Outline the stages of specimen reception and initial processing, Essay

Outline the stages of specimen reception and initial processing, highlighting particular safety issues - Essay Example Once the primary specimen is received in the laboratory, a quick assessment is carried out regarding any clinical risk. Such risks include damage, leakage, missing request form, inadequate labeling, wrong sample sent for requested test or the clinical information does not match the blood sample. However, if a risk has been flagged, it will fall under the Clinical Risk Management guidelines. If there is no clinical risk to be dealt with, the specimen will proceed to the next stage. The sample and the request form have to show the patient demographics. Patient demographics refers to the information that identifies the patient and provides other data that is important to the clinician in coming up with a diagnosis. Demographics consists of the patient’s name, hospital number, and date of birth. Missing demographic data makes the specimen a clinical risk, and a request for a new sample is sent to the requestor. Other instances where the sample can be classified as inadequately labeled include those samples that are not accompanied by supporting paperwork, and those that are labeled differently from the request form in such cases, a request for a new sample is sent to the requestor If the details match the sample, the specimen will be taken for further assessment in the laboratory. Some exceptions can be made in certain situations, especially if there is a need to protect the identity of the one from whom the sample has been obtained. An example of such a s ituation is in the case of an unrelated bone marrow donor whose identity has been protected using an international code for identification based on the Patient International Data Protection. After the clinician has verified that the specimen identification matches the request form, the anticoagulant tube is then checked to ascertain that the correct sample has been sent to the laboratory. For HLA genotyping, an EDTA anticoagulant

The Astonishing Hypothesis Essay Example for Free

The Astonishing Hypothesis Essay John Maddox (1995) in â€Å"The Prevalent Distrust of Science† argues that there exists a distrust in the innovations within the field of science as a result of the unreliability of the scientific community regarding the various innovations that it has developed over the past years. Maddox claims that this distrust has led to the creation of a culture of ignorance, the effects of which can be seen in the existence of an anti-science mindset. These views may take the form of passive denial and active denial. Passive denial refers to the â€Å"intentional obfuscation of what science is about† whereas active denial refers to the denial of the validity of scientific claims (Maddox, 1995, p. 436). Maddox further claims that this mindset may be seen as the result of (1) individuals’ inability to hold accountability for their actions since science â€Å"shifts responsibility from nature onto people’s own shoulders† and (2) individual’s inability to easily adapt to change since science â€Å"challenge(s) cherished beliefs† (1995, p. 436-437). In order to test the prevalence of this mindset within society, Maddox proposed the conduction of a public opinion poll in the form of a conceptual experiment. The experiment involves presenting the hypothesis of Francis Crick regarding human development as presented in his book The Astonishing Hypothesis. According to Crick, the human brain begins as a bag of neurons. In addition to this, he claims that the development of the hardwired parts of the human nervous system is genetically determined. The process in which this genetic determination occurs however was not accounted for by Crick. Based on his views regarding the distrust in the development in scientific inquiry, Maddox claims that â€Å"the scientists will not think Crick’s hypothesis all that astonishing† (1995, p. 437). In order to test whether such an anti-science mindset exists, I conducted the poll proposed by Maddox. In the process of doing this, I interviewed ten students, five of which major in science related courses and five of which major in humanities related courses. Their ages range from 19-25 years old. Amongst the ten interviewees, five were male and five were female. In addition to this, six of the interviewees were Caucasians, two were African Americans, and two were Asian Americans. In terms of their religious affiliation, six of them were Protestants and the remaining interviewees were Roman Catholics. All the interviewees were given the same information regarding Crick’s views on human development. After being given the information and asked regarding the validity of Crick’s views, all the interviewees agreed regarding the high probability of Crick’s claim. The difference between the interviewees can be traced to their explanation as to why they consider Crick’s view to be highly probable. The interviewees who major in science related courses gave more precise explanations regarding the probability of Crick’s claim. One them stated that â€Å"embryonic fetal development always begins with the development of the neurological system since the system is necessary to support the other development of the primary organs of the fetus†. Another one stated that this claim is true since studies have shown that the human embryo produces almost a million neurons every minute after the first four weeks of its conception. As opposed to this, the students who major in humanities related subjects tended to provide a less detailed explanation. One of them stated, â€Å"Crick’s hypothesis might be true since his view corresponds with what we discussed in Biology 101†. The reason for the difference of the explanation of these students may be traced to the formers exposure to the scientific language as opposed to the latter. Based on the interviews that I conducted, it seems that Maddox’s claim does not hold. It is possible that the reason for this may traced to the fact that the individuals I interviewed were all college students. Their educational background may have provided them with the recognition of the necessity to recognize the importance of scientific knowledge in the advancement of humanity. As I see, the distrust in scientific innovations stem as a result of individuals’ lack of knowledge regarding the importance of scientific innovation as well as the probabilistic nature of scientific knowledge. Reference Maddox, J. (1995). â€Å"The Prevalent Distrust of Science. † Nature, 378, 435-437.

Manipulation Of Images In Media Texts Media Essay

Manipulation Of Images In Media Texts Media Essay There are many arguments and concepts towards manipulation of images in media texts. The manipulation of images is seen every day by everybody who picks up any kind of media text from newspapers and magazines to internet articles, retouching photos is happening. Whether its changing how a person looks, changing the dominant characters surroundings or deleting parts of the image this all adds to the audiences perception of the text which the media has given them. There is no right or wrong answer unto whether the manipulation of media texts is actually something that should happen and should carry on happening throughout texts, some people think it is wrong to change the way people look, however some people believe that the changing and manipulation of media texts is all part of the media process. There are more arguments throughout the world of media which say the retouching their images is misleading for young people and manipulates them to believe this is how you should look. I want to see regular girls that look like me in a magazine thats supposed to be for me. For the sake of all the struggling girls all over America, who read Seventeen and think these fake images are what they should be, Im stepping up (Bluhm, 2012) Julia Bluhm is a 14 year old American teenager who understood the manipulation of texts and how the retouching and development of photos will influence teenage girls lifestyles and make them change the way they look at themselves because of the fake images portrayed by the media. For young girls like Julia photo manipulation could potentially make them change the ways they look at themselves due to the retouched images, young girls tend to idolize celebrities and icons in magazines. The retouched photos which may lead them to believe their own imperfections are abnormal influencing them to even turn to anorexia and body issues. Many people believe that the manipulation of images in media texts also leads to many people having low self-esteem issues which may also cause self obsessions and body issues within ones self. Theres no end of studies that show that consistently seeing airbrushed images makes women feel worse about themselves. (Crisell, 2010) There have been many articles written to show how the retouching of images affects the lifestyles and health of people, especially women. Many psychologists have studied the effects of the manipulation of media texts and how it reflects on a persons health; many say we are more likely to compare ourselves to these images due to the excessive exposure we have to them. We live in a current society which consists of a high percentage of people living with high body dissatisfaction and manipulation of images in media texts could potentially increase this percentage. Some people may disagree and believe that the retouching of images in media is a normal thing to do and is all part of the media process. No longer is it about  just  taking pictures.   Editing is involved. (Boutwell, 2012) Today, many photographers and people involved in the media believe there is a lot more behind an image and it isnt about just taking a photo anymore, editing is used in the images in media to enhanced the beauty of the image and to potentially get the most out of it. My opinion is that Photoshop is a major reason why photographers make so much money. (Boutwell, 2012) From getting the most out of the image that is possible some people say, like Allison Boutwell, that this is how photographers and the media make more money and sell more which is a process that every worldwide business want to do and this is just the way the media achieve this. Every business and company wants to make a profit, and by selling the manipulated images is the way the media do this. Arguments can show that the manipulation of images in media texts is just the way the media are trying to earn a living so to say. The retouched images seem to show more public interest than the non retouched images due to the public wanting to see the eye catching beautiful celebrities on the cover of their favourite magazines. Beauty-retouching is a quite deceptive art. (Metzmacher, 2008) Like Metzmacher some people disagree that the manipulation of images is wrong due to the idea that retouching images is only enhancing beauty of people and is seen as an art form. Today, 23 percent of women ages 25 to 29 now retouch their own personal photo and even more concerning, 41 percent among those ages 18 to 24 now retouch their photos too. Figure like this now may begin to suggest that women now begin to feel compelled to retouch their own photos due to manipulation of media images in order to fix their own personal self-esteem problems that the media have persuaded them into. Research shows that many women globally have all started editing their own photos in order to try and fit their own personal needs. Although only 43 percent of women agree with retouching photos, higher figure show that women edit their own photos. The media assist in this process subconsciously to the public, but it may lead to potential problems in the future like women becoming too obsessive with having the perfect figure and generating the perfect photo to feel they are meeting the need of the media also. Overall, the manipulation of images in media texts and be misconstrued in both directions, there are many positive and negative aspects to retouching photos. In my opinion, i do think that redevelopment of images can be seen as an art form and is only trying to enhance the beauty of the image in order to grab the audiences attention. I think that the media have in somewhat gone too far with the retouching of photos and can convey ideas to young girls and change the way they look at themselves to try and can potentially cause them problems like anorexia and low self-esteem because of the fake images which are too perfect to even be real.

Character Analysis of Dee Johnson in Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essa

Alice Walker crafts the character of Dee Johnson in the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† in a clever way. Starting from the first paragraph, Walker creates an image of Dee, who at first seems very shallow. Dee then becomes a more complex character as the story progresses. Blessed with both brains and beauty, Dee emerges as someone who is still struggling with her identity and heritage. Dee is a flat character, who is described as arrogant and selfish. Through the eyes of Dee, one can see her egotistical nature. Dee is portrayed as a light-skinned black person who feels as though she is better than everyone else because her waist is small, her skin is light, she has a nice grade of hair, and she is somewhat educated. Although she may be educated when it comes to college, she is not educated w...

Why We Should Study Science

Why we should study science Science has brought many changes in the world today. It is used in all the corners of the world for the benefit of man. The motor-car or the electric lamp that we use today was not known to people who lived generations ago. Owing to the use of Science the people of today are able to do many things with ease and comfort. Travel  has become very easy. So men’s activity has increased greatly. Science has also been used to treat the sick and the sounded. As a result, people can now live a longer  life  than their ancestors could.Even the most serious diseases do not frighten people so much as they did before. Further, Science has made it possible for people to sit at home and see the world around. The television, the  newspaper  and color books help millions of people to learn at home. The radio too has done much to teach and inform people in all parts of the world. It is therefore necessary for us to learn Science, if we wish to enjoy greater comforts. Deal all! How are you today? I have some opinions to claim why we should learn science. First of all, if you have no knowledge, you don't have anything no job, no money and some more†¦ nd study not only in science but also in different area is the shortest way to gain knowledge. What if I'm a famous historical or writer and I have a good job, much money although I know nothing or few about math, physics or chemistry! OK, so do you have a computer or cell phone? How do you use it if you don't have some basic skill about computer or internet†¦ Who made those things and how can they make it? Of course they are engineers, experts, masters†¦ or at least they have enough science knowledge which they have to learn. Do you like computer? Do you want to make your our game or edit your photo, movie, music†¦You have to study some program languages or how to use some softwares. That's science, my friend. You still not agree! You dislike computer, you never use mob ile phone or telephone and you event don't use TV and radio. So what do you do when your wife tell you to install a new socket or fuse- learn basic electrical skill or tell your wife â€Å"I can't do it, ask your exboyfriend or someone else†. There are no electrical devices in your house+_+ where do you live^_^. What will happen when your children in grade school ask you to help them with their math, physic or chemical homework. That's

Free Essays on Flame Heart

. The descriptions in ‘Flame-Heart’ illuminate the type of landscape McKay would have seen in his youth. A semi-tropical place overflowing with fruit and flowers. ‘What time the apples come to juice, and what month brings the shy forget-me-not,’ expresses in detail two features now absent from his life. Several time’s the ‘poinsettia’s blood red in warm December’ is mentioned. This is the one thing the author recalls clearly and can not forget. Everything else in his mind is blurred together, like some lovely painting, but he can’t forget the poinsettias. It seems as if this memory opens up others, which he has stored in the back of his mind. Memories about his days as a schoolboy come back to ... Free Essays on Flame Heart Free Essays on Flame Heart In his poem, ‘Flame-Heart‘, Claude McKay expresses his longing for his homeland in a romantic fashion with non-racial themes. He uses vivid descriptions to show a great love of his home, Jamaica, conveying it’s loveliness. Rhyme scheme and stylized nature also play a role in McKay’s highly reminiscent work. ‘Flame-Heart’ is a poem in the traditional romantic style, resembling the works of Shelley and Wordsworth in its fashion. Serving as a sort of introduction, the first stanza is free flowing and lovely in its descriptions. ’Purple Apples’, ’doves brown the fields,’ ’poinsettia’s red’ and other such descriptions permeate the poem almost to the point of painting it with color. The portrayals of every faucet of his youth are romanticized, from skipping school to the flight of birds. Words such as ’sweet,’ ’fling,’ and ’innocent’ romanticize the work, softening the descriptions used so prevalently. The rhyme scheme of the poem is a-b-a-b nearly throughout the entire second stanza, which is loosely styled as a sonnet. The last two lines end in a couplet using ‘remember’ and ‘December.’ Throughout McKay’s entire work, his homeland is pictured in th e richest of words. The descriptions in ‘Flame-Heart’ illuminate the type of landscape McKay would have seen in his youth. A semi-tropical place overflowing with fruit and flowers. ‘What time the apples come to juice, and what month brings the shy forget-me-not,’ expresses in detail two features now absent from his life. Several time’s the ‘poinsettia’s blood red in warm December’ is mentioned. This is the one thing the author recalls clearly and can not forget. Everything else in his mind is blurred together, like some lovely painting, but he can’t forget the poinsettias. It seems as if this memory opens up others, which he has stored in the back of his mind. Memories about his days as a schoolboy come back to ...