Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Knee Joint Paper Essay Example for Free

The Knee Joint Paper Essay Of the joints in the human body, the knee joint is the most susceptible to injuries. Because this joint carries much of the body weight, and beside the fact that it was designed to do much of the human activities, the knee joint accounts for the most common joint injuries. Its two primary motions are flexion and extension, and a little rotational and lateral motion. â€Å"It is also because of this design that the knee is so vulnerable to injury.† (M. Mullin and K. Stone)   The knee has basically five major parts: the bones, the muscles, ligaments, cartilage and tendons. It is the function of the bones to support the knee and give the joint a rigid structure. There are four bones that make up the knee: first, the femur, which is also referred to as the thighbone or the upper leg bone. (University of Utah, Heath Sciences Center, 2003) This large bone is attached by the ligaments and a capsule to another bone the tibia. Tibia is the larger bone of the knee which is called the shin bone. Parallel to the tibia is another bone called the fibula located below the tibia. The knee cap or the patella is another bone that consists the knee which â€Å"rides on the joint as the knee bends.† (Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, 1999)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is the function of the muscles to move the joint. The knee joint consists of two kinds of muscles: the quadriceps and the hamstrings. The quadriceps muscles straighten the legs, and are situated at the front of the thighs. The hamstring muscles, which are located at the back of the thighs, are the ones bending the legs at the knee. All groups of muscles are connected to the knee bones by â€Å"thick fibrous cords† called the tendons. (Mayo Clinic, 2006) Patellar tendons connect the quadriceps muscles to the tibia, which are the ones prone to knee joint problems called, â€Å"tendonitis†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The bones of the knee are connected by ligaments, which functions are basically to stabilize and hold the joint together. These elastic tissues also provide protection to the joint by limiting the backward and forward movement of the knee. At the center of the joint are the cruciate ligaments called the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), which is attached to the depression in front of the tibia and â€Å"passes upward, backward and lateral ward and fixed into the medial and back part of the lateral condoyle of the femur.† (H. Gray, 1918) It is considered the key guide wire in the knee joint and is crucial for guiding the tibia in a normal path along the end of the femur. (Mullin and Stone) The Posterior Cruciate ligaments (PCL) protect the joint by preventing the femur from sliding forward on the tibia, and the tibia from sliding backwards n the femur. The media Collateral ligament (MCL) provides protection to the inner part of the knee and the lateral Collateral ligament (CLC) on the outer part. The C-shaped tissue called the meniscus or the menisci cartilage allows the bones to freely slide on each other. They serve as shock absorbers and bone protector. Around the knee joint are little fluid sacs called bursa. These sacs â€Å"help the muscles and the tendons to freely slide as the knee moves.† (Center for Orthopaedics) There are five medial bursas and four lateral bursas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The knee is prone to injuries and especially those who are engaged in activities that enable the knee to be overused. These people, most often athletes experience different kinds of pain in the knee joint as a result of injury, stress and wear of the joint. Common to athletes are the ligament injuries called sprain or the injury to the cruciate ligaments. This injury happens when the â€Å"ACL is stretch or torn by sudden twisting motion†, as when the feet are planted one way and the knees are turned another. (Healthlink 2005)   Football players often experience a PCL injury during a football tackle. Contact sports like hockey and football cause injury to the MCL and the CCL, where the said ligament is torn and stretch at the inner side of the knee due to a sudden blow to the outer side of the knee called a contact trauma.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tendonitis or the jumper’s knee is caused by an overuse of the tendon. As the term implies, this injury is experienced by athletes who are engaged in sports like basketball, which require jumping and running causing a strain in the tendon. Dancers, cyclists, skiers and runners are as victims of this injury. With these activities, the tendon is stretched to the pint that it becomes like a worn-out rubber band and when this happens, it will swell. Muscle contraction happens after a jump or fall, and that repeated force causes strain to the tendons. What is worse is that such contraction, as when trying to break a fall, may tear the quadriceps muscles above and below the patella. Tendonitis causes a person to feel pain during running and jumping or even when in a hurried walking. Bending, extending and lifting the leg will also be difficult.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A pain arising between the patella and the femur is called Chondromalacia, which is characterized by the softening of the articular cartilage of the knee cap. (Mayo Clinic) With this injury, the knee cap rubs against the thigh bone which makes the cartilage rough. As a result, the person will feel pain in front of the knee when climbing the stairs or when sitting for a long period. This injury is common to skiers, soccer players and cyclists who, among other athletes are prone to having a blow in the knee cap resulting to a tear of the cartilage. Such contacts can also tear off a large fragment of the cartilage containing a piece of bone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Injury to the meniscus typically results from â€Å"a twist or torque to the knee while the foot stays still.† (Mullin and Stone) A tear in the meniscus may cause the joint to lock especially when there is a flap of the torn cartilage. When there is only a small tear, mild pain and moderate swelling of the knee lasts up to 48 hours; however large lengthwise tear causes the joint to lock making hard for the person to straighten the knee.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Distance runners are prone to Illiotibial Band Syndrome which happens when the ligament in the illiotibial band becomes tight enabling it to rub against the outer portion of the femur. Pains caused by this injury are felt when waking and when going up and down the stairs. Also associated with running activities is the Osgood-Schatter Disease, where an inflammation of the patellar tendon is involved.   This injury happens when the tendon is stretch too much causing it to tear away from the tibia and in some cases takes a bone fragment. A pain just below the knee is experienced with this injury, and is however treated just with a rest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Having the fact that the knee joint is susceptible to many injuries, experts advice that a person must always maintain strong and flexible muscles. The cartilage and ligaments must always be kept smooth and strong. Good diet and proper exercise are always on the list of preventive measures. Lastly, let us remember that anything that goes below and beyond normal causes problems, not only to the knee, but the body as a whole WORKS CITED    Gray, Henry 1918. â€Å"Anatomy of the Human Body† Retrieved on February 22, 2007 from http://www.bartleby.com/107/93.htm Mullin, Michael and Kevin Stone. â€Å"Athletic Injuries of the Knee and Shoulder† Retrieved on February 22, 2007 from http://www.stoneclinic.com/injuries.htm The Center for orthopeadics and Sports Medicine. â€Å"Knee Joint-Anatomy and Function† Retrieved on February 22, 2007 from http://www.arthroscopy.com/sp05001.htm The Mayo Clinic Staff. â€Å"Knee Pain† Retrieved on February 22, 2007 from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/knee-pain/DS00555/DSECTIoN2 The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. â€Å"Knee Injuries and Problems: Symptoms Diagnosis and Treatment† May 01, 2001. Retrieved on February 22, 2007 from http://healthlink.mew.edu/article/92605352.html University of Utah Health Sciences Center â€Å"Knee Pains and Problems† November 2001. Retrieved on February 22, 2007 from http://uuhsc.utah.edu/healthinfo/adult/orthpaedics/kneepain.htm

Monday, January 20, 2020

The Many Faces of Culture Essay -- Culture

Defining culture has been a debate among sociologists and anthropologists since the 19th century. Culture is vital for the perseverance of a society and has its own identity that distinguishes it from others. Culture is not rooted into a person from birth, but it is learned from wherever he or she is from. It acts in a subconscious manner in that when a culture differs, one society may find another society to be odd. Every society has a different culture where the people share a specific language, gesture, belief, behavior, norms, sanctions and more. Language greatly influences how we see the world. Languages shape the way we understand some aspects in life such as time, direction, space and even causality. For example, while English speakers tend to say â€Å"Lisa broke the vase,† Spanish and Japanese speakers would tend to say â€Å"the vase broke itself.† These opposing interpretations may cause different understandings of how events are perceived. Language is a part of culture and a part of behavior. According to the hypothesis of linguistic determinism (Sapir, 1956), â€Å"No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality. The worlds in which different societies live are distinct worlds, not merely the same world with different labels attached.† Language and culture are so strongly connected that the precise understanding of the relationship between the two is fundamental in cross-cultural communication. Every country has a different way of greeting with one another and various kinds of gestures they share with each other. Gestures are the motions of the body to communicate with others and to express messages without using words. Gestures all vary around the globe and the meaning of ... ...e Coca-Cola Company is an example of cultural leveling because not only is Coca-Cola sold in America, but it is all across the globe such as South Korea, India and 200 other countries. The positive factor about cultural leveling is that it unifies cultures but the negative is that the cultural originality is lost. Works Cited Billikopf, Gregorio. "Cultural Differences." College of Natural Resources - UC Berkeley. 1 June 2009. Web. 08 Mar. 2011. . Jervis, Nancy. "What Is a Culture?" P-12 : NYSED. The University of the State of New York, 2006. Web. 08 Mar. 2011. . Wescott, Roger Williams. "Diffusion." NEARA Home Page. New England Antiquities Research Association, 2002. Web. 08 Mar. 2011. . The Many Faces of Culture Essay -- Culture Defining culture has been a debate among sociologists and anthropologists since the 19th century. Culture is vital for the perseverance of a society and has its own identity that distinguishes it from others. Culture is not rooted into a person from birth, but it is learned from wherever he or she is from. It acts in a subconscious manner in that when a culture differs, one society may find another society to be odd. Every society has a different culture where the people share a specific language, gesture, belief, behavior, norms, sanctions and more. Language greatly influences how we see the world. Languages shape the way we understand some aspects in life such as time, direction, space and even causality. For example, while English speakers tend to say â€Å"Lisa broke the vase,† Spanish and Japanese speakers would tend to say â€Å"the vase broke itself.† These opposing interpretations may cause different understandings of how events are perceived. Language is a part of culture and a part of behavior. According to the hypothesis of linguistic determinism (Sapir, 1956), â€Å"No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality. The worlds in which different societies live are distinct worlds, not merely the same world with different labels attached.† Language and culture are so strongly connected that the precise understanding of the relationship between the two is fundamental in cross-cultural communication. Every country has a different way of greeting with one another and various kinds of gestures they share with each other. Gestures are the motions of the body to communicate with others and to express messages without using words. Gestures all vary around the globe and the meaning of ... ...e Coca-Cola Company is an example of cultural leveling because not only is Coca-Cola sold in America, but it is all across the globe such as South Korea, India and 200 other countries. The positive factor about cultural leveling is that it unifies cultures but the negative is that the cultural originality is lost. Works Cited Billikopf, Gregorio. "Cultural Differences." College of Natural Resources - UC Berkeley. 1 June 2009. Web. 08 Mar. 2011. . Jervis, Nancy. "What Is a Culture?" P-12 : NYSED. The University of the State of New York, 2006. Web. 08 Mar. 2011. . Wescott, Roger Williams. "Diffusion." NEARA Home Page. New England Antiquities Research Association, 2002. Web. 08 Mar. 2011. .

Sunday, January 12, 2020

How media violence contributes to the violence at home Essay

People have always believed that the various movies and violent dramas that are shown on TV are just but entertainment. In fact, some adults who feel that since they watched television when they were young and it had no negative effects on them tend to think that television violence cannot be a contributor to home violence. However this could not be the case in the present world. This is because the type of programs that were shown in the TVs in the early years did not contain many violent scenes as it is now. Many television programs are characterized with violent acts like abuse and rape, criminal acts and diminished trust. Indeed many researches that have been conducted clearly show that the increases in violence in the television are having a significant contribution to the violence experienced at home. Furthermore, the media portrays that problems both family and social are to be confronted with force or threats of force The effects of the violent scenes on television vary in the adults and children. Children are the ones who are highly affected since they are not able to discern what reality is and what fiction is. This makes them believe almost everything they see as being what the real world is. The present lifestyle has lead to most children spending many hours glued to the television something which itself can affect their behavior. In fact many researchers have shown that both the adults and children who spend most of their time watching television may develop the following perception. First is that there is an increase in crime even if it is not the case (Media Issues). Secondly that they can overestimate the risk of being victimized by crime and lastly they develop fear of crime which in itself sees crime as something that is all around. Some get mislead that violence rarely has negative consequences. In these programs a very high percentage of the violence acts go unpunished. In fact in some, those portrayed as heroes never get punished despite their violent acts. Furthermore, too much violence in the television leads to over aggression among children and in some adults. This has lead to an increase in violent behaviors in the world majorly due to imitation. People who see those being violent on TV try to copy them as models. This character is common among children. Studies have as well shown that children who watch violent shows and even identify with the violent characters are about twice as likely to be violent as young adults. The studies have as well indicated that men are more likely to embrace the violent acts as compared to their female counterparts. Other indicators of contribution of television violence to the home violence include increased desensitization and heartlessness (Christian answers). People tend to be more callous towards those who may have become victims of violence. In this they tend to ignore or just take easy incidences of violence claiming that they are common occurrences in television. This normalizes violence making it to look like part of daily life. Furthermore, in this way it dulls the emotion response to violence’s and its victims. In conclusion the influence of the media content on people has been openly quite evident. Anyone would agree with this. The advertisers use the media to sway consumer’s perception towards given products. This is equally the same to violence in the media which can as well sway peoples’ perceptions towards violence. Due to the above points it is clearly necessary for parents to take action against the viewing of television programs. Parents ought to talk to the children about what programs are good for them and which are harmful. Children should get encouraged to spend most of their time in sports and hobbies or friends other than watching television. Furthermore special banns ought to be put on some programs that have too much violence References Christian answers, Violence in the media – How it affects families? Accessed on August 16, 2010 from http://www. christiananswers. net/q-eden/edn-f012. html Media Issues, Research on the effects of media violence, Accessed on August 16, 2010 from http://www. media-awareness. ca/english/issues/violence/effects_media_violence. cfm

Saturday, January 4, 2020

AN EXPLANATION OF THE THEORIES ON CAPITAL STRUCTURE - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2041 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Every organization has its financing strategies to operate their business. The term capital structure and leverage are the similar terms that how the investments should utilize to manipulate the assets and the whole business in the long run. The essay covers determinants of capital structure with the help of trade off theory (Kim,1978; Kraus and Litzenberger,1973;Miller and Modigliani,1963) , pecking order theory (Myers and Majluf,1984), agency cost theory (Jensen and Meckling,1976) and Miller and Modigliani theory which are significant to determine the main factors of capital structure which are growth, size, non debt tax shield, volatility in earnings in the age of the firm, tangibility, assets valuation and structure, uniqueness and profitability. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "AN EXPLANATION OF THE THEORIES ON CAPITAL STRUCTURE" essay for you Create order The theories and all these determinants of leveraging structure are discussed briefly below. All these theories are very significant and has a great influence on the capital structure of organizations under their assumptions therefore it is very necessary for firms to make their capital structure under the light of these theories .First of all trade off theory is considered which indicates tradeoff between debt and equity along with the presence of debt tax shield and bankruptcy cost. While in the pecking order theory leveraging structure consider the cost of financing, growth and profitability. The first choice for the firm is internal financing rather debt which usually the second choice and the last one is equity. The utilization of debt proportion in the financing on large scale lead the firms towards agency cost like debt payments and interest on the principle Eldomiaty (2007). The fourth theory is different and proposed that capital structure can be build by equities or d ebt or no matter with both along with the absence of debt tax shield and bankruptcy cost, the company value is unaffected and can follow any financing policy Modigliani and Miller(1963) . DETERMINANTS OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE GROWTH Titman and Wessels (1988) give detailed about the firms which operate through equity finance have power to invest accordingly to maximize wealth from the firms bondholders. The influence of agency cost is very high for firms in growing surroundings and creates opportunities for future investments. According to Myer instead of long term firm should relay on short term debt which helps the firm to eliminate agency issues because long term financing than negatively associated to future growth. According to Smith and Warner cost incurred by agencies in the firm can be restricted if the organization issue convertible debt which may associate positive opportunities of growth. Sheikh F Rehman et all ,(2006) found that the higher risk could lead to higher growth .The capital structure and growth has negative relation (Archer et al ,1966 cited by Shiekh F Rehman et all,2006) but a few researcher argued that growth and capital structure can be negative or positive in relation and totally relay on long and short term debt ratios (Hall et all,2000 cited by Shiekh F Rehman et all,2006) the long term debt ratio is negative associated with the growth while the short term debt ratio react positive to growth. Further investigation also indicating the same correlation of long and short term debt components the behavior is same as above researchers that the growth opportunities react positively with short period debt and negatively with long period debt Bevan and Danbolt( 2000). ASSEST VALUATION AND STRUCTURE The structure and value of assets are different in every firm and the different types of assets can also affect the capital structure of the firm. Few researchers suggests selling of secure debts may result increase in the value of equity from the current unsecured creditors and the firm with assets can issue more debt to enjoy the benefits of this opportunity (Mayers et all 1977 and Scott (1972),cited by Titmans and Wessels 1988).The conveniences in debt financing terms for creditors may peruse the organizations to use equity. And the overall finding by few authors like Ferry and Jones (1979),Kim and Sorensen (1986) and Titman and Wessels( 1988) indicated negative relationship between leverage structure and asset structure. The main reason for this negative correlation is the need of lower tax shields when the higher fixed assets occur. On the other hand few authors argued that the relationship is positive between capital structure and asset structure and the main cause propose for this finding is both long and short term debt ratio are positive with short-term and long term assets (Brealey and Myers 1990, cited by Shiekh F Rahman et all 2006).According to Rajan and Zingales (1995) the higher non-current assets may provide the opportunity of debt at very low rates and create the probable chance to secure the borrowing with the assets. Another finding by Chittenden et al.,1996 also proposed positivity in the relationship between short term debt ratio and asset structure. The higher the ratio of long term debt can lead the higher value on asset structure and in the same way if the short term debt ratio is lower the ratio of fixed assets lead the higher toward the total assets so in short the long term debt representing the positive combination while the short term is indicating negative relation (Hall et al.2000 cited by Shiekh F Rahman et all 2006) VOLATILITY IN EARNINGS IN AGE OF THE FIRM According to many researchers the decreasing function of volatility of earnings is a measure of firms optimum level of debt .But the findings of Barton et all, 1989 exposed about the age of the firm can matter. The older or well established business experienced higher debt ratio and low volatility in earnings. Hall et all (2000) discussed about the pecking order theory that the mature firms can easily arrange the equity and funds which results them to not relay on short or long term debt facilities. Although the research of ( Shiekh F Rahman et all 2006) support that the age is positive in relation to long and short term debt . SIZE: Holmes and Dunstan, 1994 in their findings revealed that banks tend to favour large ventures as compare to small ventures. Cassar (2004) gives various reasons for relationship between capital structure and venture size. Smaller ventures as compare with large ventures have high cost of information imbalances with its loaners.the reason for this is that small ventures will not have accurate and reliable financial statements . Romano,Tanewski and Smyrnios (2001) in their findings found that in family owned ventures, size of ventures is positively related to both the amount of debt and equity use for funding assets. Fama (1985) suggested that there is negative relation between monitoring cost and venture size. Amidu (2007 ) and Titman, S and R Wessels (1988) they both had similar findings that leverage and profit have negative relationship although they found positive correlation between leverage and tax. This also supports pecking order theory as higher profits increase level of internal reserves. Although it has been noted that larger companies are now taken securitized debt rather than long term bank debt this is one of the reason that banks now gives long term debt to small organizations. Profitability : Modigliani and Miller (1963) argue that debt is preferable than equity due to the deduction of tax from interest payments. Companies that are high profitable would choose high levels of debt to get the benefit of tax shield. Some researchers suggest that companies prefer raising capital from retained earning then from debt and last from raising new equity. Barbosa and Moraes (2003) argue that it is widely accepted that there is negative relation between the concept of capital structure and profitability .Marsh (1982) argues that the need that if equity were increased from profitability then debt funding would decrease. Some authors such as Jensen (1986) have argued that managers would prefer a low debt ratio. This shows that there is less demand for debt financing when a company is profitable, it has less need for debt financing (see,for instance, Rajan and Zingales, 1995). Hall et al. (2000) use this argument in their study on SMEs, when they hypothesize that profitabilit y would indicate less need for financing from debt. There are some authors (see Roden and Lewellen, 1995 ; Gale, 1972) where researchers have argued that the relationship between profitability and capital structure is positive. Non Debt Tax shield Masulis DeAngelo devised a model of optimum capital structure that integrates the affect of personal and corporate taxes and non debt related tax shields. In their study they found the substitutes for the tax benefits of debt financing that are tax deductions for investment tax credits and for depreciation. According to them less debt is found in capital structure of those companies who have large non debt tax shields. Ratios that indicate the non debt tax shields are as follows: Non debt tax shields over total assets, Depreciation over total assets, investment tax credits over total assets. Uniqueness: In March 1984 titman devised a model in which bankruptcy status is linked with companys liquidation decision, this means that the liquidation cost which company impose on their employee and client are relevant to their capital structure decisions. The relation between debt ratios and uniqueness is said to be negative because of the following reasons: In the event of liquidation the company who produce unique product may pass its customers and client high costs.And as the product is unique the customers may find it difficult to get alternate product and the companys employees specific skills may become useless. Ratios that indicate uniqueness are as follows Quit rates ,selling expenses over sales Research and development over sales. R D ratio calculates uniqueness because companies that sell products with close substitutes are likely to do less research and development since their innovations can be more easily duplicated. In addition, successful research and develop ment projects lead to new products that differ from those existing in the market. Firms with relatively unique products are expected to advertise more and, in general, spend more in promoting and selling their products. Hence, SEIS is expected to be positively related to uniqueness. However, it is expected that firms in industries with high quit rates are probably relatively less unique since firms that produce relatively unique products tend to employ workers with high levels of job-specific human capital who will thus find it costly to leave their jobs. Tangibility: The effect of the values of assets on companys leverage level is determined by the tangibility of asset, In the event of financial distress the value for debt is higher than the liquidation value of the asset, the lender face low risk with tangible asset so thereford charge low risk premium. Loaners face risk of moral hazard and negative selection due to the conflict of interest between debt providers and shareholders. To measure the tangibility some author use fixed assets to the total assets ratio. Tangilibily has negative relation with long term bank borrowing where as short term debt elements therefore tangibility has influence on bank borrowing whether long term or short term. Conclusion Recommendations: In this heading I have given conclusion of this assignment I made above and I ended this by giving my recommendations. Many determinants of capital structure have been identified to be influential for capital decision making of the organization. Profitability Tangibility of assets positively correlated with long term debt. no significant correlation was found in total current liabilities. During 1991-1997, larger companies preferred long-term securitized debt instead of long-term bank debt (Bevan and Danbolt, 2000) But the latter result proposed that bankruptcy Amidu, 2007 research revealed information of Banking sector of Ghana, in his research positive relation between tax, earning and size and leverage where as negative relation is found between profitability and leverage.According to Titman and Wessels, 1988, that small companies prefer short-term loan to rely on rather than long term loan which led them towards high cost. Thus Small firms are unable to cope with long te rm debt financing and the only viable option is to utilised short term borrowing facilities with this assumptions smaller firms are more likely to be in the bankruptcy phase. Uniqueness is negatively co-related with debt component of capital structure however no association is found among volatility, asset structure and non-debt tax shields. Operating income, Growth of total assets Bankruptcy cost has negative relation to leverage on the other hand debt tax shield helps to increase its leverage. Hence in long term debt finance growing firms suffer more, relative to other firms.