False Advertising Essay -- essays research papers fc

False Advertising Nowadays television and the advertising displayed in it is a part of everyday life in most households. What many people do not know is that television in many ways is bad. Numerous articles have been written on this. Many surveys and books have been written on this subject as well. The ads in television are what are especially bad. Some television ads are misleading. Countless articles have been written on false advertising on television. Most of these articles target specific instances of fraudulent behavior, but some do address the television industry as a whole. These articles for the most part seem to be complaining about politicians (more so than the advertisers themselves) and the fact that "it is not politically palatable"(Miller) to make more stringent laws against fraudulent advertising. This means that politicians are not willing to make stricter laws for fear that they might come back to haunt them later. It is that topic that seemed to come up most in articles on false advertising. Surveys have also been conducted to tell the amounts of "fraudulent" ads being seen on television and how they fluctuate from year to year. In the past ten years television ads which make fraudulent claims have "gone down significantly"(miller). This is in part due to several new laws which have been established. It is doubtful however that much more stringent laws will be put ...

The Controversy Over the Electoral College System Essay -- Politics Po

The Controversy Over the Electoral College System A number of Americans fail to realize that when they vote they are not voting for the president and vice-president directly, but for electors who then cast their ballots in the Electoral College. Until the recent battle between Gov. George W. Bush and Vice-president Al Gore for the presidency, this new generation of American voters has never witnessed a controversial election. Historically, there have been problematic elections allowing voters to question this system. The Electoral College is now a process open to criticism and debate, specifically because many do not understand its origin or purpose today. On November 7, 2000, Election Day, I was excited to become an official voter. Considering myself mature, responsible, and finally of age to vote, I had mailed my registration, received my voter’s card, ready to become a participant in one of the most crucial events of the year. I was a faithful supporter of my candidate, crossing my fingers in hopes of victory. That night I watched CNN, eating my dinner and sipping a Diet Coke when the station announced Al Gore had won Florida, which held twenty-five electoral votes. Two hundred and seventy are needed to win, and presidential candidates Bush and Gore had switched leads all night. Each state held a close percentage ranging from an average 2-6 percent difference in votes between candidates. Florida had been anticipated as a Republican victory, which led to disappointment among Republican voters when its electoral votes were awarded to Al Gore. I continued to watch as each state was announced and electoral votes were awarded to either candidate. About an hour later, Florida became â€Å"too close to call† and CNN among other st... ... situation may cause discouragement in some voters, but in others motivation to become a participant in voting for entrusted electors to select our next president. Between the presidential candidates, whomever wins among this controversy should be respected and relied upon to reunite a divided country. Americans must have faith in a system that despite its flaws works and has set us apart from other nations in our freedoms and rights. Works Cited Best, Judith A. The Choice of the People? Debating the Electoral College. England: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1996, pgs. 43-44. Glennon, Michael J. When No Majority Rules: The Electoral College and Presidential Succession. Washington D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 1993, p.20. Schmidt, Shelley, and Bardes. American Politics and Government Today. Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1999, pgs. 325-327.

The Life-Threatening Experience :: essays research papers

I was a freshman in high school and invited to the biggest party an underclassman could attend. I had no reason to think that attending this party would put me in a life-threatening situation. I thought the party would be exciting and fun. Instead, it turned into a night that ends so tragically. One Friday night some friends and I decided to attend our high school's football game. Upon arriving, the stadium was already covered with overjoyed, and exciting fans. During the game, there was excited chattering about the party. Everyone was talking about going. Finally, the game was in the last seconds of the fourth quarter,a nd oru team was winning. The crowd was all fired up. When the game endend, everyone stampeded to theri cars and headed to the party leaving the once filled stadium deserted. When we finally arrived to the party, I could feel my body trembling with excitement and nervousness. It was a couple minutes after 10 pm and the party was already jumping off. Wehn entering the main room, you could see people dancing, clowning, and just having a good time. Althought the room wasn't that big, I begin to dance and enjoy myself as well. All of a sudden a fight broke out. You would have thought someone screamed free food the way everyone was running. People were falling all over the place trying to avoid the fight, but no one would break it up. When the fight was brought to a halt, everyone was ordered to leave. Everyone was stumbling trying to get out the house and to their cars, until one of the guys fighting decided the the issues wasn't resolved. He pushed his way back into the house, pulled out a gun and begins shooting. I was so close that I could hear the bullets flying by my ears, and I could see the sparks from the gun. I couldn't move; it was like someone turned my knees into the off position. Suddenly, I was pulled to the floor for protection. The shooting finally stopped. Everyone raced to their cars as if they were in a marathon. Out of nowhere, a low-pitched scream was heared. Two of my friends were found bleeding due to bullet wounds to the head.

Potential Of Coconut Water as Source of Electricity Essay

One of the major problems in our country is energy shortage. There are many methods and proposals on how to conserve it such as the use of batteries. One of these is an electrolytic cell. It contains an electrolyte through which an externally generated electric current is passed by a system of electrodes (electrically positive electrode is called the anode and the negative electrode the cathode) in order to produce an electrochemical reaction. Such a reaction involves the transfer of electrons between two electrodes immersed in an ion-conducting medium – the electrolyte. A batter unit is often referred to as a cell. Electrolytic cells have many practical uses, including the recovery of pure metal from alloys, the plating of one metal with another, and the manufacture of chlorine and sodium hydroxide.1 Coconut (Cocos nucifera) water contains a variety of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, growth factors, and other nutrients. Coconut water is a good source of the major minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium. It is particularly rich in potassium, an essential nutrient; one 8-ounce cup of coconut water has more potassium than a banana. It also contains a variety of trace elements such as zinc, selenium, iodine, sulfur, manganese, boron, molybdenum, and others. These are derived from volcanic soils and seawater from which the coconut palms are grown. All of these minerals are in the form of electrolytes so they are easily absorbable by the human body. Many of the health benefits attributed to coconut water can be traced to its mineral content.2 With this information, the researchers decided to test if coconut (Cocos nucifera) water is feasible as an electrolyte to conduct electricity to contribute for lessening the energy shortage that we had encountered. B. Statement of the Problem This study aims to know if coconut (Cocos nucifera) water can be a source of electricity. Specifically, the study seeks to answer the following questions: a. How much voltage can be obtained in the coconut (Cocos nucifera) water; b. Is the coconut (Cocos nucifera) water has enough current to lighten a LED light; and c. Is there any similarity between the coconut (Cocos nucifera) water and vinegar as electrolyte in conducting electricity in terms of: electrical voltage ability to light LED Light price being environment friendly C. Objectives The main objective of this study is to make use of coconut (Cocos nucifera) water as an electrolyte for electrolytic cell. To support the main objective, the sub-objectives are as follows: a. to know the capability of coconut (Cocos nucifera) water as an electrolyte in generating electricity; b. to make an alternative for expensive commercialized electrolytic cell; and c. to lessen the waste because coconut water are usually just thrown away by the vendors. D. Hypothesis There is a significant difference between the coconut (Cocos nucifera) water used as an electrolyte and the vinegar for electrolytic cell in terms of voltage measured. E. Scope and Delimitation of the Study This study only focuses on how coconut (Cocos nucifera) water can be a source of electricity. The study will be conducted from November 2009 to August 2010 at First City Providential College Laboratory, City of San Jose Del Monte Bulacan. The equipments needed were coconut water, vinegar, beakers, electrodes and the multitester. The beakers will be borrowed at the FCPC’s Laboratory. The coconut water will be collected from Tungkong Mangga Wet Market. F. Significance of the Study Electricity is not an unlimited resource but must be generated through various means. Just as a decade ago, the Philippines suffered from energy deficit. The energy supplied by the power plants did not reach the level of demand for electricity means that electricity must be efficiently used to avoid another crisis in the future. The problem of energy shortage is not merely a matter of building more power plants since they do not only offer energy solutions but also cause environmental problems. To lessen the problem about that the researchers wants to test if coconut (Cocos nucifera) water can be a source of electricity. In this study the community and the environment will be benefit by this because it is organic and affordable. G. Review of Related Literature G.1 History of Coconut The English name coconut, first mentioned in English print in 1555, comes from the Spanish and Portuguese word coco, which means â€Å"monkey face.† Spanish and Portuguese explorers found a resemblance to a monkey’s face in the three round indented markings or â€Å"eyes† found at the base of the coconut. On the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean, whole coconuts were used as currency for the purchase of goods until the early part of the twentieth century. Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm, botanically known as Cocos nucifera, with nucifera meaning â€Å"nut-bearing.† The fruit-bearing palms are native to Malaysia, Polynesia and southern Asia, and are now also prolific in South America, India, the Pacific Islands, Hawaii and Florida. The light, fibrous husk allowed it to easily drift on the oceans to other areas to propagate. The coconut fruit has many food uses for its water, milk, meat, sugar, and oil. It also functions as its own dish and cup. The husk was burned for fuel by natives, but today a seed fiber called coir is taken from the husk and used to make brushes, mats, fishnets, and rope. A very potent fermented toddy or drink is also made from the coconut palm’s sap. Coconut oil, a saturated fat made from dried coconut meat, is used for commercial frying and in candies and margarines, as well as in non-edible products such as soaps and cosmetics. Although it takes up to a year for coconuts to mature, the trees bloom up to thirteen times a year. Fruit is constantly forming, thus yielding a continuous harvest year-round. An average harvest from one tree runs about 60 coconuts, with some trees yielding three times that amount. The coconut’s name is a bit of a misnomer, since it is botanically classified as a drupe and not a nut. It is the largest seed known.3 G.2 Coconut Water Physical Properties The coconut seed contains a white, fleshy part which is edible and used fresh or dried in cooking. Coconut meat, a soft, pudding like meat provides an excellent source of lauric and caprylic fatty acids which is known for being antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, boosting the immune system and killing off intestinal worms. This meat is high in raw protein, enzyme-rich, easy to digest and contains all the essential amino acids. What makes the coconut water more effective is when we turn the water and meat from young green coconuts and ferment it with kefir grains to turn its natural sugar into a probiotic. It has shown to alkalize the body very quickly so cravings for starches and sugars are replaced for cravings of healthy foods like vegetables. The young green coconut has adequate natural minerals and a high quality raw protein which are valuable for growth and repair of the body. Coconut water is the liquid endosperm inside young coconuts. As the coconut matures, this liquid largely becomes absorbed into the flesh found in mature coconuts. Coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, especially in Tropical Asia and Trinidad and Tobago, where it is available fresh or bottled. It is naturally fat-free and low in food energy (16.7 calories or 70 kJ per 100 g). Due to its sterility, pH, mineral, and sugar content, coconut water had been successfully used as liquid in intravenous therapy in emergency situations. Coconuts for drinking are packaged and sold in many places. These are typically Thai coconuts whose outer green husk has been removed, and the remainder wrapped in plastic. Coconut water can also be found in regular cans or tetra paks (and often with coconut pulp or coconut jelly added) and is also marketed as a sports drink because of its high potassium and mineral content, which helps the body recover from rigorous exercise. Chemical Properties The cavity of the coconut is filled with â€Å"coconut water† containing sugars, fiber, proteins, anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals. Young coconuts have more ‘water’ and soft, gel-like meat, and mature coconuts have firm meat and less ‘water.’ The coconut water provides an excellent isotonic electrolyte balance, and an exceptional nutritional food source, which is why it is used as a refreshing drink throughout the humid tropics. Also it contains essential minerals from land and sea to adequately hydrate and nourish the body. In fact, during the Pacific and Vietnam young green coconut water was siphoned directly from the nut to give emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers.4 Coconut water is more nutritious than whole milk; it has no casein and a good balance of magnesium and calcium. It is rich in Vitamin C, acts as a natural diuretic and helps cleanse the liver and kidneys. It reduces problems for infants helps with GERDS, failure to thrive and other intestinal disorders such as indigestion, colitis, gastric ulcers, and diarrhea. It serves as an antioxidant, scavenging many types of destructive free radicals and protecting hemoglobin from nitrite-induced oxidation. Chelating properties the coconut water contains â€Å"gold: and â€Å"silver† and sulphurated proteins which is crucial to detox mercury and other heavy metals out of the cells and membranes, also it makes a certain â€Å"tension on the surface† which solves the heavy into a solution. Also it has certain fatty acids and sulfur holded amino acids to attach to the mercury. He said it is really water which contains a nature’s â€Å"trick†. The following are the major chemical constituents of coconut water: Sugars Sugars in the forms of glucose and fructose form an important constituent of the tender nut water. The concentration of sugars in the nut water steadily increases from about 1.5 per cent to about 5 – 5.5 per cent in the early months of maturation and then slowly falls reaching about 2 per cent at the stage of the full maturity of the nut. In the early stages of maturity sugars are in the form of glucose and fructose (reducing sugars) and sucrose (non-reducing sugar) appears only in later stages which increases with the maturity while the reducing sugars fall. In the fully mature nut approximately 90 per cent of the total sugars are sucrose. Vitamins and Minerals Tender coconut water contains most of the minerals such as potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorous, iron, and copper, sulphur and chlorides. Among the minerals more than half is potassium the concentration of which is markedly influenced by potash manuring. Tender coconut water being rich in potassium and other minerals plays a major role to increase the urinary output. It contains both ascorbic acid and vitamins of B group. The concentration of ascorbic acid ranges from 2.2 to 3.7mg per ml, which gradually diminishes as the kernel surrounding the water begins to harden. Protein Coconut water contains small amounts of protein. The percentage of arginine, alanine, cysteine and serene in the protein of tender coconut water are higher than those in cow’s milk. Since it does not contain any complex protein the danger of producing shock to the patients is minimized.5 Analysis of Mature and Tender Coconut Water G.3 Vinegar History of Vinegar The Babylonians used it to preserve foods and as a seasoning for their food. We have record of the Greek using it to preserve foods and Roman soldiers made a beverage used as they travelled. Not much has changed with our use of vinegar, we still use it to preserve foods and season with. The name comes from the simple compounding of 2 words by the French and probably not uttered pleasantly. When a cask of wine got a crack in it and became exposed to air they most likely uttered †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦vin ..aiger †¦.which means ..sour wine. Uses Vinegar is an acid with a low ph. So many germs and virus are killed with it. Michael Mullen a spokesperson for him Heinz Corporation says that straight 5% vinegar will kill 80% of the germs and virus. Heinz says they can’t make the claim on the bottle that it kills bacteria because of the EPA laws. If you do the research though you will find that the claims are sound. Here are some other ailments that people use vinegar to help heal. Relieve mild arthritis pain, cure a stomach ache, dissolving warts, relieving itching from mosquito or bug bites, soothing sunburn pains, relieving a sore throat, jelly fish stings, these are only a few, there are hundreds of applications used by many even in the health field. It is said that vinegar is also very versatile for cleaning and sanitizing. Keeping a spray bottle of straight 5% distilled vinegar is useful to clean and disinfect many things. You can sanitize your cutting board and spray hard to clean kitchen appliances that have many nooks and crannies that come in contact with bacteria. Also spray on door handles, and all the bathroom fixtures to disinfect. Its odor dissipates fairly quickly. Buying distilled vinegar in a gallon bottle is very economical. Toothbrushes can be boiled for a minute in vinegar to kill germs. You can also kill molds and fungus. Spraying feet helps prevent athletes’ foot.6 Physical Properties Vinegar is mainly a dilute aqueous solution of acetic acid and this is reflected in its physical and chemical properties. It’s the product of two biochemical processes. These processes are alcoholic fermentation and acid fermentation. Alcoholic fermentation converts natural sugar to alcohol. Acid fermentation converts alcohol to acid via microorganisms, which are present in the air, we breathe, called acetobacter. The acid part of vinegar is what gives it its sour taste and its antiseptic (germ killing) properties as well as its cleaning properties. Vinegar isn’t simply a dilute solution of acetic acid. Depending on the fruit or other organic starting produce and the amount of processing, it can contain varying amounts of minerals, enzymes, vitamins, fibre and other organic compounds. But these are just minor components of the vinegar, even though they are all major contributors to its flavour, colour, aroma and overall nutritional benefits.7 Chemical Properties The pH of vinegar depends upon how much acid is present, but most commercial distilled white vinegars contain 5% acetic acid and have a pH of about 2.4. To put that in perspective, the following table compares the pH of vinegar to some other common solutions: G.4 Battery Characteristics There’s more than one way to make a battery light up several bulbs at the same time. For example, you can connect the bulb in a kind of chain, one after another, or ‘in series’. In a series circuit the current from the battery passes through the first bulb, then through the next bulb and so on.8 The battery produces the current by pushing electrons along the wires, the stronger the push, the more electrons flow along the wire each second. The current heats the thin wire inside the bulb and makes it glow brightly. The strength of this push is measured in volts. The word â€Å"volts† comes from the name of the Italian who invented the first battery.9 An electric current is a movement or flow of minute particles called electrons. Normally, electrons are attached to an atom and circle round its central nucleus in orbits- just like artificial satellites orbiting the earth. A current of electricity must have a completely unbroken path, or circuit. If we could follow a current as it flowed along a wire we should eventually arrive back at our starting point.10 The electromotive force or EMF develops between the electrodes and if they are connected by a wire a current will flows. All such cells have a limited lifetime because the oxidation or reduction process reaches completion. The EMF of a cell depends on the chemical composition of the electrodes and the electrolyte not on how large it is. The size of a cell does, however, affect its capacity. Large electrodes and a large capacity- it will continue to produce current for a longer time. The current it is able to deliver depends crucially on the size and separation of the electrodes. A cell with large electrodes close together has a low internal resistance and is consequently capable of delivering larger current.11 G.5 Related Studies In the past few decades, there has been a marked advance in the development of technology especially in the field of electromagnetism. Different ways of consuming and conserving of energy in our daily life such as the use of the power plants, an alternative source of energy (renewable and non-renewable energy) and also the use of batteries are all innovated. Batteries in all of the studies gives more benefit especially in times of energy insufficiency. The following are some of the studies conducted to search for a new material to conduct electricity and new alternative batteries: Kamias and Tamarind as Electrolyte for Dry cell Batteries They used kamias and tamarind to produce electrolyte for dry cell batteries. Kamias and tamarind are citrus fruits so it contains many electrolytes. Citrus Fruits as Multi-cell Battery Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons are excellent conductors. They don’t produce much energy on their own but if you utilize a few of them in a series within the circuit, you can produce enough electricity to power a light bulb. This creates a multi-cell battery, which makes the citrus fruits electricity more powerful and practical. Copper Sulfate as Electrolyte The electrodes used are copper and zinc. Results and findings showed that the solution generated 0.7V, that didn’t light a 1.2V bulb. Potato as Source of Electricity The study is conducted by using potato as a source of electricity. Through copper and zinc electrodes, juices generate electricity. Results and findings showed that it generated 1.2V. But it didn’t light up the miniature bulb; instead, it lit up the lEd as substitute for the bulb. Sawdust as Electricity The project of light-generating electricity with the used of sawdust was developed by the researchers at the N.E. Bauman Moscow State Engineering University which can generate a 10 kilowatts of electricity. The installation is not only cost-efficient. It also contributes to saving the environment. Using this model, you can generate electricity from waste-perfect for farms that never run out of vegetable waste and wood. The result in an even more economical cycle of resources, something that both a farmer and Mother Earth would appreciate. Alipuina galanga as an Electrolyte for Wet Cell Batteries Unknown to many, langkwas (Alipuina galanga) is a highly acidic plant, with 48 percent methyl cinnamate as its active ingredient. Because of its acidic properties, the researchers tested langkwas’ effectiveness as an electrolyte in wet cell batteries. Chapter 2 Methodology A. Materials The materials used in the experimentation are coconut water, copper wire (positive electrode), and galvanized nails (negative electrode), plastic cups as containers, beakers for measurements, multitester for getting the voltage, alligator clips to connect the circuit, LED light and calculator for testing, masking tape to hold the electrodes and vinegar as the control. B. Procedure a. Preparations of Coconut Water Coconuts were first collected. The water was obtained from the coconut. When the coconut water is now collected from the coconut it will be strained using a clean cloth to remove the impurities. The filtered coconut water would then serve as the electrolyte for the modified electrolytic cell. b. Preparation of the Electrolytic Cell The electrolytic cell battery used coconut (Cocos nucifera) water as electrolyte. A pair of electrodes was placed on each beaker and connected in series circuit using the wire. Each beaker represented one electrolytic cell, and once it was connected in series with another cell, the potential difference produced increased. C. Determining the Potential Difference Produced The potential difference was measured using multitester. The positive and the negative terminals of multitester are attached to the electrodes submerged in the 200 ml electrolyte. Then the reading from the multitester was recorded. D. Treatment To determine the feasibility of coconut (Cocos nucifera) water as electrolyte over vinegar electrolyte, eight experimental setups were prepared. The first setup had one cell; the second setup had two cells; the third setup had three cells; the fourth setup had four cells; the fifth setup had five cells; the sixth setup had six cells; the seventh setup had seven cells; and the eighth setup had eight cells. (Setup means one vinegar electrolyte and one coconut ((Cocos nucifera) water as electrolyte battery). All setups differed only in the number of cells. Having different number of cells was important to be able to see the consistency of the potential difference produced by both coconut (Cocos nucifera) water and vinegar electrolytes. E. Statistical Analysis To know whether there are differences among the treatments, a technique called T-Test was done. This technique was used to test whether the coconut (Cocos nucifera) water can be a source of electricity. The test of the hypothesis was done at 0.05 level of significance and the critical value of 2†¦ The null hypothesis is accepted if the T-calculated

Clostridium Difficle Infection In Health-Care Workers Essay

According to Bouza (2005), Clostridium Difficile is a bacillus that is gram positive and forms spores. Its main mode of distribution is the environment whereby it also colonizes 3-5% of all healthy adults without causing any symptoms that can be noticed. At infancy, clostridium difficile colonizes between 2% and 70%, but the rates decrease with advancement in age and falling to about 6% when the infant grows to two years. Above the age of two, the rate of clostridium difficile is much similar to that of an adult, around 3% (APIC, 2008). The strains responsible for the production of clostridium difficile are characterized by their ability in the production of both toxins A and B. The most common and rampant symptom of CDI is diarrhea that is not always bloody, but can range from the soft and unformed stools to the watery and mucoid stools. Other outstanding symptoms include abdominal pains and fever and cramping in others. Clostridium difficile spores are highly resistant to destruction by most of the environmental agents and conditions. Their resistance can go as far as resisting some of the chemicals used in disinfection (Zanotti-Cavazzoni, 165). Therefore, this gives clostridium difficile the ability to survive for months or longer in the environment and even in healthcare facilities and the surrounding community. Mainly, the spread of clostridium difficile is through the transfer of spores from a contaminated environment to the patient, or perhaps through the hands of health care givers who do not follow proper hygiene and gloving practices. The only proper control measure that can be adopted is the thorough disinfection and cleaning of the patient’s environment and also through the physical removal of the spores. In recent decades, there has been a recorded increase in the number of reported rates of clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD). There has also been a recording in the increase in the number of outbreaks accompanied by severe disease and also an increase in mortality. The increase in CDAD is mainly characterized by the following; changes in the use of antibiotics, a change in infection control practices or the emergence of new strains of clostridium difficile that have increased virulence or antimicrobial. It is also important to comprehend the life cycle of clostridium difficile in order to understand how to control it and if possible, prevent it. Its life cycle begins in the spore form whereby they are because they are resistant to heat, antibiotics or even acid. In a hospital setting, clostridium difficile can be found in bedding, medical equipment, and furniture and on the caregivers. Upon ingestion, the spores pass through to the intestines whereby they germinate and later colonize the colon. Studies have indicated that this bacterium colonized about 21% of patients who are in the process of receiving antibiotics and at the same time admitted to a general hospital. Through the release of both toxins A and B, clostridium difficile later induces diarrhea and colitis. However, the major risk factors associated with clostridium difficile are advancement in age, hospitalization, and antimicrobials. There are two major reservoirs of clostridium difficile in the healthcare setting, which are humans (asymptomatic and symptomatic) and inanimate objects (medical equipment and furniture). The level of environmental contamination depends primarily on the severity of the disease of the patient. However the asymptomatic colonized patients should be regarded as the potential primary source of the contamination. Clostridium difficile infection is more rampant among the elderly in the society. The main reasons for this are not fully, but it can be attributed to the fact that the elderly patients have a much less effective barrier to infection. The importance of having age as a risk factor is characterized by the age distribution in lab reports as was received by CDSC during the research period of 1990-1992. Results showed that there was a bias for adults over the age of 65 and they were more susceptible to having severe cases of clostridium difficile infections. There have also been suggestions that clostridium difficile is endemic in facilities that are considered long-stay for the elderly. However, other studies indicate that the difference in the endemic nature of clostridium difficile may be as a result of case mix whereby patients are from other facilities whereby the infection rate was high. Also, clostridium difficile is endemic in many of the long-stay facilities because the elderly t end to stay longer in the acute wards than the other younger generations. Therefore, their increased risk of infection is attributed to the increased exposure to antibiotics and nosocomial pathogens. There are several patient care activities that provide a rife opportunity for the fecal-oral transmission of clostridium difficile (CDC). Such activities include; sharing of electronic thermometers that have been used for measuring rectal temperatures, oral care or suctioning whereby the hands or equipment have been contaminated, administration of contaminated food, medication or with contaminated hands and emergency procedures like intubation. Other factors like poor hand hygiene, improper environmental and equipment cleaning and disinfection have also been reported as a cause for infection and spreading of clostridium difficile. It has been rubber stamped that the environment is the major medium of spreading for clostridium difficile whereby it has been spread so widely that that it is impossible to point out a single location that has not been contaminated. However, the environment of the infected patients is rifest with clostridium difficile, for instance, the toilets, floors, si nks and linen. Despite disinfection, clostridium difficile spores are found to exist longer than five months. Prevention and control of clostridium difficile is the responsibility of every individual who is aware of its existence. Therefore, prevention measures must be endorsed by everyone, and especially in care giving facilities whereby individuals are more likely to spread the infection. Standard precautions refer to those practices at work that are applied to every person regardless of their confirmed or perceived infectious status. Standard precautions are the front line in the war against clostridium difficile. They help control the rate of infection from person to person, even in the most prolific risk scenarios. They include; hand hygiene before and after contact with the patient, the safe use as well as disposal of sharps, the use of protective equipment and the processing of reusable medical equipment. The proper handling of linen, safety in the management of waste as well as aseptic non-touch technique should also be in the standard precautions to be implemented in hospital facili ties. However, when the first line of defense does not seem to work efficiently, there should be a backup plan in place. Thus, when standard precautions do not seem to do the job, transmission based precautions should be implemented. These are additional work practices for individually identifiable situations that are put in place to interrupt the transmission of clostridium difficile. These precautions are tailored to specific infections and their mode of transmission. They include; continued implementation of standard precautions, having patient dedicated equipment, proper handling of equipment, enhanced cleaning and disinfection of the patient’s environment and the restriction of patients within the facilities. Since healthcare settings differ greatly in terms of their day-to-day functioning, it is hard to come up with a management proposal that would fit all facilities. Therefore, all healthcare facilities should conduct infection prevention risk assessment on a regular basis alongside adoption of detailed protocols and processes for infection control. In acute care setting, personal protective equipment should be provided for nurses and visitors outside the room of a patient who has confirmed clostridium difficile infection. Healthcare givers should use gloves and gowns in order to prevent further spread of infection. Conducting effective hand hygiene is necessary for limiting the spread of clostridium difficile. They should be performed frequently and with the following considerations; should be performed using the Four Moments of Hand Hygiene, should be performed at the point-of-care using a dedicated staff sink or the use of hand wipes that have been impregnated with antimicrobials or alcohol and soap. In acute care setting, especially where the elderly are residing proper care has to be considered primarily because they are more susceptible to infection (Rupnik, 2007). One such measure of preventing clostridium difficile infection is placing the suspected or confirmed patients with CDI in a confined room that has dedicated toilets, sinks and personal equipment. Moreover, there is little need for special treatment for linen in an acute setting for both confirmed and suspected patients. Linen for symptomatic and asymptomatic patients should be in the same way. The soiled linen should be carefully. For example, it should be placed in a no-touch receptacle in order to avoid contamination of both the environment and the persons around. In cases of outbreaks, routine infection control measures are of grave importance in order to prevent the spread of the clostridium difficile infection to patients who have not yet been affected. The antibiotic policies have to be monitored as well as their compliance in order to successfully control the spread of infection. Hand washing procedures should be followed to the latter by any person who is in contact with infected patients such as doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and students. Nurses present challenges in combating clostridium difficile outbreaks especially because of the necessity to create a homely environment for the patients. This means that they have to constantly check in with the patients and therefore they become constantly at risk of infection themselves in proper precaution is not taken. For patients in the elderly acute care wards, the surroundings are also tailored to ensure a comfortable stay in the hospital. Therefore, their soft furnishings and carpeted floors provide a challenge in cases of outbreaks. For instances like this, preventive methods of combating the spread of clostridium difficile have to be implemented. One such measure that should be used during cleaning is steam. Although the heat does not kill the pathogen, it helps in the containment of its spread. Patients are also susceptible to contracting infection from the care devices used in the hospital. Such devices include electronic thermometers or glucose measuring devices. These devices are in constant use and may be used by a variety of patients. These devices are with pathogens derived from body fluids. Thus it is important to have measures in place to sterilize these devices especially more thoroughly in times of outbreaks. Another piece of communal apparatus used in wards is the linen, clothing, uniforms, lab coats and isolation gowns. Because clostridium difficile is commonly in the environment and can last for more than five months, these pieces of clothing are always in contact and possible contaminations are likely (Dubberke, 17). However indirect contact of such clothing comes from bedpans, toilets and sinks of patients who are either suspected or confirmed to be infected. The presence of soiled linen is also an area of importance that should be looked into carefully. Because bed linen is in hospitals and wards, they should be cleaned and sanitized before they can be issued to a different patient. In order to help combat the spread of clostridium difficile, the CDC has come up with the Spaulding classification system, which identifies three risk levels that are associated with surgical and medical instruments (Michel, 1095). These levels are; critical, semi-critical and noncritical. Critical items include needles, indwelling urinary catheters and intravenous catheters. These are the items that normally enter the sterile tissue, the vascular tissue or through which blood flows. Based on one of the accepted sterilization procedures, the equipment has to be sterile before penetrating any tissue. Semi-critical items include thermometers, electric razors and podiatry equipment and they are as those that touch mucous or skin which is not intact. They require meticulous cleaning and thereafter followed by high-level disinfection. Disinfection is done using a chemo sterilizer agent that is approved by the FDA. In conclusion, clostridium difficile has been on the rise in recent decades and it is only through proper prevention and control measures that it can be. Since it can live in an environment in spore form for up to five months, it poses a challenge in terms of containment. On the other hand, the elderly are more susceptible to clostridium difficile primarily because of their low immunity and their prolonged stay in hospitals. However, with proper care, chances of outbreaks can be kept at a minimum and more lives can be through prevention instead of cures. References DelmÃÆ' ©e, Michel. â€Å"Clostridium Difficle Infection In Health-Care Workers.†Ã‚  The Lancet  334.8671 (1989): 1095. Print. Dubberke, Erik. â€Å"Strategies for prevention of Clostridium difficile infection.†Ã‚  Journal of Hospital Medicine  7.S3 (2012): S14-S17. Print. â€Å"Patient Cloth Chairs and Clostridium difficile Outbreak.†Ã‚  American Journal of Infection Control  37.5 (2009): E102-E103. Print. Rupnik, Maja.  Abstract book: Clostridium difficile : organism, disease, control & prevention. s.l.: [Organizing committee ICDS], 2007. Print. Zanotti-Cavazzoni, S.l.. â€Å"Analysis of an outbreak of Clostridium difficile infection controlled with enhanced infection control measures.†Yearbook of Critical Care Medicine  2010 (2010): 164-166. Print. â€Å"clostridium difficle.†Ã‚  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 Mar. 2013. Web.  30 Apr. 2014. http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/organisms/cdiff/Cdiff_infect.html Source document

The Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to avoid their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling Minnesota Wild tonight at Air Canada Centre. Don't miss a moment of the action live on TSN, beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. You can also talk hockey and get game updates with TSN. ca's Game Night blog. The Maple Leafs had won a season-high four straight games before losing regulation decision against Buffalo, the Rangers and Ottawa. It is Toronto's fourth three-game slide of the year, but the first one with all three losses coming in regulation. Toronto, which is three points behind Florida and Pittsburgh for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, hasn't dropped four in a row since an 0-3-1 stretch from Nov. 26-Dec. 2 of last season. The Wild have also lost three straight (0-2-1) and are just 2-10-4 in their last 16 trips to the ice. Minnesota is currently ninth in the Western Conference with 51 points after leading the NHL with 43 points on Dec. 10. Toronto scored the first two goals in Tuesday's game against visiting Ottawa, but the Sens scored three unanswered goals and Craig Anderson made 37 saves to lift the visitors to a 3-2 decision. Joffrey Lupul and Matthew Lombardi scored for the Maple Leafs, while James Reimer made 18 saves in his first start since December 31. â€Å"We let them hang around,† Lombardi said. â€Å"They took advantage of their opportunities and stuck with it. We got away from our game a few times and it bit us in the end. † Toronto has lost the first two tests on a five-game homestand and is 12-7-4 as the host this season. The team will look to Jonas Gustavsson in goal this evening, who is 0-2 with a 3. 03 goals-against average and . 91 save percentage in his last two outings – a lose to the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. Minnesota, meanwhile, played Tuesday night in Philadelphia and was dealt a 5-1 setback by the Flyers, who went 2-for-6 on the power play and outshot the Wild, 34-26. Former Flyer Darroll Powe supplied the lone goal for Minnesota, while Josh Harding surrendered five goals on 34 shots in the loss — the 10th in row on the road for the Wild. †Å"Bad things happened to us when we were in first place and we were winning a lot of hockey games [because] we overcame them. Right now we let those affect us in a very negative way,† said Wild head coach Mike Yeo. Minnesota is just 10-11-4 as the visiting team this season and is completing a four-game road trip tonight. The Wild's last road win came on Dec. 10 at Phoenix and the club is 0-8-2 as the guest since then. Tonight's tilt marks the one scheduled meeting between the Wild and Leafs this season. Toronto posted a 3-0 win in St. Paul last year and has taken six of the nine all-time meetings in this series. The Wild earned their first-ever win in Toronto when the clubs last met at the ACC on Nov. 10, 2009.

Human recourses professional map (HRPM) Essay

Briefly summarise the HRPM (i.e. the 2 core professional areas, the remaining professional areas, the bands and the behaviours) comment on the activities and knowledge specified within any 1 professional area, at either band 1 or band 2, identifying those you consider most essential to your own (or other identified) HR role Human recourses professional map (HRPM) The CIPD in HRPM In general sets out how HR adds value to the organization. It describes standards of professional competence for organization. Each and every HR practitioner must know their organization inside out and truly understand it. Also they have to know the main ways in HR expertise and set the behavioural skills. This allows us to then turn the knowledge into action. The two core areas of HRPM apply to all professionals. Insight Strategy and Solutions explains how to develop actionable insights and solution, which are adjusted to a deep understanding of business. Using personal experience I will develop understanding of the organization and its context. To achieve this I will have to do series tasks, which include tasks like using relevant information and articles to build and widen understanding of new initiative and practices and generalist areas of Human Recourses. To spot potential opportunities and risks for organization I will collect, collate and analyse data in one of the professional area I am interested in -Performance and reward (Band One) I would analyse data and performance and reward information on individuals or groups and advise colleagues to aid decision-making. I will collect all information and feed in ideas and observation from reward functional and performance surveys to my colleagues and others to influence policy, process and decisions. Also I would have to provide all the relevant information, data (analysis and insights from reward data to support development of reward plans and strategy) Help employees understand their role in change, the reasons for it and the results that are expected by Providing data and analysis regarding market positioning. Support the delivery and evaluation of planned one-off and on going people programmes and projects. Keep records of identified risks and plans to mitigate against them Collect,  collate and analyse project metrics, data and report back on key Promote the value of diversity and inclusion in all activities Support employees and managers to apply people policies consistently and fairly. Provide accurate and timely information, data and advice to managers and employees on oganisation’s people policies and procedures and employment law Recognise team and organisational culture and its impact on activity To develop understanding of the organization and its context organisational purpose, key products/services and customers Relevant press relating to the organisation Basic financial and non-financial performance information on the performance of the organisation The sector context in which the organisation operates; legal and market factors that impact performance. Significant issues within the organisation’s environment which impact you and others around you, for example economic, social, political, environmental conditions Diversity and inclusion initiatives and activities within your area The way the organisation, and/or functions   and teams are structured and managed The governance and decision-making processes guiding how you deliver A sense of how things really work in the organisation and the barriers to change The capability and skills that are needed within the organisation How the 10 professional areas in this Map combine together to create an overall human resources offering to the organisation Knows or can access relevant law, in relevant local and international jurisdiction Where to access external information on HR or specialist area good practice and thought leadership. Project management principles and practices How a strategy and in-year operating plan relate Group and individual responses to change. How to collect and provide information required to support business cases and monitor budgets Leading HR is important for professionals even if they are not in leading role as is important that they grow and develop in this area which provide active, insight- led leadership. They can do that by driving themselves, others and activity in organization. The other eight segments identify the activities and knowledge that are required to provide specialist support. *Organizational design ensures that the organization is well design to deliver its objectives and that structural change is effectively managed. *Resources and Talent Planning is making sure that organization identify and attract key people who are able to create competitive advantages. *Performance and Reward builds a high- performance culture by delivering programmes that recognise and reward critical skills, capabilities, experience and performance. Ensures reward system are equitable ( fair) and cost effective. *Employee Relations ensures that the relationship between an organization and its staff is manage appropri ately within clear frame work and that relevant employment law, policies, procedures, communications, negotiations and consultations are followed. *Organizational Development is  making sure that the work force deliver strategic ambition. Ensures that an organization culture value, environmental support enhance its performance and adaptability *Learning and Talent Development ensures people at all levels posses and develop skills, knowledge and experiences to fulfil organizational ambitions. *Employee engagement ensures that all aspects of employment experience, the emotional connections, that employees have with their work, colleagues and organization is positive and understood. *Service and Delivery Information ensures that the delivery of HR services and information to leaders and employees within organization is accurate, timely and cost effective. HR data manage professionally The CIPD in HRPM model out eight behaviours which describe how work activities should be carried out. They are: Collaborative (people skills), Courage to Challenge (Confidence to speak out), Driven to Deliver (Deliver best results), Role Model (Lea ds by example), Curious (Future focused, open minded), Decisive Thinker (Decision maker), Skilled Influencer (Demonstrates ability to influence), Personally Credible (Deliver Professionalism)