Soft Computing Based Model for Trip Production

Soft Computing Based Model for Trip Production Synopsis  On  A Soft Computing based model for Trip Production and Attraction 1. Area of the Proposed Research work Computer Science Applications 2. Research Topic A Soft Computing based model for Trip Production and Attraction 3. Aim and Objectives of research work The aim and objectives of this research is to develop a soft computing based model for trip production, trip attraction mode-wise traffic pattern in Delhi Urban area keeping in view the development polices of the Delhi Master Plan 2021. The proposed model will greatly help in analytical study of the resulting traffic pattern and its forecasting for future city plans. For modeling and analysis of urban transportation system, Delhi has been selected as the study zone. Data on urban activities and traffic flow was collected from the concerned agencies. Delhi, being the Capital of India, is the main center of socio-economic, political as well as cultural activities of the country. Delhi acts as a major center of trade and commerce. The major share of travel needs of Delhi commuters is road based transport system. 4. Literature Review This section focuses on the review of Literature for the study. It is comprises of the topics, related to general facts about the urban transport system. The early trip generation models, based on aggregate data, predicted total trips between city pairs. The modeling methods generally include regression models, cross-classification analysis, or a combination of both. These methods still have applications due to their mathematical feasibility, data availability, and ease of interpretation (USDOT, 1999). Kiron Chatterjee and Andrew Gordon (2006), focuses on the alternative for the Great Britain future scenarios in the year 2030 and the implications they have for transport provision and travel demand. Kiron Chatterjee and Andrew Gordon (2006) develop a National transport model to predict the national road traffics. In order to take income as a constraint for estimating trip generation there is no mathematical model under this aspect. Also, in the developing countries like India wide income disparity is there which can also plays a leading role in trip generation process. Gravity models are signifying the idea of establishing trip distributions process. In Gravity model, the entries of the Origin-Destination matrix are understood to be a feature of the trip counts and other parameters. The main problem of the gravity model is in the measurement of travel cost. This model has been corroborated numerous times as a basic underlying aggregate association (Levinson and Kumar 1995). For the analysis zones separated by a sizeable distances, the gravity model can work properly. But, the denominator approaches to infinity as the distance between locations decreases. In year 1947, Dantzig created the Linear Programming problem as well as offered the simplex method as its solution of Linear Programming. The simplex method was come in existence in year 1951. A simplex method is an iterative process which works along the boundaries of the problems in feasible region to find a solution of the problem. Also, the simplex method still remains the widely known solution finding technique for solving Linear Programming problems. But, the available option on the bases of Linear Programming was not successful in practice. Estimation of trip distribution is a challenging task for future period. In order to compare the performance of intervening opportunity model, gravity model, intervening opportunity model Wilmot et.al (2006) was conducted a study. With the help of this comparison of observed trips and predicted trips, the study recommended that the traditional urban transportation planning trip distribution models are able to model trip distribution at the cumulative level, and that all models traditional models have achieved similar performance and they similar bottlenecks as well. Anthony Chen et.al (2012) presented a basic planning tool particularly targeted at small (Metropolitan Planning Organization) MPOs was proposed to model the system traffic for the planning applications. This tool made use of PFE (Path Flow Estimator) for both the base year estimation as well as the future year predictions with some accessible field and planning data that can be available in public domains. For this tool no formal validation is done Richter.et.al (2012) presented a model based on the logit model. The model is complex. The logit modal choice association states that the probability of selecting a mode for a trip is depend on the relative values of numerous factors such level-of-service, and travel time etc. The complex part of employing the logit modal choice model is to estimating the parameters that can be assigned for the variables presents in the utility function, so the accuracy of this logit model is not ensured. Daniel et.al 2013, developed a inter-urban trip generation model for AkwaIbom, Nigeria, which is based on the multiple regression analysis model for forecasting future patterns. However, in a trip generation model, based on regression approach is used due to the somewhat cumbersome formulation of a choice model for frequency choice. The composite variable that would represent the service characteristics of destinations is excluded. Here, the trip generation is not based on utility maximization and the interrelationship between the trip frequencies. 5. Methodology of the research work Following figure 5.1 shows the flow of work and the model development for trip generation (trip production and trip attraction) model presented in section 5.1, the model development for trip distribution model discussed in section 5.2 and model development for Mode-choice model discussed in section 5.3. Figure 5.1: Flow of work. 5.1 Model Development for Trip Generation (Trip Production and Trip Attraction) Trip generation Process widely used for forecasting travel demands. Therefore trip generation Process is divided into two parts: Trip attraction Trip Production 5.1.1. Model for Trip Production Trip Production process focuses on the total number of trips produced from the city. For empirical implementation of the Trip production model, Artificial Neural Network System (ANN) is used on the available data. The model was trained using data of the year 2003 2004 and validated on data of the year 2005. Whole process of model implementation including training and validation is accomplished in the following steps. Socio-economic data of all the zones are collected. ANN in MATLAB is used to train the model on the dataset for the year 2003 and 2004. The mode model result is validated using data set for the year 2005. Finally, trip production model is used for forecasting of the Number of passenger’s trips production for the year 2021. 5.1.2. Model for Trip attraction Trip attraction process focuses on the total number of trips attracted by the city. For empirical implementation of the trip attraction model, Artificial Neural Network System (ANN) is used on the available data. The model was trained using data of the year 2003 2004 and validated with data for the year 2005. Whole process of model implementation including training and validation is accomplished in the following steps. Socio-economic data of all the zones are collected. ANN in MATLAB is used to train the model on the dataset for the year 2003 and 2004 and then The mode model result is validated using data set for the year 2005. Finally, trip attraction model is used for forecasting of the Number of passenger’s trips attraction for the year 2021. While validation, it was observed that the result produced by the model is very close to the actual data. The average error estimated during the validation phase is low and minimum error is only 0.8%. 5.2 Model development for Trip distribution Trip distribution Process traveler origins and destinations to developed a â€Å"trip table† that displays the number of trips going from every origin zone to every destination zone. For empirical implementation of the trip distribution model, Genetic Algorithm is used on the available data Whole process of model implementation including training and comparison is accomplished in the following steps. Socio-economic data of all the zones are collected. Genetic Algorithm model in MATLAB is used to implement this model on the data set to compute trip distribution for all the zones in DUA. Finally, Comparisons with of results of Linear Programming model done Finally, comparison of Genetic Algorithm based trip distribution model with traditional linear programming is made. The result achieved from traditional Linear Programming Based Model is not up to the mark as the number of input variables increases linear programming based model gives infeasible solution. 5.3 Model development for Mode-choice model Mode choice Process Trip distributions zonal interchange analysis yields a set of origin destination tables followed by; mode choice analysis allows the modeler to determine which mode of transport will be used. For empirical implementation of the mode-choice model, Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) is used with surveyed data. The model was trained using survey data for the month February 2013 and March 2013 and validated with on the survey data for the month April 2013. Whole process of model implementation including training and validation is accomplished in the following steps. Data collection from survey at different transit stations for different time periods. ANFIS toolbox in MATLAB is used to train the model for one data set of the month February 2013 and then The model parameters are modified using the second data set of the month March 2013 and Finally the mode model result is validated using data set of the month April 2013. The model is implemented using Adaptive Neural fuzzy Inference System for peak period of work trips in Delhi urban area. The machine learning result is found quite satisfactory with validation error being as low as 0.68%. 6. Data Collection Data on house hold population and socio-economic activities such as commercial centers, Government offices, educational institutions, and health care system were collected from Delhi Transport Corporation, Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, C.R.R.I. (Central Road Research Institute) and also for data collection survey were conducted at transit stations where passengers have option for mode choice. 7. Implementation Result For empirical implementation of the trip production and attraction model Artificial Neural Network System (ANN) is used. While validation it was observed that the result produced by these models is very close to the actual data. The average error estimated during the validation trip production and attraction model phase is low and minimum error is only 0.8%. For empirical implementation of the trip distribution model Genetic Algorithm is used. Trip Distribution model is applied on the real set of data which gives acceptable solution which is easily applicable and compared with other models such as Linear Programming model as well. The result achieved from traditional Linear Programming Based Model is not up to the mark as the number of input variables increases linear programming based model gives infeasible solution. For empirical implementation of the proposed model Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) is used. While validation it was observed that the result produced by the model is very close to the survey data. The average error estimated during the validation phase is low and minimum error is only 0.68%. 8. Impact of Research The transportation system being multidisciplinary system requires integration and co-ordination of various agencies. This includes STA (State Transport Authority), PWD (Public Works Department), DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation), DDA (Delhi Development Authority) and DMRC (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation) as well. The following table shows the impact of research in academics and industry. 9. Chapter wise contents Chapter 1 This chapter introduces the research subject giving its background and developments in the last decades. The objective of the present research is stated in this chapter. Chapter 2 reviews the literature on different aspects of this study and presents the contribution by different researchers and deficiencies therein. Chapter 3 presents the methodology of the research in chronological order while describing the model hypothesis and formulation in detail. This chapter also includes the description of soft computing tools used in this research. Chapter 4 describes the formulation and empirical implementation of trip production and attraction analysis for Delhi Urban Area and computational results of this work are highlighted. Chapter 5 describes the formulation and empirical implementation of trip distribution analysis for Delhi Urban Area and computational results of this work are highlighted. Chapter 6 describes the formulation and empirical implementation of mode-choice behavior modelling for Delhi Urban Area .The computational results of this work are highlighted in this chapter. Chapter 7 highlights the comments and conclusion of the research work. This also highlights the utility of this research in industry and its future scope. 10. Bibliography [1]Rodrigue, J., Comtois, C. and Slack, B., (2006), â€Å"The Geography of Transport Systems†, Dept. of Economics Geography, Hofstra University [2]Delhi Transport. Delhi Govt. Retrieved 2014. [3]Anthony Chen et.al, â€Å"Forecasting Network Traffic for Small Communities in Utah†, Report No. UTC-1002, February 2012 [4]Dantzing, GB, 1951, Application of the simplex method to a transportation problem, Activity Analysis of production and allocation, TC. Doopmands(ed.), N.Y. Wiley [5]Peter Guller in SYNERGO, Planning Project Management Zurich, Switzerland. â€Å"Integration of Transport and Land- use planning in Japan: Relevant finding from Europe†, [6]Published in Workshop on Implementing sustainable Urban Travel Policies in Japan and other Asia-Pacific Countries, Tokyo, 2-3, March 2005. [7]Kiron Chatterjee Andrew Gordon 2006 , Transport in Great Britain in 2030, ELSEVIER Transport Policy Journal. [8]Levinson, David and Kumar, Ajay(1995) Activity, Travel, and the Allocation of Time, Journal of the American Planning Association [9]FHWA. Injuries to Pedestrians and Bicyclists: An Analysis Based on Hospital Emergency Department Data. Report No. FHWA-RD-99-078. Washington, DC: USDOT, 1999. [10]Wilmot et.al 2006, Modeling Hurricane Evacuation Traffic: Testing the Gravity and Intervening Opportunity Models as Models of Destination choice in Hurricane Evacuation, LTRC Project No. 03-1SS, State Project No. 736-99-1116, Louisiana Transportation Research Center. [11]Richter.et.al., Modelling Mode Choice in Passenger Transport with Integrated Hierarchical Information Integration Journal of Choice Modelling, 5(1), 2012, page no. 1-21 [12]Ekong Daniel et.al, Inter-Urban Trip Generation Models for the Urban Centers in AkwaIbom State, Nigeria, Journal of Civil and Environmental Research, Vol.3, 2013. 11. List of Publications Paper Title: ‘An Improved Modeling of Mode-Choice Behavior in Urban Areas Using Adaptive Neural Fuzzy Inference System’, is present and published in the proceeding of IEEE International Conference on â€Å"Computing for Sustainable Global Development 05-07 March 2014, New Delhi, published in IEEE Xplore. Paper Title: ‘Artificial Neural Network based model for traffic production and attraction: A case study of all the zones of Delhi Urban area ’, is present and published in the proceeding of IEEE International Conference on â€Å"Computing for Sustainable Global Development 05-07 March 2014, New Delhi, published in IEEE Xplore. Paper Title: ‘Trip distribution Model for Delhi Urban Area Using Genetic Algorithm’, is published in International Journal of Computer Engineering Science March 2012; Vol.2 Issue 3, page no.1-8. Paper Title: ‘A soft computing based model for traffic attraction: A case study of a segment of Delhi urban Area’ is published in Vision and Quest, Research Journal of Science Technology and Management, Issue Jan 2010, page no.42-46. Paper Title: ‘Traffic Generation Model for Delhi Urban Area Using Artificial Neural Network’, is published in BVICAM International Journal of Information Technology, December 2010; Vol.2 No.2, page no.239-244 and having impact factor 0.605. 1/12 (Shivendra Goel) Research Scholar, Shobhit University, Meerut.

Psychotropics in Paediatrics or Adolescents

Psychotropics in Paediatrics or Adolescents Introduction Psychotropic drugs are medications and chemical formulations that cross the blood brain barrier to act on the central nervous system to stimulate the change of mood and behaviour of an individual. Schatzberg and Nemeroff (2009) underscore that it is important to note that these medications are not curative but rather palliative, and although they may improve symptoms associated with various mental disorders, they do not cure the primary cause of the disorders. According to Perry (2007), psychotropic medications include antidepressants, antipsychotic or neuroleptics, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs, and antimanic or anxiolytics among others. This paper aims at discussing the physiological implications of using psychotropic medications in paediatric and adolescent populations with a bias on neuroleptic/antipsychotic, anxiolytic/antianxiety and ADHD drugs. While there may be reservations regarding the use of psychotropic medication in children and the physiologic effect of these drugs on young people’s central nervous system development, leaving mental disorders untreated is not a viable option as evidently supported by medical literature. This is because untreated mental illness may cause paramount long-term morbidity and even irreversible deficits in socio-emotional and cognitive functioning. Regardless of ethical and legal reservations surrounding the use of psychotropic drugs among paediatric and adolescent patients, analyses of data on their use reveals fast changing trends pointing to increased use. According to Hsia and MacLennan (2009) there was a three-fold increase of the number of children/adolescents taking any psychotropic drug between 1987 and 1996. Adolescent visit to physicians significantly increased psychotropic prescriptions as evidenced by an increase to 8.3% of the prescriptions in 2001, up from 3.4% in 1994 (Hsia MacLennan, 2009). In 2001, psychotropic prescriptions made up 8.8% of all psychopharmacological prescriptions among patients aged between 6 and 17 years (Hsia MacLennan, 2009). In terms of gender, more male paediatrics and adolescents are on these medications compared to their female counterparts. Due to increased incidences of anxiety, depressive, manic, and other psychotropic disorders in paediatrics and adolescents, there has been an increased acceptance and need for use of neuroleptics, anxiolytics and antidepressant drugs in these patients. Neuroleptics and their implications on paediatrics/adolescent Neuroleptics, also known as major tranquilizers or antipsychotic drugs are used primarily to treat psychoses and symptoms. In paediatrics and adolescents, they are also indicated in the treatment of other non-psychotic psychiatric disorders. They are the drugs of first choice in treatment of autism and schizophrenia in children and adolescence. Kalyna and Virani (2007) explain that neuroleptics are used in treatment of paediatrics and adolescents with severely aggressive conduct disorders, Tourette’s disorder, and chronic motor or vocal tic disorder. Antipsychotic drugs are also used in the treatment of ADHD but their use has decreased due to increased use of stimulant medications which are more effective for this disorder. Examples of antipsychotic drugs include haloperidol, chlorpromazine, molindone and fluphenazine. Newer formulations include olanzepine, clozapine, quetiapine, risperidone and ziprasidone (Hamrin, McCarthy Tyson, 2010). The use of neuroleptics on paediatrics and adolescents has several implications. Side effects associated with long-term use of these medications in this population include akathesia, acute dystonic reactions, parkinsonian symptoms, tardive dyskinesia, anticholinergic symptoms and sedation. They also lower seizure threshold in susceptible subjects and drugs such as Chlorpromazine should not be used in such patients. Tardive dyskinesia is a grave concern and has been reported in about 1 to 20% of paediatrics and adolescents on long-term use of neuroleptics (Kalyna Virani, 2007). It may occur as early as 5 months after commencement of treatment or may delay to up to 3 years. Since paediatrics and adolescents have more dopamine receptors than adults, they are more sensitive to side effects affecting the central nervous system. Long-term use of neuroleptics should be avoided in this population but †¦.contends that low doses may be recommended in selected difficult cases. Other side effects associated with neuroleptics include weight gain, irregular menses and breast enlargement in adolescents. Doran (2013) documents that second-generation anti-psychotic (SGA’s) drugs can cause metabolic disturbances and weight gain in paediatrics and adolescents even during first-time treatment. For instance, in a trial of treatment of schizophrenia with olanzapine, 30% of the paediatric/adolescent subjects gained weight compared to 6% in adult subjects (Doran, 2013). Other SGAs such as risperidone, quetiapine and clozapine also posted similar results with the paediatric/adolescent subjects gaining between 0.9 to 16.2 kilograms (Doran, 2013). Withdrawal of neuroleptics or lowering of the dosage may lead to withdrawal emergent syndrome with resultant aggravation of psychotic symptoms. This has been reported in paediatrics and symptoms include ataxia, vomiting and nausea. In a study by Vitiello (2008) as high as 51% of the paediatric patients showed the withdrawal symptoms, usually occurring after few days to few weeks after drug withdrawal. Clozapine has been associated with deaths of two paediatric patients with the mechanism being linked to sudden cessation of treatment (Vitiello, 2008). Haloperidol has been demonstrated to interfere with the children and adolescent’s daily routine including social and school activities. Neuroleptics increase sedation, lethargy and somnolence in paediatrics and adolescents than in adults; for instance, this was demonstrated in 30% to 49% of paediatric patients being treated with Risperidone in contrast to 7% of adults taking the same drug for bipolar mania (Hamrin, McCarthy Tyson , 2010). Anxiolytics and their implications on paediatric/adolescents Anxiolytics are psychopharmacologic drugs used to treat anxiety disorders in paediatrics and adolescents. Other conditions for which they may used include sleep disorder, aggressive behaviours and psychosis. They include selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and busipirone. Anxiety disorders are greatly predominant in adolescence; between 6 and 20% of children have a type of anxiety disorder (Kalyna Virani, 2007). Doran (2013) documents that use of benzodiazepines in paediatrics and adolescents has tripled over the last 10 years. Anxiolytics are recommended to be used only after an aftermath of an event e.g. traumatic event and should be used for short periods (not more than two weeks) to avoid the risk of developing addiction or diminished efficacy. A recent review shows that SSRIs have become the preferred pharmacological intervention for paediatric anxiety disorders. They have very potent anxiolytic effects and their tolerance among paediatrics and adolescents is high. However, this class of psychotropic drugs has been associated with increased suicidal ideation. A well-documented controversy in paediatric and adolescent psychopharmacology occurred in 2003 when FDA issued public alert warning prescribers of increased ideation and attempts of suicide among patients below 18 years on anxiolytics (Vitiello, 2008). This contributed to a substantial drop in rates of diagnosis and prescription of these drugs among paediatric and adolescent population. Later, after a meta-analysis of numerous clinical trials of nine drugs in this class, it was demonstrated that there was only a marginal increase (0.7%) increase in the suicidal ideation with no actual increase in completed suicides (Schatzberg Nemeroff, 2009). However, this has led to adoption of a multidisciplinary approach towards management of paediatric and adolescent depression to encompass both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Cardiovascular adverse effects are often reported with most anti-anxiety medications because these drugs act on the autonomic system. Such side effects include increase in heart rate and changes in blood pressure. Although these side effects are generally not of major clinical significance while taking psychotropic medications, tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) such as desipramine have been inconclusively linked to sudden death among paediatric patients (Kalyna Virani, 2007). Therefore, it is imperative for the prescribing physicians to take a comprehensive patient history, as well as monitor the electrocardiograms, heart rate and blood pressure changes of the paediatric and adolescent patients before and during treatment with psychotropic agents such as TCAs. Lamotrigine manifestly increases the risk for severe skin reactions and hives in paediatrics and adolescents (Dulcan, 2010). Another critical consideration in anxiolytic use of drugs in these subjects is drug interactions. Drugs that inhibit the cytochrome P450 enzyme system could have adverse effects on the subjects if concomitantly administered with anxiolytics (Perry, 2007). Antifungal drugs and some antibiotics such as erythromycin when co-administered with SSRIs such as fluoxetine can cause cardiac arrhythmias (Perry, 2007). Others such as imipramine and Lamotrigine can cause toxic delirium (Hamrin, McCarthy Tyson, 2010). The prescribers must document all medications that may have drug-drug interactions with psychotropics as well as those that have direct or indirect effect on the cytochrome P450 enzyme system. ADHD drugs and their implications on paediatrics/adolescents Stimulants used in management of ADHD are some of the most used psychotropic drugs among paediatrics and adolescents. However, trepidation persists due to concerns of the adverse effects of these drugs on the growth rate in paediatrics. Use of stimulant psychotropic drugs has been associated with stunted growth rates. The Multimodal Therapy of ADHD study demonstrated that stimulant psychotropic drugs, especially in high doses, reduce growth velocity and weight (Gelder et. al, 2009). This is due to appetite loss, a common adverse effect associated with these stimulant drugs. However, in most cases normal growth seems to rebound once the psychostimulant agents are withdrawn with no significant suppression of ultimate height attained. Nevertheless, some studies have revealed that pyschostimulants continue to suppress growth in early and late adolescence. Rosenberg and Gershon (2002) explain that pyschostimulants such as methylphenidate may permanently cause stunted growth by affecting e piphyseal closing of long bones if used between ages 17 and 21 years. However, Cheng and Myers (2010) outline that suppression of growth could be because of the underlying mental disorder, for instance, ADHD rather than the treatment. One disconcerting physiological implication of ADHD drugs especially in paediatrics being treated for hyperactivity or outbursts is the aggravation of the condition with the medication, a phenomenon referred to as paradoxical response. Doran (2013) explains that in a small number of paediatric/adolescent patients may severely increase nervousness and agitation instead of reducing it (disinhibition). These subjects may become giddier, act sillier or even manic. Similarly, some younger patients may be more depressed after being put on antidepressants. Studies have shown paediatrics and adolescents getting more moody and agitated after receiving mood treatment psychotropic drugs in ADHD treatment (Kalyna Virani, 2007). Others on stimulants may become more hyperactive and fail even to respond to sleep-inducing drugs. Research by Hamrin, McCarthy and Tyson (2010) shows that if a paediatric or adolescent patient shows paradoxical effect to one class of psychotropic drugs, there is a 50% o f similar reaction if he or she is given another drug of the same class. Paediatrics and adolescents have a lower albumin binding capacity and reduced adipose compartment, leading to a higher percentage of unbound compound than adults. Similarly, their drug biotransformation rates are higher, and this could reduce the half-life of the drugs relatively increasing the risk for toxic metabolite levels. This may contribute to physiological rebound effect where the paediatric and adolescent patients present with exacerbation of symptoms than original symptomatology (Dulcan, 2010). This often occurs when drug plasma levels decrease due to increased hepatic elimination and subsequent renal excretion. The subjects show symptoms such as hyperactivity, irritability, insomnia, over talkativeness, excitability and non-compliance (Dulcan, 2010). Schatzberg and Nemeroff (2009) explain that this can be remedied by adding a small afternoon dose or using slow-release preparations. The physician may also opt to use short- and long acting medications. Other implications of ADHD drugs on paediatrics and adolescents are the drug’s adverse effects. In a meta-analysis review, 32% of the doctors were concerned with decreased appetite and loss of weight association with these drugs. Half of them raised concerns about disturbed sleep while 22% were apprehensive of the increased anxiety. Other physicians indicated that they were concerned about possible diversion of ADHD drugs and felt burdened by prescribing these controlled drugs for paediatrics and adolescents. There is a high potential for abuse of controlled stimulant drugs used in ADHD treatment which can be achieved by crushing and snorting the medication. However, this abuse potential has been addressed through extended release formulations and introduction of skin patches which are less susceptible to abuse. Conclusion Psychopharmacological treatment in paediatrics and adolescents is an area of on-going ethical discussion, as these subjects affected by mental disorders are a vulnerable class of patients. The use of psychotropic drugs in children below 8 years is under-researched; this is because most of these drugs are developed and researched in adults. In addition, it could also be due to existing ethical and legal considerations that hamper access of research to such studies. Paediatrics and adolescents with psychotic disorders will classically be put on psychotropic drugs while those with other disorders will be put on non-pharmacological treatment. Sometimes, both approaches may be used simultaneously. Logically, the benefits of pharmacological intervention must outweigh potential risks associated with use of these drugs in these young people. An important consideration is the proof of the efficacy and safety of the drug for the age of the patient and the specific disorder. Psychopharmacothera py in paediatrics and adolescents requires a holistic, multidisciplinary approach. Pharmacovigilance in use of psychotropic agents among these subjects as well as their long-term efficacy and adverse effects are indispensable. It is evident that paediatric and adolescent patients are, to say the least, more vulnerable to adverse effects of psychotropics than adults are. With the increasing adoption of psychopharmacological interventions in treatment of paediatrics and adolescents with mental disorders, novel research is vital to come up with clear evidence-based recommendations on use psychotropics in these subjects. References Cheng, K. Myers, K. M. (2010). Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: The Essentials. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Dulcan, M. K. (2010). Dulcan’s Textbook of Child and Psychiatry. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. Doran, C. M. (2013). Prescribing Mental Health Medication: the Practitioner’s Guide. Oxon: Routledge Publishers, Inc. Hamrin, V., McCarthy, E. M. Tyson, V. (2010). Paediatric psychotropic medication initiation and adherence: a literature review based on social exchange theory. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 23, pp. 233-242. Hsia, Y. MacLennan, K. (2009). Rise in psychotropic drug prescribing in children and adolescents during 1992-2001: A population-based study in the UK: European Journal of Epidemiology, 24(4), pp. 211-216. Rosenberg, D. Gershon, S. (2002). Pharmacotherapy for child and psychiatric disorders. New York: CRC Press. Gelder, M., Andreasen, N., Lopez-Ibor, J. Geddes, J. (2009). New Oxford textbook of Psychiatry. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kalyna, Z. B. Virani, A. S. (2007). Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs for Children and Adolescents. Boston, MA: Hogrefe Publishing GmbH. Perry, P. J. (2007). Psychotropic Drug Handbook. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Schatzberg, A. F. Nemeroff, C. B. (2009). Textbook of Psychopharmacology. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. Vitiello, B. (2008). An international perspective on paediatric psychopharmacology. International Review of Psychiatry, 20, pp. 121-126.

Essay --

The importance of investing in astronomy and space research It is a widespread opinion that space research and astronomy are trivial issues, often regarded as useless, and that the money invested in them would be better used elsewhere. In the U.S alone —the country with the largest space program, conducted by the famous agency know as NASA—, the percentage of citizens who believe that the space program should be cancelled increased from 4% to 8% between 1998 and 2009 (acoording to a Gallup poll from 2009 carried by the NBC)[1]. Another study conducted by the CNN and the ORC in 2010 showed that 50% of the Americans felt that the money destined to the space shuttle program —which had concluded the year before— would have been better spent somewhere else [2]. The main goal of this essay is to prove those missconceptions wrong through arguments and evidence. The most widespread thesis against space research is that the large amounts of money it costs would be better spent in other fields such as improving social policies like healthcare and education, providing help to the impoverished, and helping restructure the damaged economy in this times of world economical crysis. However, once one looks at the figures with some detail, this idea falls by its own weight. Actually, the investment in space research programs has a dramatic possitive impact on the economy of any country. As Richard Garriott de Cayeux, former astronaut, says in his article in the Huffington Post Investing in Our Future: Does Investing in Space Exploration Help or Hinder Progress Towards Prosperity?, â€Å"Investments that reduce the costs of basic survival needs, or expand access to the tools that allow people to help themselves, is universally a good investment.† [3] Wh... ...a trivial matter which does not desire, that missconception has been proven wrong throughout this essay. It not only has provided us with countless technologies and solutions that make our life easier and better, but also enhaces our knowledge about the universe and aims to give answer to some of the big questions in the history of mankind. Human being has become the dominant species thanks to its superior intelligence and its thirst to push himself towards new limits, explore new boundaries and obtain superior knowledge that makes for his weaknesses compared to other spscies. If we wank to keep moving on, if we want to keep our overpopulated planet sound and its popullation fed, pushing the boundaries stronger than ever is now a must. And refusing to invest in scientific research and education is definetly an step backwards in this path that we, as a society, share.

Leo Tolstoys The Death of Ivan Ilyich Essays -- Leo Tolstoy Death Iva

Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich I related readily with Ivan Ilyich, the main character in Leo Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich. There was a time when I myself lived my life without regard to the spirituality of life. I, however, was very lucky in that it did not take death looming over my head to realize this. Maybe the fact that my bout of depression’s onset happened sooner in life allowed me to see it sooner. Eric Simpson put it best as â€Å"We all die, like Ilyich, and if we only live to live, to create and carve our own meaning into the universe, then life itself becomes ultimately meaningless and painfully insignificant.† The key point here is the â€Å"painfully insignificant†(Simpson). Depression snuck up on me like old age will, forty times quicker. Ilyich manages to cover his depression by compartmentalizing his feelings from his thoughts and by becoming a workaholic. Doing this, he had a means of either dismissing his depression or drowning it in work. Ivan Ilyich did not notice his depression and lack of spirituality until three days prior to his death. It is not until Ilyich asks himself, â€Å"What if my whole life has really been wrong?†(Tolstoy 1203), and comes up with an affirmitave answer that Ilyich tries to find a way to rectify his situation. His solution is painfully simple, spare his family the heartache of his dying and to just get it over with. My solution was quite different. I came up with two simple rules. The number one rule of feeling better is to help strangers whenever possible. For example, last Wednesday, my car broke down on Route 7. I did not have a cell-phone and there wasn’t a payphone in sight. Since I had a paper due, I started hitchhiking to class. After about five minut... ...d Western doctrines. He also points out Ilyich’s total lack of spirituality and the feeling of a wasted life. Simpson points out these differences and includes Biblical quotes to back it up with great insight, getting to a level of depth that could confuse some readers but has shown this reader something I would never have thought of on my own. Novel Analysis: Death of Ivan Illich. 12 April 2001 This author explains how Ilyich’s life is a ‘front’ for the sake of propriety. Also, the author points out that Ilyich is not aware of this until just days before he dies. A very short interpretation, but one that completely backs me up. Note: All quotes from Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich are from the following edition: Literature: Reading and Writing the Human Experience. Seventh ed. Ed. Richard Abcarian and Marvin Klotz. New York: St. Martin’s, 1998.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby - The Dynamic Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

The Dynamic Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a book filled with dynamic characters, written by a dynamic person. Throughout the book, the themes and situations are on many symbolic levels. The Great Gatsby is such a novel, that the hero is portrayed to the reader by a man who, with seemingly no effort, will not judge a man easily. He perceives him, takes him in, and analyzes him. This man’s name is not, in fact, Gatsby, but Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story. The man who is being perceived, of course, is Jay Gatsby, our hero. Our story, The Great Gatsby, starts out when Nick, a stock trader, moves to West Egg. West Egg is a part of Long Island where the "new" rich people live. "New" rich is a term used to describe people who have recently acquired their wealth, and have no connections in East Egg, where the people who have established their wealth live. Gatsby befriends Nick for a good reason, to meet his long lost love, Daisy, Nick’s cousin and resident of East Egg. Unfortunately for Gatsby, Daisy is married to Tom, a boisterous man who has taken in a mistress and everyone in the novel knows about it. Throughout the novel, Nick acts as Gatsby’s confidant. A confidant is a person present when a hero needs someone to listen to his plight. We get to know Gatsby, even though he is bad because of the illegal liquor bootlegging operation he runs. We get to know Gatsby because we like the confidant. If Nick, the confidant, is Gatsby’s friend, then Gatsby will be our friend as well. This is true of all relationships that deal with Nick. For the most part, we will feel the same way towards a character as Nick does. The novel ends in explosion and uproar. Nick, knowing Gatsby’s passion for Daisy, gets the two together for tea. They rekindle their lost love for each other, and, for a long time, they concealed their love for each other from Tom, Daisy’s husband.

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 9

When Matt, Meredith, and Bonnie were all on their way, Stefan was left with Elena, now decently attired by Bonnie in her â€Å"Night Gown.† The darkness outside was comforting to his sore eyes – not sore from daylight, but from telling good friends the sad news. Worse than the sore eyes was the slightly breathless feeling of a vampire who hasn't fed. But he'd remedy that soon, he told himself. Once Elena was asleep, he'd slip out into the woods and find a white-tailed deer. No one could stalk like a vampire; no one could compete with Stefan at hunting. And even if it took several deer to assuage the hunger inside him, not one ofthem would be permanently injured. But Elena had other plans. She wasn't sleepy, and she was never bored being alone with him. As soon as the sounds of their visitors' car were decently out of hearing, she did what she always did in this mood. She floated to him and tipped her face up, eyes closed, lips just slightly pursed. Then she waited. Stefan hurried to the one unshuttered window, pulled the shade down against unwanted peeping crows, and returned. Elena was in exactly the same position, blushing slightly, eyes still shut. Stefan sometimes thought that she would wait forever that way, if she wanted a kiss. â€Å"I'm really taking advantage of you, love,† he said, and sighed. He leaned over and kissed her gently, chastely. Elena made a noise of disappointment that sounded exactly like apurruping kitten, ending on a note of inquiry. She bumped his chin with her nose. â€Å"Lovely love,† Stefan said, stroking her hair. â€Å"Bonnie got all the knots out without pulling?† But he was leaning into her warmth now, helpless. A distant ache in his upper jaw was already beginning. Elena bumped again, demanding. He kissed her for slightly longer. Logically, he knew she was a grown-up. She was older and vastly more experienced than she had been nine months ago, when they'd lost themselves in adoration kissing. But guilt was never far from his thoughts, and he couldn't help but worry about having her competent consent. This time thepurrup was one of exasperation. Elena had had enough. All at once, she gave her weight to him, forcing him to suddenly support a warm, substantial bundle of femininity in his arms, and at the same time, herPlease? chiming clear as a finger swirling on a crystal glass. It was one of the first words she had learned to think to him when she'd woken up mute and weightless. And, angel or no, she knew exactly what it did to him – inside. Please? â€Å"Oh, little love,† he groaned. â€Å"Little lovely love†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Please? He kissed her. There was a long time of silence, while he felt his heart beat faster and faster. Elena, his Elena, who had once given her very life for him, was warm and drowsily heavy in his arms. She was his alone, and they belonged just like this, and he never wanted anything to change from this moment. Even the quickly growing ache in his upper jaw was something to be enjoyed. The pain of it changed to pleasure with Elena's warm mouth under his, her lips forming little butterfly kisses, teasing him. He sometimes thought she was most awake when she seemed half-asleep like this. She was always the instigator, but he followed helplessly wherever she wanted him to go. The one time he had refused, had stopped in mid-kiss, she had broken off speaking to him with her mind and floated to a corner, where she then sat among the dust and spiderwebs†¦andwept . Nothing he could do would console her, although he knelt on the hard wooden floorboards and begged and coaxed and almost wept himself – until he took her back into his arms. He had promised himself never to make that mistake again. But still, his guilt nagged at him, although it was growing more and more distant – and more confused as Elena changed the pressure of her lips suddenly and the world rocked and he had to back up until they were sitting on his bed. His thoughts fragmented. He could only think that Elena was back with him, sitting on his lap, so excited, so vibrant, until there was a sort of silken explosion inside him and he didn't need to be forced anymore. He knew that she was enjoying the pleasure-pain of his aching jaw as much as he was. There was no more time or reason to think. Elena was melting into his arms, her hair under his stroking fingers a liquid softness. Mentally, they had already melted together. The aching in his canines had finally produced the inevitable result, his teeth lengthening, sharpening; the touch of them against Elena's lower lip causing a bright flicker of pleasure-pain that almost made him gasp. And then Elena did something she never had done before. Delicately, carefully, she took one of Stefan's fangs and captured it between her upper and lower lips. And then, delicately, deliberately, she just held on. The whole world reeled around Stefan. It was only by the grace of his love for her, and their connected minds, that he didn't bite down and pierce her lip. Ancient vampire urges that could never be tamed out of his blood were screaming at him to do just that. But he loved her, and they were one – and besides,he couldn't move an inch. He was frozen in pleasure. His fangs had never extended so far or become quite as sharp, and without him doing a thing the razor edge of his tooth had cut into Elena's full lower lip. Blood was trickling very slowly down his throat. Elena's blood, which had changed since she had come back from the spirit world. It had once been wonderful, full of youthful vitality and the essence of Elena's living self. Now†¦it was simply in a class of its own. Indescribable. He'd never experienced anything like the blood of a returned spirit. It was charged with a Power that was as different from human blood as human was from animal blood. To a vampire, blood flowing down the throat was a pleasure as sharp as anything imaginable to a human. Stefan's heart was pounding out of his chest. Elena daintily worried the fang she had captured. He couldfeel her satisfaction as the tiny sacrificial pain turned to pleasure, because she was linked to him, and because she was one of the rarest of all breeds of humans: one who actually enjoyed nurturing a vampire, loved the feeling of feeding him, of him needing her. She was one of the elite. Hot shivers traveled down his spine, Elena's blood still making the world spin. Elena let go of his fang, sucking on her lower lip. She let her head drop back, exposing her neck. The head-drop was really too much to resist, even for him. He knew the traceries of Elena's veins as well as he knew her face. And yet†¦ All's right. All's well†¦Elena chimed telepathically. He sank twin aching fangs into a small vein. His canines were so razor-sharp by then that there was nearly no pain for Elena, who was used to the snakebite sensation. And for him, for both of them, there was the feeding at last, as the indescribable sweetness of Elena's new blood filled Stefan's mouth, and an outpouring of giving swept Elena into incoherency. There was always a danger of taking too much, or of not giving her enough of his own blood to keep her – well, frankly, to keep her from dying. Not that he needed more than a small amount, but there would always be that danger in trafficking with vampires. In the end, though, dark thoughts swam away in the sheer bliss that had overcome them both. Matt fished for keys as he and Bonnie and Meredith all crowded into the wide front seat of his rattletrap car. Embarrassing to have to park that next to Stefan's Porsche. The upholstery in back was in shreds that tended to stick to the derriere of whoever sat on it, and Bonnie easily fit on the jump seat, which had a jerry-rigged seat belt, between Matt and Meredith. Matt kept an eye on her, since when she was excited she tended not to use the belt. The road back through the Old Wood had too many difficult turns to be taken lightly, even if they were going to be the only travelers on it. No more deaths, Matt thought as he pulled away from the boardinghouse. No more miraculous resurrections, even. Matt had seen enough of the supernatural to last him the rest of his life. He was just like Bonnie; he wanted things to settle down to normal so he could get on with living the plain old ordinary way. Without Elena, something inside him whispered mockingly. Giving up without even a fight? Hey, I couldn't beat Stefan in any kind of fight if he had both arms tied behind his back and a bag over his head. Forget it. That's finished, however she kissed me. She's a friend, now. But he could still feel Elena's warm lips on his mouth from yesterday, the light touches that she didn't know yet weren't socially acceptable between just-friends. And he could feel the warmth and the swaying, dancing slenderness of her body. Damn, she came back perfect – physically, at least, he thought. Bonnie's plaintive voice cut into his pleasant reminiscences. â€Å"Just when I thought everything was going to be all right,† she was wailing, almost weeping. â€Å"Just when I thought it's all going to work out after all. It's going to be the way it wassupposed to be.† Meredith said, very gently, â€Å"It's difficult, I know. We seem to keep on losing her. But we can't be selfish.† â€Å"Ican,† Bonnie said flatly. I can, too, Matt's inner voice whispered. At least inside, where nobody can see my selfishness. Good old Matt; Matt won't mind – what a good sport Matt is. Well, this is one time when good old Matt does mind. But she chose the other guy, and what can I do? Kidnap her? Keep her locked up? Try to take her by force? The thought was like a dash of cold water, and Matt woke up and paid more attention to his driving. Somehow he'd already automatically navigated several curves of the pitted, one-lane road that ran through the Old Wood. â€Å"We were supposed to go to college together,† Bonnie persisted. â€Å"And then we were supposed to come back here to Fell's Church. Backhome . We had it all planned out – since kindergarten, practically – and now Elena's human again, and I thought that meant that everything was going to go back to the way it wassupposed to be. And it'snever going to be the same again,ever , is it?† She finished more quietly and with a little gulping sigh, â€Å"Is it?† It wasn't even really a question. Matt and Meredith found themselves glancing at each other, surprised by the sharpness of their pity, and helpless to comfort Bonnie, who now had her arms folded around herself, shrugging off Meredith's touch. It's Bonnie – just Bonnie being theatrical, Matt thought, but his own native honesty rose to mock him. â€Å"I guess,† he said slowly, â€Å"that's what we were all sort of thinking, really, when she first came back.† When we were dancing around in the woods like crazy people, he thought. â€Å"I guess we sort of thought that they could live quietly somewhere near Fell's Church, and that things would go back to the way they were before. Before Stefan – â€Å" Meredith shook her head, looking off into the distance beyond the windshield. â€Å"Not Stefan.† Matt realized what she meant. Stefan had come to Fell's Church to rejoin humanity, not to take a human girl away from it into the unknown. â€Å"You're right,† Matt said. â€Å"I was just thinking about something like that. She and Stefan could have probably worked out some way to live here quietly. Or at least to stay close to us, you know. It was Damon. He came to take Elena against her will, and that changed everything.† â€Å"And now Elena and Stefan are leaving. And once they leave, they'll never come back,† Bonnie wailed. â€Å"Why? Why did Damon start all this?† â€Å"He likes to change things out of sheer boredom, Stefan once told me. This time it probably started out of hatred for Stefan,† Meredith said. â€Å"But I wish that for once he could have just left us alone.† â€Å"What difference does it make?† Bonniewas crying now. â€Å"So it was Damon's fault. I don't even care anymore. What I don't understand is why things have to change!† â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®You can never cross the same river twice.' Or even once if you're a strong enough vampire,† Meredith said wryly. Nobody laughed. And then, very gently: â€Å"Maybe you're asking the wrong person. Maybe Elena's the one who could tell you why things have to change, if she remembers what happened to her – in the Other Place.† â€Å"I didn'tmean that theydo have to change – â€Å" â€Å"But they do,† Meredith said, even more gently and wistfully. â€Å"Don't you see? It's not supernatural; it's – life. Everybody has to grow up – â€Å" â€Å"I know! Matt has a football scholarship and you're going away to college and then you're going to get married ! And probably have babies!† Bonnie managed to make this sound like some indecent activity. â€Å"I'm going to be stuck in junior collegeforever . And you'll both be all grown up and you'll forget about Elena and Stefan†¦and me,† Bonnie finished in a very small voice. â€Å"Hey.† Matt had always been very protective of the injured and ignored. Right now, even with Elena so recently on his mind – he wondered if he wouldever get rid of the feeling of that kiss – he was drawn to Bonnie, who seemed so small and fragile. â€Å"What are you talking about? I'm coming back after college to live. I'll probably die right here in Fell's Church.I'll be thinking about you. I mean, if you want me to.† He patted Bonnie's arm, and she didn't shy away from his touch as she had from Meredith's. She leaned into him, her forehead against his shoulder. When she shivered once, slightly, he put his arm around her without even thinking. â€Å"I'm not cold,† Bonnie said, although she didn't try to shrug off his arm. â€Å"It's warm tonight. I just – I don't like it when you say things like  ¡Ã‚ ®I'll probably die right' – watch out!† â€Å"Matt, look out!† â€Å"Whoa – !† Matt pumped the brakes, cursing, both hands wrestling with the steering wheel as Bonnie ducked and Meredith braced herself. Matt's replacement for the first beat-up old car he'd lost was just about as old and didn't have airbags. It was a miscellany of junkyard cars pieced together. â€Å"Hang on!†Matt yelled as the car skidded, tires screaming, and then they were all flung around as the back end swerved into a ditch and the front bumper hit a tree. When everything stopped moving, Matt let out his breath, easing his death-grip on the steering wheel. He started to turn toward the girls and then froze. He scrabbled to switch on the map light, and what he saw held him frozen again. Bonnie had turned, as always in moments of deepest distress, to Meredith. She was lying with her head on Meredith's lap, hands locked onto her friend's arm and shirt. Meredith herself was sitting, braced, leaning as far as possible backward, her feet stretched to push against the floor beneath the dashboard; her body bowed back in the seat, head flung backward, arms holding Bonnie down tightly. Thrusting straight through the open window – like a knobby, shaggy green spear or the grasping arm of some savage earthen giant – was the branch of a tree. It just cleared the base of Meredith's arched neck, and its lower branches passed over Bonnie's small body. If Bonnie's seat belt hadn't let her turn; if Bonnie hadn't flung herself down like that; if Meredith hadn't held onto her†¦ Matt found himself staring directly into the splintered but very sharp end of the lance. If his own seat belt hadn't kept him from leaning that way†¦ Matt could hear his own hard breathing. The smell of evergreen was overpowering within the car. He could even smell the places where smaller branches had broken off and were oozing sap. Very slowly, Meredith reached out to break off one of the twigs that was pointed at her throat like an arrow. It wouldn't break. Numb, Matt reached over to try it himself. But although the wood wasn't much thicker than his finger, it was tough and wouldn't even bend. As if it's been fire-hardened, he thought dazedly. But that's ridiculous. It's a living tree; I can feel the splinters. â€Å"Ow.† â€Å"Can I please get up now?† Bonnie said quietly, her voice muffled against Meredith's leg. â€Å"Please. Before it grabs me. It wants to.† Matt glanced at her, startled, and scratched his cheek against the splintered end of the big branch. â€Å"It's not going to grab you.† But his stomach was churning as he fumbled blindly for his seat belt fastening. Why should Bonnie have the same thought as he had: that the thing was like a huge, crooked, shaggy arm? She couldn't even see it. â€Å"You know it wants to,† Bonnie whispered, and now the slight shivering seemed to be taking over her whole body. She reached backward to undo her seat belt. â€Å"Matt, we need to slide,† Meredith said. She had carefully maintained her painful-looking bowed-backward position, but Matt could hear her breathing harder. â€Å"We need to slide toward you. It's trying to get around my throat.† â€Å"That's impossible†¦.† But he could see it, too. The freshly splintered ends of the smaller branch had moved only infinitesimally, but there was a curve to them now, and the splinters were pressing into Meredith's throat. â€Å"It's probably just that nobody can stay bent backward like that forever,† he said, knowing that this was nonsense. â€Å"There's a flashlight in the glove compartment†¦.† â€Å"The glove compartment is completely blocked by branches. Bonnie, can you reach to unfasten my seat belt?† â€Å"I'll try.† Bonnie slid forward without raising her head, fumbling to find the release button. To Matt it looked as if the shaggy, aromatic evergreen branches were engulfing her. Pulling her into their needles. â€Å"We've got a whole freakin' Christmas tree in here.† He looked away, out through the glass of the window on his side. Cupping his hands to see better into the darkness, he leaned his forehead against the surprisingly cool glass. There was a touch on the back of his neck. He jumped, then froze. It was neither cool nor warm, like a girl's fingernail. â€Å"Damn it, Meredith – â€Å" â€Å"Matt – â€Å" Matt was furious with himself for jumping. But the touch was†¦scratchy. â€Å"Meredith?† He slowly moved his hands away until he could see in the dark window's reflection. Meredith wasn't touching him. â€Å"Don't†¦move†¦left, Matt. There's a long sharp bit there.† Meredith's voice, normally cool and a bit remote, usually made Matt think of those calendar pictures of blue lakes surrounded by snow. Now it just sounded choked and strained. â€Å"Meredith!† Bonnie said before Matt could speak. Bonnie's voice sounded as if it were coming from underneath a featherbed. â€Å"It's all right. I just have to†¦hold it away,† Meredith said. â€Å"Don't worry. I won't let go of you, either.† Matt felt a sharper prickle of splinters. Something touched his neck on the right side, delicately. â€Å"Bonnie, stop it! You're pulling the treein ! You're pulling it on Meredith and me!† â€Å"Matt,shut up !† Matt shut up. His heart was pounding. The last thing he felt like doing was reaching behind him. But that's stupid, he thought, because if Bonnie really is moving the tree, I can at least hold it still for her. He reached behind him, flinching, trying to watch what he was doing in the window's reflection. His hand closed over a thick knot of bark and splinters. He thought, I don't remember seeing a knot when it was pointed at my throat†¦. â€Å"Got it!† a muffled voice said, and there was the click of a seat belt coming undone. Then, much more shakily, the voice said, â€Å"Meredith? There are needles shoved all into my back.† â€Å"Okay, Bonnie. Matt,† Meredith was speaking with effort, but great patience, the way they'd all been talking to Elena. â€Å"Matt, you have to open your door now.† Bonnie said in a voice of terror, â€Å"It isn't just needles. It's little branches. Sort of like barbed wire. I'm†¦stuck†¦.† â€Å"Matt! You need to open your doornow – â€Å" â€Å"I can't.† Silence. â€Å"Matt?† Matt was bracing himself, pushing with his feet, both hands locked around the scaly bark now. He thrust backward with all his strength. â€Å"Matt!† Meredith almost screamed. â€Å"It's cutting into my throat!† â€Å"I can't get my door open! There's a tree on that side, too!† â€Å"How can there be a tree there?That's the road!† â€Å"How can there be a treegrowing in here?† Another silence. Matt could feel the splinters – the slivers of broken branch – biting deeper into the back of his neck. If he didn't move soon, he would never be able to.

Arellano University Essay

The Jose Abad Santos Campus was formerly called Jose Abad Santos High School. The first Arellano University branch established in Pasay City, it was founded in 1945. Dr. Fidel Colmenar was its first director. Next came Mr. Leonardo Tensuan, who served for 23 years, and under whose leadership as director, JASHS reached the height of progress. Mrs. Felicidad Crisologo, the first woman director of the school, replaced him and continued the work guiding the faculty in preparing students for a brighter future. After six years, Mr. Manuel Lansang took over the school management. He was succeeded in 1998 by Miss Zenaida Lobregat who introduced innovations and technological updates to equip both students and teachers for the challenges of the third millennium. Computer-aided instruction was introduced in 1998-1999 and since then, the one-computer-one student system has been implemented. In 1986, the college department of AU in Pasay, which was originally established in the Apolinario Mabini High School compound at the corner of Donada and Menlo Streets, transferred to the JASHS campus with the AU President Francisco Cayco himself as officer-in-charge. In 1996, Atty. Samson Turingan served as college OIC until 1999. Miss Lobregat then became managing director of both the high school and college departments of the AU Pasay campus. At present, Ms. Rosalinda Santiago serves as the high school principal and Dr. Leonila A. Santos as college administrator. The AU JAS campus has always been proud of its graduates? who are now statesmen, educators, doctors, nurses, accountants, engineers, computer experts, businessmen, journalists, lawyers, overseas contract workers, restaurateurs, priests, technicians, sportsmen, actors, responsible parents, productive citizens. The school administration, in cooperation with its stakeholders (competent faculty and employees, conscientious parents, students and the community) has been at its best in exerting efforts to implement the present thrust of the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to ably guide values-oriented learners and graduates. With its vision of becoming the model University for innovative, progressive, and entrepreneurial education, and its mission of providing affordable quality education, Arellano University-Jose Abad Santos Campus contributes its share in nation-building through the improvement of the Filipino intellect. College The School of Computer Science of Arellano University aims to produce competent programmers in the field of Information Technology who can play a productive role both in the practical and research areas of computing. Emphasis is put on the practical application of computer systems to meet the needs of the global industry. The SCS specializes in the following areas: Database and Multimedia Systems Programming Language and Compiler Construction Software Engineer and Software Quality Control Distributed System and Communication System Web Publishing, Web Casting and Web Hosting Computer education plays a crucial role in the techno-industrial and socio-economic growth of every country. It has, in fact, revolutionized the world around us. Today, we need computer experts in almost all walks of life, be it in the industry, R&D organization or in the academic institution. The graduate of AU SCS meets the highest standard of training for diverse areas of computer science. Faculty expertise is relevant to both the Software and Hardware industry. The ICS-AU has a number of laboratories equipped with the state-of-the-art computer systems running along a wide range of applications with specialized software supporting the courses. The BS degree in Computer Science offers the prospects of some of the most lucrative jobs available both here and abroad. Some of our graduates have joined multinational companies while others are pursuing higher studies at foreign universities of international repute. By joining the AU SCS, you enter a futuristic career of great promise. MISSION & VISION MISSION To provide equitable access to learning through relevant, innovative, industry-sensitive and environment-conscious academic programs and services. VISION To be a model institution of learning where relevant knowledge is acquired and skills are developed in response to the needs of the global community.