Race and Educational Inequalities in the United States of America Essay

Race and Educational Inequalities in the United States of America - Essay Example This essay stresses that educators, teachers and men as well as women of conscience living within communities have also made a substantial effort to diminish inequalities in education, improve access and also to enhance the quality of education within the country. After a great struggle for the achievement of equality in education and for the reform of the school system, it can be argued that by and large the government does try to provide schools in which it is possible for children to acquire a decent education. Spending by the government on education in the United States of America is the highest in all OECD countries. This paper makes a conclusion that substantial effort has been made to adequately provide for education in the country, it can only be inferred that some other social phenomenon is interfering with the processes associated with educating children and presenting the gaps that are obvious in educational statistics. Although teachers can try to impart quality education in schools, it becomes very difficult for them to correct the problems that children may be facing outside of school, because the resources are limited and classes can be large. A child does not get educated in school only and is also educated at home. Although, a government can try to assist with improving the poverty situation and perhaps try to correct problems that are encountered in tough neighborhoods, it is difficult for a government to change the culture that is made available to a child at home and to change racial culture, unless the problems are severe.

A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students Essay Example for Free

A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students Essay Love Styles: A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students Love is a feeling known to many people. Sometimes, it becomes a goal for different individuals to find their love through different ways. Moreover, love is a feeling which helps individuals to be compassionate to other people. Hence, love is not a mysterious thing yet no one has really attempted to study such topic for its very vague concept. However, there is a study which presented varying aspects regarding love. The article Love Styles: A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students. Furthermore this article provides a very significant understanding towards the subject of love. Therefore, as stated by the author is categorized into six different types of love. The types of love which were mentioned are Eros, Ludus and Storge which are categorized as the primary styles of love. The secondary styles are Pragma, Mania and Agape. These are all composed of different categories which mostly provide the concept of love in the current society. Eros is known to be the romantic and passionate type of love. Ludus is known to be the game playing love. Storge is a love which is based on friendship. Pragma is meant to name the practical kind of love. Mania is the possessive or dependent kind of love while Agape is the unselfish kind of love. Thus, all of these kinds of love is dynamic that could interchange or develop through time (Neto, 2007). Hence, the author was able to create a study which does not focus on the concept of romantic love but also the varying kinds of love in the society. Hence, in order to understand the concept of love, the author view various culture such as the British, Portuguese and the Indians in order for to attain the accurate results of the data. In the conclusion, the author realized that the need to view love must go through a gender, cultural and psychological aspects for there are great differences in the ethnicity of varying individuals. The research question in the author’s mind is definitely leaning on the concept of love through utilizing the concept of Lee on various students from India, Britain and Portugal. Hence, this is the main basis utilized by Neto in order to derive to such study. In order to get the accurate data, the author used various students of different nationalities such as Indians, British and Portuguese that shall provide different view points of the study. The study was composed of 562 individuals who are not equally divided between male and female. The results stated that different cultures of people are important in predicting the kind of styles of love which they make. Furthermore, the cultural perspective mainly predicts what kind of love the participants wanted to experience. Moreover, the gender of the students who participated is significant in the study. Therefore, there are studies which show that Eros is important to both genders. Hence, in the study Indians is much leaning into three secondary type of love such as Pragma, Mania and Agape (Neto, 2007). Thus, the Portuguese and British participants are much active in the Ludus kind of love. In the whole study, I view that all the information provided is very interesting. The kind of love that is being practiced by different individuals from varying countries is truly affected by the culture and environment they have experienced. Furthermore, I find it very interesting that Indians tend to have a Mania style of love. Although I have learned their culture, I do not believe that Indians’ love style could lead into a very deep and possessive state. I have learned that although love is needed by everyone, the types of love could be different. Love is not only defined through an Eros relationship but also through different kinds of love such as Storge or Agape. Most people see love as a serious relationship that could end up in marriage. Friendly relationships and companionships are also love but with limitations. References Neto, F. (2007). â€Å"Love Styles: A Cross-Cultural Study of British, Indian, and Portuguese College Students. † Journal of Comparative Family Studies. Retrieved on May 13, 2010 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_hb3248/is_200704/ai_n32226385/? tag=content;col1

Impact Of Globalization On Fashion And Pharmaceutical Industries Economics Essay

Impact Of Globalization On Fashion And Pharmaceutical Industries Economics Essay Globalization is a broad concept and it has been defined in many ways by different authors. According to Freedman(1999 ,p 156) and Woods(2000,p78), globalization means various quantitative and qualitative developments ranging from a dramatic increase in international transactions, especially in finance, to the international and spatial reorganization of production, the global harmonization of tastes and standards, liberalization, deregulation, privatization, the arrival of new information technologies, the global diffusion of information, values, and ideas, massive population transfers, trends towards a universal world culture, the spread of a worldwide preference for democracy, and the erosion of the nation state. Globalization has different dimensions like economic, cultural, political and environmental. It has different impacts on different industries with varying intensities based on these different dimensions. In this essay, the impact of globalization on fashion and pharmaceuti cal industries are examined and compared. This is to examine the differing intensities with which globalization affects these two industries. In the next two sections, the different impacts of globalization on fashion and pharmaceutical industries are discussed separately. In the last section, the impact of globalization on both these industries is compared and conclusions are made. 2. Impact of Globalization on Fashion Industry The most important elements of fashion industry are textile, clothing or apparel and footwear industries. It also includes food, housing, music, automobiles, perfumery and beauty products. According to Davis (1992), one main distinguishing feature of fashion industry is its ability to differentiate between different social classes or otherwise called social differentiation. For example, the most fashionable items are always very expensive and can be purchased by the upper class while the middle class goes for cheaper items. This made it necessary to produce the fashionable items in cheaper price in the fashion industry to achieve the selling target (Graham et al, 2006). Globalization affects fashion industry through the production, distribution and marketing channels. One main impact of globalization is to keep the people informed and updated on each and every new trend in the fashion industry through old and new media like radio, television, newspapers, internet, mobile phones etc. Consequently, now there is a tendency for imitating Western fashion all over the world replacing the traditional clothing in each nation. For example to highlight secularism, a ban has been imposed on women wearing headscarfs in France by considering wearing headscarf as a traditional religious symbol. The government considered wearing headscarf adversely affecting the immigrants to assimilate into the Western culture, which is called cultural assimilation (Huntington, 1997). This cultural assimilation is an important impact of globalization in fashion industry. The updating of new trends in the fashion industry was based on the economies of scale approach. This is intended to obtain new trends in fashion to all markets at appropriate times and at the correct prices for reducing the total production costs. The need for reducing production costs has resulted in the tendency among the developed nations to outsource production to developing nations like China where the production will be cheaper. This has adversely affected the local business in developed nations and violates the economies of scale principle. The local industries got affected badly because of this outsourcing of production and many of them were not able to continue operating consequently. Eg: producing a brand, t-shirt in Western China where no minimum wage regulations are there instead of producing it in Australia for reducing the production cost. In this case, achieving high profit margin in Australia is very difficult compared to that in China (Purdy, 2000). Globalization has changed this phenomenon however by reducing the transportation and communication costs and thereby increasing the accessibility of people to new fashions all over the world. This has also increased the speed of production in fashion compared to the olden days. The modern communication tools like internet forums have enabled the development and spreading of new technological innovations, which has increased the effectiveness of production in all nations. Globalization has thus resulted in more exchange of ideas and information regarding the availability of textile fabrics and production, which has also resulted in a rise in the demand for products. The consequence of all these was the brand names monopolizing the fashion industry and the spread of individualistic attitude instead of post materialistic especially among the middle classes. Base on these global conditions, the trends in fashion industry were to tempt the individuals for self-improvement instead of accepting them as they are. The most visible example of this can be seen from the growing trend of becoming thin models as the ideals of female beauty. This has proved to be anatomically more correct and has several psychological and physiological impacts. However, the negative side is that this has created by the pressure among female models for becoming thin models (Collins, 1997). The merits of globalization in fashion industry can be considered as the shift in the trends among the middle class from buying outsourced products under the influence of post materialistic ideologies to buy more locally produced ones. However, the problem is that the population of middle class is seen to be decreasing compared to the other groups. In addition to these, another impact of globalization was the shift in the production from developing to developed nations to go with the principle of economies of scale mostly under the influence of new and old media all over the world. However, this cannot be considered as a favourable trend especially under the scenario of the present economic crisis (Graham et al, 2006). According to Abarnathy et al (2003), the globalization of textile and clothing industry is not a new one and its history can be traced back to even the twelfth century. According to this study, in the earlier days the globalization was concerned with movement of labour and capital across nations based on comparative factor costs and productivities for labour, capital and other inputs between nations and their impact on product costs, changes in international exchange rates, quotas and tariffs. In the present scenario, the movement of labour and capital is based on some other aspects of distribution in addition to these like lean retailing, product proliferation, onshore and offshore outsourcing. The Multi Fibre Arrangement that has been existing in the textile industry for many years ended in 2005 with the decision of all WTO members to eliminate all quotas on textiles. China after accessing WTO in 2002 became a quota free nation in the WTO in the same year. The overall picture in the fashion industry thus shows that globalization has resulted in falling transportation and communication costs .This has significantly affected the growth of the markets in the industry .The concept of lean retailing has developed combining reduced transportation and communication costs as well as new technical innovations. The main problem however with the lean retailing is that it has enhanced the pricing pressures (Abarnathy et al, 2003). As a part of globalization process, the quotas on textiles also were removed with effect from 2005. 3. Impact of Globalization on Pharmaceutical Industry In the case of pharmaceutical industry, globalization has its effect through the combination of technological and economic dimensions (SickBlog, 2009). The focus of this industry is to research, develop and distribute drugs. Globalization process affects the industry through three major segments namely production, research and development and marketing. In the present era of globalization, it is reported in many studies that big companies in the industry, which were once in their better times, are now in difficult stages mainly due to inefficient Research and Development (RD)(Dufala,2007;Pouw,2008 etc). The established companies are reported to have failed in producing new items into the market mainly due to the rising RD costs. For example, Pfizer, which was the fourth largest multinational pharmaceutical corporation in the world, is now facing very bad time with a 10-year market exclusivity granted to new drugs. Globalization has resulted in enhanced availability of information, which has changed the role of doctors (Dufala, 2007). For example, in the case of patients who have information from internet, the decisions made by doctors are found to be questionable. Thus, the enhanced availability of information has affected the value chain in pharmaceuticals. It has also made the regulatory agencies to be more cautious. Thus, globalization process has affected the marketing by shifting towards patients. As a consequence of globalization, the generic markets are reported to be growing by taking advantage of the market exclusivity of original drugs and producing in low cost places for eg: Ranbaxi and Teva. In addition to these two developments, may small biotechnology companies face problems due to the difficulty in financing the projects in these companies (Dufala, 2007). All the developments as a part of globalization process have resulted in enhancing competition in the industry while it has not increased pressures for restructuring unlike other industries. Contract Research Organizations (CROs) have prominent role because of globalization process (Shuchman, 2007). The globalization has resulted in increased mergers and acquisitions of the CROs. Examples of CRO s are Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD), Quintiles, Parexel, Kendle and Covance. The CROs are technologically very innovative and makes se of new business concepts. Thus, it can be seen that CROs were the main actors who were able to utilize the benefits of globalization .At the same time big pharmaceutical companies were not able to do so. It is argued that globalization has improved the conditions of developing nations by improving access to medication by joining organizations like World Trade Organization (WTO). This has been enabled through compulsory licensing or by importing cheaper versions of drugs before the expiry of patents (Slick Blog, 2009). On the other hand, it is argued that the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which increases the scope, duration and coverage of the industrial patents of the WTO members, has marginalized the traditional knowledge of local people. Moreover, it has been argued that the growth and development of the domestic pharmaceutical companies are adversely affected by TRIPS (Pouw, 2008). However, exceptional cases are the Indian pharmaceutical companies like Ranbaxi and When Cipla, which have obtained significant growth and expanded their operations. It is also argued that globalization has adversely affected the developing nations through some other ways. In spite of the TRIPS having clause that exempts nations suffering from diseases like AIDS from patent observation, nations like America opposed this through international law suits .Thus many developing nations like South Africa were left in a difficult situation (Slick Blog, 2009). Hence, it is argued that TRIPS has supported in establishing the dominance of some big pharmaceutical companies and rising their presence worldwide (Pouw, 2008). The pharmaceutical industry has fond out the solution for this by outsourcing the production and research and development process as a part of the globalization process. These were intended to make them more cost effective in response to their rising costs. However studies have shown that these costs have been overestimated(Sampath,2005) .For example, the average cost of developing a pharmaceutical drug includes the costs of borrowing mone y to finance the RD process and the marketing costs of the product in addition to the costs of RD. This has overestimated the total RD costs. In addition to these, as a part of the globalization process, the big pharmaceutical companies are forced to perform many human trials with their new drugs before releasing them to the market. However, the main problem with this is that most consumers are reported not to be willing to participate in this process. For example, the consumers were not willing to participate in the phase three trial of Macugen, the eye disease drug by Pfizer (Shah, 2006). It is argued that the reforms as a part of the globalization process has resulted in a national ruin by the developing nations through opening of markets and through the loans provided by IMF and World Bank attached with stringent conditions (Harvey, 2005). Globalization has also affected the marketing process in pharmaceutical industry through preventing the direct to consumer marketing in most countries and promoting advertisement through global media. This type of advertisement through global media is reported to have created distorted images of health and diseases (Petryna and Kleinman, 2006).For example, the diseases like AIDS , are picturized as incurable by these advertisements which has resulted in the marginalization of many developing nations. Moreover, most of the advertisements have been related to allergic diseases rather than the real health crises. This has resulted in creating distorted images of many diseases and medicines. Overall, it is reported that the globalization process has increased the profits in pharmaceutical industry through reducing RD and production costs. This has necessitated the need for sustainable capital, which has resulted in the mergers of big pharmaceutical companies. Thus, the big pharmaceutical companies have started monopolizing the industry leaving the developing nations to be exploited for cheap labour and drug testing (Pouw, 2008,). The outsourcing process, which is supposed to offset the rising costs in the industry, is reported to have negative implications as discussed here. The public private partnerships, where the governments and big companies work together for resolving health crises, however are expected to bring many advantages for the developing nations (Bull and McNeill, 2007). 4. Conclusion In this essay, the impact of globalization on two industries the fashion industry and pharmaceutical industry are discussed. In the case of fashion industry, the globalization impacts are through the combination of cultural, technological and economic dimensions. In the case of pharmaceutical industries, the impact is through a combination of cultural and economic dimensions. In the case of both the industries, globalization has resulted in decreasing the transportation and communication costs. Moreover, it enhances the availability of information through the world media. In the case of fashion industry, these have resulted in a shift from using the outsourced products by the middle class to more locally produced items based on the economies of scale principle. This has resulted in shifting labour from developing to developed nations .Though this is intended to make the production in a more cost effective manner, it is not obtained to be favourable in the present economic condition. The impact of globalization has affected the production, distribution and marketing sides of this industry. The increased availability of information had its impact through the cultural dimension of globalization in the case of fashion industry. The positive impacts of globalization in this industry include aspects like enhancing the speed of production, reducing time lag between production and delivery and creating an individualistic approach necessitating the need for self-improvement. At the same time, negative impacts include the shifting of labour from developed to developing nations. In the case of pharmaceutical industry, the focus is on the research and development of drugs in addition to its production. Hence, globalization affects this industry through three channels production, research and development as well as marketing unlike the fashion industry. The reduction in transportation and communication costs had its economic and technological impacts. Though this has helped in reducing the production and RD costs, this had created dominance for the big pharmaceutical corporations. The enhanced availability of information made the public more aware of the adverse effects of drugs and hence made the decisions of doctors in some cases questionable .This can be considered as a positive aspect of globalization in the industry. At the same time, the enhanced communication through worldwide media has created distorted images in the minds of public regarding many diseases and the concept of health itself. Thigh the globalization process has increased the profitability of the industry; this has resulted in the monopoly of multinational giants in the industry. This has adversely affected the domestic pharmaceutical companies with only a very few exceptions. In the case of pharmaceutical industry, globalization process ahs resulted in creating prominent role for third party players like the CROs unlike the fashion industry. Many big companies who were earlier profitable got adversely affected due to the rising production and RD costs. Outsourcing which was fond as a solution to this had many negative cultural and economic effects. However, compared to the fashion industry the effects of outsourcing were not so intense in the pharmaceutical industry, which can be understood from the discussion. In the case of fashion industry, Quotas and tariffs were eliminated on textiles as a part of the decision of WTO members. In the case of pharmaceutical industries, TRIPS agreement was aimed to assist the developing nations by increasing the access to medication for developing nations. At the same time, TRIPS was obtained to leave the developing nations in difficult situation by marginalizing them in many cases. In the case of fashion industry, the globalization process has resulted in increasing competition and restructuring of the industry with a shift of labour from developing to developed nations. However, in the case of pharmaceutical industry, though globalization ahs resulted in enhanced competition, it has not resulted in the restructuring of the entire industry. Rather, it has created the emergence of the third party players, the CROs that made use of new business concepts and technological innovations. The above discussion thus shows that globalization process has affected both the fashion and pharmaceutical industries but through different intensities. The dimensions of globalization through which it affects both the industries are also little bit different. In the case of similar dimensions of globalization also, the intensities of impacts are different for both the industries depending on the nature and structure of both the industries. Globalization affects both the industries through different channels in spite of the similarities. Hence, it can be concluded that industry specific factors play important role in determining the intensity of the impact of globalization on each industry. The discussion above thus shows that industry specific studies are more relevant in examining the impact of globalization. Though globalization has both positive and negative impacts on industry performance, a generalized picture cannot be obtained in this regard. Macro studies may conceal many f actors regarding the impact of globalization as is clear from the discussion above.

Irrigation as a Tool for Frost and Freeze Protection Essay -- Agricult

For years now farmers and researchers have understood the value of applying water to crops during periods when the temperature drops below 32oF (0oC). The temperature of 32oF is the freezing point of water and is the temperature at which crops start to become damaged due to the formation of ice crystals in their tissue cells. The point that this starts to occur is considered the crops critical temperature. The critical temperature usually is slightly lower than the freezing point of water and depends on the duration at the temperature. For example, in citrus the critical temperature at four hours is 28oF. This means that a citrus tree can stand a temperature of 28oF for four hours before sustaining damage. After four hours the damage is proportional to the time that the temperature remains below the critical temperature. Temperatures below 28oF for a short period of time (one or two hours) will cause only minimal damage. Temperatures over 28oF can be tolerated for extended periods of time with only minor damage (partial leaf burn, partial defoliation, etc., but no wood damage). Other factors such as stage of growth (if the plant is in early stages of growth or mature), fruit set (whether the crop is still on the plant or not), dormancy (whether the plant is actively growing or is dormant), plant water content (whether the plant is under water stress or not) and overall plant health will influence the critical temperature for a specific crop. There are three ways that water can transfer heat for freeze protection. The first way is through radiation. Water pumped from wells will be introduced into the field at a much higher temperature than the surrounding air temperature (in Florida the temperature for water coming from a well is... ...rmittent coverage. References Hochmuth, G.J., S.J. Lacascio, S.R. Kostewicz, and F.G. Martin. 1993. Irrigation Method and Rowcover Use for Strawberry Freeze Protection. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 188(5):575-579. Miller, F. 1977. College Physics. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. New York. Parsons, L.R., and T.A. Wheaton, 1987. Microsprinkler Irrigation for Freeze Protection: Evaporative Cooling and Extent of Protection in an Advective Freeze. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 112(6):879- 902. Parsons, L.R., T.A. Wheaton, N.D. Faryna, and J.L. Jackson. 1991. Elevated Microsprinklers Improve Protection of Citrus Trees in an Advective Freeze. Hortscience. 26(9):1149-1151. Rieger, M., F.S. Davies, and L.K. Jackson. 1986. Microsprinkler Irrigation and Microclimate of Young Orange Trees During Freeze Conditions. Hortscience. 21(6):1372-1374.

Personal Ethics Essay

When faced with a decision which requires an ethical framework, my usual pattern of decision making follows a pattern of reflection and introspection. The introspective element is both cerebral, that is: based in a rational analysis of the issue or matter at hand, and also intuitive, of which is to some degree an assessment of the emotional components of the decision at hand. However, intuitive introspection, at least in my opinion, transcends the boundaries of rationality as we understand it, and it even transcends our understanding of emotional responses, so intuition, although critical to my own decision making process is a slightly difficult aspect to illuminate. I once read the following paradigm somewhere. The origin of the paradigm is lost to my present memory, but the paradigm was this: whenever you are faced with a truly perplexing â€Å"yes or no† or â€Å"do or don’t† or â€Å"either or† decision, and you really can’t seem to make up your mind, flip a coin and assign â€Å"heads† to one outcome, and â€Å"tails† to the other. Now, when the result of the coin flip is shown, assess your feeling about the result and you will see what you wanted to do all along. In other words, say your choice is between going to a movie or playing a video game with your friends online. You can’t make up your mind which would be abetter choice, so you flip the coin, assigning â€Å"heads† to going to the movie, and â€Å"tails† to playing video games, vowing to abide by the result. Now, let’s assume the result of the coin flip is â€Å"tails† — staying home to play video games — and you feel excited, pleased and happy right away without thinking. Then staying in is what you wanted all along. If the coin-flip result of â€Å"tails† — staying home to play video games — made you want to flip the coin again for a different result, then you would know the same thing, that what you actually wanted to do was stay home and not go out to the movie. That is not to say that I make my decisions, trivial or profound, based on a coin flip! What I am driving at is that we often have intuitive feelings that lurk below the level of our rational consciousness and we can access this intuition in some cases when making decisions. As someone who has little faith in absolute ethical systems, or in a morality which is based on abstract philosophy, I like to include my own feelings, as well as my rational understanding of ethical concepts when I am faced with decisions. The underlying principles which inform the way I live my life are also drawn from the aforementioned notion of intuition or deep-introspection. For example, if I refuse a certain job offer, or even the offer of friendship on specific occasions this may have less to do with something which could be expressed in a linear fashion: the job was too demeaning, or that person had the wrong hair-style or hobby, but with something that might be more difficult to articulate clearly, but which is much more crucial than any superficial notions that might be viewed by some as important gauges or cues. In short, I don’t have any kind of â€Å"maxim† or concrete set of principles — edicts, I believe they are called — but rather a sense of personal disposition and emotional bearing. For example, I don’t like to hurt people’s feelings; viscerally: I just do not like to witness their pain so I avoid doing so when I can manage it. On the other hand, I take a rather dim view of altruism or the notion of helping people or giving them charity. I feel awkward placing myself in a position where I am apt to start pitying or feeling sorry for people; I myself dislike being pitied or felt sorry for, so I guess I assume it is the same for others. I tend to adopt the pursuit of happiness and personal joy (not to be confused with hedonism) as key aspects of my world view. That is, I am, at heart, an optimist who dislikes â€Å"whining† and cynicism and the pursuit of superficial self-gratification at the expense of others. That certainly does not mean that I advocate â€Å"selflessness† — whatever that term may indicate as a way of life, but rather, that I view joy, success, and fulfillment at least to some degree to be communal in nature. It is necessary that all acknowledge that everyone is a part of the human experience, no matter who or what they are. there are no exceptions. In my work, I try very hard to be both competent and respectful of those who I work with and for — but I often find it difficult to refrain from voicing my opinions, especially when I believe there is a possibility that my input may be helpful. I realize that work is a primary form of self-expression and self-fulfillment in life. My idea is that most people either love their jobs and derive a large part of their self-identity and worldly power through their jobs, or they hate their jobs and are constricted, limited, and oppressed by them. So, to my mind, it is crucial that you endeavor as much as possible to find a job that puts you in the former rather than the latter category because so much of life keys off of one’s work. One thing that I am convinced about is that everyone should bring the same emotional involvement and enthusiasm to their jobs as they very often bring to their hobbies, just as I believe most people should try to bring the same level of integrity and competence to their personal relationships as is usually required by their jobs. Obviously, I would not advocate the pursuit of money as a reliable indicator of whether or not a job is the right or wrong job. It is much more important that a job facilitate one’s sense of self-esteem and emotional security than whether or not the financial rewards are above and beyond â€Å"fair. † That said, a fair salary is always indicated because without it, maintaining self-respect and self-esteem is made more difficult. While there is no single â€Å"litmus test† for whether or not one’s work is the right work for them, the emotional and intuitive aspects of decision making can help as much in assessing a job’s strengths and weaknesses as a cold rational evaluation of the facts.

Diabetes Mellitus Essay Example

Diabetes Mellitus Essay Example Diabetes Mellitus Paper Diabetes Mellitus Paper The Type 2 diabetes mellitus (also known as ‘adult-onset diabetes’ or ‘non-insulin diabetes’) is a chronic condition characterized by a rise in level of glucose (sugar) in blood, due to the abnormal manner of metabolism of insulin by the body, and body becomes less resistant to the effect of insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates the level of sugar in the body). The condition develops widespread symptoms and if untreated can make the person die. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, the other form being gestational diabetes and type 1 diabetes. One of the most preventable forms of diabetes is type 2 diabetes mellitus, but the disorder is still in rise due to sedentary lifestyle and dietary changes followed by the you and me. It is important to remember that there is no cure or hope for it, for the disorder, and lifestyle, dietary and medical changes may be required for the rest of somebody’s life. The condition more often occurs in adults, but recently there has also been a rise in the children. About 8 to 45 % of all new diabetes cases found in children are from the pediatric age groups (Silvio E. Inzucchi, 2007, Kevin Peterson, 2007, Eric Felner, 2008). Exact cause for type 2 diabetes is not understood by many, but it may usually be a decrease in the insulin secretion, resistance to insulin secretion, improper manner of the body of using insulin, or a combination of several factors, may play a role in the development of the disorder. When the glucose is consumed in the diet, it is absorbed into the bloodstream, and once the sugar enters the blood, insulin helps to control the level. It controls the manner in which the cell would be utilizing glucose for metabolism. Insulin helps to decrease the level of the glucose and increasing storage as glycogen in the liver and the muscle cells. Once the level of glucose in the blood drops, the insulin level also decreases. From the liver, the glucose may be transported to other parts of the blood, once the insulin level decreases. In individuals suffering from diabetes type 2, the insulin may be defective in quality or the cells may be resistant to the action of insulin, leading to improper usage by the cells and a rise in the blood. Besides, in diabetes, the muscle and the fat tissues tend to react abnormally to the insulin (Silvio E. Inzucchi, 2007, Mayo, 2007, Elizabeth H. Holt, 2008). In the general population of US, about 7 % are affected with Type 2 diabetes. More than 15 % of the elderly population is affected with diabetes type 2. Hispanics, Native Americans and African-Americans are at a higher risk of developing diabetes type 2. The incidences of the disease may be two to three times than that of White people. In actual sense, several of these populations are resistant to diabetes in their homeland. However, once they have migrated to the US, the inability to adapt to the US diet and lifestyle increases them to develop the disease. Diabetes type 2 is a disorder that tends to occur more often in families. Having an affected mother or father increases the risk of developing the disorder (Silvio E. Inzucchi, 2007, Preeti Kishore, 2008, Elizabeth H. Holt, 2008). There may be several risk factors for developing diabetes including:- Having a close family member or relative suffer from the disorder Having a twin identical twin – 100 % risk (higher risk than a non-identical twin) Elderly age group (especially people crossing 65 years) Obesity or overweight Sedentary lifestyle Lack of exercise Those with high waist to hip ratios History of gestational diabetes Having babies weighing greater than 9 pounds Presence of heart disease High cholesterol levels in the blood History of polycystic ovarian disease History of an impaired glucose tolerance test result Hypertension Certain races or ethnic groups History of prediabetes (Silvio E. Inzucchi, 2007, Preeti Kishore, 2008, Elizabeth H. Holt, 2008, Mayo, 2008) Method(s) of diagnosis Diagnosis of diabetes type 2 is made based on that person’s history, symptoms, signs, physical examination, urine sugar tests, blood sugar tests, oral glucose tolerance tests, hemoglobin A1C tests, and other tests. A fasting blood sugar of above 125 mg/dl and a random blood sugar of 200 mg/dl of blood are diagnostic of diabetes mellitus. If the glucose level is above 200 mg/dl of blood after two hours of glucose tolerance test, it is suggestive of diabetes. HBAIC tests are also very useful not only to determine the past levels of glucose over the last 3 to 6 months, but also to monitor the condition (Elizabeth H. Holt, 2008, Mayo, 2007, Silvio E. Inzucchi, 2007). Symptoms and complications of the disorder An individual who develops type 2 diabetes can have a range of signs, problems and symptoms. These usually develop due to the increased levels of glucose present in the blood or due to complications. Some symptoms of type 2 diabetes include blurriness of the vision, polyphagia, polydipsia, tiredness, hunger, polyuria, weight loss, loss of appetite, drowsiness, nausea, poor tolerance to exercise or increased physical activity, dehydration, frequent infection, mental confusions, seizures, etc. Bladder, vaginal and skin infections are frequent in diabetic individuals or wounds take very long to heal. To get rid of the excess sugar in the blood, the body eliminates the sugar in the urine once it reaches the level of 180 mg per dl of blood. To get rid of the excess sugar in the blood, water is lost, leading to polyuria. The individual would have to consume high amounts of water in order to meet this water shortage. As there is loss of calories through urine, the individual tends to lose weight. Hence, hunger is a common. Due to the excessive present of sugar in the blood, the fluids tend to accumulate and even in the tissues of the eyeball, there is high intra-ocular pressure leading to blurring of vision. In certain cases, especially when high amounts of glucose is lost in the urine, there would be a drop in the blood glucose level leading to hypoglycemia leading to several symptoms such as tiredness, fainting, breathlessness, etc. Acanthosis nigricans is a condition characterized by the formation of dark shiny patches on skin folds (Elizabeth H. Holt, 2008, Mayo, 2007, Preeti Kishore, 2008, Eric Felner, 2008, Kevin Peterson, 2007). People affected with type 2 diabetes can develop several symptoms especially during the later stages of the disease. Several organs including the heart, lungs, brain, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, etc are troubled. The blood sugar levels may often drop especially during periods of stress leading to a condition known as ‘hypoglycemia’. Diabetic hyperosmolar coma is a condition characterized by a rise in the blood glucose level resulting in confusion, seizures, seizures, sweating and drowsiness, etc. In individuals who tend to fast more, fat is broken down excessively resulting in the production of toxic substances ‘ketones’. The individual may develop several symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever, stomach pain, sickly ketone odor, etc. This condition is known as ‘diabetic ketoacidosis’. The heart and the blood vessels are also affected resulting in coronary heart disease, angina, stroke, hypertension, etc. Risk of stroke increases several fold in individuals suffering from diabetes. The blood vessels that supply the nerve endings are also affected resulting in nerve disorders. The individual would have tingling, burning sensations, numbness, etc, in various parts of the body including the fingers, toes, etc. Besides, the nerves of the autonomic nervous system may also be involved. Kidney damage may also occur resulting in kidney failure. The blood vessels of the eye may also be involved resulting in blindness. The bone density decreases leading to osteoporosis (Mayo, 2007, Preeti Kishore, 2008, Elizabeth H. Holt, 2008). Treatment of the disorder There are several modes which are required to help treat the condition. However, currently no cure is available for diabetes. Some measures include:- Monitoring glucose levels to ensure that the sugar levels are within control. Lifestyle changes including those involving diet (avoid sugars), physically active, keeping away from alcohol and tobacco, and managing stress more effectively. Insulin therapy to help control the level of sugar in the body. It is given in the form of injections. The individual can use subcutaneous injections or an insulin pump. Several forms of insulin fast-acting, slow-acting, intermediate forms or combinations are available which can help to control the blood glucose levels as and when required. Oral hypoglycemic agents are required because insulin may not be very effective in type 2 diabetics. The two groups of drugs which are utilized include sulfonylureas and biguanides. Sulfonylureas encourage the pancreas to produce greater amounts of insulin, whereas biguanides improve the reaction of the cells and tissues towards insulin. Insulin can also delivered in the form of nasal sprays. Foot care is every essential for diabetics as a small wound can result in gangrene and leg amputations (Silvio E. Inzucchi, 2007, Kevin Peterson, 2007, Eric Felner, 2008, Mayo, 2007, Preeti Kishore, 2008). Methods of prevention There are several means which can help to prevent the diabetes. The measures should especially be followed when the risk of the diabetes are high. The individual should consume healthy food, rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. The intake of fats and carbohydrates should be controlled. Physical activity may be required for about 30 minutes everyday. Individuals who are overweight or obese should consider losing weight. A weight loss of 5 kilograms should significantly help reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Oral hypoglycemic agents have also been administered in individuals with high risk of developing the disease, and studies have shown that it helps to prevent the disease to certain extents (Eric Felner, 2008, Mayo, 2007). Directions for future research Current field of research is the introduction of insulin-producing cells in various organs of the body so that the level of insulin can be improved and help control diabetes. However, immune cells can destroy these transplanted cells and hence require immune-suppression. Newer techniques are aiming to prevent the need for immune-suppression (Preeti Kishore, 2008). Several research studies are trying to determine the cause for the higher incidences of diabetes in the pediatric population. They are also defining effective ways of reducing the risk for type 2 diabetes in these populations (Kevin Peterson, 2007). Conclusion Diabetes type 2 seems to be a disease which has affected mankind from a long time, and today it is affecting the even our children. Modern and westernized lifestyles are only increasing the chances of developing the disease, and science cannot help lower the incidence of it. Studies should concentrate on increasing the preventive aspects of the disease. Today diabetes groups are concentrating heavily on developing newer drugs and insulin introduction methods to treat the disease. However, it is important to note that preventive methods can be utilized effectively, even in the high risk groups. Felner, E. and F. Kaufman. â€Å"Type 2 Diabetes in Children. † The Hormone Foundation July (2008). (Journal) Holt, Elizabeth H. â€Å"Diabetes. † 17 June 2008. Medline Plus. 6 December 2008 nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001214. htm (Web site) Holt, Elizabeth H. â€Å"Type 2 Diabetes. † 17 June 2008. Medline Plus. 6 December 2008 nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000313. htm (Web site) Inzucchi , Silvio E, and Robert S. Sherwin. Goldman: Cecil Medicine. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2007. (Textbook) Kishore, Preeti. â€Å"Diabetes Mellitus. † June 2008. Merck Manual. 6 December 2008 merck. com/mmhe/sec13/ch165/ch165a. html (Web site) Mayo Clinic Staff. â€Å"Type 2 Diabetes Introduction. † 24 October 2008. Mayo Clinic. 6 December 2008 mayoclinic. com/health/type-2-diabetes/DS00585 (Web site) Mayo Clinic Staff. â€Å"Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms. † 24 October 2008. Mayo Clinic. 6 December 2008 mayoclinic. com/health/type-2-diabetes/DS00585/DSECTION=symptoms (Web site) Mayo Clinic Staff. â€Å"Type 2 Diabetes – Test and Diagnosis. † 24 October 2008. Mayo Clinic. 6 December 2008 mayoclinic. com/health/type-2-diabetes/DS00585/DSECTION=tests-and-diagnosis (Web site) Mayo Clinic Staff. â€Å"Type 2 Diabetes – Treatment and Drugs. † 24 October 2008. Mayo Clinic. 6 December 2008 mayoclinic. com/health/type-2-diabetes/DS00585/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs (Web site) Peterson, Kevin. â€Å"Management of Type 2 Diabetes in Youth: An Update. † American Family Physician 76. 5 (2007): 658-664. (Journal)