Eating Disorder Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Eating Disorder Research Paper Essay Media and society are often looked at as a source of daily entertainment, gossip and news. Every day, people are constantly exposed to thousands of images of glamour, beauty, celebrities, and much more. The media is so compelling that it has the power to change what people believe in. The images that are shown repeatedly make a way into teenagers mind and they want to be a part of what the media shows. Teens feel the need to change their body to look a certain way and be like someone else. But a fact unknown to teenagers is that even celebrities’ body are not perfect. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. People with anorexia have a huge fear of gaining weight and a change in their body shape and size (â€Å"Eating Disorders†). Anorexia has been characterized as a â€Å"rich white girl† disorder because most anorectics are white and about three-quarters of them come from households at the middle income level or above (Davidson and Fundukian). Bulimia on the other hand is when a person eats large amount of food over a short period of time then later performs activities to try to burn the calories off. Binging is the most common symptom of bulimia and it is often done when trying to get rid of the food eaten. Bulimia is thought to affect around 1% to 5% of teenage American girls and up to 3% will be bulimic at some point in their life (Arnold and Walsh 30). Studies show that â€Å"media exposure has a direct impact on disorder symptoms and indirect effects through gender role endorsement, ideal-body stereotype internalization and body satisfaction. † The covers of magazines display pictures of both men and women whose images are offered as near perfection in society. â€Å"Research has shown that even brief exposure to ads showing highly attractive models results in decreased satisfaction with ones own appearance† (McMurray). Teenagers should know that celebrities are not magically beautiful and thin, they are made to look that way. â€Å"Today’s culture is unique in that the media is a far more powerful presence than ever before† (Derenne and Bersin). The media has been named as a causative factor for body dissatisfaction, which promotes unrealistic standards of female beauty and show images that create and reinforce cultural definitions of attractiveness. (Qtd. in Wexler). The media opens the door of eating disorders to teenagers and brainwashes them into thinking that being thin is important and necessary. The media needs to be very careful in the messages that they give to teenagers regarding body image. Dr. Bond says how â€Å"the media should be more responsible in not publishing pictures of very thin models and celebrities because young people wish to emulate them. Eating disorders are not going away, if anything they are becoming more common (Thinspiration? ). Advertisements everywhere continually expose the notion that losing weight will make people happier. Advertisements that show thin celebrities reach out to individuals telling them what they can be or become if they were thin. By looking at these advertisements, women start to feel insecure about the way they look. The NEDA reports that â€Å"women’s magazines contained 10. 5 times more advertisements and articles promoting diet and weight loss then were found in men’s magazines. It also reports that a study of 4,294 network television commercials revealed that one out of every 3. 8 commercials conveyed some sort of attractiveness message of what is or is not attractive† (Qtd. In Wexler). Many women frequently compare their bodies to those around them and the body images on advertisements lowers their self-esteem. The advertisements of celebrities affects the stereotypical idea of an ideal body which leads to eating disorders (Stice et al 5). Online, there are websites that promote anorexia. Teens with anorexia can then put up pictures of their skinny bodies for other anorectics to see and feel encouraged by. They feature pictures of celebrities such Keira Knightley and Victoria Beckham that promote 400-500 calories a day diet. In a year alone more than 500,000 people visited the sites and a 2011 EU survey found more than one in five six-to 11-year olds had been exposed to one or more sites with these â€Å"harmful content† (Thinspiration? . Teens who are anorexic feel that having an eating disorder is not a bad thing. They look upon each other for support, telling each other secrets of losing weight. The quote â€Å"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels† by Kate Moss is popular among these pro-anorexia websites (Wardrop). TV shows also send the message to be thin to whoever watches them. Disney Channel, which attracts millions of viewers, especially the young, made fun of eating disorder and actually promoted the idea of being thin. In the show Shake It Up, someone stated â€Å"I could just eat you guys up, you know, if I ate† (â€Å"Party It Up†). In another Disney show, So Random, a conversation goes on where one character tells another â€Å"Angus only eats one full meal a day† to which Angus replies â€Å"My agent’s always on me about looking my best (Colbie Caillat). Disney thinks about eating disorders as a joke which is not dangerous. For many kids, the people on Disney are their role models, and if kids see their role models not eating, they are going to think that it is okay to not eat. Also if Disney encourages the idea of not eating that kids will do the same thing. Demi Lovato who battled an eating disorder attacked Disney about these risky messages that they send to kids. Experts say that Lovato opened the Pandora’s Box about the dangerous effects television shows can have on the negative body image of young women (â€Å"Disney Pop Star†). Even in other TV shows, the overweight characters are most likely portrayed as lazy and the one with no friends, while thin characters are successful and popular. This also sends a message that in order to be successful in life a person has to be thin. Teenagers feel pressured into looking the way society wants them to look like. Everywhere they go, they see posters of celebrities enhanced to look â€Å"perfect. Society thinks that if someone does not look a certain way then it is not acceptable and that they should change how their body looks. From a young age, women are given the message that in order to be happy, they must be thin. Thousands of teenage girl starve themselves to attain what the fashion industry considers to be the â€Å"ideal† figure (Thompson). Society has become obsessive and prejudiced when it comes to body image. Society and media work together to get that one message across to teens today; to be thin. New diets come out every month and media spends money trying to advertise them and get celebrity endorsements. In stores, the front pages of magazines show that one celebrity that everyone looks up too. How they talk about that one diet that â€Å"changed their life† and made them â€Å"happy† again. Teens think that if these celebrities can be skinny, then why can’t they? Teens spend their times looking at websites and magazines that tell them how to be skinny. By constantly portraying â€Å"perfect† bodies in the media, it promotes unhealthy eating that can sometimes lead to death (â€Å"Disney Pop Star†). Even today, dolls like Barbie send that message to young girl to be thin. The Barbie doll is a stereotype of a woman with no flaws and a perfect body who gets to be whatever she wants. Girls who play with Barbie feel the need to look and act like her. The traditional Barbie is known for her 40-18-32 measurements (Young) which would be unproportional on human bodies (Grey). If Barbie were real, she would be 59 tall and weigh 110 pounds, about 35 pounds below the minimum healthy weight for a woman of that size (McMurray). Barbie helps to perpetuate an ideal of materialism, beauty, and being thin is happiness and since a young age, the desire to be thin is recognized by girls everywhere. But eating disorders doesn’t just affect women, it affects men also. In a study by Harvard researchers, 25% of 3,000 adults had anorexia or bulimia and 40% of binge eaters were men (Boodman). Just like women, men also feel pressured into looking a certain way. In school, boys are told to be healthy if they want to keep playing a sport. But that habit can become something more dangerous. â€Å"Studies show that gay males particularly place a higher calculation on thinness than heterosexual males, with a level of concern for thinness almost equal to that of the typical heterosexual female† (Anderson, Cohn, and Holbrook 41). Because of this many men might be afraid about coming out to the world about their eating disorder. Some people think of an eating disorder as more of a woman thing and â€Å"psychological tests for eating disorders are biased towards diagnosing women† (Anderson, Cohn, and Holbrook 41). Eating disorders are also common in the entertainment business. Celebrities and models are also under pressure to look their best. The average model weighs 23% less than the average woman and fit the category of being anorexic (Thompson). Models go through plastic surgery and photos are air-brushed before going to print. The body type and images are unobtainable to the average individual and the constant force of these images on society makes teens believe that they should be. Many celebrities and models who feel that an eating disorder is something more dangerous than what everyone else seems have come out and talked about that issues. Even celebrities who once had an eating disorder spend time educating others and telling them that it is okay to get help. In 1992 after the news about Princess Diana being bulimic was released, there was a significant increase in the number of bulimia diagnoses. This effect then came known as the â€Å"Diana Effect† (Celebrities Who Battled Eating Disorders). Just like how Lucy Grealy states in her memoir Autobiography of a Face, Beauty, as defined by society at large, seemed to be only about who was best at looking like everyone else (187) it looks like that concept has not changed since that time. In today’s society everything is about being thin and trying to look like a model or a celebrity. Teenagers try to do everything to make themselves how society wants it but in the end they just destroy themselves. Society and media think of an eating disorder as a joke but it is a disease; a disease that has the power to take the lives of both women and men. For anybody out there who thinks that an eating disorder is not a big deal then they are wrong. People, especially the media, should know that the message they send out to teens is wrong; everything is not just about being thin. Simply by the media bringing out the concept that being beautiful and thin is necessary for a successful life is wrong. Having to look like a model to be accepted in society is wrong. All these messages have a huge negative effect on teenagers and they think down of themselves just because they do not think they are â€Å"right† for society. The fake advertisements that are shown is just another step for teens to developing a dangerous and deadly addiction that is called an eating disorder. â€Å"I think we look at society and we look at every ad that out there and everything that tells us how we’re supposed to look, and how we’re supposed to live, and how we’re supposed to be instead of saying ‘Is that how really I feel? ’, ‘Is that really what I want to do? ’, and ‘Is that really how I want to live? ’† (Ellen DeGeneres).

Multimedia Using Adobe After Effects Computer Science Essay

Multimedia Using Adobe After Effects Computer Science Essay Increase in technology making wider use of multimedia and its applications. For a good presentation multimedia is used to present in very effective and innovative way. Every internet technology makes use of this multimedia. To bring a good output in any broadcasting medias multimedia is used. In general the term multimedia has many definitions; each author denotes it in their own ways. According to J Grimes it is The combination of two or more media(J Grimes,1998). Media can be anything like audio, video, graphics, images, text etc. Multimedia is in the form of global hierarchical system, the software of this applications provides direct communication to their users. Multimedia is used not only in internet but also in intranet like LAN (Local Area Networks). To get the information or to access the remote systems or servers the request or information must pass through multimedia to the networks. Because before sending the data to the network the media files should be compressed with the help of multimedia to avoid the communication delay. At the receiving end some of the constraints like delay, jitter will be used for the effective transmission of audio and video files. This is the reason why communications network technologies are increasing rapidly. To produce an effective animation with good effects multimedia and its applications are widely used. To produce good effects there are many versions and softwares available in the market. Of them Adobe After Effects is the one which produces affective result (CH Wu, 2009). The earlier version of After effects is CoSA which came in January 1993 supports only MAC (Adobe, 2008). From then to till now many versions were evolved with adding extra features to the existing. Some emerged versions supports only MAC systems some are compatible with WINDOWS operating system; some are with command prompt like UNIX and LINUX. There are also versions which also support both the operating systems. The Prior version of CoSA was later in 1994 attained by the Adobe Company (Adobe, 2008). From then, that brand released many versions including Page Maker and Adobe After Effects. The primary use of Adobe After effects is to create motion graphics and visual effects, which allows user to alter, animate and composite media in 2D and 3D space with its various built-in tools and plug-ins. After effects and some NLEs (Non Linear Editing systems) are layer oriented this means each and every object media has its own individual tracks. In contrast this also has track oriented system which means all media objects fall in to same track without overlapping each other. This makes editing easier and can comprise with less efforts. There are different software packages available to support not only small volumes of media objects, but also support large volumes of data. The better suited software for large volume data is Appleshake. Using Shy switch adobe After effects will oppose the clutter selectively by hiding the layers (Adobe, 2008). The main interface consists of several panels of them the three most important are Project Panel, Composition Panel and Timeline Panel. The Project panel acts as interface to import stills, audio and video footage items. The footage items used here are in the time line panel, where timing and layer order can be adjusted. In composition panel the items visible at the current time marker are displayed. This report starts by giving a brief knowledge about the multimedia and its applications, Adobe After effects. Later discusses about the existing features in After effects and future advancements for the same. Finally the summary includes. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW To support each and every common individual need multimedia is used. So, todays globalised world is known as The world of Multimedia(Slawson, 1993). The features of multimedia are used not only for creation of movies or for animation with good effects. This is also used in many organisations for communicating over the networks. As electronic process for teaching technologies is becoming more expensive, an interactive process of learning method was introduced through multimedia (Slawson, 1993). Interactive learning multimedia is treated as process, rather than the technology which always provides potential knowledge for the updated technologies (Slawson, 1993). To create such classes in interactive and effective way Adobe after effects is used. Adobe is used to create, edit and alter the motion graphics for DVD, video, Film etc. The latest versions of Adobe has many more extra features which gives good composting and resulting in a blockbuster results. Though multimedia is expensive t o learn, the significance of it is increasing day by day because of its enormous effects and capability. So many people are showing interest towards learning the same. To become a multimedia professional no prior qualifications are required. There are no age or gender constraints, so anyone can become professional in this at anytime. Innovation of ideas is important here because to edit an existing graphical image or to create new motion picture creativity is important. Composting software packages like Apple shake are used to create a node or workflow process. Each package has its own importance the importance of those and its features will be discussed in detail in the coming sections. Multimedia In todays world the term multimedia is used very often. Till now there is no standard definition of multimedia each author describes it in their own convenient way (B Furht, 1998). The term media refers to a form of human interaction that is amenable to computer capture processing such as audio, video, graphics, text, images etc and the term multi refers to the combination of the media present in a single application( B Furht, 1998). Multimedia Compression and Technologies Standards There are many widely accepted technologies in the world of multimedia, every day many new technologies are emerging in to the market. So, the importance of products changes from day to day life. But all emerged and existing products are based on some standards which are used for compression. Let us now discuss in brief about some of those standards and products like Quick Time player, Video for Windows, Indeo [1] ( Intel Video) (CH Wu, 2009). There are also some new and basic standards like ISO (International Standard Organisation) and MHEG (Multimedia and Hypermedia Information Coding Expert Group) (CH Wu, 2009). Basing on these standards the compression techniques follows. 2.1.1(A) Quick Time Player Quick Time is a basic technology developed by Apple Computers (CH Wu, 2009). The format of this media is compatible with almost all Operating systems like Linux, Windows (NT/95/XP/7) and for all apple computers (CH Wu, 2009). This technology is the most commonly accepted mass storage for multimedia communications. The media format of this supports MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Group) which is an ISO- standard, Indeo (Intel Video). This also supports the photo CD format for Kodaks and MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) (CH Wu, 2009). The main intention behind developing this technology is such that it can be used by anyone without any charge. So it is a trusted player which can be easily downloaded from the internet with free of cost. 2.1.1 (B) Video for Windows The technology Video for Windows (VFW) was developed by Microsoft especially for Windows environment (95/NT/XP). After this technology Active Movie emerged with in no time this replaced VFW and designed in such a way that it supports the VFW technology (CH Wu, 2009).Then after multimedia world has experienced an excellent technology which not only supports video but also audio files and that file is AVI( Audio Video Interleave). These file formats play back with a small size of 320240 pixels (quarter VGA screen) using the software. If the processor is of Intel versions it plays with the size of 640480 pixels (quarter VGA screen) because Intel computer can able to cope up with good graphics accelerator by using run length encoding method to compress the information(CH Wu, 2009). In addition to it, this also supports player formats like quick time and Indeo by using video compression algorithms. 2.1.1 (C) Indeo (Intel Video) The basic intention behind developing this product is not only to play back audio and video files, but also to store it on a personal Computer (PC). So this was originally developed by the David Samoff research Center for the conversion of NTSC (National Television System Committee) analog signal in to digital video signal (CH Wu, 2009). The software of this may be a choice for compression in Quick time and Video for Windows. The major comparison among the above two technologies and Indeo product is Quick time and VFW will be compressed by the software and hardware will be used for Indeo which achieves higher frame rate with better resolutions. For compression of Indeo through hardware the requirements are a PC size card using DVI (Digital Video Interface) technology which is based on 1750 chipset of Intel (CH Wu, 2009). Indeo uses the Compression technique called Vector Quantization with run length coding in the ratio of 160:1. Video Conferencing is the major application of Indeo wh ich can store minimum of 70 minutes video in a CD-ROM. Based on Video Conferencing application Intel has launched one more product named PCWG (Personal Conferencing Work Group). The compression technique used here is software instead of hardware to cope up with reasonable cost. Intel has developed many products based on different standards. As Indeo is based on Vector Quantization it works much faster than MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Group) and H.261.This is an ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union- Telecommunication) Video Conferencing standard based on DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) (CH Wu, 2009). 2.1.1 (D) MHEG (Multimedia and Hypermedia Information Coding Expert Group) To control the presentations of multimedia and hypermedia MHEG is a standard prepared by ISO for a set of object classes. To support the multi vendor client or server environment MHEG-5 technique was introduced (CH WU, 2009). Vendors who developed applications in this environment have feasibility that application can be developed once and later information can be interchangeable according to the end user (client/vendor) environment. MHEG has additional multimedia handling capabilities like it is used for representation between different computers and compatible with all typ0e of OS, has 3 different spatial coordinates compared to HTML (Hypertext Markup language). This is good at time synchronisation. ARMIDA service which is a product prototype developed for video conferencing (CH WU, 2009). COMPRESSION STANDARDS There are many widely accepted compression standards like GIF (Graphical Information Format) which is mostly used for internet services and ISO (International standard Organization) standard for high quality of delivery. This report illustrates about the two major ISO compression standards which are accepted worldwide. 2.1.2(A) JPEG (Joint Picture Expert Group) This standard is used for compressing and decompressing the colour or gray scale images which was set by ISO standard. JPEG is used for compressing the still pictures like images, graphics, colour FAX, audio graphical conference, desktop publishing etc. The standards of JPEG follow four coding processes. Base Line System: This is a simple and efficient system which is suitable for many of the applications. To encode the data it uses sequential coding which means data passes in a single through which produces 8 bit resolution for each input (CH WU, 2009). Extended System: The extended system improves the quality of base line system by producing 12 resolution bits. For encoding the data is uses arithmetic coding by progressive build-up. This progresses low frequency blurred image to higher frequency quality image and successive approximation for most significant to least significant bits (CH Wu, 2009). Progressive build-up is suitable for communication sensitive applications. Arithmetic encoding compresses almost 5-10% better when compared with Huffman coding. Hierarchical encoding method: The name itself indicates it is hierarchical, so it build-up the data from low to high. This means it follows the pyramid shape model form low pixels to high pixels. It uses DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) encoding method for comparison between current and succeeding frame (CH Wu, 2009). This supports both 8 and 12 bit resolutions. Lossless Method: This is widely used in medical applications where exact reconstruction of the image is required. Each pixels digital value can be 2 or 16 bits. It supports sequential encoding and also user has a choice of selecting encoding methods either arithmetic or Huffman coding (CH Wu, 2009). This does not make use of DCT. Fig 1: Block Diagram of JPEG compression scheme [http://www.design-reuse.com/articles/17954/jpeg-application-engine.html] 2.1.2(B) MPEG (Motion Picture Expert Group) The MPEG standard was developed by the ISO/ JTC1/SC29/ WG11 for compressing motion pictures in contrast to JPEG which is used for still images (CH Wu, 2009). MPEG standards specify and concentrate on decoding process with bit syntax format. It leaves a separate space for encoding process. This has two standards MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 in addition to this there is one more standard which is under progress MPEG-4. Let us discuss in brief about the same. MPEG-1: For compressing video on digital storage like CD-ROM MPEG-1 is used (CH Wu, 2009). In storage media the compression is rate about 1 to 1.5 Mbps (Mega bit per second) and in communication networks its range is about 6 to 9 with compression ratio of approximately 130:1. MPEG-2: In addition to the video compression on media it also used for compressing interlaced digital video in cable, satellite TV, HDTV (High Definition TV), High- quality digital storage media and video service through communications with range of [6-9]. The compression ratio of this is 30-100:1 (CH Wu, 2009). MPEG-4: This is a long term project which was started in 1993 with the expected completion year as 1998 (CH Wu, 2009). This sets for all type of applications and has advanced coding method. It has got the following features in addition to the compression potential. Content based scalability and error prone environments have universal access capabilities by providing good robustness. Content based interactivity for multimedia access, manipulation and bit-stream editing (CH Wu, 2009). In addition to this it has coding methods like hybrid natural and synthetic methods with improved random access which is temporary. In MPEG-4 MSDL ( MPEG-4 Syntactic Description Language ) was introduced to describe the flexibility of bit stream structure, configuring, decoding of the program, selecting, describing, editing, and downloading. MSDL include tools, profiles and algorithms. Profile may be a single or combinations of one or more algorithms. Algorithm is a collection of tools for providing one or more functionality. Tools are simple and basic technique (CH Wu, 2009). Syntax of MSDL layer FLEX 0 This is used in switching between pre-defined algorithms like MPEG-1, MPEG-2, JPEG, etc (CH Wu, 2009). FLEX 1 This syntax is for configuring decoders using standard tools like DCT and Huffman coding (CH Wu, 2009). FLEX 2 used for tool updating and downloading (CH Wu, 2009). Fig 2: Block Diagram of MPEG encoder [http://www.altera.com.cn/end-markets/broadcast/delivery/encoder/bro-encoder.html] Multimedia Applications Now-a-days we can find the use of multimedia in not only media, entertainment and arts field but also in almost all places and in all services like hospitals, government organisations. Its also used in the field of education departments like physics, mathematics etc. The following are some of the important applications of multimedia. Commercial Purpose Creativity is most widely useful in these areas because for doing any type of business a good popularity is vital. For launching a product a good advertisement is necessary where in which creativity should be used here to deal with. Education To make the classes interactively for the students multimedia is used by giving SFX and VFX effects. Entertainment Multimedia is basically developed for this field where different types of media are included. Used to create animation movies, multimedia games. Many video games include multimedia techniques which are a good time pass and in addition to it this improves the knowledge of the player. Multimedia games can be available through online to play or it can also be obtained through CDs. In Mathematical and Scientific field Multimedia has extensive range of use in the research field. Because after creation of a particular molecule or a single substance using multimedia that molecule will be studied by enlarging the size or increasing the properties of it. In this way multimedia will also be used in the field of calculations. For creation of any visual or animation graphics the most commonly used effects are special effects popularly known as SFX and visual effects named as VFX. To edit these there are many editing softwares available of them the most popular editing software is Adobe After Effects which commonly known as AE. Adobe After Effects (AE) Adobe After effects is mainly used for workflow process management for colour processing. To achieve a perfect quality of colour blended emotions or graphics to the images AE is used. The currently used software for editing in version of AE is AECS5. Prior to this there are many previous versions which are used for colour blending process. The basic version of Adobe is CoSA and the code name for it is egg in the year of 1993 in January (Adobe, 2008). The features of this are mask with layered compositing, effects, keyframes, transforms (Adobe, 2008). In the same year but in the month of May one more version of it is released but with extended features. Both versions of these CoSA1.0 and 1.1 support MAC operating system (Adobe, 2008). From then to till now there have been many technologies and versions evolved. The report concentrates on AE and its versions. Adobe After Effects CS5 To succeed in todays media culture visual richness and outstanding performance is required which can be obtained through CS5. Its new 64-bit native support helps most of the computers to work more efficiently with complex projects like HD, 2k and 4K. A broad range of innovative features from the new roto brush allows for creating the stream line of workflow. This enables to create ordinary graphics in to extra ordinary graphics which results in blockbuster effects while delivering the work with variety of screens. 2.3.1(A) Features of CS5 64-bit performance support: To craft complex 3D scenes it works flexibly with all types of available RAM and different types of processors (Adobe, 2008). It is easy to work on large frames, camera moves, preview of long deep layered composites, a single layer can be viewed in to different types of output format. The four colour channels of this are red, blue, green, alpha. Fig 3: 64-bit native support [http://www.attotech.com/solutions/Adobe/] Format memory requirements standard definition 720486 pixels x 4 color channels* x 8 bpc =1.33 megabytes/frame10 seconds @ 29.97 fps = 398.6MB (Adobe, 2008) high definition 19201080 pixels x 4 color channels* x 16 bpc =15.82 megabytes/frame10 seconds @ 23.976 fps = 3.7GB (Adobe, 2008). Digital cinema 40962304 pixels x 4 color channels* x 32 bpc =144 megabytes/frame10 seconds @ 24 fps =33.75GB (Adobe, 2008). Visual Innovation: After Effects CS5 includes Mocha for After Effects CS5 v2 with the Mocha Shape plug-in, Color Finesse 3, and Digieffects FreeForm (Adobe, 2008). As these are third party plug-ins included with CS5 the user interface was installed in only English language. Efficient Composition: Performs composite productions very faster with maximum bit depth rate because of the new roto brush tool. There is a new support for colour LUTs (Look Up Table) and other breakthroughs. Production of pipelines was excellent and in complex digital workflow productions good support of XMP metadata is important.CS5 completely uses innovation of technology everywhere (Adobe, 2008). Deliver everywhere: Work with a wider range of media types-now including AVC-Intra and expanded RED camera support-and render the final results in formats from mobile media to feature films at maximum bit depth and resolution, using industry-unique colour management and new custom Colour Look-Up Table (LUT) support to help ensure accurate results across a variety of delivery platforms (Adobe, 2008). The Adobe After effects not only works well in Windows environment but also it is compatible also with MAC and can produce good result. The Roto brush tool is a very powerful tool which separates foreground and background and chooses which environment and position of scale sets to fix the image. If drawing a position of image is unsure then positioning an outline on the picture with roto brush gives good result. The digieffects which is a free from effects which gives 3D modelling effects. 3. RESEARCH In multimedia applications the effects used are like SFX and VFX to edit this Adobe after effects are used. The following are the key point which I found in my research on this topic. Adobe After Effects is an application which is used for 3D Compositing and as well as visual effects. It is one of the most top10 compositing software. Well coming to software, there are more drawbacks on that compare to newer versions. Newer application is more user friendly and more reliable compare to previous versions. It supports all types of major media formats for both import and export. In newer version i.e., After Effects CS5, it only supports 64bit Os. So application can take more memory from Os which support up to 64GB of memory. So that huge amount of data can be accessed through local HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and also from network. The speed of the drive can be experienced by using 1Gbps of LAN. But in this the main issue is multitask cannot be performed. This means at a time only application can be run and processed. Due to this backlog, working on more files at a time is not possible so the process becomes time consuming one. The drawback of this issue can be overcome by installing the application and plugins which we used in more than one application. But it takes 2-3Hrs of time moreover it is a time consuming program. In addition to it one user cant work on multiple projects/files at a time. 4. PROPOSED SOLUTION To overcome the delay process, there is a trick which should be followed to open multiple applications. The trick is as follows. I.e., just add the letter -M after the path at target tab. The image is as follows. Using this script multiple applications can be opened at a time which works faster and also save the time depending on the configuration of the user machine. If the machine is of good configuration a very good quality of speed can be experienced. Fig4:Explanation of Multi Application 4.1 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES Adobe After Effects CS5 boost the performance and results in a high quality of production. Its features like roto brush tool used to create and separate foreground and background images without much time. Its third party plug-ins increases robustness and efficiency of the program. Its 64-bit native support makes the process compatible with all type of processors. Use good colour blending and movie rendering techniques which gives good effects with innovation of ideas. This also supports auto key frame modes and provides flexibility to customer or client for choosing his own colour Look Up Tables (LUT). In any product there are not only advantages but also we can find disadvantages. This paragraph discusses all about the disadvantages of CS5. For installing CS5 the OS should support some features like OSx10.5.7 (Adobe, 2008). As this supports 64-bit native support every third party plug-in of it should be upgraded to the same. This is not only time taking process but also costly process. CS5 is not compatible with older versions so every time backward version like CS4 must be installed in addition to the CS5. This makes to work on the current projects without difficulty. Installing on a single PC two or more versions decreases the speed of the processor as older versions works only on 32-bit applications. For AE lights and other 3D layers there is no real interaction of 3D. So the lights and 3D layers should be applied separately in Photoshop this is another important drawback which should be considered. 5. CONCLUSION This report describes briefly about the multimedia and its applications. A very clear and basic explanation about working flow of Adobe After Effects and its current version CS5 which is popularly known as AECS5. This paper also discusses about the problem of opening multi applications at a time and provided the solution for the same. The detailed explanation about the roto brush tool and its importance is provided. This research has clearly explained the merits and demerits of AE (AE CS5). As the technology has good advancements in day to day life the long term project which is still in progress should come out with good advancements. The future advancements of this technology can be upgrading the software with built in lights and 3D effects with good real 3D interaction. CS5 must be compatible with backward versions of CS like CS4 and Cs3. In addition to this there can be many future advancements based on the technology developed. (4300 words excluded references and index) ABBREVIATIONS LAN- Local Area Network AE- Adobe After Effects NLE- Non Linear Editing Systems DVD- Digital Video Disk INDEO- Intel Video MHEG-Multimedia Hypermedia Information Coding Expert Group MIDI- Musical Instrument Digital Interface VFW- Video For Windows AVI- Audio Video Interface DVI- Digital Video Interface MPEG- Motion Picture Expert Group JPEG- Joint Picture Expert Group ITU-T International Telecommunication Union- Telecommunication DCT- Discrete Cosine Transform HTML- Hyper Text Markup Language GIF- Graphical Interchange Format ISO- International Standard Organisation HDTV- High Definition TV MSDL- MPEG-4 Syntactic Description Language SFX- Special Effects VFX- Visual Effects LUT- Look Up Table

Cause And Treatments Of Typhoid Fever Infections Biology Essay

Cause And Treatments Of Typhoid Fever Infections Biology Essay The burden and rigourness of typhoid fever infections caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi is a substantial universal populace concern, particularly in developing countries (Demczuk, Finley, Nadon, Spencer, Gilmour NG, 2010). It is a systemic infection primarily involving the alimentary tract (Christopher, 2002). It has been found that humans are the only natural reservoirs of S. Typhi, with contagion occurring through consumption of faecally contaminated food and water (Corner Schwartz, 2005) or in other words, it occurs where there is substandard water supply and sanitation. It has been estimated by WHO that the annual global incidence of typhoid fever is at 0.3% (Demczuk et.,al, 2010). It has been estimated that annually 6, 00,000 deaths occur from enteric fever worldwide. S. Typhi infections may cause symptoms like bacteraemia, fever, headache, malaise, abdominal distress, diarrhoea and rose colored spots which contains the infecting organism (Chamberlain, 2006). Typhoid fever is preventable through vaccination prior to travelling to areas where typhoid is common and careful consumption of food. Treatment with appropriate antibiotics can also prevent complications. S.typhi first of all invades the alimentary canal by ingestion then via the lymphatic system and the thoracic duct into the stream of blood. This first septicaemic phase leads to infection of the reticulo-endothelial system and the gall bladder. When the infection of the gall bladder occurs, there is discharge of organisms into the intestine, with heavy infection of the Peyers patches and septicaemia- and the onset of symptoms (Sleigh Timbury, 1998). Most of the symptoms which are caused by S.typhi can be ascribed to the inflammation caused by its lipopolysaccharide as it does not have any specific known endotoxins. After an incubation period of 10-14 days, early symptoms like fever, headache and respiratory symptoms appear. Then, mild abdominal pain with either diarrhoea or constipation occurs. After that, fever increases in a stepwise fashion. Without treatment, the patient may eventually lapse into a stupor and the problem may persist for 4 to 6 weeks. A serious problem that is secondary invasion of the intestine from the gall bladder which can cause perforation of the intestine. In 15% of untreated cases, death may also occur. Typhoid fever can be diagnosed by the laboratory tests to find the bacteria in the blood or faeces of an infected person. Illness is usually characterized by fever, loss of appetite, lethargy and change in bowel habit. Constipation is common in the initial stages but diarrhea can also occur. The diagnosis of enteric fever relies on the isolation of S.typhi from the patient. Specimens include faeces, blood and urine. The culture used for blood and urine is MacConkey medium in which enrichment and the selective media are not necessary. Blood culture is positive in more than 80% of patients in the first week of illness. Faeces should also be cultured especially at 2-4 weeks after onset of symptoms, when seeding of the kidneys and secondary infection of the intestine occurs. For faeces, indicator medium is used for non-lactose-fermenting colonies and selective and enrichment media for others (Sleigh Timbury, 1998). Identification can be done by the Biochemical reactions (API test). In this test, unlike other salmonellae, S.typhi produces no gas on fermentation of sugars. In serological identification, first of all preliminary diagnosis with salmonella polyvalent H and O antisera is done and after that final identification is done from where it is send to the Reference Typing Laboratory. Phage typing is also useful in identifying the different types of S.typhi for epidemiological identification into the source of outbreaks. Serum antibodies to the organisms can be detected by an agglutination test known as Widal test, but positive results must be interpreted with care where past exposure or vaccination are possibility. A fourfold rise in titre between acute and covalescent sera is diagnostic. The salmonella bacterium resides in the human gut. The source of infection is the carriers or the cases that excrete the organism: excretion in faeces and less commonly in the urine. The infection continues for about two months after the acute illness. The route of infection is through the ingestion of water or food which is contaminated by sewage or via the hands of a carrier. Direct spread from case to case is rare. Only a small number of these bacteria can cause typhoid fever. This is the main reason that water-borne infection is common, despite the dilution of organisms. The following are High risk groups for developing Typhoid Fever: Travelers with individualistic lifestyle and those are intending prolonged travel to areas where there is typhoid fever. Former migrants from developing countries who are visiting their parent countries. Those with no acid or low acid concentrations in their stomach such as post surgery or with regular use of antacids and medication to reduce stomach acidity. Those with sever or ongoing disease may need particular advice about typhoid fever and where the intended travel is to be Travelers to the Indian Subcontinent Medical personnel, foreign aid workers and military personnel assigned in developing countries. Outbreaks of typhoid fever are often explosive- sometimes involving large number of people. There are two main types of outbreak: Water-borne: in which the organisms from the sewage acts as a carrier and pollutes the drinking water, e.g. the outbreaks in Croydon in 1937 and in Zermatt in 1963. Food- borne: in which food becomes contaminated via polluted water or via the hands of the carriers. Typhoid Mary, possibly most famous carrier, worked as a cook in USA and caused number of outbreaks. Tinned food may also become contagious during canning- the large outbreak in Aberdeen in 1964 was due to a tin containing corned beef which had been cooled in water contaminated by sewage; bacteria entered the can through tiny holes in the metal casing. Shellfish often grow in estuaries, where the water may be contaminated by sewage: if it is eaten uncooked they may cause infection. Milk or cream products, contaminated through the handling of the carriers, have caused outbreaks of typhoid fever. Other food products like meat, dried and frozen foods, dried coconut have also been responsible for infection. Antibiotics are a type of medication effective in treating infections caused by bacteria based on signs and symptoms. Oral treatment with chloramphenicol, ampicillin, cotrimoxazole or ciprofloxacin is generally effective and should be maintained for 14 days to reduce the possibility. But resistive strains to above antibiotics have also been reported, particularly on Indian subcontinent (Lee Bishop, 2010). For chronic carriers, long term therapy with ampicillin or ciprofloxacin may be effective but, if not, cholecystectomy (removal of gall bladder) may be warranted. Chloramphenicol is a bacteriostatic antibiotic with wide spectrum of activity against gram-positive and gram negative cocci and bacillus. It binds to the 50S subunit of the ribosome and inhibits bacterial protein synthesis. Ampicillin is a broad spectrum semi-synthetic derivative of aminopenicillin that inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis by binding to penicillin binding proteins and inhibiting peptidoglycan synthesis, a critical component of bacterial cell wall. Ciprofloxacin is a synthetic broad spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic which inhibits bacterial DNA gyrase, an enzyme essential for DNA replication. This agent is more active against Gram-negative bacteria than Gram-positive bacteria. It is very difficult to eradicate S.typhii from the gall bladder. Antibiotic treatment is effective in curing some carriers, but still to some extent the infection persists and they become long-term permanent carriers. Promising results have been given by ciprofloxacin. For the high risk groups, two effective typhoid vaccines: the oral live vaccine (Ty 21a) and the injectable Vi capsular polysaccharide vaccine is highly recommended. The live attenuated vaccine Ty 21a is a strain of S.typhi. It is indicated for those who travel to or living in areas where typhoid is an endemic and where the health care staff is at risk. It is administered in enteric-coated capsules orally in three doses on alternate days. Some mild adverse reactions may also persist like nausea, vomiting etc. This vaccine is quiet efficient but may be less durable. The other type of vaccine is a classic type killed vaccine which has now been replaced by other preparations but still it is being widely used. It contains heat killed phenol preserved suspension of S.typhi. It is injected and two doses need to be consumed 4-6 weeks apart and booster doses need to be taken every 3 years. In consuming this, some local and general reactions are common which vanishes after 36 hr from the onse t. In New Zealand, the injectable Vi Polysaccharide vaccine (Vi antigen) is recommended for all adult children over the age of 2 years travelling to areas where there is questionable sanitation. It is known that children under the age of 2 years may show a sub-optimal response to polysaccharide antigen vaccine. It gives approximately 70% protection against the disease. There are two products available in New Zealand and Australia: Typherix (GlaxoSmithKline) and Typhim Vi (MSD [NZ] Ltd). They are interchangeable. The infection prevention and control team plays a vital role in preventing cross infection and prevention of hospital acquired infection. In order to ensure that infection is not caused, the surveillance team should keep highest level of vigilance in which phenomenon like proper aseptic techniques, hand hygiene practice should be followed. Furthermore, following preventive measures should be followed: Wash and dry hands thoroughly after using the toilet or changing nappies. Hands should be washed for 20 seconds and dried for a further 20 seconds using a clean cloth or disposable towel. Soiled clothing and linen should be washed with hot soapy water separately from that of other family members. Items such as face cloths and towels should be kept for personal use. A person with Typhoid infection should avoid preparing food for others in the family until they are no longer infectious. In households where a person is recovering from typhoid, toilet seats, flush handles, wash basin taps and toilet door handles should be disinfected daily using a hypochlorite based solution. Ideally the solution should be in contact with the surface of the object for at least  ½ hour. Drink bottled, purified or carbonated water for drinking and cleaning teeth. Make sure that bought bottled water is appropriately sealed; regular water (sea level) should be brought to boiling point for one minute before it is safe to drink. Avoid ice in drinks and remember that refreshing ice blocks and flavored ices may be made with contaminated water. Foods should be thoroughly cooked and served piping hot. Be very wary of food sold by street vendors. Avoid raw seafood and shellfish; even though they may have been preserved with vinegar, lemon or lime juice. Choose raw vegetables and fruits that a person can peel himself. Avoid salads unless they have been made by own. Do not forget to wash hands with soap or hand cleaner first and not to eat the peelings. Antimicrobial resistance surveillance is also a significant activity which needs to be practiced. Moreover, as the economies of the developing countries grow the sanitary conditions of currently typhoid- endemic countries will improve. Due to that, number o f typhoid fever cases will lessen. However, in order to expedite the elimination of typhoid fever, Member States and WHO will strengthen their power for typhoid fever surveillance by improving laboratory-based surveillance. Intersectoral collaboration at both national and international levels will be essential if the disease needs to be controlled in endemic countries. In conclusion we have discussed in brief the organism- S.typhi, the laboratory diagnosis, its epidemiology, antibiotic treatment and finally the role of the infection control and prevention team in controlling the infection.

Feminism in Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and When It Changed by

Feminism in Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and When It Changed by Joanna Russ During the long history of science fiction, one of the most common themes is the utopia. Many feminists used utopia to convey their ideas. Two of these stories, Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and "When It Changed" by Joanna Russ portray feminist utopias in different ways. Herland shows a society lacking men, and makes this seem positive, while "When It Changed" shows an all-female society that mirrors a world with men. Through their respective stories, the authors are saying that women should be considered equal to men. Gilman points out that women should be accepted because they can survive on their own, while Russ suggests that women can be as strong as men if necessary. Herland is the story of three men that stumble upon a society populated entirely by women. This culture is superior in virtually all ways to the world of the men. The narrator is one of the visiting men, and he is constantly in awe of the perfection. The women of Herland know no poverty, hunger, or evil. This novel was written in a time when the women’s movement was in its earliest stages. This parallels the fact that Herland, and most utopias, are found in distant, isolated locations. Gilman’s portrayal of a utopian feminist society is perfect, without any outwardly apparent flaws. Although her view is exaggerated, she suggests that a society made up of all females would be superior to one with both sexes, and, in saying this, she makes a powerful statement for women’s equality. Bernice Hausman writes, "Gilman’s social Darwinism†¦ rested on the ‘assertion that women, as a collective entity, could, if they chose, be the moving force in the recog nition of society.’" (1... ...e topic; that women deserve to be accepted in society. Russ attempts to show this through the society on Whileaway, where the women survive without men by becoming like men themselves. In contrast, Gilman uses a society of females to show that women were confined by their roles of society, and were capable of much more. Sources used: Clemons, Tammy. "Feminism in Herland: A Utopian Vision of Charlotte Perkins Gilman." Published on www.womenwriters.net Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Herland. Minola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1998. Hausman, Bernice L. "Sex before gender: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the evolutionary paradigm of utopia." Feminist Studies, Fall 1998 issue. Russ, Joanna. "When It Changed". The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Ed. Garyn G. Roberts. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2001. Pg. 946-951.

Legalizing Marijuana Essay -- Papers Weed Drugs Legalization Essays

Legalizing Marijuana Why marijuana? Why legalize marijuana for recreational use? I think the question we should ask ourselves is ?why not Are there any benefits? Again, the focus is misplaced. The question should be how do the benefits of decriminalizing marijuana far outweigh the negative aspects. Why was marijuana made illegal in the first place? Marijuana is certainly not illegal due to health concerns, because if that were the case alcohol and tabacco would be illegal as well. The fact is Americans demand the freedom to choose. Freedom of choice is one of the basic principles this country was founded on. If that freedom of choice is the right to choose to indulge in vices that may be detrimental to one?s health, whether it be alcohol, tabacco or marijuana, than that must be a decision that we as Americans are able to make for ourselves. Why is the third most popular drug in the U.S., behind alcohol and tobacco, the only one of the three still illegal? It?s because most of the public is blind to th e benefits marijuana?s decriminalization would bring. This narrow minded way of thinking is similar to the kind of paranoia that caused it?s prohibition in 1937. Although legalizing the use of marijuana for recreational purposes would call for a greater sense of responsibility, it?s positive effects would have a profound impact on this nation. One of the largest and most costly problems concerned with this issue is overcrowded prisons. I think Nick Hexum illustrates it best when he sings, ?The war on drugs may be well intentioned-but it falls?flat when you stop and mention-the overcrowded prisons where a rapist gets paroled-to make room for a?[guy] who has sold-a pound of weed-to me that?s a crime? Although these are ... ...th Esq. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Committee on Government Reform U.S. House of Representatives, July 13, 1999 http://www.norml.org/recreational/testimony99.shtml Bibliography: Gazzaniga, Michael S. ?An Interview With Michael Gazzaniga? The National Review Accessed March 4, 2001 http:members.dencity.com/warmth/ Hexum, Nicholas ?Grassroots? 311, 1994 Capricorn Records Jackson, Ted. ?Today, in Another Drug-Related www.intellectualcapital.com, accessed March 7, 2001. Stroup, R. Keith Esq. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources Committee on Government Reform U.S. House of Representatives, July 13, 1999 http://www.norml.org/recreational/testimony99.shtml

Planning and Measuring Performance Essay

Planning and Measuring Performance Planning and Measuring Performance This paper will discuss Hospital Corporation of America’s (HCA) goals of achieving industry-leading performance in clinical and satisfaction measures and recruiting and employing physicians to meet the need for high quality health services (University of Oregon Investment Group, 2011). This paper will also discuss which tools would be most effective in measuring the organization’s performance against the determined standards. The actual standards that HCA would use to measure the first goal of achieving industry-leading performance in clinical and satisfaction measures are set by The Joint Commission. According to Kicab Casta eda-Mendez (1999), achieving improved clinical performance and satisfaction measures requires performance measures in three areas: * To lead the entire organization in a particular direction. * To manage the resources needed to travel in this direction. * To operate the processes that make the organization work. According to Kicab Casta eda-Mendez (1999), these measures are: * Strategic–to drive strategies into action and change the organizational culture. * Diagnostic–to evaluate the effectiveness of these actions and the extent of change. * Operational–to improve continuously. The most effective tool to measure these improvements is benchmarking. Benchmarking against the top healthcare companies will determine if HCA is achieving industry-leading performance in clinical and satisfaction measures. Without benchmarking HCA could not determine if the company was leading the industry or if they were at the bottom of organizational ladder. HCA’s goal of hiring physicians to meet the need for high quality health services can be measured by determining the number of physicians need to accommodate the number of patients, determining the specialties/ sub-specialties the physicians are needed in, as well as measuring the retention rate of the physicians. The Balanced Scorecard would best fit this goal. The Balanced Scorecard allows the company to see the projected percentages and the actual percentages of the measurements. It also helps the company see what needs to be changed and gives direction for those changes. HCA can use benchmarking and the Balanced Scorecard to measure the different aspects of their goals. HCA will also be able to see the areas that need improvement and have some guidance into making these changes. With these tools HCA will be able to make an effective go at achieving their goals. References University of Oregon Investment Group (May 6, 2011). Hospital Corporation of America. Retrieved from http://uoinvestmentgroup. org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/HCA. pdf Casta eda-Mendez (1999). Performance Measurement in Healthcare. Retrieved from http://www. qualitydigest. com/may99/html/body_health. html

Erickson Integrity Versus Despair Essay

Older adults spend more time thinking and reflecting about their past than they use to. They also tend to be much less critical now of decisions made years ago then they do at that time. They often remember dreams they wanted and how close they may have come. Is this process of reflection something that older adults go through? This may be in response to retirement, the death of a spouse or close friends, or may simply result from changing social roles. According to Erikson (1982), a personality theorist who examined aging as a stage of development, this struggle comes about as older adults try to understand their lives in terms of the future of their family and community. As the older adult enters late life, they begin the struggle of integrity and despair, which is the process by which people try to make sense of their lives. Thoughts of the older adults own death is harmonized by the understanding that they will live on through their extended family. Erikson calls this understanding a â€Å"life-affirming involvement† in the present. Within the integrity versus despair, older adults encounter a life review, the process by which older adults reflect on the events and experiences of their lifetime. The most important event at this stage is coming to accept one’s whole life and reflecting on that in a positive manner. Erikson believed that to achieve integrity, a person must come to terms with the choices and events that have made his or hers life unique, and accepting one’s life for what it is. He believed older adults that reached integrity become self-affirming and self-accepting, and they judge their lives to have been worthwhile and good. The adult feels a sense of fulfillment about life and accepts death as an unavoidable reality. Those people who can look back on their lives with happiness and decide that they have lived a well rounded and fulfilling life will gain ego integrity and will not be fearful of death. â€Å"People develop ego integrity and accept their lives if they succeed, and develop a sense of wisdom a â€Å"detached concern with life itself in the face of death itself†(Erikon’s Psychosocial Stages of Development, 2009). If a person looks back on their life and remembers negative thoughts and dissatisfaction with life they will develop despair and experience a fearfulness and anxiousness about death. â€Å"Too much wisdom leads to presumption, too much despair to a disdain for life† (Erikson’s Psychosocial  Stages of Development, 2009). It has also been said that â€Å"children won’t fear life if their elders have enough integrity not to fear death.†(Psychological Theory- Erikson, 1995). I think that Morrie Schwartz is a great example of Erikson’s integrity theory. Morrie’s basic core of integrity ran deep, more so than any one person. Morrie showed this when he commented on his own battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease â€Å"It was very important for me to make clear to myself that my body is only part of who I am. We are much greater than the sum of our physical parts. The way we look at the world is fashioned by our values and our thoughts about good and evil, things that go into making up who we are†.