Observation and Analysis of the Business Essay Example for Free

Observation and Analysis of the Business Essay 1 Introduction The following Report is based on the Research, Observation and Analysis of the Business letters that are contained at the end of this report. The outcome of this report will help me with my communication and design skills; I will then be a much better position to prepare my own Business letter in the future. This Report was set by Terry Dickenson and Adrianne Oates to be completed by 11th November 2002. This Date has been met. I have studied the Business letters and discussed with a couple of colleagues the layout, design and content of the letters and this has influenced the points made in the report. I obtained the Business letters from Wickes, Sports Shoes Unlimited and . 2 Examination of Business letters Letter number 1: Wickes Layout The Layout is very important in a Business letter. Whether it looks professional and Business like is very important. It has to look like a Business letter. The Wickes Business letter has a nice letterhead. It has the logo and it does not come down further than 4 cm. It doesnt have an Address, however it does have the Head Office and the Registered Office address in the footer along with a contact number and the company registration number. The Business letter header has been printed in black and white. The logo is black and white logo. Printing/Paper The paper is just cheap printing paper; the letter has been printed out in Black and White. It is been made to look professional by having a letterhead but has been printed in black and white. This means the letter is in expensive to produce. The paper is standard printer paper; it has no embossing or watermark on it. Font/Writing style The font is a sans serif font, probably Arial. It is Black text on white paper. It is fairly small text, about 12 or 14 point. The company has used Bold text to make the important text stand out. Content/Accuracy The content of the Letter is accurate; it contains no errors and has been set out in an appropriate manner. The letter is very general. It has been created using mail merge, the letter has been sent to all the customers in the companys contacts database. The company has put the main points next to bullet points, this means the customer will remember the main points, this is what the company wants so it is well designed. Letter number 2: Sports Shoes Unlimited Layout The Sports Shoes Business letter has a nice letterhead. It has colour. It has, like the Wickes Letter got a logo and the letterhead does not come down further than 4 cm. The Address and contact numbers has been put in the footer instead of the header. The company registration number has not been put on the letter at all. The Business letter header has been printed in colour. It makes the letter look a better quality letter. The logo is in colour. Printing/Paper The paper is quite expensive. The letter has been printed out in colour, because of the letterhead. It has been made to look professional by having a letterhead. The company have spent time and money making the letter look good. It has been printed on glossy paper, which is expensive. The letter has then been printed in colour as well. This means the letter is more expensive to produce than the Wickes letter. The paper is glossy, but it has no embossing or watermark on it. Font/Writing style The font is a sans serif font, like the Wickes Letter. It is Black text on white paper. It is fairly small text, about the same size as the text on the Wickes letter, 12 point. The company has used no Bold text, but has used capitals to make the important text stand out. Content/Accuracy The content of the Letter is accurate; it contains no errors or miss spelt words. The letter has been set out in an appropriate manner. The letter has probably been created using mail merge, the letter has been sent to all the customers in the companys contacts database, just like the Wickes letter. This is common for companies who want to contact all their customers; it is a cheap and effective way to create the letter. The company has used paragraphs to break up the long text. This means the customer will remember more of the letter than if it was solid blocks of writing. It is also more likely the customer reads the whole document rather than giving up after the first couple of lines if the writing is broken into manageable chunks. Letter number 3:New College Letter Layout The New College letter has a letterhead. It is in black and white. It has, like the Wickes and the Sports Shoes Letter got a logo and the letterhead does not come down further than 4 cm. It does not contain an Address in the letter, however it does have a contact number. The Business letter header has been printed in black and white. It makes the letter look less appealing than a letterhead in colour, but it is cost effective. The logo is in colour. Printing/Paper The paper is not expensive at all, it is standard printing paper like the Wickes letter. The letter has been printed out in black and white. It has been made to look professional by having a letterhead. It has been printed on normal non-expensive printing paper. This means the letter is not expensive to produce at all. The paper has no embossing or watermark on it, the letter has just been printed straight out onto normal paper as you would a report or a word document. Font/Writing style The font is a sans serif font, like the Wickes and the Sports Shoes Letter. It is Black text on white paper. It is medium sized text, about one point bigger than the other two letters. The company has emphasised the title of the letter by putting it in bold type and underlining it, it has also been put in capitals. No emphasising has been used to make any of the body text stand out. Content/Accuracy The content of the Letter is accurate; it contains no errors or miss spelt words. The letter has been set out in an appropriate manner, using paragraphs. The letter has not been created using mail merge, however it doesnt need to have been because it has been addressed to a group of people rather than an individual. It is a cheap and effective way to create the letter; this can only be done if there is no confidential information in the letter. The company has used paragraphs to break up the long text. The company has used fairly large text to make it easy on the eyes. 3 Conclusions Having analysed the three Business letters I have came up with the following conclusions that will help be when making my own Business Letter: 1. Always have a colour letterhead. 2. Do not make the letterhead come down the page more than 4 cm. 3. Use bold text and capital letters to emphasise phases and words. 4. Always include some contact information. 5. Always sign and print your name at the end of the letter. 6. Use paragraphs to break up the long text. 7. Use the most cost effective method of printing your letter. 8. Use mail merge if necessary to save time. Doing this analysis has equipped me well to carry on and do my own Business letter.

Gender Analysis of Sports Presenters

Gender Analysis of Sports Presenters CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION The mindset of public towards the gender roles in sports Based on the findings in Chapter 4, the mindset of public in Kuala Lumpur towards the gender roles in sports is more open-minded in general. This means that the public in Kuala Lumpur believed that sports are not only males’ roles but it could be belonged to females too. However, there is only Gunther et al.’s (2011) study to support that the mindset of the public towards gender roles in sports is generally open-minded. From the findings, it is shown that the mindset of public disagreed that females are less knowledgeable and less competitive in sports as compare to males. This is supported by the study of Gunther et al. (2011), whereby the results shown that the public do not agree that females are less knowledgeable than males in sports. However, the findings of this study is contrasted by the study by Short (2012), in which it was mentioned that female sports broadcasters were seen as less competent and less knowledgeable in sports which showed contrast with the results of this study. In an interview, Kremer (2011) also mentioned that public often criticized that women do not know about sports, which also contradicted with the findings of this study. Although the mindset of public in Kuala Lumpur is open-minded, they believed males are the dominants and males are stronger in sports. This is supported by the outcome in the study of Centre for Gender Equality in Iceland (2006), which has clearly stated that sports have practically predominated by males or to say the attention is traditionally focused on males. Besides, the public in Kuala Lumpur also agreed that females show less interest in sports as compared to males. It is supported by the statement in Shine’s (2013) article where women are perceived as not interested and do not have the skills in sports. This could be because gender discrimination in sports has not been eliminated, which caused females not reaching a certain status in the public’s eye. In sum, the knowledge and the competency level of females in sports are not criticized in terms of their sex; however, males are still perceived as stronger and the dominants in sports. The reasons of males dominate in sports profession As the public perceived males are the dominants in sports profession, some reasons have been find out in this research. Based on the findings in this research, the reason of males dominates in sports profession is highly because males are biologically stronger than females. This is supported by the study conducted by Paulas (2013) where males are biologically stronger because of the structure of their body which differs from women. The research by Centre for Gender Equality in Iceland (2006) stated that biological nature is part of the consideration for males and females in participating sports. As sports emphasize a lot on physical strengths, females might be physically incompetent to participate in some sports because they are weak in strength. Toro and Sargent (2013) also concluded that males have the muscularity and superiority in sports because they run faster and jump faster than females. Males are overall more superior in sports. The public in Kuala Lumpur think that traditional gender roles are another major reason which leads to domination of males in sports profession. McMahon (2011) had given a statement that the nature of sports is masculine which is hardly related to feminine. Thus, this could be the reason that the public in Kuala Lumpur perceived sports as males’ gender roles. According to the research by Centre for Gender Equality in Iceland (2006), males have traditionally practiced to predominant in sports while females are not. In contrast, the public in Kuala Lumpur showed very slightly disagreed-to-neutral that sports show masculinity is the reason of males dominate in sports profession. According to Wilde’s study in 2007, sports are traditionally associated with males, masculinity and mainly dominated by the males. In the eyes of the public in Kuala Lumpur, sports maybe show masculinity, but that is not really a reason of why males dominate in sports profession. Moreover, the public in Kuala Lumpur does not perceive males as more superior in sports. In other words, both females and males are equal in sports. In the study of Paulas (2013), an argument has been raised up by saying that men are better than women in playing sports, which relates to the inherent biological features. However, females can be as skillful as males do because one’s skillfulness is related to how much instruction has taught to one in playing sports. In Grahame’s (2012) article also mentioned that, the biological differences in males’ body have made them more superior in most of the sports which differs from the opinion of the public in Kuala Lumpur. Besides, the public in Kuala Lumpur disagreed that the reason of males dominating in sports profession is because females are discourage to play sports. It is supported by Swanson (2009) where more females are encouraged to play sports after the enactment of Title IX in 1972 as compared to the past. 2012 Olympic Games, the women athletes have almost equal number as men and the ratio for athletes now is 50:50 male-female ratios (Gee, 2013). As Olympic Games is a worldwide sports, this could mean that females nowadays are encouraged to play sports universally. Furthermore, sports are not mainly designed for males in the view of the public in Kuala Lumpur. However, in the study by Paulas (2013), he found out that sports were designed for men at the first place. Sports such as basketball, football and baseball were created during the era where women were expected to stay in the kitchen and take care of the family. Sports were designed particularly based on males’ strengths and advantages where females can hardly beat males. As for most, the public in Kuala Lumpur do not believe that females are not competent in sports is the reason which caused males dominate in sports profession. Baiocchi-Wagner and Behm-Morawitz (2010) cited in their study that the public might be wrongly accused that females are less competent than males because males are better in playing sports. Also, Short (2012) also mentioned that women were seen as weak and less competent as compare to men which is not proven to be the truth. As nowadays more and more females started to step into sports profession, in which has proven that they are competent to compete with males in sports. Based on the open-ended data provided, the public perceived males are the dominant in sports because it is men’s interest. They are more passionate, enthusiast and willing to contribute their time in playing sports. In contrast, females do not like sports because they do not like to be exposed to the sun and sports are dirty and sweaty for them. In previous studies, it is shown that males show higher interest in participating, watching, and excelling in sports (Deaner et al., 2012). It concludes that males are more motivated to involve sports related activities which lead to the dominance of males in sports. An interesting reason that is concluded in the findings of this research is social and media influence. The preference of the social and media plays an important role in influencing the dominance of males in sports profession. The media coverage is more likely to focus on men’s sports than women’s sports. According to the study by Centre for Gender Equality in Iceland (2006), women’s sports are often treated as less important than men’s sports in media coverage. As a result, the public is able to be exposed to men’s sports more than women’s sports and to see males in sports has become a social expectation. In the study by Deaner et al. (2012) it was stated that sports interest is influenced by the societal gender roles, peers pressure, parents and so on. Thus, males will be more interested in participating sports while females have the social pressure to eschew sports. In the opinion of the public in Kuala Lumpur, education and parents’ influence also could be a reason of why males dominate in sports profession. As in the report by Garner (2012) stated that girls were being put off in Physical Education (PE) lesson because they have negative experience in participating PE such as being labeled as tomboy or unfeminine. Wetton et al. (2013) mentioned that the schools that favored boys’ sports activities have discourage girls’ attendance in participating sports. Other than that, parents do hold an important role in encouraging their children to involve in sports (Quinton, 2013). In the study by Wetton et al. (2013), the family background of the children and stereotypical view of parents do influenced children’s decision to not take part in sports. As the traditional mindset of gender roles in sports, parents might be more supportive for their sons to participate in sports but not for their daughters. Thus, there are more ma les involving themselves in sports than females due to the education and parents’ influence, in which has caused the dominance of males in sports profession. The level of opportunity of females to become sports broadcasters As concluded from the total scores of the level of opportunity for females to become sports broadcasters, the public in Kuala Lumpur believed that females have slightly high opportunity to become sports broadcasters. This has supported by Shine (2013) by saying that some organizations have started to hire talented female sports broadcasters because females can bring aspiring changes in sports broadcasting field. The public in Kuala Lumpur think that the opportunity is now given to females and females should be given equal opportunity to become sports broadcasters as males do. However, in the studies of Gunther et al. (2011) and Short (2012) showed that there are still inequalities in sports broadcasting field and this industry is lagging in creating equal opportunities for both males and females in becoming sports broadcasters. Although both of these studies are carried out in United States and England, but the public in Kuala Lumpur might be influenced by these leading countries. Besides, from the findings, it is shown that the public in Kuala Lumpur agreed that the opportunity for females on becoming sports broadcasters should be based on qualifications and skills rather than physical appearance. However, in the study of Gunther et al. (2011) found out that many stations are hiring attractive women regardless of their qualifications and skills just simply to retain their broadcasting license. The public acceptance of female sports broadcasters Moreover, this study has found out that the level of public acceptance of female sports broadcasters in Kuala Lumpur is high. The public did not particularly favored female or male sports broadcasters because they believed professionalism and knowledge of a sports broadcaster are important than one’s gender. Even for those major sports or male-dominated sports such as basketball and football, they do not think that only male sports broadcasters are good in reporting it. However, it is not supported by Shine (2013), where stated in her research that even though females are knowledgeable in male-dominated sports, the public will perceive females as do not have the skills to cover male-dominated sports. As in the study by Baiocchi-Wagner and Behm-Morawitz (2010) stated that women need to prove themselves twice to the public that they are worth as sports broadcasters. This has reflected that the acceptance of female in sports broadcasting field is very low. Many of the researchers have found out that the acceptance of female sports broadcasters were remaining low which contradict with this study. According to Futterman (2011), it has taken a long time for female sports broadcasters to be only partially accepted by the public. As long as gender discrimination and harassment still occurred, the acceptance of female in sports broadcasting will still low (Ebel, 2012). As time goes by, the difficulties or barriers for females have reduced, but the perception of the public on female sports broadcasters is stubbornly unchanged (Starphoenix, 2008).

Freedom of Expression in Canada :: Freedom of Speech

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The right to freedom of expression can be described as a war. It is a war that has lasted for centuries and may last for centuries more. It is a war between freedom of expression and social intolerance. In this war there are many battles. The battle on which this brief essay centers itself is the battle between freedom of speech and laws limiting that freedom; more specifically the ability to spread hate propaganda and the "hate laws". Included in the essay is a brief outline of one skirmish that has taken place (Keegstra). Those who fight on the side supporting freedom of speech do so for several reasons. Braun declares that it is a basic democratic right to voice your own opinion . Douglas Christie has gained notoriety for his vigorous representation of high- profile, controversial clients, charged under the hate laws. He advocates freedom of speech for two main reasons: a) he finds it abhorrent that the state can legislate thoughts and words, and b) he often agrees with the views held by his clients. Others such as Noam Chomsky, a brilliant intellectual, argue not for the views expressed, but the ability to express them. Lining up on the other side of the battle you have: Derek Raymaker, David Kilgour, Victor Ramraj, and Bruce Elman. They argue that there is definitely a moral place for laws regarding hate speech, whether they are criminal or not. There was recently a new development in the Canadian war for freedom of expression. Introduced in April 1982 was a new and important strategic battleground.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the Charter of Rights and Freedoms the war could be won or lost by either side. It was not long before the Charter saw battle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1984, Jim Keegstra was charged with violating section 281 of the Criminal Code of Canada (now covered under section 318-320). Keegstra was a respected school teacher and mayor of the small town of Eckville, Alberta. This was no borderline fanatic; this was an elected official charged with promoting hate. However by the time Keegstra's trial rolled around he was no longer the mayor Eckville and his teaching license, revoked. The problem was, the very nature of s. 281 lent itself to legal debate under section 2 of the relatively new Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The defense counsel Doug Christie lost no time in challenging the legislation's constitutionality. In response, Crown prosecutor, Bruce Fraser, stated that Keegstra was being charged with promoting hatred; not expressing it. The Crown also stated that freedom of speech is not

On The Beach :: essays research papers

Every thought of man originates from an emotion. Most of the times our actions are carried out from the heart rather than the mind. We respond to various situations on the basis of how we feel rather than what we think. However, we should not let our emotions take absolute control so that we make careless decisions or do something for which someone else has to suffer. In the novel, On the Beach, Nevil Shute creates an emotional impact on the reader by showing how man misuses his intelligence, how people react to the situation and the effect of the loss of a loved one.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over centuries mankind has beared heavy losses due to the misuse of intelligence. Man has used his sophisticated, superior brain for the production of things like weapons, nuclear bombs et cetera either to take revenge or explore the power of his deadly creations. Little did he notice that someday his very own creations could bring about his own death. The most scary part, however, is that these chemical bombs are global killers, i.e. effect of the explosion of a nuclear bomb dropped in one part of the world can gradually spread all over the globe killing every living organism, sometimes even bacteria because of it’s intense radioactive levels. In the novel, On the Beach, when the character Moira Davidson, a young ambitious girl who wanted to study and visit places throughout the world is faced with the fact that neither she nor anybody else in the Southern Hemisphere is going to live for more than a few months because of a nuclear bomb launched in the Nort hern Hemisphere, she gets very furious and frustrated. She says, â€Å"There never was a bomb dropped in the Southern Hemisphere. Why must it come to us?†(7th last line, pg. 29) But, Moira wasn’t the only one who was complaining. Almost every soul on the rest of the planet shared her thought because of various reasons; a developing country like China who was at the peak of becoming one of the world’s biggest industrial power was destroyed, Russia, a country with abundant land was destroyed within days and last but not the least the people living in the countries of the Northern Hemisphere where the war began were the first ones to experience their inevitable death. They did not even have the opportunity to live longer, but even if they did, they would live a pointless life of fear awaiting their uncertain death.

Dance Therapy Essay -- History Health Therapy Dancing Essays

Dance Therapy Dance therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses movement to further the social, cognitive, emotional, and physical development of the individual. Dance therapists work with people who have many kinds of emotional problems, intellectual deficits, and life-threatening illnesses. They are employed in psychiatric hospitals, day care centers, mental health centers, prisons, special schools, and private practice. They work with people of all ages in both group and individual therapy. Some also engage in research. Dance therapists try to help people develop communication skills, a positive self-image, and emotional stability. Origins Dance therapy began as a profession in the 1940s with the work of Marian Chace. A modern dancer, she began teaching dance after ending her career with the Denishawn Dance Company in 1930. In her classes, she noticed that some of her students were more interested in the emotions they expressed while dancing (loneliness, shyness, fear, etc.) than the mechanics of the moves. She began encouraging them by emphasizing more freedom of movement rather than technique. In time, doctors in the community started sending her patients. They included antisocial children, people with movement problems, and those with psychiatric illnesses. Eventually, Chace became part of the staff of the Red Cross at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. She was the first dance therapist employed in a formal position by the federal government. Chace worked with the emotionally troubled patients at St. Elizabeth's and tried to get them to reach out to others through dance. Some of them were schizophrenics and others were former servicemen suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. Success for these patients meant being able to participate with their class in moving to rhythmic music. "This rhythmic action in unison with others results in a feeling of well-being, relaxation, and good fellowship," Chace said once. Chace eventually studied at the Washington School of Psychiatry and began making treatment decisions about her patients along with other members of the St. Elizabeth's medical team. Her work attracted many followers and the first dance therapy interns began learning and teaching dance therapy at St. Elizabeth's in the 1950s. Other dancers also began using dance therapy in the 1940s to help people feel more comfortable with thems... ...d to practice. After two years they may receive an additional recognition when they become an Academy of Dance Therapist Registered. They can then teach dance therapy and can supervise interns. Dance therapists can also obtain psychological credentials by taking a test and becoming registered by the National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc. Key Terms Authentic movement A type of movement that is influenced heavily by Jungian analysis, and works by analyzing the internal images of the patient. Patients are also urged to dance only when they feel the "impulse" to move. Freudian analysis A type of psychological treatment where the therapist seeks to help the patient resolve conflicts and traumas buried in the subconscious. Jungian analysis A method of psychological treatment where the patient strives to understand the internal, often mythic images in his or her thoughts and dreams. Psychotherapy A medical treatment that seeks to resolve psychological traumas and conflicts, often by discussing them and emotionally reliving difficult events in the past. Test anxiety A name for the stress and anxiousness that commonly occur in students before they take exams.

Pharmacology; Clinical review assignment: Renal failure Essay

Renal failure is an increasing concern in Australia, with over 54 people dying every day from kidney related disease. The incidence of this pathology has been shown to be growing, with the number of people on dialysis rising by 4% from 2010 to 2011 (National Kidney Foundation, 2013). It is estimated that approximately 1.7 million Australians over the age of 25 show signs of renal failure, either chronic or acute. Indigenous Australians are also four times more likely to die from renal failure than non-indigenous Australians (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006). Signs of renal failure often show themselves in the form of reduced kidney function, proteinuria (protein in the urine) or haematuria (blood in the urine). Renal failure is a condition involving the failure of the kidneys, or more precisely the nephrons within the kidneys. The nephron is the functional unit of the kidney, with approximately 1.5 million working to filter blood of wastes and reabsorb water and electrolytes necessary to maintain homeostasis (U.S. Patent No. 5,092,886A, 1992). Renal failure occurs when the kidneys fail to filter blood adequately, it is often undetected until late stage failure has occurred. There are two main forms of renal failure; acute kidney disease and chronic kidney disease, both with underlying pathologies (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2013). Treatment for renal failure involves either dialysis; filtering of the blood to remove metabolic wastes, or a kidney transplant, which is not a cure and requires permanent care and maintenance post-surgery. As of December 2012, 1080 people are waiting for a kidney transplant in Australia (Better Health Channel, 2013). It is important for paramedics to recognise and understand the underlying pathology behind renal failure as the condition results in a wide range of secondary effects & has many different presentations, with some as simple as headaches and â€Å"stomach pain†; pain in the kidney region, and more serious presentations such as metabolic acidosis (National Kidney Foundation, 2013). Pathophysiology: All 1.5 million nephrons in the kidney are working constantly to filter  blood. The kidneys receive approximately 25% of cardiac output via the afferent arteriole, into the bowman’s capsule which surrounds the glomerulus. The glomerulus is often described as a colander, as it is semi-permeable, only allowing certain things to pass through it. The kidneys main functions are to filter the blood, but they also have many other functions, such as regulating acid/base and fluid/electrolyte balances, reabsorbing water and electrolytes and excreting urine. â€Å"In addition, the kidneys excrete metabolic waste products, including urea, creatinine, and uric acid, as well as foreign chemicals† (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). The kidneys also serve an endocrinological function, â€Å"secreting rennin, the active form of vitamin D, and erythropoietin. These hormones are important in maintaining blood pressure, calcium metabolism, and the synthesis of erythrocytes, respectively.† (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). The progression of renal failure is often undetected, with renal function able to continue until 50% of the nephrons per kidney are destroyed. After nephrons are destroyed they never regenerate (Tilgner, n.d.). Compensatory buffer mechanisms exist in the body to counterbalance the effects of renal disease. As the kidneys are responsible for water and electrolyte balance, shifts in solute concentrations due to nephron destruction can be seen. Isosthenuria, which is excretion of urine that has not been concentrated by the kidneys and therefore has the same osmolality/gravity as plasma, is the first clinical sign of impaired renal function. Water along with sodium is flushed from the body resulting in dehydration & an electrolyte imbalance (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). â€Å"In a healthy body, the acid-base balance is maintained via buffers, breathing, and the amounts of acid or alkaline wastes in the urine; this is because the daily load of endogenous acid is excreted into the urine with buffering compunds such as phosphates.† (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). When the kidneys functions are impaired, a backlog of hydrogen (H+) ion occurs and the nephrons ability to excrete acid becomes inadequate. This results in ketoacidosis, a condition in which the body’s pH falls dangerously below it’s normal homeostatic range, commonly detected by the ‘fruity’ scent of a patients breath which occurs due to acetone; â€Å"a direct byproduct of the spontaneous decomposition of acetoacetic acid† (DiTomasso, Golden & Morris, 2010). Diagnostic tools; The main ways of diagnosing renal failure include serum chemistry/blood tests, urinalysis and creatinine clearance tests. Serum chemistry is the analysis of blood, when diagnosing renal failure, changes in â€Å"Sodium, chloride, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), glucose, creatinine, carbon dioxide, potassium, phosphate, and calcium levels provide a useful tool to evaluate the degree of renal impairment and disease progression.† (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). The most important of these are creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, both of which are byproducts of protein metabolism which in healthy people is excreted in urine after filtration. In patients with renal failure the levels of createnine and BUN increase to toxic levels, indicating significant functional loss of the kidneys (â€Å"Creatinine Levels and BUN,† 2012). Urinalysis involves examining a patients urine sample, detecting protein, blood, determining osmolality and microscopic examination (Klatt & Georgia, 2013). The main indications of renal failure that urinalysis detects are hematuria and protienuria. Hematuria is defined as â€Å"†¦the presence of red blood cells in the urine. It can be characterised as either â€Å"gross† (visible to the naked eye) or â€Å"microscopic† (visible only under the microscope)† (â€Å"Blood in the urine (Hematuria)†, 2013). Hematuria is commonly benign in younger age groups, with cases of patients less than 40 years old almost always benign. In older age groups hematuria is seen as more serious, prompting medical investigation into the pathology to rule out other causes, such as infection or cancer, as many different types of cancers (bladder, kidney, prostate, urethral) also present with hematuria (American Urological Association, 2005). Proteinuria is another indication of renal failure, occurring when urine samples contain an elevated level of protein, or albumin, which is the main protein in the blood (National Institute of Health, 2010). Proteins are large molecules and should not pass through golmerular filtration. â€Å"The upper limit of normal urinary protein is 150 mg per day; patients who excrete > 3g of protein per day carry a diagnosis of nephrotic syndromeâ€Å" (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). A creatinine clearance test is another diagnostic tool used to determine renal failure, focusing on the glomerular filtration rate to determine the level of functioning renal nephrons. Creatinine is a metabolic by-product of creatine, which remains at a constant value in the urine. It is caused by breakdown of muscle tissue, and is 100% filtered by the glomerulus. No reabsorption of creatinine should  occur in normal functioning tubules within the nephron (National Institute of Health, 2010). This diagnostic test is done via collecting a urine and blood sample within 24 hours. â€Å"In chronic renal failure and in some forms of acute disease, the GFR is decreased below the normal range of 100 to 150 mL/min. Advancing age also diminishes the GFR, by approximately 1 mL/min every year after age 30 years.† (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). Acute vs. Chronic; Renal failure classification is broken down into two different parts; onset and location. Renal failure can be acute; occurring within a timeframe of days to weeks, or chronic; renal failure that develops slowly over years. The location of the failure is the second criteria, determining the type of destruction within the nephron (pre-renal, renal, intrinsic or post-renal) (The Renal Association, 2012). Determining the type of renal failure is important as acute renal failure is mostly curable, whereas chronic renal failure is progressive and irreversible, often leading to death. Acute renal failure is characterised by the rapid loss of kidney function, occurring over a few days to weeks, causing azotemia, a condition where a build-up of nitrogenous wastes products occurs, causing metabolic acidosis (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). It can be broken down into sections based on where the failure is occurring within the nephron. Pre-renal failure occurs due to a reduction in blood flow/renal perfusion to the kidneys, causing loss of function. The kidney remains undamaged in this condition, with the problem being based solely on blood flow. It is the most common type of acute renal failure and can occur as a secondary illness from â€Å"almost any disease, condition or medicine that causes a decrease in the normal amount of blood and fluid in the body† (WebMD, 2013). Post-renal failure is less common, and is caused by an obstruction of the flow of urine â€Å"from the kidneys at any level of the urinary tract and that subsequently decreases the GFR† (WebMD, 2013). It is most commonly caused by prostatic enlargement or cervical cancer, usually found in older males. Intrinsic renal failure is the final type of acute renal failure, occurring from direct damage/trauma to the kidneys. The most common types of intrinsic renal failure are â€Å"acute tubular necrosis (ATN), acute glomerulonephritis (AGN) and acute interstitial nephritis (AIN)† (WebMD, 2013). Causes of the decreased blood-flow/obstruction include;  surgery, cardiovascular disease, direct trauma/impact to the kidneys, severe burns, severe muscle injury or severe physical exertion (WebMD, 2013). Chronic renal failure focuses around nephron destruction. Renal conditions such as glomerulonephritis affects the filtration rate of the glomerulus, while polycystic kidney disease involves the failure of the renal tubules. Nephrosclerosis interferes with blood perfusion, but the most common diagnosis of chronic renal failure is â€Å"diabetes mellitus, followed by hypertension, glomerulonephritis and others† (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). Although causes vary, each condition shares the common trend of irreversible nephron destruction. Application to paramedic practice: Paramedics must be considerate of all patients with renal impairments. Prophylactic measures are often taken in renal patients, managing â€Å"diet, fluid, electrolytes and calcium-phosphate balance†, as well as dietary modifications to counterbalance the common difficulties renal patients have with hypertension, oedema and weight gain (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). Emergency care workers should be weary to maintain a blood pressure lower than 130/85mmHg. Bleeding disorders and anaemia are common conditions patients with renal failure will suffer from. Haemorrhaging and bruising are common. â€Å"The antidiuretic hormone vasopressin has been shown to be effective int he short term management of bleeding in patients with renal failure† (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). Renal patients on dialysis should not have their intravenous injection site compromised by any medication an ALS paramedic may administer. Blood flow through the arm must not be blocked or obstructed, and as these patients are immunocompromised, efforts to avoid sources of infection must be made (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). Pharmacotherapeutics is a serious concern for anyone treating a renal patient, as most drugs are excreted by kidney, â€Å"and renal function affects drug bioavailability, the volume of drug distribution, drug metabolism and the rate of drug elimination.† (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008). Drug dosage schedules must be altered according to the amount of residual renal function. Drugs that would normally be safe for most patients may be toxic in patients with renal failure. â€Å"The plasma half-lives of medications that are normally eliminated in the urine are often prolonged in renal failure and are effectively reduced by dialysis. Even drugs that are metabolized by the liver can lead  to increased toxicity because the diseased kidneys fail to excrete them effectively. Theoretically, a 50% decrease in creatinine clearance corresponds to a twofold increase in the elimination half-life of any medication excreted fully by the kidneys.† (DeRossi & Cohen, 2008) Knowledge on the pharmacology on all ALS paramedic drugs must be known as certain drugs are nephrotoxic and should not be administered. The early recognition of signs of renal failure is important as mortality rates from acute renal failure (the most common type of renal failure) are high, remaining constant over the past 40 years at approximately 40-70% (Fry & Farrington, 2006). References: National Kidney Foundation. (2013). Facts on CKD in Australia. Retrieved from http://www.kidney.org.au/Kidneydisease/FastFactsonCKD/tabid/589/Default.aspx Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2008). National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survery Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4715.0/ Dobos-Hardy, M. (1992). U.S Patent No. 5,092,886A. Boston, Massachusetts. Patent Buddy. U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2013). Kidney Failure. Retrieved from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/kidneyfailure.html Better Health Channel. (2013). Kidney Failure. Retrieved from: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Kidney_failure. National Kidney Foundation. (2013). What are the risk factors for kidney disease? Retrieved from http://www.kidney.org.au/KidneyDisease/RiskFactorsandSymptoms/tabid/819/Default.aspx DeRossi, S. & Cohen, D. (2008). Renal disease. Burket’s oral medicine, 11(2), 407- 427. Tilgner, S. (n.d.). Urinary – Kidney support. Journal for the Clinical Practitioner, 10(3), 1-13. DiTomasso, A., Golden, A. & Morri s, J. (2010). Handbook of Cognitive-Behavioural Approaches in Primary Care. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company. DOI: 10.1037/O.0027784 Creatinine Levels and BUN. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.kidneyfailureweb.com/creatinine/ Blood in the urine (Hematuria). 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.urologyhealth.org/urology/index.cfm?article=113 Klatt, E., Georgia, S. (2013). Urinalysis. Retrieved from: http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/TUTORIAL/URINE/URINE.html WebMD. (2013). Prerenal Acute Renal Failure. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/prerenal-acute-renal-failure American Urological Association. (2005) Hematuria. Retrieved from www.urologyhealth.org/content/moreinfo/hematuria.pdf National Institute of Health. (2010). Proteinuria. Retrieved from http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/proteinuria/ National Institute of Health. (2010). Creatinine Clearance. Retrieved from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003611.htm The Renal Association. (2012). Acute Kidney Injury. Retrieved from https:// www.clinicalkey.com/topics/nephrology/acute-kidney-injury.html Fry, A., Farrington, K. (2006). Management of acute renal failure. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 82(964), 106-116.

Engineering the Impossible

Cities Inside a City Engineering the Impossible focused on three incredible, yet physically possible, engineering projects: the 170-story Millennium Tower, the nine mile (14 km)-long Gibraltar Bridge, and the 4000+-foot-long Freedom Ship. Millenium Tower Imagine a skyscraper almost twice the size of the Empire State Building. This colossus would be a city within a city, hosting its own hospitals, schools, and a range of entertainment and retail options large enough to attract and keep the traffic necessary for the financial success of such an endeavor. Stats:Height: 2,755 feet, 170 stories Resident Population: 52,000 Elevator Traffic: 100,000 people per day Location: Hong Kong Harbor Closest Living Relative: Petronas Towers, Kuala Lampur (1,483 feet, 88 stories) Construction Duration: Approximately 10 years Cost: $10 billion Beyond the physical challenges of building the tallest skyscraper in the world, it will only be successful if it attracts residents, tourists and offices. The Mi llennium Tower needs to offer many choices to make it a destination of choice. Residents can go to not just one grocery store, but many.Office workers can browse a few clothing stores on their level or the same amount 30 floors up. Tourists can find the movie they want in at least one of the many theaters available. Designers say Millennium Tower will house as many options as you'd find in several city blocks. Construction of the Millennium Tower will include traditional building techniques, that, in this case, will put ironworkers thousands of feet in the air to place 5-ton girders with a minimum of safety gear. But engineers are planning to also use a new technology — building by computer.The Self-Rising Factory is a set of computerized cranes and lifts surrounded by a weatherproof enclosure. According to a precise schedule, the steel beams are essentially handed to the machinery which then places them for workers to bolt together. Once the beams and concrete panels for eac h floor are complete, the machinery hoists the entire structure and the process starts over. Gibraltar Bridge A bridge spanning 9 miles over the Straits of Gibraltar at the entryway to the Mediterranean would be the longest and tallest ever built.It would connect cultures of Christianity and Islam and potentially increase ties between the economies of Europe and Africa. Stats: Location: Strait of Gibraltar. Links Spain and Morocco. Length: 9 miles, Two spans of 4 1/2 miles each Height: Each tower is 3,000 feet tall (twice as high as the world's tallest skyscraper) Width: 5 traffic lanes, 2 breakdown lanes in each direction Road Deck Material: Fiberglass Length of Wire Cables: 1,000,000 miles (Enough to circle the Earth almost 30 times) Closest living relative: Akashi bridge in Japan, world's longest suspension bridge at 12,828 feet.Cost: $15 billion Dangers: Wind speeds of 80 mph at tops of towers, ship collision, ocean currents, traffic, Sahara Desert dust storms Building a bridge the size and configuration of Gibraltar Bridge is usually protected by artificial islands so that ships run aground before they can do any damage to the structure. But building an artificial island in the ocean isn't an option. Instead designers envision a ring of underwater bumpers to withstand ship collisions. This could be impossible to span a 9-mile bridge but actually, they can.When determining the exact size of the bridge, designers had to choose between a shallow area that spanned 20 miles, which would have meant many piers in a busy shipping zone, and a narrow portion that's 2,700 feet deep. But designers lucked out. After closer inspection of the narrow portion revealed an underwater â€Å"mountain† in the center that could hold the center piers, dividing the bridge into to spans of 4 1/2 miles each. 5 lanes of traffic in either direction will flow over a roadbed made of spun glass.Fiberglass materials of this sort are rated 5 times stronger than concrete, and any cr acks or other damage could be isolated due to its web-like internal structure. Engineers say fiberglass bridge materials can last up to 100 years. They're also easier to install. A concrete roadway on the Gibraltar Bridge would take 3 months to pour as opposed to a few days or weeks with fiberglass. Freedom Ship Freedom Ship's designers originally planned to create an island community to provide Hong Kong-based businesses a place to relocate if the handover of that city to China were to make life difficult for them.When they applied the same model to a moving sea platform, they ended up with what would be the largest ocean-going vessel ever constructed — the minimum requirement for a city at sea. Stats: Length: Approximately 1 mile Width: 3 city blocks (4,320 feet) Height: 25 stories Weight: 3 million tons Volume: Titanic, Queen Mary, USS Nimitz and super-tanker Jahre Viking would all fit comfortably inside. Population: 50,000 residents, 15,000 workers, 20,000 visitors/day Co nstruction: Hull composed of 600 120'x100†² steel cells bolted together.Location: Circles globe every two years Closest Living Relative: Japan's Megafloat Airport, Tokyo Bay (1km long, 70 meters wide, 20 meters depth) (Series of interlocking pressurized steel boxes) Power: 100 electric podded propulsers at 3500 horsepower each. Cost: $9 billion Freedom Ship's designers say it will be able to handle tidal waves and large-scale hurricanes by steering out of their way to avoid them altogether. If a confrontation is unavoidable, they'll turn all of the ship's 100 propellers, pointing towards the center of the ship for stability.The ship's hull is composed of 600 huge air-tight steel boxes. A significant number of these would have to be punctured before residents noticed anything amiss. Freedom Ship's designers call it a floating sea platform. In simliar design, Japan's MegaFloat airport id built out of steel boxes bolted together to form a surface on the water. Whereas the airport is moored to keep it from drifting, Freedom Ship would be mobile. A structure this size couldn't be built in a traditional manner at a shipbuilding facility and subsequently be lauched into the sea.The construction on this project would instead take place in the water, with large pieces floated out to be attached on the site. Freedom Ship's designers aim to create a new lifestyle. Residents will have a homelife while constantly traveling. The ship would be like a â€Å"Disneyland† offshore, entertaining tourists with the amenities of a resort while residents enjoy daytrips in each port. If successfully built The Freedom Ship will be the largest ocean going vessel in history, it will become a luxury city afloat travelling the world.