his illness. He lived as a Hermit, and attracted followers. After that, he visited hospitals and gave clothes to the ill. Sometimes he gave the homeless money and food. One time when he was walking back from prison, an old beggar came up to him. The beggar asked Francis for a cloak. Francis thought for a while, he knew he had another cloak at home, but then he wondered if the old man was trying to trick him. Francis decided to give the man his cloak and they traded cloaks. Francis said to the man that mine is warmer than the one you have and I am not cold at all Another act of kindness was when Francis was going to be a knight. His father got the best craftsman in Assisi to make him an outfit, such as armor, a cape, and weapons.