Essay about Oedipus the King - 1164 Words

According to Websters Dictionary, fate is defined as A power that supposedly predetermines what is to happen (257). In the play Oedipus Rex each character is touched by fate directly or indirectly. The author of the play Sophocles pens the story of a man who was destine from birth to be both martyr and hero, he could never be one without the other. Another view of Oedipus Rex is that some critics view him as a tyrant and not a hero because he did not come into power by natural succession, but through more sinister means, which are revealed later in the play. Also renowned authors such as Sigmund Freud in his paper On Dreams believe that Sophocles meant to portray Oedipus as a tyrant .... Oedipus frequent outburst of†¦show more content†¦He is uncomfortable with the idea to the point of rage and paranoia, that he himself might be the cause of all that befalls the city, because in years past he had been its savior. An example of this is when the blind soothsayer Teiresias tells him that he is the reason for the misfortune brought upon the country and that he is also the murderer he seeks for the death of King Laios. I say that you are the murderer whom you seek(Sophocles The Oedipus Cycle, Translated by D. Fitts and R. Fitzgerald). Oedipus instantly becomes enraged at the accusation even though he forced the information from the reluctant soothsayer in his pursuit for justice. Now twice you have spat out infamy. Youll pay for it!(D. Fitts and R. Fitzgerald 20). The reaction to the soothsayers news would support the earlier theory that perhaps Oedipus was more tyrant than hero. After the truth is revealed to him he denies it believing that Creon is most trusted friend and bother-in-law is plotting with the soothsayer to gain control of the kingdom. His own pride and arrogance blinds him to things and events that have been in evidence for many years, these like the nature of his birth and the prophecy of him murdering his father and sleeping with his mother. It is later revealed that all his life in some form or fashion Oedipus as beenShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King Of Oedipus868 Words   |  4 Pageschallenge that waits upon one. Confidence overpowers cockiness. The cocky trait is heavily represented in the story â€Å"Oedipus the King† (c. 430 B.C.) by Sophocles. In the story, Oedipus the king of Thebes has the cocky trait and it results in torture for life. Oedipus’s arrogant personality shows throughout the story as he tri es to find the killer of the former king of Thebes, his father. Oedipus tends to deem himself as a god throughout the story which plays a big role in interaction with people around himRead MoreOedipus The King : Oedipus1328 Words   |  6 PagesOedipus the King Oedipus had a lot of different character traits both good and bad. He had a good conscience; he cared deeply for the people in his life and protected them. He was very empathetic, smart and a dependable man who lived his life with great integrity. He was an honest man with strong moral principles and lived a righteous life. He found it difficult to live anything less than a righteous life; when he realized what had become of his life, his guilty conscience consumed him. He was filledRead MoreOedipus The King Of Oedipus1019 Words   |  5 Pageswhat makes Oedipus actions in his quarrel with Teiresias and also throughout the play so dramatically compelling, is the fact that the audience knows the outcome of the story. We know Oedipus fate even before he does, and there is no suspense about the outcome itself, instead, the audience anxiously awaits Oedipus to reveal his fate unto himself in his desperate quest to rid his city of the terrible plague, or maybe even more so, to simply d iscover his own unfortunate tale. Oedipus is relentlessRead MoreOedipus the King1125 Words   |  5 PagesOedipus the King by Sophocles is about Oedipus, a man doomed by his fate. Like most tragedies, #8220;Oedipus the King#8221; contains a tragic hero, a heroic figure unable to escape his/her own doom. This tragic hero usually has a hamartia or a tragic flaw which causes his/hers#8217; downfall. The tragic flaw that Sophocles gives Oedipus is hubris (exaggerated pride or self-confidence), which is what caused Oedipus to walk right into the fate he sought to escape. Pride like that of Oedipus hadRead MoreOedipus the King1065 Words   |  5 PagesSophocles’ use of irony is amongst the greatest of all time, as demonstrated masterfully in Oedipus the King. He displays both ambition and understated humour by using irony in diverse ways, both cosmic and dramatic, as well as verbal irony to add a greater level of wit. Every word spoken holds great symbolic weight and those words contribute to a narrative that reflects the gods plans. Adversely the work of Johnathan Swift takes the form of a social satire, combining economic arguments with a sociopoliticalRead MoreOedipus the King1164 Words   |  5 Pagesmen of high reputation and good fortune such as Oedipus.† This attitude, commonly found in men of high station is not specifically identified as pride in the case of Oedipus and, indeed, different readings can place Oedipus’ great flaw in a number of areas. It seems as if Sophocles intended to emphasize the more common interpr etation of Oedipus’ flaw being excessive pride, but other interpretations, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1967 film Oedipus Rex, present other possibilities as the main characterRead MoreOedipus the King773 Words   |  4 PagesThe Greek drama Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, is regarded as one of the most perfect tragedies ever written. The tragedy Oedipus the King is highly esteemed partly due to its use of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony means that facts or events, which are not known to the characters on stage or in a fictional work, are known to the audience or reader. Sophocles uses dramatic irony to demonstrate how little the protagonist really knows. The main dramatic irony in Oedipus the King contrasts Oedipus’sRead MoreOedipus The King, Or Oedipus Rex1249 Words   |  5 Pagesmost famous probably being Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, or Oedipus Rex. For a play to be considered a tragedy, it must have a tragic hero. According to Aristotleâ €™s definition of a tragic hero, they must be a decent moral person, of high social standing who eventually meets with a tragic downfall, of their own doing, suffering more than deserved, and realizing their error too late. In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the epitome of a tragic hero. Oedipus Rex was generally a â€Å"good† person; heRead MoreOedipus The King And Oedipus At Colonus1567 Words   |  7 Pagesworks of Sophocles and particularly evident in Oedipus the King and Oedipus at Colonus, not only exalts the Greek nationalism present at the date of composition but dictates the course of the story, evolving as its tragic hero works through his fated anguish. Hubris, defined as exaggerated pride or self-confidence, is the earmark character trait of Oedipus and perhaps Creon. However, it is the abandonment of his sanctimonious nature that distinguishes Oedipus as a true hero. The theme of the evolutionRead MoreOedipus The King, And Oedipus At Colonus1343 Words   |  6 Pages Oedipus, a play written by Sophocles, has become a staple in the study of a Tragic hero in classic literature. When this was written in the fifth century, theatre was more than a means of entertainment but almost a religious event. Robert Fagles goes even further by saying tha t†theatre was not only a religious festival; it was also an aspect of the city’s political life.† (Fagles) . Greek dramas were presented only twice a year during religious festivals that honored Dionysus, the god of wines

Petrified Petrarch Essay - 1403 Words

Petrified Petrarch Two hundred years had passed between the sonnets of Petrarch and the reign of Queen Elizabeth. As a form and structure for poetic life, the sonnet had grown hard. Fourteen lines of rhymed iambic pentameter remained pregnant with possibilities and vitality, but must the sense turn after the octave and resolve in the sestet? Love remained in some ways inexpressible without this basic verse form, but something wasn’t right. Too many rose red lips and too much snow white skin belonging to unattainable lovers did not communicate the prevailing amorous imagination. The conventions were a little too conventional. The metaphors were gone somewhat stale. The Reformation had intervened between the Italian Renaissance and†¦show more content†¦One reads in Wyatt’s sonnets about some justice in love; there is more than unrequited love and enduring adoration and misery. His male lover expresses a desire to break out of his amorous prison. This is an anti-Petrarchan theme. This is the opposite of the hopelessly adoring pose of the enslaved Petrarchan lover. The opening sonnet in Astrophel and Stella begins Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show,/ That she, dear she, might take some pleasure of my pain- (Longman 987). Sidney begins in imitation of Petrarch in three ways. The poet’s beloved is unkind; so he is plunged into despair. Sidney has also adopted Petrarch’s habit of self-scrutiny. Thirdly the thought changes at the end of the eighth line. The octave tells of the poet’s futile efforts to write a poem; the sestet discloses why he had been unsuccessful. The poet looks to the Petrarchan tradition for inspiration to cure his writer’s block. Oft turning other’s leaves, to see if thence would flow/ Some fresh and fruitful showers upon my sunburned brain (7-8). But this method is unproductive because it lacks the support of imagination. But words came halting forth, wanting Invention’s stay (9). Sidney is employing the new English sonnet form developed by Surrey. This new structural scheme divides the poem into three quatrains and a concluding couplet. The rhyme, abab cdcd efef gg, is easier and more obvious to the ear. This structure is moreShow MoreRelatedEssay about Comparison of Stone Trees and Pangs Of Love656 Words   |  3 Pagesto the life of a tree in showing compassion and the attitudes of the characters and their lives and environment. The narrator wants to immobilize her love for her husband, similar to stone trees, once beautiful and alive but now petrified and preserved forever their stone barkà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦...ancient among the young stones (lines 151-155). Her husband now lives on through his son who looks and behaves exactly like him when he was alive, this way her husband

Globalization Political - Legal and Economic Structure

Question: Discuss about theGlobalizationfor Political, Legal and Economic Structure. Answer: Introduction: The report analyzes the political, legal and economic structure of New Zealand. Political economy is the overall wealth and business laws of a country ("Intelligence Literature Central Intelligence Agency", 2016). In relation to this, the country's foreign investment is also discussed since these are all interlinked. Foreign direct investment is setting up of business in another country by an individual or by an organization to earn revenue or spread business. However, this foreign investment in a foreign land mainly depends on the legal, political and economic condition of the country. In this paper, the scope of foreign direct investments in New Zealand is discussed. However, the report in a systematic way discusses the political, legal and economic aspects of the country and thereby talks about how the country influences or promotes foreign investments. Economy of New Zealand: The economy of New Zealand is primarily dependent on international trade and is a growing market. It has trade relation with countries like China, United States of America, Japan, Australia, European Union and so on. However, it is observed that the trade relation of New Zealand is closely connected with Australia. Over the time New Zealand has improved its economy and the due to this the country now has many work opportunities, and the living standard of the people is quite good. Per capita earning of the people has also increased over the time, and it is near about 62. 99% ("Financial Markets Conduct Act | Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment", 2016). The country has also progressed globally and has ushered in many foreign investments, which is conducive to the economic growth of the country. Maximum investment in New Zealand comes from America, Europe and Australia, which is near about 59%. However, investment of about 33% also comes from some of the Asian countries. Th e gross domestic product has also increased over the time, and it is conducive for the growth of foreign investments. However, it is not a huge market, and in the year 2010, the rate of Gross Domestic Product decreased considerably ("Sectors of opportunity", 2016). This phase has undergone a change and now New Zealand has quite a considerable amount of investment in the dairy firms. For example, foreign investments like Heinz, Enacde, Oceania Dairy are some of the successful foreign investments in New Zealand. Legal System of New Zealand: For international investments or business, the legal system of a country plays a major role. Protecting the foreign business by the implementation of some advantageous laws and norms will usher in foreign investments. The law of immigration allows sourcing of materials or services from other places and relocation of employees if necessary. New Zealand law provides investors with a fishing allowance with which they can form some fisheries or fishing business (Fabling Sanderson, 2014). The legal system of the country allows foreign investors to have near about twenty-five percent of the ownership of land, business or asset in New Zealand. The law for the financial market in New Zealand is concerned with the production of commodities and responsibilities of the producer for a sustainable growth of the business market. The same applies to any foreign investment in New Zealand. Politics and Political Economy of New Zealand: Political economy is a broad term and includes several points in it. Political economy is all about the wealth, economic transactions, laws and business norms of a country. New Zealand has an open economy, and new companies are investing in this country for a prosperous business venture. Politics in this prospect of foreign investment is mostly about the norms and way of working of a business firm. The business of a country mainly depends on the political economy of a country and is interrelated with the legal system of the country. Innovations, new strategies, new ideas are now being appreciated by New Zealanders. Otherwise, they had a very self-centric view (Fabling Sanderson, 2014). Countrys Influence or Attractiveness for Foreign Investment: The market size, the monetary profits, and the business deals help in attracting the foreign investors (Moosa, 2016). The expanding market size of New Zealand and the high level of profit margin help in attracting foreign investors. Gross domestic product or GDP is another yardstick for measuring the economy of a country. The GDP of New Zealand has increased over the time, and it is the deciding factor of the prospect of growth and business success. In New Zealand in late 80s the GDP was near about $22, 976, whereas the latest record reveal that the recent GDP is $199. 117. This has increased the trade attractiveness of the country ("Financial Markets Conduct Act | Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment", 2016). An Early entry in the market has some positive advantages while late entry will lead to some disadvantages for the business firm. Early entries in the expanding New Zealand market will help the business firm to build a trust and will be beneficial in understanding the market of New Zealand. Whereas late entry may not get enough, market exposure and holds which are not at all conducive for a business to grow (Zealand, 2013). The cost of doing an overseas business is also an important factor for the establishment of business. From the economic perspective of the country, it can be said that New Zealand being a developed country, the cost of investment in this country is also quite high. The cost of maintaining the legal norms is also quite high in New Zealand (Moosa, 2016). However, in spite of all these constraints the business returns in New Zealand is quite good and lucrative. Politically New Zealand has no such huge issues in conducting business, therefore in the recent past, many companies have invested in this country. However, any social tension, chaos and unrest can create an imbalance in the business market. The government policies in New Zealand warmly welcome foreign investments, and this way attracts foreign direct investment (Friel et al., 2013) New Zealand is a country with huge farmlands, and this gives an opportunity to the investors for investing in the farmlands for building a business. The lucrative land laws also contribute towards increasing the attractiveness of the country. Amendment of the overseas business act in the year 2005 is directed towards the development and growth of the foreign direct investment. The act states about the withdrawal of any barriers or hindrances that stops the incoming flow of foreign investment (Kelsey 2015). Conclusion: The report broadly and systematically discusses the political economy of New Zealand along with the legal system of New Zealand. The Key factors like politics, law, and economy of a country decides the potential of foreign investment and thereby decides the future growth and success of the country. New Zealand does not have a huge market like that of America or other European nations. However, it has a growing market and has good scopes for foreign investments. Foreign direct investment of FDI is primarily setting up of business in another country, and it requires a thorough analysis of the country. Unless the law and economy are not for the growth of the foreign business, the FDI of a country will remain low. In today's world of globalization, foreign investment is a very common trend, and all nations are aiming towards the development of it. Reference: Fabling, R., Sanderson, L. (2014). Foreign acquisition and the performance of New Zealand firms.New Zealand Economic Papers,48(1), 1-20. Financial Markets Conduct Act | Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. (2016). Mbie.govt.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2016, from https://www.mbie.govt.nz/info-services/business/business-law/financial-markets-conduct-act Friel, S., Gleeson, D., Thow, A. M., Labonte, R., Stuckler, D., Kay, A., Snowdon, W. (2013). A new generation of trade policy: potential risks to diet-related health from the trans pacific partnership agreement.Globalization and health,9(1), 1. Intelligence Literature Central Intelligence Agency. (2016). Cia.gov. Retrieved 19 October 2016, from https://www.cia.gov/library/intelligence-literature Kelsey, J. (2015).The New Zealand experiment: A world model for structural adjustment?. Bridget Williams Books. Moosa, I. (2016).Foreign direct investment: theory, evidence and practice. Springer. Sectors of opportunity. (2016). Nzte.govt.nz. Retrieved 19 October 2016, from https://www.nzte.govt.nz/en/invest/sectors-of-opportunity/ Zealand, S. N. (2013). Global New ZealandInternational trade, investment, and travel profile: Year ended December 2013.

Krik Krak Essays - Postcolonial Literature, Edwidge Danticat

Krik Krak For this assignment I decided that I would just write a brief overview of one of the stories in Edwidge Danticat?s book Krik? Krak!. The story that I have chosen to talk about is ?Between the Pool and the Gardenias.? I choose this one to discuss because I thought the circumstance between the lady and the child was very weird and intrigued me to look into it more in depth. So I am going to talk about the series of events in this story and my thoughts on the young women in the story. I am mainly going to focus on questions 2 and 3 in the study questions for Chapter 5 of Edwindge Danticat's book, Krik? Krak!. In this story I believe that the main reason that she takes the child is because she is lonely and wants to become close to someone. She also has had a couple miscarriages before and this has affected her greatly and caused her much suffering and mourning over the years. When she took in the child this made her dream about all of the thoughts and emotions that would have taken place if she had been able to conceive her children. She had been missing out of all the parts of parenthood that came with having a child and this baby that she picks up makes her feel more whole inside. The baby makes her life on this planet feel like she has a purpose for a short while and that is why she takes the baby into her house as one of her own. Now maybe this wouldn't be considered crazy everywhere, but what if the baby was already dead and you tried to do this then you would probably get taken into an insane asylum. This is the main reason why I believe that she is crazy because you usually don't see women picking up dead babies off the road and taking them home to care for them. Sure she has had tough luck bearing a child, but when she pretended that the baby was alive and breathing when she knew what was really wrong with the child was just ridiculous. It got really bad when she took the baby to town with her to try and fit in; this really taught me that the lady needs some severe medical help. Sure she is trying to fit in to the society, but to take a dead child to town to try and show everyone that you are a mother is just ridiculous. The next part that really confused me is when she said that the baby was just perfect because it never cried or caused any trouble. I tell you that Danticat did an excellent job writing t his because I had to go and read this chapter over to figure out that the baby was actually dead when she found it. I had to go read it because at the end when it started to stink I was really confused because I finally realized that it didn't do much moving before this, so this made me go back and read this chapter a little more in depth. That is why I liked this chapter so much; because it tricked me into believing that the child was always alive. So, as of now, I would have to say that this is my favorite chapter in the book so far; even though I really liked Chapter 3 ?A Wall of Fire Rising? a lot too. This is my short and very brief overview of Chapter 5 ?Between the Pool and the Gardenias.? Book Reports

Critical Analysis of Mass Spectrometry The WritePass Journal

Critical Analysis of Mass Spectrometry Introduction Critical Analysis of Mass Spectrometry Introduction1. Background:2. Methods of Ionization:3. Mass Analysers:4. The Mass Spectra:5. Mass Spectrometry in Synergy with other Techniques:6. Advances in Mass Spectrometry Instruments and their Limitations:7. The Future of Mass Spectrometry:References:Related Introduction 1. Background: The analytical technique that I have chosen to give an in-depth analysis of is Mass Spectrometry (MS) This analytical technique is basically the study of ionised molecules in the gaseous phase; its main use is in the determination of the molecular weight of the molecule in the sample under investigation by accelerating ions in a vacuum environment. While this analytical technique has been around for over one hundred years there are significant advances being made to this technique in order to cater for more adverse samples which will be discussed in more detail later on. The main difference between mass spectrometry and other spectroscopy methods such as NMR is that it not dependant on transitions between energy states which may be responsible for its popularity. The diagram shown below (Figure 1.1.) [1] shows a simple diagram of a common mass spectrometer using electron ionization:    Figure 1.1 represents a schematic diagram of an electron ionization-mass spectrometer showing the various processes involved. Courtesy of www.molecularstation.com. In its simplest form the process of determining the molecular weight of the sample typically occur over four main stages which are: Sample volatilisation, Ionisation, Separation and detection. Sample volatilisation: The sample to be analysed if gaseous or volatile can be readily inserted into the mass spectrometer with the more solid samples requiring heating before insertation in order to construct a more volatile or gaseous sample. As can be seen form the above figure the sample is then moved further down the spectrometer towards the area where ionization of the molecules occurs.   Ionization: The sample is then hit with a barrage of high energy electrons from an electron gun with a charge of around 70 electron volts (eV). When the molecules collide with the high energy electron beam energy is transferred from the beam to the molecules which cause an acceleration of the molecules. These molecules may then dump an electron forming cation known as the molecular ion (M+) [2]. This interchange is represented in the equation below (Figure 1.2.): M  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   +  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   e  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   M+  Ã‚  Ã‚   +  Ã‚  Ã‚   2e   Moleccular Ion This electron barrage usually results in most of the molecular ions fragmenting causing some of the fragments to not gain any charge and remain neutral and have no further part to play. The main purpose of ionisation is to donate a charge to the sample in order for the molecules to break up and become charged. The ionization method discussed here is electron ionisation however there are many other more methods of ionization which will be discussed in detail later on in my analysis. Separation: This beam of newly charged molecular ions then proceed through a mass analyzer which in this case is a very strong controllable magnetic field which separates the charged molecules according to their mass to charge ratio (m/z) causing some of the molecules which are â€Å"too heavy† or â€Å"too light† to be thrown towards the top or bottom of the spectrometer and hence avoid detection. By varying the magnetic field, ions with different m/z values can be detected. Just like there are many different ionization methods for different applications there are also several types of mass analyzers which will also be discussed later. A fundamental consideration in mass spectrometry at this point is mass resolution, defined as R = M/∆M. where R is the resolution, M is the mass of particle and ∆M is the mass difference compared to adjacent peak with overlap at 10% of peak height. Nowadays a magnetic sector analyzer can have R values of 2000-7000 depending on the instrument [3]. Detection: the final stage in the process is comprised of a detector which then amplifies and records the mass of the ions according to their m/z values. The detector may be set up for detection of molecular ions possessing different mass to charge ratios. The Molecular ions each have a mass that is almost identical to the mass of the molecule (M) and due to the fact that the charges on most of the molecules are usually 1, the value of m/z obtained for each of the ions is simply its mass. The data collected by the detector is fed to a recorder and is presented in the form of a plot of the numbers of ions versus their m/z values [3]. An example of this type of plot is shown below in figure 1.3. [4]: Figure 1.3: A typical graph produced for a sample using mass spectrometry. Picture courtesy of www.research.uky.edu. 2. Methods of Ionization: Electron Ionization (EI): as described above is the simplest method for converting the sample to ions and this method is found on the most common mass spectrometers. Many other simple and complex ionization methods exist for analyzing various samples. Some of these methods include: Chemical Ionization (CI): This is a softer ionization method than EI, causing less fragmentation of the sample under investigation and hence it is mainly used for more sensitive compounds such as 2, 2-dimethylpropane for example which is prone to fragment with little stress. This decrease in fragmentation is due to the ions arising from a chemical reaction rather than bombardment and hence possesses less energy than those produced from EI. In Chemical ionization the molecules to be studied are mixed with an ionized carrier gas which is present in excess. Common carrier gases for CI include ammonia, methane, isobutene and methanol. The selection of the carrier gas depends on the degree of ion fragmentation required. Different carrier gases produce different mass spectra plots. The main advantage of CI is its softer approach lending to clearer results over EI for some samples. Other advantages include the relatively cheap and strong hardware as with EI. The main drawback of using chemi cal ionization in mass spectrometry is the fact that like electron ionization the sample must be readily vaporised in order for the molecules to gain that vital charge. This immediately dismisses the use of high molecular weight compounds and biomolecules [3]. It’s obvious therefore that CI and EI are very similar methods of ionization and due to this many of the modern day mass spectrometers can switch between these two methods effortlessly. Electrospray Ionization (ESI): is a type of atmospheric pressure ionization. This technique is very useful for studying the high biomolecular weight molecules and other samples which may not be very volatile as discussed above. The sample to be investigated is sprayed through a fine capillary which has a charge on its surface, the sample then enters the ionization chamber resulting in the production of multiple charged ions along with single charged ions. This formation of multiple charged ions is very useful in the mass spectrometry analysis of proteins [3]. It is important to note that negative ions may also be formed in ESI and the operation may need to be reversed. ESI has become much more common over the last few years as it relies on a sample in solution which permits its use in LC-MS [5]. Thermospray Ionization (TSI) is closely related to ESI differing only in the fact that it relies on a heated capillary rather than a charged capillary; however ESI remains the more popular of the two methods. Atmospheric-pressure chemical Ionization (APCI): It is obvious form the title that APCI is also a form of atmospheric pressure ionization resulting in a similar interface being used for both methods. This method was born in the 1970’s when it was first combined with liquid chromatography (LC) by Horning et al [6] who conveyed a new atmospheric ion source which used 63Ni beta emission in order to produce the required ions. Even tough APCI and ESI are harmonizing methods the main advantage APCI has over ESI is that it is more effective at determining the mass spectra for less polar compounds due to the reality that the gas phase ionization is more effective in APCI. Many MS instruments are now readily available with high mass resolution and accurate mass measurement, properties which are not as readily available with GC-MS instruments. Fast Atom Bombardment (FAB): this type of ionization method is primarily used for large polar molecules. The sample to be studied is usually dissolved in a liquid matrix which is non-volatile and polar such as glycerol. This sample is then bombarded with a fast atom beam such as Xe atoms which picks up electrons thus causing ionization from this reaction. This is a simple and fast method to use and is very good for high-resolution measurements. On the downside however it may be hard to compare low molecular weight compounds from the chemical back ground which is always high [5]. Desorption Chemical Ionization (DCI), Negative-ion chemical ionization (NCI), Field Ionization (FI) and Ion Evaporation are other less common ionization methods used in mass spectrometry. 3. Mass Analysers: As described earlier the mass analyzers are used to separate the various ions according to their mass to charge ratio (m/z) and hence focus the ions with the desirable m/z value towards the detector. Some of the mass analyzers available include; Double-Focusing Mass Analyzers, Quadrupole Mass Analyzers, Time-of-Flight Mass Analyzers and Ion Trap Mass Analyzers. Double-Focusing Mass Analyzers are used when a high resolution is of paramount importance. This high resolution is achieved by modifying the basic magnetic design. The beam of ions passes through an electrostatic analyser before or after the magnetic field causing the particles to travel at the same velocity resulting in the resolution of the mass analyzer increasing dramatically. Resolution may be varied by using narrower slits before the detector. It is important to note that this type of analyzer reduces sensitivity but increases accuracy resulting in a fine line between success and failure with regards to detection, for this reason this type of mass analyzer is only used for very selective purposes. Quadrupole Mass Analyzers do not make use of magnetic forces for mass detection; instead they are composed of four solid rods arranged parallel to the direction of the ion beam. Using a combination of direct-current and radiofrequency the quadrupole separates the various ions according to their mass extremely quickly. Quadrupole mass analyzers are most on most GC-MS instruments. Time-of-Flight Mass Analyzers (TOF) operate by measuring the time taken for an ion which has been produced to travel for the ion source to the detector [7]. This is based on the simple assumption that the lighter ions will have a greater velocity and thus will strike the detector first. This type of analyzer has become more and more common in recent years due to the fact that the electronics used in this analyzer have become much more affordable since it was first introduced in the 1940’s. In recent years the resolution and sensitivity of TOF have been increased by the insertation of a reflective plate within the flight tube itself [8]. The main area that this type of analyzer is used is in Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-MS) discussed later. The Ion Trap Mass Analyzer is composed of two hyperbolic end cap electrodes and a doughnut shaped ring electrode [7]. It is very similar to the quadrupole analyzer in resolution terms and basics however the ion trap is more sensitive. 4. The Mass Spectra: The main interest that anybody has from the mass spectra is the molecular weight of the sample that was processed. The value of m/z at which the molecular ion (M+) appears on the mass spectrum tell us the molecular weight of the original molecule. The most saturated ion formed from the ionization provides us with the tallest peak in the spectra know as the base peak (Figure 1.2). From this information the determination of very exact molecular weights of substances may be deduced which is probably the most important application of mass spectrometers. This determination also allows use to distinguish between different substances with a very similar molecular mass which we are unable to do ourselves. For example; the molecule C14H14 has a molecular mass of 182.1096 and the molecule C12H10N2 has a molecular mass of 182.0844. These two molecules may only be differentiated by MS as there is only 0.0252 in the difference even tough they are two completely different molecules. The type of MS instrument used in this case is a Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer as discussed briefly above which is capable of providing measurements accurate to 0.0001 atomic mass units. The chance of two compounds having the exact same mass spectra is very unlikely and therefore it is possible to identify an unknown compound by comparing its mass spectra obtained with that of a known library of mass spectra for various compounds. 5. Mass Spectrometry in Synergy with other Techniques: Through the years mass spectrometers have evolved to be used not just on their own but used in tandem with a range of other analytic techniques such as Liquid Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) in purity assessment and investigating rat urine, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) for the detection and measurement of illicit drugs in biological fluids. It is LC-MS that has become the gold standard for detection and analyzation of substances. Gas chromatography works particularly well with mass spectrometry too, due to the face that the sample is already in its gaseous form at the interface. This system has been used by De Martinis and Barnes [9] in the detection of drugs in sweat using a quadrupole mass spectrometer which has been discussed earlier. The ability to identify metabolites in the biological fluids mentioned above can be very difficult and this is due to the fact that these metabolites are present in extremely low concentrations such as parts per mill ion (ppm) or even less in some situations. For many years Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was used to identify these metabolites but in recent times it would appear that mass spectrometry has become the more popular method for detection of the metabolite. This may be due to the fact that MS is more sensitive than NMR resulting in less sample amount being required. 6. Advances in Mass Spectrometry Instruments and their Limitations: As mentioned briefly above it is very difficult to study large biomolecules such as proteins due to the fact that they are large polar molecules which are not volatile and as a result are difficult to convert to a gaseous state in order to undergo ionization. In recent years a solution to this problem has been accomplished with the introduction of Matrix- Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization (MALDI). MALDI is a laser based soft ionization method which relies on the sample being dissolved in a solution containing an excess of matrix such as sinapinic acid which has a chromophore that absorbs at the laser wavelength, the sample is placed in the path of high intensity protons causing a collision of the atoms with the sample resulting in ionization of the sample molecules causing them to be ejected from the matrix. One of the main advantages of MALDI-MS is that only a very tiny amount of sample is required (1 X 10-5 moles) [3]. This technique has proven to be one of the most successful ionization methods for mass spectrometry analysis of large molecules due to its soft ionization ability. This technique has been used in the drug-biomolecule complexes in order to investigate the interaction properties and sites of biomolecules with various drugs on the market today [10]. This method was also used by Zschorning et al. to investigate the extracts of human lipoproteins after treatment wi th cholesterol esterase’s [11]. This method although very popular suffers some drawbacks. There is a strong dependence on the sample preparation method and any mistake made during sample preparation or any contamination introduced into the matrix during the sample preparation renders the rest of the investigation pointless. Another draw back of this method is the short sample life although some research has been undertaken [12] with the use of liquid matrices in the belief that this may increase the sample life by making use of the self-healing properties of the sample through molecular diffusion. One obvious drawback that may occur is the fact that the sample may not be soluble and hence may not dissolve in the matrix. This problem may be overcome with the use of compression of a finely ground sample and analyte [13]. Another disadvantage which may become of detrimental in the future is the fact that MALDI is not easily compatible with LC-MS, this problem may have to be rectified id the popularity of MALDI is to c ontinue. Electrospray Ionization (ESI) has been described in detail under the methods of ionization section above and it can be seen that this young technique is proving to be very useful with LC-MS to investigate the a variety of molecules including proteins, DNA and synthetic polymers. The main problem with ESI-MS is that the mass spectra produced may contain many peaks of multiply charged ions which may cause confusion in the interpretation of spectra of some samples. The ESI instrument itself can also present with decreased sensitivity due to the presence of impurities such as salts and buffers, this is not the case with MALDI. Although both MALDI and ESI are both very effective methods of developing mass spectra for large molecules such as proteins, MALDI still remains the method of choice for most analyses. However, as discussed above the fact that MALDI is not very compatible with LC-MS may pave the way for a surge in popularity of the LC-MS friendly ESI. 7. The Future of Mass Spectrometry: Mass spectrometry has come along way since 1897 when Joseph J. Thompson used an early mass spectrometer to discover the electron and there is no reason why the mass spectrometer will continue to advance and evolve into the foreseeable future. The mass spectrometer is an extremely versatile analytical tool which can work in tandem and alongside other analytical methods such as chromatography seamlessly. The main areas in which mass spectrometers have been used for quantification of compounds are LC-MS and GC-MS using the various ionization methods respectively. LC-MS is the gold standard in quantitative bioanalyses and is used by the majority pharmaceutical companies. The other minority tend to use other techniques such as High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and UV as they deem LC-MS to be too expensive. An area of mass spectrometry to watch out for in the future is the use of ion-trap technology to perform LC-MS-MS to LC-MS [7]. This method already exists but reliable routine bioanalytical assays have not been produced as of yet. References: [1]  Ã‚   molecularstation.com/molecular-biology-images/506-molecular-biology-pictures/21-mass-spectrometer.html [2]  Ã‚   Daniel C. Harris: Quantitative Chemical Analysis, sixth edition (2003) published by W. H. Freeman and Company, New York. [3]  Ã‚   Donald L. Pavia, Gary M. Lampman, George S. Kriz and James R. Vyvyan: Introduction to Spectroscopy, fourth edition, published by Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learing. [4]  Ã‚   www.research.uky.edu/ukmsf/whatis.html [5]  Ã‚   Ionization Methods in Organic Mass Spectrometry [6]  Ã‚   Horning, E.C., Caroll, D.J., Dzidic, I., Haegele, K.D., Horning, M.G., and  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stillwell,R.N. (1974). Atmospheric pressure ionization (API) mass spectrometry. Solvent-mediated ionization of samples introduced in solution and in a liquid chromatograph effluent stream,   J. Chromatography. Sci, 12, (11), 725-729 [7]  Ã‚   RF Venn (Ed) (2000) Principles and practice of Bioanalysis Taylor and Francis. [8]  Ã‚   Ashcroft, A.E. (1997) Ionisation Methods in Organic Mass Spectrometry, Cambridge,   UK: The Royal Society of Chemistry. [9]  Ã‚   asms.org/whatisms/p1.html: The American Society of Mass Spectrometry [10]  Ã‚   Skelton, R., Dubols, F., Zenobl, R. Analytical Chemistry (2000), 72, 1707-1710 [11]  Ã‚   Zschornig, Markus Pietsch, Roesmarie SuB., Jurgen Schiller and Michael Gutschow. Cholesterol esterase action on human high density lipoproteins and inhibition studies: detection by MALDI-TOF MS.    [12]  Ã‚   Zenobi, R, Knochenmuss, R. Mass Spectrom, Rev. 1999, 17, 337-366.

Free sample - Poes Horror. translation missing

Poes Horror. Poe's HorrorINTRODUCTION Edgar Allan Poe (1809 - 1849) was a famous poet in America who wrote many stories and poems (Hossick 28). He was also an editor as well as a writer and he worked with several journals and publishing homes. He is most famous for his stories of mystery. It is believed that Edgar Allan made a generous contribution to the genre of scientific fiction through his stories and poems of mystery. The most outstanding stories by this poet are the black cat, the cask of Amontillado, William Wilson and the man of the crowd. These four stories are the area of interest in this paper and a comparison in the themes of the four stories will be made. DISCUSSION THE STORIES 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   BLACK CAT This story is narrated by Edgar himself and he explains that the story is inspired by his childhood passion for domestic animals. The story is about him and his favorite pet, a cat named as Pluto. Pluto and Edgar were good friends until Edgar changed abruptly, became violent and a drunkard. The situation worsened and Edgar killed the cat, an act that haunted him and prompted him to look for another cat to replace Pluto with. The new black cat does not bring peace to Edgar and the story ends with Edgar killing both the black cat and his wife. The narrator takes the audience through the story with lots of symbolism and imagery. The main theme of this story is the man’s fear of the unknown such as the fear of darkness, illusion and spaces. In the story, Edgar finds his house on fire after killing Pluto, and later he sees an image of a huge cat on the wall of his house. Perverseness is also a theme in this story where the quilt feeling by Edgar causes fear in his life (Barger and Poe, 59). There is also the theme of self destruction which is shown by the way Edgar brings trouble to himself through alcoholism and his violent actions. Another theme is the theme of vengeance (Lippmann 45). The black cat haunts Elgar in order to avenge its death and in the end of the story, the cat alerts draws the attention of the police to the acts of Elgar. The most outstanding elements in this story are the elements of horror and superstition. It is superstition that makes Edgar think that he has seen a cat on the wall of his burnt house, a symbol of Pluto hanging on the noose. Another important element in the story is the cat itself, which plays the roles of an actor, symbol, and a device to develop the plot. It doubles up as both a real creature and a ghost by dying and another cat reappearing in the story. This element of doubling is used in German folklore to signify bad luck or bad omen. The name Pluto is also symbolic as according to Roman mythology, the name symbolizes death or misfortunes. The story is also ambiguous, with the question of whether the reappearance of the cat was natural or superstitious being left unanswered. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CASK OF AMONTILLADO In this story the narrator, Montressor, is not happy as the others during the annual celebration of the beginning of Lentern season. The reason why he is not happy is because of the many offenses committed against him by Furtunato. Montressor is out to revenge and he looks for an opportunity to do so. He uses a new wine by the name of Amontillado as bait to catch Furtunato and he succeeds and kills him brutally. The themes in the story are revenge, deception and pride. Montressor is out to revenge against Fortunato for the many offences he has committed, the most recent one being an insult. Deception is another theme shown by the way the way Montressor uses Amontillado to lure Fortunato to the catacombs where he kills him. Pride is evidenced by the believe Fortunato has on his ability to know whether the wine presented to him is truly Amontillado. He believed in his ability even though he was not sober and he was also unwell (Barger and Poe 88). 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   WILLIAM WILSON The story is narrated by a person on the verge of death, and it first builds on flash back. He is disturbed and seeks to get the reader to sympathize with him by informing the reader that his bad deeds were out of unavoidable circumstances. One theme of the story is the enemy within, which means destroying oneself or working against ones interests through alcoholism, drug abuse and others. There is an inner spirit that develops within us and cause fear of some things, depression or lack of sleep. According to Barger and Poe, the narrator is facing such a situation and in his struggle to overcome it, he fights against himself and loses (620). The other theme is the theme of terror which is shown by the way the narrator struggles to fight against an imaginary enemy. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   THE MAN OF THE CROWD This is the story of a man in the streets of London who has been suffering from an unknown illness. His sits outside and starts categorizing passers by where he notices one old man and follows him. The pursuit extends to the next day and the man is not able to understand the mission of the old man. The main theme in this story is the theme of mystery which is shown in the way the young man can not categorize the old man from the looks, as opposed to the other people in the streets. Even after following the old man for a long time, the man can not tell the motives of the old man and leaves the reader to find out for themselves (Barger and Poe 298). COMPARISON OF THE STORIES   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through out the four stories, there are some themes that seem to recur, which are insanity as opposed to rationality, obsession, man and death, double identity, love or hatred, curiosity, resolve among others. About insanity and rationality, in the four stories there are people whose decisions are not driven by rationality but by an element of insanity. In the Black cat, the insanity was brought by influence from alcohol and Elgar is not in control of his decisions (Lippmann 68). Also, in the Cask of Amontillado, Fortunato is driven by drunkenness to accept the challenge to test the wine. The same case applies to the story William Wilson who is so disturbed that his decisions are not rational. In the man of the crowd, the man is driven by an unnamed sickness to sit idly in a coffee shop and categorize people. His move to follow an old man for so long is also an insane decision since he does not stand to benefit from discovering who the old man was.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another common theme in the stories is obsession. The characters in the stories are obsessed with different things and this obsession is a source of misfortunes or death to the characters. In the Black cat, the narrator is obsessed with the cat, his favorite pet and alcohol while in the story of the cask of Amontillado; Fortunato is obsessed with alcohol (Lippmann 176). There is also the obsession with discovering the truth in the man of the crowd. In the story of William Wilson, the narrator is obsessed with fighting against self and wining.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the stories, double identity is used to develop the plot. In the black cat, the black cat doubles as a both a natural creature as well as a ghost by dying and reappearing. In the story of the cask of Amontillado, the wine doubles as something to cheer up Fortunato and also as something to kill him. In the story William Wilson, the narrator’s struggle against self results to both a win and a loss while in the story the man of the crowd, the young man doubles as the man we know as well as a mysterious man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the stories, Elgar has employed the use of symbolism, anaphora and first person narration in his work. In the story of the black cat, the cat is used to symbolize misfortune. In the cask of Amontillado, the name ‘Amontillado’ is also used to show bad luck. Anaphora is repeating a phrase or a word before the beginning of lines often to show emphasis and create balance. In the story of the black cat, he uses anaphora as shown in the line â€Å"...I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen†¦..†(Barger and Poe 62) and in the story of William Wilson, anaphora is shown in the line â€Å"†¦The same name! The same contour of person! The same of arrival...† (Barger and Poe 625).Irony is also used as shown in the story of the black cat. The cat which was initially a great friend to Edgar turned to be an enemy and cause of trouble to him. In the cask of Amontillado, when Montressor gives Fortunato wine, he toasts â€Å"to his long life† knowing very well that h would kill him. When they are ascending the stairs, he also tells him that his life is respected, which was not true since he was planning to kill him.  Ã‚   CONCLUSION Allan Edgar was a good writer who used various tools in his short stories to develop the story as well as to bring out the various themes. His favorite themes were mystery, obsession and revenge and these are common in most of his works (Hossick 67). He used the first person narration since it is more captivating and also convenient. His short stories are informative, thrilling as well as entertaining due to his literature skills.    WORKS CITED Barger, Andrew and Poe, Allen, E. Edgar Allen Poe Annotated and illustrated entire Stories and Poems. London: Bottletree Books LLC, 2008. Print. Hossick, Malcolm. Edgar Allen Poe. New York: Ardent Media, 2007. Print Lippmann, Babette. Edgar Allen Poe- â€Å"The Philosophy of Composition†: An Analysis of His Work. Norderstedt: GRIN Verlag, 2007.Print

Finance and Accounting Individual Assignment Essay

Finance and Accounting Individual Assignment - Essay Example It was later reorganized in 2001 to become the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). In 1973 the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) was also born. The accounting standards that the FASB helps formulate for accountants in the United States are the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Over 100 countries around the world are currently using the international financial reporting standards (IFRS) created by the IASB. The amount of countries that have adopted the IFRS has drastically increase in the 21st century since prior to 2002 only eight countries were using IFRS (Fasb, 2011). In the 1990s the concept of accounting convergence began to raise interest among the business community which caught the attention of FASB and IASC. In 1994 the FASB and IASC undertook their first standard setting project together. The purpose of the project was to improve the earnings per share (EPS) standards to eliminate any differences in the calculation of the metric between the two standard setting bodies. The following year both standard setting bodies collaborated in another project whose purpose was to compare the U.S. GAAP and the IASC standards. Once the IASC was converted into the IASB in 2001 the pace of convergence accelerated a lot. One of the major events that helped the IASB gain credibility worldwide was the adoption of the European Union of IFRS. A project that was signed in 2002 in which the FASB and IASB agreed to improve convergence between U.S. GAAP and IFRS was the Norwalk Agreement. â€Å"The Norwalk Agreement set out the shared goal of developing compatible, high-quality accounting standards that could be used for both domestic and cross-border financial reporting† (Fasb, 2011). In 2006 the FASB and IASB issues a Memorandum of Understanding that created a two year deadline to achieve greater progress in the convergence project by 2008. In 2007 the Securities and Exchange Commission released a concept released that allowed com panies the optional use of IFRS by U.S issuers in the financial statements filed by companies for the SEC. Another sign of progress in the convergence project was the creation in 2007 of a converged standard by the FASB and IASB for business combinations. In 2008 the SEC issued a proposed roadmap to adoption of IFRS in the United States and a proposed rule on optional early use of IFRS. The latest update on the convergence project was issued on April 21, 2011 in a document called Progress Report on IASB-FASB Convergence Work (Fasb, 2011). The MSA program is a great opportunity for me to develop my skills and abilities in the accounting profession. In the competitive work environment of the 21st century gaining a graduate education can give me a competitive advantage over other candidates. In the United States only about 6.8% of the population has a master’s degree (Info, 2005). The five courses accounting courses in the UOP MSA curriculum look like outstanding courses that wi ll help me gain more specialized knowledge in accounting. I am looking very forward to taking the forensic accounting course. â€Å"Forensic accounting is a specialty requiring the integration of investigative, accounting, and auditing skills† (Answers, 2011). Forensic accounting can be used by corporations to solve legal problems. Once I complete this program the doors of opportunity are going to open for me. Accounting is one of the hottest professional fields. Due to the complexity

Protecting Information Resources Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Protecting Information Resources - Assignment Example Instead, one should memorize one’s PIN to prevent an identity thief from determining it. A third recommendation is analyzing one’s credit releases. To know about possible identity thefts, one should go through his or her credit reports regularly to view transactions, registrations, approvals, and any previous activity on one’s cards or accounts. Regular analysis hinders potential harm since one detects identity theft promptly. Fourthly, shredding documents with one’s personal information or numbers is a critical and safe way of disposing it. A shredding machine is the simplest, relatively cheap, and best way to safeguard oneself from dumpster divers. One hinders identity thieves from getting personal information from one’s trash by shredding document such as preapproved cards, checks, bank declarations, and deposit slips. Lastly, checking one’s mail early lowers exposure to mail theft. One can ask the post office to hold your mail when one has traveled for a given period. Also locking the mailbox prevents thieves from accessing mail with personal

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) Essay Example for Free

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) Essay HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) that disables the immune system.  It was discovered in 1983 .HIV enters the body through the bloodstream and duplicates itself rapidly.  The victim is susceptible to infectious diseases that eventually are fatal (1). Statistically, HIV/AIDS is the number one killer of African-American women ages 25 to 34, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Between 2000 and 2003, they were nineteen times more likely than White females and five times more likely than Hispanic females to contract the disease.   African-American men were seven times more likely than White men and three times the rate of Hispanic men to contract HIV/AIDS (2). In 2008, there is still not a cure for AIDS.  Instead, scientists have discovered drugs that can slow down the progression of the disease. Protease inhibitors (PIs) are antiviral drugs that slow down the spread of HIV (1). The virus produces a protein called protease so that it can replicate itself.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Protease cuts long chains of proteins and enzymes into shorter chains, the first step in the process by which HIV infects a cell† (1).  If this doesn’t happen, replication does not continue. In 1987, AZT was the first anti-HIV medication that was created.   It showed hope and kept people healthier longer.   However, the side effects were very high for men.   Since that time, more HIV medications have evolved.   Antiretroviral therapy usually consists of combinations of nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, protease inhibitors, or fusion inhibitors, which are prescribed in the later stages of HIV (19). Dual protease inhibitor therapy is also being used clinically (3).  They are also associated with improving morbidity and mortality of HIV-positive persons (5).  Although these drugs are expensive, they have proven to be the most successful therapy in managing HIV.   However, some patients don’t comply 100% with their treatments.   This is largely due to the side effects. Sometimes they make a patient feel worse than the actual disease. The most commonly reported ones are abdominal pain, abnormal bowel movements, diarrhea, fatigue, headache, and nausea.   Children usually develop a skin rash. The more serious side effects are liver problems and pancreatitis.   Some patients have also seen large increase in triglyceride ad cholesterol levels.   Diabetics saw an increase in their blood sugar levels.   Other patients developed diabetes while taking protease inhibitors (16). Presently, nine PIs have been approved for use in the United States and Europe:   amprenavir, atazanavir, fosamprenavir, lopinavir, indinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, tipranavir, and nelfinavir. Three non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) are used for treatment of HIV:  nevirapine, delavirdine, and efavirenz (7). Drug treatment selection depends on factors such as drug resistance, tolerability, drug interactions, and effectiveness. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) â€Å"has been proposed so that practitioners may better maintain appropriate plasma concentrations of drugs in their patients by identifying interactions with other medications and assessing medication adherence   (7). Figure 1 shows the structures of these compounds. Fig. 1. Chemical structures of protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. About 50% of â€Å"treatment-naà ¯ve patients† don’t have continued antiviral response after one year of therapy (18). In some cases, there is a development of drug resistance and metabolic complications.   Also, â€Å"there is increasing evidence that virological treatment failure is correlated with variations in the pharmacokinetic parameters of drugs (20).   This can be due to drug interactions, low bioavailability, and variations in metabolic enzyme activity.   Atazanavir (ATV) has good oral bioavailability and a favorable pharmacokinetics profile (18).   With this in mind, patients can mostly take a once-daily dose. A separate analytical method has been recently published for quantifying ATV in human plasma using solid phase extraction and HPLC with PDA (photodiode array) detection at 201 nm (18).   This method provides excellent separation of ATV from its internal standard, clozapine (CLZ) and the other PIs, thus, obtaining an accurate measurement of the drug (see figure 2). CLZ elutes at 8.9 minutes, and ATV elutes a 24.4 minutes. A 40-ml injection resulted in a recovery yield of 100%. Fig. 2.   Chromatogram of ATV with PIs/NNRTIs (8000 ng/ml) spiked with CLZ Nelfinavir mesylate has been shown in phase III controlled clinical trials to significantly reduce viral load and increase CD4+ cell counts when used with reverse transcriptase inhibitors. It’s prescribed as part of triple drug combination therapy (9). CD4+ are helper T cells.   They are important for immune reconstitution in patients that are receiving antiretroviral therapy (10).   After a large number of these cells are destroyed, AIDS develops (7). Six clinical trials was conducted in the past ten years using 2, 148 HIV-infected children enrolled in the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group treatment trials (10).   Patient ages varied from 2 to 7 years of age.   The focus was to observe short-term variability of CD4 percentages.   The study found that 49% of patients had CD4 percentages above 25%.   32% of patients had CD4 counts between 15% and 24%; 19% were less than 15%.   Finally, 5.4% had a CD4% of less than 5% (10). In June 2006, Darunavir (DRV) was licensed in the United States.   It is a promising PI that is active against HIV strains that are resistant to the other PIs that currently on the market (17).   It is prescribed in 600-mg doses that are taken twice daily with 100 mg of ritonavir that acts as a booster. Protease inhibitors are associated with unfavorable pharmacokinetics and many side effects such as gastrointestinal disturbances and lipid abnormalities (5).  Four of the most common PIs used are indinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, and nelfinavir (3).  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Monitoring blood concentration of PIs, which can indicate both therapeutic and toxic levels of the drugs as well as patient noncompliance with the medication, may improve the care of both HIV-infected adults and children† (3). When ritonavir was first introduced, it was given in doses of 600 mg every 12 hours. â€Å"However, patient intolerance of full doses led to its primary use as a pharmacologic enhancer to increase the concentrations in plasma of a second protease inhibitor to improve the convenience of antiretroviral regimens by extending the dosing interval, reducing pill burden, and /or eliminating food-induced reductions in pharmacokinetic exposure† (8).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Researchers used High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) to determine concentrations of PIs in blood.  Various methods have been used to study the pharmacokinetics and drug interactions. Interpreting plasma levels can be used to â€Å"individualize drug dosage of antiretrovirals (4). Quality control (QC) procedures must be done to ensure that these methods are accurate and precise.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Such procedures usually include intralaboratory (internal) method validation, intralaboratory QC procedures, and participation in an interlaboratory QC program for antiretroviral drugs† (4). Since the latter hadn’t been done before, it was established so that laboratories can obtain better measurement results of antiretroviral drugs. Nine laboratories participated in the first part of the program.  The first part of the experiment involved the measurement of the protease inhibitors:  indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, and saquinavir.  All had a specified purity of 99% or higher.  QC samples were prepared by spiking blank plasma from HIV-negative volunteers with PI standard. The low concentrated standards ranged from 0.087 to 0.15 mg/L while the intermediate concentrated standards contained ranged from 2 to 3 mg/L of all four PIs.  Finally, the high-concentrated standards contained approximately 5 to 11 mg/L of drug.  All drugs were dissolved in methanol following accurate weighings and diluted with blank plasma (4). High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyze twelve samples.  All laboratories measuring more than one protease inhibitor used as assay for â€Å"simultaneous determination† (4).  Six laboratories used HPLC/UV and three labs used HPLC-MS/MS. Mass spectrometry detection is often recommended for measurement of low concentration levels.  Also, this type of analysis is usually faster and â€Å"does not require complete resolution of drugs for detection and quantification† (5).  Only five laboratories were able to measure all four PIs.  Three laboratories were not able to determine nelfinavir.  One laboratory only measured indinavir (4). Acceptable accuracy results are between 80% and 120%.  Only indinavir resulted in an acceptable accuracy of 80%.  The remaining PIs had between 36% and 74% accuracy.  These results should encourage laboratories to improve their analytical methods and QC procedures.  Other PIs, such as amprenavir and lopinavir, can be analyzed as well (4). HIV-positive plasma samples are heat inactivated before analysis, approximately 58 °C for 40 minutes, to decrease the risk of infection to the operator.  They may also go through a freeze/thaw cycle. As with the QC study, blank plasma was spiked with seven PIs (indinavir, amprenavir, atazanavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, lopinavir, and nelfnavir) at low, intermediate, and high concentrations measured in ng/ml.  Certain assays only require 100  µl of plasma for analysis.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"This is advantageous when measuring PI concentrations as part of clinical studies as they often necessitate hourly sampling to generate complete PK profiles; therefore less blood can be drawn from the patient† (5).  In addition, seven PIs can be quantified in one assay, but impossible to assay all seven in a single preparation. â€Å"The use of liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) has emerged as the developmental method of choice supporting clinical and pre-clinical pharmacokinetic studies† (13). Recovery for the HPLC-MS/MS methods was above 87% for all seven drugs at all three concentration levels (5).  It was successful in quantifying seven PI concentrations in plasma of HIV positive persons that participated in a run time of nine minutes.  Therefore, the assay may be used for determining PI concentrations in semen, lymphocytes, and cerebrospinal fluid (5). A fast and highly-sensitive LC-MS-MS method was developed that could analyze five protease inhibitors (amprenavir, indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, and saquinavir) in one run using an internal standard.   Sample sizes were small (ng/ml) and run times were approximately 5 minutes.   Recoveries for all five PIs were between 87% and 92%(11). Tipranavir is part of a class of non-peptidic PIs that works against both â€Å"wild-type virus and variants resistant to current PIs†(6).  It also has a high genetic barrier.  Tipranavir is prescribed in a 500-mg dose taken in combination with 200 mg of ritonavir twice daily as part of antiretroviral therapy for patients with HIV-1 strains that are resistant to multiple PIs (6). Fig. 3. Tipranavir chemical structure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An HPLC-UV method has been validated and is currently applied when monitoring tipranavir (TPV) plasma levels in HIV patients.  Samples were prepared for solid phase extraction (SPE) by conditioning the cartridges with 0.1% phosphoric acid, pH 7.  TPV stock solutions with a concentration of 5 mg/ml were diluted from with 50% methanol. Samples were spiked with TPV at 1.875, 7.5, 18.75, 37.5, 60, and 75  µg/ml in triplicate. QC samples were diluted with blank plasma and phosphate buffer to 5.625, 22.5, and 67.5  µg/ml.  Clozapine was used as the internal standard (6).  5-ml aliquots of blood samples were obtained from HIV infected patients.  The plasma obtained from centrifugation was heated at 60 ° C for one hour in a water bath. TPV in plasma was measured at a UV absorbance of 201 nm with a retention time of 32.2 minutes. Its internal standard, clozapine (CLZ) has a retention time of 8.3 minutes (6). Figure 4 below shows the chromatogram of TPV, its internal standard, and all other PIs and NNRTIs  present.   Figure 5 shows TPV and its internal standard CLZ only. Fig. 4. Chromatogram of plasma control sample of TVP (22.5 mg/ml) spiked with internal standard and all PIs and NNRTIs. Fig. 5. Chromatogram of calibration sample of TVP (37.5 mg/ml) spiked with internal standard CLZ. Isocratic HPLC methods combined with the use of UV and fluorescence detection produces more sensitivity. Amprenavir is a fluorescent compound.   Its internal standard PR25 can also be seen under fluorescence (see figure 6). Fig. 6.   Blank plasma with 100 ng/ml amprenavir and 1000 ng/ml of PR25 seen under fluorescence. In conclusion, much progress has been made in the development of protease inhibitors and other antiretroviral therapy. HPLC with UV detection has been the most commonly used method of analysis.   It is rapid, simple, and highly sensitive.   LC-MS-MS has been noted at the developmental method of choice for clinical and pre-clinical pharmacokinetic studies (13).   More compounds can be analyzed in less time.   Also, they can be used for methods using other human biological matrices. For the majority of protease inhibitors, all side effects are not known. In 2007, darunavir was the new HIV protease inhibitor with eleven other antiretroviral agents on the market.   They can affect patients that have diabetes, liver problems, and hemophilia; their conditions can worsen as a result of taking PIs. Only a patient’s health care provider can determine the best treatment option REFERENCES Nagel, Rob. 2007. Protease Inhibitors. UXL Encyclopedia of Science; [cited 2008 May 8], Available from http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SciRC?ste=1docnum=cv2644301082. Health Hotline:   HIV and Genital Herpes [cited 2008 May8]; Available from http://www.ebony.com. â€Å"HPLC Assay for Common Protease Inhibitors Developed.†Antiviral Weekly; [cited 2008 May 07; Available from http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SciRC?ste=1docNum=A60069570. Aarnoutse, Rob E., Verweij-van Wissen, Corrien P.W.G.M., van Ewijk-Beneken Kolmer, Eleonora, W.J., Wuis, Eveline, W., Koopmans, Peter P., Hekster, Yechiel A., and Burger, David, M. 2001. International Interlaboratory Quality Control Program for Measurement of Antiretroviral Drugs in Plasma; Antimicrobial Agents and Chemo 46(3): 884-886. Dickinson, Laura, Robinson, Lesley, Tjia, John, Khoo, and Saye, Back, David. 2005. Simultaneous determination of HIV protease inhibitors amprenavir, atazanavir, indinavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir and saquinavir in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; J of Chrom. B 829:82-90. Colombo, S., Beguin, A., Marzolini, C., Telenti, A., Biollaz, J., and Decosterd, L.A. 2006.   Determination of the novel non-peptidic HIV-protease inhibitor tipranavir by HPLC-UV after solid-phase extraction; J of Chrom. B 832:138-143. Rezk, Naser L., Tidwell, Richard R., and Kashuba, Angela D.M. 2004.   High-performance liquid chromatography assay for the quantification of HIV protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in human plasma; J of Chrom. B 805:241-247. Shelton, Mark J.,Hewitt, Ross G., Adams, John, Dela-Coletta, Andrew, Cox, Steven, and Morse, Gene D. 2003. Pharmacokinetics of Ritonavir and Delavirdine in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients; Antimicrobial Agents and Chemo 47(5): 1694-1699. Zhang, Kanyin E., Wu, Ellen, Patick, Amy K., Kerr, Bradley, Zorbas, Mark, Lankford, Angela, Kobayashi, Takuo, Maeda, Yuki, Shetty, Bhasker, and Webber, Stephanie. 2001.Circulating Metabolites of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus protease Inhibitor Nelfinavir in Humans:   Structural Identification, Levels in Plasma, and Antiviral Activities; Antimicrobial Agents and Chemo 45(4): 1086-1093. Carey, Vincent J., Pahwa, Savita, and Weinberg, Adriana. 2005.   Reliability of CD4 Quantitation in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Children:   Implications for Definition of Immunologic Response to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy; Clinical and Diagnostic Lab Immunology 12(5): 640-643. Chi, Jingduan, Jayewardene, Anura L., Stone, Judith A., Motoya, Toshiro, and Aweeka, Francesca. 2002.   Simultaneous determination of five HIV protease inhibitors nelfinavir, indinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir and amprenavir in human plasma by LC/MS/MS; J of Pharm and Biomedical Analysis 30:675-684. Verbesselt, R., Van Wijngaerden, E., and de Hoon, J. 2007. Simultaneous determination of 8 HIV protease inhibitors in human plasma by isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography with combined use of UV and fluorescence detection: Amprenavir, indinavir, atazanavir, ritonavir, lopinavir, saquinavir, nelfinavir and M8-nelfinavir metabolite; J of Chrom. B 845:51-60. Frerichs, Valerie A., DiFrancesco, Robin, and Morse, Gene D. 2003. Determination of protease inhibitors using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; J of Chrom, B 787:393-403. Gangl, Eric, Utkin, Ilya, Gerber, Nicholas, and Vouros, Paul. 2002. Structural elucidation of metabolites of ritonavir and indinavir by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; J. of Chrom. A 974:91-101. Turner, Michele L., Reed-Walker, Kedria, King, Jennifer R., and Acosta, Edward P. 2003. Simultaneous determination of nine antiretroviral compounds in human plasma using liquid chromatography; J. of Chrom. B 784:331-341. 2008. Kaletra. [Cited 2008 May 16], Available from http://www.heartandsoul.com. D’Avolio, Antonio, Siccardi, Marco, Sciandra, Mauro, Lorena, Baietto, Bonora, Stefano, Trentini, Laura, and Di Perri, Giovanni.2007. HPLC-MS method for the simultaneous quantification of the new HIV protease inhibitor darunavir, and 11 other antiretroviral agents in plasma of HIV-infected patients; J. of Chrom. B 859:234-240. Colombo, S., Guignard, N., Marzolini, C., Telenti, A., Biollaz, J., and Decosterd, L.A. 2004. Determination of the new HIV-protease inhibitor atazanavir by liquid chromatography after solid-phase extraction; J. of Chrom. B 810:25-34. Weller, Dennis R., Brundage, Richard C., Balfour, Jr., Henry H., and Vezina, Heather E. An isocratic liquid chromatography method for determining HIV non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor and protease inhibitor concentrations in human plasma; J. of Chrom. B 848:369-373. Sarasa-Nacenta, Maria, Lopez-Pua, Yolanda, Mallolas, Josep, Blanco, Jose’ Luis, Gatell, Jose’ M., and Carne’, Xavier. Simultaneous determination of the HIV-protease inhibitors indinavir, amprenavir, ritonavir, saquinavir and nelfinavir in human plasma by reversed-phase high- performance liquid chromatography; J, of Chrom. B 757:325-332.

Quest for Eternity in the Poetry of Dickinson Essay -- Biography Biogr

Quest for Eternity in the Poetry of Dickinson      Ã‚  Ã‚   Over the past few decades, a considerable number of comments have been made on the idea of eternity in Emily Dickinson's poetry. The following are several examples: Robert Weisbuch's Emily Dickinson's Poetry (1975), Jane Donahue Eberwein's Dickinson: Strategies of Limitation (1985), Dorothy Huff Oberhaus' Emily Dickinson's Fascicles: Method and Meaning (1995), and James McIntosh's Nimble Believing: Dickinson and the Unknown (2000). However, opinions vary as to how Dickinson explored the question regarding eternity; much ink has still been spent on the issue. This paper, therefore, provides another discussion of the idea of eternity depicted in Dickinson's poetry. I will discuss the issue by considering how her poems describe the process through which the poet finally reaches the belief in eternity-overcoming the feud between Christianity and scientific knowledge and that between Romanticism and existentialism.    As a beginning, let us look closely at one of the poems in which Dickinson gives a detailed account of a deathbed scene: The last Night that She lived It was a Common Night Except the Dying-this to Us Made Nature different We noticed smallest things- Things overlooked before By this great light upon our Minds Italicized-as 'twere. As We went out and in Between Her final Room And Rooms where Those to be alive Tomorrow were, a Blame That Others could exist While She must finish quite A Jealousy for Her arose So nearly infinite-- (P-1100)    It is presumed that Dickinson wrote this piece of verse in circa 1886. In May of that year, Laura Dickey, the wife of Frank W. of Michigan, ... ...Dickinson. 2 vols. 1974. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1994. Stocks, Kenneth. Emily Dickinson and the Modern Consciousness. Hong Kong: Macmillan, 1988. Wolff, Cynthia Griffin. Emily Dickinson. 1986. Reading: Addison, 1988. Works Consulted Kjaer, Niels Pastor. "The Poet of Moment: Emily Dickinson and Soren Kierkegaard." Dickinson Studies 59 (1986): 46-9. McIntosh, James. Nimble Believing: Dickinson and the Unknown. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan P, 2000. Oberhaus, Dorothy Huff. Emily Dickinson's Fascicles: Method and Meaning. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 1995. Rosenbaum, S. P., ed. A Concordance to the Poems of Emily Dickinson. Ithaca: Cornell UP, 1964. Scholnick, Robert J., ed. American Literature and Science. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 1992. Weisbuch, Robert. Emily Dickinson's Poetry. Chicago: Chicago UP, 1975.   

Pathogenic Parasite and Waterborne Diseases in Three Stations

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Rivers are the bodies of water bearing an immense biological importance. Though they contain only about 0. 0001% of the total amount of water in the world at any given time, rivers are vital carriers of water and nutrients to areas all around the earth, they are essential components of the hydrological cycle, for they act as drainage channels for surface water and they serve as habitat for various organisms (Hebert, 2011). With rapid increase of the country’s population and urbanization, bodies of water tremendously began to be polluted.This event commenced the contamination of drinking water as well as the widespread occurrence of waterborne diseases. Waterborne diseases are often caused by parasites which are directly transmitted through consuming contaminated drinking water. Any water reserve, infested with pathogenic parasites, used in the preparation of food can be considered as a source of foodborne disease and could be easi ly transmitted through consumption of the same pathogenic parasites. These diseases commonly affect the digestive tract as well as the other vital parts of the body that may be fatal to anyone especially those who are immunocompromised (WHO, 2004).Globally, waterborne diseases such as diarrhea accounts for 1. 5 million deaths annually according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its report in 2010. It is considered one of the most dangerous diseases that could be acquired in flowing water and is a major health problem for developing countries. Also, according to World Health Organization (WHO) on its report in 2004, diarrheal disease accounts for an estimated 4. 1% of the total Disability-adjusted Life Year (DALY) global burden of disease and is responsible for the deaths of 1. million people every year. It was estimated that 88% of that burden is attributable to unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene, and is mostly concentrated in children in developing count ries. Over the time – from 2004 up to the present – , rapid increase in population, urbanization, and industrialization reduce the quality of Philippine waters, especially in densely populated areas and regions of industrial and agricultural activities. The discharge of domestic and industrial wastewater and agricultural runoff has caused extensive pollution of the receiving ater-bodies. This effluent is in the form of raw sewage, detergents, fertilizer, heavy metals, chemical products, oils, and even solid waste. Each of these pollutants has a different noxious effect that influences human livelihood and translates into economic costs. Access to clean and adequate water remains an acute seasonal problem in urban and coastal areas in the Philippines. The National Capital Region (Metro Manila), Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, and Central Visayas are the four urban critical regions in terms of water quality and quantity.The Government’s monitoring data indicates that just over a third or 36 percent of the country’s river systems are classified as sources of public water supply, up to 58 percent of groundwater sampled is contaminated with coliform and needs treatment, approximately 31 percent of illness monitored for a five-year period were caused by waterborne sources, and many areas are experiencing a shortage of water supply during the dry season. Nearly 2. 2 million metric tons of organic pollution are produced annually by domestic (48 percent), agricultural (37 percent), and industrial (15 percent) sectors.In the four water-critical regions, water pollution is dominated by domestic and industrial sources. Untreated wastewater affects health by spreading disease-causing parasites, makes water unfit for drinking and recreational use, threatens biodiversity, and deteriorates overall quality of life. Known diseases caused by poor water include gastro-enteritis, diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, dysentery and hepatitis. The number of water- related health outbreaks including deaths reported in newspapers is going up.However, awareness regarding the need for improved sanitation and water pollution control, reflected by the willingness-to-pay and connection to a sewerage system where they are easily available, is very low (Philippines: Environment Monitor, 2003; Greenpeace 2007). Davao City has been expanding and growing in terms of population, economy and industry. In this manner, more raw materials are being demanded by these different sectors and as a result destruction of the natural resources is inevitable. Davao river ranks number seven among the largest river basins in the Philippines.This is largest of the city’s nine principal watersheds. The river is the main natural reservoir of the aquifer in the city’s jurisdiction. Its length is about 143 kilometers. It has received domestic and industrial wastewater. Since the sewage systems have not yet been fully developed, the garbage has been discharge in to the river leading to a wide-scale contamination of Davao River (Pascua et. al. , 2011). At present, residents within Davao River unceasingly make use of the water for bathing and washing which may present various threats to them.Some use the river for livelihood e. g. sand quarrying and fishing and for recreational activities. But they are blinded by the fact that they can be infected by pathogenic parasites that would eventually lead to waterborne diseases. This study aims to determine the level of pathogenic parasites in the water. Having everyone in the community know the specific parasites present in the selected stations of Davao River – Bankerohan, Bucana and Magallanes – would eventually lead to a more effective prevention and disease control among the residents of the community.The goal of clean water for everyone has to be achieved in a growing population of a city. This study also aims to measure the level of waterborne diseases in Davao River. Through thi s study, we can help the people be oriented with the danger of using contaminated water from Davao River. Related Literature The importance of urban rivers and streams for urban ecology and quality of life in cities is an increasing concern worldwide. The present state of rivers is much dependent on the history and trends of the society in each country.In many situations water quality is still unsatisfying. Restoration of urban rivers is challenging because of intensive land use, danger of flooding and impacts of human activities for water quality and for the ecology of rivers (Jormola, 2008). Today about 50% of the global population are living in urban areas, placing one-third of their inhabitants into slums, and creating huge challenges to their environment and sanitation. Poor sanitation, poor treatments of waste water, as well as catastrophic floods introduce pathogenic bacteria into rivers, infecting and killing many people.The goal of clean water for everyone has to be achieve d with a still growing human population and their rapid concentration in large cities, often megacities. How long introduced pathogens survive in rivers and what their niches are remain poorly known but essential to control waterborne diseases in megacities. Biofilms are often niches for various pathogens because they possess high resistances against environmental stress. They also facilitate gene transfers of antibiotic resistance genes which become an increasing health problem.Beside biofilms, amoebae are carriers of pathogenic bacteria and niches for their survival (Abraham, 2011). The World Health Organization says that every year more than 3. 4 million people die as a result of water related diseases, making it the leading cause of disease and death around the world. Most of the victims are young children, the vast majority of whom die of illnesses caused by organisms that thrive in water sources contaminated by raw sewage (Berman, 2009). Waterborne Diseases Many illnesses, con taminants, and injuries can be water, sanitation, or hygiene-related.Waterborne diseases are caused by organisms that are directly spread through water. Water-related illnesses can be acquired due to lack of water for good hygiene and lack of sanitation. It is important to know how these diseases and contaminants affect humans where they are found, and how to reduce the chance getting ill or suffering injury. This will allow individuals to make informed decisions about water, hygiene, and sanitation-related activities (CDC, 2012). Parasitic Organisms Parasites may be present in food or in water and can be identified as causes of waterborne illness.They range in size, from tiny single-celled organisms to worms visible to the naked eye. Their lifecycle may also vary. While some parasites use a permanent host, others go through a series of developmental phases using different animal or human hosts. The illnesses they can cause range from mild discomfort to debilitating illness and poss ibly death (USDA, 2011). Parasites cause over 2 billion infections per year worldwide. In the immunocompromised host these infections generally represent reactivation of infection from donor or in the allograft recipient often long after the initial infection (Wiley, 2004).Inland and coastal surface waters can be contaminated by human waterborne zoonotic enteropathogens such as Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, Encephalitozoon intestinalis, E. hellem and Enterocytozoon bieneusi (Graczyket et. al, 2008). The aquatic ecosystem harbors many kinds of organisms. Some of these organisms are parasitic protozoa such as Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. , which have recently been recognized as important causes of water and food-borne disease outbreaks associated with fecal contamination (Doron, 2000; Karanis et al. , 2006).Cryptosporidium is a parasite commonly found in lakes and rivers, especially when the water is contaminated with sewage and animal wastes. There have been six m ajor outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis in the United States as a result of contamination of drinking water. One major outbreak in Milwaukee in 1993 affected over 400,000 persons. Cryptosporidial infection can thus be transmitted from fecally contaminated food and water, from animal-person contact, and via person-person contact. The probability of transmission from just a small amount of contamination is fairly high, since a recent study has determined that the 50% infective dose of C. arvum is only 132 oocysts for healthy persons with no previous serological immunity to cryptosporidiosis (Hannahs, G. 1995). Cryptosporidium is very resistant to disinfection, and even a well-operated water treatment system cannot ensure that drinking water will be completely free of this parasite. Cryptosporidium has caused several large waterborne disease outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness, with symptoms that include diarrhea, nausea, and/or stomach cramps (Freedrinkingwater. com, 2009). Cryptosporid iosis, a common finding in pediatric patients hospitalized for diarrhea in urban Manila, Republic of the Philippines.Urban areas, particularly in the developing countries, frequently experience severe overcrowding with concomitant diminished sanitation. This situation is conducive to the transmission of enteric pathogens. It would be reasonable to expect that cryptosporidium oocysts are readily passed from human-to-human, human-to-animal and animal-to-human hosts. In rural areas around the world, human cryptosporidiosis is putatively associated with close human-animal contact, as in the case of animal handlers and similar agricultural situations (Laxer, M. 2003).Giardia lamblia is the protozoan parasite responsible for the disease Giardiasis. Symptoms of acute Giardiasis include diarrhea, nausea, weight loss, malabsorption, abdominal cramps, flatulence, and anemia. The mode of transmission of Giardia is through fecal to oral route or ingestion of cysts. A person can become infected after accidentally swallowing the parasite; but cannot become infected through contact with blood. You can become infected with Giardia lamblia if you swallow contaminated recreational water. Recreational water such as in swimming pools, hot tubs, jacuzzis, fountains, lakes, rivers, prings, ponds, or streams that can be contaminated with sewage or feces from humans or animals (Vdresearch. com, 2008). The prevalence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium among 3,456 diarrheic patients corrected from May 2004 to May 2005 in the Philippines was determined. Of 133 (3. 8%) positive samples, 69 (2. 0%) were positive for Giardia and 67 (1. 9%) for Cryptosporidium. Three samples had co-infection with Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Luzon had the highest positive samples (5. 0%) followed by Mindanao (4. 9%), then Visayas (2. 2%). Giardia was most prevalent in Mindanao (3. 6%) while Cryptosporidium was most prevalent in Luzon (3. %). The prevalence of Giardia (2. 0%) among pediatric patients (0-18 years ) did not significantly differ from that (1. 9%) among adults (>18 years old). However, for Cryptosporidium, the prevalence (2. 9%) among pediatric patients was significantly higher compared to that (0. 2%) among adult patients. In the pediatric population, the highest percentage of patients with Giardia was the 5-9 year old age group, while that of Cryptosporidium was in the 0-4 year old group. The prevalence of Giardia, but not Cryptosporidium, was significantly higher in male than female adults (Natividad, F. 008). Amoebic dysentery (amoebiasis) which is the agent of Entamoeba histolytica is widely seen around the world. About 50 million people has become infected a year and eventually over 100,000 people lose their lives. Amoebiasis come into being in consequence of taken of quad-core mature cysts from water, foods, goods or hands by orally. E. histolytica trophozoites are placed into the colon mucosa and submucosa then forms a bloodymucus diarrhea table. It forms abscesses by m oving through blood to liver, lungs, brain and other tissues (Kaya, O. 2011).The infection is common in developing countries and predominantly affects individuals with poor socioeconomic conditions, nonhygienic practices, and malnutrition (Rivera, W. 1998). Related Studies Waterborne diseases are the most prevalent infectious diseases in the developing countries especially in new settlements along the river. Waterborne diseases occur worldwide, and outbreaks caused by the contamination of community water systems and accidental ingestion of recreational waters have the potential to cause disease in large numbers of consumers. Statistics on outbreaks linked to contaminated water have been vailable in the USA since 1920 (Craun 1986), and since 1971, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists have maintained a collaborative surveillance system for collecting data pertaining to the occurr ence and causes of outbreaks of waterborne disease (Barwick et al. 2000; Lee et al. 2002). In Europe during 1986–96, 277 outbreaks associated with drinking and recreational water were reported from 16 European countries (Kramer et al. 2001). At least 325 water-associated outbreaks of parasitic protozoan disease have been reported.North American and European outbreaks accounted for 93% of all reports and nearly two-thirds of outbreaks occurred in North America. Over 30% of all outbreaks were documented from Europe, with the UK accounting for 24% of outbreaks, worldwide. Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium parvum account for the majority of outbreaks (40. 6% and 165; 50. 8%, respectively), Entamoeba histolytica and Cyclospora cayetanensis have been the aetiological agents in nine (2. 8%) and six (1. 8%) outbreaks, respectively, while Toxoplasma gondii and Isospora belli have been responsible for three outbreaks each (0. %) and Blastocystis hominis for two outbreaks (0. 6%). Balantidium coli, the microsporidia, Acanthamoeba and Naegleria fowleri were responsible for one outbreak, each (0. 3%). Moreover, the occurrence of Giardia and Cryptosporidium (oo)cysts in recreational rivers from Malaysia was reported. It was carried out in water samples at two rivers, ‘Sungai Congkak’ and ‘Sungai Batu’, located in Selangor State. The occurrence of both Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum (oo)cysts was higher in Sungai Congkak (50% or 15/30 and 10% or 3/30 respectively) than Sungai Batu (16% or 5/30 and 3. % or 1/30 respectively). The mean density of cysts/L was 0. 72 in Sungai Congkak and 0. 023 in Sungai Batu, and that of oocysts/L was 0. 023 in Sungai Congkak and 0. 0033 in Sungai Batu, showing that the occurrence of Giardia was higher and more frequent than Cryptosporidium in both rivers. On the other hand, the Giardia and Cryptosporidium (oo)cysts were more concentrated at the downstream station, followed by midstream and upst ream stations which might be due to human factors where settlements and recreation areas were located around and between midstream and downstream stations.Failure to meet basic human needs for water in China leads to waterborne diseases and preventable deaths, especially among children. The OECD Environmental Indicators in China report issued in July 2007 estimated 30,000 rural children die each year from diarrhea caused by polluted water (OECD, 2007). The World Health Organization reported an incidence of 108. 4 mortalities per 100,000 persons from diarrhea-related illness in China in 2002. In 2003, the National Statistics Office said diarrheal diseases ranked second among the top causes of morbidity in the Philippines with 615,692 cases recorded (World Bank, 2006).Diarrhea is considered a major cause of morbidity, especially in developing countries. In the Philippines, it was the leading cause of morbidity for the years 2001 and 2003, and the second in 2002 (National Statistics Of fice, 2006). Common causes of diarrhea are infections due to protozoa. These causative agents are either foodborne or waterborne. Among enteric protozoa, Giardia lamblia (syn. G. intestinalis or G. duodenalis) and Cryptosporidium spp. are the most commonly reported causes of water-borne diarrhea outbreaks (Natividad et al,2008).The protozoa G. lamblia was first reported in the Philippines in 1977 and since then has been identified as a common intestinal parasite. Studies done in Luzon, in various localities in the Visayas, and in the southern islands of Mindanao indicate wide distribution of Giardia in the Philippines. (Natividad et al, 2008). Stool examinations in the Philippines typically included the identification of the common etiologic agents of diarrheas such as G. lamblia and Cryptosporidium.According to the most recent nationwide survey of Giardia and Cryptosporidium provides basic information on the prevalence of these enteric protozoa in the Philippines. (Buerano et al, 2 008). The worsening water quality is related to incidence of waterborne diseases, and is likely to increase a negative impact of floods on human health. Example of this is an unusual flood that occurred in Marikina City, resulting in high mortality and morbidity rates due to gastroenteritis and other waterborne diseases (The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, August 2008).The pollution of the surface water in Agusan River could cause a variety of contagious diseases. Those diseases could outbreak through several routes such as: infection by parasites (such as schistosome), which inhabit in the water and drinking of and/or contact with the polluted water river that may cause dysentery and diarrhea (Lomboy, 2011). Instead of developing Davao River as an economic resource, it is currently being used as a central septic tank according to the Davao River Conservation Coordinating Committee.A study conducted by the committee showed that about 11 drainage systems in the city are moving in to the Davao River (Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp. , 2004). Currently, Davao River has become a dumping site for garbage, biological wastes, chemical wastes and other pollutants carried by the residents and even people just within the area (Pascua et. al. , 2011). Thus, areas near or within the urbanized populace such as Bankerohan, Magallanes and Bucana, are considered polluted and may be the source of detrimental effects to those who live nearby. Conceptual FrameworkINDEPENDENT VARIABLEDEPENDENT VARIABLE Fig. 1 Conceptual Paradigm Showing the Relationship of Independent and Dependent Variables of the Study Presented in Fig. 1 above is the conceptual paradigm showing the independent variable, the pathogenic parasites and its levels on the three stations of Davao River namely Bankerohan, Magallanes and Bucana and is the subject of the study. The waterborne diseases and its levels would depend on what pathogenic parasites are found on the three stations of Davao River and is consid ered the dependent variable of the study.Statement of the Problem This study specifically aims to answer the following questions: 1. What is the level of pathogenic parasites in the following stations of Davao River: 1. Bankerohan? 2. Magallanes? 3. Bucana? 2. Is there a significant difference among the levels of pathogenic parasites? 3. What is the level of waterborne diseases in the following stations of Davao River: 1. Bankerohan? 2. Magallanes? 3. Bucana? 4. Is there a significant difference among the levels of waterborne diseases? 5.Is there a significant association between the level of pathogenic parasites and the level of waterborne diseases? Null Hypotheses 1. Hypothesis free 2. There is no significant difference among the levels of pathogenic parasites in the three stations of Davao River. 3. Hypothesis free 4. There is no significant difference among the levels of waterborne diseases in the three stations of Davao River. 5. There is no significant association between the level of pathogenic parasites and the level of waterborne diseases in the three stations of Davao River. Significance of the StudyThe results of this study would provide advantages to various fields namely: Government – They would be able to implement policies and ordinances regarding proper waste management and the dos and don’ts regarding the use of water from the river. The affected residents within the area would be supported and information dissemination within the community would be implemented. Environmental Groups and Agencies – Having been aware on the situation of the 3 stations of Davao River, they would be able to provide solutions to lessen its contamination and prevent increase on water pollution.Community – They would be given health awareness as well as the possible implementation of preventive measures and disease control. Teachers – This study would serve as an educational supplement and could be regarded as a learning material th at could give additional knowledge to those who would desire to conduct a study related to pathogenic organisms found in urbanized rivers. Students – This study could serve as a reference material for further researches. Definition of Terms Davao River. It is one of the largest rivers in the Philippines and the largest in Davao Region.It has a length of 143 kilometers. Salug River located in San Fernando, Bukidnon is its source and the mouth is located at the Davao Gulf. Bacteria. They are single-celled prokaryotic microscopic living organisms that could be pathogenic or likely to cause disease especially waterborne diseases since they could live in water and easily multiply. Parasite. It is an organism that lives in or on another organism (its host) and benefits by getting nutrients directly to its host. It is usually acquired through ingestion of contaminated food or water.Waterborne disease. It is a disease acquired by drinking water contaminated at its source or in the di stribution system, or by direct contact with environmental and recreational waters. It is a disease which results from infection with pathogenic microorganisms or chemical poisoning. Pathogenic microorganisms include viruses, bacteria, protozoans and helminthes. ———————– Waterborne diseases †¢ Bucana †¢ Magallanes †¢ Bankerohan Pathogenic Parasites †¢ Bucana †¢ Magallanes †¢ Bankerohan