Essay about play Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

About play - Essay Example In the beginning of the play, the conditions of living, as described by the house is striking. In addition to this, Walter Lee’s irresponsible nature makes a reader anticipate some kind of change, to alter the balance. Moreover, when Joseph Asagai visits the Youngers’ house, they are in the midst of cleaning up. This point is the fulcrum, since after this point, the ‘process of cleaning’ is geared up towards change. At the end of the play, we see that the family is all set to move into a new house in Clybourne Park, which is symbolic of a change in the physical environment. In addition to this, Beneatha’s life undergoes a change, since she chooses Asagai over Murchison, though it was an expected action. Moreover, the biggest change is seen in Walter Lee’s character, which becomes a round character by the end of the play. The character undergoes an internal change and this is evident when Walter Lee stands up for his family and their principles. Consider the following dialogue spoken by Mama, â€Å"Oh—So now its life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now its money. I guess the world really do change .† Thus, Change can rightly be called one of the themes of the play. Another major theme of the play is the concept of ‘dream’. It is closely related to, and can be called a critique of the American Dream, wherein it is believed that every individual must be provided with the opportunities to earn and own a piece of land and lead a luxurious life. All through the play, the concept of ‘dreams’ plays a strong undercurrent. Each member has a particular dream. Mama’s dream is to buy a comfortable house in an all-white locality, while Walter Lee’s dream is to get into business. Ruth is an independent intelligent girl, who wants to steer clear of all the Americanisation, and get in touch with her African roots. Mama is scheduled to get the pension

Law Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Law Questions - Assignment Example Law Questions On realization that Fred had a criminal record, the police officers should obtain a search warrant to search Fred’s room and before Fred is charged with possession of cocaine. The rule of law demands that plausible cause exists if the circumstances and facts of the case would cause a person to believe and consider that a felony had been committed or was going to be committed. Yes, the drugs are admissible in Court against Mike because the report evaluation of the controlled substances such as Marijuana that was found in Mike house is admissible in the court because it acts as a prima facie evidence of the quantity, nature, and identity of the issue evaluated. In this case, the police officers do not require the utilization of laboratory tests or reports because Mike and Larry were found in possession of the drugs. Admissibility will also apply to Larry because he was found in possession of Marijuana in his trunk. The police officers had the right to search Mike’s house since they had a valid search warrant. Police officers were investigating a car crime had particular details regarding the car that had committed the crime. When the details matched with the defendant’s behaviors, police discovered the car had similar characteristics as the one they had. The police had the right to use the information they had and match it with what they saw. The police officers need to use the totality of circumstances method to get a credible or probable cause.

Role of Dietary Intervention in Ameliorating Disability

Role of Dietary Intervention in Ameliorating Disability The Role of Dietary Intervention in Ameliorating Disability Experienced by Multiple Sclerosis Patients Mark M. Makar Hypothesis: Diet modification can significantly improve disability and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients. Abstract (word count: 213) Hypothesis: Diet modification can significantly improve disability and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients. Methods: The PubMed database was searched on January 18, 2017 to identify studies relevant to this review. The database search combined terms from three themes: 1) multiple sclerosis patients 2) diet and 3) diet modification. This search yielded 118 articles for screening, with no duplicates. With abstract screening and inclusion criteria, 10 articles were included in this final review. Results: Modifying the diet of multiple sclerosis patients can greatly reduce fatigue and moderately help decrease symptoms experienced during this disease. Replacing animal based protein and saturated fatty acids from the diet, with plant-based alternatives that are high in starch showed noticeable improvement in symptoms experienced by multiple sclerosis patients. The plant based diet showed a decrease in inflammatory cells, damage of the blood brain barrier, demyelination, as well as axonal and oligodendrocyte injury. Conclusions: A variety of dietary modifications have been demonstrated to effectively improve quality of life and reduce disability in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis. More studies are needed to assess the efficacy of dietary intervention with respect to reducing episodes of disability experienced by multiple sclerosis patients and including diet modification into the current disease modifying therapies available. Key Words: multiple sclerosis, diet modification, review Ultramini Abstract: A search of the PubMed database yielded 10 articles for review. A variety of randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, case studies, cross sectional studies, and surveys regarding multiple sclerosis patients and diet modification to exclude animal protein from the diet and include only a plant based diet, can help to ameliorate disability. Introduction Multiple Sclerosis has an ongoing prevalence of 33% globally, with its incidence growing in North America and Europe (Evans C et al., 2013). Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. It is the number one cause of non-traumatic neurodegenerative disability in the young adult population, and is twice as common in women as men (Browne, P et al., 2014). The etiology of multiple sclerosis is still unknown; however, it is believed to have autoimmune origins. Patients tend to experience multiple sclerosis differently; the most common presenting symptoms include sensory (40%), motor (39%), fatigue (30%), and visual (30%), and urinary incontinence (17%) along with less common symptoms presenting as pain and cognitive decline (Evans C et al., 2013). The wide array of symptoms experienced in multiple sclerosis has sprung forth an influx of scholarly research on beneficial disease- modifying therapies (DMTs) and alternative non-traditional methods for treating multiple sclerosis. Many governments across the world subsidize the current platform therapies for multiple sclerosis across the world including interferon-beta and/ or glatiramer acetate (Browne, P et al., 2014). There is a considerable degree of variance between different levels of income groups in society with regards to accessibility of government-funded therapies for multiple sclerosis (Browne, P et al., 2014). Availability of government funded DMTs were accessible to 96% of high-income countries, 45% of lower to middle income countries, and none in the low-income countries (Browne, P et al., 2014). These surprising statistics have led to new research development, which focus on new treatment methods for multiple sclerosis that cannot only be efficacious, but also be economically accessible for all levels of socioeconomic statuses across the world. There is much speculation regarding cost effectiveness of current treatment regiments for multiple sclerosis with interferon-beta and/ or glatiramer ace tate. There is a common consensus that the current platform therapies are not cost effective for the long-term therapy of multiple sclerosis (Bogglid, M et al., 2009). Given the pathology of multiple sclerosis, it is believed that dietary factors play a key role in autoimmune degradation and can induce myelin breakdown in the central nervous system by molecular mimicry (Ashtari, F et al., 2015). Multiple sclerosis prevalence is believed to be high in regions furthest away from the equator, however recent research has found that these regions of the world also consume a greater amount of saturated fat and animal protein such as dairy (Swank, R et al., 1990). Diets high in animal protein saturated fatty acids tend to worsen progression of multiple sclerosis and increase relapse of symptoms (Hadgkiss, E et al., 2015).It has been proposed that dietary interventions such as low fat, plant-based diet may decrease autoimmune inflammation in the central nervous system and help maintain the protective integrity of the blood brain barrier (Riccio, P et al., 2016). Dietary modifications are thought to be both a cost effective and efficacious treatment option for mitigating symptoms experienced by multiple sclerosis patients such as loss of motor and or sensory function, as well as fatigue (Yadav, V et al., 2016). This paper aims to provide a practical overview of recent scholarly literature in order to answer the research question: Does diet modification significantly decrease the level of disability and improve the quality of life in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis? The review will be guided under the hypothesis: diet modification can significantly improve disability and quality of life in patients suffering with multiple sclerosis. Methods Articles about multiple sclerosis and diet modification were searched on January 19, 2017 using the databases Pub Med and Google Scholar. The database search combined terms from three themes: 1) multiple sclerosis patients (relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis OR primary progressive multiple sclerosis OR multiple sclerosis OR central nervous system demyelination OR autoimmune encephalomyopathy OR demyelinating disease 2) diet (food OR animal protein OR vegan diet OR plant based diet) and 3) diet modification (meal plan OR starch based diet). When searching for articles, screening settings were set to be within 10 years, English language, full text articles, review, meta-analysis, randomized control trials, and clinical trials. Boolean operators used were OR and AND; OR was used to extract specific terms from the three main themes. AND was used to connect the three themes used in this review. This search yielded 118 articles for screening, with no duplicates. With abstract screening and inclusion criteria, 10 articles were included in this final review. Inclusion Criteria All the articles used in this systemic review had to meet the following criteria: 1) English 2) patients with multiple sclerosis for at least 6 months 3) diet modification/ assesment or pharmacological treatment as intervention. The term multiple sclerosis was defined as patients showing symptoms for at least 6 months and diet modification was defined as any change in daily food intake. Exclusion Criteria Articles were excluded from the review if they were published prior to 2007 and/or were not written in the English language and/or if patients had any type of prior chronic disease other than multiple sclerosis. Results Randomized Controlled Studies In a randomized controlled study by Vijayshree Yadav et al, 61 patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis were monitored for a one-year period. The participants were randomly allocated into two groups: Diet group and control group. The diet group was placed on a strict starch plant based diet (potatoes, corn, beans, bread, sweet potato and rice), while the control group was allowed to continue with their usual diet (meat, eggs, dairy products, fish) throughout the study. Each participant was surveyed once every three months or the duration of the study during which disability, and fatigue levels were recorded (by the expanded disability status scale, EDSS and fatigue severity scale, FSS/ modified fatigue impact scale, MFIS respectively). Serum lipid levels and brain MRI were also recorded at the end of the twelve months. The results observed demonstrated a significant reduction (pFigure 1 shows a summary of fatigue improvement throughout the duration of the study. These fin dings suggest that intervention with a plant-based diet does indeed help reduce fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients. Figure 1: Graph of Fatigue Scores as Measured by FSS score (A) and MFIS score (B) over a 12 Month Time Span In a similar randomized control trial by Anja Mahler et al, 18 patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group was started on 600 mg green tea catechin capsule per day and the control group received a placebo capsule for 12 weeks. A 4-week period was allotted during crossover to assure a sufficient wash out period. The results observed determined there was a significant increase in efficiency of muscle work from 20 (SD= 3) in the placebo group to 25 (SD= 6) in the intervention group (p>0.004). This finding suggests that intervention with plant based green tea extract helps to decrease muscle fatigue in multiple sclerosis patients. Cohort and Cross Sectional Studies: Emily Hadgkiss et al surveyed 2087 patients with multiple sclerosis globally. The comprehensive online survey inquired about dietary habits, quality of life, disability, and relapse rate. Dietary habits were assessed using the Diet Habits Questionnaire (DHQ), baseline quality of life was calculated using the Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life scale (MSQOL-54), and disability was calculated by using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Results of this study demonstrated that patients who reported higher intake of fruits and vegetables and low intake of fats had significantly higher physical health scores (PHC) ranging from 54 to 68 (pFigure 2 and Figure 3 shows a brief summary of these results. Figure 2: Mean Physical Health Composite by Dietary Factors   Ã‚   Figure 3: Mean Mental Health Composite by Dietary Factors Another significant finding in this study showed that patients who consumed meat and dairy had much poorer disability scores 624 (pTable 1. The frequency ofmultiple sclerosis disease activity was also significantly increased in meat and dairy consumers, 309% and 271% respectively (p Table 1: Level of disability and disease activity by dietary subgroups Soodeh Jahromi et al surveyed the diets of 75 women with multiple sclerosis from Iran. Dietary patterns were assessed using a 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). This study found patients whos diet consisted mainly of animal fat (high in animal fats, potato, other meat products, sugars, hydrogenated fats and low in whole grains, spices, and poultry without skin) had higher incidence of multiple sclerosis (OR = 1.99; CI: 1.63-2.94; P = 0.04), and patients who had a vegetable based diet (high in green leafy vegetables, hydrogenated fats, tomato, yellow vegetables, fruit juices, onion, and other vegetables) had lower incidence of multiple sclerosis. (OR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.19-0.90; P = 0.026). These findings suggest an inverse relationship between high amount of hydrogenated fats, green leafy vegetables, fruit juices, and other vegetables and risk of multiple sclerosis. A longitudinal retrospective analysis was conducted by Weinstock-Guttman et al, where lipid levels of 492 multiple sclerosis patients were assessed for one a year time period. The study deduced that increasing LDL (p Geeta Ramsaransing et al investigated the levels of 23 dietary nutrients in 80 patients with multiple sclerosis: 27 with benign course multiple sclerosis, 32 with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, and 21 with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. The secondary progressive group demonstrated significant decreases in magnesium intake (p In a cohort study by Mike Bogglid et al, 5583 multiple sclerosis patients in the UK were monitored from May 2002 to April 2005 in an effort to establish the long term cost effectiveness of current platform therapy (interferon-beta and/ or glatiramer acetate) for multiple sclerosis. Following the duration of the study, 49% of patients that were on platform therapy were found to have experienced progressive deterioration in EDSS 2.68 at baseline, 2.90 after one year, and 3.24 after two years (p Case Control Studies In a comparable study to Soodeh Jahromi et als work, a cross sectional analysis by Tatjana Pekmezomiv et al was conducted to investigate possible dietary trends in patients living with multiple sclerosis. The dietary habits of 110 multiple sclerosis patients were compared to 110 healthy controls. Results showed that meat intake such as chicken (OR=2.0, p=0.045), lamb (OR=2.1, p=0.013), and beef (OR=1.7, p=0.043) was significantly higher in multiple sclerosis patients as compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, the study found that multiple sclerosis patients consumed significantly higher levels of ice cream (OR=0.18, p=0.031) and butter (OR=1.7, p=0.056) in comparison to controls. Table 2 shows a brief summary of these results. These findings suggest that there is a significant association between dietary intake of meat products such as chicken, lamb, and beef, as well as ice cream and butter to the disease in question. This may suggest that removal or reduction of said food items may be beneficial in decreasing the incidence of multiple sclerosis. Table 2: Consumption frequency of different food groups and food items in MS patients and controls Fereshteh asharti et al conducted a case control study in order to evaluate cows milk allergy (CMA) in multiple sclerosis patients versus healthy individuals. The authors compared 48 multiple sclerosis patients with 48 healthy controls. After 16 weeks there were no differences in the frequency of CMA between the two groups. Contrary from the results of Emily Hadgkiss et als study, the study done by Vahid Shaygannejad et al, found that there was a higher frequency of dairy products consumed by healthy control individuals (67%, p=0.01) compared to multiple sclerosis patients. These findings suggest that there is no reliable association between milk consumption and risk of multiple sclerosis development. Discussion This review attempted to answer the question: Does diet modification significantly decrease the level of disability and improve the quality of life in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis? The general shared consensus of articles included in this review support the proposed hypothesis of diet modification can, indeed, significantly improve disability and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients (Hadgkiss E et al., 2015; Jahromi S et al., 2012; Shaygannejad V et al., 2016; Yadav V et al., 2016; Ramsaransing G et al., 2009; Jahroomi S., 2012; Pekmezovic T et al., 2012). However, one article concluded that consumption of animal protein in the form of milk did not increase the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (Shaygannejad V et al., 2016). However, these findings should not be generalized to the general population as the sample size used was too small and did not represent a true spectrum of multiple sclerosis prevalence across the world. The remaining articles reviewed corroborated that removal of both animal based protein and saturated fatty acids from the diet, and their replacement, high starch, plant-based alternatives, provided improved disability and fatigue in patients suffering from this disease (Pekmezovic T et al., 2012; Yadav V et al., 2016). The plant based, high starch diet (potato and rice) was found not only be an efficacious treatment option for mitigating symptoms experienced by multiple sclerosis patients but is also economically accessible for all levels of society across the world. It is also evident that most clinicians involved in the articles reviewed, found enough evidence in their research to warrant providing advice to patients with multiple sclerosis about the importance of healthy diet modification in regards to their condition (Hadgkiss E et al., 2015; Jahromi S et al., 2012; Yadav V et al., 2016; Ramsaransing G et al., 2009;). Many of the articles reviewed used a survey platform to assess the diets of multiple sclerosis patients; this may have had some effect on the results due to the nature of the retrospective study design used, making way for possible recall bias, hence potential misreporting of dietary intake (Pekmezovic T et al., 2012; Hadgkiss, E et al., 2015;). As well, since many of the articles used a food frequency survey approach, it may have limited the interventions possible with regards to experimenting with different types of foods that may have improved or worsened multiple sclerosis outcomes. A common limitation in this review is that none of the articles inquired about portion sizes of their meals, just food items (Hadgkiss E et al., 2015; Jahromi S et al., 2012; Yadav V et al., 2016; Ramsaransing G et al., 2009; Jahroomi S., 2012;). Across all articles reviewed, mean age of the study population was between 30- 47 years; therefore the results of this review may not be true for younger or more elderly patients. Many of the researchers in this review found it difficult to recruit many subjects due to health concerns regarding a low protein diet (Hadgkiss E et al., 2015; Jahromi S et al., 2012; Yadav V et al., 2016; Ramsaransing G et al., 2009; Jahroomi S., 2012). It is possible that the results observed with regards to studying the diets of multiple sclerosis patients may have been due to associations with other confounding variables. It is also important to note that given the disabling nature of multiple sclerosis as a disease state, many of the patients may be relying on a caregiver or family member for their meals, which may influence their dietary intake. Limitations encountered in this review include only utilizing articles written within the past 10 years, articles collected from only two databases (PubMed and Google Scholar), and articles were only included only if they were published in the English language. Future research may consider standardizing meal portion sizes during experimentation as various parts of the world have varying standard portion sizes. Future studies should also consider accounting for possible supplementation use in the participants such as vitamin and mineral intake. This would help diminish possible confounding variable. Future research may also utilizing experimental analysis encompassing a larger age range. All together, these factors would help encompass a much broader spectrum of patients living with multiple sclerosis. Conclusion In conclusion, diet modification has been shown to be a viable option not only for effectively improving quality of life, and reducing disability in patients suffering from multiple sclerosis, but also in lowering the risk of developing the disease. Evidence showed that removal of both animal based protein and saturated fatty acids from the diet, and replacing them with plant-based alternatives which are high in starch showed noticeable improvement in muscle weakens and fatigue levels. Unfortunately we do not have sufficient research that definitively demonstrates that diet modification can be used alone without traditional medication to prevent and/ or treat multiple sclerosis. Additional studies are needed to assess the efficacy of dietary intervention with respect to reducing episodes of disability experienced by multiple sclerosis patients and including diet modification into the current disease modifying therapies available. References Ashtari, Fereshteh, Fatemeh Jamshidi, Raheleh Shokouhi Shoormasti, Zahra Pourpak, and Mojtaba Akbari. Cows milk allergy in multiple sclerosis patients. Journal of research in medical sciences: the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences 18, no. Suppl 1 (2013): S62. PMCID: PMC3743324 Boggild, Mike., Palace, Jackie., Barton, Pelham., Ben-Shlomo, Y., Bregenzer, Thomas., Dobson, Charles., Gray, R. (2009). Multiple sclerosis risk sharing scheme: two year results of clinical cohort study with historical comparator. BMJ, 339, b4677. http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/339/bmj.b4677.full.pdf. Browne, P., Chandraratna, D., Angood, C., Tremlett, H., Baker, C., Taylor, B. V., Thompson, A. J. (2014). Atlas of Multiple Sclerosis 2013: A growing global problem with widespread inequity. Neurology, 83(11), 1022-1024. http://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000000768 Guggenmos, Johannes, Anna S. Schubart, Sherry Ogg, Magnus Andersson, Tomas Olsson, Ian H. Mather, and Christopher Linington. Antibody cross-reactivity between myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein and the milk protein butyrophilin in multiple sclerosis. The Journal of Immunology 172, no. 1 (2004): 661-668. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.172.1.661 Emily J Hadgkiss, George A Jelinek, Tracey J Weiland, Naresh G Pereira, Claudia H Marck Dania M van der Meer (2015) The association of diet with quality of life, disability, and relapse rate in an international sample of people with multiple sclerosis, Nutritional Neuroscience, 18:3, 125-136, DOI: 10.1179/1476830514Y.0000000117 Evans, Charity, S-G. Beland, Sophie Kulaga, Christina Wolfson, Elaine Kingwell, James Marriott, Marcus Koch et al. Incidence and prevalence of multiple sclerosis in the Americas: a systematic review. Neuroepidemiology 40, no. 3 (2013): 195-210. doi: 10.1159/000342779. Jahroomi, Soode., Toghae, Mansoureh., Razeghu Jahromi, M., Aloosh, Mahdi. (2012). Dietary pattern and risk of multiple sclerosis. Iranian Journal of Neurology. 11(2), 47-53. PMCID: PMC3829243 Joscelyn, Jennifer., Kasper, Lloyde. H. (2014). Digesting the emerging role for the gut microbiome in central nervous system demyelination. Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 20 (12), 1553-1559. DOI: 10.1177/1352458514541579 Mà ¤hler, Anja, Jochen Steiniger, Markus Bock, Lars Klug, Nadine Parreidt, Mario Lorenz, Benno F. Zimmermann, Alexander Krannich, Friedemann Paul, and Michael Boschmann. Metabolic response to epigallocatechin-3-gallate in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a randomized clinical trial. The American journal of clinical nutrition 101, no. 3 (2015): 487-495. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.113.075309 Otaegui, David, Sara Mostafavi, Claude CA Bernard, Adolfo Lopez de Munain, Parvin Mousavi, Jorge R. Oksenberg, and Sergio E. Baranzini. Increased transcriptional activity of milk-related genes following the active phase of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis. The Journal of Immunology 179, no. 6 (2007): 4074-4082. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.179.6.4074 Pekmezovic, Tatjana D., Darija B. Kisic Tepavcevic, Sarlota T. Mesaros, Irena B. Dujmovic Basuroski, Nebojsa S. Stojsavljevic, and Jelena S. Drulovic. Food and dietary patterns and multiple sclerosis: a case-control study in Belgrade (Serbia). Italian Journal of Public Health 6, no. 1 (2012). http://ijphjournal.it/article/view/5808 Ramsaransing, Geeta, Mellema, Sanne. A., De Keyser, J. (2009). Dietary patterns in clinical subtypes of multiple sclerosis: an exploratory study. Nutrition journal, 8(1), 36. DOI: 10.1186/1475-2891-8-36 Riccio, Paolo, and Rocco Rossano. Nutrition facts in multiple sclerosis. ASN neuro 7, no. 1 (2015): doi: 10.1177/1759091414568185 Riccio, Paolo., Rossano, Rocco., Liuzzi, G. Maria. (2011). May diet and dietary supplements improve the wellness of multiple sclerosis patients? A molecular approach. Autoimmune diseases, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.4061/2010/249842 Riccio, Paolo, Rocco Rossano, Marilena Larocca, Vincenzo Trotta, Ilario Mennella, Paola Vitaglione, Michele Ettorre et al. Anti-inflammatory nutritional intervention in patients with relapsing-remitting and primary-progressive multiple sclerosis: A pilot study. Experimental Biology and Medicine 241, no. 6 (2016): 620-635. DOI: 10.1177/1535370215618462 Shaygannejad, Vahid, Nooshin Rezaie, Zamzam Paknahad, Freshteh Ashtari, and Helia Maghzi. The environmental risk factors in multiple sclerosis susceptibility: A case-control study. Advanced Biomedical Research 5 (2016). doi: 10.4103/2277-9175.183665 Swank, R. L., and B. Brewer Dugan Effect of low saturated fat diet in early and late cases of multiple sclerosis. The Lanet 336, no. 8706(1990): 37-39. DOI:10.1016/0140-6736(90)91533 Tlaskalovà ¡-Hogenovà ¡, Helena, Renata Ã…Â  tĆºpà ¡nkovà ¡, Hana Kozà ¡kovà ¡, Tomà ¡Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡ Hudcovic, Luca Vannucci, Ludmila TuÄ kovà ¡, Pavel Rossmann et al. The role of gut microbiota (commensal bacteria) and the mucosal barrier in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and cancer: contribution of germ-free and gnotobiotic animal models of human diseases. Cellular molecular immunology 8, no. 2 (2011): 110-120. http://www.nature.com/cmi/journal/v8/n2/abs/cmi201067a.html Vieira, Silvio. M., Pagovich, Odelya. E., Kriegel, Martin. A. (2014). Diet, microbiota and autoimmune diseases. Lupus, 23(6), 518-526. doi: 10.1177/0961203313501401 Weinstock-Guttman, Bianca, Robert Zivadinov, Naeem Mahfooz, Ellen Carl, Allison Drake, Jaclyn Schneider, Barbara Teter et al. Serum lipid profiles are associated with disability and MRI outcomes in multiple sclerosis. Journal of neuroinflammation 8, no. 1 (2011): 127.DOI: 10.1186/1742-2094-8-127 Yadav, Vijayshree., Marracci, Gaild., Kim, Edward., Spain, Rebecca., Cameron, Michelle., Overs, Shanon., Murchison, C. (2016). Low-fat, plant-based diet in multiple sclerosis: A randomized controlled trial. Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, 9, 80-90. DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2016.07.001. Appendix First Author Population Year of Publication Study Design Outcome Ashtari, F. 48 patients with Multiple Sclerosis and 48 healthy patients as control group, mean age 30.7 March 18, 2013 Case control Study Serum IgE levels against cows milk antigen was taken from both groups. Results were very similar between both groups and showed no statistical significance (30.7  ± 6.9 vs. 30.9  ± 6.3 respectively, P value = 0.83) Boggild, M. 5583 patients with multiple sclerosis monitored from May 2002 to April 2005 from neurology clinics across the UK August 5, 2009 Prospective Cohort Study Patients received Interferon Beta treatment to determine long term cost effectiveness. Results showed worse disability progression than in the untreated group (deviation score of 113%; increase in mean disability status scale 0.28) Hadgkiss, E. 2087 patients with multiple sclerosis, mean age 45.5 participated in a comprehensive online survey March 17, 2014 Cross Sectional Study

Ecuador’s Economy: Oil and Agriculture, Overdependence Essay -- Ecuado

Ecuador’s Economy: Oil and Agriculture, Overdependence One of the main features of Ecuador ’s economy is its dependence on only a few key export commodities, most importantly oil and bananas. Oil accounts for approximately 40% of the export economy, while bananas are responsible for about 17%, and Ecuador is the largest producer of bananas in the world. The rest of the economy is mostly based on less important agricultural exports, such as shrimp and flowers, which account for 6% and 4% of exports respectively. Ecuador is almost completely reliant on the success of these few industries, particularly oil, and so has suffered through a cycle of boom and bust economies over the past several decades, since oil was discovered in the 1970s. Furthermore, in the last six years Ecuador has had four different presidents, and the national office has been dogged by scandals and corruption. This environment has made it very difficult for the government to accomplish the reforms that are necessary to stabilize the nation when the economy faces a serious downturn. There are two main factors that have been very significant in determining the health of Ecuador ’s economy at any given time, and those are oil prices and extreme weather events. Ecuador’s major agricultural exports are, of course, very susceptible to damage from harmful weather; while the oil industry, until quite recently, has been dependent on only one major pipeline for transport, the Sistema Oleoducto Trans-Ecuatoriano (SOTE). In 1987 a large earthquake rocked Ecuador, destroying a large stretch of the SOTE pipeline, which, when combined with a decline in world oil prices, nearly resulted in a complete collapse of the economy. Another devastating weather event, which also... ...gale, Marcelo, and Lopez-Caliz, Jose (ed.), Ecuador: An Economic and Social Agenda in the New Millennium, (The World Bank: Washington DC, 2003). â€Å" Ecuador Country Analysis Brief,† Energy Information Administration, http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/ecuador.html, vie we d on 18 November 2004. â€Å" Ecuador Business > Economic Overview & History,† Ecuador Explorer, http://www.ecuadorexplorer.com/html/business_in_ecuador.html, vie we d on 18 November 2004. â€Å" Ecuador,† InfoPlease, http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107479, vie we d on 8 December 2004. â€Å"Foreign Trade,† Ecuador Exports, http://www.ecuadorexports.com/foreign.htm, vie we d on 8 December 2004. â€Å" Ecuador Country Case Study: Impacts and Responses to the 1997-98 El Nià ±o Event,†Institute for the Study of Society and Environment, http://www.esig.ucar.edu/un/ecuador.html, vie we d on 2 November 2004.

Robots in Society

Robots in Society Some argue that the increasing use of robots might be dangerous for us. Today robots play an efficient and useful role in our society. We use robots every day. For example, phones, calculators, microwaves, printers, and computers. I agree with the claim that robots can be harmful to us. Robots may be a convenient and helpful way to perform everyday functions, but they can also have a negative impact on our lives. The use of robots will make us indolent, go against our morals and lose control.Although robots can be harmful to us they would be helpful to us in the colonization of Mars. What is a robot exactly? A robot is a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. So how can this machine be harmful to us? Robots take away our responsibility. We will rely solely on a device to do everything for us, and lose our capability to do things on our own. We lose control. There will be no need for people to socialize as robots will go run errand s, and function as eyes and ears; for example a cellphone.There will be no need for us to do anything if we continue to make new robots with new functions and keep using them. There are also some ethical issues with using robots. Robots take away work from humans. Robots don’t have emotion feelings, and thoughts like humans do. They are incapable of making the right decisions. They will do exactly what they are programed to do no matter what it requires, which can be good and bad. The argument that robot workers take jobs from human workers is true.It is also true that these jobs are generally repetitive jobs, are often hazardous to human workers. From â€Å"Robot Code of Ethics to Prevent Android Abuse, Protect Humans† By Stefan Lovgren for National Geographic News , in his article he quotes , â€Å"From experience, the problem is that giving robots morals is like teaching an ant to yodel. We're not there yet, and as many of Asimov's stories show, the conundrums robo ts and humans would face would result in more tragedy than utility,† said Tilden, who works for Wow Wee Toys in Hong Kong. What dangers might robots pose to humans?The argument that robot workers take jobs from human workers is true. It is also true that these jobs are generally repetitive jobs, are often hazardous to human workers. Robots will take away many jobs from humans. Robots will be more efficient, hardworking, and they don’t require a salary. Taking away jobs from humans will increase poverty. People will abuse the power of robots. Robots may seem useful but they will ultimately make society worse. Humans will become indolent because they won’t have to work and carry out daily routines anymore.Although robots could possibly have a negative impact on our lives, they could also be beneficial to us if we are to colonize Mars. Technology on Mars would be essential to our survival considering the conditions. Robots would help us to calculate the types of bui ldings we would need to build, what our diets would consist of, and climate control. Robots in the modern day society could tear us apart from our ethics and work. They can be helpful when used correctly and appropriately. The increase of robots will most likely do more harm than good to today’s society, and will result in a negative impact to our lives.

Examining the Songs of Slavery In America Essay

For some reason, the last song you hear on the radio always sticks in your head. Later in the day, you catch yourself singing it†¦and you realize that it’s not even a song that you like! Fortunately for you, and unfortunately for all those around you, we can sing that song, no matter who, including yourself, cares to listen to it. No one is going to punish you for the quirkiness that goes with having the guts to actually sing a song that the guy in the cubicle next to yours just busted up the radio for playing. Music is part of our everyday lives. It is something that most of us have never lived without. Something in a song empowers us, saddens us, angers us, and makes us fall in love. So many of us can link a special memory to a song†¦and that 4-minute composition of words written by someone whom you’ve never even, met can take you back to â€Å"that place†, if for only a moment, and make you feel â€Å"that way† again. Songs are a way of life for most of us, and they have been for many years. Today, we listen to songs freely. History, however, reveals that many of us were not born with the same freedom. Can you imagine being punished for enjoying music? For history’s slave community, singing, humming, or listening to music was prohibited (Lang, p. 13). To slave owners, the practice of music portrayed a relaxed state for the slave. Most felt that carrying on with such â€Å"nonsense† would interfere with the slave’s focus, resulting in poor performance. The opposite, however, was the outcome. When they were allowed to sing, the slave found joy in the day Crane/Fleming 2 (Watts, p. 1). Singing was an outlet†¦a way to say how they felt about their owners, the job being done, family, God, and about dreams for themselves. Originating during the Civil War slave days, singing soon caught on all over the South and beyond. It served both hidden and obvious purpose. Not only could a slave could sing a song, and feel relaxed performing assigned duties, a slave could also â€Å"chant† a song to communicate messages to fellow slaves. So much mystery lies behind this aged practice, and uncovering the mystery will leave you appreciating the creativity utilized, whether you are of slave ancestry or not. If you have ever been to a traditional, majority Black church, you would walk out feeling energized. The energy exercised to convey God’s word is pretty unmatched by churches of other ethnicities. It’s as if the Black community has been doing this for years†¦and they have been. In early slave days, slaves were not allowed to read scriptures. Instead, they learned of God through â€Å"white folks’† church (Brown, p. 1). It was at these meetings that they listened to hymns, heard a few bible scriptures, and were told â€Å"mind† their masters. Soon, the slaves took it upon themselves to meet privately and discuss God and what he had planned for them. After the meetings, several would stay behind and â€Å"ring shout†, or chant songs about God and His plan for them. Foot tapping and hand clapping were accompanied by paced singing, and as the song continued, the pace would increase (Watt, p. 1). Men and women slaves became so involved in the chanting that they would collapse in emotion to the ground. Ministers were disturbed by this unusual behavior and soon banned the practice of ring shouts. It was at these early gatherings when the historical slave songs evolved. The very nature in which they are practiced lead back to the days of ring shouts. Soon, the topics of the shouts veered from being only about God, and began to include chants of hopes, prayers, and displays of confidence. Crane/Fleming 3 In the movie, Glory (Zwick, 1989) the men of the â€Å"Fifty-fourth† prepare to fight by performing a ring shout to bear hopes of success against the men they will soon face. These black men, formerly slaves, start slow and humble, and soon roar to a fast paced shout of faith in God, love of family, and belief in each other. Hands clap and legs are slapped for rhythm. This scene in the movie portrays the sole possession these men have to hold on to: each other. With a bit of encouraging, one soldier is assisted by another to not just â€Å"say† his hopes for the battle’s outcome, but to â€Å"demand† them with confidence that his prayers will be answered. Although Hollywood glamorized this scene with embellishments such as a pre-determined beat and a chorus, this type of shouting is how it all began. Knowing how it all began leaves us with the need to know â€Å"why† it all began. Why did â€Å"slave songs† (Ware, Allen, and Garrison, p. I) become such a big part of history? No other group in history utilized song the way that history’s slave did. Not only did singing pass the day, but singing helped the slave to identify with themselves. Bringing God into the lyrics, they created biblical images (Silverman, p. 79) of who they compared themselves to during biblical times. Many compared themselves to Moses, and sang of leading all slaves to freedom, just as Moses led the Israelites from Pharaoh’s captivity. This gave the slaves hope. Soon, this boost of hope led to singing songs about what it would be like when they were free. In Slavery Chain Done Broke at Last (Silverman, p. 83), the slave sings of how freedom is abound. He is sure to thank God, and vows to continue telling God his problems, in hopes of receiving more help when needed. In other songs, such as Oh, Freedom, (Ware, Allen and Garrison, p. 33), slaves give thanks at the end of a long and dangerous journey to freedom. On the other side of serious purpose, slave songs were not always sung just to say â€Å"thanks†. They were also sung as a way to Crane/Fleming 4 entertain, just as today’s music does for us. A good example of this is Now Let Me Fly (Brown, p. 1), where slaves sing of African people who could fly. Songs like these were loved by children, as their imaginations soared with images of flying people. But along with singing about being thankful and creating silly images for children, these songs served another purpose†¦perhaps the most important purpose of all: they served as a form of communication among the slaves (Johnson and Johnson, p. 18). Slaves lived a hard life. Along with being â€Å"owned† by another human being, the slave’s owner employed harsh rules for the slave to live by. One of these rules was that they were owned property, and could not leave on their own accord to be a free person (Watts, p. 1). Discussions of being free were punishable by whipping, beating and starving the slave. The slave was forced to create a way to communicate ploys to escape, warnings of a master’s mood, new slaves joining the old slaves, and many other issues in code. The slave song was the perfect way to convey messages without being discovered. Many of the slave’s work songs were composed out of sheer desperation to warn others of trouble ahead, or to keep an escape attempt from getting botched. Let Us Break Bread Together (Allen, Ware, and Garrison, p. 34) allowed fellow slaves to know about meetings to be held in the early morning hours (before sunrise) to discuss concerns, share prayers, and plan an escape. These meetings were held far earlier than the master’s waking hours. Plans were made, escape routes were decided, and updates on other slave’s escape attempts were provided. Later in the day, in the fields, around the house, or where ever else work was to be done, the slaves sang their songs, inconspicuously passing messages to one another. Other songs, such as No More Auction Block for Me (Johnson and Johnson, p. 20) conveyed a message of weariness of a slave’s hope. This song was often sung under one’s breath, during or Crane/Fleming 5 almost immediately after being beaten. One slave could often recognize the beaten slave’s mouth movements, and gather the support of fellow slaves to encourage new hope if the beating was survived. Happy, sad, useful, or light-hearted, the hidden messages of these songs were understood among all those who sang or listened to them. Although creative in nature, and almost ingenious in creation, these songs were recorded in words for us to read today in the exact format in which they were written. It is interesting to read some of the lyrics of these songs, spelling included, particularly because these songs were written down exactly the way they were spoken. The spoken English of some slaves could be somewhat choppy, and sometimes difficult to understand. Though the message is clear, songs such as Hear from Heaven Today (Allen, Ware and Garrison, p. 2) display a perfect example of how the words of the song were to be pronounced: â€Å"†¦a baby born in Bethlehem, and I yearde De trumpet sourd in the oder bright land My name is called and I mus go De bell is a-ringin’ in de oder bright world My brudder, my brudder Joseph and sista Mary†¦Ã¢â‚¬  -Anonymous Though some are difficult to read, the authenticity of unedited lyrics links us to a part of history not to be misunderstood. While the level of education is evident, what can be proven is that slaves were absolutely not ignorant people. Sometimes the subject matter of a song is simple. An example of this can be found in Git De Chores Done (Brown, p. 1). The slave sings, â€Å"Did you feed my cow? † â€Å"Yes, Maam. † â€Å"Will you tell-a me how? † â€Å"Yes, Maam. † â€Å"Oh, what did you give her? † â€Å"Cawn and hay. † â€Å"Oh, what did you give her? † â€Å"Cawn and hay. † -Anonymous Crane/Fleming 6 The slave was encouraged by something as simple as a brief conversation between him and the slave’s owner to create a song that added motivation to the day’s duty. On the other side of the â€Å"work song† (Watt, p. 1) is a song far more complex. Codes were often sent through songs. In Get Dem Chilen Home (Brown, p. 1), the slave sings of certain obstacles to look out for: â€Å"†¦Take careful when you turn dat co’ner. He waitin’ fo you, waitin’ fo you, always watchin’. Get Dem Chilen Home by way of dem hills, But take careful when you turn dat co’ner. -Stephen Foster In history, no other group of people made full use of song the way the slaves did (Watt, p. 1). Not only did they sing about what they did, they saved lives and led each other to freedom. Their songs changed what we know about history in a colorful way. Love it or not, music and song are here to stay. We have the great fortune to do with it what we will. Some will choose to listen, and others will choose to write. We may never again do with song what the slaves did with it, and that’s o. k. But who knows†¦maybe one day our children’s children will be writing a paper on what people of our time did to change music and song forever.