Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Autism and the Use of MRI - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1828 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/02/14 Category Medicine Essay Level High school Tags: Autism Essay Did you like this example? Abstract In this paper, the relationship between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the use of magnetic resonance imaging will be discussed. Autism is a very common neurodevelopment disorder with many different symptoms. Diagnosing and treating autism can be challenging because of how different every case of ASD truly is. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Autism and the Use of MRI" essay for you Create order Early detection is important for getting ahead on treating the symptoms that go along with ASD to create more positive outcome for the patients. Using MRI can open the doors for doctors and researchers to learn even more about this disorder and how to treat it. The studies discussed in this paper will explain how the use of structural MRI can allow physician to see how an autistic patient’s brain size and appearance differs from typically developing individuals, and the use of functional MRI can be used to compare the brain’s activity. Sleep fMRI is also discussed in how it can help with early detection in children. Overall, the discussion is about how MRI can better the understanding, detection, and treatment of ASD. Autism and the Use of MRI Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopment condition that has a wide variety of symptoms that can effect a patient’s social skills, speech or other ways of communication, and also can include different repetitive behaviors. One third of children with autism are nonverbal, and there are also many children that have gastrointestinal disorders, anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) along with many other symptoms. The conditions of ASD are very diverse because every case can be so unique because of different genetic and environmental blends can effect an ASD patient’s conditions. Around 1 in 68 children are effected by autism, and boys are much more likely to have the disorder. Diagnosing autism can become a process; usually, if a parent or physician is concerned of ASD being a possibility, they will do a general screening which is normally suggested to the parents of infants anyway. After the screening, if there is a strong possibility of the patient having autism, the doctor will do a complete evaluation to confirm the diagnosis of the patient (Autism Speaks, n.d.). According to Shen et al (2013), early detection is critical because the earlier ASD is diagnosed positive results are more likely to happen when treating impairments. Most of the time diagnosing and understanding autism is only done by observation or screening, but with radiology, doctors are now seeing the signs of autism with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which could lead to an earlier detection. There are multiple types of MRI that can help with these studies. Structural MRI is used to understand the anatomy of the brain. The data received from structural MRI can explain shape, size, and white and gray matter within the brain. Structure can be very important when understanding function of the brain, and this is why structural MRI is so useful. The next form of MRI is used for mostly neural activity rather than anatomy. Functional MRI can use tasks or something visual to stimulate the brain, and then doctors can compare the changes of neural function and compare the results with other patients. Using these two functions of MRI can help doctors or researchers understand normal or unusual brain function. Also, fMRI and structural MRI aid in the research or treatment involving neurological disorders (Center for Functional MRI, n.d.). Throughout this first study, the use of structural MRI for studying autism is discussed; also, the comparison of the brain between patients with ASD and typical developing individuals. With the help of MRI, doctors can study the brain without anything invasive and allows researchers or doctors to view the structural changes of patients with ASD. These studies look for the differences between patients with autism and how their brain growth persists the older they get using structural MRI. With structural MRI, the brain volume in children with autism can be observed and compared. Multiple scans were performed on young children throughout the ages of a year and a half to five years who all were confirmed to have autism at around the age of four years old, and the researchers also performed scans on children without autism. When the scans were studied, it was found that most children with ASD had a cerebrum and many other divisions of the brain that were enlarged by th e time the patient was two and a half. These studies have found that young children with autism have atypical enlargement of brain volume compared to normal developing children (Chen, Jiao, Herskovits 2011). According to (Chen et al., 2011), the enlargement seems to relate to an increase in â€Å"gray-matter (GM) and white-matter (WM) volumes.† Although enlargement is found within children, it is vague if whether or not the enlargement continues as the child gets older. Although the enlargement is seen within children, there have also been reports of autistic adults with substantially smaller parts of the brain within the corpus callosum. Throughout these MRIs, many differences and abnormalities were seen throughout the scans. Consistent abnormalities were seen throughout the patients’ white matter, frontal and temporal lobes, as well as other parts of the brain (Chen et al., 2011). Pointing out the abnormalities becomes difficult because the symptoms of ASD cannot be found as a result of one specific part of the brain; the multiple symptoms of autism could be explained by certain neural systems and how they perform together (Dichter, 2012). These studies are an example of how magnetic resonance imaging can assist doctors in identifying they physical differences between patients with ASD and typicall y developing individuals (Chen et al., 2011). In the next study reviewed, they researched the relationship between extra-axial fluid and children who develop autism spectrum disorder. This study differs because the children involved in the study had not yet been diagnosed with autism. The study began with 64 infants, 41 of who were high risk because they had sibling with ASD. The other 23 participants had no relatives with the disorder and were considered low risk. Throughout the case, the number of participants decreased to 55 children (33 high risk and 22 low risk). The participants were scanned three times during sleep using a 3 Tesla Siemens TIM Trio MRI system from the ages of six months to 24 months. After the series of scans were complete, there seemed to be a trend with the high risk children. Some of the high risk children who participated in the study had similarities within the subarachnoid space. According to Shen et al. (2013), the children had â€Å"the presence of ‘prominent extra-axial fluid.’ Extra-axial fluid is characterized by excessive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).† After the scans were completed and the children were old enough to be diagnosed, ten of the high risk children were classified to have ASD at 24 months old, and eight of them were officially diagnosed at 36 months old. Eight of the other children who were high risk had developmental delays, and only three children from the low risk group had developmental delays, but none of them were diagnosed with ASD. There are many features that extra axial fluid and autism spectrum disorder share. Shen et al. (2013) explained that these traits include â€Å"enlarged head circumference early in life, higher rate in boys than girls, and a co-occurrence with seizures.† Although there has been no previous relationship between ASD and extra axial fluid, increased cerebrospinal fluid has been found in patients with autism. After this study and research was conducted, the results concluded that if the presence of the significant amount extra axial fluid has not gone away by the time the child is two years old that it could be a possible symptom of autism in children. This study would not have been possible without the use of MRI and also shows how imaging could help with early detection of children with autism. (Shen et al., 2013). This study showed how certain things that were seen in children with ASD could potentially be seen before the normal time of diagnosis. According to Dichter (2012), MRI (fMRI) â€Å"has proven to be a useful tool to investigate aberrant neurobiological function in ASDs because of its excellent contrast properties, spatial resolution, and temporal resolution.† Although fMRI can be very useful, it can become difficult when performing the scans on children. Children are not able to undergo functional MRI because the scans cannot be completed if they are awake or alert because the procedure must be done with the patient completely still. FMRI has become possible to perform the procedure with children by doing the scan during nature sleep which is known as sleep fMRI. This allowed doctors to understand more about an autistic child’s brain function in which they have been unable to do before. FMRI is allowing doctors to see some of the earliest signs of autism which is vital for the future of a child with ASD (Pierce 2011). According to Pierce (2011), sleep fMRI can allow doctors to make a diagnosis even earlier than they thought possible and will allow treatment to occur much sooner. With autism spectrum disorder being so common and the diversity of behaviors with autistic children, the use of MRI is opening the doors for doctors to detect the early signs and to understand even more about the disorder. Structural MRI and functional MRI can both play very important roles for studying ASD. Structural MRI allows researchers to observe the differences between brain volume in typical developing children and in children with autism, and functional MRI allows doctors to review brain activity and function. Sleep fMRI is also becoming the way for doctors to make even earlier detection because it allows them to perform scans on patients at a much younger age. With the research being done and early detection becoming even more possible, advances in imaging are creating a clearer picture of what parts of the brain are different for children and adults with ASD and how this effects their brain activity. With imaging, individuals with ASD can have the possibi lity of more positive treatment because of even earlier detection, and doctors can have a better ability of understanding autism and the parts of the brain it effects. References Autism Speaks. (n.d.). What is autism? Retrieved from https://www.autismspeaks.org/what- autism Chen, R., Jiao, Y., Herskovits, E.H. (2011, May). Structural MRI in autism spectrum disorder. Pediatric Research, 69(5 pt 2), 63R-68R. doi: 10.1203/PDR.0b013e318212c2b3 Center for Functional MRI. (n.d.). What is fMRI? Retrieved from https://fmri.ucsd.edu/Research/whatisfmri.html Dichter, G.S. (2012, September 14). Functional magnetic resonance imaging of autism spectrum disorders. Dialogues Clinical Neuroscience. 14(3), 319-351. Pierce, K. (2011, March 22). Early functional brain development in autism and the promise of sleep fMRI. Brain research, 1380, 162-174. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.09.028. Shen, M.D., Nordnal, C.W., Young, G.S., Wooton-Gorges, S.L., Lee, A., Liston, S.E., Harrington, K.R., Ozonoff, S., Amaral, D.G. (2013). Early brain enlargement and elevated ex tra-axial fluid in infants who develop autism spectrum disorder. Brain: A journal of neurology, 136, 2825-2835. doi: 10.1093/brain/awt166

Monday, December 23, 2019

The Passion Of Saints Perpetua And Felicity 203 - 844 Words

The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity 203 is an account of Perpetua’s story, a story in which she rejected her Roman identity in order to further pledge her Christian faith. At the time, Romans feared the spread of Christianity due to the conflicting interest in the worship of Gods and the circulating rumors that Christians were cannibals. Not only did Romans think Christianity was odd for those factors but also that Christians feared their potential experiences in the afterlife more than their experiences in their current life. The history of the Roman Empire provides that emperors would put Christians through a test in order to confirm their devotion to Christianity. If they confessed to being Christian, then they would be persecuted. However, Christians had the opportunity of denying their faith and making a sacrifice to the empire so that they could avoid persecution. Yet, there were many Christians that remained faithful rather than opting for the denial of their f aith and avoiding persecution. This paper will discuss Perpetua’s rejection of her Roman identity in passages six and twenty in order to show the differences between the devout Christians of the roman empire and the pagans of the roman empire. Likewise, Perpetua denied the chance to avoid persecution. In passage six, Perpetua, along with other Christians, is summoned to the tribunal for her hearing. Perpetua’s father begged her to â€Å"perform the sacrifice; have mercy on the child.† However, she refusedShow MoreRelated The Passion Of Saints Perpetua And Felicity Essay example508 Words   |  3 PagesThe Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity The document, â€Å"The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity,† shows just how mighty and fearless the faith of the martyrs were in Rome around 203 A.D. in which our story takes place. During the rule of Diocletian, Christianity was not the religion of popular belief. Many of Romans practiced polytheism. As a result, numerous Christian believers were persecuted for their divine faith in God. Surprisingly, the Christian martyrs did not care thatRead MorePerpetua and Felicity: Weighing the Cost of Choosing Between Family or Faith6228 Words   |  25 PagesPerpetua and Felicity: Weighing the Cost of Choosing between Family or Faith Church History CHHI 520 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.3 What Did Jesus Mean in Matthew 10:37 and Luke 14:26? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3-9 The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitias†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9-16 Conclusion......†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦16-19 Bibliography†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Estimating Risk and Return Free Essays

1. â€Å"Why is expected return considered forward-looking? What are the challenges for practitioners to utilize expected return? † (Cornett, Adair, and Nofsinger, 2012, p. 246). We will write a custom essay sample on Estimating Risk and Return or any similar topic only for you Order Now Expected return is â€Å"forward-looking† in the sense that it represents the return investors expect to receive in the future as compensation for the market risk taken. The challenge is that practitioners cannot precisely know what the future holds and thus what the expected return should be. Thus, we create methods to estimate the expected return. 2. Describe how different allocations between the risk-free security and the market portfolio can achieve any level of market risk desired. † (Cornett, Adair, and Nofsinger, 2012, p. 246). An investor can allocate money between a risk-free security that has zero risk (? =0), and the market portfolio that has market risk (? =1). If 75% of the portfolio is invested in the market, then the portfolio will have a ? =0. 75. If only 25% is invested in the market, then the portfolio will have a market risk of ? =0. 25. The first example (? =0. 75) might be taken by a less risk averse investor while the second example (? 0. 25) illus trates the portfolio of a more risk averse investor. By allocating the investment money between 0 and 100% into the market portfolio, an investor can achieve any level of market risk desired. 3. â€Å"Compute the expected return given these three economic states, their likelihoods, and the potential returns:† Economic StateProbabilityReturn Fast Growth0. 3040% Slow Growth0. 5010% Recession0. 20? 25% Expected return = 0. 3? 40% + 0. 5? 10% + 0. 2? -25% = 12% 4. â€Å"If the risk-free rate is 6 percent and the risk premium is 5 percent, what is the required return? † (Cornett, Adair, and Nofsinger, 2012, p. 47). Required return = 6% + 5% = 11% 5. â€Å"The average annual return on the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index from 1986 to 1995 was 15. 8 percent. The average annual T-bill yield during the same period was 5. 6 percent. What was the market risk premium during these 10 years? † (Cornett, Adair, and Nofsinger, 2012, p. 247). Average market risk premium = 15 . 8% ? 5. 6% = 10. 2% 6. â€Å"Hastings Entertainment has a beta of 0. 24. If the market return is expected to be 11 percent and the risk-free rate is 4 percent, what is Hastings’ required return? † (Cornett, Adair, and Nofsinger, 2012, p. 247). Use the capital asset pricing model to calculate Hastings’ required return. Hastings’ required return = 4% + 0. 24 ? (11% ? 4%) = 5. 68% 7. Calculate the beta of your portfolio, which comprises the following items: (a) Olympic Steel stock, which has a beta of 2. 9 and comprises 25 percent of your portfolio, (b) Rent-a-Center stock, which has a beta of 1. 5 and comprises 35 percent of your portfolio, and (c) Lincoln Electric stock, which has a beta of 0. 2 and comprises 40 percent of your portfolio. (Adapted from Cornett, Adair, and Nofsinger, p. 248. ) 0. 25? 2. 9 + 0. 35? 1. 5 + 0. 40? 0. 2 = 1. 33 How to cite Estimating Risk and Return, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Maths free essay sample

Mathematics Specimen Papers and Mark Schemes For first teaching from September 2010 For first examination in Summer 2011 For first award in Summer 2012 Subject Code: 2210 Foreword The awarding bodies have prepared new specifications to comply with revised GCSE criteria. The specimen examination papers accompanying new specifications are provided to give centres guidance on the structure and character of the planned examinations in advance of the first examination. It is intended that the specimen papers and mark schemes contained in this booklet will help teachers and students to understand, as fully as possible, the markers’ expectations of candidates’ responses to the types of questions set at GCSE level. These specimen papers and mark schemes should be used in conjunction with CCEA’s GCSE Mathematics specification. GCSE Mathematics Specimen Papers and Mark Schemes Contents Specimen Papers Unit T1 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Unit T2 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Unit T3 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Unit T4 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Unit T5 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Paper 1 Unit T5 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Paper 2 Unit T6 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Paper 1 Unit T6 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Paper 2 1 3 23 43 63 83 93 107 121 Mark Schemes General Marking Instructions Unit T1 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Unit T2 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Unit T3 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Unit T4 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Unit T5 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Paper 1 Unit T5 Mathematics (Foundation Tier) Paper 2 Unit T6 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Paper 1 Unit T6 Mathematics (Higher Tier) Paper 2 133 135 137 143 149 157 163 167 171 175 Subject Code QAN 2210 500/7925/6 A CCEA Publication  © 2010 You may download further copies of this publication from www. We will write a custom essay sample on Maths or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ccea. org. uk SPECIMEN PAPERS DIVIDER PAPER FRONT 1 SPECIMEN PAPERS DIVIDER PAPER BACK 2 Centre Number 71 Candidate Number General Certificate of Secondary Education 2011 Mathematics For Examiner’s use only Question Marks Number Unit T1 (With calculator) Foundation Tier [CODE] SPECIMEN EXAMINATION PAPER TIME 1 hour 30 minutes INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Write your Centre Number and Candidate Number in the spaces provided at the top of this page. Write your answers in the spaces provided in this question paper.