Nine Planets Essay Example for Free

Nine Planets Essay A Multimedia Tour of the Solar System: one star, eight planets, and more| | This website is an overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of the planets, moons and other objects in our solar system. Each page has our text and NASAs images, some have sounds and movies, most provide references to additional related information. In association with our friends at Solar System Scope we now have an interactive tour of the solar system (takes a while to load and opens in a new window)All eight planets can be seen with a small telescope; or binoculars. And large observatories continue to provide much useful information. But the possibility of getting up close with interplanetary spacecraft has revolutionized planetary science. Very little of this site would have been possible without the space program. Nevertheless, theres a lot that you can see with very modest equipment or even with just your own eyes. Past generations of people found beauty and a sense of wonder contemplating the night sky. Todays scientific knowledge further enhances and deepens that experience. And you can share in it by simply going out in the evening and looking up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The IAU has changed the definition of planet so that Pluto no longer qualifies. There are now officially only eight planets in our solar system. Of course this change in terminology does not affect whats actually out there. In the end, its not very important how we classify the various objects in our solar system. What is important is to learn about their physical nature and their histories.

Moby Dick Essay Example for Free

Moby Dick Essay Melvilles Moby Dick is widely recognized as one of the most complex and brilliant allegorical novels in American literature. As an allegory, the events, places, people and conflicts depicted in the novel represent not only the obvious surface-level elements of the novel, but stand as indications of the novels philosophical and metaphysical themes. The allegory of Moby Dick involves an examination into the nature of reality and also into the nature of good and evil, as defined for Melville partially by Americas Puritan heritage. Melville wanted to portray the essence of evil in a symbol, which was the whale, Moby Dick. When Ahab says All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks, (Melville) he is echoing the allegorical construction of the novel in which each thing, such as the whale, Moby Dick, is merely a pasteboard mask (Melville) which hides the true essence beneath, an unknown but still reasoning thing (Melville) which puts forth the mouldings of its features from behind the unreasoning mask (Melville). For Ahab, the white whale is the mask which disguises truth and the revelation of the nature of reality. In this sense, the white whale becomes a symbol for whatever it is that holds mankind back from the perception of absolute reality. Ahab emphatically reveals his Platonic beliefs when he says If man will strike, strike through the mask! How can the prisoner reach outside except by thrusting through the wall? To me, the white whale is that wall, shoved near to me. Sometimes I think there`s naught beyond. (Melville) In this sense, the whale represents oblivion, the naught beyond which in Ahabs mind is plainly associated with death. It is toward the heart of the nature of reality that Ahab strikes with his blood-sealed harpoon, not merely a fish in the ocean. For Ahab the white whale represented both ultimate reality and the wall which separates man from ultimate reality. Ahabs view of nature and reality is that the visible world and all of the events, people, and actions in it are indicators of deeper, more profound, metaphysical ideas and experiences: when he hunts the white whale which represents evil and oblivion, he is hunting the absolute nature of evil, not merely one of its beasts. The intense hate that Ahab feels for the white whale helps to distinguish Ahabs view of reality as presented in the novel form the vision of reality Melvile was trying to establish by way of the allegory of the novel. While Ahab believes the white whale to be the symbol of evil, Melvilles depiction of evil through the allegorical structure of Moby Dick is shown, ironically, through Ahab himself and not through the symbol of the whale. Instead, for Melville, the whale symbol indicated the cosmic universe and was exhaustively related through his use of cetological detail and science. In this way, Ahabs obsession and hate are shown to be a tragic flaw along the lines of some of Shakespeares heroes, after whom Ahabs dialogue explaining his motives for hunting Moby Dick are clearly derived. As Ishmael gains a closer, more intimate apprehension of whales, the development of his character and spiritual insight are correspondingly elevated. The more detailed are the cetological experiences and catalogues, the more wholly expressive and self-possessed and sure becomes Ishmael. Still deeper correspondences between the cetological material and Melville’s narrative form are established in Ishmael’s descriptions of the whales â€Å"blubber† and â€Å"skin† which he posits as being indistinguishable. This is reflected in the narrative structure of â€Å"Moby Dick† where it is equally as difficult to apprehend where the â€Å"skin† (overt theme and storyline) of the novel ends and the â€Å"blubber† (cetological and whaling discourses and catalogues) begin. Melville makes it perfectly clear that the â€Å"blubber† is an as indispensable part of his novel as it is for the whale’s body. â€Å"For the whale is indeed wrapt up in his blubber as in a real blanket or counterpane; or, still better, an Indian poncho slipt over his head;† (Melville) therefore, too, is the expository material, the â€Å"blubber† of the novel wrapped around its central, allegorical aspects. The detailed cetological aspects of â€Å"Moby Dick† may, indeed, prevent the reader from an easy, and immediate grasp of the novel’s â€Å"meaning† or even its astounding climax. Just as the whale’s hump is believed by Ishmael to conceal the whale’s â€Å"true brain† while the more easily accessed â€Å"brain† know to whalers is merely a know of nerves, the secret â€Å"core† of â€Å"Moby Dick† can only be pursued with patience and close, deep â€Å"cutting†due to the organic and harmonious nature of its narrative form. By keeping in mind the previously discussed aspects of the relationship between â€Å"Moby Dick’s† comprehensive cetological materials and their symbolic relationship to the novel itself, its form and themes, Ishmael, while discoursing on the desirability of whale meat as fit food for humans, offers an ironic gesture toward the novel’s probable audiences. â€Å"But what further depreciates the whale as a civilized dish, is his exceeding richness. He is the great prize ox of the sea, too fat to be delicately good† (Melville).

Literature review on Critical and Reflective learning

Literature review on Critical and Reflective learning The following literature review will focus on the concept of critical and reflective learning. Critical and reflective learning is used the world over in various academic institutions and in professional practice. Firstly it would be imperative that critical reflection is defined. Following on from this a discussion shall take place around the various frameworks and theories offered by various theorists on the subject. Finally a critical review of the underlying thinking which underlies much of the policy making process in Ireland will be undertaking. There are various definitions used to explain the process of critical reflection. At a very basic level, critical reflection (CR) occurs when and individual questions either their own ideas or the ideas of another. However as Van Woerkom (2010) suggests there are many different schools of thought on what is involved in the critical reflection process. For example the ideological form of critical reflection would focus on challenging and questioning dominant or unjust ideologies. The psychoanalytical school of CR is focused more on the individual and involves the reframing of personal issues or problems. The analytical model of CR is the process of mentally analysing arguments in the hope of guiding ones beliefs or actions. Finally the pragmatist constructivism school of CR relates to the evaluation of various forms of information in an attempt to provide a solution, while at the same time recognising that the solution itself is open to further questioning (Van Woerkom, 2010). What se ems obvious from these definitions is the fact that the questioning and reflection of a perceived reality at both a societal and personal level are fundamental in each process. Furthermore it seems apparent that the issues that each school is addressing can all impact upon one another. For instance it could be argued that the psychological wellbeing of an individual could be greatly influenced by the dominant ideology within a society. Addressing only the psychological issues with the psychoanalytical approach may prove fruitless, if societal influences causing psychological distress are not addressed. Various theorists have dissected the critical reflection process on a much deeper level. Dewey in ((1933, in Boud et al,1994)suggests that reflection is the process of an individual recapturing their experience, thinking about it and assessing it. He believed that reflection was initiated by an inner uneasiness caused by an individual becoming disillusioned with their current reality. Reflection may also be instigated by a positive experience. The individual may wish to learn what worked in the positive experience, in order to repeat the behaviour that brought about the positive experience. Deweys main focus was centred on the notion that reflection is a highly rational exercise which is based in an evidence based approach which focused on skills and attitudes. However as various authors suggest Deweys focus on skills and attitudes is limited and fails to allow for the affective (emotional) element involved in the learning process ( Boud et al, 1994, Rawson, 2000). Another limiting aspect of Deweys theory was the presumption that one would first have to make a mistake in order to learn from it. Kolb Fry (1975) believed that for effective learning to occur the learner would have to complete a cycle of learning, broken down into four stages: Concrete experience, observation and reflection, forming abstract concepts, testing them in new situations. In essence, an individual begins the learning process by becoming involved in a new experience, which they then reflect upon internally in order to make sense of the experience. The individual then hypothesises about different theories and then applies such theories in new situations. It should be noted that an individual may start in any stage and switch between these stages. And many learners may only use two of the stages, depending upon their learning style (Kolb Fry 1975 ). Donald Schon (1995) has built upon Deweys concept by introducing the idea of double looped learning. He suggested that the majority of learning in everyday life occurred at a level where individuals used previous held values and assumptions to inform their present action (single looped learning). However Double Looped learning involves a deeper level of reflection where individuals question these values and assumptions and subject them to critical investigation. . Agryis (1999) uses an analogy of how a thermostat responds to room temperature by turning on the heat if the room gets to cold and turning it off when it gets to warm. The thermostat responds by receiving signals from the room temperature. He contended that this equated to a human being receiving positive or negative signals about their actions and then changing their actions (Single loop learning). Going back to the thermostat analogy, double looped learning would ask the question, why the room got too hot or cold in the f irst place. The same goes for human beings when they question the underlying assumptions which informed their actions in the first place. Such learning is not limited to the individual and such learning could be applied to organisations and society (Agryis, 1999), However as Rawson (2000) suggests, many institutions seem to treat intellect as absolute and dont allow for the questioning necessary in the critical reflection process. He goes on to suggest that society works on a basis of having power over, rather than power with. He believed that such an approach was evident in many educational institutions. He advocates the notion of learning to learn where the relevance of various aspects of knowledge continued to be questioned and challenged. Rawson argues that knowledge is not a final product and contends that the meaning and understanding process is more important than the end product. His analysis is closely linked with the teachings of Paulo Friere. Frieres (1998) CR theory was rooted firmly in the ideological school of thought. He believed the educational system served to reproduce the status quo which was influenced by the dominant ideological discourse. He was of the opinion that educators should challenge the status quo through challenging students to question the dominant discourse, which he believed served to reproduce inequalities. He stressed the importance of dialogue within the education system, as he believed without dialogue; true education could not take place. Hooks (1994) captures the notion of education without dialogue when she speaks of her experience as an undergraduate and graduate student. She suggests that the majority of lecturers used the classroom as an avenue to exert their view of the world upon students. Friere (1998) did not advocate a non directive approach to education, however he did stress it should be the process and not the student that should be directed. Friere (1998) recognised that each stu dent had their own unique life experience and contended that the students experience was invaluable in the learning experience. Very basically Friere (1998) was of the opinion that education was more about enabling students to question and challenge the commonly held knowledge within society. Meizrow (1994) also spoke about reflection in terms of transformation. Mezirow (1994) described reflective learning as a process in which the learner has to consider or reconsider certain assumptions they may hold about themselves or the world. He argued that the most effective reflection occurred when the learner discovers their assumptions to be in some way weakened. It causes the learner to look at reasons why their assumptions have caused them to reach decisions or to react in a certain way and to maybe re-evaluate their assumptions. He explained that when the learner accepts that their past assumptions may have been incorrect they have created a transformative space and within that space they can be open to engaging in new-found knowledge. This, he believes, can lead to a deeper level of reflective practice. As mentioned earlier emotions can play an important part in such a process Boud et al (1994) suggest that past experiences can greatly determine an individuals ability to learn in new situations. If learning was only centred in the transfer of knowledge from one individual to another, learning would be a smooth occurrence and each individual would take in knowledge with minimal difficulty. However emotions such as anxiety can cause difficulties for those who are participating in new learning experiences. The majority of individuals will experience anxieties when faced with new learning. However for some the anxiety can be overwhelming and deeply affect the learning process. So how individuals learn is greatly influenced by emotion (Boud et al, 1994). In conclusion it can be seen that there are many areas of both personal and societal life which could benefit from the process of critical reflection. The whole notion of learning to learn seems to be an approach which encourages independent and self-directed learning. While there are many schools of thought on the process of CR, they all seem be directed at questioning the underlying assumptions and discourses which inform both individual and societal actions. It seems obvious from the various readings that critical reflection is often frowned upon as something which upsets the status quo of organisations. Reflection The subject that I have chosen to reflect on is how the Irish society continues to apply past solutions to present problems. If we look to the recent recession it is clear that the Irish government continue to take the approach of promoting competition and neo liberal policies as a solution to the current economic conditions. As Coulter Coleman (2003) argue the dominant discourse in Irish society suggests that  the economy is the mechanism which will bring about the greatest good for everyone concerned.  Ã‚   They contend that such a discourse is constructed by everyone within society.   Some discourses are so dominant that they almost seem to be natural and many fail to question them.   If we look to the Celtic Tiger in Ireland, there were various commentators suggesting that the country was in danger of a serious financial and economic crisis. Back in 2007 Bertie Ahern famously made the remark, that those who were moaning and cribbing about how the economy was being run sh ould commit suicide (Stafford, 2010).   The moaners and cribbers he was referring too were economists who were warning about the economy not being stable and the future crash of the economy.   Even though these economists were correct in their predictions the majority of Irish society sided with Bertie Ahern. As Friere (1998) suggests, the need to question dominant knowledge is a must, however in the Irish case when the dominant knowledge was questioned the individuals were ridiculed.  Ã‚   This fundamental aspect of Irish society needs to change.   Even in the current recession the government continues to suggest that the only way recover from the economic downturn is to remain competitive in the global world.  The dominant thinking involved here is just returning to the dominant thinking of the past which suggests the economy is going to correct all the ills of the country.   Even the EU/IMF bailout underwent very little critical analysis. The same commentators who were warning of the economic crisis during the Celtic Tiger collapse were all suggesting that there were alternatives which could have being taking. However just like the Celtic Tiger era, the government chose to follow a path without considering the long-term consequences. As Storey (2010) argues IMF bailouts in other countries have had disastrous consequences for those countries. By nature these bailouts seem to be extremely undemocratic. For example the IMF (an unelected external body) has a major influence on the development and implementation of national po licy. There was no referendum on this bailout and the general Irish public had very little say on whether or not the bailout was applied for. The presence of undemocratic rule seemed to be evident in Ireland a number of years before the IMF arrived in town. For instance the first referendum on the Lisbon Treaty was rejected by the Irish people, however the Irish government held a second referendum asking the question in a different way. Compared to other countries there was very little protest in relation to the bailout or austerity measures which were been implemented. Even when it was apparent that the government were lying for a number of days in relation to applying for a bailout, there was very little public outcry. While pole ratings suggested that the government were dropping in popularity, the level of protest was minimal. The question has to be asked, why the Irish public are so passive in relation to situations which will have serious consequences for their lives. One expl anation could be the lack of social solidarity. For instance Bauman (2000) argues that in modern society individuals are now defying their identity through the consumption of various goods and products. He argues that this creates a lack of social solidarity and creates a more individualistic society. It could be argued that the Celtic Tiger has created a society of consumers who are only concerned about their own needs. The Celtic Tiger period in Ireland is often seen as a period where individuals and groups were living extravagant and affluent lifestyles. It seems as though individuals in society are now more worried about their own needs and have very little concern for others. This may change once the true impact of the austerity measures hits home for various groups and individuals. It seems very evident from the recent budget that the most vulnerable in society are going to pay the highest price for the mistakes of the elite. It seems apparent that it is the underlying thinking and ideology in Irish society which needs to undergo a critical reflection. Both those in power and society as a whole need to consider what kind of society they want for both themselves and future generations. If the lack of protest in Ireland is anything to go by it seems as though individuals in Irish society have become self-interested and have very little concern for the more vulnerable in society. It may be worth introducing the process of critical reflection at an earlier age in schools in an attempt to create independent thinkers who are capable of challenging dominant discourse at both organisational and political level. However from my own experience of various social care settings and the education system such an ideal does not seem high on the agenda. It may suit those at the top to have a society which follows and does not question. Or it may be, that those at the top do not question their own motives. Either way, if I reland wishes to learn from the mistakes of the past, some form of questioning needs to occur at a societal, governmental and individual level. The recent recession provides a space for such questioning. Whether such questioning materialises at the level suggested in this reflection remains to be seen.

Create a Writing Technology :: Invention Writing Technology Technological Essays

Create a Writing Technology I never thought about writing something down with a pen on plain lined paper involved technology. It always seemed to me that those things were around, pen and paper had just been there, for one reason or another for the purpose of writing down things, organizing ideas, or just jotting down notes. Much like Ong says, â€Å"The fact that we do not commonly feel the influence of writing on our thoughts shows that we have interiorized the technology of writing so deeply that without tremendous effort we cannot separate it from ourselves or even recognize its presence and influence. (Tribble and Trubek, 316-317) Creating a writing technology is something that takes a lot of thought. The process, materials, words written down, and the purpose of writing things down although common to modern society, was something that proved daunting to create. When I was assigned to create my own writing technology I thought, â€Å"that’s going to be easy.† It was not easy. When conflicted with this assignment, the first thing I had to think about was â€Å"what am I going to write with?† I decided after what seemed like hours of brainstorm, to settle on a stick for a writing utensil. Next came ink. I first debated on creating my own ink, for this I would have to use things like books, or the Internet. Since books or use of the Internet were not in the spirit of the assignment, I used something else. I had to think what would stick to a surface and create enough of a contrast that someone would be able to read it. I came up with the idea of using some sort of fresh fruit. Frozen fruit, although cheaper, probably wouldn’t have worked well. Blueberries, as expensive as they were, seemed to be the best solution. I mashed the blueberries into a little dish, and then began to write. But then I realized I had nothing to write on. Making paper would have been hard. I can’t write on the ground, cause it wouldn’t be as permanent or portable. I found some bark from firewood that my dad had cut up. I grabbed the biggest chunk and began to write using my own creation.

The Bystander Effect :: bystander’s reactions

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the bystander effect, â€Å"the likelihood that an individual will intervene in an emergency goes down as the number of bystanders increases† (Olson, Breckler, Wiggins, 2008, p.482), occurs in chosen an emergency situation (Appendix nr1). I am going to show why and how participant’s behaviour confirms or not that effect. There are many interactions among people witnessing an emergency situation. Behaviours of witnesses are influenced by occurring psychological reactions and responses to situation. â€Å"A false impression of how other people are thinking, feeling and responding† (Karn, 2010,) creates a common ignorance and influences bystander’s behaviours. Interpretation of situation as a nonemergency is based on other bystander’s reactions or their no reactions. The presence of others diminishes a feeling of personal responsibility (Karn, 2010). Because an emergency case chosen for analysis contains an element of aggression I introduce now the social psychological definition of aggression that is: â€Å"behaviour that is intended to injure someone physically or psychologically† and a special kinds of aggression, such as a hostile aggression:†harm-doing that arises out of negative emotions such as anger, frustration, or hatred† (Olson and all, 2008, p. 419). I use also the GAM (General Aggression Model) theory: †a broad theory that conceptualizes aggression as the result of a chain of psychological processes, including situational events, aggressive thoughts and feelings, and interpretation of the situation† (Olson and all, 2008, p. 423), and frustration-aggression hypothesis, â€Å"proposition that frustration always leads to some form of aggression† (Olson and all, 2008, p. 425). I also apply Latane and Darley’s decision tree â€Å"that specified a series of decisions that must be made before a person will intervene in an emergency† (Olson and all, 2008, p. 479). Five different processes should occur for intervention to happen, such as: (1) the event must be noticed (if an individual do not notice he/she will not help), (2) the event must be interpreted as an emergency (witnesses fail to intervene, because they do not interpret the event as an emergency), (3) a personal responsibility must be accepted (if other people are present a witness can assume that others will help), (4) an appropriate form of assistance needs to be chosen, and finally (5) the action has to be implemented. If a negative response occurs at any stage of the process the bystander will not intervene. As a passenger of TAXI I observed two drivers before the emergency situation began. The Bystander Effect :: bystander’s reactions The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the bystander effect, â€Å"the likelihood that an individual will intervene in an emergency goes down as the number of bystanders increases† (Olson, Breckler, Wiggins, 2008, p.482), occurs in chosen an emergency situation (Appendix nr1). I am going to show why and how participant’s behaviour confirms or not that effect. There are many interactions among people witnessing an emergency situation. Behaviours of witnesses are influenced by occurring psychological reactions and responses to situation. â€Å"A false impression of how other people are thinking, feeling and responding† (Karn, 2010,) creates a common ignorance and influences bystander’s behaviours. Interpretation of situation as a nonemergency is based on other bystander’s reactions or their no reactions. The presence of others diminishes a feeling of personal responsibility (Karn, 2010). Because an emergency case chosen for analysis contains an element of aggression I introduce now the social psychological definition of aggression that is: â€Å"behaviour that is intended to injure someone physically or psychologically† and a special kinds of aggression, such as a hostile aggression:†harm-doing that arises out of negative emotions such as anger, frustration, or hatred† (Olson and all, 2008, p. 419). I use also the GAM (General Aggression Model) theory: †a broad theory that conceptualizes aggression as the result of a chain of psychological processes, including situational events, aggressive thoughts and feelings, and interpretation of the situation† (Olson and all, 2008, p. 423), and frustration-aggression hypothesis, â€Å"proposition that frustration always leads to some form of aggression† (Olson and all, 2008, p. 425). I also apply Latane and Darley’s decision tree â€Å"that specified a series of decisions that must be made before a person will intervene in an emergency† (Olson and all, 2008, p. 479). Five different processes should occur for intervention to happen, such as: (1) the event must be noticed (if an individual do not notice he/she will not help), (2) the event must be interpreted as an emergency (witnesses fail to intervene, because they do not interpret the event as an emergency), (3) a personal responsibility must be accepted (if other people are present a witness can assume that others will help), (4) an appropriate form of assistance needs to be chosen, and finally (5) the action has to be implemented. If a negative response occurs at any stage of the process the bystander will not intervene. As a passenger of TAXI I observed two drivers before the emergency situation began.

The Potential for Future Crop Loss Essay -- Agriculture Farming Enviro

The Potential for Future Crop Loss On the subject of potential crop loss there are several variables, which influence drought and plant disease resulting in a loss of crops. The first variable is that of drought. Drought is a result of shifting weather patterns, which changes the amount of precipitation an area receives. There are three major causes of drought, deficient and unfavorably distributed precipitation, excess heat and warm winds (Nemanishen, 1998, p.35). Historically the grasslands of North America have had a highly varied climate with years of drought immediately followed by years of sufficient precipitation. For example, in the area of the Palliser Triangle in the grasslands of Canada, wheat crop loss has been seen numerous times in history varying in severity depending on the weather patterns of the season. In drought years the wheat yield is particularly sensitive to low antecedent moisture reserves, below average rainfall in the crop growing season, and summer heat waves with hot, dry winds (Nemanishen, 1998, p.24). In consecutive drought years the precipitation deficit accumulates resulting in soil moisture depletion in the root systems (Nemanishen, 1998, p.26). The loss of soil moisture also leads to a lack of ground water recharge resulting in declines of runoff and stream flow making the crops particularly susceptible to wind erosion. Major droughts have reduced annual grassland rainfall fifteen to twenty-five percent and July and August average rainfall twenty-five to fifty percent. As a result of drought wheat crop production dropped twenty –five percent in North America (Borchert, 1971, pp10-11). In order to avoid crop loss it is important for scientists and farmers to identify weather patterns ... ...ast, it’s happening right now and it will happen in the future. Works Cited Borchert, J. R. (1971). The dust bowl in the 1970s. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 61(1), 1-22. Boyce, N. (2001). Revisiting Ireland's great famine. U.S. News and World Report, 130(24), 44. Daly, D.C. (1996). The leaf that launched a thousand ships. Natural History, 105(1), 24-32. Hertstein, U., Grunhage, L., & Jager, H. J. (1995). Assessment of past, present, and future impacts of ozone and carbon-dioxide on crop yields. Atmospheric Environment, 29 (16), 2031-2039 Lowdermilk, W. C. (1999). Conquest of the land through 7,000 years. Agriculture Information Bulletin, (99), 1-24. Nemanishen, W. (1998) Drought in the Palliser Triangle. PFRA Drought Committee. 23-40.

Anatomy And Physiology Of The Affected System

The powerful heart muscle requires a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood to nourish it. The coronary arteries provide the heart with this critical circulatory 24/7 blood supply. Without adequate and consistent blood, the heart becomes starved of oxygen and vital nutrients it requires to work properly and efficiently.   Coronary artery disease or Atherosclerosis occurs when the arteries become clogged and narrowed, restricting blood flow to the heart. (Heart Attack, 2006)   â€Å"The main myocardial infarction causal effects under investigation include blood pressure, hypertension, the use of antihypertensive and/or cardiovascular medication and angina pectoris.† (Caroline B. Ameling et al. 2002, p. 307)Pathology Of The DiseaseThe arteries leading to the heart become narrow and blood cannot flow consistently and evenly. Fatty matter, calcium, proteins and inflammatory cells build up within the arteries to form plaques of different sizes and irregular shapes. The plaque dep osits are hard on the outside and soft and mushy on the inside.When the plaque's deposits harden, the outer shell cracks (plaque rupture) and platelets (disc-shaped particles in the blood that aid clotting) arrive at the heart area, and blood clots form around the plaque. When the blood clot completely blocks or inhibits the artery, the heart muscle and tissue is rapidly depleted of oxygen. Within a short time, damage of the heart muscle cells occurs, causing permanent impairment. The end result, in medical terms is a myocardial infarction (MI), or heart attack.   â€Å"While it is unusual, a heart attack can also be caused by a spasm of a coronary artery. During coronary spasm, the coronary arteries restrict or spasm on and off, reducing blood supply to the heart muscle (ischemia).† (Heart Attack, 2006)Current Treatment OptionsImmediate treatment options include supplemental oxygen therapy, however it is the only form of treatment that improves survival in hypoxemic patien ts, no clear relationship exists between improved survival and reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance with oxygen therapy. (Susan Wilansky et al. 2002, p. 629)   Individuals with angina or chronic chest pains can take nitroglycerin pills to cause the pain to disappear. Because angina patients often have chest pains, the key heart attack symptoms may be lightheadedness, sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath, in addition to chest pain. (Christopher Wanjek, 2003, p. 242)For long term treatment at a hospital, individuals are taken to the cardiac catheterization lab where a doctor will evaluate the coronary arteries to determine whether angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft surgery is appropriate.Patient EducationThe traditional approach to patient education interventions requires a health educator to meet with patients individually or to provide lectures. Some educational approaches appear to be cost-effective has shown that education programs emphasizing self-management of one's health and prevention strategies are effective in increasing patients' self-efficacy and health status. â€Å"Therefore it appears important to measure any changes in self-efficacy and helplessness that may result from either education and/or social support interventions. Such measures make it possible to evaluate the sense of control over health decisions and outcomes that has been associated with health status and health care costs.† (Terry A. Cronan et al. 2000, p. 455)Community referral sourcesAmerican College of Cardiology, 9111 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, MD   20814-699 Phone:   1-800-253-4636, extension 694WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women With Heart Disease 818 18th Street, N.W. Suite 230 Washington, DC   20006 Phone:   (202) 728-7199American Heart Association (AHA)   7272 Greenville Avenue Dallas, TX   75231 Phone:   1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) Web Address:   http://www.americanheart.orgPreventionTension and anxiety were foun d to be good predictors of disease and mortality even when other risk factors were controlled. More recently, it has been prospectively shown that earlier measures of anxiety were significantly related to the development of atherosclerosis disease. (Stanley Chin et al. 2004, p. 63)Preventive life choice behavior modification includes stop smoking, controlling cholesterol through a healthy diet, managing blood pressure with exercise, relaxing and reducing stress by managing depression and anger.Reference(s)Caroline B. Ameling, Hendriek C. Boshuizen, Augustinus E.M. De Hollander, Hanneke Kruize, Brigit A.M. Staatsen, Elise E.M.M. Van Kempen, 2002, The Association between Noise Exposure and Blood Pressure and Ischemic Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis. Journal Title: Environmental Health Perspectives. Volume: 110. Issue: 3. Publication Year:. Page Number: 307+. COPYRIGHT 2002 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences;http://www.webmd.com/hw/heart_disease/tx2300-ConRes.asp   He art Attack and Unstable Angina Retrieved December 28, 2006Jiang He, Gail T. Louis, Paul K. Whelton, 2003, Lifestyle Modification for the Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension. Publisher: Marcel Dekker. Place of Publication: New York. Page Number: 278.Susan Wilansky, James T. Willerson, 2002, Heart Disease in Women. Publisher: Churchill Livingstone. Place of Publication: New York. Page Number: 629.Christopher Wanjek, 2003, Bad Medicine: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Distance Healing to Vitamin O. Publisher: Wiley. Place of Publication: New York. Page Number: 242.Terry A. Cronan, Erik J. Groessl, 2000, A Cost Analysis of Self-Management Programs for People with Chronic Illness Journal Title: American Journal of Community Psychology. Volume: 28. Issue: 4. Page Number: 455. COPYRIGHT 2000 Plenum Publishing Corporation;