Necrotizing Fasciitis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Necrotizing Fasciitis - Essay Example He was working at the Hotel Dieu located in Lyon, and described a condition that has similar symptoms to the current descriptions of NF (Misiakos, et al, 1). During the 19th and 20th centuries, cases of NF were rare. It was mainly restricted to military hospitals, although civilian outbreaks were also recorded. However, during the mid 1980s and early 1990s, there was an increase in NF cases worldwide, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of 1999, 600 cases of this disease were reported in the United States. Currently, the number of cases of this disease is 0.4 cases for every 100000 people every year. The incidence rate in children is put at 0.08 cases for every 100000 children every year. In the United States, it is estimated that between 9000 and 11500 cases of NF occur annually with close to 2000 deaths very year. in general, the prevalence of NF is put at 0.4 cases for every 100000 people (Misiakos, et al, 2). Statistics show that the disease mostly affects men compared to women, standing at a ratio of 3:1 (Misiakos, et al, 2). Research has demonstrated that the high prevalence rates in men are as a result of the higher cases of Fournier’s gangrene in men. The mortality rate remains high, standing at between 20 and 40 per cent. It is difficult to give the exact recent case of the disease. However, in America, the recent reported case occurred in February 2014. This was reported in the article by Jackie Farwell (2014) appearing in the Bangor Daily News. The victim was an 18-year old Benjamin LaMontagne from Maine. In general, it is difficult for the CDC and other health organizations to keep track of the occurrences of this disease. As noted in the article b y Farwell (2014), the CDC recognizes that there are many cases of NF that go unreported or undetected, and this makes it difficult to give

Castle Life in Medieval Times

Castle Life in Medieval Times The Medieval Times was an extremely rough era for many people. The people in Medieval Europe had to work outrageously hard. Those that were considered to be common people of this time lived in very poor housing with little to no luxuries, and those of nobility lived in castles. While castle life is believed to be extremely luxurious, residing in a castle during Medieval Times was very difficult. Castles have been a dominant symbol of the Medieval Era for many years and have been used throughout history, from the Roman forts to the complex structures in the 15th century (English 158). Castles were built on artificial hills surrounded by a moat. Those who built the castle would dig a ditch around where the castle would stand and put the dirt on it to make the artificial hill (Johnson 93). When castles were first built they were made mostly of wood (Castle Architecture). The reason for wood being mainly used in the construction of a castle was because wood was found easily in Europe, along with it being less expensive and easy to transport (Castles in the Middle Ages). The early castles also had layers of clay and stone, this was to ensure that castles were strong enough to hold up in a time of war (Johnson 93). However, castles soon were built with just stone because the wood was too flammable (Castle Architecture). Using stone actually worked out better because this made the castles stronger than before. However, it was harder to build the castles how they desired considering stone is less flexible than wood, and this dilemma resulted in the early castles being less elegant (Castles in the Middle Ages). Since stone is very strong, if the castle was to be damaged or destroyed the materials from the castle would be used to make a new castle or repair the current one (Castle Architecture). During the times of the Medieval Era, there were many changes in the way they did architecture to make castles stronger. Those who built the castles of the Medieval Time took the concept of arches from the Roman Empire and created a pointed arch to make the structure stronger. The change made the force of all the stones go down and out which locked the stones into place resulting in a very strong and beautiful castle, along with a strong foundation (Castles in the Middle Ages). When arriving to a castle, one would have to cross a moat and a drawbridge (Life in a Middle Ages Castle). Some moats were filled with water and others filled with spikes (Johnson 94). Upon crossing the drawbridge one would come to a door which had towers on both sides (Life in a Middle Ages Castle). Theses towers were used to watch for oncoming enemies or signs of rebellion, also these towers were used to shoot enemies that might be at the gate (Johnson 93). As one enters the castle the first sight would be the courtyard which is where those who live in the castle would be in times of war. Also, one would see the Great hall, the chapel, and the kitchens (Life in a Middle Ages Castle). The main part of the castle was the Great Hall (Thomas). This is where the Lord or King stayed when war was not present (Life in a Middle Ages Castle). The Great Hall was basically a big room with a loft ceiling. Sometimes the Hall was on the bottom floor, but for better security it was usually built on the second floor. This room was setup like a church will posts or pillars in rows supporting the roof. In order to get to the Great Hall on the second floor one would have to enter by using the outside staircase (Thomas). When under attack, the staircase would be removed to protect those in the castle (Johnson 93). Castles in the early part of the Medieval Era were very bulky and not pleasant for those who lived inside of the castle (Castles in the Middle Ages). The castle had small rooms, not including the Great Hall, heated only by fireplaces, and also had bad ventilation (Life in a Middle Ages Castle). Eventually, the heating by fireplaces improved greatly the fireplaces were struc tured to heat the wall so that it could then warm the room and the smoke could be carried out (Thomas). The kitchen was nothing extravagant, it was made originally with wood and the food was cooked by several fireplaces. If there was going to be a big feast, extra kitchens would be setup for that feast. Today we clean utensils in the kitchen; however, in the Medieval Era utensils were not cleaned in the kitchen but outside (Thomas). The Lord and his family slept at the upper end of the Great Hall. Each bedroom usually was separated by a piece of fabric (Thomas). The bedrooms of the Lord and his family were called solars (Johnson 97). Sometimes, the Lord and his wife would have separate solars. Their rooms would have peepholes in the wall decorations so they could see what was going on in other rooms (Thomas). The grown children of the Lord did not always get their own solars; a lot of times they had to share rooms with siblings, or even servants (Johnson 94). The main items in a solar would be a wooden framed bed with springs made of ropes or leather, a feather mattress, sheets, quilts, fur coverlets, and pillows. The bed had curtains that could be pulled back in the day and closed at night for privacy and for protection from the cold. The remaining furniture in the room was a chest, a wooden peg to hang clothes, and a couple of stools (Thomas). Castles had a central drawing point of water for washing and drinking on about every floor (Thomas). Most castles also had cisterns which would catch the rainfall (Johnson 97). The cisterns would be connected to pipes and carry the water to other floors. There were also many other pipes that would control the flow of water and carry off the waste water. People of those times would use wooden tubs surrounded by tents, for protection, and padded cloths for comfort. The bathroom was as close to the sleeping quarters as it could be. In other words, it was an opening in the wall where waste would escape from the castle wall and secrete into a river or moat (Thomas). Castles were not only homes for nobility, but it was also a defense mechanism against enemies (Life in a Medieval Castle: The Smells and Sights of Castle Life). During this time, it was also thought if an area did not have a castle, they were going to be defeated by their enemies. This pushed many areas to build castles (Coulson 31). The ideal location for a defensively strong castle was either on rocky ground, mountain passes, isolated peninsulas, lake islands, and hills (Castle Architecture). Wherever the castle was built, consideration was taken as to how the land would help defend the castle (Johnson 92). These castles were built in order to control territories and prevent people from taking over important parts of land (English 159). Also, they were built to protect the peasants and the economy. However, if the area was under attack, peasants were required to bring their animals and produce to the castle. In order for these things to be safe, it was also considered a payment for the communities protection (Johnson 92). The payment was somewhat deserved; it was very trying to live in a castle during times of war. Enemies would attempt to cut off water supply along with throwing things at the castle, such as, dead bodies. This would spread disease and force them to surrender (Medieval Life). While castles can be a place of protection, castles were considered to be home for many Lords and Kings. The Great Hall was where the Lord and his family would spend a large amount of time. This hall was a place where the family, along with those invited to the castle, enjoyed some of the things life had to offer like dancing, plays, poetry and many other things (Life in a Medieval Castle: The Smells and Sights of Castle Life). The Great Hall was also where meals were eaten. In the hall there was a large, oak, dining table and around the table were benches and stools where the guests would sit (Medieval Castle Life). The Lord and his family would be seated at the head of the table on a raised dais. This symbolized that they were above everyone else (Life in a Medieval Castle: The Smells and Sights of Castle Life). The dinners in the hall would usually be at five in the afternoon. It was a popular saying in the Middle Ages that to live to the age of 99 years old, you have to wake up a t five, dine at nine, have supper at five and go to bed at nine! (Medieval Castle Life). Other than the banquets that would be held in the castle, there was not much to do inside but play chess, listen to music or jokes from the jester. Outside of the castle people would usually, hunt for deer, bears, and wild boars, however, the main activities were weapons training and fighting, so they could be ready for battle. This was thought to be a great game (Life in a Middle Ages Castle). Living during Medieval Times was a lot harder than living in todays society. Although life in a castle may not have been the most difficult life during Medieval Times, it was still not as luxurious as it is pictured to be. Protecting the community was the job of the castle and the job of those that lived in the castle, which was why castle life was a very harsh life.

Magic And Science :: essays research papers

Many events were unexplainable and maybe even seemed to be magical before science evolved to what it is today. All questions relating to the origin of life can be answered scientifically. One may question their beliefs based on scientific theory. Human life can be broken down to fundamental theory. Not only geological or biological, but also all events can be answered scientifically. Magic and magicians have certain function in society. The impossible becomes unexplainable, whether it is fact or fiction. But truly in the minds of magicians, their purpose in life is to leave a mystery, a mystery that science is unable to explain. They leave their mark and give people something to think about, a mark which will never be forgotten. Although magic is able to deceive the minds of many, few understand its effect of misdirection of the human mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first accounts of magic were recorded around 1700 B.C. It appeared on the Westcon Papyrus and was recorded by an Egyptian chronicler. Stories of magic were handed down for centuries (Blackstone, 12). It has made a profitable living for soothsayer and gypsies, but there are times when magic was a form of entertainment. During the seventeenth century magic has become a living for some entertainers. Jugglers, wizards, and fortunetellers often appeared as scrub than a man of talent. These respected entertainers attracted lots of attention, not only because of their flaming clothing, but also because of their talents. In time there were traveling performers. Magicians dressed up and traveled for town to town, setting up stages and booths attracting the attention of the people, as well as their money. Pretty soon this sorts of entertainment was everywhere. At fairs they perform when they attract a crowd, then they passed around a hat for donations as if they were be ggars. They appeared in places like the market place, street corners, and even adult entertainment bars (Blackstone, 19).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We have seen magic as a form of entertainment, from making someone disappear, to sawing a girl in half. But all great illusions have an explanation. â€Å"Magic, as we have seen, is about power- a seemingly magical power used and expressed by a skilled actor to create the illusion of miraculous happenings’. But the most mysterious part of magic is how these miraculous happenings are performed. The real power of magic lies within the native effects themselves (Blackstone, 117).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Magicians refer magical appearance of an object as a production.

Global Software Piracy Case Study

MGT 440 International Buisness Name of the case: Global Software Piracy Prepared by: xxxx Date 16-03-2010 Executive Summary: This case is taking software piracy under the light that explained at the end of the third chapter of the book International Business environments and operations by Daniels in the 11th edition. Software piracy is the mislicensing, unauthorized reproduction and illegal distribution of software, whether for business or personal use. When someone copies software without buying the appropriate number of licenses, it is copyright infringement. Individual copying software for a friend is a form  of software piracy. Types of software piracy may include: end-user piracy, pre-installed software, Internet piracy, and counterfeiting, online auction piracy. Q1. What is the relationship among the various governments, institutions, organizations, and companies in developing legal codes to combat software piracy? Companies, industry associations and governments developed arrangement and legal codes to deal with software piracy. Governments have been passing and enforcing laws supporting copyrights. The effort to condemn software piracy led to more governments joining the effort, associations such as BSA (Business Software Alliance) have members in more than 70 nations. All this effort can’t really provide significant results in the future. Other method has to be considered as well. Narrowing the gap in price of the legal and illegal copies, my encourage consumers to go for the legal copies. Other solutions is the introduction of new technologies that would limit if not kill software piracy, such as the introduction of cloud computing. Q2. In your opinion, should software companies, industry associations, home governments, or transnational institutions take the lead in aggressively negotiating with the governments of countries with high piracy rates? Why? Reading up the case, you can see the enthusiasm that most governments shown in form of enforcing laws or taking actions as well. So, what I think is instead of pushing governments to negotiate with other high rated piracy countries may lead to more complexity in their political relationships. It would be better if complies make enquires by themselves or by watchdog associations such as BSA. Other methods are through international trade channels. In the case with countries of high piracy rates, adjustments to their copyrights laws made above their accession to the WTO, china for example. Q3. Can the software industry expect to contain and control software piracy without eventually relying on governments to take a more active role? Why would the software industry dislike greater government regulation? Yes. I think software industry can contain and control software piracy without eventually relying on governments to take a more active role. This is done through technology innovation. The introduction of cloud computing has opened the door to a future with no software piracy. Cloud computing  is  Internet-based  computing, whereby shared resources, software and information are provided to computers and other devices on-demand, like electricity. Software are to be rented or incensed by paying a fees on the user of software and no such piracy is possible in this world, unless newly discovered! Q4. In your opinion, what rationale do you think consumers in high theft countries (see Table 3. 6) use to justify software piracy? Similarly, what ideas or conditions lead consumers in lower theft countries to respect IPRs? Consumers in high theft countries tend to be more of a collectivists kind of cultures where is sharing is on of its primary features. While Consumers in high theft countries are individualistic. Q5. What sorts of political or legal solutions should the software industry lobby governments to apply to the piracy problem? Software companies should convince governments to enforce laws and legal actions in case of violations to the copyright laws. And keep pursuing international regulators such as WTO to establish piracy policies and protect the intellectual rights.

Explore The Ways In Which Susan Hill Presents The Woman In Black

Explore the ways in which Susan Hill presents the woman in black. Before we meet the woman, Susan Hill uses the description of the setting in ‘A London Particular’ to foresee what she is like, predicting something wicked. London was described as â€Å"Inferno† full of â€Å"red-eyed and demonic† â€Å"ghostly figures†. These all suggest that Hill was describing or comparing London to Hell, which could imply that Mr Arthur Kipps was about to enter into his own personal hell, containing a â€Å"ghostly figure† of haunting and torment.Hill uses London’s â€Å"filthy, evil smelling fog† that â€Å"choked and blinded the Londoners as a way to pre-empt the sea mist that appears later in the novel, in ‘The Sound of a Pony and Trap’. They both engulfed their surroundings like a â€Å"veil† of mystery and suffering. The fog could have also suggested that Kipps was unaware of the Hell in his near future, he could not s ee what lay in front of him. There is a possibility the fog was a metaphor for the impending suffering and misfortune that lay ahead for Arthur Kipps.‘The Funeral of Mrs Drablow’ is a crucial chapter in the novel as this is the first time the woman is seen and mentioned. Kipps describes her as a woman â€Å"dressed in the deepest black† and wearing a â€Å"bonnet† which seemed to have â€Å"gone out of fashion†, which suggests straight away that the woman is out of place, not only at the funeral, but also in that time period. Her clothes were â€Å"a little rusty looking† and this gives the impression that her clothes are ageing, which links with her alienation from the rest of the funeral attendants.She is described as having a †terrible wasting disease† with the â€Å"thinnest layer of flesh tautly stretched and strained across her bones.† Her face was â€Å"pathetically wasted’ extremely â€Å"pale and gauntâ₠¬  with almost a â€Å"blue-white sheen†. This all gives a sense of a ghost, the whole portrayal sounding ghoulish. Kipps instantly feels sympathy towards the woman, as he refers to her as â€Å"a not inconsiderable former beauty† and â€Å"poor thing.† This is highly contrasted to how she was anticipated from the London setting.The woman’s haunting effect on her victims is shown through Mr Jerome and his reaction. Arthur Kipps had merely mentioned her physical appearance,  before â€Å"Mr Jerome stopped dead.† She has the power to scare a grown man to the core without being seen. The woman seemed to bring inextricable memories to Jerome that leave him, â€Å"frozen, pale† and paralysed with absolute terror. This is also shown in the way Kipps acts in ‘Christmas Eve.’ The thought of the woman sends him into â€Å"a frenzy of agitation† all those years later. The woman was â€Å"an inextricable part of [his] past.† She leaves her victims with a horror â€Å"that is now woven into [their] very fibres.†The woman next appears in the small burial ground behind Eel Marsh House in ‘Across The Causeway’. Kipps became â€Å"suddenly conscious of the extreme bleakness and eeriness of the† burial ground. This gives the impression that even before he sees the woman, Arthur is aware of the evil atmosphere that she brings with her. Hill uses the presentation of the unsettling setting and atmosphere in the burial ground, to show that her presence is overwhelming and she is a malignant character.Hill then goes on to describe the woman as one with a â€Å"pallor not of flesh so much as bone itself†. This shows that, similar to his feeling at the funeral, Kipps still pities the woman. However, this emotion alters virtually instantly. He notices her expression of â€Å"yearning malevolence.† She looked as though â€Å"she was searching for something she wanted, neede d-must have. â€Å" Here, Hill presents the malevolent side to the woman, unlike at the funeral, where Kipps sees the woman as a pathetic figure.She uses an immediate contrast between the way Kipps felt previously and the feelings he felt towards the woman in the burial ground, the pity to sheer horror in a matter of sentences. This is effective because it changes the feel of the novel and it also links to the hellish setting of London in ‘A London Particular.’ This same facial expression caused not only Arthur’s mind but also his body, to become â€Å"possessed† and out of control. He had â€Å"become paralysed† by her aura. Hill uses the deep description about how Kipps is feeling as a strong way to create an ominous atmosphere.In ‘In The Nursery’, Kipps was lulled into a false sense of security before he entered the child’s play room. He heard â€Å"the noise within the room† â€Å"that meant comfort and safety† : ‘the sound of the wooden runners of† a rocking  chair. Hill uses the softness and sweetness of Arthur’s memory to contradict the fear and shock he feels when he sees the nursery in shambles. The great difference between these two moods makes the obliteration of the nursery and the woman’s revenge more powerful and impactful.Susan Hill also presents the woman by using the weather to foreshadow how she acts in the following chapter. The wildness, violence, strength and intensity of the woman is shown through the â€Å"thick cloud lying low over the marshes†, â€Å"stronger wind† and â€Å"raw coldness†.The woman’s â€Å"yearning malevolence† was finally fulfilled in ‘A Packet of Letters’ when she turned the child’s nursery from being â€Å"in such good order† to â€Å"a state of disarray†. The demolition of the room was described as being â€Å"caused by a gang of robbers† which s hows that the woman, who was originally portrayed as a frail, â€Å"extremely pale† young woman, â€Å"suffering from some terrible wasting disease†, had so much anger, such violence and hatred building inside her that she was able to conduct the same amount of destruction as a gang of brutal men, the clothes dragged out of the cupboard â€Å"like entrails from a wounded body.The powerful imagery shows the woman as a vicious murder, â€Å"bent on mad, senseless destruction.† She was unable to bear the fact that Nathaniel would never use the nursery again, and she was so bitter that after sixty years had passed, she was still causing havoc.To conclude, Susan Hill presents the woman in black as the malicious ghost of a young spiteful woman full of hatred and hungry for revenge. She does this using contrast in atmosphere, weather and setting, as well as her appearance and actions throughout the novel. The actions of revenge she takes are ones of pain and suffering for others, she wishes for them to feel the same as she does. Her actions are understandable, but under no circumstances are they forgivable.