You’ve been told in order to write, you need to be inspired. That’s a load of bull. free essay sample

â€Å"You’ve been told in order to write, you need to be inspired. That’s a load of bull. You have all the inspiration you need inside of you. Just unleash it.† These were the words of my teacher, Traci, on the first day of my creative writing summer school. My first assignment last summer was to describe the journey that had brought me there, to L.A., for a four-week writing program. For me, the journey had begun four summers earlier, before eighth grade. That was the summer I decided to become a writer. At the end of seventh grade, my English teacher gave me a summer homework assignment that unexpectedly changed the course of my life. His command was simple: â€Å"Write every single day.† I moaned and groaned. Back then, writing was a chore. Nevertheless, I wrote in my journal daily for ten minutes as assigned. Slowly my ten minutes of writing became an hour. We will write a custom essay sample on You’ve been told in order to write, you need to be inspired. That’s a load of bull. or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In my journal, I discussed the books I was reading, the ideas I had. I wrote short stories that continued from one week to the next. By the summer’s end, I was addicted to writing in my journal. When my parents asked me if I had finished my chores, they caught me writing. I protested stealthily, â€Å"I’m doing homework. It’s required.† As my writing grew more prolific, I knew I wanted to spend my life with a pen in hand. The summer ended, but my journals continued. I still carry a notebook with me at all times in case inspiration strikes. Because of my summer journal, writing, which I used to find dull, became my greatest passion. If I wrote an autobiography, my experience last summer in L.A. would be the second chapter of my journey as a writer. For the first time, I was surrounded by other writers my age who understood the frustration of searching for one elusive word, or the joy of piecing a plot together. Everywhere on campus, I could feel the hum of creativity in the air as we bounced ideas off each other. We were responsible for critiquing each other, while our teachers helped us improve our technique. From every assignment my teachers gave me— even the zany ones, like writing a dialogue entirely in slang or a poem using only the words from The Cat in the Hat— I learned how to grasp the fire within me, my passion for writing, and to channel it. I suffered from writer’s block many times while at summer school because every day my teachers demanded new creative material from us, but I learned how to thrive under the pressure. With Traci’s advice in mind, whenever I sought a burs t of inspiration, I would examine my own memories, feelings, and opinions to find something to say. I learned to summon creativity whenever I needed it to fuel my passion for writing. And in the process, I found my voice— the unfaltering words in my heart that I can share with the world.

Norovirus and gastrointestinal disease The WritePass Journal

Norovirus and gastrointestinal disease Introduction Norovirus and gastrointestinal disease IntroductionVirologyClassificationStructureBiologyNorovirus Replication StrategyInfectivity of NorovirusEpidemiologyGeographic and Temporal DistributionTransmissionClinical featuresPathogenesisPrevention and controlRecent knowledge on contamination, sanitation and personal hygieneTreatmentHealth impact of Norovirus outbreaks in the coming eraReferencesRelated Introduction Norovirus is currently recognized as the most important non-bacterial pathogen causing gastroenteritis. It is believed that majority of gastroenteritis that occur throughout the globe is attributed to Norovirus. Norovirus was first recognised through immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) in 1972. However, it is only over the past decade that Norovirus has been of great interest to the basic scientists, virologists, epidemiologists and public health experts. There is no doubt that outbreaks or epidemics of Norovirus in the coming years will challenge the medical community to the limit. Globalisation has created a single, very mobile mega-population of people on earth in which more viruses can thrive, and, a highly infectious illness caused by Norovirus can spread rapidly, thus creating epidemics or even pandemics. The potential breakthrough in the development of Norovirus vaccine with the development of effective antigenic viral-like particles (VLP), and the recognition that Norovirus evolv es with antigenic drift will pose exciting challenges to all stakeholders. The other challenges or obstacles which we face include understanding the pathogenesis of the Norovirus in the gastrointestinal tract and identifying the site in the gastrointestinal tract which the virus replicates. This knowledge will hopefully allow the development of targeted antiviral therapy and thus prevent manifestation of severe clinical symptoms. This is a review of this very exciting, virus and I have chosen to amalgamate the current literatures into the following topics: Virology- Classification and structure Biology- Replication and infectivity Epidemiology- Geographic and temporal distribution Transmission Clinical features Pathogenesis Immunity Prevention and control Recent knowledge on contamination/sanitation and personal hygiene Vaccine development Treatments- Current and future Health impact of Norovirus outbreaks in the coming era Virology Classification Although Norovirus was first viewed in 1972, it was not until 1990 when it was classified. Classification of Norovirus could finally be performed due to the successful cloning of the viral genome (1). Molecular cloning and characterisation of Norovirus genome allowed this virus to be classified as a member of Caliciviridae family and it is known as a Group B Biodefense Pathogen. Caliciviruses are small (27-40nm), non-enveloped, icosahedral particles with single-stranded RNA of positive polarity. The name calicivirus comes from the Latin word calyx, meaning â€Å"cup† or â€Å"goblet†, which describes the cup-shaped depression, as observed under electron microscopy. Although they share similar features to that of the picornaviruses, caliciviruses are distinguished from their counterpart by having a larger genome and having distinctive spikes on the surface. Another example of calicivirus is the Hepatitis E virus (2). Currently, there are a few serotypes of Norovirus whic h were successfully identified through immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent essay (ELISA), which are represented by Norwalk virus (NV), Hawaii virus (HV), Snow Mountain agent (SMA), Desert Shield virus (DSV) and Southampton virus. (1). Currently, there are five main genogroups of Norovirus being identified (GI, GII, GIII, GIV and GV). Noroviruses, which can be found in humans, are from three genogroups (GI, GII and GIV). However, those that are commonly isolated in cases of acute gastroenteritis in humans belong only to two genogroups (GI and GII), which can then be further divided into genetic cluster or genotypes (i.e GI.1, GII.15, GIV.2 etc). There are now, at least 25 genotypes of Norovirus which were successfully identified, with the prototype Norwalk virus being labelled as GI.1 (Genogroup I, genotype 1) (3) and present within this genotype are numerous subtypes. The presence of this diversity of Norovirus strains are mainly due to both the accumulation of point mutations associated with error-prone RNA replication and to recombination between two related viruses (4, 5).   Genogroup I (GI) includes76 Norwalk virus, Desert Shield virus and Southampton virus and Genogroup II (GII), includes Bristol virus, Lor dsdale virus, Toronto virus, Mexico virus, Hawaii virus and Snow Mountain virus. Norwalk virus (NV), Snow Mountain virus (SMV), and Hawaii virus (HV) are the prototype strains of genotypes GI.1, GII.2, and GII.1 and are the causative agents of an estimated 5%, 8%, and 7% of Norovirus outbreaks, respectively (6). Genogroups III and V (GIII and GV) have only been identified in animals. Structure Through structural studies and visualisation of Norovirus by electron microscopy, it is now proven   that the Norovirus is composed of 90 dimers of the major capsid protein VP1 and one or two copies of the minor structural protein VP2 (7) which recognizes the histo-blood group antigens, which are regarded as receptors and host-susceptibility factors for infection (3). Figure 1. Structure of Norwalk Virus and Genome Non-enveloped, T=3 icosahedral symmetry, about 23-40 nm in diameter. Each virus particle is composed of 180 molecules of VP1 proteins which form 90-arch-like capsomers at all the local and strict twofold axes surrounding the hollows. The proteins in the capsid then folds into two main domains which are, the shell (S) domain and the protruding (P) domain, which contains two further subdomains, P1 and P2. The protruding, P domain functions to increase the stability of the capsid by increasing the intermolecular contacts between the dimeric subunits, thus, leading to speculation that it may control the size of the capsid. However, the S domain contains all the necessary protein requirements to initiate the assembly of the capsid (8). Norovirus has single stranded RNA genome and is predicted to contain three open reading frames (ORF) (9). The Norovirus genome is linear and contains approximately 7600 nucleotides (nt) (Southampton virus-7708nt, Lordsdale virus- 7555nt) (10).   The ORF1 (a polyprotein that contains sequence of amino acid which shows much similarity to that of Picornaviruses) is predicted to encode the capsid protein. ORF1 may be cleaved by 3CL proteases into 6 proteins (11). ORF2 and ORF3 are not shown in the diagram. However, until now, it is not known whether these ORF would be translated or what the function of its translated protein would be. In a recent study, Norovirus- like particles was viewed under atomic force microscopy. Scientist exposed the Norovirus-like particles in environments with PH ranging from 2 to 10. This range of pH values represents the pH of the natural environment in which Norovirus thrives. The study revealed that the Norovirus-like particles were resistant to indentation of measure of 300 bar at acidic and neutral pH. However, when the Norovirus-like particles were subjected to same indentation at a pH of 10, the capsid failed to regenerate and was irreversibly destroyed (12). All these studies which are still at an early stage will pave the way for further understanding of Norovirus. Biology Norovirus Replication Strategy Progress on understanding the basic mechanisms of virus replication has been far slower due to the inability to cultivate virus in the laboratory. Therefore, the replication strategy of this virus remains speculative and is presumed that its replication cycle is of a similar manner to that of picornaviruses (2).   As in the picornaviruses, the viral particle will bind to the cell surface receptors. This will result in a conformational change in the viral capsid proteins, and thus, releasing myristic acid (a common saturated fatty acid). This acid then helps in forming a pore in the cell membrane of the host cell and through this tiny hole; the RNA of the virus is injected (101). Once inside the cell, the RNA unwinds and the positive strand RNA genome is replicated through a double-stranded RNA intermediate which is formed using viral RDRP (RNA-Dependent RNA polymerase). Translation by host cell ribosomes is not initiated by the usual 5 G cap; instead it is initiated by IRES (Intern al Ribosome Entry Site). The viral replication cycle is short and it takes approximately 8 hours to complete one cycle of replication. Within 30 minutes after initial infection, cell protein synthesis – essentially the macromolecular synthesis of cell is â€Å"shut off†. Over the next one to two hours there is a loss of margination of chromatin and homogeneity in the nucleus. This is followed by synthesis of the viral proteins. Subsequently, a vacuole appears in the cytoplasm close to the nucleus and this vacuole gradually starts to coalace covering the whole cell. After 3 hour time, the cell plasma membrane becomes permeable and at 4–6 hours the virus particles assemble, and occasionally could be seen in the cytoplasm. At about 8 hours, the dead cell lyses and releases the viral particles (101). Infectivity of Norovirus Studies of the stability and hardiness of Norovirus have been done by experimental infection on humans. As Norovirus is the most important cause of food and waterborne disease, it is not unexpected that it is resistant to inactivation by treatment with chlorine concentrations which is usually used in drinking water (1). Norovirus can retain its infectivity   even after:- i) exposure to pH2.7 for 3 hours at room temperature, ii) treatment with 20% ether at 4 °C for 24 hours, or iii) incubation at 60 °C for 30 min (13). Norovirus can also retain infectivity after freezing (14). Recent reports have shown that through current sensitive antigen detection methods, Norovirus excretion was detected in 90% of ill volunteers. Viral shedding peaks 1-3 days after onset of symptoms, and studies have shown that the viral antigen may be shed for up to 56 days. Shedding of virus can occur in asymptomatic individuals and it can be prolonged in immunocompromised people. Also, antigen shedding can precede illness (15hr after infection and before symptomatic illness) (15). Epidemiology The successful cloning and expression of the Norovirus genome has led to the development of new assays which has allowed various epidemiological studies to be performed. Recent epidemiological studies have indicated that the infection with Norovirus is much more widespread than previously recognised (16). Geographic and Temporal Distribution Norovirus is highly infectious and can be spread easily from one person to another and is the leading cause of epidemic gastroenteritis in both the developed and developing countries. However, this epidemic gastroenteritis is usually mild, thus, differentiating it from infantile gastroenteritis (which is mainly caused by Rotavirus), which is a much more severe, and often life threatening diarrheal illness in infants and young children. Incidence of infection by Norovirus has been detected in all continents, and therefore, it has a global distribution. It has been quoted that in the United States, more than 90% of the outbreaks of gastroenteritis in the community, for which the cause was previously unknown, can now be attributed to Norovirus (2). Infection by Norovirus do occur all year round, however, its incidence is markedly increased during cold weather months (17).   Outbreaks typically occur in group settings such as cruise ships, schools, camps hospitals and nursing home wher e people gather in confined areas (2) and target a number of high risk populations, particularly young children and the elderly, travellers, soldiers and immunocompromised patients or those who are recipient of organ transplant. Every year, up to 1 million people in the UK are thought to be infected by Norovirus (18). If the Norovirus is brought into the hospital environment by someone incubating the infection, then it can easily spread to vulnerable hospital patients and also to staff. It is known to cause large outbreaks of infection in hospital which results in a lot of patients and staff being affected leading to closure of wards in order to prevent further spread. This has posed a huge problem on care provision. Hospitals, therefore, have very strict policies in place to control the spread of Norovirus which will be discussed later. Transmission Humans are believed to be the only host of the human Norovirus. Norovirus is transmitted mainly by the fecal-oral route. However, it can also be transmitted through infected vomitus (3) and there is currently increasing evidence that it can be transmitted through airbourne or fomite transmission (19 20). The infection of Norovirus is enhanced by several features which facilitate their spread. First, it has a low infection dose (approximately 18 to 1000 viral particles) (21) which allow the virus to spread through droplets, person-to-person contact and through environmental contamination. Secondly, excretion of virus in stools continued for several weeks even after recovery, thus, increases the risk of secondary spread which is a particular concern among food handlers and family members (22). Thirdly, the virus is resistant to a wide range of temperatures, chemicals and pH. The virus is able to persist on environmental surfaces and contaminated objects eg   in swimming pools, conta minated drinking water, ice, bakery products and also in raw oysters, fruits and vegetables which are eaten uncooked and cold foods (celery, melon, vermicelli, sandwiches and cold cooked ham) (3). Fourthly, due to the fact that there is a great diversity of Norovirus strains and the lack of long term immunity, it can result in occurrence of repeated infection throughout life. Finally, the Norovirus genome can also undergo mutations, which causes antigenic shift and recombination, which result in evolution of new strains of Norovirus which are capable of infecting hosts. Asymptomatic infections do occur, and such person may be the carriers of some outbreaks. In recent time, there is an increased in outbreaks in military camps and with the elderly who are staying in nursing or shelter homes, and also in hospital settings (19 20). These infections can be catastrophic because of high secondary attack rates, and such outbreaks can last for several months (18). Clinical features An unresolved problem related to transmission of Norovirus is how long an affected individual can stay infectious. Firstly, the incubation period of the virus is 10-51 hours. The main symptoms are sudden onset of vomiting (more common in children) and abdominal cramps (in 37-45% of the cases) followed by watery diarrhoea (more common in adults). The stools usually do not contain any blood or mucus and asymptomatic infection do occur in approximately 1/3 of the population. The duration of symptomatic illness lasts between 1-3 days (28-60 hr) but can last longer (4-6 days) in nosocomial outbreaks (3) and among children younger than 11 years of age (22). In 15% of patients, it lasts longer than 3 days. The illness also lasts longer in immunocompromised patients and in people with chronic illnesses (3). In immunocompetent adults, the course of Norovirus infection is rapid, with an incubation period of 24–48 hours and resolution of symptoms within 12–72 hours (23). The infec tion is usually less severe compared to other diarrheal infection. However, it can lead to dehydration and requires hospitalization, especially among children with an age of 5 yrs and adults, 65 yrs. Fatalities have been reported in relation to outbreaks of gastroenteritis among the elderly in nursing homes (24) and in the United Kingdom, there is an estimate of about 80 deaths from Norovirus every year among people who are older than 64 years of age (25). However, there are usually no long term effects of Norovirus infection and majority of patients recovers fully. Pathogenesis Because of the failure to cultivate the Norovirus in laboratory properly, our knowledge regarding the pathogenesis of Norovirus come mainly from physical, histological and biochemical studies on infected volunteers who took part in surveys. Proximal intestinal biopsy specimens were taken from ill volunteers and histological changes were compared to healthy individuals. Ill volunteers showed broadening and blunting of intestinal villi, crypt cell hyperplasia, cytoplasmic vacuolization and infiltration of polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cells into the lamina propria but the mucosa itself remaining intact. No histological changes were seen in the gastric fundus or in antrum or colonic mucosa (26). The extent of small intestine involvement remains unknown because studies have only examined the proximal small intestine, and the site of replication of the virus has yet to be identified. Studies have shown that small intestinal brush border enzymatic activity (alkaline phosphatase, sucras e and trehalase) were reduced, resulting to steatorrhea (lipids in stools) and transient carbohydrate malabsorption (27). Jejunal adenylate cyclase activity was not elevated (28) and changes in gastric secretion of hydrochloric acid (HCL), pepsin and intrinsic factor have been linked to these histological changes. In addition, gastric emptying was delayed and the reduced gastric motility may result in nausea and vomiting associated with this gastroenteritis. The binding specificity of Norovirus is based on the histo-blood group antigens. These histo-blood group antigens are complex carbohydrates (oligosaccharides) linked to proteins or lipids and are located on the mucosal epithelial of the digestive tracts and are present as free oligosaccharides in saliva and milk (29). The three major families of histo-blood group antigens- ABO, Lewis and secretor families- are involved in the binding of Norovirus (29). Different Norovirus genotypes have different affinity for ABO antigens. For example, GI Norovirus has a higher affinity for blood group antigens A and O whereas GII Norovirus has a higher affinity for blood group antigens A and B (30). The P2 domain on the viral capsid plays a key role in the binding of these Norovirus to the histo-blood group antigens (31). Prevention and control Outbreaks of Norovirus can result in loss of income and significant morbidity because of frequent secondary transmission of the disease. Places which are more prone to Norovirus outbreaks and are of particular concern are normally places with a closed environment such as hospitals, nursing homes, ships and planes. Because Norovirus is highly infectious and spreads easily, and can be spread via asymptomatic individuals, the prevention of Norovirus outbreaks has become a major obstacle and poses a challenge for us. Norovirus can begin with a single common source of contaminated food (i.e. raw oysters, fruits and vegetables) and can rapidly spread like wildfire through person-to-person contact. Stopping an outbreak of Norovirus requires herculean efforts to sterilise   and clean the environment (eg. on cruise ships, camp sites, nursing home, hospital wards or disaster sites), and even then, the epidemics will only subside once the viral pool have been totally eradicated (32,33). No specific methods are available for complete prevention of Norovirus infection or illness due the agent being extremely contagious. Therefore, control efforts are targeted and focused on identifying the source and the subsequent removal of that source (eg, an infected food handler, contaminated water supply or even contaminated food supply, which is often the case with fruits and shellfish- in particular, oysters) which will then reduce the chance of the virus spreading (34). It is advised that ill food handlers should not be able to retain to their job and that strict personal hygiene be enforced among food handlers as they are one of the main causes of outbreaks. However, even under these strict regulations, both measures have shown limited success. The key to stopping the continuous spread of outbreaks is by preventing the secondary spread of the virus which spread through person-to person contact and from contaminated environmental surfaces which normally occur in cruise ships and other institutions. The fact that asymptomatic infection can occur and that the antigen can still be shed 2-3 weeks after exposure need to be kept in mind to facilitate the managing of outbreaks. Methods to manage the outbreak of Norovirus infection will probably improve in the near future as new tests are being carried out in epidemiological research of virus transmission. Recent knowledge on contamination, sanitation and personal hygiene In an outbreak, whether in a hospital or other environment, various methods can be enforced to reduce the spread of Norovirus infection. It is also important to note that Norovirus gastroenteritis, which is highly contagious tend to spread in crowded areas and may be difficult to control, therefore, below, are just a few techniques which can help in controlling this spread. Proper hand washing techniques and washing hands with soap and water is the key to preventing Norovirus from spreading. Note that, alcohol hand gel does not kill the virus entirely, but it may still be useful in areas where water is inaccessible. Also, the efficacy of the alcohol based sanitizers depends on the alcohol type and concentrations as well as the amount of viral particles present (35). * Medical staff and aid workers should clean their hands prior to and after touching any patient but it is particularly important that staffs wash their hands with soap and water after attending to a Norovirus patient to prevent the infection from spreading from one patient to another patient via their hands. Staffs should also be educated about the importance of personal hygiene and about the importance of washing hands. * Visiting relatives of patients in hospitals should also wash their hands with soap and water after visiting a ward which has Norovirus and they should not interact with other patients other than the person they have come to visit. * Staff and visitors should wash their hands before handling food and after visiting the toilet. Hand washing facilities should also be provided especially in high risk areas which are prone to Norovirus infection, such as bathrooms, eating areas, diaper-changing areas and even day care centres. * Proper hand washing techniques (eg. Rub palm to palm with fingers interlaced and rub back of each hand with palm of the other hand with fingers interlaced) should also be advised and encouraged. * Strict personal hygiene among food handlers and aid workers should be enforced to prevent outbreaks of Norovirus. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Isolating patients with the virus. *Patients with Norovirus must immediately be isolated from non-infected patient until their symptoms subside. The infected patient should be placed in a single room, but if there are a few cases of infection on the ward, infected patients should then be nursed in a dedicated bay. If there are a large number of cases, the ward should be close to new admissions. Visiting should also be restricted to prevent visitors getting the infection and thus, preventing the subsequent secondary infection of the disease. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cleaning. *Enhanced cleaning using bleach-containing products are needed to eradicate Norovirus from the environment. Vomit and diarrhoea must be cleaned up immediately and general ward cleaning must be increased. Alcohol based surface disinfectants are usually insufficient. Waste should also be dumped properly in the allocated bins. *Aggressive environmental sanitization by cleaning with proper surface disinfectants and sterilisation of bathroom surfaces, bedding and lines are also essential to decrease secondary spread (32). * Studies have shown that when bleaching agent is used on feline caliciviruses, it can inactivate the activity of the virus. Also, the effect of the bleaching agent is superior compared to that of ammonium compounds or phenols (36). 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Symptomatic people must stay away from hospital. *Staff and visitors who develop symptoms must not come into the hospital and they must remain away from the hospital until they have been free of symptoms for 48-72 hours. Staff must be cleared by occupational health before returning to work. Immunity and Vaccine Developed To develop future vaccines for the prevention of Norovirus infection, the nature of the immunity to Norovirus is of particular importance. In an early study of immunity of the human response system to Norovirus illness, some volunteers who became ill after being exposed to the virus had partial immunity to the disease upon exposure 6 to 14 weeks later, but lost the immunity 27 to 42 months later (37). However, recent studies have shown that these early finding may be inaccurate, since the dose required to infect 50% of volunteers is as low as 18 infectious particles, whereas the dose used in the early study was more than 105 time higher (21). Immunity developed from exposure to a lower dose of Norovirus might be greater and more cross-reactive than immunity against a much higher dose. Therefore, studies on this possibility are still on going. The high incidence of illness caused by Norovirus infections especially among both the young and the elderly have led to some investigations to consider the potential role of vaccines in helping to regulate this infection. The vaccine should be designated towards specific target groups, such as infants (as part of their routine schedule for childhood immunization), the elderly, food handlers, military personnel, travellers, health care workers and nurses in day-care centres (3). The development of vaccines could also play a role in helping to reduce the number of childhood mortality and controlling diarrheal disease in infants. In a recent study, it is noted that 15% of hospitalization of children for diarrhoea in India and 31% in Peru were associated with Norovirus infection (38) and these percentages may be contributing greatly towards the estimated 1.6 million children who die each year from diarrhoea. Nevertheless, recent breakthrough in research has successfully produced Norovir us-like particles (NVLP). These particles have almost identical characteristics to the original Norovirus as it has resistant properties towards acidic pH and is also heat-stable. When these particles are given orally or intranasally to human, it can produce an antigenic effect, stimulating the production of anti-Norovirus antibodies (B and T cell responses) within the human body (39). Therefore, these particles are now being studied, hoping that it could be used as a platform and lead us to discovering a cure one day. However, there are many obstacles towards the development of a vaccine for Norovirus. Firstly, there is certainly a lack of understanding of the physiology of the virus due to the failure to cultivate them in laboratories. Thirdly, there is limited understanding on why individuals cannot develop long term immunity towards the virus. Furthermore, the virus can also withstand a wide range of temperatures and pH thus increasing their survivability. Also, the virus has multiple routes of transmission, and finally, the Norovirus strain is rapidly evolving and mutating, thus, posing a major challenge for us in developing a vaccine, which is much similar to the situation to that of the influenza viruses. Similar to that of the influenza virus, the Norovirus can accumulate point mutation in the outer capsid wall which may result in unique immunoglobulin binding sites (18). Therefore, this antigenic drift will result in the formation of new strains of Norovirus and will require the reformatio n of the vaccines annually (39). Epidemic surveillance using recent updated epidemiological data will allow the identification of predominant strains and identifying a reference vaccine strain each year, similar to the situation of that of the influenza virus (38). Studies on the testing of vaccines are still at an early stage and much work still has to be done. Treatment As discussed above, the symptoms caused by Norovirus are generally mild and self-limited and resolves itself. Currently, there is still no specific treatment for a Norovirus infection apart from letting the infection run its course. Individuals who come down with Norovirus illness do not necessarily need to visit a doctor. Instead, the individual should stay home, to prevent the illness from passing to other people in a community, take paracetamol when necessary to relieve any symptoms or fever and most importantly, oral rehydration, by drinking plenty of water to replace the fluid lost through diarrhoea and vomiting. If an individual is having problems to retain fluids, he/she should try to take in small sips more frequently to ensure one is rehydrated. Rehydration solution can also be consumed to restore all the salts and minerals which were lost during diarrhoea and vomiting. This rehydration solution normally comes in powder form which can then be added with water for drinking. F or individuals who are suffering from severe dehydration, immediate hospitalization is necessary. Fluids should then be given directly into the body by a naso-gastric tube or intravenously. Antimotility agents such as Loperamide may be useful in helping to regulate diarrhoea in individuals with severe symptoms. Opioids are also useful in regulation of diarrhoea by reducing peristalsis. Anti-emetics such as Chlorpromazine, Acepromazine and Metoclopramide may be useful in helping to control vomiting by inhibiting the D2, Dopamine receptors which are found on the chemical trigger zone of the brain. Individuals suffering from Norovirus illness are advised to consume a light diet of foods that are easily digested, such as soup, rice, pasta and bread, but babies should be given their normal feed throughout (102). It has been shown that interferon and ribavirin can effectively inhibit the replication of Norovirus in replicon-bearing cells (40), but their potential therapeutic value needs t o be further investigated. Currently, there are still no anti-viral medications to treat Norovirus. Future research to locate the site of the gastrointestinal tract where the virus replicates may result in development of more specific antiviral therapies targeting the viral replication process. The drugs stated above are only used to control symptoms of Norovirus infection. However, due to the continuous advancement of the field of medicine, all these may change, and once the virus can successfully be propagated in laboratories, studies on them can be conducted which may finally lead us to a cure for Norovirus. Health impact of Norovirus outbreaks in the coming era Norovirus would be with mankind for years to come and even though a vaccine is in the process of being developed, it will require a few more years for it to be perfected. In this era of globalisation, travelling has become a norm in our lives. Every year, it is estimated that approximately 1 billion people travel around the globe for various purposes. Travellers may include tourists, business people, soldiers, refugees, migrants etc. Therefore, from a virus perspective, there will be a linkage of people all around the world with plenty of susceptible individuals which can be infected. For example, through air travel, the virus can be passed on from one continent to another, within a couple of days, and this can result in a pandemic. Currently, travel industry has increased by leaps and bounds. Planned vacations are almost the norm for everyone. Travellers especially vacationers inflicted with Norovirus will almost certainly ruined their travelling plans. On cruise ships or other confined environments, outbreaks of Norovirus can literally bring all leisure activities to a standstill. As global warming continues to be abated, natural disasters like hurricanes, typhoon, and floods appear to be common events. Congregation of people in crowded relief centres, like what happened during the Katrina Hurricane disaster, will form fertile ground for Norovirus to spread. Failure to control the outbreaks will compound the calamites (disasters) and disrupt relief effort. Lastly, as the world is rapidly greying especially in the developed countries, many old aged people will be housed in nursing homes. These confined homes are again sitting duck for Norovirus to strike. As the morbidity and mortality of old people are much worse in Norovirus infection, outbreaks could prove disastrous to these cohorts of greying population. References Richman D D, Whitley RJ Hayden FG Clinical Virology. 2nd ed. Washington: ASM Press; 2002. Levinson W Medical Microbiology Immunology. 8th ed. United States: Lange; 2004. Roger, I. Glass, Umesh, D. Parashar and Mary, K. Estes. Norovirus Gastroenteritis. N Engl J Med 2009;361:1776-85. Nayak MK, Balasubramanian G, Sahoo GC, et al. Detection of a novel intergenogroup recombinant Norovirus from Kolkata, India. Virology 2008;377:117-23. Bull RA, Tanaka MM, White PA. Norovirus recombination. J Gen Virol. 2007;88:3347-59. Fankhauser RL, J. S. Noel, S. S. Monroe, T. Ando, and R. I. Glass. Molecular epidemiology of Norwalk-like viruses in outbreaks of gastroenteritis in the United States. J. Infect. Dis. 1998;178:1571-1578. Michele E. Hardy Norovirus protein structure and function. DOI 2006;10.1016. Bertolotti-Ciarlet A, White LJ, Chen R, Venkataram P and Estes MK. Structural Requirements for the assembly of Norwalk virus-like particles. J. Virol 2002;76:4044-55. Zheng D, Ando T, Frankhauser RL, Beard RS, Glass RI, Monroe SS. Norovirus classification and proposed strain nomenclature. J. Virol 2006;346:312-23. Dingle KE, Lambden PR, Caul EO, Clarke IN. Human enteric Calicivirdae: the complete genome sequence and expression of virus-like particles from a genetic group II small round structured virus. J. Gen. Virol. 1995;76:2349-55. Belliot G, Sosnovtsev SV, Mitra T, Hammer C, Garfield M, Green KY. In vitro proteolytic processing of the MD145 Norovirus ORF1 nonstructural polyprotein yields stable precursors and products similar to those detected in Calcivirus-infected cells. J. Virol. 2003; 77:10957-74. Cuellar JL, Meinhoevel F, Hoehne M, Donath E. Size and mechanical stability of norovirus capsids depend on pH: a nanoindentation study. J Gen Virol. 2010; 91:2499-56. Dolin, R., N. R. Blacklow, H. DuPont, R. F. Buscho, R. G. Wyatt, J. A. Kasel, R. Hornick, and R. M. Chanock. Biological properties of Norwalk agent of acute infectious nonbacterial Cannon RO, Poliner JR, Hirschhorn RB, Rodeheaver DC, Silverman PR, Brown EA, Talbot GH, Stine SE, Monroe SS, Dennis DT and Glass RI. A multistate outbreak of Norwalk virus gastroenteritis associated with consumption of commercial ice.   J. Infect Dis. 1991; 164:860-863. Graham DY, Jiang X, Tanaka T, Opekun AR, Madore HP, Estes MK. Norwalk virus infection of volunteers: new insights based on improves assays. J. Infect. Dis 1994; 170:34-43. Inouye SK, Yamashita SY, Yoshikawa M, Kato N, Okabe N. Surveillance of viral gastroenteritis in Japan: paediatric cases and outbreak incidents. J. Infect. Dis 2000;181:S270-74. Adler JL, and Zickl R. Winter vomiting disease. J. Infect. Dis. 1969;119:668-73. Nilsson M, Hedlund KO, Thorhagen M, et al. Evolution of human caliciviruses RNA in vivo: accumulation of mutations in the protruding P2 domain of the capsid leads to structural changes and possibly a new phenotype. J. VIrol 2003;77(24):13117-24. [PubMed:14645568] Caul EO. Small round structured viruses: airbourne transmission and hospital control. Lancet 1994; 343:1240-41. Chadwick PR, McCann R. Transmission of a small round structured virus by vomiting during a hospital outbreak of gastroenteritis. J. Hosp. Infect. 1994; 26:251-59. Teunis PF, Moe CL, Liu P, et al. Norwalk virus: how infectious is it? J Med Virol 2008;80:1468-76. Rockx B, De Wit M, Vennema H, et al. Natural History of human calicivirus infection: a prospective cohort study. Clinical Infect Dis 2002;35:246-53 Estes MK, Prasad BV, Atmar RL. Noroviruses everywhere: has something changed? Curr. Opin. Infect. Dis. 2006;19:467-474. Mattner F, Sohr D, Heim A, Gastmeier P, Vennema H, Koopmamns M. Risk groups for clinical complications of Norovirus infections: an outbreak investigation. Clin Microbiol Infect 2006;12:69-74. Harris JP, Edmunds WJ, Pebody R, Brown DW, Lopman BA. Deaths from Norovirus among the elderly, England and Wales. Emerg Infect Dis 2008; 14:1546-52. Levy AG, Widerlite L, Schwartz CJ, et al. Jejunal adenylate cyclase activity in human subjects during viral gastroenteritis. Gastroenterology 1976;70:321-5 Agus SG, Dolin R, Wyatt RG, Tousimis AJ, Northrup RS. Acute infectious nonbacterial gastroenteritis: intestinal histopathology: histologic and enzymatic alterations during illness produced by Norwalk agent in man. Ann Intern Med 1973;79:18-25.   Meeroff JC, Schreiber DS, Trier JS, Blacklow NR. Abnormal gastric motor function in viral gastroenteritis. Ann Intern Med 1980;92:370-3. Marionneau S, Ruvoen N, Le MoullacVaidye B, et al. Norwalk virus binds to histo-blood group antigens present on the gastroduodenal epithelial cells of secretor individuals. Gastroenterology 2002;122:1967-77. Tan M, Huang P, Meller J. Mutations within the P2 domain of Norovirus capsid affect binding to human histo-blood group antigens evendence for a binding pocket. J. Virol. 2003;23:12562-71. Harrington PR, Lindesmith L, Yount B, Moe CL and Baric RS. Binding of Norwalk virus-like particles to ABH histo-blood group antigens is blocked by antisera from infected human volunteers or experimentally vaccinated mice. J. Virol 2002;76(23):12335-43. Yee EL, Palacio H, Atmar RL, Shah U, Kilborn C, Faul M, Gavagan TE, Feigin RD, Versalovic J, Neil, FH, Panlilio AL, Miller M, Spahr J and Glass RI. Widespread outbreak of Norovirus Gastroenteritis among evacuees of Hurricane Katrina residing in a Large â€Å"Megalshelter† in Houston, Texas: lessons learned for prevention. C Dis Cont. 2007;44:1032-39.   Widdowson MA, Cramer EH, Hadley L, et al. Outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis on cruise ships and on land: identification of a predominating circulating strain of Norovirus- United States, 2002. J Infect Dis 2004;190:27-36. [Erratum, J Infect Dis 2004;190:2198.] Baert L, Uyttendaele M, Stals A, et al. Reported foodbourne outbreaks due to Noroviruses in Belgium: the link between food and patient investigations in an international context. Epidemiol Infect 2009;137:316-25. Boyce JM, Pittet D. Guideline for hand hygiene in health-care settings: recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2002;23:S3-40. Duizer E, Bijkerk P, Rockx B, De Groot A, Twisk F, Koopmans M. Inactivation of caliciviruses. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2004;70:4538-43. Parrino TA, Schreiber DS, Trier JS, Kapikian AZ, Blacklow NR. Clinical immunity in acute gastroenteritis caused by Norwalk agent. N Eng J Med 1977;297:86-9. Patel MM, Widdowson M-A, Glass RI, Akazawa K, Vinje J, Parashar UD. Systematic literature review of role of Noroviruses in sporadic gastroenteritis. Emerg Infect Dis 2008;14:1224-31 Kralovetz MH, Mason HS, Chen Q. Norwalk virus-like particles as vaccines. Expert Rev Vaccines. 2010;9(3):299-307. Chang KO, Geroge DW. Interferons and ribavirin effectively inhibit Norwalk virus replication in replicon-bearing cells. J Virol 2007;81:12111-8. Websites Richard H.Replication of Polio, Rhino and other Picornaviruses [Internet]. Available from: pathmicro.med.sc.edu/virol/polio.htm Treating norovirus infection [Internet]. Available from: nhs.uk/Conditions/Norovirus/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Project management report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Project management report - Essay Example 16, Rawls, 2001, p. 18; Relu & Mihaela, 2009, p. 349). This paper explores the need for project management that will help strategically put direction on how these changes sought by the government be systematically developed and implemented. Considering the magnitude of impact of the program and the project, the researcher proposed that this should not be simultaneously undertaken (e.g. construction of the super penology first before conduct of actual closure to ascertain that there is proper transfer of reformatory site for criminals or prisoners) to ensure that there is clear financial resources that will support the changes sought and to have concrete project management structure as framework for both program and project implementation (Tittle, 1974, p. 385). Introduction The penology is part of the social justice system. Guilty offenders are held put behind bars to make them accountable under criminal justice processes; it is an integrated art of redistributing justice as well as to help rectify and reform an offender’s wrongdoing through punishment (Robinson, 2005, p. 8; Miller, 1999, p. 20). ... prisons that will displace thousands of prisoners and how it will deal with human resources that will be negatively impacted with this introduced program (Bent, 1989, p. 2). This paper will discuss project management and its application and correlation to recent problem at hand that will affect the Ministry of Justice and the rest of the stakeholders of penology. Background to the project England is about to close seven of its prisons and two others will have partial closure which will loss 2,600 places and could save an estimated ?63m operational budget per year (BBC News, 2013, p. 1). Responding to questions on the implication of these closures, the Ministry of Justice however assured that super prison with 2,000 places will be built in London which is targeted as 25% bigger than Britain's current facility (BBC News, 2013, p. 1). It is reckoned that in 2009, the parliament scrapped its plan for three 2,500-place Titan prisons (BBC News, 2013, p. 1). Authorities bared that aside fro m super prison, mini-prisons house blocks at Parc in south Wales, Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, the Mount in Hertfordshire, and Thameside in London that will accommodate 1,260 (BBC News, 2013, p. 1). MoJ announcement came following government bared plan to permit the private firms and charities to supervise low-risk offenders on probation in England and Wales (BBC News, 2013, p. 1). About 1,177 prison staff will be affected of this prison closure and will be redeployed and be offered of voluntary redundancy (BBC News, 2013, p. 1). The penology centres in Chelmsford and Hull, will also affect 854 staff (BBC News, 2013, p. 1). The court is however yet to translate its strategy of â€Å"custodial estate is to ensure that we have sufficient places to meet the demand of the courts whilst

The Law of One Price - Purchasing Power Parity Assignment

The Law of One Price - Purchasing Power Parity - Assignment Example Multinational companies operating in countries such as those may be faced by risk emanating from their trade especially when there is a drawdown as well as repayment of Import/ Export Forex Loans in addition to disbursements of import/Export Bills denominated mostly in foreign currencies. Such companies will also be faced with risk emanating from Inward/Outward Remittances which are also denominated in currencies from other countries. There is also risk coming from overseas dividends that are arising from repatriating profit from overseas back home as well as operating expenses of overseas such as paying employees working in overseas. Lastly, foreign exchange risk may emanate from assets held in overseas countries such as excess cash balances of subsidiaries operating in overseas together with overseas liabilities that may result from the borrowing of foreign currency (Sharan, 2012). These fluctuations in foreign exchange rates may trigger changes in the value of the cash flows, liabilities and assets, particularly when they are denominated in foreign currencies. This means, therefore, such fluctuations may adversely affect a company’s outgoing import disbursements and incoming export funds. This is why management of foreign exchange risk is very important since it can help in minimising the risk or maximising the firm’s profit (Berg, 2010). A managed floating exchange rate is crucial for not only economic restructuring but also optimization of allocation of resources. This is because an exchange rate symbolizes price relations that exist between non-tradable and tradable goods and services. A regime of managed floating exchange rate improves the effectiveness of resource allocation, direct resources to the economic sectors that are mainly fuelled by domestic demand, for instance, the services sector, promotion of industrial upgrading, transformation of the economic pattern development, reduction of trade imbalances together with over-reliance on exports, all these stimulate economic demand to have an influential role in economic development and hence leads to promotion of balanced and sustained economic growth.

How the Macroeconomic Environment Affects Human Resource Essay Example for Free

How the Macroeconomic Environment Affects Human Resource Essay A microenvironment is simply a small environment within the operations of a business in which there are specialized features that make environment different from other business environments. In essence, it is the nearby and surrounding factors that affect and determine this environment. These factors affect the ability of the company in terms of service provision. As a matter of fact, it affects the supplies of the company, marketing strategies, marketing intermediaries, public relations and general company operations. Generally, a business microenvironment refers to the factors or elements within a particular organization and its immediate area of operations that in one way or another, has an effect on the performance of the company as well as the decision making processes of the company or business. CITATION Cal14 l 1033 (Monroe 2014)These elements are among the general public, since they form the bulk of the market, the channels of distribution among others. At the end of the day, this environment is of much importance to the success of a business. This paper gives an in-depth analysis of the microenvironments and macro environments of supermarkets as well as mobile companies thereby giving the empirical and theoretical relationships between the performance and of these business organizations as compared to their environments. The best strategy of analyzing the microenvironment of a business organization is through the SWOT technique in which one analyzes the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats within the company. CITATION Sub07 l 1033 (Subrata Ghatak 2007)The Strengths of a Company greatly determine the success of business organizations. The strength of a business organization can be measured in terms of; technological advancements, economies of scale as well as the availability of resources. The technology of a mobile company determines the amount of their sales. For instance, high levels of technology for a mobile company would reduce the cost of production that a company incurs. Decrease in cost of production simply implies that the company makes super normal profits, that is, profits greater than zero. Technology therefore plays a very key role. Economies of Scale have the same effect as well. Economies of scale simply imply to the company’s or supermarket’s market base. Companies that enjoy economies of scale lower their cost of production, thereby increasing their profit margins. Resource availability is also equally important. As a matter of fact, the importance of availability of resources to any business organization can never be underestimated. Resource availability is could imply human, natural or financial resource. All these are the drivers of the business, both in a mobile company as well as for supermarkets. CIT ATION Arv l 1033 (Arvil Van Adams n.d.)The weaknesses within an organization also determine its level of performance to a very large extent. What matters at the end of the day is how the supermarket or mobile company in question addresses the weakness that it faces in terms of operation. The most common weaknesses in either of these two enterprises are in terms of the prices, globalization and marketing. For mobile companies for instance, it is very difficult to come up with price floors owing to the products they produce. Generally, mobile phones are relatively expensive. As such, they are not the easiest products to market. Globalization on the other hand, is important since it determines the market base and network of a business. Most mobile companies have done tremendously well in this particular area. CITATION Sub07 l 1033 (Subrata Ghatak 2007)Opportunities and Threats play a very crucial role in the microenvironment of a business organization. They either make or break the org anization. The opportunities of supermarkets and mobile companies most of the time come as a result of collaboration. For instance, supermarkets can collaborate with the companies that they sell their products. It is through such strategies that supermarkets can easily give their clients discounts and offers. Discounts and offers are simply marketing strategies in which business organizations attract their customers. Mobile companies, on the other hand, can take advantage of their opportunities through collaboration with other electronic companies. For instance, they could collaborate with network service providers and as such use this platform to market their products. It is very important therefore, for a company to take advantage of whatsoever opportunity that comes their way. CITATION Les12 l 1033 (Leslie Hamilton 2012)A threat is another factor that is prevalent in the microeconomic environment of a business. There are various forms of threats that can affect the performance of a business. Threats may result from social, political or economic sources. However, common threats that mobile companies and supermarkets face are in relation to risks and uncertainties. Risks and uncertainties face almost every business and they could be in terms of price fluctuations, the risk of a technology becoming obsolete, market variations and so on. Competition is another threat that mobile companies as well as supermarkets have to deal with. It is a challenge that also comes an opportunity. Competition encourages organizations to come up with more advanced forms of technology for instance of mobile companies. Supermarkets, on the other hand, experience a lot of competition due to the homogeneity of products. CITATION Les12 l 1033 (Leslie Hamilton 2012)The next part of the paper gives an insight on the macroeconomic market. This market environment deals with broader economic issues such as inflation, unemployment, national income and GDP. The Pestel model is the best analy sis to use so as to examine this economic environment. The Pestel assessment basically deals with the political environment, the environmental environment, the social, technological, economic and finally the legal environment that surrounds an organization. Basically, a macro environment defines the conditions that exist in the whole economy as opposed to particular sections or regions in the economy. As such, this environment follows up the trends in the GDP market, monetary policies, fiscal policies, level of spending as well as employment. CITATION Dee06 l 1033 (Deepashree 2006) The political environment generally deals with the political factors that affect the performance of a business. Political factors, more often than not, come with policies. The fiscal and monetary policies for instance, affect businesses to a great deal. This depends on whether they are expansionary or contractionary. The government of a country has control of most businesses. Another way through which pol itical factors affect businesses is through the political environment of a country, that is, whether the political temperatures are favorable for investment. Political instabilities in a country greatly discourage investment. This affects both mobile companies and supermarkets since it raises the question of globalization. With high political temperatures, it becomes very difficult to explore global markets. CITATION Arv l 1033 (Arvil Van Adams n.d.)The environment, on its own affects the performance of a business. The environment of a business is basically determined by the climatic conditions. The climate, or weather, in this case, will mostly affect a supermarket. As a matter of fact, there are goods whose demand rises with temperature. Such goods are among electronic fans. Supermarkets are bound to experience increase in sale of such product in the hot weather. On the other hand, there are other products such as umbrellas whose demand is bound to increase with the onset of cold weather. As such, though to a small extent, environmental factors play a role as factors in the macroeconomic environment. CITATION Sub07 l 1033 (Subrata Ghatak 2007)Social and cultural factors have a major effect as elements in the macroeconomic environment. This segment affects the performance of a business through the traditions, customs and beliefs of a society. It also deals with the issue of aging. Aging has an indirect effect on the demand and supply of a commodity. For the working population, when they age, they are paid handsomely in terms of pension. As a result, most of them might tend to spend more on luxury goods. This is how mobile companies get to benefit. The general consumption for this proportion of population increases and as such, this also affects supermarkets. The beliefs and attitudes of a population also determine the consumption pattern through tastes and preferences. CITATION Cal14 l 1033 (Monroe 2014)Technological factors affect the operations and performa nce of a business to a very large extent. Technology has a direct effect on production costs. This is because high levels of technology imply less production costs. The relationship between technology and consumption is quite simple. Technology is a major factor of production, both for mobile companies and supermarkets. There is low demand of human resource with high levels of technology. This makes production relatively cheaper. The total cost of production reduces as well. The end result of this is that the profit margin increases. Technology may also become obsolete and this has a negative impact on the performance of the business. CITATION Les12 l 1033 (Leslie Hamilton 2012)Economic factors are the other factors that are prevalent in the macro environment of a business. Under this umbrella lie major issues to do with inflation, unemployment, GDP, Per Capita Income and many others. These factors generally create an economic environment and have the same effect on mobile companies and supermarkets depending on their degree of severity. A highly inflated economy means that the general price level of goods be it in supermarkets or from mobile phone companies. As a result, such an economy does not encourage investment by either of the two enterprises. CITATION Dee06 l 1033 (Deepashree 2006)Legal factors; these are legislations that affect the performance of a business. The quota system, for instance, is a legislation that affects the amount of imports. Narrowing down to mobile companies, they are affected by government policies to a very great extent. This is because their transactions mainly involve importation and exportation of products. Most governments have extremely stringent laws and regulations. Governments are often very strict especially with the quality of goods they import. Moreover, with respect to supermarkets, governments may have very strict regulations with regard to importation so as to promote local industries. Such issues affect the performa nce of companies to a very great extent. Taxes, which are stipulated by the government, are other pieces of legislation that both mobile companies and supermarkets have to come to terms with. From the above analysis, we can conclude that both the macro environment and the microenvironment have on the performance of a business, both positively. CITATION Arv l 1033 (Arvil Van Adams n.d.) References l 1033 Arvil Van Adams, ‎Robert S. Goldfarb, ‎Terence Kelly. How the Macroeconomic Environment Affects Human Resource. n.d. Deepashree. Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Environment. Tata McGraw Hill Education, 2006. Leslie Hamilton, ‎Philip Webster. International Business Environment. Oxford University Press, 2012. Monroe, Calvin. An Analysis of the UK Mobile Environment. GRIN Verlag, 2014. Subrata Ghatak, ‎Nige Healey, ‎Peter Jackson. The Macroecoomic Environment. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Source document

Analysis and Treatment of Hunter S. Thompson for Substance Use Disorder

Hunter S. Thompson once said, â€Å"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.† There are no other words that would describe Dr. Thompson in a more accurate fashion. He lived his life like no other human being could ever imagine. He is arguably the most famous and creative writer to have lived, especially considering that he was the one who created the new style of writing that is referred to as â€Å"Gonzo† writing. He was the eye of a culture movement that left a significant impact on society’s perspective overall. Hunter was raised in a household that was below of average wealth; all while his friends were from the other side of town with considerable more wealth. His father passed away when he was at the age of 14, forcing his mother who was a heavy alcoholic to raise him and his brothers. His mother never had a grip on him allowing him to do as he pleased with no remorse. He was a child from hell that was continuously getting into mischief, whether it be vandalism, violence, pranks, theft, underage drinking, and just stirring up about anything he could. During his final days of being a senior in high school, he and two friends were arrested for theft. He was left in the jail system, while his two friends were released on the sole basis that they came from a family of wealth. He had the choice of staying in jail or joining the United States Air force, which he chose to serve his country. The one thing that Hunter really had a passion for was writing, in which he started at a young age and would continue to further develop his very own unique style of writing. His style of writing was non-traditional that went against every rule of journalism. It was a subjective form that ... ..., NSW: Centre for Parenting and Research Carter, G. & Gibney, A. (2008). Gonzo: The life and works of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. United States: Mognolia Home Entertainment Studio. Higgins, C. (2013). Hunter S. Thompson’s daily routine. Mental_Floss, l. Hunter Stockton Thompson. (2013). The Biography Channel Website. Retreieved 6:39, Nov. 13, 2013. From Kring, M.A., Johnson, L.S., Davison, G., & Neale, J. (2012). Abnormal psychology. Danvers, MA: Wiley, John & Sons, Inc. Michael, S. (2010). The stress diathesis model of addiction. Psychneuro. Paulsen, O. & Moser, El. (1998). A model of hippocampal memory encoding and retrieval: GABAergic control of synaptic plasticity. Trends Neuroscience, 21, 273-278. Perkins, D. Lecture presented at Ball State University, Muncie, IN. (October 2013). Tucher, A. (2000). Thompson, Hunter S. American National Biography Online.

Lack of Nationalism and Patriotism of the Filipino Youth Today Essay

â€Å"Lack of Nationalism and Patriotism of the Filipino Youth Today† Nationalism and patriotism both show the relationship of an individual towards his or her nation. The two are often confused and frequently believed to mean the same thing. However, we have lost that sense of nationhood particularly among youth. It wasn’t long time ago when young people here, loved to die for their country. The evident reasons were patriotism and love in their souls for their motherland. But the situation is not so now. Nowadays, if you ask them to die for their country, believe it or not, they either will slap you or laugh out loud at you, thinking it as a frivolous roguery, you are trying to pull at them. Many wonder, if there is a foremost problem, then there must be a solution to it, education reformation, globalization awareness and westernization regulation. Modern education is a major influence for such a situation because the subsequent generation was never taught of patriotic acts and sacrifices of people for their country which resulted in lack of inspiration and moral education also wasn’t encouraged as it should have been. Young people were taught to be self-independent and to only ponder on their well-being. Movies and songs also stopped showing patriotism and partisanship and started making them believe in fantasies, driving them apart from veracity. These are the few reasons why the present generation is devoid of patriotism. I believe that the Department of Education should give also importance on how nationalism be engraved to Filipino youth. Globalization describes the processes by which economies, societies and cultures have become integrated through communication, transportation and technology. It is a new form of culture that knows no boundaries and is spreading globally which is quite alarming. Youth tends to be blind about the process of globalization in our country. For me, having knowledge about social culture is such a big count for patriotism. Westernization is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, clothing, language, alphabet, religion, philosophy, and values. This particular process plays a big role in lack of nationalism of the Filipino youth today. Idolizing Korean-pop, adulating  imported products and simulating foreign fashions are the norms. In this case, parents and teachers or authorities must not tolerate those actions. They should be the first to encourage youth about nationalism and patriotism. The nation built by today’s youth will be the nation they pass along to their own children. If young people today wish their children to have an America of freedom, the young people of today must protect and defend that freedom by supporting our country’s greatness and working to make her ever better. The youth of today owe a debt to those of the past who sacrificed, worked hard, and even died to build us a free nation. To keep faith with those who have gone before and upon whose toil and sacrifice the nation was built, youth need to show patriotism. Through education reformation, globalization awareness and westernization regulation, nationalism and patriotism will not be lost among Filipino youth.