Orthopedic and Musculoskeletal Disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Orthopedic and Musculoskeletal Disorders - Essay Example These children need a lot of moral support from family, and teachers should give proper counseling to students and should be sensitive towards the needs of such children with orthopedic disorders. It is very necessary that every school has a screening test for all students to detect scoliosis; teachers should especially take care of female students with scoliosis, as these children have a low body mass index and low weight. Children will also be scared of being called a scoliotic, which might have a negative effect on them, therefore it is the responsibility of the teachers to take proper care of such children and give them proper counseling to make them stronger to face such situations. Teachers of students suffering with certain limb deficiencies could try to pair such children with other students without any deficiency, so that they could help the other children during their lab classes or other practical classes which needs his involvement, in return a student with a deficiency could probably help another student who is poor in Math's might be. Whereas some children might need assistance in being mobile for example in going to the restroom or might need help while eating. Proper planning needs to be done to face such situations and certain techniques can be adopted to find out who will help such students in using the restroom or to follow a certain technique for eating. (http://books.google.com/booksid=ShVMgwSqFCgC&pg=PA598&lpg=PA598&dq=how+can+a+teacher+help+students+with+limb+deficiency&source=web&ots=G1_khw8Q5O&sig=fY20zNgN5OPM0QsvKiyFdg9ugS0#PPA598,M1). Teachers need to implement certain strategies in teaching these children, by introducing the children to phonics or, instead of such children writing, they could be asked to use the computer which would be much easier for them. The teacher should be in a position to assess such children on the basis of their response in the classroom. Teachers should also have the tact to execute certain strategies to encourage communication between her and the child. Students suffering from such orthopedic disorders might have poor motor skills, poor communication with the teacher, and inadequate practical experience in the subject, which leads to psychological problems. Teachers who have a specialization in orthopedic impairment should be appointed to teach such children, it will be helpful to the students if teachers adopt a certain strategy to teach such children, the tests or lessons can also be modified by the teachers, so that it Orthopedic and Musculoskeletal Disorders would be easier for a student with impairment to follow. Such students require assistance in their regular classes and during assignments and tests. (http://education.gsu.edu/PhysicalDis/new/article/inserv.htm) Children suffering with rheumatoid arthritis may experience severe pain in the joints, along with fever, rash and stiffness, which might make the child go through severe stress and depression.

What Ministerial Ordination Means to Me Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What Ministerial Ordination Means to Me - Essay Example Everyone can access it but not everyone chooses to focus on it, or emphasizes it in daily living or honours it first. Being ordained means that I do. Those who do not understand have challenged me with the charge that being non-denominational means practicing a hodge podge of bits and pieces that do not come down from a direct scriptural lineage. In my ministry, I practice Integrated Energy Therapy (IET), which involves releasing the energy patterns from the past, which limit one’s capacity for power and joy. The outcome of this healing modality is that the person becomes empowered and balanced. In order to do this work, I too must allow any energy patterns from the past to be released, so that I too empowered and balanced. Only from this place can I help others. I make myself available for communication with angels. I make use of the violet energy ray, with the help of healing angels, to work directly with the client’s 12 strand DNA. ... Energy flows through me and is accepted by the client, applied to wherever it is needed. My intention is only to make my body and spirit available for this energy to flow through, without obstruction. Being ordained is a marking of this understanding that it is not me, not my agenda, not my power, but is universal energy moving though me. Being ordained is a declaration of availability. Being ordained means keeping myself in a positive energetic space, as much as possible, so that I can model and invite positive influence for the benefit of my clients. It means that I consistently think about what is good and beneficial, because the Law of Attraction teaches that like attracts like. Focusing on dark thoughts will invite darkness, but focusing on positive thoughts invites the Light. I have heard the opinion expressed that a minister is called by God, that being ordained is an affirmative reply to that call. To me, being ordained is a seal on my commitment to myself, the channeling of cosmic energy and to my community. It is a formal answer to the cosmic call I have heard with my deepest being. This call is an invitation to take on responsibility to organize my life ministry, to serve others, to provide an example of living in which every act is sacred. I am human and therefore I have ignorance, jealousy, vanity, insecurity, fear, greed, and other obstructions of the Light. How can I lead? I am, at the same time, blessed with compassion, empathy, an open heart, appreciation, the sight of miracles, and other gifts that promote contact with the Light. Through grace, I reach for Light, and I help others who long for it, as I do. But what is my tradition and what are its boundaries? Ordination means being connected to a

Geology in The United Arab Emirates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Geology in The United Arab Emirates - Essay Example Over the response of the plate tectonic movement, the two have behaved as a unit. The begun of the separation of this two from African plate started aver about 25- 30 million years ago with the red sea being the initial opening. The U.A.E ancient story was in some points a rumor. A rock, as per the Precambrian history, does not outcrop in the regions of the UAE also; they are not known information drill. In Saudi Arabia and Sultanate of Oman, the exposure of the Precambrian sedimentary rocks were experienced and from this exposure, it participated in delayed Precambrian glaciations. That in many desperate parts of the today’s world were known due the evidence of geology. A shallow red sea covers not much time after the initial appearance of the abundant fossil stable lifestyles during the Middle Cambrian time, a general region that is in the reach of UAE (The Emirates). Thick accumulation of salt and the early Cambrian sediments of both the Arabian sides being included reveal that the area have been the site of first stage drifting from a larger continent that later formed an ocean basin. At the continental edge, the interpretation would account for the UAE subsequent position. The movements of the Afro-Arabian plate in the period of the Paleozoic caused the pass near the South Pole in the Ordovician period. During this period is when North Africa and UAE became glaciated. During the middle of the Paleozoic, the Afro-Arabian continent became the largest in the southern Gondwana supercontinent. The continent later broke into Permian and Triassic. UAE has remained in the tropical latitudes since the end of Paleozoic. The appearance of the UAE has remained tectonically to stable despite the travels. Rather than local tectonic and climatic fluctuations, the geological history of the country as a whole has been based on the primary legend of the advance and retreat of the sea in response to the global idea. The make that was to become of UAE was through the

Ancient Egyptian Art & Architecture Essay Example for Free

Ancient Egyptian Art Architecture Essay Due to the scarcity of wood the two predominant building materials used in ancient Egypt were sun-baked mud bricks and stone, mainly limestone but also sandstone and granite in considerable quantities. From the Old Kingdom onward, stone was generally reserved for tombs and temples, while bricks were used even for royal palaces, fortresses, the walls of temple precincts and towns, and for subsidiary buildings in temple complexes. The core of the pyramids came from stone quarried in the area already while the limestone, now eroded away, that was used to face the pyramids came from the other side of the Nile River and had to be quarried, ferried across, and cut during the dry season before they could be pulled into place on the pyramid. Ancient Egyptian houses were made out of mud collected from the Nile river. It was placed in molds and left to dry in the hot sun to harden for use in construction. Many Egyptian towns have disappeared because they were situated near the cultivated area of the Nile Valley and were flooded as the river bed slowly rose during the millennia, or the mud bricks of which they were built were used by peasants as fertilizer. Others are inaccessible (unapproachable), new buildings having been erected on ancient ones. Fortunately, the dry, hot climate of Egypt preserved some mud brick structures. Examples include the village Deir al-Madinah, the Middle Kingdom town at Kahun, and the fortresses at Buhen and Mirgissa. Also, many temples and tombs have survived because they were built on high ground unaffected by the Nile flood and were constructed of stone. Thus, our understanding of ancient Egyptian architecture is based mainly on religious monuments, massive structures characterized by thick, sloping walls with few openings, possibly echoing a method of construction used to obtain stability in mud walls. In a similar manner, the incised and flatly modeled surface adornment (decoration) of the stone buildings may have derived from mud wall ornamentation. Although the use of the arch was developed during the fourth dynasty, all monumental buildings are post and lintel constructions, with flat roofs constructed of huge stone blocks supported by the external walls and the closely spaced columns. Exterior and interior walls, as well as the columns and piers (landing place) were covered with hieroglyphic and pictorial (symbolic) frescoes and carvings painted in brilliant colors. Many motifs (design) of Egyptian ornamentation are symbolic, such as the scarab or sacred beetle, the solar disk and the vulture. Other common motifs include palm leaves, the papyrus plant, and the buds and flowers of the lotus. Hieroglyphs were inscribed for decorative purposes as well as to record historic events or spells. In addition, these pictorial frescoes and carvings allow us to understand how the Ancient Egyptians lived, statuses, wars that were fought and their beliefs. This was especially true when exploring the tombs of Ancient Egyptian officials in recent years. Ancient Egyptian temples were aligned with astronomically significant events, such as solstices and equinoxes, requiring precise (accurate) measurements at the moment of the particular event. Measurements at the most significant temples may have been ceremonially undertaken by the Pharaoh himself. Art Forms: Ancient Egyptian art forms are characterized by regularity and detailed depiction of gods, human beings, heroic battles, and nature, and were intended to provide solace to the deceased in the afterlife. Egyptian art in all forms obeyed one law: the mode of representing Pharaohs, gods, man, nature and the environment. Ancient Egyptian art displays an extraordinarily vivid representation of the Ancient Egyptians socioeconomic status and belief systems. Architecture: Ancient Egyptian architects used sun-dried and kiln-baked bricks, fine sandstone, limestone and granite. Hieroglyphic and pictorial carvings in brilliant colors were abundantly used to decorate Egyptian structures. Papyrus: Papyrus is a plant. Papyrus was used by ancient Egyptians for writing and painting. Papyrus texts illustrate all dimensions of ancient Egyptian life and include literary, religious, historical and administrative documents. Pottery: Ancient Egyptians used steatite (some varieties were called soapstone). Different types of pottery items were deposited in tombs of the dead. Some such pottery items represented interior parts of the body, like the lungs, the liver and smaller intestines, which were removed before embalming (the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains). Sculpture: The ancient art of Egyptian sculpture evolved to represent the ancient Egyptian gods, Pharaohs, and the kings and queens, in physical form. Very strict conventions were followed while crafting statues: male statues were darker than the female ones; in seated statues, hands were required to be placed on knees and specific rules governed appearance of every Egyptian god. Egyptian Art Ancient Egyptian art is the painting, sculpture, architecture and other arts produced by the civilization in the lower Nile Valley from 5000 BC to 300 AD. Ancient Egyptian art reached a high level in painting and sculpture, and was both highly stylized and symbolic. Much of the surviving art comes from tombs and monuments and thus there is an emphasis on life after death and the preservation of knowledge of the past. The quality of observation and execution started at a high level and remained near that level throughout the 2nd and 3rd dynasty. Paintings: Egyptian painting is said to be one of the most unique and mysterious attributes of Egypt. Egyptian painting is not oil-based or fresco-based, it is tempura-based. All Egyptian reliefs were painted on a flat surface. Pigments were mostly mineral, chosen to withstand strong sunlight without fading. The binding medium used in painting remains unclear. After painting, a varnish or resin was usually applied as a protective coating. The paintings were often made with the intent of making a pleasant afterlife for the deceased. Some tomb paintings show activities that the deceased were involved in when they were alive and wished to carry on doing for eternity. Egyptian paintings are painted in such a way to show a profile view and a side view of the animal or person. Periods in Art: The Ancient Egyptian art style is known as Amarna art. It was characterized by a sense of movement and activity in images. Also, the human body is portrayed differently in Amarna style artwork than Egyptian art on the whole. Faces are still shown exclusively in profile.

Metamorphosis A Novella By Franz Kafka English Literature Essay

Metamorphosis A Novella By Franz Kafka English Literature Essay Metamorphosis is a novella by Franz Kafka and deals with the travelling salesman Gregor Samsa, who is the familys sole earner, waking up one morning finding himself transformed into a bug. In the following Kafka describes how Gregors position within the family as well as the family itself change. The story is divided into three parts. Each of them ends with Gregor attempting to break out off his room but being refused and hurt by his family. The first part begins with Gregor awaking and finding himself transformed into a bug. Curiously he is rather worried about being late for work than about being not human anymore. Even on the first page evidence for Todorovs theme of The Self can be found. This Theme deals with his interest in the self and the world around this self in relation to the fantastic and the supernatural. The reader does not know if Gregor really transformed into a bug. This ambiguity, according to Todorov, is the reason for the reader hesitating between different possible explanations of events, the realistic and the supernatural. When the reader decides whether an event was real or imaginary, the story is either uncanny or marvelous.  [1]  Metamorphosis therefore is rather a marvelous narrative considering that the reader is not explicitly told why Gregor has transformed into a bug. To Todorov every word in the novella is a description of the fantastic universe and that there is no reality or truth outside this language used.  [2]  When Kafka writes that It was no dream  [3]  and that his family cannot understand him anymore because his voice altered,  [4]  this is evidence enough for Todorov to accept that Gregor really transformed into a bug. Furthermore he argues that Metamorphoses constitute a transgression of the separation between matter and mind  [5]  and that transition from mind to matter [] become possible.  [6]  Gregor is very unhappy with his life working very hard to gain acceptance and having no time for having a relationship. Feeling like a bug eventually transformed him into a bug. Todorov also wrote about the theme of The Other dealing with the relation of man and his desire and repressed desires. This is a very interesting theme which can be found in Metamorphosis as well. Right on the first page we learn about Gregor having a picture of a lady in a fur hat and stole [] bolding in the direction of the onlooker a heavy fur muff into which she had thrust the whole of her forearm.  [7]  Freud argues that fur is used as a fetich on account of its association with the hairness of the mons veneris.  [8]  Gregor has to work very hard to earn enough money for the whole family. Therefore he has no time to have a relationship. According to Freud, sexual desire is an impulse that is made analougous to the impulse of taking nourishment, and to hunger.  [9]  Gregor repressed this desire for a long time and it has to be satisfied. When Gregor does not come to work the chief clerk comes to his house to see him. Gregor manages to open the door but his family and the chief clerk are frightened. His father tries to force him to go back and eventually kicks and he is thrown back into his room. The second part shows explicitly Gregors relationship to his family and how this changes. His sister is looking after him twice a day and cleans his room regularly.  [10]  Gregor loves his sister and even planned to send her to expensive school.  [11]  He is always pleased about when she enters the room and feels sad about not being able to thank her for what she does for him.  [12]  He knows that she sickens at him but still does not hesitate to feed him.  [13]  She even brings him a range of food to choose from when she recognizes that he has not drunk the milk.  [14]  In this scene Grete enters the room, how Gregor describes, almost completely dressed  [15]  to him this must be a detail, important enough to mention. Due to his sexual repressed desire he even seems to see his sister as possible sexual object. Freud argues that an excessive need for affection a boy may [cling] for the infantile attraction for [] sisters which has been repressed in puberty.  [16]   At the end of part two it is the sister who argues that Gregors furniture should be removed which hits him very hard knowing them to be the only things that made him not feel like he was not human anymore. Nevertheless he is certain that his sister only wants to create space in his room to give him the chance to crawl.  [17]  Still he wants to save the picture of the lady as very last relation to his personhood and so he crawled hurriedly up to it and pressed himself against the glass, which stuck to him and impartet a pleasant coolness to his hot belly.  [18]  This underlines that his sexual desire is strong and that this is the most important thing to him. According to Todorov, there is no longer any frontier between the object [] and the observer.  [19]  It makes no difference to Gregor that this is no real woman but only a picture. When his sister enters the room her eyes encountered those of Gregor, up on the wall.  [20]  Here again, Gregor relates his sexual desire to his sister in a very obvious way. Gregor desperately protects this picture and, by that, frightens his family again. His father shies apples at him until one of them pierced his back and Gregor collapses with pain. In the third part Kafka describes how Gregor is now able to listen to his family through the open door to the living room. All family members have a job now but they still have money problems which force them to let room to tenants. When his sister plays the violin one night, Gregor, drawn by the music, decides to crawl closer to her.  [21]  He recognizes that, apart from him, no one really appreciates her play.  [22]  He crawls even closer meet her gaze.  [23]  Todorov argues that sexual desire gains an exceptional mastery over hero.  [24]  Although Gregor knows that there are people around who are not supposed to see him, he cannot resist getting closer to her. In the following Gregor describes explicitly how he desires his sister, he sensed a way to the unknown sustenance he longed for. He was determined to go right up to his sister, to pluck at her skirt and so let her know she was to come into his room.  [25]  He wants her to sit next to him and to be with him until he dies.  [26]  Furthermore he wants to kiss her on the throat.  [27]  He obviously desires his own sister and has sexual phantasies of her. According to Todorov, the literature of the fantastic illustrates several transformations of desire.  [28]  Most of them belonged to a social form of the uncanny.  [29]  So does incest. Gregors sexual desire takes over and he cannot think of anything else but to be close to his sister. When the tenants spot him when he crawls closer to Grete they immediately move out. Now Grete is really angry, locks him into his room and claims that they have to get rid of Gregor  [30]  who dies the next day. His family is rather relieved than in mourning about his death. They plan to move into a cheaper flat and to marry Grete. Now I am going to compare Kafkas novella to Brother and Sister, a fairytale by the Brothers Grimm. The story deals with the lives of two siblings, running away from home because they are mistreated by an old witch who is their stepmother. The action can be divided into three parts, as well. In the first part the children depart from home. Meanwhile their stepmother has cast[ed] her spells over all the streams in the forest.  [31]  Eventually brother gets thirsty and wants to drink from a stream but sister can hold him off doing so because she can hear it murmuring: Who drinks of me will be a tiger!.  [32]  Although the brother is very thirsty he does not drink. When they come to the next stream, brother is eager to drink but sister can hold him off again, hearing it murmuring: Who drinks me will be a wolf!.  [33]  At the next stream she can hear that brother is going to be a roe, if he drinks the water but she cannot stop him who is already drinking and immediately falls on the grass transformed into a little Roebuck.  [34]   The transformation in this fairytale is, unlike Gregors transformation, introduced by two streams until brother eventually cannot resist any longer. Gregors transformation, in contrast, is not introduced at all. The whole novella starts with this transformation that, due to that point, lacks of surprise in comparison to the fairytale. Furthermore the fairytale is definitely a marvelous one. The reader accepts the fantastic, the fact that the witch can curse all streams, which makes her, as Todorov calls it, a supernatural being,  [35]  having power over human destiny,  [36]  and the fact that brother transforms into a deer, as part of the world. Hence both of Todorovs supernatural elements can be found in this story. Brother and sister are very sad about the situation but sister promises: Never mind, dear little fawn, I will never forsake you, and she [takes] off her golden garter and tie[s] it round the Roes neck.  [37]  Then she fastens a rope to the collar. This shows the symbolic connection between the two siblings. She promises never to leave him and even connects himself to him. They have a very close relationship which is expressed even in the first sentence, Brother took sister by the hand.  [38]  This indicates that brother desires his sister in a way Gregor desires Grete. He wants so be near her and he needs her to look after him and to be with him. Gregor and brother both depend on their sisters. They now live in a small house in the forest and if brother had but kept his natural form, really it would have been a most delightful kind of life.  [39]  This explicitly tells the reader that they would have lived together like couples do. Here the second part begins. The king has a hunt through the wood. When the deer hears about that it wants to join and after begging his sister she lets him go. The hunt lasts three days and the hunters are eager to shoot the beautiful deer which can always run away though it gets hurt once. On the last day the king follows the deer to the house and finds sister. He asks her who has grown to a lovely maiden  [40]  to marry her. She answers: Oh yes! [] But you must let my Roe come, too. I could not possibly forsake it.  [41]  Sister even takes brother into her marriage with the king and keeps her promise. Here the last part begins. The stepmother watches all this with envy and when sister gives birth to a baby, the witch traps her by leading her into the bathroom and locking the door. She and her hideous daughter make a blazing hot fire under the bath, so that the lovely young Queen might be suffocated.  [42]  Then she lays her daughter in the queens bed and makes her look alike her. The king never notices. Every night the real queens ghost comes to see after her baby and the deer. When she decides to come only for three more nights, the nurse, who watches her every night, tells the king. In the last night of her visit the king cries out that she has to be his wife. She answers: Yes, I am your dear wife! and in the same moment she was restored to life, and was as fresh and well and rosy as ever.  [43]  The witch and her daughter are put to death and the spell was taken off the little Roe, and he was restored to his natural shape.  [44]   These are two transformations. The queen in restored to life by the kings love and the brother is retransformed into a human being by the witchs death. The fairytales last sentence is again evidence for the assumption that brother desires his sister, and so brother and sister lived happily ever after.  [45]  Sister obviously does not share her live with her husband, the king whose love restored her, but with her brother. This seems to be the only way for them to be happy. To sum it all up, Metamorphosis and Brother and Sister doubtlessly deal with transformations and are fantastic narratives in Todorovs sense. Especially the fairytale applies to that having the witch as a fantastic character who controls human destiny. Dealing with the theme of sexual desire, Metamorphosis conforms to that more explicitly although there are several textual evidences in Brother and Sister that indicate an incestuous relationship between the siblings, too. (2207 words)

Secretors And Non Secretors In Human Population Antigens Biology Essay

Secretors And Non Secretors In Human Population Antigens Biology Essay Human population can be categorized into secretors and non-secretors based on A, B and H antigen on basis of presence or absence of these blood group antigens in the body fluids and secretions, such as saliva, sweat, tears, semen, serum, mucus present in the digestive tract or respiratory cavities etc. Secretors are individuals that secrete blood group antigens in their body fluids while non-secretors are the individuals that do not secrete them in their body fluids and secretions. It is a known fact that ABO blood type is controlled by blood type coding genes present on the chromosome 9q34 but the secretor status of an individual is decided by interaction of a separate gene (called secreting gene) with these blood type genes. The presence of the secreting gene in a persons genome makes him a secretor and absence makes him a non secretor. The gene is designated as (Se) for Secretors and (se) for Non-secretors and it is entirely independent of the blood type A, B, AB or O. The individuals secreting antigens in the body fluid are designated as ABH secretors in blood banks. Individuals having O blood group secrete antigen H, A blood group secrete A and H antigens, B blood group secrete B and H antigens in the fluids. A secretor gene helps a person to gain a degree of protection against different environmental conditions especially the micro flora of a particular environment and also the lectins present in them. It helps them in promoting the growth of friendly, stable blood type intestinal bacterial ecosystem which depends on the blood type antigens present in the mucus of an individual. Secretor status does modify carbohydrates in the fluids present in the body and their secretions and it also affects and influences the attachment and persistence of the micro flora present in the body. Secretors are at a higher advantage than non-secretors. Non-secretors have a potential health disadvantage. They possess many metabolic traits such as carbohydrate intolerance, immune susceptibilities. Different tests are available for determining an individuals secretor status. Most common test uses saliva or other body fluids of an individual for testing the secretor status. These tests are based on the principl e of Agglutination Inhibition where the antigens are neutralized by the corresponding antibodies so that these antibodies will not be further be available to neutralize or agglutinate the same antigens residing on the red blood cells. ELISA could also be used for determining the presence of the secreted Lewis antigens in the saliva or other body fluids. Statistics 1 Place Population Tested % Secretor Frequency % Non-Secretor Frequency New York Negroes 178 61.2 0.38 38.8 0.62 Copenhagen Danes 263 74.0 0.49 26.0 0.51 Japan Japanese 424 75.7 0.51 24.3 0.49 Berlin Germans 363 78.0 0.53 22.0 0.47 Poland Poles 88 79.4 0.54 21.6 0.46 New York Whites 74 82.4 0.58 17.6 0.42 Helsinki Finns 196 86.3 0.63 13.7 0.37 New Mexico American Indians 69 98.5 0.88 1.5 0.12 Utah American Indians 79 100.0 1.00 0 0 The alleles Se and se differ in the frequency and have an anthropological value. They occur in different frequency in different populations. They have a high frequency in the American Indiana and a low frequency in the southern Indians. In US 20% of the population is secretors whereas 80% of the population consist of non-secretors. The fusion allele of the FUT2 (secretor type alpha(1,2)-fucosyltransferase) gene at a high frequency and a new se385 allele in a Korean population SECRETOR AND NON-SECRETOR A person secreting blood group antigens into the body fluids and other secretions like saliva, semen, tear, mucous in the digestive tract and respiratory cavities are named as secretors. In similar terms they put their blood type antigens in the body fluids. They secrete antigens according to their blood type, A secrete antigen A and H, B secret antigen B and H, O secrete antigen O and AB secrete A, B and H antigen. Secretors expresses Lewis b (Leb) antigens on the RBC where as non-secretor expresses Lewis a (Le a) on their RBC.These antigens in the body fluids give additional protection to the individual against the various microorganisms and the lectins present all around us. 15- 20% of the population consists of non-secretor. These individual fail to secrete the blood group antigens in their body fluids hence they become susceptible to bacterial and superficial yeast infections. A large no of them sometimes also suffer from the autoimmune disorder. This could also be correlated with the secretor and non-secretor phenotype. The body secretions of secretors and non-secretors differ quantitatively and also qualitatively. The type and quantity of the antigens present in it differ among different individuals. In some cases the non-secretors may contain the A and B antigens in the saliva but the quantity is less and even quality is very low hence they have similar functional problem. There are certain properties which are specific for secretors and differ in non-secretors. Some are listed below: Intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity ABH secretor correlates the activity of alkaline phosphatase and serum alkaline phosphatase present in the intestine. Non-secretors have low activity of alkaline phosphatase and serum alkaline phosphatase which is responsible for the breakdown of fat and assimilate calcium.2-5 Low molecular weight alkaline is present in both secretors and non-secretors and high molecular weight alkaline phosphatase is present only is secretors.6 Bacterial flora The ABH blood types influence the population of bacteria residing in the local vicinity of the gut mucin glycoproteins. Bacteria produce enzymes that have the capability to degrade the end sugar of A, B, and H blood antigens and which are consumed as food by them. The B antigen degrading bacteria produce enzyme to remove the end alpha-D-galactose and A antigen degrading bacteria produce enzyme to detach N-acetylgalactosamine which are used as a source of food by them.7,8 Blood clotting The secretor and the ABO genetics influence each other and effect upto 60% of the vWf concentration variation in plasma. Raised levels of factor VIII and vWf may cause thrombotic and heart disease in future. Secretors have the slowest clotting time, thinnest blood, least tendency of platelet aggregation, low amount of factor VIII and von Willebrand factor (vWf).9,10 The non-secretors have highest clotting time, thick blood, high amount of factor VIII and von Willebrand factor (vWf) and low bleeding time. The blood viscosity is also influenced by the secretor status of that individual. Phenotype Lewis Characteristics of Clotting Le (a- b-)  Ã‚  maximum action of factor VIII and vWf Very Low bleeding times (seen in A, B and AB) Le (a+ b-) intermediary action Low bleeding times (seen in O) Le (a- b+) minimum action of factor VIII and vWf Very Long bleeding times (seen in O) Blood Type Lewis and Factors effect Blood Clotting Immunoglobulin Variations ABH non-secretors express low concentration of IgG immunoglobulin.11,12 The secretion of varying concentration of diverse constituents of the blood group is controlled by the secretor gene and it also affects the phagocytic activity of the leucocytes which provides an added advantage to the non-secretors. The leucocytes of the non-secretors possess a greater ingestion power when compared to the secretors. The O and B blood group non-secretors have the highest phagocytic activity.13 The presence of different concentration of anti-I in the an individuals serum is affected by the ABO group, secretor status and sex of the individual. The secretors females have a high level of anti-I in the serum as compared to the males.14 The non-secretor have low levels of IgA and IgG antibodies and hence have frequent problems with the heart valve. Genetics and Biochemical pathways The secretion of the blood group antigens in the body fluids and other secretions are genetically influenced by certain allelomorphic genes. Secretor gene contains two alleles (Se) and (se). The dominant gene (Se) is present in the homozygous or heterozygous condition in the secretors which lead to the secretion of antigens into the body fluids. (se) is recessive allele and is present in non-secretors in the homozygous condition. SeSe and seSe produces a dominant secretor phenotype and sese produces a recessive non-secretor phenotype. Basically three genes are responsible for the formation of the A and B antigens. They are namely ABO, Hh, and Sese genes encoding glycosyltransferases which produces the A and B antigens. H antigen present in the individual with O blood group is the precursor for the formation of A and B antigens. H antigen acts as a backbone for A and B antigens. The O gene is considered as amorphic. The allele Hh and Sese reside on each locus and are closely linked together. It is also suggested that one of the allele has arisen by the gene duplication of the other. The second allele on the same locus is really rare. The product related to this allele hasnt been discovered yet and hence it is considered as amorph. The oligosaccharide responsible for the formation of the A and B antigen can exist in a simple linear fashion or a complex branched fashion. Infants A, B and H antigens contain high amount of linear chained oligosaccharide whereas oligosaccharides present in an adult contain high amount of branched chained oligosaccharides.15 The A and B antigen is synthesized from a common intermediate known as substance H. The conversion is carried out by the addition of a sugar molecule to the non reducing end of the H oligosaccharide chains. This addition affects the reactivity of H antigen.16,17 The ABH substances are secreted in the Urinary respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract by mucous glands residing there. The secretor gene regulates the synthesis of blood group antigens in the glands of small intestinal mucosa. The secretors and non-secretors produce A and B substances which are basically glycoproteins in pylorus and Brunners glands and produce A and B substances those are soluble in alcohol and glycosphingolipids in nature.18,19,20 The secretors also produce ABH substances in the prostate and lactating mammary glands.20 The secretion of breast is rich in H substance but poor in substance A and virtually absent in substance B. The synthesis of these constituents in the pancreas and secretory cells of sweat gland is not controlled by the secretor gene.21 The blood groups substances were also found in the calyxes and collecting tubules of the secretors (Se) but it could not be concluded that whether they are produced by the kidneys or are generally excreted. These secretions were noticed in the eight to nine weeks old salivary glands and stomach and later it appears throughout the gastrointestinal tract.19,22 Glycosphingolipids carrying the A or B oligosaccharides are present on the membranes of RBCs, epithelial and endothelial cells and are also present in the plasma in the soluble form. The glycoproteins carrying the similar A and B oligosaccharides are responsible for their activity in the body fluids. In the body fluids they are present in the secreted form. The A and B oligosaccharides which do not contain the carrier proteins are present in the milk and urine. The chromosome 19 contains FUT 1 and FUT 2 genes which code for fucosyltransferase.23 FUT genes numbered from 1-7 and form clusters which are responsible for the production of enzymes called as fucosyltranferases. The cluster is located on chromosome 19q13.3. Fucosyltranferase helps in the formation of fucose moiety which is added to the H antigen and further gylcosylate the A or/and B antigens.24,25 H antigen is a basic blood group antigen present in each and every human being but the content varies in different individuals of the same ABO group. A general pattern indicates that its strength varies as O>A2>A2B>B>A1>A1B. Water soluble H antigen has been demonstrated in the saliva and the body fluids of the individuals. H antigens are fucose containing glycan units which are present on the glycolipids or glycoproteins residing on the erythrocytes membrane or in the secretions. The fucosylatedglycans are the substrate for the enzyme glycosytransferases that are responsible for the formation of the Lewis and A, B blood group antigen epitopes. Secretors contain both the alleles whereas non secretor contains the null allele for FUT2 gene. The FUT 2 gene codes for fucosyltranferaseenzyme in the exocrine tissues which lead to formation of antigens in the body secretions and body fluids. The A and B genes produce glycosyltranferase that add sugar to oligosaccharide chains that is converted to H antigen. The H antigen are constructed on the oligosaccharide chain. The oligosaccharide chains could be of two type: Type 1 and type 2.15 The glycosphingolipids present in the plasma and on the membranes of glandular and parenchymal cells and glycoproteins present on the cell surfaces or body fluids carry either the type 1 or type 2 chains. The glycolipids antigens present on the RBC contain type 2 chains. A gene encodes N-acetyl-galactosaminyl-transferase and B gene-encodes galactosaminyl-transferase and add   GalNAc   and  Gal   in alpha (1-3) linkages which is acts on the H gene transferase. The H gene produces fucosyltransferase that add fucose to the terminal Galactose molecule of type 2 chain. It forms an alpha (1-2) linkage. A and B antigens are constructed when the A and B transferases attach respective sugars to the type 1 or type 2 chain substituted with Fucose.26 The secretor gene FUT2 located at 19q13.3 and codes for the activity of the glycosyltransferasesin concert with the FUT1 gene coding for H antigen, needed to assemble both the ABO and Lewis blood group and are active in mucous gland and goblet cells which interact with each other and lead to secretions of antigens in the fluids. The expression patterns of both the genes are different. The FUT1 (H) gene is dominantly expressed in the erythroid tissues which lead to the formation of the H enzyme whereas the FUT2 (secretor) gene is expressed in the secretory tissues and lead to the formation of secretor enzyme. The product of the H enzyme or H gene resides on the erythrocytes and product of secretor gene resides on mucins in secretions. If an individual lack these alleles, he/she will not be able to express the above active enzymes therefore they would be deficient of the substrates which are required by the A or B glycosyltransferases. Therefore they would not express the A and B epitopes. Correlation between Lewis Phenotype and ABH Secretor status The Lewis typing also helps in finding the ABH secretor status. The production of Lewis antigens is genetically controlled. Individuals possessing the Lewis (Le) gene would produce the Lewis antigens which are carried in the plasma by different substances and are absorbed onto the Red blood Cells present in ones blood. The ABO determinants and H/h blood groups factors seem to show structurally corelation to Lewis blood determinants. FUT1 provide the glycans for glycosyltransferases which convert Lewis antigen to ABH antigens. FUT2 allele is expressed in the secretor and is responsible for the expression of type1 H determinant. The secretors convert their Lewis a antigen to Lewis b therefore they are (a-b+) and the non-secretor are (a+b-) as they lack the FUT2 responsible for glycosyltransferase which could convert Lewis a antigen to Lewis b antigen. Lewis (Le) gene and Secreting (Se) gene interact with each other. Initially Lewisais formed and if Se gene is absent in an individual the Lewisa substance is absorbed on the RBC and the individual is typed as Lewisa but in secretors the Se gene controls the activation of the H gene which causes addition of an additional sugar to Lewisa which convert it to Lewisb. Secretors contain both Lewisa and Lewisb in their plasma but absorb Lewisb preferentially on the red blood cells and the individual is typed as Lewisb. Hence we could interpret that presence of Lewis gene would type an individual as Lewisa positive or Lewisb negative or vice versa. An individual could not be positive for both. A person containing both Lewis gene and Secreting gene are typed as Lewisa negative and Lewisb positive whereas a person having the Lewis gene but not the secretor gene is typed as Lewisa positive and Lewisb negative. Individual who does not have Lewis gene regardless of secretor gene is typed as Lewisa negative and Lewisb negative.27,28 Note: Lewis Double Negative (LDN) is a sub type of non secretors but Lewis typing cannot be used for them to determine the ABH secretor status. Detection methods29-31 The presence and absence of the antigens in the body fluids could be detected by Agglutination Inhibition and Lewis typing. Agglutination Inhibition test could be divided into two parts:- Part I Antibody Neutralization: To determining ones secretor status, the saliva of the individual is mixed by the antiserum (Anti-A, Anti-B or Anti-H) available commercially. In secretors the soluble substances i.e. blood group antigens will react with the antibodies present in the antiserum and will get neutralized. Part II Agglutination Inhibition: The bed blood cells obtained commercially are added to the test mixture. In secretors agglutination of the RBC do not take place as no free antibodies are available to agglutinate them. All the antibodies have reacted with the soluble antigens present in the saliva whereas in non-secretors agglutination would occur upon addition of the RBC as no blood group antigens are present in the saliva so antibodies present in the antiserum are not neutralized and hence would be free to react with the test RBC cells which are added to the test mixture. Hence agglutination is a negative test for secretor status and positive test for the non-secretor status. Note: Anti-H lectin containing phytohaemagglutinin virtually specific for human RBC. Thirteen Cucurbitaceaespecies have been investigated for the anti-H activity present in their seed lectins. Lectins has been extracted and purified from Ulexeuropaeus seeds. It could be used to demonstrate the H secretor status of blood group O individual and also for subgrouping the blood group A individuals. Lewis typing: Individuals carrying the Lewis gene produce Lewis antigens that are carried by the plasma and are also adsorbed on the red blood cells. Lewis antigens do not reside only on the red blood cells. Initially the gene gives rise to Lewisa. If Se gene is present it activates H gene which interact with the Lewisa and add a sugar to Lewisa and hence get converted it to Lewisb. Both Lewisa and Lewisb in present in the plasma of the secretors. If the Se gene is not present then the Lewisa substance is adsorbed on the red cells and individuals are typed as Lewisa. The secretor status of an individual could be determined with help of Lewisa and Lewisb antibodies mixed with an individuals saliva and observing the agglutination macroscopically. Disease Susceptibility among Secretors and Non-secretors Digestive system Non-secretors are more prone to the diseases caused by the oral bacteria in the digestive system of an individual. It includes ulcers, celiac diseases gastric carcinoma pernicious anemia etc. It could lead to dysplasia or increase in the number of cavities present in the digestive tract. Non-secretors are less resistant to the infection caused by Helicobacter pylori which could lead to the formation of peptic and duodenal ulcers.32,33 It could easily colonize and cause inflammation in the non-secretors.34 The non-secretors lack the blood group antigens in the mucus secretions therefore H.pylori attach to the walls of the digestive tract and cause infection. The secretors have a tendency to secrete free ABH antigens in their intestinal secretions which effect the bacterial and lectins adherence to the microvilli present in the gut. The secretors produce these antigens and prevent H.pylori attachment. These antigens act as a decoy in the secretors which prevent them from attaching with the host tissues. The non-secretors also show a lower IgG immune response to the H.pylori. They have extreme rate of bleeding and stomach ulcers but correlation between these complications and the secretor status have not been documented yet. The non-secretors are not able to turn off the digestive enzymes and hence they produce large amount of enzyme pepsin and hence are more prone to duodenal ulcers. 50% of the duodenal ulcers are present in non-secretors. 30-40% of group O individuals are affected by the duodenal ulcers and 15- 20 % are affected by the gastric ulcers. They show a high risk factor along with the gene coding for hyperpepsinogenemia I which impact in the risk of duodenal ulcers.35,36 Group A individuals have a higher tendency of having gastric cancer and pernicious anemia. Statistics shows that 20% of the group A individuals are affected by gastric cancers and 25% are affected by the pernicious anemia. Oral pathology The non-secretors are more prone to oral diseases like mouth and esophagus cancer, epithelial dysplasia etc. They have more cavities than secretors.37 Diabetes The ABH non-secretors and Lewis negative (Le a-b-) individuals have a high risk of developing insulin dependent diabetes or complications arising from diabetes.38,39 Secretors with juvenile diabetes have a low chance of developing retinopathy.40 The ABH non secretors which are affected by insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, they show mean levels of C3c and C4 is lower as compared to ABH secretors. Metabolic Syndrome X The Lewis negative men are predisposing to syndrome X and prothrombic metabolism. They have high levels of BMI, SBP, triglycerides and low levels of insulin in serum and plasma glucose while fasting. This relationship is not true for women and is only applicable for the men.41-43 Respiratory System   Secretors have an added protection against the harmful environmental assaults directed towards our lungs and as usual non-secretors have a health disadvantage. They are over represented among the people suffering from influenza viruses A and B, rhinoviruses, respiratory synsytial virus and echinoviruses.44 Secretors who are miners or smokers do receive a protection against the disastrous effects of the cigarette smoking. Asthma is very common among the individuals working in the coal mines. Upon research it was concluded that asthma among them is also related to the non-secretor phenotype present in them. The non-secretor has a tendency to snore and are more prone to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).45 Heart disease The ABH non-secretor phenotype have a high risk of developing myocardial infarction and Lewis negative individuals have a high risk of developing chronic heart disease (CHD) and also ischemic heart disease (IHD).46 They contain high levels of triglycerides.47 Alcoholism has a positive interaction with the Lewis negative individuals. Alcohol consumption is protective in these individuals.48,49 Autoimmune Disease   Autoimmune disorders such as Sjogrens syndrome, spondylitis, sclerosis, arthropathy, arthritis, and Graves disease are more prone in non-secretors.50-52 The ABH non-secretors affected with graves disease produces high levels of antitubulin antibodies as compared to secretors and are unable to produce the water soluble glycoproteins in the saliva.53 Fetal Loss and Infertility ABO antigens are also found on the sperm of the secretors.54 These are obtained from the seminal secretions present in them. ABO incompatibility could exist between the wife and husband if could affect the fertility of an individual.55,56 This issue has not been properly studied and is therefore under research. Rheumatic Fever The secretors and group O individuals are resistant to Rheumatic fever and more number of cases have been recorded in the non-secretors.57,58 Secretor status could also determine whether the rheumatic fever would be followed by streptococcal pharyngitis or not.59-61 Neisseria species The non-secretors who do not produce water soluble antigens in the saliva are at the risk of getting infected by Neisseria meningcococcal disease.62 The immune capabilities of the secretor provide a relative protection in the secretors. The ABH non-secretors produce low level of anti-meningococcal salivary IgM antibodies which provide protection to the secretors against the microorganism.63 Candida species Non-secretors are barriers of candida species and therefore are frequently affected by the candida infections. The glycocompounds secreted by secretors in the body fluids inhibit adhesins present on the yeast which are responsible for their adhesion with the body tissues.64-66 This leads to the development of the chronic hyperplastic Candidiasis. Statistics shows that 68% on the non-secretors are affected by chronic hyperplastic candidiasis.67 Non-secretor women are affected by recurrent idiopathic vulvovaginal Candidiasis. An individual with a combination of non-secretors and absence of Lewis gene are at relative risk of developing recurrent idiopathic vulvovaginal Candidiasis.68 Tumor Markers The individuals with homozygous active Le alleles (Le/Le) and inactive (se/se) alleles shows a highest mean value of CA19-9 tumor marker.69 The Lewis negative individuals irrespective of Se genotype have negative values for CA19-9. The Lewis negative individuals have higher mean value for DU PAN-2 as compared to Le-positive individuals.70 We can conclude that CA 19-9 marker is not an appropriate tumor marker for Le-negative individuals but DU-PAN-9 is an appropriate tumor marker.71 UTI Non-secretors show a higher risk of getting recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI) and renal scars as compared to secretors. This susceptibility is higher among negative Lewis subset. Statistics of a study done on women affected with recurrent urinary tract infection stated that 29% of the non-secretor women were affected by UTI and 26% of Lewis (a-b-) women were affected by the UTI.72-74 The non-secretor phenotype and blood group B and AB phenotype work together to increase the risk of UTI among women. Women and children suffering from renal scarring with and without the antibiotic treatment for UTI are prone to UTI and pyelonephritis.75-77 55-60% of non-secretors develop renal scars and 16% on secretors develop renal scars.78 C-reactive protein levels, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and body temperature are higher in the non-secretors that in secretors with recurrent UTI.79 Conclusion It concludes that there exist a statistical association between the individuals blood-group secretor phenotype and the diseases they are susceptible to. So knowing your secretor status is advantageous as we can use the nutritional supplements more intelligently and effectively. It also makes us aware of the diseases, illness and metabolic dysfunction we are prone to, difference in the levels of intestinal alkaline phosphatase activity, propensities towards blood clotting, tumor markers and different ingredients of breast milk so that we can manage them before hand and would be prepared for them in the near future.

William Faulkner’s short novel, The Bear Essay -- Bear

William Faulkner’s short novel, The Bear "The Bear" is a short novel in an anthology that begins in Yoknapatwpha County sometime after the Civil War. The story deals with loyalty, honor, truth, bravery, courage, fear, nature, history and choices. Cleanth Brooks best described this story by saying, "Faulkner's villains do not respect nature and their fear of it has nothing in common with the fear of the Lord or with awe in the presence of the divine." (Brooks 149) In the story, we find a bear that has learned to outwit and survive hunters for years. It wasn't until they took a beast of the wild and tamed it before they could even come close to the bear. They took a beast of nature to kill a beast of nature for their own personal pleasure, for sport...a conversation piece. When looking into the history aspect of the story, think of human actions and how People make radical decisions that may affect the rest of their lives, or even the lives of others, not even giving a second thought to the consequences. This book deals with a radical decision made by one man that changed the lives of many. The author of this story, William Faulkner, was a white southern male born "September 25, 1897, in New Albany, Mississippi. He died July 6, 1962." (Compton's CD) Faulkner had a way with Christianity, but more with the nature of man. He believed that man was nature. We can see how this affects the story with the statement "It was of the men, not white nor black nor red but men, hunters, with the will and hardihood to endure and the humility and skill to survive..."(Faulkner 327) The story begins with Ike and C who are going on a hunting trip to try to catch Old Ben, t... ...ficient utilization of it, or when he ceases to love it and to carry on his contention with it in terms of some sort of code, then he not only risks destroying nature but risks bestializing his own nature. (270) This novel is a wonderful book to read for those who like nature and the wilderness. It is through nature that one can achieve their highest level of love for the world. Although it may be hard to get through a few of the chapters, once you truly understand the meaning of the book, it will stick in your heart forever. Work Cited Brooks, Cleanth. "On the prejudices, predilections, and firm beliefs of William Faulkner." [Baton Rouge] LSU Press, 1987. "Six great modern short novels." New York Dell, 1982. 328 Brooks, Cleanth. William Faulkner The Yoknapatawpha County. London Yale University Press, 1974