White Blood Cells: Structure and Functions

White Blood Cells: Structure and Functions Often times, our bodies are attacked and battered by infections, diseases, bacteria, and other foreign materials which can cause great harm to our organs and bodily functions. Fortunately God has designed us with a strong and efficient system of defense. Our immune system. Among our many forms of defense within the immune system are the leucocytes, or white blood cells. They act as the bodys guards by patrolling the blood stream, seeking out any invading pathogens, and quickly alerting other leucocytes of the threat or swiftly destroying the threat themselves. In the average adult body, there are normally around seven thousand to twenty-five thousand leucocytes per drop of blood. When an infection is present, this number greatly increases in order to defeat the illness. This increase in leucocyte number is also a sign used by doctors when they look for infections. A constantly large number of leucocytes is a sign of leukemia, a type of blood caner. One who has leukemia can have up to fifty-thousand leucocytes in a single drop of blood. Leucocytes may attack the bodys invaders by either producing antibodies to overpower and overwhelm their target or by surrounding, devouring, and digesting the entire pathogen itself. Unlike regular red blood cells, white blood cells have nuclei, mitochondria, and all other normal cellular structures. Also, because white blood cells have no hemoglobin, they lack the red color of their red counterparts. White blood cells also have a significantly greater size than red blood cells but lack equality in numbers. There are five major types of leucocytes each with a different job. Neutrophils, which make up fifty-eight percent of leucocytes and are one of the bodys main forms of defense, completely ingest bacteria and destroy any cells which have been infected or turned cancerous. Eosinophils, which account for two percent of the white blood cells population, destroy parasites and play a role in allergic reactions. Basophils, one percent of leucocytes population, help with allergic reactions by releasing histamine and heparin. Monocytes, making up 4 percent of the population of white blood cells, turn into macrophages and are designed to phagocytize and digest bacteria and get rid of old, dead, and damaged cells. They are found in the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, lungs, skin, and intestine. Lymphocytes, which make up 4 percent of white blood cells, direct the bodys immune system, identify foreign bodies, and produce antibodies and cells that are specifically designed to target them. Lymphocytes , unlike other leucocytes, are produced in the lymphatic system. White blood cells are found not only in blood, but in the lymphatic system. Most of them are produced in the marrow of the bone but a few, like lymphocytes, are manufactured in the lymph nodes. The cells are rapidly produced because they have a very short life span living only a few days to a few weeks. One disease involving white blood cells is neutropenia. This condition is defined by a significant decrease in the production of neutrophils. Common symptoms of neutropenia include fevers and periodic infections. This disease decreases the bodys chance of successfully defending against an attack and increases its chance of being harmed by invading pathogens. Treatment of this disease includes treatment with antibiotics, granulocyte (white blood cell) transfusions, and treatment with anti-fungal medications to defend against disease, infection, and bacteria. Another deadly illness involving white blood cells is leukemia. This cancer of the blood, and one of the most dangerous of blood diseases, is characterized by a deadly over abundance in white blood cells. Symptoms of leukemia include swollen lymph nodes, high fevers, night sweats, frequent infections, feeling weak or tired, weight loss for no apparent reason, and pain in the bones and joints. Treatment of leukemia includes chemoth erapy, radiation therapy, and stem cell transplant. The risk in chemotherapy is the reduction of white blood cells raising the risk of serious bacterial and viral infection. Another disease involving leucocytes is agranulocytosis. This disease, far less dangerous that leukemia, is brought on by the destruction of neutrophils. Symptoms include fatigue, sleeplessness, headache, chills, and high fever. Treatments for this disease includes antibiotics, blood transfusions, and injections of fresh bone marrow. Recent studies of white blood cells have given us more incite on the details surrounding their functions. Research has also shown how the leucocytes navigate through the bodys blood stream. According to recent discovery, when organs or tissue are infected with a virus, they send out chemical beacons to the specific leucocytes which register them as a call for help. They then move towards the infected area. Further studies have also shown that white blood cells have the ability to sprout leg-like structures with adhesive points and crawl along the inside of a blood vessel like a millipede to get to an infected area. About ten of these legs attach and detach rapidly. This allows the cell to maintain constant movement along the vessel walls. It also uses these legs to grip the inner walls of the blood vessel to avoid being swept away by the blood stream. When scientists put these legs under further research, they found that they dig themselves into the wall of the blood vessel. This als o suggests that they are used as probes to search for holes and exits in the blood vessels. Scientists believe these legs have many functions such as gripping, moving, and sensing distress signals from damaged tissue. Even though we live in a world full of bacteria and pathogens, we can rest easy because we know that our Creator has designed for our bodies a strong defense against outside invaders. The complex and efficient white blood cells act as soldier cells and spear head our immune system keeping us safe, comfortable, and healthy. Without our white blood cells, we would be quite susceptible to hundreds of thousands of forms of destructive bacteria, lethal diseases, and vulnerable to many potentially deadly infections. Works Cited Page http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/circulatory/blood2.htm http://www.fi.edu/learn/heart/blood/white.html www.righthealth.com

Successful E-Business Systems: PayPal :: essays research papers

SUCCESSFUL E-BUSINESS SYSTEMS - PAYPAL ABSTRACT PayPal is an account-based system that allows anyone with an email address to send and receive online payments. This service is easy to use for customers. Members can instantaneously send money to anyone. Recipients are informed by email that they have received a payment. PayPal is also available to people in 38 countries. This paper starts with introduction to the company and its services. The information about the history and the current company situation are covered. Later some interesting and different technical issues are discussed. The Paper ends with analysis of the company and several future recommendations. KEYWORDS PayPal, Payment Systems, E-business, Money Transactions, PayPal Analyses. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 2. PayPal as e-Business 3. Technical Issues 4. Analysis (of PayPal as e-Business) 5. Conclusion 6. References 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 - PayPal –A Popular Company This paper is about a company called PayPal. First I will touch the general information about the company, then provide information about several details and finish with several useful future recommendations. PayPal (formerly X.com) that was founded in 1998 belongs to an Electronic Payment Systems, more precisely to Generic Systems subgroup. It is located in San Jose and carries out services that provide the possibility of sending and receiving money by means of computers in an easy, secure and fast way using an account-based system. This can be done by anyone (a private person or legal entity) who has an email address. When the money is transferred, a message is sent to the recipient’s email address notifying about the transaction. At the same time certain security measures are taken during these operations. One can still charge his or her account without having an electronic card, using the bank transfer or a paycheck. Transferring money is as easy as sending an email for customers. Page 2 2 (Fig.1, What is PayPal, retrieved on February 15 th , 2004 From: PayPal Developer Conference Keynote, Alex Kazim, VP Marketing, 05/08/03. Data available on http://paypaldev.org/ ) In 2002, PayPal was acquired by eBay. It has quickly become popular. Today the company offers services in thirty-eight countries and has about forty million customers for today. In most of these countries it supports bank withdrawal service and is especially popular among eBay customers. Fig.1 briefly illustrates Company’s business. The system enables its users to send money, using computers. The same can be done by means of mobile phones that are support Web.

Review a Range of Assessments Methods Essay

Without some kind of assessment then you will find it difficult to measure whether learning has taken place or not. The reasons for assessing is to find out if someone is capable of doing a course at a particular level or to see if they are ready to go on to the next level due to the higher level of work required. â€Å"Assessment is the process of obtaining information about how much the student knows and evaluation involves using that information to form judgements which, in turn, are to be used in decision making† (Ian Reece, Stephen Walker chapter 6) There are a number of assessment methods used and used in different contexts. Different types of courses require different types of assessments. Initial/ Diagnostic Assessment; this is usually done at the start, before someone is about to undertake a course or qualification. As you need to know what they know already about the chosen subject to learn. This then gives you an idea of what level you can place them at. It is an evaluation of a person’s strengths and weaknesses, knowledge and skills. Independent Assessment is an objective view by someone who is from outside the organisation (Independent governing body), who comes into the course (usually towards the end) and makes a decision on the students achievement. Formative Assessment- as a Business and Enterprise Manager this on going assessment is used and allows the student to improve and I can monitor and observe them in practical’s on a regular basis. Allowing regular feedback on what they need to improve on. The main use of assessments for teachers is the on going or formative assessment†( Geoffrey Petty 1998 p401). Summative Assessments are usually done at the end of the course of learning. Students will then know if they have passed or failed in their bid to gain the qualification or referred to re-do part of the course. Observational assessment allows the tutor to see if the student can perform a certain skill that has already been demonstrated or taught. This also allows me to step in if the student is making any mistakes. Questions and Answers are usually used to see if a student has gained the understanding and assess their knowledge of a chosen subject. You may need to re-phrase questions as some students can be put off by the way a question is being asked. Simple explanations and clarity for a simple response and answer. This area would also cover written reports, assignments, projects, portfolios and tests as well as oral questioning with regards to past experience and achievements. Log Books/ Learning journals are a useful way of seeing if a student has transferred the theory into practice. Practical assessments allow you to see if the student can put the theory based learning into practice. Possibly by doing role play and demonstrations. In my teaching role I use a range of assessment methods that include Practical observation , this involves role play, It allows me to see what the students are like within a group setting but also how they work on their own and to see if they are reaching the targets that have been set. I also use questions and answers. This process is used at the end of the session but before the recap to identify that the students have understood. This involves asking the students questions related to the task or activity so they can give me a critical answer of what and why they are doing a particular thing. I am then able to make a record of this by a simple â€Å" thumbs up if understood† or â€Å" thumbs down† if not. I am then able to make an evaluation of my teaching sessions.

Developing Grand Strategies

Developing Grand Strategies It goes without saying that any multinational company faces a set of challenges in the local and international market in the course of time; the only ability to meet those challenges in a constructive way that would benefit the company performance in the short and long run is to do that strategically.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Developing Grand Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company management has to assess the current position in the market and think of wiser ways to utilize resources and costs, as well as the opportunities for the future expansion. Hence, the grand strategies designed within the company top’ executives may help not only to retain the competitive position of the company, but to enhance it and to gain the competitive advantage in the strategically essential market areas. However, before responding to the needs of global management and international expansion, one should e vidently take a proper case of securing the company’s position in the local market, since it represents the sound basis for further development. In case it is weak, the company is unlikely to achieve further success. This fact is also supported by the opinions of Bartlett, Ghoshal and Beamish (2008): â€Å"By responding to country level heterogeneity through local adaptation of products, services, and processes, a company can reap benefits in three fundamental areas: market share, price realization, and competitive position† (Bartlett, Ghoshal, Beamish, 2008, p. 81). The strategic need of taking care about the local capacity is also evident from the simulation outcomes: as soon as the Oz! Ð ¡ompany faced intense competition from the side of cheap Asian toys, and the increasing consolidation of toy industry at the domestic market, the administration decided not to strive for global dominance, but to consolidate its equity and retain its competitive position in the Qua drant I of the Competitive Position Matrix: strong competitive position under the conditions of rapid market growth (Developing Grand Strategies, 2010). Another strategy chosen by Oz! in response to the growing consumption through online stores launched by the Banzai America company may be called a grand strategy: it helped the company regain its strong competitive position in the market (Developing Grand Strategies, 2010).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More By means of acquiring the online shop and focusing on a new category of goods in which the customers showed their agile interest the Oz! company achieved the following goal: it provided coordinated services to global consumers (Bartlett, Ghoshal, Beamish, 2008). In addition, the company managed to respond to the evolving needs of the community that include raising volumes of online shopping, which helped Oz! obta in a serious share of the online toy shop market. Finally, the strategy adopted by Oz! in the situation of an ethical dilemma about the Buggs toy turned out highly successful because of the deep insight into the potential financial impact of the problem. The company administration decided to sell off a part of chain assets and to continue to focus on the current product lines without pursuing the attempts to enter the market of other toy categories. This strategy allowed Oz! to generate liquidity and to face the crisis with more flexibility in resources (Developing Grand Strategies, 2010). It was a wise and successful balancing act because of the risk reduction strategy employed in a critical situation (Bartlett, Ghoshal, Beamish, 2008). The administration of Oz! could not help realizing that the scandal about Buggs would entail serious financial consequences for the company. Hence, they ensured maneuver force for themselves and managed to retain the majority of their capacities. A s one can see from the present case study, the pursuit of achieving and retaining global presence is a complex strategic action. In order to secure the position in the international market, a company should initially focus on its local strengths and optimize resource and cost allocation. In cases of crisis or ethical problems, companies should provide more flexibility for their assets and respond to the crisis correspondingly. The strategic implications should be regarded both in the short and long run as they are likely to have to profound impact on the company performance and will affect its competitive position both in the local and international markets.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Developing Grand Strategies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Bartlett, C.A., Ghoshal, S., Beamish, P. (2008). Transnational Management: Text, Cases, and Readings in Cross−Border Management. (5th ed.). New York: T he McGraw-Hill Companies. Developing Grand Strategies (2010). Web.

Religion and the Environment Essays

Religion and the Environment Essays Religion and the Environment Essay Religion and the Environment Essay There are many speculations as too why our culture, the â€Å"West† seems to not care about the environment or the ways of nature. Many people believe it is the way that the bible views nature, specifically within the Christianity religion. Reasons for this is that Christians don’t view nature as a divine power like other religions, like Hinduism or Buddhism; Christianity is also a strong anthropocentric religion, teaching that human beings are divinely ordained to rule over and dominate all other species and nature (Kinsley 103). Does this mean that all Christians view nature as pure nothingness and an inconvenience? No, this religion is more focused on the spiritual fulfillment with the presence of God, and not specifically to the mysterious powers of the earth (Kinsley 106). â€Å"Many Christian writings, and much Christian theology, relegate nature and matter generally to a low status relative to the divine which is equated with spirit alone (Kinsley 103).† This is a very key point brought up by Kinsley because he shows that the religion doesn’t view nature as a holy or scared place, but a view of the world that postulates a transcendent deity who creates the world but does not invest himself in it in such a way to make it holy or sacred (Kinsley 104). So hypothetically let’s say when the people of the religion would clear out some land for their civilization, they never viewed it as a destruction of a spiritual being. Christianity is very anthropocentric, which sets human beings against nature, makes human beings superior to, and in control of, nature (Kinsley 104). Here is an entry from the Bible that has a good demonstration of this. â€Å"Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet; all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish in the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea (Psalms 8:5-8).† The Christians again are viewi

The prevalence of substance use on children Research Paper

The prevalence of substance use on children - Research Paper Example In a 2003 national survey, half of all seniors’ in high school reported they had tried taking illicit drugs at least once. It was further revealed that 41% of students in 10th grade and 23% of those in 8th grade had tried drugs that were illegal (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Such findings are worrying because substance use is associated with several negative consequences, such as academic problems, physical aggression, developmental problems, delinquent and criminal behavior and health problems in the long term (Buu et. al, 2009). In addition to this, children who develop into chronic substance users are bound to experience social or psychological problems. The survey also showed that 41 to 65% of persons with constant lifetime substance abuse are prone to having at least one mental health disorder. Approximately 51% of those persons with one or more lifetime mental health disorders also had a constant lifetime history of substance use disorder (Doweiko, 2009). It was found that the 15 to 24 year old age bracket had the highest rates (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007). Substance use is categorized as being different from substance abuse. The American Psychiatric Association defines substance abuse as a pattern of substance use that man ifests itself through significant and recurrent adverse consequences that are related to repetitive substance use. There are various factors that increase the risk for substance use among the youth. Some of the causes of substance use include delinquency, perceived substance use by peers, low family pride and family substance use problems. A study done in 2009 found that substance use by parents, socioeconomic status of the family, family mobility, instability in neighborhood residence and frequent change in neighborhood placed children at the risk for developing substance use disorders. Youth with mental health disorder also

Should the UK withdraw from the European Convention on human rights Essay

Should the UK withdraw from the European Convention on human rights - Essay Example Sovereignty of the parliament dictates that the parliament has the sole discretion to make and amend laws in the UK. No person or body is recognized by the UK legislation to overrule the law made by the parliament. In this spirit the parliament is seen to be competent to make any laws. Laws that deprive the citizens of their right to property, liberty, voting, and life among others should be seen as valid so long as they have been passed by the parliament. This is done in faith that the parliament can exercise self restraint and only pass laws that are at par with the moral standards. However, this has not been the case always because some politicians have normally put their own selfish interests at the cost of national interests. The ECHR being an international body helps to regulate such offensive or repugnant laws. The citizens of Britain should advocate against their government withdrawal from the convention. This is for the benefit of regulation of the laws that the parliament may pass. The Human Rights Act of 1998 and its Problems The human rights act of 1998 was drafted on the principle of protection of human rights but reconciled with the sovereignty of the state (UK Government, 2012). Under this act, the parliament may make legislations and the courts may not necessarily quash them on the grounds of inconsistency with the European Convention on human rights. In fact, it is only the higher courts that should interpret the legislations and determine their inconsistency. The higher courts may only declare incompatibility where it is very clear. This act was put forward in order to ensure parliamentary sovereignty. ... an Rights Act of 1998 and its Problems The human rights act of 1998 was drafted on the principle of protection of human rights but reconciled with the sovereignty of the state (UK Government, 2012). Under this act, the parliament may make legislations and the courts may not necessarily quash them on the grounds of inconsistency with the European Convention on human rights. In fact, it is only the higher courts that should interpret the legislations and determine their inconsistency. The higher courts may only declare incompatibility where it is very clear. This act was put forward in order to ensure parliamentary sovereignty. However, the enactment of the act has transformed the constitutional environment in which the parliament’s legislative power exists; the legislative powers have been altered. Three features of the act pose problems to its enactment and goes against the ECHR. The first problem is that the act places the power to interpret whether the acts are consistent wi th convention rights in the hands of the judiciary. This greatly alters the process of interpretation of the legislation. This has two implications; it is rare for legislation properly interpreted to go against the human rights norms. The parliament will always use a clearer and precise language if it wishes to abrogate human rights. The use of clear language draws the attention of public and the parliament. The government may put a strong justification of the legislation to win the public support. This legislation may be infringing on the rights of the people but it may escape the eyes of the judiciary which has been given the ultimate power to determine its compatibility with the rights convention (Elliot, 2002). The second problem is that the minister in-charge of the bill should make a