Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Maggots have a standard development

Maggots have a standard development 1. Introduction 1.1 Anatomy of Maggots Maggots breathe from the anterior end of their body to get oxygen as they burrow through tissue. They bury with the help of two sharp digging hooks. Maggots have a standard development i.e. egg-larva-pupae. The developmental stage can be determined by the length of the maggots. Maggots grow at an increased rate with higher temperature.(Giangiuliani et al. 1994) Maggots are short in proportion to its thickness and its smaller at the two ends than in the middle. There is line of dots on the body of maggots; these are the mouths of air canals which serve as a lung. They have smooth skin and are commonly of light cream colour.(Schoofs et al. 2009) Some of them have tails for the motion in the water. The movement of maggots with feet is a mixture of crawling and walking. The crawling motion is an alternate elongation and contraction of one half of the length of the body. First, the front half lengthen and stretch forward while the following half is contracted and vice versa. The walking is performed by a successive motion of each pair of feet that support these alternate contractions and elongations of a body making head and tail alternately fixed.(Schoofs et al. 2009) 1.2. Life Cycle 1.2.1. House fly (Musca demostica) life cycle Female flies can place around 500 white eggs in numerous of groups of around 75 to 150. The lengths of these eggs are approximately 1.2 mm. It takes about 24 hours for the eggs to be hatched by larvae known as squats (Singh and Vardanis 1984). The main source of food for consumption of maggots is generally dead organic material like decomposing garbage or faeces. These legless creatures are pale in colour and grow 3-9 mm in length. Larvae stage lasts no less than a week before they crawl to a dry cool place due to their transformation into reddish brown pupae which reach up to 8 mm in length. The mature flies then come out of the pupae. This whole biological process of physical development after the larvaes birth is called ‘complete metamorphoses. The life of adult flies is between 2-4 weeks or even longer under controlled laboratory conditions. The growths of flies come to an end after coming out of the pupae. The small size of some flies does not indicate their growing stage, because at this point flies do not grow up any more, but of course it is the result of inadequate consumption and lack of food during the larval phase. (Bennet S.M. 2008) Some female flies become ready to mate after 36 hours of emerging from the pupae. She is then mounted and inject with sperm by a male from behind. The duration of mating lasts from few seconds to few minutes and the female stores the sperm to frequently produce eggs. The males job is to protect a certain territory to make sure no other flies or insects tress pass the area and also to try and mount the female trespassers. (Bennet S.M. 2008) Just like other insects flies too depend on the warm temperature. The warmer the environment, the more active and faster they are in their development and vice versa. (Bennet 2008) 1.2.2. Bluebottle flies (Calliphora vomitoria) life cycle Bluebottle flies are a little longer than normal house flies, around 10-14 mm in length. They are blue colour as the name suggests, with dull gray head and thorax, red eyes, black legs and antenna, clear wings and a body covered with bristle.(Wooldridge et al. 2007) The eggs of blue bottle fly is placed by a female usually as the same place as her consumption area which could be either rotting meat, garbage, and, or faeces. Just like the house fly larvae (maggot), the larvae of blue bottle fly known as Calliphora larvae is also pale-whitish. As soon as these maggots emerge from their eggs, they begin to consume on the surrounding dead or decaying organic material. After few days of consuming, the larvae are fully grown and ready to wrap themselves into thick brown cocoons in a dry cool area where they can stay in for two weeks before emerging from it as an adult fly. Similar to housefly and other insects, the adult blue bottle flies and pupae hibernate during winter, and waken up by warmer temperature when they can be active again in mating, laying eggs. These flies get involved in the activities such as pollinating of some flowers. (Kurashi 2008) 1.2.3. Green bottle (L. Sericata) life cycle The female fly lays a bunch of eggs in an injured area, a corpse (dead body), or in necrotic (dead tissue) or decomposing tissue. The larvae of green bottle known as pinkie hatch from their eggs 8-10 hours after being placed in a warm damp area; however this process could be delayed to three days in a cooler weather condition. The female fly can lay 130 to 172 eggs. The larvae are again pale-whitish. They are 10-14 mm in length. The larva consumes on the dead or decomposing tissue approximately for 3-10 days. This would change as the temperature increases or decreases. During this length of time, the larva goes through 3 larval stages. In the cool temperature of 16oC the first level of larva phase lasts about 53 hours, the second phase, 42 hours, and finally the third and the last phase will take 98 hours to fulfil this part of their life cycle. If the temperature increased to 27oC, the 1st stage would take 31 hours whilst the second stage lasts 12 hours and the 3rd stage will last 4 0 hours to achieve this particular life cycle. In the 3rd larva stage, the larva will move onto soil to pupate for 6 to 14 days. This will again change if the temperature is lower, and if it is in winter time, they can stay in the soil until the temperature of the soil increases again. Following the transformation of the pupa, the adult fly comes out from the soil and feeds on dead and decomposing tissue. It will take the mature flies two weeks until they begin to lay eggs. The whole duration of the life cycle of the blue bottle fly is between two to three weeks; however this could be reduced during summer time when the temperature is higher which will consequently lead to the more activity of the fly is at its most. There are normally 3 to 4 generations of L. sericata during each year. (Merih 2008) 1.3 Human Infection and Medical Importance Flies are commonly developed in unsanitary areas and manures in farms. The most common type of fly found around these areas is the house flies, also known as Musca domestica, scientifically. The major concerns with these flies are that it does not produce damage directly. They transmit pathogens (viruses, fungi, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes). (Fotedar et al. 1992) The pathogenic organisms are transferred by flies from sewages, unclean areas and wastes onto their mouthparts, via their feces and vomitus and then to human or food. One of the specific problems is the movement of flies from the animal feces to the food soon to be consumed by the human. Moreover, flies can contain the pathogens consumed from unclean or microbe infested area in its mouthparts or alimentary canal for several days, which are transmitted through regurgitation or defecation (Fotedar et al. 1992). Critical health problems can arise if there are food stalls, hospitals or meat market nearby in areas where proper plumbing is necessary such as open latrines or an open drainage. 1.3. 1. A few common diseases caused by flies Two methods of pathogenic transmission by flies are mechanical and biological transmission. 1.4. Maggots Maggots are usually found in decaying bodies. They give an indication of time elapsed since the death and the place of the death, by identifying the stage of their lifecycle and species. Their DNA is used to identify their species. The size of house fly larvae is 10 20 mm. Histeridae (another insect family) feed on larvae. Thus, the lack of maggots would increase the estimated time of death. A few other species of larvae are bred specifically for angling or as the food for pets such as reptiles or birds. They are used in the production of some cheeses (casu marzu). Necrotic wounds can also be cleaned out with the help of maggots. Maggot debridement therapy is the use of disinfected and live fly larvae to promote the healing of wound by necrotic tissue cleaning. The maggot is introduced to the non healing tissue debridement of an animal or a human. (Jones and Wall 2008) Dressing containing maggots are used to seal the non healing wound of the patient. The dressing is air permeable for the maggots to live. They are unable to reproduce in the dressing when they are satiated as they are immature. The length of the therapy depends on the severity of the debridement. 1.4.1. The mechanism of action The maggots are used in the medical field for the three main reasons: Debridement The wound containing the necrotic tissues is the ideal breeding area for bacteria leading to septicaemia, amputation and gangrene. The healing of the wound is stopped if the necrotic tissues have not been cleaned out. The surgeons can only debride the tissues they can see. This often results in the removal of healthy tissues along with the dead tissues causing pain in patient. If a tissue containing dead cells is not removed, bacteria may cause infection to the nearby healthy tissues, spreading it further. Therefore the maggots are used in specific areas where the surgeon is unable to remove the necrotic tissues. The healthy tissues are not damaged by the maggots. They consume with precise boundary. Maggots obtain nutrients by extracorporeal digestion. Proteolytic enzymes are used to liquefy dead tissue, which are later absorbed. (Jones and Wall 2008) Disinfection The wounds are harder to treat if they contain antibiotic resistant microbial strain. Although maggots are used to clean out the necrotic wounds, it contained secretion which could disinfect a bacterial infection. The infections can be life threatening. The secretion contained allantoin, phenylacetic acid, urea and calcium carbonate and proteolytic enzymes. The microbes that are resistant to these secretions are lysed and ingested within the maggots. A few of the pathogenic bacteria that are destroyed and inhibited by the maggots are MRSA, Gram-positive strains and group A and B streptococci. (van der Plas et al. 2007) Wound healing Epidermal growth factor and IL-6 are amplified by the maggot secretion. The growth of the fibroblasts and chondrocytes are also stimulated by the secretions. Moreover, wound exodus and formation of granulation tissue are also stimulated. (Li et al. 2009) 1.4.2. Limitations Only moist wounds are suited to maggot therapy. Adequate oxygen supply is also necessary. Although dry wounds can be moistened with saline soaks, it does not provide a good feeding environment for the maggots. Maggots often have a short life span which restricts its long-term use. Patients may also find them distasteful or disgusting. Therefore polymer bags are used to hide them from others site. (Li et al. 2009) The three types of flies that are studied in our project are: 1.5. House fly The most common type of flies found in most homes is the houseflies also known as Musca domestica. These flies are considered a pest as it carries the common diseases. Houseflies feed onsputum, feces, and humid decaying organic materials.They can only take in foods in liquid form. Therefore, they use their saliva to predigest the solid food which is later sucked in. House flies also regurgitate certain digested food and take it again to its abdomen. Mechanical transmission of organisms on flies: â€Å"Parasitic diseases: Cysts ofprotozoae.g.Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lambliaand eggs of helminths e.g.:Ascaris lumbricoides,Trichuros trichura,Haemenolypes nana,Enterobius vermicularis†. (Fà ·rster et al. 2009) Viruses:Enteroviruses:Poliomyelitis,infective hepatitis(A E). etc â€Å"Bacterial diseases: Typhoid, cholera, dysentery, pyogenic cocci, etc. House flies have been confirmed to be carriers ofCampylobacter andE. coliO157:H7 using Polymerase Chain Reactionâ€Å". (Ahmad et al. 2007) Polymerase chain reaction can also be used to identify the pathogenic bacteria contained in the house fly. (Ahmad et al. 2007) 1.6. Greenbottle fly The greenbottle fly comes from the species ofblowfly, in the generaLuciliaandPhaenicia. The common species ofgreenbottle areLucilia cuprina,Lucilia caesar,Lucilia coeruleiviridis, andLucilia illustris.The maggots of the greenbottle fly feed only on dead tissues and not the living cells. Therefore the larvae of greenbottle fly are used in maggot therapy. (Graczyk et al. 2001) 1.7. Bluebottle fly The bluebottle fly is another type of blow fly known as Calliphora vomitoria. They are half an inch larger than the house flies. The rotting materials attract the adult bluebottle flies. These flies play an important role in ecological system as they feed on dead or dying materials. It is usually the female flies that enter indoors. (Stevens 2003) 1.8. The microbiology of maggots used in angling 1.8.1. Pinkies As its name suggest this maggot is pink in colour. Pinkies are the larvae of the green bottle fly, close to its relative the blue bottle and are about two thirds the size. They are usually about 15 mm long and have the same feed sack as maggots. Like maggots pinkies come in different colours amongst which the red maggot and the natural white are the most common but with one major exception, the fluorescent pinkie, a pink/red colour and usually devastating particularly in the winter. Fluorescent pinkies are very good in cold weather. Pinkies are good as hookbait for small fish at all times. However,being smaller than large whites they are less likely to over ­feed the fish. Also being lively, pinkies tend to burrow out of sight into the bottom when fed into the swim. Pinkies are small, light maggots best suited to canals, still waters and slow-moving rivers as they tend to fall slowly in the water and fast flowing water will wash them away. (Adams and Hall 2003) Storage This is totally dependent on the age of the maggot. Maggots can be stored for 10-15 days provided they are kept cool, as cool environment slows down the natural ageing and development of the maggot in to its chrysalis state. Pinkies are sold in either saw dust or maize to keep them clean and in the best state possible. To keep maggots for any length of time it is advisable to change the sawdust or maize regularly. Pinkies kept for ages in the fridge can be going strong after 2 or even 3 weeks. (Adams and Hall 2003) Hooking The pinkie should be hooked in the same way that you would hook the white maggot, through the bearded end. As the Pinkie is small in size it stands to reason that the hooks need to be smaller too. Again when hooking the pinkie the maggot should remain lively and no fluid should be released. (Adams and Hall 2003) 1.8.2. Squatts The squat or feeder as it is commonly known is the smallest of the maggot family and are the larvae of the housefly. The mature larva is usually 3 to 9 mm in length, creamy whitish in colour, cylindrical but has a tapering head. The head consists a pair of dark hooks. These legless maggots emerge from the eggs during summers within 8 to 20 hours, and they immediately feed on the wastes the eggs were laid on. The fully grown maggots are 12mm long n are greasy on surface. The fully grown maggots move up to the cold dry place for their transformation into pupal phase. (Hou et al. 2007) They are usually used as loose feed and like the Pinkie are more suitable to still or slow moving water as they sink very slowly. The squat is rarely used as hook bait but can be if needed. The squat is a slow moving sluggish maggot that displays little activity when it is on the bed of the water. For this reason they are an excellent fish holding bait and are a good choice when used with ground bait. (Hou et al. 2007) Storage Squats are usually sold in damp sand which helps to stop the maggot from drying out. Unfortunately the squat will not keep for more than a few days so it1s a good idea not to buy too many at any one time. (Hou et al. 2007) Hooking These are not usually used as hook baits but it stands to reason that due their size they will need a small hook to hook them effectively. The squat when hooked should be hooked in the same way that you would hook the white maggot, through the bearded end. 1.8.3. Calliphora larvae The white maggot is the larvae of the common Blue Bottle and is the largest of the maggot family. As soon as, the larvae emerge from their eggs, they begin to consume on the surrounding dead or decomposing organic material. Once they are fully grown within a period of a week, they leave the carrion. (Stevens 2003) Most insect larvae have organs called stemmata which contain the photoreceptors, however, these appear to be absent in maggots. There are a number of structures at the front end of a maggot that have at one time or another been suggested to be the site of photoreception. These include chemoreceptors and even the imaginal discs that are destined to become the compound eyes of the adult fly. (Stevens 2003) Good quality maggots will be lively and soft to the touch. They will have a black spot under the skin which is an indication of having recently fed (the larger the spot the younger the maggot). Maggots that are slow moving or firm to the touch are older and will therefore turn in to casters much sooner. (Stevens 2003) Storage This is totally dependent on the age of the maggot. Keeping the maggot cool slows down the natural ageing and development of the maggot in to its chrysalis state and can therefore be kept for 10-15 days. When kept in warm conditions they last not more than 2 days. Maggots that have been left in warm conditions become sweaty and will eventually die. Sweaty maggots stink due to which they will not be attractive to fishes. (Stevens 2003) Hooking As a general rule of thumb, small hooks should be used when hooking maggots. When the point of the hook is pressed across the beard of the maggot, the maggot should remain lively avoiding the release of fluids. 1.8. Campylobacter Species The genus Campylobacter is a gram negative; microearophilic curve shaped rods that can cause certain diseases such as Campylobacteriosis in both human and particular animals via infection and contamination from the genus itself. Most common species in human pathogens are Campylobacter jejuni and C. Coli and the least common ones are C. Lari, C. Hyointestinals, and C. Fetus. A very high amount of Campylobacter bacteria is detectable in the faeces of individual suffering from acute campylobacteriosis due to developing gastroenteritis. At this stage the Campylobacter could easily be detected and separated from the faeces sample using selective agar plates, however at the later stage is more difficult to detect the bacteria in that way as the number of bacteria decreases in the samples due to the increase of the number of dead or injured cells interfering with microbial flora (Figure 15). This bacteria cause food born infections from mild to severe diarrhoea. This is a big concern in angling industry as the fishermen who eat food after handling the contaminated larva without washing their hands. Therefore they develop illnesses such as food poisoning and diarrheal illnesses. 1.9. References Adams,Z.J.O. and Hall,M.J.R. (2003) Methods used for the killing and preservation of blowfly larvae, and their effect on post-mortem larval length. Forensic Science International 138, 50-61. Ahmad,A., Nagaraja,T.G. and Zurek,L. (2007) Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to cattle by house flies. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 80, 74-81. Bennet S.M. (2008) Musca domestica. Bennet, S. M. (2008) Musca domestica. Cohen,D., Green,M., Block,C., Slepon,R., Ambar,R., Wasserman,S.S. and Levine,M.M. (1991) Reduction of transmission of shigellosis by control of houseflies (Musca domestica). The Lancet 337, 993-997. Fotedar,R., Banerjee,U., Singh,S., Shriniwas and Verma,A.K. (1992) The housefly (Musca domestica) as a carrier of pathogenic microorganisms in a hospital environment. Journal of Hospital Infection 20, 209-215. Fà ·rster,M., Klimpel,S. and Sievert,K. (2009) The house fly (Musca domestica) as a potential vector of metazoan parasites caught in a pig-pen in Germany. Veterinary Parasitology 160, 163-167. Giangiuliani,G., Lucchi,A., Vinson,S.B. and Bin,F. (1994) External anatomy of adult antennal sensilla of the fly, Trichopoda pennipes F. (Diptera: Tachinidae). International Journal of Insect Morphology and Embryology 23, 105-113. Graczyk,T.K., Knight,R., Gilman,R.H. and Cranfield,M.R. (2001) The role of non-biting flies in the epidemiology of human infectious diseases. Microbes and Infection 3, 231-235. Gr ³bel,P. and Cave,D.R. (2004) Sanitation and houseflies (Musca domestica): Factors for the transmission of Helicobacter pylori. Bulletin de lInstitut Pasteur 96, 83-91. Hou,L., Shi,Y., Zhai,P. and Le,G. (2007) Antibacterial activity and in vitro anti-tumor activity of the extract of the larvae of the housefly (Musca domestica). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 111, 227-231. Jones,G. and Wall,R. (2008) Maggot-therapy in veterinary medicine. Research in Veterinary Science 85, 394-398. Kurashi, H. (2008) 109. Family CALLIPHORIDE. Li,Q., Lu,R., Huo,R. and Fu,H. (2009) Maggots of musca domestica in treatment of acute intractable wound. Surgery 145, 122-123. Merih,C. (2008) Neonatal myiasis: a case report. Turkish Journal of Pediatrics 581-584. Schoofs,A., Niederegger,S. and Spie ¯,R. (2009) From behavior to fictive feeding: Anatomy, innervation and activation pattern of pharyngeal muscles of Calliphora vicina 3rd instar larvae. Journal of Insect Physiology 55, 218-230. Singh,G.J.P. and Vardanis,A. (1984) Chitinases in the house fly, Musca domestica: Pattern of activity in the life cycle and preliminary characterization. Insect Biochemistry 14, 215-218. Stevens,J.R. (2003) The evolution of myiasis in blowflies (Calliphoridae). International Journal for Parasitology 33, 1105-1113. van der Plas,M.J.A., van der Does,A.M., Baldry,M., Dogterom-Ballering,H.C.M., van Gulpen,C., van Dissel,J.T., Nibbering,P.H. and Jukema,G.N. (2007) Maggot excretions/secretions inhibit multiple neutrophil pro-inflammatory responses. Microbes and Infection 9, 507-514. Wooldridge,J., Scrase,L. and Wall,R. (2007) Flight activity of the blowflies, Calliphora vomitoria and Lucilia sericata, in the dark. Forensic Science International 172, 94-97.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Perspective on Group Project for Mont Blanc Essay example -- group pro

The Genesis of "Reading Mont Blanc" The project entitled "Reading Mont Blanc" began as a faint wisp of an idea while my group and I were browsing the hypertext in search of other topics. Happening upon the wonderful maps and illustrations of Wordsworth's travels through France and Switzerland, one member remarked that perhaps we could make use of these in some manner. Then, as the various images of Mont Blanc passed before our eyes -- some picturesque and others clearly sublime -- we wondered if these could not somehow frame an exploration of how nature was conceived and presented by the various travel writers, 'grand tourists', and (of course) poets of the Romantic era. Our decision to focus on a single natural phenomenon, namely Mont Blanc, allowed us a certain amount of 'experimental control' in assessing the potential disparities in perception between our three 'subject groups.' It is of course only in retrospect that one can reduce an epiphany to such rigid, lifeless terms. Initially we considered designing a poster whereon the pyramidal contours of Mont Blanc could serve as a sort of hierarchical frame in which to organize the various impressions according to their sublime or transcendent qualities. I believe we expected Shelley's "Mont Blanc" to rise to the top. Had any of one of us been particularly adept with scissors and coloured paper, our presentation might have taken this rather more delimiting turn. As it was, we decided to acquaint ourselves with the literature and artistic renderings of Mont Blanc before determining the format of our project. A book of aerial photography of the Alps convinced us that in order to convey the colossal grandeur of Mont Blanc to a group of people who had likely never seen it befor... ...ce moments in which to engage Mont Blanc (as text) on a personal level. I was pleased to read in the responses we received that students were indeed reminded by our presentation of their own experiences with the sublime in nature. Music has the potential I think, more so than literature, to raise that which lies buried in the mind and to forge imaginative connections between distant conceptual poles. Ultimately I think we learned that Mont Blanc cannot mean one thing; its impact on the beholder cannot be distilled into generic emotive states. Although themes of wonder and awe recur in many of the descriptions of Mont Blanc, such fleeting reactions are but shadowy apprehensions of the potential evocative force of this vista. It is through the mediation of the beholder's own imaginative faculties that s/he vivifies nature or, rather, apprehends its vivifying power.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

History and Vectors of Rabies Essay -- Medical Disease

History and Vectors of Rabies Literally meaning â€Å"madness and fury†, rabies is commonly recognized by the characteristic foaming of the mouth and wild behavior. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. This disease is spread through the saliva of infected carriers. Rabies is a viral disease that targets the nervous system which is always fatal with the exception of a single case. Natural remedies and spiritual therapies were used in hopes of warding away this fatal disease until the discovery of vaccination revolutionized medicine. This mysterious virus has a very unique history dating back to the first civilizations. The earliest mentioning of rabies in the past is a set of documents existing back as early as 2300 B.C. These legal documents explained the penalty when an owner’s pet caused any deaths resulting from the animal’s bite (Alan 1). This is the first written document acknowledging the existence of rabies. Pre-Socratic philosophers had discussed the â€Å"seed of disease† which gave the people a greater understanding on diseases in general. Well known philosophers and doctors, such as Hippocrates, Aristotle, Democritus, Celsus, Galen, and Pliny, discussed the nature of rabies during their eras but were commonly dismissed due to the insignificance of science at the time, people would often would overlook the complexity of this virus. The Roman doctor Celsus focused on the effect of rabies on humans during the first century A.D., especially prophylaxis and hydrophobia (Alan 2). He focused on treating this disease, although he admitted that there was â€Å"very little hope for the sufferer† once the extreme symptoms had revealed themselves (Alan 3). His treatment included cauterizing and bleeding the wound in order to allow t... ...and of the future discover an effective cure. As for now, there are still numerous breakthroughs to be discovered. Works Cited Jackson, Alan C., and William H. Wunner. Rabies. London: Elsevier Science, 2002. Kaplan, Colin, et al. Rabies the Facts. Ed. Colin Kaplan. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1977. MMWR Dispatch. â€Å"Investigation of Rabies Infections in Organ Donor and Transplant Recipients.† Morbidity and Mortality Weekly 53.26 (July 2004): 586-589. 24 July 2007 . West, Geoffrey P. Rabies in Animals and Man. Ed. Newton Abbot. Great Britain: David & Charles Limited, 1972. Willoughby, Rodney E, Jr, et al. â€Å"Survival after Treatment of Rabies with Induction of Coma.† Survival after Treatment of Rabies with Induction of Coma 24 ser. 352.2508-2514 (June 2005). The New England Journal of Medicine. 22 July 2007 .

feel safer now :: essays research papers

Feel Safer Now? 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order for organizations to function, there must be a free flow of information. This is a complex process, which becomes even more complicated when information is expected to flow freely from one government agency to another. This is the difficulty which plagued US agencies in the events leading up to September 11th. There were several sources of breakdowns in information present before the attacks in New York.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the large breakdowns in information was due to information overload. There are many agencies in the states which involve national safety, such as the FBI, CIA, NSA and DAINS. Each agency possesses vast amounts of information and it was difficult for the bureaucracies to decipher which information was credible and important from information that was inconsequential and trivial.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Insufficient amounts of information and inadequate flow of information strongly affected information sharing among agencies. First, each agency had different methods and rules for doing business. Because of this information was not uniformly documented or organized. This caused trouble when it came to relaying facts and suspicions to a different agency. Secondly, the agencies sabotaged adequate flows of information by being incredibly secretive with their own knowledge. Information was not easily or willingly shared between the agencies. Next, the agencies all had critical information about the pilots of the planes which crashed into the Trade Center but failed to adequately communicate their information. The NSA and CIA both held valuable pieces of the puzzle in catching Nawaf al-Hazmi but failed to piece them together to actually realize he was a threat. Lastly, because the FBI was only responsible for crimes already committed, information was not passed on from the CIA regarding al-Hazmi’s link to al-Qaida. These are all severe negative results from a system breakdown due to insufficient and inadequate flow of information.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Errors also occurred due to interpretation of information. The text states that written messages are more ambiguous and make differences in interpretation much more likely. A written request for a search warrant for a presumed hijacker (Moussaou) was sent to the US national security court. The writers of the request failed to include valuable French reports connecting Moussaou to al-Qaida. Another interpretation of data error was incredibly blatant. NSA intercepted a conversation in Arabic and failed to translate it. This missed message spoke of a â€Å"big event† planned for September 11th. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of the errors leading to September 11th were those which seem to be errors in hindsight.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru is located in central Kenya, 140km north-west of Nairobi in Nakuru of the rift valley Province. It covers an area of 188 km2 Lake Nakuru's climate ranges from cold, hot and humid, to hot and dry. The annual rainfall is 965mm. Lake Nakuru is a very shallow strongly alkaline lake 62 km2 in extent. It is surrounded by woodland and grassland next to Nakuru town. The landscape includes areas of marsh and grassland alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rocky hillsides covered with Euphorbia forest on the eastern perimeter. Lake Nakuru was first known as a bird sanctuary in 1960 and upgraded to National Park status in 1968. A northern extension was added to the park in 1974 and the lake was designated as a Ramsar site in 1990. The foundation of the parks food chains is the cyanophyte spirulina platensis which can support huge numbers of lesser flamingo. Kenya is also home to all of the Big five Animals which are Lion, Rhinoceros, Leopard, Water Buffalo and the Elephant these animals are a major tourist attraction and are one of the reasons why many tourists go to Kenya. Desertification in General It has been said that forests came before human beings and deserts followed them. Desertification is becoming a major problem as more and more of the world's land surface is turned into desert. The new deserts which are being created are not necessarily hot, dry sandy places, but are instead any areas where the soil has been so mistreated by humans that it is now useless for growing crops. You may think that this doesn't affect us here in Britain; after all, it's too wet and cold for a desert to be formed here, that may be true, but that doesn't mean that desertification won't affect us. Think about it, if our soil is not conserved, then our food supply and all our lives are threatened. Soils can be ruined easily in areas where seasonal rainfall is unreliable. Cutting down forests and trees, over-cultivation of the soil and over-grazing can all contribute to desertification. In poorer countries, farmers often know what needs to be done, but they and their families live so near to starvation that they cannot even afford to buy what they need to keep their families healthy, let alone attempt to solve their problems. Tourism in Kenya Tourism is very important to Kenya because it keeps the economy stable, the local people get to interact with people from other countries, the ideal situation is that poor rural people get a fair share of their money from the produce they make and a reasonable share of the revenues are enjoyed by the local communities in Kenya. The Government link up with poor people in the rural areas so that poverty is reduced and poor people are able to participate more effectively in tourism development while earning an adequate income. I don't feel that this always happens as seventy percent of people employed by park lodges are not local's (Maasia), this shows that the locals are not getting the jobs needed for the survival of them and there families therefore they are not getting are fair share of the jobs. Local people are not consulted before new tourist developments are built making unfair as they do not get a say on what goes on in their towns. Tourism does produce a lot of money for Kenya, in 2004 they made 39.2 billion KSh (Kenyan shillings – the local currency) and in 2005 they made 48.9 billion KSh that's an increase of 9.7 KSh in just one year, so we can see that their tourist industry is growing quite quickly. There are several factors that cause social, environmental and economic problems in Kenya, such as: Problems Concerning Tourists The climate in Kenya has very low precipitation this means that they have extremely low rainfall throughout the year. Tourists expect a certain environment when on holiday like clean drinking water, swimming pools, ice in their drinks and showers on demand to keep them cool. This puts pressure on a country with low rainfall as they can not provide these luxuries on a regular basis. A possible solution to this problem would be to attract tourists to the ‘Real Kenya' by offering a true Safari Holidays camping out, using less water and experiencing local cuisine. Due to high pollution levels in the water, one of Nakuru's main attractions, the flamingos are leaving. The flamingo come to lake to breed but as the lake is becoming more and more polluted by sediment and near by factories they have decided to flee. This is bad for Nakuru's income and tourism as many tourists come to see the large amounts of flamingos that breed here but now they have gone a lot of tourists may not bother coming to Kenya. This problem could be solved by moving the factories as far away possible from the national park and lake so that flamingos don't feel the need to leave Due to the low precipitation levels in Kenya the farmers find it hard to grow their crops, which means they can not provide food for their families and cannot make a steady income. If the tourists were to use less water there would be enough for the farmers to grow their crops and feed their animals. Tourist industries feel that locals are not qualified enough to have well paid jobs. One solution to this problem is that the tourist industries could employ some local people and as part of the job the tourist industries could give them training so that they would be able to work the higher paid jobs. This would mean that the locals with the higher paid jobs would be able to supply their families with food, clean drinking water and clean clothes and ensure that their own children receive an education which would be good for the economy as a whole. Tourists often travel around on safari in land rovers for their comfort and safety, this breaks up the soil causing deforestation and sediment in the lake, the more sediment in the lake the cooler it gets, killing fish. The Hamming and other birds feed by looking into the water and seeing the fish they want to eat, this will not be possible soon as the sediment makes the water cloudy. A possible solution to this is that the tourists could take hot air balloon flights whilst on safari instead of driving Land Rovers this would prevent the soil from breaking up, therefore creating less sediment in the lake and disruption to the environment. Problems Concerning Locals and Animals Wild animals often escape from the National Park, the animals are not used to human contact. The wild animals can then spread diseases to local domestic animals, many small farms that depend on their animals for money or food are located next to the National Park. A potential solution to this is to put up thorn fences in the national park that look more natural and will not harm the animals too much, but will stop them from escaping. The Government could also provide vaccines for the domestic animals to stop them from catching the wild animal's diseases. As the population of Nakuru town increases more mouths need to be fed which means more crops need to be grown, but the soil needs to be rested to avoid soil erosion. A possible answer to this problem is to provide better education on contraception for the farmers and local people. Nakuru town has no sewage systems and the amount of waste being produced is increasing as the population is increasing, this means that they will get an overflow of sewage, very nasty smells and the sewage also carries diseases and attracts vermin into the town. The solution to this problem is the same as the last, to provide contraception and education on how to use it for the local people to help the locals reduce the amount of children they have. The Kenyan government needs to invest/raise money for the local infrastructure. Kenya is an LEDC (Lower Economically Developed Country) and needs to expand its manufacturing industry (such as factories) to become richer. Local people need jobs and the manufacturing industry needs to expand, it is also an economical problem as the manufacturing industry needs to become richer too compete with other countries. A potential answer to this problem would be to build more factories and employ local people. The Manufacturing Industry need investment from foreign companies which would provide more jobs for locals and this would enable them to provide for themselves. After all my investigations I feel that there are a few problems that are drastic and need taking care of immediately: * Over population – If this is not taken care of then the town of Nakuru will overpopulate making it hard for farmers to grow enough crops, there won't be enough drinking water and there probably won't be enough houses. A possible solution for this is to educate the town about contraception or to introduce a law where people are only allowed to have one child and if they have more then they have to pay tax on that child. * No sewage Systems – This means that due to the over population there will be an overflow of raw sewage in the town which will bring in vermin that will bring in disease to the local people. A possible solution to this is for The Kenyan government to invest/raise money for the local infrastructure. * Wild animals with diseases often escape from the National park – This need to be taken care of immediately because if all domestic animals are infected with disease by the wild animals, then all of the local's meat will deplete and the farmers won't be able to make as much money, therefore not being able to support their families. A possible solution to this is to put up thorn fences that will be cheap and practical, but will also look very natural. Conclusion From all of my research my opinion on Safari Holidays and the problems they cause is that they are disturbing the animals for example, there is a lot of sediment in the lake causing the temperature to go down which kills the fish, also the wading birds cannot see there food in the lake. This is caused by extensive use of land rovers that should be replaced with more friendly things like hot air balloons. They also disturb the animals by doing safari early in the morning when the animals are most likely mating or hunting. Although the Safari holidays do cause problems for the animals they bring in a lot of money for the government and the locals. The money goes towards things like housing, but could also be used to build new sewage systems as the waste that is produced will start to overflow into the town of Nakuru causing disease and vermin to come into the town. If I had a chance to go to Lake Nakuru on a field trip I would look for problems such as how sturdy fences were to see if animals could escape easily or not, I would see if I could find the amount of sediment in the lake. I would like to speak to the manger of the national park and ask for their annual profit from particular areas such as safari and food and drink sales, this would show an estimate of how much is made by tourism in one year. If I were to go to Nakuru in 20 years time I would expect there to be many of these problems solved, if they are not I believe that their profit will start to fall and they will not be able to stay a national park anymore.

Friday, August 16, 2019

The power of play: learning what comes naturally Essay

Depth research has been carried out on the correlation between play and its positive benefits on early childhood learning, growth and development. It has been established that there is a positive connection between creative language and play and the social development of a child. Play has emotional benefits on a child such as enjoyment, relaxation, fun, love of life, tension reduction and self expression. Developmental benefits of play include cognitive development where imagination, creativity, problem solving, mastery of concepts and perspective taking improves. Socially the child grows which can be seen through co-operation, sharing, turn-taking, conflict resolution and leadership skills development. The language of the kid also develops that is in terms of communication skills, vocabulary and narration. This paper goes further to illustrate how play affects learning. ( p.66-67) In our case we will have a sharp in-depth look at two chapters, the first one being; Authoring books, plays and identities in writing workshops. Key practice: Approximated writing. The second chapter we shall look at is the discourse of creative expression. The first chapter mostly handles introduction to writing to kids where they are taken through a workshop where they mainly engaged in writing. The climax of it is when the kid finally authors a book and has a chance to sit on the authors chair and read the book to the class and to be admired and questioned at the end of the writing workshop. The rationale behind choosing this chapter on developing writing is that written communication is a very key skill communication skill and anyone should care being an expert in communicating really well through writing. It is thus a privilege and great pleasure learning how a kid or an individual at large develops this skill and also to reflect and see how probably we did begin at it or ought to begin at. Approximated writing is the key arguments in this chapter which symbolizes or represents a range of ways in which children can deliberate within their inner self between their personally invented forms of language understanding and the culturally determined rules for language. Approximated writing is close to the real writing language which embraces errors, incorrect spellings. It is used by children to formulate meaningful messages through their use of their emerging mastery of the language. The kids initiated their own writing projects and as they wrote they designed and illustrated images and prints for puppet plays, pages for kids-printed books, cards to relatives and friends, storyboards and journals. Graphophonic conventions such as using alphabetic symbols like â€Å"tuk† to represent the word took, putting bigger spaces between words, placing marks on words and organizing them in a pattern. Authoring in the workshop happened when the kids wrote, drew, told and dramatiz ed the texts they had written down. Finally in regard to authoring the kids connected texts for the kids-produced books that they presented to the others through reading aloud from the author`s chair or even short plays that were acted for the class and videotaped. A number of realizations came from these workshops or activity that was centred on kids literacy. The first one being that children are capable writers who are able to actively create and co-create meaning and such activities can be very instrumental in bringing out their literacy proficiency this is so because it is in such that they are challenged to explore all genres of written communication and also get a chance to freely air their ideas through their conversations and writings. The idea of getting a chance to sit on the author`s chair, present the book to the class, to be questioned and admired at the end of the writing workshop motivated the kids to really come up with a well-illustrated book. The methodology used in this chapter or writing workshop to teach the children how to write is something really great and enjoyable both for them and their instructor As a wrap up I can comfortably state that it is a matter of fact that children learn through play and exposure to plays enable them to develop their intellectual, social and emotional skills. Plays should thus be a part and parcel of a child`s life so that the child may grow and develop holistically failure to which the development of the child will be hindered. References Brock, A. (2009). Perspectives on play: learning for life. Harlow, England: Pearson/Longman. Elkind, D. (2009). The power of play: learning what comes naturally. Cambridge, Mass.: Da Capo Lifelong ;. Gordon, I. J., Guinagh, B., & Jester, R. E. (2009). Child learning through child play; learning activities for two and three year olds. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Marzollo, J., & Lloyd, J. (2011). Learning through play ([1st ed.). New York: Harper & Row. Silberg, J. (2009). Learning games: exploring the senses through play. Beltsville, Md.: Gryphon House. Tizard, B., & Hughes, M. (2010). Young children learning (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.. Tizard, B., & Hughes, M. (2010). Young children learning (2nd ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub.. Wood, E. (2013). Play, learning and the early childhood curriculum (3rd ed.). London: SAGE. Source document

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Aunt Alexandra in “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee Essay

Aunt Alexandra comes to the Finch residence at the end of chapter twelve, declaring that the family decided that it would be best for Scout and Jem to have some feminine influence in their lives. Scout knows that Alexander usually dictates what she wants upon the family, and uses the term the family decided to make her an even greater point of authority in the Finch family. Usually her dictations give her chances to impress her views on others or increase the family name and work towards the ideal family that she envisions. Examples of her tyranny include the time she made Atticus attempt to impress on the children the facts of life and how she forced herself upon Atticus and the children (dictating that she should move in with in them). Aunt Alexandra makes refreshments for the Missionary Society. These refreshments she makes herself rather than getting Calpurnia to make them; perhaps this is attempt to prove herself superior to almost everybody else while also adding to her reputation of a good hostess. As well as making refreshments for the missionary society Aunt Alexandra joined the Maycomb Amanuensis Club and became the secretary. Aunt Alexandra is slightly hypocritical because as an incurable gossip she has no problem making down almost everyone in Maycomb but couldnt hear a word against herself or the rest of the Finch family. She also said that almost everyone in Maycomb had a streak but when Atticus pointed out that the Finches had an incestuous streak she completely denied it. Aunt Alexandra has many good and bad qualities most concern the maturation and upbringing of the children. Good qualities include the fact she wants the best for Jem, Scout and the rest of the family, she will uphold any moral (page 146), she had plenty of pride in her family and she constantly tries to improve herself (page 147). However she has a lot of bad qualities; she is dictative, she is prejudice and she believes Finches are of a higher class to almost all others. Aunt Alexandra is a major character in the story because of she is one of the only points of authority and the greatest feminine influence for Scout and Jem. Despite her faults she does what she believes is best for the children  and community. Sources: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee