Monday, January 27, 2020

Role of Magnetic Field in Parkinsons Disease

Role of Magnetic Field in Parkinsons Disease Role of Magnetic Field in Diagnosis and Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease Jehan Zaib Ali Khan, M.Phil. Abstract: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurological disease. It is due to less production of Dopamine in brain. There is no permanent treatment of this disease. But with the passage of time some useful techniques and medicines are developed for diagnosis and treatment, to overcome its signs. MRI and TMS are also included in these techniques. Magnetic Field is basic thing in these techniques. Role of magnetic field is very useful to diagnose and to cure this disease but there is need of further research and work to make these techniques more effective and safe. I have studied and reviewed different researches about these techniques and try to summarize the role of magnetic field in this article. Keywords: magnetic field (MF), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transcranial magnetic simulation (TMS), parkinson’s disease (PD), deep brain simulation (DBS), repeated transcranial magnetic simulation (rTMS) Introduction: Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder. It is very chronic disease. Patients with this disease have great difficulty in movement. They also face non-motor complications like loss of appetite, sleep deprivation and pain. There is no permanent solution of this disorder. But with the passage of time some techniques and medicines are developed for proper diagnosis and treatment to overcome its symptoms. Levodopa is a basic medicine to fulfill the requirement of dopamine because lack of dopamine in brain is the basic cause of this disease. But there are some side effects of Levodopa. Levodopa-induced dyskinesias are a common complication of chronic dopaminergic therapy in patients with Parkinsons disease (PD). The overall prevalence of levodopa-induced dyskinesias ranges from 40%-90% and is related to the underlying disease process, pharmacologic factors, and to the duration of high dose levodopa therapy.[1] In that case another method is necessary to cure PD and overcome d yskinesias. For this purpose artificial week magnetic fields can be used that have dramatic effect.[1] For diagnosis purpose magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is very useful. Another step in this direction is functional MRI which describes the neural mechanism of movement automaticity in PD patient.[2] Magnetic Field and Diagnosis of PD: MRI uses strong magnetic field, radio waves and computers to produce detailed images of interior of body. It gives 3-D image representation of internal parts of body. In this way, it is very useful for diagnosis of PD. MRI scanner contains powerful magnets. A strong magnetic field is created by passing an electric current through the wire loops. During this process, other coils in the magnet send and receive radio waves. This triggers protons in the body to align themselves. Once aligned, radio waves are absorbed by the protons, which stimulate spinning. Energy is released after exciting the molecules, which in turn emits energy signals that are picked up by the coil. This information is then sent to a computer which processes all the signals and generates it into an image.[3] Functional MRI is advance form of MRI. It can be used to investigate the underlying neural mechanisms of movement automaticity in Parkinson’s disease patients.[2] Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become an efficient instrument in the symptomatic therapy of PD. Functional MRI can be used safely for this purpose. Positron emission tomography (PET) is used quite widely in studies dealing with DBS and with PD. fMRI has never used for this purpose but safety of fMRI during thalamic DBS has been proven by a study with a heterogeneous group of patients suffering from neurological disorders.[4] Single pulse transcranial magnetic simulation (TMS) can be used for investigation and diagnosis.[5] Magnetic Field and Treatment of PD: In 1992, it was reported that reported that extracranial treatment with picotesla range magnetic fields is an effective, safe, and revolutionary modality in the management of Parkinsonism. Also for those patients, whom are facing levodopa-induced motor complications. [6][7] It also produces improvements in non-motor aspects like sleep, appetite, pain, mood and sexual behavior. A comprehensive study on a PD patient shows that magnetic field in the range of picotesla is very useful as antiparkinsonian. In this way it reduces the requirement of antiparkinsonian medicines like levodopa.[7] In 2008, Therapeutic effects of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) were investigated by Toshiaki FURUKAWA and others in PD with cognitive dysfunction known as impaired set switching. They apply rTMS on six patients and monitor these patients by using different tests. They applied 0.2-Hz rTMS over the frontal region at an intensity of 1.2 x. They concluded that when combined with drug therapy and rehabilitation, rTMS appears to be useful for maintaining and improving function.[8] TMS basis on principle of inductance to get electrical energy across the scalp and skull without the pain of direct percutaneous electrical stimulation. It involves placing a small coil of wire on the scalp and passing a powerful and rapidly changing current through it. This produces a magnetic field that passes unimpeded and relatively painlessly through the tissues of the head. Magnetic field induces week electrical current and to produce enough current to excite neurons in the brain, the current passed through the coil must change within a few hundred microseconds.[5] Transcranial magnetic simulation is very useful for treatment of this neurological disease but it is not permanent solution. A patient suffering from PD needs this therapy on regular basis. Sometimes medicines are also required besides of this therapy. Therefore there is need of further research and investigation to improve that treatment of PD.[8] Although single pulse TMS is very useful for investigation purposes and rTMS is very useful for treatment but rTMS may be harmful for by kindling effects as well as the past history of possible misuse of electroconvulsive therapy. It can produce adverse effects on human body like headache, effects on hearing, kindling and effects on hormones. Metallic hardware near the coil can be moved or heated by TMS, presence of metal may be harmful.[5][9] Therefore it needs to take some safety measures to control harmful effects of magnetic field. There should use simulation parameters in safe range like duration of rTMS, frequencies and intensities.[5] Future of MF in Diagnosis and Treatment of PD: Magnetic field is very useful for treatment of diagnosis and treatment of PD. But there is need of further improvement of techniques based on the use of magnetic field. These techniques can become most suitable for patients of PD reducing harmful effects of MF. In the future, the long-term therapeutic effects of rTMS, particularly with regard to the frequency, stimulation intensity and rTMS coil-type, need to be investigated Further developments related to the application of rTMS in Parkinson’s disease are expected.[8] Conclusion: Parkinson’s disease is chronic disorder. There are different medicines and techniques for its diagnosis and treatment. For this purpose use of magnetic field and its effects are very valuable. By using appropriate amount of MF one can overcome the symptoms of PD. There are some side effects of its use for diagnosis and treatment. But these side effects can be controlled by taking some necessary steps. It will not be wrong, if I say that by further research and investigation MF can become a good replacement of antiparkinson medicines. References: [1]D. K. Sandyk R , Anninos PA, Tsagas N, â€Å"Magnetic fields in the treatment of Parkinson ’ s disease . PubMed Commons,† vol. 63, p. 1342026. [2]T. Wu and M. Hallett, â€Å"A functional MRI study of automatic movements in patients with Parkinson’s disease,† Brain, vol. 128, pp. 2250–2259, 2005. [3]T. M. Deserno, Biological and Medical Physics, Biomedical Engineering. Springer, 2010. [4]R. Jech, D. Urgosà ­k, J. Tintera, a Nebuzelskà ½, J. Krà ¡senskà ½, R. Liscà ¡k, J. Roth, and E. RÃ…Â ¯zicka, â€Å"Functional magnetic resonance imaging during deep brain stimulation: a pilot study in four patients with Parkinson’s disease.,† Mov. Disord., vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 1126–32, 2001. [5]E. M. Wassermann and E. M. Wassermann, â€Å"Risk and safety of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation,† Electroencephalogr. Clin. Neurophysiol., vol. 108, pp. 1–16, 1998. [6]â€Å"Pulsed electromagnetic fields potentiate neurite outgrowth in the dopaminergic MN9D cell line . PubMed Commons,† vol. 92, no. 6, p. 24523147. [7]R. Sandyk, â€Å"Treatment of Parkinson’s disease with magnetic fields reduces the requirement for antiparkinsonian medications.,† Int. J. Neurosci., vol. 74, pp. 191–201. [8]T. Furukawa, S. Izumi, M. Toyokura, and Y. Masakado, â€Å"Effects of Low-frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Parkinson ’ s Disease,† vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 63–71, 2009. [9]P. M. Rossini, P. M. Rossini, S. Rossi, and S. Rossi, â€Å"Transcranial magnetic stimulation: diagnostic, therapeutic, and research potential,† Neurology, vol. 68, p. 484, 2007.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Boeing 7 Essay

A reverse of this trend is crucial to reach some of the projected sales numbers that Boeing is counting on. There are several factors to these lower numbers. A decrease in business travel has occurred due to cost and the advance of conferencing technologies. And lastly, the weak economy has vacationers thinking of local destinations instead of traveling abroad. Market Share Boeing’s fiercest competitor is Airbus. It is crucial that the new 7E7 delivers on its promise of lower operating cost. This will help command a larger share of the market. This becomes even more important if the economy doesn’t recover as quickly as we hope. The other aspect of the 7E7’s success is the engineering of an expandable wing. Adding this versatility will give the 7E7 owner more options for travel routes. Sensitivity Analysis The following is the sensitivity analysis of the Boeing project which gives optimistic and pessimistic estimates for the underlying variables of volume and cost of sales. The purpose of the sensitivity analysis is to express cash flows in terms of the variables of this project. Boeing had to determine what the decide what the underlying variables were which in this case happen to be development costs and the per-copy costs to build the 7E7. For the project to increase shareholder wealth, Boeing would have to sell at least 2,500 aircraft over a 20-year period. Airbus is a close competitor. They will be coming to market with a new A380. If Boeing falls behind regarding innovation, they may lose their market share. For Boeing to have a future in the aviation industry, they must take the risk to develop this new place. With the economy so volatile, airlines will be looking for options that reduce their operational costs. The 7E7 will do this. The success of the expandable wing will give the plane attractive versatility. Fuel prices are also on the rise, this is yet another reason why a plane with a lower operating cost will succeed in the future The equity market risk premium should equal the excess return expected by investors on the market portfolio. In this case it was calculated to be 7. 14%. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) was calculated to be 15. 443%. For the project to increase shareholder wealth, the IRR of the project should at least equal the WACC. For this to happen Boeing would have to sell at least 2500 airliners in a 20-year period.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Arranged Marriage: Right or Wrong

Arranged Marriages: Wrong or Right? There is a wide spread global dispute about the topic of arranged marriages, many arguing that it is wrong, forced, and inhuman, while others defend them stating that they are socially and traditionally correct with their societies. Both sides fight frivolously and are on complete opposite sides of the argument, but what are the facts? Are arranged marriages right or wrong? Arranged marriages are believed to have been practiced since the dawn of man's existence, and they are still around even today, being practiced in many Middle Eastern and Asian countries (Professor's House).An arranged marriage, as defined by Paul B. Mehndiratta from the Department of Neurology is, â€Å"one where parents choose marital partners for their children. † (Mehndiratta 2007). For the most part, in ancient times, arranged marriages were used to seal a pact between two families, or in larger terms, they were used to seal a pact between countries in which two roya l members were betrothed (History of Arranged Marriages 2007). In countries where arranged marriage is practiced, it is as normal as freedom of marriage is to Americans.It is an age long tradition that happened for a variety of reasons—to bring two families together, to settle a dispute, to pay a debt, or simply just because the parents thought it was best (History of Arranged Marriages 2007)The two who are arranged to be married by their parents feel that they are honoring and respecting their parents by following through with their parents requests, and besides everyone else is doing it too so it's not out of the ordinary. People who live in countries where arranged marriages are traditional don't even know what the freedom of marriage is.And that's not wrong, it is just the way that their society is. Typically when people hear about arranged marriages they think of two people being forced to married each other against their will, solely to benefit their parents—no l ove, just servitude—but that is not always the case. According to Sarosh Abrar, a Hindu writer, there are two types of arranged marriages—love-arranged marriages and pure-arranged marriages. The meanings of each type are easily understood. Love-arranged marriages occur when two eople love each other and their parents accept it and decide to wed them. It is basically like a normal western civilization marriage. Pure-arranged marriages are arranged entirely by the betrothed's parents for whatever reason they feel fit, and they can be arranged at any time, from when they are adults, to when they are simply children and do not understand the concepts of marriage (Abrar, Sarosh). When many people hear of arranging a marriage when the two partners are still children, they think of â€Å"child brides,† and how horrible this is.They keep their minds narrow and only see the negative parts of arranged marriages. To a certain extent, these critics are truthful with what th ey say, but it does not mean that an entire civilization is full of forced marriages and child brides who later become servile slaves to their husbands. There is a large percentage of forced and unhealthy marriages. It is believed that between sixty and eighty percentage of marriages in Afghanistan are forced marriages, and there are also times, of course, then the two who are wedded are not happy or it is an unhealthy relationship.But that does not mean that every marriage in Afghanistan are forced marriages. It does not mean that just because the two who are wedded do not love each other at the time of the arrangement because they are so young won't love each other. Yes, they may be too young, by American standards, but later as their families allow them to spend as much time as they want together and allow them to just grow together, then a strong romantic bond will most likely occur and their marriage will, I believe, be successful.In fact, divorce rates of arranged marriages in countries that support it, are dramatically lower than divorce rates of Americans, who get married because they love each other (Nita 2007) It is as Sarosh Abrar says, â€Å"First comes marriage, then comes love,† (Abrar, Sarosh) Not to say that arranged marriages are more efficient, or better, than non-arranged marriages, I just want to defend the fact that arranged marriages are simply part of their society. It is a century old tradition that is highly respected in the Asian and Middle Eastern societies. But, asAmericans—we see everything that is dramatically different from ourselves, and we disapprove of it and try to change it. We try to â€Å"Americanize† everything around us. We want everyone to dress like us, talk like us, do the same things we do, follow the same traditions as we do—basically conform to our society. Our first target was our own country when we began assimilating the Native Americans, and now we are attempting to â€Å"Americaniz e† the globe. One day, the whole world may be â€Å"Americanized. † And is that a bad thing? America is, after all, the most powerful country in the world.Why wouldn't everyone else want to be like us. Well, the problem is that once everything has been â€Å"Americanized,† there won't be anymore variation in the world—there won't be any diversity. Age-old and beautiful cultures will cease to exist, and everyone will soon conform to one general society. As Chinua Achebe professes in his brilliant book's title–†Things Fall Apart. † Just like in his famous novel, the invaders, America in this case, saw people who were different than them, and they judged them as uncivilized savages.As a result, they imposed their society's rules on them and destroyed the Umoufian's traditions. Already, the arranged marriage culture has become victim of westernization as young Hindu, Muslim, and Asian, women rebel against their parents traditions as they yea rn for independence, as they yearn for the American lifestyle (Tarabay 2008). Parents who only want the best for their children, and who only want to follow the traditions that they were raised upon, are now being faced with teenagers who scoff their traditions and tell them that they are wrong to arrange a marriage for them.And where did these rebellious teenagers get the idea that arranged marriages were wrong? From Americans of course. These teenagers of course respect their parents and want to follow obey their wishes, but as everything in America tells them that arranged marriages are wrong, they become as Jamie Tarabay states, â€Å"trapped between two cultures,† and begin to rebel against their parents wishes with their emotions in full control (Tarabay 2007). Of course if a man or woman feels that they do not want to marry someone, then they should not be forced too.Forced marriages are of course wrong, and should be looked down upon. But arranged marriages that are n ot necessarily forced, are not wrong. They are simply the traditional passage of marriage for certain societies. To many who practice this, it is actually right to them. Who are we to be telling them that there lifestyle is wrong. It is way off base to believe that Americans, and people in general, will stop judging each other and trying to change each other, but it would be amazing if that happened.It is understandable that within the homeland, Americans look down upon arranged marriages because it is not part of our society, but when we extend our judgment to countries where this is practiced and we tell them they are wrong, then we in fact are the wrong ones. If a man or woman feels that their parents know what is best for them and they want to trust them with arranging their marriage, then they should not be told that that is wrong. Similarly, if someone who is being involved in an arranged marriage does not want to actually marry the person they are to be wedded to, then they s houldn't have to either.Basically, people should have the freedom of whether or not they want to arrange their marriage or if they want their parents to. They shouldn't have to deal with the pressure of others' judgment, which might ultimately change their mind. They shouldn't be told arranged marriages are wrong because they aren't. They're just different then how people in America normally get married and that's okay. In other countries, they probably look at our society and deem it as wrong as well. It's just human nature to see diversity and think of it as wrong. If only it weren't so. Unfortunately it is.Unfortunately America will continue to â€Å"Americanize† the world. Unfortunately, one day, the world will probably conform into one society that is accepted by the masses. And maybe one day, that too will change and be seen as uncivilized. Perhaps it is all just just a cycle. Humans have been going through it since the dawn of time—monarchy was socially correct at a time, now it isn't,wearing lavish robes and dresses was at one time socially correct, now it isn't. Maybe arranged marriages and non arranged marriages are just the same—maybe they are just cycles of life that are bound to change in time.Maybe. The world is truly an ever changing place. Resources Abrar, Sarosh. â€Å"First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Love† Aller-Stead Education. Accessed November 6, 2011 http://www. aller-stead. com/martin/pages/FirstComesMarriage. htm Achebe, Chinua 1958. â€Å"Things Fall Apart. † History of Arranged Marriage. 2007. â€Å"History of Arranged Marriage† Nov 21 2007. YGOY Accessed November 5 2011 http://marriage. ygoy. com/history-of-arranged-marriage/ Mehndiratta, B. Paul. 2007. â€Å"Arranged marriage, consanguinity and epilepsy. † Neurology Asia 2007. Accessed November 5, 2011 http://neurologyasia. rg/articles/20073_015. pdf Nita. 2007 â€Å"Divorce rates of the world† A Wide Angle View of India. April 4, 2007. Accessed November 4, 2011 http://nitawriter. wordpress. com/2007/04/04/divorce-rates-of-the-world/ Stritoff, Sheri and Bob. â€Å"Child Bride: The Problem of Early, Forced Marriage. † AboutMarriage. Accessed November 4, 2011http://marriage. about. com/od/arrangedmarriages/a/childbride. htm Tarabay, Jamie. â€Å"Arranged Marriage: Trapped Between Two Cultures. † NPR. Accessed November 6, 2011 http://www. npr. org/templates/story/story. php? storyId=95683604

Friday, January 3, 2020

Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider) Meursault’s...

Meursault’s Indifference in The Stranger (The Outsider) The language in The Stranger (The Outsider) is strikingly simple. The sentences are molded to fit their function. They state what Meursault, the narrator believes. More importantly, their structure conveys Meursault’s feelings. His feelings are a prominent focal point of the novel. With all of the varying emotions and feelings he has throughout the story, there is one general term that can be applied to them all: indifferent. Meursault delights in simple pleasures, but never fully indulges himself into any of his endeavors. He is always reserved, taciturn, lacking an abundance of emotion. The only passionate surge that emanates from his mind and body comes in the form of his†¦show more content†¦In this essay sufficient proof will be presented that M. Meursault was extremely indifferent to things in his life, which eventually resulted in his conviction and sentence. Jurors, Meursaults fellow human beings, had no compunction with sentencing a disinterested and indiffer ent individual to death. Perhaps they considered it helping him along on the path that he had already begun to follow in life. The first prime example of his indifference comes in the form of his inability to admit he loves Marie. It is apparent that in his own way, he truly does love her. He may not love her in the way his culture and society defines love, but for his personality he does truly love her. When she confronts him and asks him if he does love her, he replies that he probably doesnt, but that doesnt really matter anyway. His remark is bathed in unsympathetic indifference, he fails to confess to Marie that he loves her in his own mind, if not in the terms that society proclaims. When he states that it does not matter anyway, what he is really saying is, he has no care in differentiating between the two versions of love. Meursaults indifference is first manifested in his reactions to death. This reaction is elaborately played out with the death of his Maman, a woman and mother he is obviously very affectionate and loving of. This care and love is of course again in his own way, his actionsShow MoreRelated Essay on Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider): Reader Response Criticism2226 Words   |  9 PagesReader Response Criticism to Camus’ The Stranger (The Outsider)  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Stranger (The Outsider), Albert Camus anticipates an active reader that will react to his text. He wants the reader to form a changing, dynamic opinion of Meursault. The reader can create a consciousness for Meursault from the facts that Meursault reports. By using vague and ambiguous language, Camus stimulates the reader to explore all possibilities of meaning. 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