A Deeper Understanding of the Stressors of Psoriasis Professor Ramos Blog

A Deeper Understanding of the Stressors of Psoriasis Society dictates of how beauty should be defined when it comes to how proportionate the person’s facial features are as it fits the golden ratio, and more importantly, how flawless a persons skin has as visibly seen by the eyes of the beholder. Nevertheless, the skin is the first line of defense when it comes to protecting the body from external harsh environment. Skin problems and illnesses are frequently noticeable and visible to others that even a physician can generally diagnose what a person has by looking at the abnormal skin level. The social stigma customarily correlated with different types of skin conditions is hard for people to cope with their skin issues and diseases, as well as negative reaction they receive from others. Moreover, many people suffer from variety of skin problems whether it is hereditary, autoimmune, infectious, environmental, or of unknown cause. Thus, it is the goal of this paper to look into a deeper understanding of one of the prevalent skin d iseases, such as psoriasis, though untreatable, yet can be prevented as long as the underlying causes are known intracellularly and externally. Fig. 1. Healthy skin and skin with psoriasis. â€Å"Growth and Shedding of Keratinocytes in Psoriasis.†Psoriasis Plaque, PubMed Health, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0030407/ Normally, the skin regenerates itself about once a month, or approximately every twenty-eight days (Pagano 18) or 4 weeks as shown in Fig. 1 in a healthy skin (Growth and Shedding of Keratinocytes in Psoriasis). However, in psoriasis, the process speeded up; the skin attempts to renew itself every three or four days instead of the twenty-eight days. The surface area becomes red, inflamed, extremely sensitive, visibly raised, and scaly (19). The word psoriasis is from the Greek word psora, which means â€Å"itch† (Raychaudhuri et al. 61). Psoriasis is a long term, immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID , a disease that lacks definitive etiology) that occurs from the hyperproliferation of skin cells, thus thickening the layer of skin, which causes erythema or redness, scaly silvery plaques, itching, and bleeding. It is genetically inherited from a mother or father who has the disease. Psoriasis is not an unusual disorder; a prevalence of 2%-4%, with a peak incidence between 15 and 25 years age and without sex predilection, has been reported (45). Fig. 2. Common affected areas in psoriasis. â€Å"Main Features of Psoriasis.†Psoriasis E-Chart.HC-HealthComm, loc. 63, hc-healthcomm.com The manifestation of psoriasis can be triggered by many factors. It can be triggered by external and internal environmental factors in genetically susceptible individuals. These factors include infections, drugs such as allergic drug reaction, antimalarial drugs, lithium, beta blockers, interferon alpha, withdrawal of systemic corticosteroids, local trauma (Koebner’s phenomenon), and emotional stress, as these correlates with the onset or flares of psoriatic lesions (Weinberg 11). These lesions are distributed symmetrically and frequently occur on the elbows, knees, lower back, and scalp. These plaques can be intensely pruritic and bleed when manipulated, referred to as Auspitz sign (12). Thus, emotional stress, drugs, and infections can trigger clinical signs and symptoms experienced by psoriatics such as itching, bleeding, and lesion at the more prominent body sites such as the knees, elbows, back, and scalp as shown in fig. 2. Fig. 3. Pathophysiology of psoriasis at a cellular level. â€Å"Evolution of Psoriasis and Immune Factors.† Psoriasis E-Chart.HC-HealthComm, loc. 51, hc-healthcomm.com In many diseases that most people suffer, it seemed psychological distress plays a huge role in the exacerbation of the disease. Doctors and many people believe psychological ‘stress’ to be a major triggering factor in many skin diseases, specifically psoriasis (Shuster 614). The correlation between skin and mind may be a result of the skin’s role as biological structure of transmitting information, and perhaps also the social response to the infectious nature of skin disease in the recent past; consequently a disorder of the skin may have a very severe effect on the mind (615). He infer this is the basis of the erroneous belief that mind is a significant etiological aspect in skin disease. Moreover, he believes that there is a strong proof that both mind and ‘stress’ transform certain skin circulatory and immune responses but in a direction which might be anticipated to improve psoriasis (615). Therefore, based on the belief by many expertise in the field of medicine, psychological stress can worsen psoriasis. There are many cases have been reported that stress can exacerbate psoriasis. Scientific research reports roughly 40% of cases in the beginning or worsening of psoriasis, psychosocial stress has been reported to play an important role (Gupta et al. 166). A few studies have been published that about 80% of patients with psoriasis are stress reactors. Many psychosocial intercessions have been reported to be a vital addition in the typical therapeutic management of psoriasis (166). Based on the study of 127 patients with plaque psoriasis who got admitted to Dermatology inpatient unit, the psychosocial stress measures such as major life events, psychological or personality factors, social support, and minor daily stressful events or hassles were used to evaluate the severity of the disease of psoriatic patients (168). Based on the result of the dermatologic measures that were done, it revealed that the high stress reactors (i.e. stress exacerbates psoriasis) had extensive psoriasis on he ad (face and scalp), neck, upper extremities, and genital area which are classified as â€Å"emotionally charged† because psoriasis in these anatomical parts are more likely to induce emotional reactions in the patients †¦ In retroactive study, the high stress reactors also reported a larger number of flare-ups of their psoriasis during the 6 months prior to admission (170). In this study, the psychocutaneous traits have identified the high stress reactors from the low stress reactors (i.e. less significant link of stress and psoriasis). The high stress reactors had more disfiguring psoriasis because it affected many regions of their body. Aside from what Gupta and his colleagues had mentioned above, another scientific study suggests that stress can cause psoriasis. Based on Al’Abadie et al research on the effects of stressful life events on the beginning and progress of psoriasis, their studies showed that psoriasis patients’ disease is affected by stressful events differing from 40 to 80% based on whether it is an acute or chronic stress, and based on patients self reports or responses based on standardized check-lists (199). They also added that stress can affect the immune system directly through neuroendocrine changes or indirectly through poor healthy habits in regards to diet and sleep, or by taking drugs such as alcohol and therefore lowering their immune system (199). They found that chronic stress of everyday struggles can worsen psoriasis (200). The results of the study supports that the experience of stress may take a significant part in the onset and exacerbation of psoriasis. Many credible researchers continue to emphasize stress as one of the causes of the progression of psoriasis. In the study performed by Griffiths and Richards, they stated that psoriasis suggested as a psychosomatic disorder wherein stress or psychological distress is a cause in expressing the disease. Also, in their article, â€Å"Psychological influences in Psoriasis,† emotional stress was mentioned as the most convincing precipitating factor in psoriasis (338). The result of their study reported over 60% of a sample of psoriasis patients who attended a specialty clinic were convinced that stress was the main reason to the cause of their psoriasis, and this was not related to the clinical severity of their condition as measured by the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) (338). In addition, they also examined the Psoriasis Life Stress Inventory (PLSI) which is another way in rating everyday life struggles or recurring substandard stress associated with having to live with pso riasis. They were able to identify that the two main factors to stress in psoriasis were â€Å"engaging in anticipatory and avoidance coping behavior, and belief of being evaluated on the basis of their skin† (qtd 339). Furthermore, they deduce that if psoriasis patients engage themselves in anticipatory and avoidance coping behavior which is not related to their skin condition, then it might be hypothesized that â€Å"thoughts related to stigmatization and rejection may be influencing such behavior† (qtd 339). In other terms, psoriasis patients are expecting horrible situation when they are not aware that this will actually happen. One good example would be a psoriasis patient will not take her children to a public water park for fear of being asked to leave the premise due to the fact that they have psoriasis even though this might never have occurred to them in the past. They tried to avoid this kind of situation because they feel being stigmatized because of the cl inical condition of their skin. Therefore, emotional or psychological stress of daily struggles with psoriasis manifests the progression of the disease. Fig. 4. Commonly affected areas of psoriasis and types of treatment. Armstrong, April W. â€Å"Psoriasis is a Common Condition Where the Skin Gets Red and Scaly; Psoriasis can Cause Itching, Discomfort, and Sometimes pain.† JAMA Dermatology, vol. 153, no. 9, Sep. 2017, p. 956. There are different types of treatment for psoriasis (see fig. 4). It can be topical medication, phototherapy, biological agents, oral medication, and diet. Though psoriasis can be stress related, having psoriasis self-help groups and group therapy that help the psoriatic patients to deal with the daily stresses related with their disease should be part of the whole therapeutic programs (Gupta et al. 172). The dermatologist should tailor the treatment plan based on patient individual needs since everybody has different and unique biochemical makeup. Though there is no cure for psoriasis, all the possible treatment mentioned above can possibly prevent the onset and exacerbation of the disease. Topical medications are used to treat the symptoms of psoriasis. Salicylic acid, corticosteroids and vitamin D analogues are few of the topical agents used to alleviate the symptoms of psoriasis. Raychaudhuri states that due to increased water loss and increased formation of keratinocytes in the skin, the skin becomes dry and itchy (246). Salicylic acid emollients are applied on the psoriatic skin to moisten the epidermal layer and prevent it from pruritus or itching (246). On the other hand, inflammation of the skin is another symptoms experienced by psoriatic patients. Since psoriasis can be an autoimmune disease, the keratinocytes in psoriasis are not well regulated causing an inflammatory response. Vitamin D has many important roles in immunity and the absorption of calcium according to Fett (163). Vitamin D supplement added in diet of psoriasis patients has a moderate or greater improvement in psoriasis in at least 50 percent of patients in five separate studies that have been r eported (164). Some psoriatic patients who take higher doses of vitamin D supplements completely resolved their disease (164). Vitamin D analogues are used to strengthen the immune system, and it binds to intracellular vitamin D receptors to regulate the genes responsible in the proliferation of keratinocytes and keratin (Raychaudhuri 249-50). The same effect as vitamin D ointment happens when corticosteroid is used to treat inflammation in psoriasis. Corticosteroid, a steroid hormone, is produced in the adrenal cortex regulates inflammatory response. It attaches to glucocorticoid receptor in the cell and regulates the gene responsible in inflammation (248). Therefore, the symptoms of psoriasis such as itching and inflammation can be treated with salicylic acid, vitamin D compounds, and corticosteroid topical agents. Another treatment used to relieve the symptom of psoriasis is by the use of phototherapy. Ultraviolet (UV) light therapy is used as a phototherapy to slow the growth of the affected skin cells in psoriasis (Raychaudhuri 170). Since psoriasis is a T cell mediated disease, the abnormal functioning T lymphocytes attacks the skin cells causing an inflammatory response by increasing the keratinocyte proliferation and keratinization (Dolgin 1219). Thus, with phototherapy, it slows down the process of the T lymphocytes in attacking the keratinocytes. Aside from the topical agents and phototherapy, diet also plays a vital role in the treatment of psoriasis. It is very essential to maintain the proper pH balance in the chemistry of psoriasis patients. Diet assists in the maintenance of a proper acid-base homeostasis of the chemical activity in the body according to Pagano (71). He suggests that psoriatic patients should be on the basic (alkaline) side than the acidic side as nature demands. The body chemistry that is leaning more towards the alkaline is more resistant to all kinds of disease (71). Furthermore, he recommends eating alkaline-forming foods such as raw carrot, celery, beets, parsley, romaine, lettuce, and spinach juice extracts, and avoids acid-forming foods such as strawberries, citrus fruits, citrus juices, and avocados (73-75). He mentions that a person’s blood should be always on the slight alkaline side (pH 7.3-7.5) to maintain the ideal health and immunity (71). Therefore, psoriatic patients should be awar e of their diet to maintain alkalinity in the blood and body chemistry to have a better resistance to disease and strengthen their immunity. Psoriasis is a very serious disease when it comes to the personal well being of a person who suffers from it. Knowing the possible stressors of psoriasis can help psoriatic patient treat its symptoms before its onset and exacerbation. Though the exact cause of psoriasis is unknown, bacterial or viral infections, toxic drugs, and psychosocial distress are few possible stressors of psoriasis. These stressors can cause the skin cell to behave erratically causing itchiness and inflammation of the skin. Many clinical studies have suggested that psychosocial stress can cause the exacerbation of psoriasis. Furthermore, a good mental attitude towards the disease is important to look at because they need a strong support group as they live their life daily with all the struggles they experience with the disease. In addition, different types of treatments such as topical agents (salicylic acid, vitamin D compounds, and corticosteroids), phototherapy (ultraviolet light), and diet are used to tr eat itching, inflammation, and other symptoms of psoriasis. Diet plays a very important role in alleviating the symptoms of psoriasis as long as the body chemical atmosphere is within the alkaline side for it aids a person from being resistant to diseases and increase its immunity. A deeper understanding of the stressors of psoriasis can help many people to win their battle with psoriasis. Al’ Abadie, M. S. et al. â€Å"The Relationship Between Stress and the Onset and Exacerbation of Psoriasis and Other Skin Conditions.† British Journal of Dermatology, no. 130, 1994, pp. 199-200. The article discusses the relationship between stress and beginning and progression of psoriasis. Dr. Mohammed Sami Al’ Abadie has worked in Dermatology since 1989, obtaining his PhD in Dermatology from Sheffield University, DSBD Diploma in Dermatology from University of Wales, working as a consultant Dermatologist since 1997. He is also a senior lecturer and visiting professor of medical students from Birmingham University, and has published numerous specialist papers in peer review journals in Dermatology. The article is important to utilize in the research paper due to one possible cause of psoriasis is stress. Armstrong, April W. â€Å"Psoriasis is a Common Condition Where the Skin Gets Red and Scaly; Psoriasis can Cause Itching, Discomfort, and Sometimes pain.† JAMA Dermatology, vol. 153, no. 9, Sep. 2017, p. 956. The article talks about common symptoms experienced by psoriatic patients. Dr. April W. Armstrong is an Associate Dean of Clinical Research at Keck School of Medicine at USC. She also serves as Director of Clinical Research for the Southern California Clinical and Translational Research Institute. In the Department of Dermatology at USC, she serves as Vice Chair, Director of Clinical Trials and Outcomes Research, and Director of the Psoriasis Program. The article is very useful in knowing the symptoms of psoriasis. â€Å"Evolution of Psoriasis and Immune Factors.† Psoriasis E-Chart.HC-HealthComm, loc. 51, hc-healthcomm.com The article accounts for the pathophysiology of psoriasis and anatomical areas affected by psoriasis. The information provided by this article can be helpful in knowing what really is going on at the cellular level in psoriasis. Fett, Rebecca. Healing Arthritis and Psoriasis by Restoring the Microbiome: The Keystone Approach. Franklin Fox Publishing, 2018, pp. 163-164. The author helps us understand the root causes of the autoimmune diseases, for instance, the psoriasis. She affirms, based on scientific research, that the balance of bacteria in an individual’s microbiome can have a huge impact on inflammation throughout the body. She also reveals the importance of a low-starch and microbiome-restoring diets for people who are suffering psoriasis. The author is a science writer with a degree in molecular biotechnology and biochemistry from the University of Sydney. She previously spent ten years as a biotechnology patent litigation attorney in New York, where she specialized in analyzing the scientific and clinical evidence for immune-targeting biologic medicines. I will use this source to support my research paper regarding the connection or roll of diets in psoriasis. Griffiths, C. E., and Richards, H. L. â€Å"Psychological Influences in Psoriasis.† Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, no. 26, 2001, pp. 338-339. The article explains how patients with psoriasis experience psychosocial activities like high anxiety level, depression, worry and avoidance of social activities. It also suggests that one of the main sources of stress experienced by patients with the said skin condition is due to apprehension of how others will react to their disease, which leads to avoidance behavior and extreme worrying. C. E. M. Griffiths OBE (Order of the British Empire) is Foundation Professor of Dermatology at the University of Manchester, Director of the Manchester Centre for Dermatology Research and Head of the Dermatology Theme of the National Institute for Health Research Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. He is also an Honorary Consultant Dermatologist at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. On the other hand, H. L. Richards of Mercy University Hospital, Cork is also a researcher with an expertise in Positive Psychology, Health Psychology, and Clinical Psychology. I will use this source to get more inf ormation between the relationship of psoriasis and stress. â€Å"Growth and Shedding of Keratinocytes in Psoriasis.†Psoriasis Plaque, PubMed Health, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMHT0030407/ Gupta, Madhulika A. et al. â€Å"A Psychocutaneous Profile of Psoriasis Patients Who Are Stress Reactors: A Study of 127 Patients.† General Hospital Psychiatry, vol. 11, no. 3, May 1989, pp. 166-173. PubMed, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0163-8343(89)90036-4. Gupta and his colleagues have identified some psychocutaneous distinctiveness that clinically differentiates psoriatirc who report that stress aggravates their disease (high stress reactors) from the psoriatics who do not report a considerable relationship between stress and their psoriasis (low stress reactors). The high stress reactors have more distorting illness as result of severe psoriatic flare ups in â€Å"emotionally charged† body parts. Madhulika Gupta is a scientist and affiliated at Division of Maternal, Fetal Newborn Health, Children’s Health Research Institute, and assistant Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and Biochemistry in the Schulich School of Medicine Dentistry in Western University. She is a very credible author that I can utilize in my research as it relates to the stressor of psychosocial influence to the exacerbation of psoriasis. â€Å"Main Features of Psoriasis.†Psoriasis E-Chart.HC-HealthComm, loc. 63, hc- healthcomm.com Pagano, John O. A., D.C. Healing Psoriasis: The Natural Alternative. John Wiley Sons, 2009, pp. 18-19, 71, 73-75. Dr. John Pagano defines in his book what is psoriasis and its etiology. He discusses the importance of diet and mental attitude in overcoming psoriasis. He also reveals how acid-forming diet, stress and any negative emotions such as hatred, anger, fear and the likes can aggravate the psoriatic condition. The author is a chiropractic physician in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, for forty eight years. His motivation to conduct research on and study psoriasis is due to His first encounter with his psoriasis patients while doing his internship at a hospital in Denver has motivated him to conduct research on psoriasis to alleviate the suffering of the people with the said disease. He wants to prove that psoriasis and other skin problems or diseases can be controlled and healed naturally. I strongly believe that the author is a reliable source and his book will be able to help me on my research paper to validate some claims and answer questions regarding the causes of psoriasis, and how it c an be treated. Raychaudhuri, Siba P. et al. Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis: Pathophysiology, Therapeutic Intervention, and Complementary Medicine. Taylor Francis Group, 2018, pp. 37, 61, 170, 246, 248-250. The authors present information on pathophysiology, disease epidemiology, and genetics of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. They cover the current treatments for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, which includes topical preparations, light therapy, and the idea of total care. In addition, they discuss the numerous nutriceutical supplements and functional foods available for psoriasis and its accompanying inflammatory conditions. Siba P. Raychudhuri, MD, FACP, FACR, is the chief of the Rheumatology Division at the VA Medical Center in Sacramento, California, and a senior faculty in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the University of California, Davis. Smriti K. Raychaudhuri, MD, is a professor of medicine and medical microbiology at California Northstate University College of Medicine. She is also the director of the Cellular and Clinical Immunology Research Laboratory at the Sacramento VA Medical Center, California. Lastly, Debasis Bagchi, PhD, MACN, C NS, MAIChE, is the chief scientific officer at Cepham Research Center, Piscataway, New Jersey; a professor in the Department of Phamacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, Texas. I will use this source to explain the pathophysiology of the disease process of psoriasis. Shuster, Sam. â€Å"Stress and Psoriasis.† British Journal of Dermvatology. vol. 100, no. 5, 1979. pp. 614-615. The article discusses the relationship of stress and psoriasis. Dr. Sam Shuster is a British dermatology educator, consultant, and researcher. He is an honorary consultant at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital since 2009. Consultant on various pharmacological and chemical industries worldwide, television and radio programs on medical and general topics. The article provides information about how stress affects psoriasis. Weinberg, Jeffrey M. Treatment of Psoriasis. Birkhauser, 2008, p. 11. The book expounds the pathopysiology of psoriasis and the triggering factors of it. The author describes, as well, the different types of psoriasis like erythrodermic psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, inverse psoriasis, nail psoriasis, oral psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis. He also discusses the different ways to treat psoriasis- oral therapy, topical therapy, UV and laser therapy. Furthermore, he points out some medications that can trigger psoriasis. The author is a Dermatology specialist in Forest Hill, New York. He attended and graduated from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1993. This book will be helpful to fully understand the disease process and treatments

The Lute Player and Le Mezzetin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Lute Player and Le Mezzetin - Essay Example The essay "The Lute Player and Le Mezzetin" compares two paintings, â€Å"The Lute Player† and â€Å"Le Mezzetin†. Caravaggio painted The Lute Player for the Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte as part of family collection for the Del Monte estate. The madrigal text visible to the spectator is written in Franco-Flemish language, which must have been influenced by the preference of the patron. For a time, many experts were confounded about the authenticity of this painting after several copies surfaced. It was found that there were three Lute Player paintings, the one that came from the Del Monte Collection, the Hermitage and Badminton House versions. These painting all depicted a boy playing a lute as he sings a madrigal, a Baroque song, about love. Some details differ according to versions. For instance, the last two versions have flowers and fruits in them and the text in the madrigals are visible. The number of authentic copies is attributed to Caravaggio’s sty le of copying his own work, polishing or simply copying a replica. Often this results in better executed imagery in latter copies as the paintings have new elements added. The historical background of Le Mezzetin, on the other hand, is quite simple and brief. It was just one of Watteau’s paintings commissioned by his friend and patron, Jean de Jullienne. Hence, the painting or any artistic intentions and motivations must have been confined or intended for this fact. As some historical account revealed, Jullienne was an important part of Watteau’s life.

Call Center Report- from a cultural perspective (includes Essay

Call Center Report- from a cultural perspective (includes communication) - Essay Example The organization acquired necessary property for the call centre and a number of key management employees having British citizenship will supervise the call centre. A UK based company extended the business into the finance and insurance sector with a banking and finance division which was incorporated with around 50,000 customer accounts in mid 2000s. Overtime it became costlier to provide services to the customers; hence to achieve financial savings – in 2011, a decision was taken as part of the five-year strategic plan to open an inbound call centre outside the UK; afterward Manila, Philippine was chosen. The aim of this call centre is to achieve financial savings as well as the benefits of outsourcing while providing satisfactory services to the customers of the company. This report is being prepared to achieve the following objectives: Manila is one of the most energetic and diverse cities of Asia. This city is an extensive mass of humanity, acutely reflecting long heritage of cultures and classes. Straddling the Pasing River’s delta, the Philippines’ capital is actually a group of cities fused into one. There are plenty of highlights in each sub city within Manila. Almost all sorts of life-style facilities and entertainments are available in this city, a number of world’s biggest shopping-malls are in Manila. Depending on the interest of the people vibrant nightlives attract the tourist to Manila (Margaret W. Sullivan, â€Å"The Philippines: Pacific Crossroads†). In the Philippines call centres were started with the services of email responses and relevant managing services. These centres have the capabilities managing and maintaining all types of customer care, customer relations including technical support, travel services, education, financial services, business to business support, business to customer

The Impact Of Gothic Revival Architecture History Essay

The Impact Of Gothic Revival Architecture History Essay Term Gothic is used to describe a style of European Architecture which began in France in the late twelfth century. It dominated building design in Europe until the sixteenth. The wealth and power of the church at that time provided the money and the inspiration to build great churches and these are most common, though not the only, kind of Gothic building which also includes civic buildings, university buildings, hospitals and town houses. The Gothic style uses certain architectural design patterns to enable the creation of soaring spaces lit by numerous large windows. Romanesque architecture before the Gothic age had used thick walls to bear the structural load of a building. An important characteristic of Gothic building was to treat only narrow portions of the walls as load-bearers, enabling the rest of the wall to be punctured by windows. Buttresses (Fig.1) were also widely used, further reducing the need for thick walls and allowing spaces of great height to be achieved. Windows were normally pointed which enabled them to be larger and higher than curved-arch windows, thus giving more light and, with the use of stained glass, colour to the interior (Fig.2). The major characteristic of a Gothic church is its height, both real and proportional and the main body of a Gothic church will most often show the main central part of the church(called the nave(Fig.3)), as considerably taller than it is wide. It is important to note that in addition to providing a greater flexibility to architectural form that the pointed arch also directed ones gaze to heaven. Religion was the major driving force for the masons and carvers who created these great buildings they exercised their talents in the service of God . Great example of Gothic feature is The South Rose Window installed in 1260 at the Notre-Dame Cathedral which was laid in 1163 in Paris, France. Its transept depict Triumph of Christ surrounded by apostles, martyrs, the wise and foolish virgins and the story of Matthew from 12th century. It was designed by Jean de Chelles, and is dedicated to New Testament. The South Rose Window which is the largest one reached 12.90 metres in diameter and, if you include its bay, a total height of nearly 19 metres. This window has been damaged several times. It is complete replica of the original. (Fig.4). This south rose window is dominated by strong hues of purple and the jambs have a definite vertical and horizontal thrust. Cathedrals, abbeys and churches made the style popular and its main features which include the pointed arch (Fig.5), the ribbed vault (Fig.6) are also evident in many palaces, castles and universities, with the style seeing something of a revival during the 18th-19th centuries when many more structures in the above categories were built in the Gothic style. The Gothic revival was a reaction to the classical revival and has had significant influence  as well as on the continent of Europe, in  Australia  and  the Americas. Re-awakening was led by John Ruskin and Augustus Pugin. This continued throughout the 19th century gradually replacing classical styles which were then prevalent. Both of these men who put forward the idea of the gothic revival saw the movement not simply in structural terms, but also in religious and spiritual terms. Those who supported the Gothic Revival held the view that religions had produced their own supreme architectural that best expressed their ethos and spirit. They believed that Renaissance architecture was pagan because it sought its influences from the heathen temples of Rome. Only Gothic architecture was accepted to represent the Christian Faith by Ruskin and Pugin. Ruskin, Pugin, and the others who backed the revival of the Gothic style were revolting against the mechanization of the industrial revolution. The ideas they had ultimately led to the Arts and Crafts movement with its roots firmly in the Gothic style. The greatest example of authentic Gothic Revival is the Palace of Westminster (The Houses of Parliament) which was rebuilt by Sir Charles Barry and A.W. Pugin. In 1836-37, he wrote The Poetry of Architecture, serialised in Loudons Architectural Magazine. This was a study of cottages, villas, and other dwellings which centred around a Wordsworthian argument that buildings should be sympathetic to local environments, and should use local materials. For Ruskin, Gothic was the architecture of free craftsmen, he was against classical architecture because of its aim for perfection and for its demands upon the men who were required, as slaves to build it. Their work being a natural and noble activity where the result might not have a perfect machine finish but it was an honest creation. This notion of natural and honest imperfection was called Savageness and was very influential in the Arts and Crafts movement. Ruskin believed also that rather than follow rigid style human should dictate how buildings were designed and craftsmen should be free to adapt and to change. This principal of Changefulness was also an important influence on Arts and Craft s thinking. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was the most influential English ecclesiastical architect of his day and the principal theoretician of the Gothic revival Pugin Gods Architect (1812-1852) Born in London, propagandist, and Gothic designer, A. W. N. Pugin father of of  E. W. Pugin  and  Peter Paul Pugin, and early assistant to, Augustus Charles Pugin the producer of pattern books of Gothic building, such as  Examples of Gothic Architecture  (1831). His vision was not only applied on one field of design. From Pugins architectural practice who led him to produce stained glass, metalwork, textiles and jewellery. . After his conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1835 Pugins propaganda campaign began with the publication, of his  intemperate  Contrasts  (1836) Pugin gave it architectural expression through comparison medieval with modern, classically inspired buildings of contrast between the unity and goodness of the middle Ages. He argued that since gothic was an expression of a Roman Catholic society, only such a society could produce true gothic and he continued that in Pugins  The True Principles of Pointed or Christian Ar chitecture  (1841) explained the Gothic as a rational he announced there the two great rules for design defined the real nature of Gothic that there should be no features about a building which are not necessary for propriety, construction or convenience. Second rule that all ornaments should consist of enrichment of the essential construction of the building. Buildings Designed by AWN Pugin in the South-east of Ireland include; St Aidans Cathedral (pic.), Enniscorthy; St Peters College, Wexford; St Michael the Archangel, Gorey and the Parish churches of Tagoat and Barntown, all in County Wexford Charleville Forest Castle (pic8) is considered as a one of the finest Gothic Revival buildings. It was built in 1798 by Charles William Bury and is Located in County Offaly, in the Midlands of Ireland. Charleville Castle grew from paper doodles in early 1798, and was designed by Francis Johnston and he was one of the leading architects of the day. The construction of the castle took fourteen years. In main rooms of this Castle you can see spectacular ceilings (pic9), Great Stairs, the Great Room the Morning Room, the Red Room, the Library, and other rooms now open to visitors which can see also gardens around the grounds.  Rooms feature original architecture, impressive stucco and plaster work, stained glass windows, hand turned woodwork and more. Within the dining room, the ceiling owes its look to the talented  William Morris, who stencilled it in the late 1860s. Charleville Castle can be described as a quite compact building (unlike many gothic rambling castles built by the Vi ctorians) with castellations and towers. There is also small Gothic Chapel in the main part.   In 1971, Michael McMullen came into possession of the castle and began restoration works, now the Castle is owned by American Bridget Vance. It is known for generations as one of the worlds most haunted Castles and which was abandoned in 1912 and through the War for Independence. Legends say the castle was built  on the site of an ancient druid burial ground. Conclusion From my research, Gothic architecture of the past and Gothic Revival of Irish Architecture, are inter-linked and yet distinctive. Architecture has always been about design and enhancing the beauty, shape and style of the buildings around us. Even as far back as the twelfth century the Gothic movement was aimed at enhancing buildings egg. Churches which were possibly the most important types of Gothic revival architecture in Ireland. This was achieved by using large stained glass windows which were fascinating in their ability to carry a story of Religious significance. The Gothic era of that time insured that these windows were to be made bigger which in turn would have made more inviting to not on locals but to visitors to the area as well. On a local level it would be very hard not to refer to.

Company strategic plan Essay

According to company strategic plans, the company aims to achieve a net profit before tax of $1,000,000. The chief risks to this goal are: ââ€" poor sales due to economic downturn ââ€" increases in expenses such as wage expenses. In addition to Australian operations, the company is considering manufacturing overseas to take advantage of reduced costs. The company is also considering diversifying its product range to reduce exposure to poor sales of one product. Role You are the manager of Sales Centre A, based in Adelaide. The centre has achieved great success over the last year and consistently outsells other sales centres. In fact, due to the large number of accounts managed by your sales team and larger staff, your centre is expected to sell as much volume as the other two sales centres put together. Naturally, you expect cost allocations to reflect the both the needs and importance to the business of Cost Centre A. Task A The Sales General Manager, Sam Gellar has asked you to review the master budget and cost centre budgets prepared by the Senior Accountant. She would like you to meet with her to discuss the whether the budget projections are achievable, accurate, understandable and fair. She would like you to look at the budget for your cost centre closely, note any changes you think are necessary, develop an argument for the changes and negotiate those changes with her. Information you are aware of includes: ââ€" Sales in the first quarter (Q1), second quarter (Q2), and the fourth quarter (Q4) are generally 30% less than Q2. ââ€" Sales in Q2 depend on completion of 90% of repair and maintenance. ââ€" Commission negotiated with members of the sales team is now at 2.5%.

Genetically Modified Foods Essay

Introduction The world is slowly running out of food. Impoverished people have nowhere to turn. Biotechnology researchers think they have found a way to reverse the world famine. This way is through genetically modified foods which are foods that come from genetically engineered organisms. Examples of such organisms are sheep, cows, and fish. However, since it is a new invention, it is being met with harsh and legitimate concerns. While it may help the world’s food crisis, it may also do that at the expense of human health. Moreover, In the 90’s in the USA, the Food and Drug Administration decided that genetically modified food was safe and did not require special regulation. They stated that is was, â€Å"not inherently dangerous. † (FDA, 1998). This allowed genetically modified food such as soybean oils and tomatoes to enter the market. There are lots of ideas about the GMF. Some scientists say that it is no harmful affects of GMF and it may be a solution for scarcity of food and even it is healthy. However, some others say that GMFs are dangerous for public health. And It can damage biodiversity. Genetically modified foods may be a good solition to increase the amount of food. The problem is there are lots of people go to sleep hungry everyday and the number of hungry people is getting bigger. And International Food Policy Research Institute state there are â€Å"120 devoloping countries† which are very close to limit of hunger and â€Å"57 of which with a serious or worse hunger situation. †(Global Hunger Index, 7) The reason of this hunger is there is not enough food to feed them and because the world population is getting higher but the areas which use in farming are getting smaller. Farmers could not find suitable area to plant their crops. That is why, They have to find a different solution to be productive. Conko argues that biotech agriculture is the method by which we can increase agricultural productivity without resorting to increases in harmful chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. In the Genetic Modification it says that genetic modification provides a means to confer resistance to broad-spectrum herbicides into crops where current weed control is considered difficult. In this way, farmers can be more productive and they can get more product on their fields. â€Å"In the United States, in 2002 about 5. 5 million farmers in 145 nations were planting more than 145 million acres worth of GM crops. † (Conko) On the other hand, genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops might have a negative impact on biodiversity. Genetically Modified crops have an impact on birds and insect. A crop plant modified to be toxic to insect pests can have a direct harmful effect on non-target insects if they eat the plant. It can also have an indirect effect by reducing the insects that are a food source for other wildlife, such as farmland birds. Genetically Modified crops that are tolerant to herbicides could also lead to a reduction in weed populations that act as refuges for beneficial insects, and those that are eaten by birds. This process takes time because of this GM crops evaluate as a good solution but it can destroy the biological diversity. And US conservation organization Royal Society,founded in London In 1660 is a learned society for science, support it. They state that the likelihood of the spread of Genetically modified into the wild populations, the risk of superweeds being produced, the impact Genetically modified introductions might have on the colonies of micro organisms living in the soil and how such risks can be assesed and analysed. Also John Innes Centre, Founded in England is an independent centre for research and training in plant and microbial science, state that Monarch butterfly larvae fed only on leaves covered in pollen from Bt corn grew more slowly and suffered higher death rates and pink bollworm fed on cotton producing the Bt toxin. Aphids fed on Genetically Modified potatoes producing a different toxin were also reported to have a harmful effect on ladybirds feeding on the aphids. Genetically Modified crops can be beneficial for health in terms of their food value. Foods include lots of vitamins which are necessary to our body. In early days, our foods were full of vitamins, proteins, carbohydrate and they were occupied with value. However, now there are not enough foods which are full of value. Because there are lots of environmental factors like global warming which causes to summers takes long time, and scarcity of water, and also some pests. These factors effect the crops and farmers have to use pesticide and this cause to decrease food value. And it leads lots of health problems. And the one of the most important health problem is Vitamin A deficiency. This is the cause of at least â€Å"1 million childhood deaths† each year and is â€Å"considered the single most serious cause of blindness amongst children† in the developing countries. â€Å"A possible solution to this problem is the genetic modification of rice. † ( Potrykus, quoted inGenetic Modification) Although GM foods are benefical for the food value, in some circumstances, it can be very harmful for human health. Without too much control eating genetically modified food can be dangerous and it can lead lots of diseases like Eosonophil Myalgia Syndrome. In this debate, the Physicians and Scientists for Responsible Application of Science and Technology, is a website to educate the general public about genetic engineering in general and foods, revealed that After eating a food supplement produced by genetically engineered bacteria, â€Å"37 persons were killed 1500 people were permanently disabled† in the US in a disease called Eosonophil Myalgia Syndrome. It was caused by one or more extremely poisonous substances that unexpectdedly appeared in this food supplement. This accident confirms the predictions of molecular biologists that genetic engineering can cause the appearance of dangerous unexpected substances. As a Conclusion, there are lots of arguments in the GMF. Maybe It can be a solution for lots of problems, maybe it can be invention of the this century. I think, however, without too much researching about GMF we cannot use it to gain profit. Because human health is important than anything. We have to more careful. In the future, After very deep research about the GMF, we can solve the sustanibility problem. Works cited â€Å"Chapter 8: Genetic Modification. † Agricultural Pollution. 193-211. n. p. : Taylor & Francis Ltd / Books, 2002. Environment Complete. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. â€Å"Genetically Modified Plants and the Environment. † Royal Society Submission to the Government’s GM Science Rewiev. The Royal Society, 1 May 2003. Web. 31 Mar 2013. . â€Å"New evidence indicate that genetic engineering was the cause. † Most important news. PSRAST, 06 Jan 2007. Web. 31 Mar 2013. . U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page. Web. Conko, G. The benefits of biotech: as the world’s population grows, environmental stewardship will require science to find ways to produce more food on less land. Regulation, 26(1), pp. 20-25. Print. Spring 2003. Ringler, Claudia ,Rosegrant, Mark W. , Olofinbiyi, Tolulope, Wiesmann, Doris, Fritschel, Heidi, Badiane, Ousmane, Torero, Maximo, Yohannes, Yisehac, Thompson, Jennifer, von Oppeln, Constanze, Rahall, Joseph, Von Grebmer, Klaus, Claudia, Ringler Global Hunger Index. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 2012. Print. â€Å"Impact of growing GM crops on biodiversity. † John Innes Centre. Norwich Research Park, n. d. Web. 18 Apr 2013.

The Ideas of Socrates - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1031 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/08/07 Category People Essay Level High school Tags: Socrates Essay Did you like this example? In the Apology, Socrates mentioned how according to the Oracle at Delphi, he is the wisest among all men. Unlike most people Socrates did not gloat about this pronouncement; instead, the statement that no one was wiser than him only pushed him to think critically and pursue evidence that would prove or disprove that statement. In this paper, I will be arguing about how Socrates challenged the Oracles judgment that no one was wiser than him because he did not believe that he possessed much wisdom at all. Socrates believed that everything should be open and subjected to constructive criticism and that the truth should be followed wherever it may lead even if that meant disproving that he was not the wisest person to exist. He was committed to pursue the truth and wisdom through rational investigation. Although Socrates did not believe that the wisdom he possessed was worth much, he did believe that his special wisdom consisted in his ability to stimulate and guide others in the philosophical exploration of profound questions (Chaffee 2.1). Socrates loved to engage in a process of investigative and disciplined question and answer format to probe and draw out insightful reflections and conclusions about a particular issue or subject. In the society he was a part of, people would merely take things that are said to them as gospel; Socrates had a different approach. He believed that people should put the things said to them to the test. He proposed that people should always constructively criticize the things they think they know by treating them each skeptically until they can clearly determinate the ones that stand up to attentive and deep scrutiny. This method of question and answer and challenging peoples belief system is known as the Socratic method, and this is the method that Socrates used to pursue and attain greater knowledge; therefore ,increasing his wisdom. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Ideas of Socrates" essay for you Create order The Socratic method is precisely what Socrates used to go about disproving the Oracles statement. According to Chaffee, as soon as the Oracle made the pronouncement that he was the wisest man he started thinking critically and asking himself questions like what does no one is wiser mean? He thought about the veracity of the statement since he did not believe that [he is] so wise? He also though at about how he could go about determining how accurate the statement was (2.1). These questions sent Socrates on an experimental exploration in which, using his Socratic method, he interviewed those who were recognized as the wisest in Athens. One person he interviewed was a politician. In his conversation with the politician, Socrates was able to give a thorough examination of him and what he realized was that although in many peoples opinion, and especially in his own, he appeared to be wise, in fact he was not (Apology 50). Socrates questioned many other, so called, wisest people and he re ached the same conclusion that those people thought to be wise are unable to articulate their ideas with clarity, logical soundness, and compelling rationale (Chaffee 2.1). These people who everyone thought to be wise certainly believed that they had already achieved and completed their search for wisdom, but Socrates detected a sense of narcissism and an air of arrogance in them which he believed constrained their search for wisdom. At the end of his investigation/inquiry, Socrates reached the conclusion that he was not necessarily the wisest man, only that he is a little wiser than others because he recognizes his lack of true wisdom (Chaffee 2.1). Socrates believed that we all have our own core identity which he calls the true self or soul. Our soul is our authentic selves, it is the source of [our] deepest thoughts and highest aspirations, the unique life force that shapes and defines itself through choices made on a daily basis (Chaffee 2.3). Everyone has goals, that may be different from each other, that they want to achieve in life but there is one goal that we universally want to achieve and that is happiness. There is a clear and defined path to seek and achieve happiness. The people who are able to be truly happy [in life] are those who are virtuous and wise, who live reflective, examined lives and strive to behave rightly and justly in every area of their lives (Chaffee 2.3). However, this path is not chosen by the majority of people, many people go through life being unhappy and miserable. The reason for that is because they chose to not pursue virtue and wisdom. Instead they chose to dedicate their lives to accumulat ing material possessions, indulging themselves in mindless pleasure, enlarging their reputations and inflating their egos, and using their relationship with others to further their own interests (Chaffee 2.3). These people are just going through the motions of living, its as if they are sleepwalking. They do not indulge in actually living life and asking themselves deep and important questions that require them to have insightful and thoughtful self-reflections about how they can better improve their soul or true self. Socratess discovered that the people in his society barely posed themselves or others those deeper questions like who they are and what is the meaning of their life because they were too busy living to wonder why they were living or developing a profound understanding of who was doing the living (Chaffee 2.3). As humans we are able to think critically, so we should not live our lives unproductively, instead we should examine all areas of our lives and critically exami ne them so that we can achieve our full potential and reach true happiness. In conclusion, Socrates never took anything at face value. He always treated everything skeptically, and critically examined them until they could stand careful scrutiny. He was able to do that by using the Socratic method which helped him pursue the truth and wisdom wherever they may lead him. Wisdom and knowledge are sometimes thought to be synonymous but Socratess quest proved that being wise is not a matter of having knowledge, but wisdom is having the awareness that our knowledge is limited. To be wise, we need to have the strength and bravery to admit that we know next to nothing.