In this assignment, discuss the diagnostic value of less invasive Assignment

In this , discuss the diagnostic value of less invasive imaging modalities - Assignment Example Atherosclerosis is the chief causes of  coronary artery diseases (CAD) which causes changes in structure as well functionality of blood vessels.  It is the process in which, progressive dumping of cholesterol and other fatty materials across the arterial wall occurs. These dumping results in a contriction of the lumen i.e stenosis, which restricts blood flow. Further, spasm, birth defect, lupus, arteritis, blood clogging are few other causes apart from atherosclerosis. Ten years ago, CAD is thought to be a disorder of men. Generally, CAD occurs a decade earlier in men than women,  up to the time of menopause, because a high level of estrogen  protects women from CAD. Anyhow, after menopause, it happens more frequently in women in comparability to men. It is noticed that ratio of women suffering from CAD is higher than men in the age group of or beyond 75. CAD is assumed to be the leading  lifer taker in developed countries. Studies imply about 5-9% of people aged 20+ are su ffering through CAD. The death rate rises with age, and it is more common in males in comparison to females,  but the  death rates for men decrease sharply after age of 55 and finally after aged 75. The death rate of women is higher than men, who are of the same age.  Ã‚  It is estimated that +16 million Americans are suffering through CAD and 8 million of them had a myocardial infarction (increased 1 Million per annum). Framingham trial predicts approximately 50% & 30% of males and females respectively in the age 40+ population are suffering through CAD (Helen H, and Munther K). The most convoluted part of CAD lies in its undetection, mostly CAD remains undetected until the moment of myocardial infarction or even death. It is an alarming situation for Biomedical Scientists to develop a mean to discover CAD as soon as possible to get the best result and prevent diseases. Early detection of CAD allows a physician to  reduce the potential risk factor associated with CAD. There are several methods by which CAD can be diagnosed including an echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, but imaging method like multislice CT angiography, electron-beam computed tomography, nuclear scan, and magnetic resonance angiography, etc, is assumed to be the most effective method for CAD diagnosis. Imaging of CAD is the demand of 21st centuries due to the uninterrupted activity of Heart & acuteness of CAD. Over the last decade, multislice CT Angiography (MSCTA) has been recognised as the most precious & productive method of CAD diagnoses because of lightning technical promotion & enhanced precision (Sun Z, 2010). It has exhibited an immense potential in early identification of CAD because of  improved spatial and temporal resolution.  Ã‚  MSCTA showed enormous technical growth from the early generation of 4-slice CT scanners to subsequent models such as 16-, 64-, dual-source, 256- and 320-slice CT. Retrospective ECG gated method was employed to show the feasibleness of MSCTA w ith 4-slice. It displayed mild accuracy with sensitivity & specificity of 78% and 93%, respectively.

Examining class differences Essay Example for Free

Examining class differences Essay (a)Explain briefly what is meant by the term ‘elaborated speech code’ . Elaborate speech code is usually associated with middle-class, well educated people. It uses a wide variety of vocabulary, is more context based, uses grammatically complex sentences, communicates abstract ideas and is mostly context-free. (b)Identify three policies that governments have introduced to compensate for material and cultural disadvantage, apart from Educational Priority Areas. Compensatory education is a policy designed in order to tackle the problem of cultural deprivation, by providing resources to communities as well as schools in deprived areas. An example of a compensatory education programme is Operation Head Start in the United States, which is one of the best known examples of such programmes. Operation Head Start focuses on pre-school ‘planned enrichment’ education in poorer areas, which was introduced in the 1960s. Their aim was to develop children’s learning skills and instil achievement motivation. This included tasks such as: setting up nursery classes, home visits by health visitors and educational psychologists, improving parenting skills and the creation of intensive learning programmes for deprived children. Sesame Street, the popular TV programme, was initially created as part of Head Start, in order to reach young children and reflecting the values and attitudes needed for educational success; such as the importance of general knowledge, literacy and numeracy. In the UK, there have been several compensatory education programmes over the years, such as the Education Priority Areas that were created in the 1960s, Education Action Zones, which were introduced in the 1960s, and more recently, with the launch in 2000, comes Sure Start. Sure Start is a nationwide programme aimed at pre-school children as well as their parents. However, it also has non-educational aims, such as improving children’s health. Sure Start was introduced by the British Government in order to tackle poverty and social exclusion. The centres available provide integrated education, family support, support with parental employment, care and health services. Sure Start’s main aim is to work with parents to promote the physical, intellectual, educational and social development of babies and young children, particularly those who are disadvantaged. (c)Outline some of the ways in which material deprivation may affect educational achievement. Material deprivation is a lack of resources and necessities needed to live a basic lifestyle, such as an adequate diet, housing, clothing, or in some cases, the money to be able to buy these things. Material deprivation can affect educational achievement as the result of the lack of these necessities. Children in education will need financial support from their parents/carers in order to pursue a sufficient education; however disadvantaged families cannot afford educational aids. As well as that, families living in poverty may have limited space in their home. This leads to overcrowding, which means there is nowhere for the child to study. Also, this could lead to illness, depending on the state and cleanliness of the house. For example, dampness can cause a variety of illnesses, which leads to absence at school, therefore, lessening the child’s chance of a successful education. Some parents may force their children to leave school early and pursue a career in order to provide extra income for the family. (d)Using material from Item A (source) and elsewhere, assess the view that working class children under-achieve because they are culturally deprived. The idea that working-class children will most likely under-achieve due to a lack of culture, also known as cultural deprivation, refers to children lacking the norms, values, beliefs, skills and knowledge that a society would regard as important and necessary. The attributes that these children should know and learn are, in most cases, taught by their parents and are passed to the next generation through socialisation. All children are socialised differently, and the social class of the parent has a huge impact on the child and may affect their achievement in education. According to the cultural deprivation theory, some working-class parents fail to communicate and instil the appropriate norms, values, beliefs, skills and knowledge needed for educational success. However, there are other factors that can determine how well a child does within education. For example, material deprivation, cultural capital and economic capital can also have an impact on how well some children will attain, therefore cultural deprivation is not the only factor and may not be the most important reason to why working-class children under-achieve.

The Celebration of the Lizard Essay -- Analysis, Jim Morris

It was 1968's album Waiting for the Sun that marked the appearance of a new aspect of Morrison's image, the Lizard King. A poem entitled â€Å"The Celebration of the Lizard,† in which he pronounced â€Å"I am the Lizard King,† was printed on the album jacket. Morrison later claimed that this poem was meant to be partly in jest, but it took on a life of its own and would play an important role in Morrison mythology. In a 1970 interview, Morrison respond to a question about being called a Lizard King: Stevenson: How do you feel about some of the magazine articles that used to come out calling you the Lizard King and things like that? Morrison: Oh, I liked it! I enjoyed it! I thought it was, you know, I always liked reptiles, I always had a fondness for them . . . We did evolve from reptiles . . . I used to see the universe as a mammoth peristaltic snake and I used to see all the people, objects and landscapes as pictures on the facets of their skin, their scales. I think the peristaltic motion is the basic life movement: swallowing, digestion, the rhythms of sexual intercourse. Even your basic unicellular structures have this same . . . Stevenson: Fluidity and motion? Morrison: Yeah!14 Morrison used the attribution of Lizard King to expand on his image, as seen in this interview, by molding it to his ideals of proximity to the earth, suggesting that the motion of a reptile mimics the basic motion of all life. He further used the Lizard King image in the theatricality of his on-stage performances and, whether consciously or sub-consciously, to contribute to his own, as well as the band's, image. At best, it is possible to distinguish between Morrison as shaman and Morrison as the Lizard King,... ... difficult to confirm the cause of his death. Was it suicide? Murder? This uncertainty may have contributed to a Morrison-like image and myth. Now, that his physician has been convicted of negligence, the uncertainty is reduced. We will have to wait and see what develops. It is the public discourse, after the death of a celebrity, which results in the emergence of an icon. In books, films, and other media content about the celebrity, various narratives and central values become associated with the celebrity. After several years of continued public interest in the dead celebrity, the image and values associated with the celebrity become more significant than, and transcend, the factual details about the historical existence of the individual. The following section will outline elements contributing to the construction of the image of a celebrity, after their death.

Merton Truck Company’s Financial Performance and Product Mix

Introduction In response to your report and request regarding Merton’s financial performance and product mix, I have met with your controller, sales manager and production manager, and have provided a solution that will improve the company in these two areas. Using a systematic approach, I was able to analyze the current machine hours, standard costs, and overhead budget. My findings have allowed me to determine the best monthly product mix that will maximize Merton’s total monthly contribution.Furthermore, I have addressed the decision regarding outsourcing, and have provided both the maximum rent your company should pay in addition to the maximum number of hours that should be rented. When determining the product mix, I took careful consideration of the machine hour constraints that your factory must account for. The following sections will provide further information in regards to my analytical technique, and how I was able to determine these figures. Current Situation Mertonâ₠¬â„¢s third and fourth quarters of last year should not be deemed a failure, but rather an area where the company can improve.It is evident your company’s current product mix is not meeting the financial standards that the company expects. As your sales manager pointed out, Model 101 trucks currently cost $40,205 to produce and are selling at a price of $39,000, meaning the company is producing this model at a loss. Some other issues to point out are the current capacity levels. Although the company is profiting on each Model 102 sold, maxing out capacity for this model may not be the best solution, as suggested by the controller.An analysis of the provided budget will allow us to track where the company’s money is being spent, and will suggest certain areas where possible changes can be made. Evaluating the different scenarios will answer our current questions on whether to stop producing Model 101’s all together, to continue producing both models but at differ ent amounts, and/or to consider the use of an outside supplier. Data Used in the Analysis To address the main goal of increasing financial performance, I had to define the objective of the current situation.Simply put, the objective is to maximize total contribution from the two models, which will directly improve Merton’s financial performance. Our focus is contribution rather than profit because contribution deals only with variables costs and variable costs are costs that we can manipulate to better Merton’s financial position. By determining exactly how much contribution Merton receives from producing one Model 101 and one Model 102, we can attempt to maximize these figures. A product’s contribution is the amount of money the company receives after subtracting out the variable production costs.Figure 1 shows the contribution received for producing one truck of Models 101 and 102. I was able to calculate this figure using the data provided from Tables B and C in your report. Table B listed the variable costs which include the direct materials and direct labor costs per model. I then added the variable overhead costs per unit that were listed in Table C. Subtracting these variable costs from the total selling price leaves us with Model 101 attributing $3,000 in contribution and Model 102 attributing $5,000. The second goal is to determine an optimal product mix.In order to do so, I had to account for any constraints, or parameters that limit production and affect total monthly contribution. Table A from your report provided these constraints, which are the production capacities of the four departments, engine assembly, metal stamping, Model 101 assembly and Model 102 assembly. These constraints, which will be discussed in the following sections, are provided in Figure 2. Finding both the contribution per model and the constraints allows us to determine the decision variables.Decision variables help us do exactly that, make decisions. Sin ce product mix is the decision we are making, the decision variables represent the number of 101 and 102 units that Merton should produce each month. These variables are represented as X101 and X102. Having identified our variables I was now able to setup a mathematical equation that will calculate Merton’s maximum contribution per month. The equation is as follow: Maximum Contribution = $3,000*X101 + $5000*X102 Method of Analysis: Linear ProgrammingAfter reading the report and understanding the variables involved, I realized that linear programming would be a useful tool in this situation. Linear programming (LP) is beneficial because it assists in decision making when resource allocation is involved. Our situation calls for a better approach when allocating labor, machinery, money, time and materials, thus making LP the perfect fit. For this situation, linear programming is more than an option. It is a must. Due to our number of constraints, using a linear program will comp ute exact outputs that will save time and eliminate the risk of human error.The program will allow us to input the known variables (101 and 102 contribution), and will calculate the optimal product mix, while staying within the parameters of our listed constraints (Figure 2). Analyzing the Options with Solver Optimal Product Mix Now that you have an understanding of the capabilities of linear programming, I will explain how I was able to use this model when persuading your sales manager, controller and production manager. Although these three do not agree on how Merton is currently allocating its resources, one aspect where they do agree is that maximizing contribution is Merton’s main focus.After explaining that this linear program, known as â€Å"Solver,† can calculate optimal product mix on the basis of maximum contribution, I received their undivided attention. Solver’s product mix calculation stated that Merton Truck Co. should produce 2,000 Model 101 truck s and 1,000 Model 102 trucks each month. Using this product mix will provide a maximum contribution of $11,000,000 per month. The objective formula that was presented above shows this calculation: $3,000*(2,000101)+5000*(1,000102)= $11,000,000 total contribution per month.Remember, this formula is calculated while staying within each of Merton’s production constraints. Simply producing more or less of either model will do one of two things. One, it would exceed one of our given constraints, or two, it would produce a total contribution that is lower than $11 million. Solver’s suggestion to produce 2,000 Model 101’s proves that the controller was correct in his objection of the sales manager. The model confirms that doubling Model 101 production allows the fixed overhead of 2. 7 million to be absorbed over 2,000 models instead of 1,000 as the company is currently doing.Since Merton pays fixed overhead of 2. 7M. for 101’s and only 1. 5M for 102’s, it makes sense to â€Å"get your money’s worth† by producing more 101’s. Renting Additional Capacity In addition to providing the optimal product mix, Solver has a number of other capabilities that help support my recommendations. One capability is that Solver can help us determine whether the production manager was correct when suggesting to rent additional capacity from an outside supplier. After the variables are input into the Solver program, I run the calculation.Once the program has calculated the data, it provides us with a â€Å"sensitivity report† that focuses on our available resources (constraints) and tests a number of â€Å"what-if scenarios. † For this situation, it will help us determine the amount to pay per rented hour and exactly how many additional hours to rent. Two relevant categories to note from the sensitivity report are the â€Å"shadow price† and the â€Å"allowable increase†. The program provides a shadow pric e which states that for each additional unit produced, Merton will receive ‘X’ dollars in contribution. The shadow price for engine assembly was $2,000.Therefore, for each additional unit of capacity (rented hours), Merton can afford to pay a maximum of $2,000. In regards to the allowable increase, Solver suggests that Merton should purchase a maximum of 500 rented hours. After 500 hours have been purchased, there is no further increase in contribution. The use of Solver has once again proven beneficial. Although the production manager’s suggestion was correct, Solver has strengthened his argument by providing objective data that tells us a max price to pay in addition to the maximum number of hours to rent.Additional Constraint – Producing at a 3:1? After finding out from the optimal product mix that it is more beneficial to produce two times the number of Model 101’s than Model 102’s, why not increase production to three to one? We can test this proposal by simply adding an additional constraint to our linear program. As expected, the optimal product mix was forced to change to a 3:1 ratio. Adhering to this constraint provided a product mix of 2,250 Model 101’s and 750 Model 102’s. However, the unwanted consequence is noticed in total monthly contribution.Plugging this product mix into our objective equation shows that contribution actually decreases. $3,000*(2,250101)+$5000*(750102) = $10,500,000. Seeing this drop in monthly contribution further proves that our previous optimal product mix of a 2:1 ratio should remain in place. Closing As mentioned in the previous sections, linear programming is a useful technique that should be applied to help improve Merton’s financial performance. My recommendation is that the company immediately implements a product mix of 2,000 Model 101 trucks and 1,000 Model 102’s.Secondly, the company should rent additional capacity from an outside supplier. Howeve r, your company must not pay more than $2,000 per hour, and not rent more than 500 hours because this would no longer increase total contribution. Although linear programming is widely used and often very accurate, no model is perfect. One disadvantage of linear programming is that it does not take into account industry trends. Choosing to produce two times the amount of Model 101’s does not guarantee this model will sell two times as much. Furthermore, linear programming is only useful in solving linear scenarios.Real world constraints are not always linear. For instance, a constraint that involves â€Å"number of staff members required per model† would be impossible to calculate when the other constraints are based on hours. Additionally, linear programming does not account for risk. What if the supplier cannot provide materials for one month’s time? What if Model 101 is using defective parts and the line becomes halted? These are items to consider when implem enting LP, but by no means should they prevent Merton Trucks from implementing the model. Figure 1: Contribution per Model Model 101|Sell Price| $39,000| Direct Materials| $24,000| Direct Labor| $4,000| Variable Overhead| * $8,000| Contribution| $3,000| Model 102| Sell Price| $38,000| Direct Materials| $20,000| Direct Labor| $4,500| Variable Overhead| * $8,500| Contribution| $5,000| Figure 2: Constraints Machine-Hours: Requirements and Availability| Department| Required Machine Hrs. Model 101 Model 102| | Total Machine Hrs. Available per Month| Engine Assembly| 1| 2|

Hemingway’s Descriptive technique

The First World War wreaked more havoc and destruction than the world had ever seen before. All around them, people could only see death and devastation. The existing moral structure and value systems were coming crumbling down as men killed fellow men without so much as a second thought. This led to people questioning faith, religion, and the existence of God. They began to feel that if there really was a God, then surely he would stop the pain and suffering that man was facing at that time? A movement slowly began to sweep over Europe, where people began to re-think and question the very meaning of life. This school of thought came to be known as Existentialism. Very similar to Existentialism, was Modernism. The Modernists were people who revolted against the music, art and architecture of the times, and targeted mainly the classical and romantic strains of literature. They were people who were depressed and disillusioned by the militarism of the times, and challenged fundamental values such as progress and enlightenment. Like the Existentialists, they too did not believe in the existing set of rules and morals that governed society, and believed it was time for a change. Both of these concepts influenced Hemingway greatly, and we can see the effect of this influence clearly in his writing. The novel. â€Å"A Farewell to Arms† is narrated entirely from Frederick Henry's point of view. He has a very distinct way of describing things-short and crisp. Throughout the novel, though Henry is surrounded on all sides by death, destruction and the wreckage of war, never once do we see him dramatizing or romanticizing it. He has what one might call a â€Å"reporter's eye†-everything is portrayed as if being reported by a journalist, concentrating only on the concrete facts and nothing else. Hemingway does not give the reader the opportunity to pass moral judgement on any of the characters or situations, infact, Henry gives us a perfect 360 degree view of things, and the way in which he speaks of death and casualties with such practiced normalcy almost unsettles the reader. In this part of the novel, Hemingway also stresses on the differences that have grown between Rinaldi and Henry. Henry was injured and had to leave the front, which subsequently led to him spending time and falling deeply in love with Catherine. This episode in his life gave him the chance to change and grow as a person, he becomes more mature and very different from the Henry that we came to know at the beginning of the book. Rinaldi, on the other hand, remains the way he has always been, and seems to have grown embittered and hostile towards the war. â€Å"It is killing me,† he says. Of Henry he says, â€Å"you act like a married man,† almost accusing him of having changed. In this manner, Hemingway uses Rinaldi as a foil to bring out and emphasize the change and growth that has taken place in Henry. In Book Three of the novel, Henry and Catherine's romantic interlude has ended, and the focus shifts once more from love to war. It is once again Autumn, and â€Å"the trees were all bare and the roads were muddy;† Hemingway continues with his use of rain and water as a bad omen. Mud here also represents the unclarity and uncertainty of the times. Later, in chapter 28, mud acts as an antagonist of sorts, when the ambulances get stuck in it, and this leads to Henry shooting a fellow Italian officer. The contrast between the plains and the mountains, which Hemingway had established in earlier chapters, is laid out more explicitly here when Henry, while speaking to a driver named Gino, tells him that he does not believe that a war can be fought and won in the mountains. This establishes the mountains not only as a place of peace and tranquility, but also of refuge. Rain also seems to be ever-present during Book Three. In Chapter 27, it begins to pour, and this marks the beginning of the Italian retreat. By the evening, the rain turns to snow for a while, giving the men a glimmer of hope, only to start raining again. The reader is so tuned into the rain- death symbolism by now that when, over dinner, a driver known as Amyno says, â€Å"To-morrow maybe we drink rainwater,† we are left with a deep sense of foreboding and doom. Perhaps the most important bit of symbolism in the whole novel comes in Chapter 28 of Book Three. It is the climax of the novel, and the action is all downhill from then onwards. Here, Henry deserts the war at long last, it is something that has been in the pipeline for many a chapter. Chaos seems to be at large, as Henry witnesses Amyno being shot by a fellow Italian. As he says, â€Å"We are in more danger from Italians than from Germans.† Henry had never felt any duty or obligation to the Italian army, he always seemed to be isolated from the war, and so it seems as if all this time Hemingway was preparing us for this very moment. When Henry plunges headlong into the river, effectively abandoning the war, the reader is not shocked, and does not feel the urge to pass judgement of any sort, because he understands Henry's motives for desertion. His dive into the river is Hemingway's way of signaling a Re-Birth or Baptism of sorts, as when Henry comes out of the water, he is a changed man, who has made his own peace with the war. This is further exemplified when Henry says, â€Å"Anger was washed away in the river along with any obligation,† Also, while Henry is clutching on to the piece of timber and floating down the river, we notice that though the entire novel up until that point has been entirely in the first person (â€Å"I†), the narration now shifts for a brief moment, and Henry begins to use the words â€Å"you† and â€Å"we†. The result of this is that the reader feels much closer to Henry, and gets a chance to put himself in Henry's shoes. Its as if Hemingway wants us all to be Fredrick Henry, if only for a moment. At the end of Book Three, we see Henry traveling in a train car used to transport guns, and thinking quietly about what he has just done, and about his love for Catherine. Again, Hemingway uses the second-person narrative, as Henry justifies his desertion to himself by thinking, â€Å"You were out of it now, you had no more obligation.† Thus, Hemingway effectively utilizes these various descriptive techniques and employs them to peel away the layers of glory and honour that surround the war, instead showing us the honest, brutal face of war. The novel reaches its climax in Book Three, and we see descending action from here onwards.