The kidneys structure, functions, and what controls these functions Essay Example for Free

The kidneys structure, functions, and what controls these functions Essay The kidney is made up of nephrons, which are a kidneys functional units. These nephrons collect fluid filtered from the blood. The kidney connects to the renal artery, renal, vein, and ureter. Purified blood leaves the kidney using the renal vein, urine leaves using a ureter and the renal artery carries blood from the aorta to the kidney. The nephron has a cup-shaped nephric capsule that surrounds a cluster of capillaries called the glomerulus. A good deal of fluid from the blood filters into the capsule. Large proteins and whole blood cells are left behind due to the fact that their too big to pass through the filters along with the plasma or blood fluid. There are four main parts of the nephron tubule: the proximal convoluted tubule, the U-shaped loop of Henle, the distal convoluted tubule, and the collecting duct. A substantial amount of resorption takes place in the proximal convoluted tubule. The small proteins, glucose, and ions are returned to the blood by active transport. If the glucose in the filtrate, or filtered fluid, exceeds the kidney threshold level, some glucose will remain and appear in the urine. The loops of Henle permit the production of rather concentrated urine. The collecting duct, together with the loop of the Henle, plays a vital role in water balance. The concentration of urine takes place in the collecting ducts although the process depends on the activities in the loops of Henle. The loops of Henle and the collecting ducts are in the medulla of the kidney. The other parts of the nephron are outside the medulla in the outer region, the cortex. Theres a fluid in the medulla that contains an osmotic gradient in which solutes are steadily more concentrated in the direction away from the cortex. There are two kinds of solutes in the gradient: salt and urea. The loops of Henle create a salt gradient which actively transport salt ions out of the filtrate. The actual concentration of the urine takes place in the collecting duct after the urine passes through the distal convoluted tubule from the loop of Henle. The urine leaves the collecting duct through the pelvis of the kidney  and down the ureter to the urinary bladder. Urine composition and rate of urine formation is regulated by the hormones vasopressin, aldosterone, and angiotensin, and the enzyme renin. The posterior pituitary gland in the brain releases vasopressin. Vasopressin increases resorption of water from the urine. When the body is losing water the body stimulates vasopressin secretion in result slowing down the loss of water through urine. The body detects water decrease either by lower blood volume (i.e. bleeding) or an increase in concentration of blood plasma (i.e. sweating). Very little water is resorbed from urine when there is an absence of vasopressin. Water volume depends on the amount of salt; therefore the amount of salt in the body directly affects the volume and concentration of the blood. When the salt levels in the blood increase the adrenal gland in the kidney secretes a hormone called aldosterone. Aldosterone causes the body to resorb sodium by the distal tubule. The rate is determined by blood salt content. Since less salt is resorbed by the kidney the urines salt content increases therefore increasing urinary volume. When the sodium levels in the blood decrease the kidneys secrete and enzyme called renin. Renin converts the plasma protein angiotensinogen into the hormone angiotensin. Angiotensin causes the constriction of blood vessels to increase the aldosterone secretion. Then the aldosterone promotes the resorption of sodium by the kidney and the urines salt content decreasing urinary volume.

How Musical Theatre Has Developed

How Musical Theatre Has Developed To discuss the historical development of musical theatre, this report will present an analysis of Leonard Bernsteins musical West Side Story. It will demonstrate how the 1961 screen version has been adapted for the stage in the 2009 Broadway revival to suit modern day audiences and show its reflection through time with the use of ideas and different styles as well as social and economic influences affecting the works. The conflict between the two rival gangs that is so central to the story could be further interpreted as a conflict between Catholic and Jewish communities, which was Bernsteins intention in the beginning. However, Bernstein seized on the idea that current racial tensions in New York caused by immigrants from Puerto Rico would provide a more powerful story and he undoubtedly saw that this would also offer him the opportunity to use a range of Latin-American dance rhythms, for he later said: it all sprang to life. I heard rhythms and pulses, and most of all I could sort of feel the form. (Bernstein, 2009, p.58) Much about West Side Story in that time was new and revolutionary. Instead of the old fashioned romance, akin to the earlier musicals, this is a story of bleak despair. Extended dance sequences convey the drama, and in a place of rousing finals, both acts end in murder. Although Shakespeares text is not used, his characters are clearly identifiable: They say Shakespeares plays are timeless because they still speak to the human condition today (Fischbach, 2010) Accordingly Arthur Laurent, author of the original book, got a second chance at his creation, and turned the 2009 Broadway West Side Story revival into the musical he always wanted to make. The Daily Telegraph found: There is nothing new about this production of West Side Story aside from the hot young cast and it is a prime example of why new is not always best. (Lalak, 2010) Social constraints of the time prevented certain usage of language, so some dialogue and lyrics were delivered in Spanish. This made a considerable difference without substantially changing the story. Laurent has given the show a more intimate feeling and made the Puerto Rican Sharks and their girls, more complete as characters. They are frustrated as strangers in their own land, and the use of Spanish immediately evokes their separation from the English-speaking Jets and their girls. The fundamental problems havent changed much since the start of West Side Story 50 years ago, as we continue to wrestle with new cultures arriving. More importantly, though, this production sets the story of the two gangs and a brief and star-crossed love affair between Maria and Tony as a young persons game. The casting here has made the lovers, both breathtaking in their roles, enormously youthful, which gives us more gleeful moments. It isnt to be, of course, but from the moment West Side Story begins with the legendary dance prologue through the neighbourhood, faithfully reproduced by Joey McKneely from the original choreography by Jerome Robbins, the show glows with redolent memories and enchants with brilliant new moments. It plays against a remarkably flexible set by James Youmans, used for maximum effectiveness by director David Saint. the fundamental problem with the show is its depiction of gang violence and the mean streets of New York.: as being said in the Mercury News. (Craig, 2010) That was always a signature of West Side Story, even in the 1961 screen version, but still well presented with fantastic dance sequences which were half-danced and half-mimed. This new form of dance became a visual symbol of a mode of thought. What the characters were feeling and thinking was expressed by their movement and their identities became inseparable from it. However, when the movie was released in 1961 it wasnt the dance which made a big impression, but the social tensions. It showed a fight for urban space, a space that has already been impregnated with cultural symbols and political significations for the relations, interactions, and social actions according to the American Way of Life. In this sense, the movie projected how the Puerto Rican migration to New York City in the forties and fifties not only took over the order of the Anglo-Americans, but how it also constitutes a threat for the assumed monolithic identity of the Anglo-American subject. New York City was shown as a divided territory, economically, racially, and ethnically. Each social-economic group inhabited a space and even neighbourhood border crossings were avoided. West Side Story is up to date not only because of its lengthy dance numbers, emotionally drenched songs and scores, and a contemporary plot that speaks so much of the place and time where the story took place, but also because we are now in a place and time where social-economic issues continue to prevail in every household and community and where racial discrimination is still rampant. The new Broadway revival speaks not only of this shows unwavering popularity but also of the timeliness of the message it delivers, a message of love, peace and harmonious co-existence regardless of race and social-economic backgrounds. This message clearly transcends five decades of an ever-changing political, economic, social and cultural landscape and is still relevant up to this day. West Side Story shows how dancing, acting, singing and design could blend together in unity. Whether its an old version of the musical or a new one, we might say that: it marked the most impressive body of choreography in a single show, and it was acclaimed as Leonard Bernsteins strongest work for the Broadway stage. (Garebein, 2000, p.9)

The Characterization Of Arthur :: essays research papers

Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale is one of the major characters in the story The Scarlet Letter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this story Arthur Dimmesdale plays the part of the towns reverend. He has a high position in society and is viewed as one of the good and polite kind of guy by the society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This man has a sort of dark side; he has a little secret that no one knows except for the main character, Hester Prynne. This little secret that he has kept hidden from the Townspeople all this time; are in fact that he had commited adultery by having an affair with Hester Prynnee.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From keeping this secret hidden all this time, Arthur Dimmesdale has undergone Some type of psylogical damage. Through this psylogical damage he also undergoes physical damage. This physical damage is a scar of an 'A'; on his chest. You may be wondering why an 'A';. Well, as you may recall, when Hester Prynne was commited as an adultress they made her wear the letter 'A'; on the chest area of her clothing. So, Arthur Dimmesdale must have felt so bad that he didn't confess to being the mand that Hester Prynne had an affair with, that his psylogical state of mind produced the 'A'; on his chest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You may often find Mr. Dimmesdale with his hand over his chest. This may be because of the 'A'; on his chest, who knows? Or maybe it is because his soul has been injured and he feels pain from this.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some good has come from this affair. Due to this affair, they have produced a Beautiful little girl named Pearl. On the other hand, the bad that has happened was that Dimmesdale didn't confess about the affair, which made him sort of a liar. Since he didn't confess, Hester and Pearl have to live in seclusion. Another bad thing that has happened is vengence by the chilling husband of Hester Prynne, Dr. Roger Chillingworth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dr. Chillingworth seeks revenge on the man, who has had an affair with his wife,

History Of Music Essay -- essays research papers

It can be argued that the vanguard of development has always been reflected in the arts of a culture. It is the poets, the dreamers and artists who are the architects of the future; the ones who ‘build the world they want to live in, the ones who dream out loud’1. Music is an elaborate art form, tempered by the emotions of those who create it and as such the dreams, creations and inventions are partly the products - or at least artifacts - of the world around them. As such, the social, economic and technological changes in society reflect themselves in the arts of the time also. The common question â€Å"Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?† when inspected proves rhetorical: they are parallel mirrors which reflect each other. W.H. Auden best expressed this when he said, â€Å"A verbal art like poetry is reflective; it stops to think. Music is immediate, it goes on to become.† Tracing the course of musical development through history shows how closely music (of all the art forms) in particular represents the time in which it was written. The â€Å"immediacy† Auden speaks of is evidenced in music’s ability to associate itself with a specific point in time or event and always remind the listener of that time or place. It is impossible to analyse individual interpretation of music, however it is interesting to examine what caused musicians to write what they did, when they did. The personal interpretation or association of a work is superimposed; it is the music â€Å"going on to become.† By correlating musical developments with historical events or conditions, we can see not only why certain styles of music were written when they were, but also how the times dictated the styles as much as the styles dictated the times. The exact origin of music is unknown. We can only form educated guesses from the evidence that remains today: pictures on fragments on broken vases of musical instruments, or cave paintings of dancing figures. It is generally accepted that music was first used in prehistoric times in spiritual or magical rituals. This knowledge comes from the fact that music still forms a vital part of most religious ceremonies today. Whereas with ancient pictures, we can imagine missing pieces, or envision brighter colours, when it comes to music we have no idea of what instruments were used, or the sounds they made. Our relationship with the music of the time is ... ...tury. However, since most artists thrived on the emotional and irrational abstract that they were writing about, there was no specific category that this mode of thinking could fall into. This was a strength since the freedom to explore nature was infinite and without any restriction based on rules or laws. This invariably led to a reintroduction into religion and mysticism; people wanted to explore the unknown spiritual side of things. Music as a whole has had a gradual evolution throughout history. The tie between Man’s search for the unknown, quest for Truth and longing for spiritual fulfillment and the Arts is undeniable. Reactionary, or ‘pro-actionary’ music ties us tight to places or events both in our lives and in those of others. While architecture and artifacts can give us clues to what society was like in the past (Roman ruins tell us much about life two thousand years ago), it is only the music that can communicate what our predecessors were thinking or feeling. It is the poets, the dreamers and artists of old who were the architects of their future, which allow us to glimpse our past. And it has been said, to know where one is going, you must know where you came from.

Brain Drain :: essays research papers

Brain Drain   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The topic I have chosen is the â€Å"Brain Drain†. Is this a brain drain or a brain gain for Canada? Canadians believe it is a brain drain for them. The United States is also losing some of their students to Canada. This is a real issue facing Canadians; they are losing many of their highly educated students each year. â€Å"The issue of â€Å"brain drain† is a political hot potato in Canada†. (Quoted by Wayne Kondro). Many of these students are moving to the United States because they are being paid a lot better. This so called â€Å"brain drain† south was particularly dramatic in the mid- 1990’s. There are many knowledgeable Canadians heading South of the border. Our low Canadian dollar is part of the reason why people chose to move to the States. Canadian’s are being paid much more working in the US than they are being paid in Canada. High taxes are another reason Canada is driving people into the states. Another main reason why so many Canadians are leaving to live in the U.S. is the North American Free Trade Agreement. The so called brain drain is actually a brain gain. The ratio is 1:4, for every Canadian going to the U.S., Canada is gaining four U.S. educated students. Immigrants are three times more likely to hold a master’s degree, doctoral or medical degree than the Canadian born population is. Therefore, this says that people who are immigrating into Canada are keeping more of their degrees, than people immigrating to the states. In the end not all the people moving to the states stay there, there is a small percentage of them moving back. Maybe because in the states they aren’t getting all the benefits Canadians are getting. For example medical care. The facts state that this is a brain drain. There are more than one hundred thousand skilled Canadians moving out of Canada each year. This includes graduates and people who are being offered better paying job. A recent poll said that eight out of ten Canadian’s have considered moving to the U.S. Eighty one percent say that the biggest lure is the higher pay. â€Å"Just over 4,600 post-secondary graduates from the class of 1995 were living in the United States as of the summer of 1997. By the time of the survey in March 1999, about 830 (18%) of these graduates had moved back to Canada†.

Religion, Wealth and Poverty Essay

Outline the work of one religious agency working for world development and explain why it does this work. The religious agency, Christian Aid was set up in 1944, originally known as the British Churches Ecumenical Refugee Council. It was primarily created to help the thousands of homeless Europeans as a result of the Second World War. It became known as Christian Aid in 1945 and was filed as only a segregated department of all of the non-Roman Catholic churches the British Council of Churches and provided great help to the poorer people surviving in lesser economically developed areas. Christian Aid is now a worldwide organisation and has become an agency for the churches of the United Kingdom and in Ireland, working wherever their need is superlative, irrespective of the religion of this area. As well as doing this work, Christian Aid supports local organisations who are better at understanding the needs in their specified areas, whilst continually helping those in need with the sixteen offices they retain overseas. Christian Aid believes in helping people gain strength in finding their own solution to a particular problem rather than simply helping and leaving, Christian Aid provides withstanding support. In addition to this work, Christian Aid strives to transform a New World by ending poverty and continuously campaigns for the change of the morals and rules that allow the poor to get poorer. Christian Aid works and provides help in over sixty countries in the world today, supplying emergency aid and long term aid to organisations, which are working to create the end of poverty. Christian Aid prefers to work through local organisations in areas of lesser-developed economies, as they believe that these organisations understand the needs of their people best. A great plus of the agency of Christian Aid is that it works in all areas despite the religion or race of the place they are working in. In order to achieve the high aims set by Christian Aid, their work can be divided into four sections and they are as follows. Fund raising is a major issue and to be able to start any work in relieving the issue of poverty, Christian Aid has to tackle the problem of funds, which can be raised in several ways. In 1975, it was organised so that every year in May, Christian Aid week could be held as a nationwide even. This is where churches provide information about Christian Aid to almost every home in certain areas by posting letters through their letterboxes and asking for donations. In 1995, a record à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8.6 million was raised for Christian Aid via this process. In addition to this, certain parishes and individuals organise events to raise money for the agency and in the past have contributed more by this process than in Christian Aid week. Emergency aid is also taken into consideration as Christian Aid set up a fund known as the â€Å"disaster fund† so it could be immediately used if a natural disaster were to occur and has often overtaken long term aid due to its efficiency in helping people survive the effects of a natural disaster. The work done by Christian Aid involves providing and sending food, medicine and materials to build shelters for the victims of such natural disasters as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. An example of this aid was when blankets, tents and food were sent to refugees in Bosnia and Rwanda and when food was provided for drought-stricken Zimbabwe. This specified version of aid is so important that nearly 15% of Christian Aid’s funds are spent on it per annum. Long term aid is equally important and fortunately, Christian Aid is greatly advantaged in this area as it has contact with the organisations who receive the aid and the majority of Christian Aid’s emergency and long-term aid is diverted through Christian associations within the country concerned. If is often for these establishments to come up with fund-raising ideas to help relieve certain aspects of poverty in their area and then ask Christian Aid to finance these propositions. An example of this is when in Columbia, poor farmers were being threatened to be evicted from their homes. Fortunately, the farmers were able to establish an alternative environmentally friendly method which allowed them to develop their area that would provide an income for these farmers and their families. Christian Aid and the European Union are negotiating the finance of this scheme. Another example of Christian Aid helping lesser developed countries is in Bangladesh, where Christian Aid are funding a group of Christian workers to make basic drugs for medicine which are unavailable in Bangladesh. Consequently, as Christian Aid helps in all of these diverse and different areas, their main aim is to help people to help themselves. Education is a key factor to the success of Christian Aid. Nearly 5% of Christian Aid’s funds is consumed on education about the greater need of development and the way in which Christians are enabled to provide this help to those in need. The association of Christian Aid produces a newspaper, Christian Aid News, along with many other educational articles which not only provide information on the projects that Christian Aid is working on but how they are improving the rate of development in lesser economically developed areas. Christian Aid advocates campaigns for the improvement of living and health conditions in lesser-developed areas. Christian Aids motivation is built upon the Christian belief that all people are equal in the eyes of God and so therefore all deserve the same things. This organisation is driven by the beliefs that God cares about the poor and their lifestyle, wanting them to be treated accordingly. It is also believed that the worth and importance of a person is not measured on how much money they have or the material belongings that they may possess. It is written in the Bible that what counts is a persons desire to do good, their faith in God and actions towards other people. Due to these Christian beliefs, Christian Aid does everything within its power to help those who are less fortunate in both this country and abroad. The quotation, â€Å"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all once in Christ† taken from Galatians 3:25 is the basis of the Christian Aid’s work. It is believed that everyone has rights and so deserves to be treated the same, despite their circumstances, creed, nationality, religion or colour. In conclusion to the work of Christian Aid and its motivation, it is clear that their main aim is not only to assist the poor, but help them learn to help themselves and by doing this, Christian Aid are increasing the development of the developing world. The motivation of this agency is obvious due to the fact that they are Christian and it is God’s belief that you should use everything within your power to help those in need of your help. Christian Aid believes that â€Å"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole Earth,† Acts 17: 26, so that everyone is equal in the eyes of God as they were all created from the same mould, therefore everyone should be treated respectfully. Thanks to these beliefs, Christian Aid’s work is helping to eradicate the growth of poverty and sustain a development in the lesser-developed areas.

Bed Wetting in School Children Essay

Bedwetting (also referred to as nocturnal enuresis) is the involuntary passing of urine during sleep after the age at which bladder control usually occurs. It can be an embarrassing, frustrating and distressing problem that affects millions of children. It is more common than most parents think. Many children are dry at night by the time they reach the age of 5 but others take longer to become dry. When children still wet the bed when they are 6 or older, parents usually start to become concerned that their child may have some kind of physical or emotional problem. Some decide not to stress about it and give it time; others will seek medical advice, take their child to counselling or use alternative therapies. Once children go to Primary School and become aware that other kids of their age are dry at night they become embarrassed about it. Some children avoid going to sleepovers and school camps because of the fear of other kids discovering their problem. Teenagers are usually even more distressed by the bedwetting and many worry the problem will never go away. It often has a significant impact on their self-esteem. I decided to choose Bowen Therapy for Bedwetting as the subject for my Research Project because I have always had a passion for working with children. As a mother of two daughters and having dealt with toilet training issues I have experienced how upsetting and frustrating bedwetting can be for a child and their family. As Bowen Therapy is a wonderful holistic technique to promote physical and emotional balance, it is an ideal way to help children gain control of this problem. This research task explores the different causes and methods of treatment of nocturnal enuresis. It also outlines the anatomy of the urinary system and the nerves and muscles involved in micturition to gain a better understanding of how Bowen Therapy addresses this condition. I evaluated the effectiveness of Bowen Therapy on nocturnal enuresis in combination with dietary modifications as recommended by Mr. Bowen. The therapeutic value of omega-3 fatty acids is also mentioned (which have been proven to be effective in treating nocturnal enuresis) and the benefits of Neuro-Developmental reflex integration exercises.