Emphysema Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Emphysema - Research Paper Example According to National Institute of Health, NIH (2014), COPD encompasses varied lung diseases that include emphysema, chronic obstructive airways disease and chronic bronchitis. This paper focuses on emphysema, the main type of COPD as noted by Klaassen (2013). Emphysema is a type of chronic lung disease. It normally causes people to have breathing difficulties due to blowing out air being limited and majorly affects people between the ages of 45 and 60 (NIH, 2014). It is estimated that over 10 million people in America are likely to have emphysema with 2011 having had 4.7 million Americans diagnosed with the condition according to statistics from the American Lung Association (2013). Historically, men exhibit higher prevalence for emphysema than women, though the past five years has seen the prevalence in women increase by 63% while prevalence among men has decreased by 6%. Together with bronchitis, emphysema is ranked fourth among the leading causes of death in America, killing abou t 16,242 people every year. The pathogenesis of emphysema largely remains unclear. However, it has been generally accepted that emphysema occurs when delicate linings of air sacs which occur in the lungs get irreversibly damaged. It involves the inflammatory changes that occur in small airways accompanied by loss of small vessels and alveolar septal structures. This, according to NIH (2014), occurs due to gradual destruction of air sacs in the lungs making the patient slowly deprived of breath. There is also the postulate by Nici and ZuWallack (2012) that emphysema results from protease-antiprotease imbalance. For proper maintenance of lungs, there needs to be a delicate balance in the activity of protease and antiprotease. Interference with this balance results to lungs being destroyed or inappropriately repaired, eventually leading to emphysema. Additionally, the destruction of elastin fragments resulting

Hamlet Act I Essay Example for Free

Hamlet Act I Essay The first time that we are introduced to Hamlet is in Act I Scene II. It is apparent that the predominant thought in the atmosphere is the death of King Hamlet, Hamlets father. Claudius says; Though yet of Hamlet our dear brothers death the memory be green. This first introduces the Hamlet as mourning for his fathers death, setting the scene for Hamlets mood. The first time that that hamlet speaks is just after Claudius has called him his cousin and son, where Hamlet replies; A little more than kin, and less than kind. Here he is making a pun on the words kin and kind, saying how feels now too closely related to Claudius. He also says; Not so my lord, I am too much Ithsun. Here he is saying that he feels too much like Claudiuss son. Both of these show that Hamlet is quite witty, and also that he is a good listener, and picks up on other things that maybe other people dont. Hamlet feels that the wedding of his mother and Claudius is too soon after the death of his father, and he planned to go back to school, however when his mother asks him not to he says; I shall in all my best obey you madam. This shows that although he does not want to stay he will to please his mother. His displeasure at the wedding is also shown in his soliloquy at the end of the scene, where he says; She married. Oh most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets. Here he is saying how he thought she remarried too quickly and that it is like incest to marry her dead husbands brother. Although the end of the scene, as Horatio is telling Hamlet that he saw the ghost of his father, Hamlets speech becomes quite fast and abrupt, unlike the dialogue before. This shows that he has strong feelings for anything to do with his father, and wishes to see him again, even though he must be a ghost. In scene III Ophelia is talking to her brother Laertes about the move that she thinks her and hamlet share. However, Laertes thinks that it is just a whim and that Hamlet does not really love her; Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting. He is saying that although it may seem to Ophelia to be real, it is not and Ophelia should not believe Hamlet when he says he loves her. Polonius also reflects this view, and tells his daughter to ignore Hamlet. The entire of Act IV seems to reflect Hamlet character and mood. He has come to see the ghost, and even though this is most unnatural he has come any way. This could be because he misses his father, but also because he feels that something is rotten in the state of Denmark. He is unhappy at his mothers speedy marriage, especially to his satyr uncle. Perhaps he feels that the ghost of his father can in some way help him with this. Also he threatens to kill his friends if they do not let him go when the ghost beckons him, even though there is risk; By heaven Ill make a ghost of him that lets me. He seems to want to speak to the ghost of his father, even more than the risks of following a ghost which may be evil. In Act V, when the ghost tells Hamlet that he was murdered, yet not by whom yet, Hamlet says: I with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love may sweep to my revenge. This shows that already he believes that this apparition is his father, and immediately at the thought that his was murder he says that he will exact revenge. This shows how upset he is at his fathers leaving, reflecting that he thought all along that something strange was going on. Hamlets reaction to what the ghost tells him seems to be full of emotion; Hold, hold, my heart, and you my sinews grow not instant old. This how bad he is feeling not only for the spirit of his father but also for the fact that he has just learned that his father was murdered, by his uncle, who is now king. He calls his uncle; O villain, villain, smiling damni d villain! This is because in old plays the villain was usually described as being evil but smiling pretending to be good as is Claudius. After he has spoken with the Ghost, Hamlet tells his friends not to speak of the ghost, and also to ignore him if he starts acting strangely; Nay but sweart. He makes them swear on his sword that they will not say anything. This could be because he wants to sort out the thoughts in his head first because this has been quite a big thing he has learned. Also, it may be a way in which he can plan to exact his revenge on Claudius for he cannot stand to be made to act a son to him. In conclusion, in Act I, Shakespeare sets up the introduction of the story, but also with hints as what is to come later on in the play he plays on Hamlet use of words to show his distaste for the marriage and his uncle, but also by using the ghost to tell hamlet of its fate and also hamlet pretending to be mad it implies that the rest of the play will be much centred on this, and also make us question as to whether hamlet is still pretending to be mad or whether he has actually crossed over the line to madness. Certainly there are things he does that other people consider madness, but he can also be normal. However, like where he sees Ophelia and is not properly dressed, if he loves her as he says he does it seems that he would not do these things event o her.

A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud by Carson McCuller

A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud by Carson McCuller Philosophy of the modernism and postmodernism period takes twists and turns at every chance it can. As the world begins to change at a speed previously unseen, people all over the world are confused and scared of what might come next. Though today writers have taken to the internet to show the world their ideas, writers during these periods expressed the emotions human beings felt through many different genres of literature. First a man must help those around him but then the philosophy shifts to a man must help himself to gain meaning in this life. As each man struggles to find a place for himself in the world, each man is also subject to the actions of others. So each man is a master of his own destiny but yet he is also a slave to the whims of others. This knowledge scares men, women and children all over the world. Yet human beings continue to find themselves among the fear. We all find meaning for ourselves yet sometimes questions arise after we find the meaning which defines ou r life. Some questions being: Is this the meaning I wasted my time on? Is this worth all the time I spent alone? In A Tree, A Rock, A Cloud by Carson McCullers these questions pop out to me after reading the tramps so called science of love. The tramp in the story had his heart broken by a woman so severely he believed he could never love again. While the philosophy of love today would suggest otherwise, the tramp wandered the country in isolation, searching for his lost love and searching for love itself. He believes he has discovered the science of love, his own personal philosophy he uses to define his life in the world. He never finds the woman he held to be so dear nor does he find another woman he loves as much as her even after he develops his science of love. The disillusionment the tramp faces after losing his first love tears down the natural beauty of what love really is. Natural not scientific I should say. Science can tell many things and uncover many truths but one thing science has no power over is the ability we have to love freely. This I believe the tramp fails to understand. The tramp tried to fragment love. Thats like trying to tear Mount Everest apart with a rubber mallet. It cant be done. Nor can you apply logic to love. You cannot apply logic to something that contradicts itself as much as love does. Yet the tramp did not realize this as he tried to break down love. The tramp tells the boy he speaks to I meditated on love and reasoned it out. All he reasoned out was how to believe he loved something or someone. He believed love was only one love. According to his science you could love a rock as easily and as deeply as you loved a woman or your child. This is not the case as most would agree. I myself have never loved my iPod or my car as much as I have loved my girlfriends or my family. The tramp failed to realize many things but chief among them was that love comes not from what others can give you to make you happy but rather love exists when your desire to make another happy matchs your own desire to make yourself happy. An inanimate object could never return the love that men chase, so this science of love is base on false beliefs. Another question that comes to mind after reading the story is how can you love an inanimate object as deeply as you could a person and then loss said object? Do you react the same way you would if your parents died? If my iPod breaks (again) you wont see me crying and mourning something that cannot be replaced with a few hundred dollars. While I wont exactly be thrilled to hand out that money, its easier than losing a loved one. Once again the science of love is incorrect. The tramp was isolated from the human world as he traveled the country developing his science. He tried to replace the love he held for this woman with a love for other things. As Thoreau once said There is no remedy for love but to love more. Perhaps this is what the tramp thought as he traveled the country. He could not love the woman who left him anymore so he began to love everything he could in hopes of finding a love just as strong as his first love. Although I could not find his last name a man named Jeffery once said Love never dies, even if you have found a new love, the sweet memory of the past will continue to hunt you for the rest of your life. So no matter what the tramp did the memory of his past love would stay with him forever. He might think about her less and less but she will never truly be gone from his heart. This is true to me because even though I rarely think of her, I can still remember the feeling I got when I held the first girl I ever loved in my arms. Suc h depth of love does not disappear we just become accustomed to the lost. Once again the science of love could not explain the true depth of love. The tramp should have labeled this theory on love as the philosophy of love because thats all it really is. To use the world science is to imply that there are hard facts behind the theory. This work of literature aimed to create a fragmentation and disillusionment of love. The disillusionment came from the shattering of the naivety of what love is. The fragmentation came from the attempt to apply reasoning to something as complex as love. While in the present day most would agree that this science is untrue and full of false perceptions, how it was received in the post modernism period reflects how the world society felt about love. With the rising of all the new sciences and the conflict of World War II, many people around the world were lost and searching for answers. At the rapid rate the world seemed to become engulfed in the war, people everywhere must have questioned when they were going to be swallowed by the war. So at a time of war love was a very precious thing. Yet what was love? For people all across time have had questions about love, and this story attempts to explain what McCullers had to think of love. In conclusion, while this story has a spotty philosophy on love at best, it does open the mind to think a bit about love. Love itself is an experience to have in any life we might imagine for ourselves. We all must understand however that love will strike us however and whenever it so chooses. Love is an emotion and all emotions rise when we least expect them. Logic cannot be applied to emotion. McCullers tried to apply logic to love through this story but like William Shakespeare once said To say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days.

American Culture Essay -- Sports Baseball Cultural Essays

American Culture It’s game six of the American League Championship Series. I’m sitting in front of a bunch of baseball-crazed fanatics wetting their pants, because the Red Sox have just pulled ahead nine to six in the ninth inning. â€Å"Go Sox!† â€Å"Yankees suck!† â€Å"Dude, toss me another brewskie.† Americans are fans at heart. We root for the home team, wear their colors, jump up and down following a great play, and threaten the television after an absurd call. Sports have proven to be an integral part in the creation of community identity throughout the last half of the century. Furthermore, American sports both reflect and shape our cultural ideas. They are rarely considered â€Å"just a game.† Sports are packed with several meanings: they are displays of patriotism, consumer spectacles and even morality lessons. By observing sports and their impact on American society, we can learn much about consumerism, political developments (both domestic and in ternational), racial relations, social classes, equality for women, and of course, community identity, including the condition of our cities. Since the 1950s, American sports are one of the most important institutions for us to raise and work through questions of race, gender, and class. The corporations who control the media coverage of sports tailor their coverage to Joe Six-Pack; and thus there is a lack of coverage of elitist sports such as water polo, tennis and sailing. Because of the media's target population, we are besieged with commercials for beer, automobiles, athletic shoes and deodorant. Our hard-earned dollars are rarely tempted to go towards healthy food items or prudent savings (light beer is not a healthy food). Gas-guzzling SUVs, beer, chips and dip are the consumables t... ... in your backyard or in the street, you can play hoops at any public school yard, you can bat a ball in any sandlot, but where do young people get experience in a pool or on a tennis court? Who can afford a round of golf? Tiger Woods is an enigma in a world of wealthy country clubs and green jackets. Indeed, American sports are a metaphor for American culture. When viewed through the lens of peanuts and beer, one gets a gooey, nostalgic, "take me out to the ball game" sensation. But you only need look below the surface to get a more disturbing view of some of our culture's most serious ills. Corporate control and gender, race and economic bias run rampant in our beloved sports arenas. And the latest barometer that measures the health of our sports culture is the fact that our heroes hit the front page not for their abilities, but for their sexual indiscretions.

Favorite Holiday

Favorite holidays As an immigrant, Christmas is not my traditional holiday. I celebrated Christmas for the first time when I was in India. It was my first and last Christmas with my Indian friends. I collected money from friends and we held a little party at my house. Our Christmas party was very different than an American Christmas party. We didn’t decorate the Christmas tree and also there was no snow. I didn’t get different kinds of food for my friends because at the end I left with very little money. We didn’t tell our parents about celebrating Christmas and we made our gifts at home.For example, I made a card and one of my friends made a sewed a hankie. After the celebration we started to clean up and during clean up time we were telling jokes and laughing. It was the best Christmas of my life. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday because Christmas comes with snow, decorations and different varieties of food. First, Christmas is not complete without snow and cold. I love the combination of snow, cold and wind. Every single morning is like a surprise for me because I do not know what the weather will be like.When I glance around, I see snow everywhere just like a white blanket. I usually don’t go outside in the snow, but I adore watching snow from my window. It is also the best time for snow ball fights and for going snow sledding. When I go outside, I see people with heavy jackets and coats roaming around gives me cozy and warm feelings. Sitting on the couch, drinking coffee, and watching snow during Christmas time gives me feelings which are not comparable to any other feelings. Second of all, decorations on Christmas are usual and are very important parts of Christmas.Christmas time decorations are typically put up in stores in early December and people start to white wash their houses for this big occasion. Going to stores in Christmas time, everything looks very colorful to me. I usually see the Christmas decoration s in three colors like red, white and green. A week before Christmas day, people decorate their houses and front yards with lights, wreath, and plastic snowman. During Christmas time I love to go on walks because the decorations of the streets and houses everywhere make the holidays very pleasant for me. Looking at ecorated houses and streets in the night during walk fills my heart with happiness and joy. The sensation which comes to my spirit by looking at the decorations can’t be compared to anything else and makes me love Christmas. Third of all, the best part of the Christmas is the school break. Spending time at home without any worry of school is the greatest thing about Christmas. Every student in high school/college waits for Christmas desperately because teachers don’t give homework. Instead of doing assignments, I get to stay home and relax all day long.Going to school all year and working on school work doesn’t give me enough time to spend with my fam ily. On Christmas break, I help my mom with chores and go to work with my dad. Last year on Christmas I went to India. I didn’t get to stay long but it was memorable trip. Christmas allows me to go on vacation and gives me time to spend with my family. I don’t celebrate Christmas because of my religion, but Christmas is my favorite holidays. During Christmas I love the mixture of fantastic weather, the beautiful decorations and the awesome school break.

Latin and United States

Apush Revolution is a huge change of power under a very short period of time. The world revolution comes from the Latin language and is defined as â€Å"a turn around†. It is an overthrow of government by the human population being governed. It is a very sudden event, which can last from 5 months to ten years. Changes occur regardless over a short period of time. America was a revolution whether we like it or not. It went through many changes under such a short period of time, which would consider it a revolution. America has hosted many revolutions. The country itself has been an entire revolution.We still go through many changes as a country, as we grow and build. In addition, America has grown incredibly quick since it was found by Christopher Columbus in 1492. We have become diverse. Take slavery, which was abolished and now nonexistent in this country. We have the ability to change drastically which is a beautiful thing. Standing up for our rights is what has changed our country incredibly. Unfortunately, people claim America was never considered a revolution. These humans do not look deeply under the surface of the situation though. Take all of the arguments and battles that we have been through.Take example, pilgrims settling in America for the first time. They formed communities, to towns. We then populated over the entire United States. Our country is the epitome of change. In conclusion, the United States of America will always be considered a revolution all on its own. Too many changes have occurred in this country for it not to be a revolution. People are welcome to argue the point, but everyone in the end knows the real answer. We should be happy with the fact of our country being able to change so well. It is something not many countries our capable of.