The Use of Viruses to Treat Cancer - 578 Words

Everyday science is advancing and researchers are working hard to examine and investigate all the different possible ways to develop new viruses to cure cancer. A research paper published recently suggests that a genetically engineered poxvirus called JX-594 shows the greatest clinical potential for a couple of reasons. It spreads and replicates fast, does not mix into host DNA, easy to manipulate genetically, very immunogenic, and remarkably safe in both animal models and initial human clinical trials [19]. Furthermore, research was conducted recently to study the combination of a VV with irinotecan (CPT-11) for cancer treatment by endogenous carboxylesterase (CE) enzymes. Approximately 5% of CPT-11 is converted to more active chemotherapeutic SN-38. The study concluded that both CPT-11 and SN-38 did not interfere with VV spread or replication. Furthermore, the study showed that the combination of CE-virus and CPT-11 resulted in the death of more K-562 cancer cells in vitro in comparison to its non-CE counterpart and CPT-11 [20]. Another example is Talimogene Iaherparepvec (OncoVEX GM-CSF), which is developed by Bio Vex, which later was purchased by Amgen for $ 1 billion in 2011 [21]. The virus is based on herpes simplex (HSV-1) and in March 2013, the virus has successfully completed a phase three trial for advanced melanoma [22]. It is expected to be the first oncolytic agent to be approved in the west. Also, it was examined in a phase one trial for pancreatic cancer andShow MoreRelatedWhat Are Oncolytic Viruses?1225 Words   |  5 PagesWhat are Oncolytic Viruses? Oncolytic viruses are viruses that are either genetically manufactured or naturally made, that can kill cancer cells without affecting normal cells. The virus rapidly multiplies until the cancerous cell explodes. This releases the virus, tumor specific agents, and GM-CSF. This causes the immune system to recognize cancerous cells and fight them with the help of the virus. Who/When Was it Developed? The uses of viruses to treat cancer have been talked about since theRead MoreIdentify And Describe Three Groups Of Low G + C Gram Positive Bacteria1579 Words   |  7 Pagesdifficult to treat viral infections? Provide an example. It is difficult to treat viral infections because in viral replication the virus uses the cellular structures and pathways of the host to multiply. So, any strategy for the treatment of viral diseases that involves disrupting the viral replication may disrupt normal cellular processes on the host as well. We are also limited by the number of effective antiviral drugs on the market. The drugs that are available against viruses can be toxicRead MoreEssay On Cancer-Fighting Viruses1432 Words   |  6 PagesIn recent years, many types of research have been developed regarding cancer-fighting viruses. The possibility of creating an effective therapy for cancer using this kind of treatment is been explored and, so far the results are promising. Many Asian countries have already approved viro-therapy to treat some types of cancer and here, in the US, the FDA has approved in October 2015, the first oncolytic virus therapy, talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC, or Imlygic ®) for the treatmen t of metastatic melanomaRead MoreEssay about Cancer1518 Words   |  7 PagesCancer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Right now, cancer is one of the most feared diseases in the world. In the early 1990s almost 6 million new cancer cases developed and more than 4 million deaths from cancers occurred. Also more than one-fifth of all deaths were caused by cancer and it has been predicted, by the American Cancer Society, that about 33% of Americans will eventually develop this disease. This is a huge disease that is killing people all over the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The field of cancer study is called OncologyRead MoreViruses And Its Effects On Humans1404 Words   |  6 PagesThough viruses may seem as though it only has the potential to cause harm, recent studies have surfaced to change its bad reputation. Common known viruses such as Ebola, rabies, influenza, HIV and more are known to show harmful reactions to humans, sometimes even possible to cause death. Because of the way they work, viruses such as the human immunodeficiency virus has been looked into in terms of reprogramming, ending in a result that could possibly be an option to treat another catastrophic epidemicRead MoreGene Therapy And Its Effects1619 Words   |  7 Pagesadvanced; there have been remarkable strides in its methods and an increase in the range of targetable diseases. Gene therapy is the modification of the genetic material within a cell for therapeutic purposes. It is used to treat or prevent diseases, inherited disorders, some cancers and viral infections by inserting a gene into a patient’s cell, through a viral vector as a delivery system, instead of using traditional medicine or surgery. Genes are responsible for making proteins, which in turn haveRead MoreAn Introduction Of An Oncolytic Virus ( Ov )1703 Words   |  7 Pagesoncolytic virus (OV) is a virus that preferentially infects and kills cancer cells. OVs posses the ability to selectively infect and replicate in cancer and associated endothelial cells and kill these cells in cancerous tissues while leaving normal tissues unharmed [1]. As the infected cancer cells are destroyed by lysis, they release new infectious virus particles to help destroy other cancer cells or the remaining tumor. The viruses achieve this by a number of mechanisms, including direct lysis, apoptosisRead M oreDisadvantages Of Adeno-Associated Viruses1403 Words   |  6 Pages However, adeno-associated viruses still have several drawbacks, firstly, regarding their integration into the host cell’s genome. The majority of AAV DNA remains episomal and does not integrate(21). This means the effect of the genes on cells is transient, and eventually, the transgenic DNA will be removed. This removal is slower than in adenoviruses due to reduced immunogenicity. A study looking at the treatment of haemophilia B in dogs found that AAV treatment could replace levels of factor IXRead MoreThe Detection And Treatment Of Cancer1554 Words   |  7 PagesHow is a greater understanding of genetics fuelling a change in our diagnosis and treatment of cancer? It is estimated by Cancer Research UK that one in two people in the UK will get cancer at some point in their lives . This startling statistic shows an inept global failure to bring about control of one of most prevalent and fatal known diseases. But the growth in cancer incidence is not confined to the UK; in 2012 14.1 million new people were diagnosed worldwide, with forty percent of these newRead MoreGenetic Engineering And Its Effects On Cancer Essay1818 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction Cancer, one of the most feared and deadliest diseases that affects millions of people around the world, may finally have a cure. Thanks to modern biotechnology, diseases that used to kill people, like smallpox, measles, and even HIV may actually hold the key to killing cancer. The ability for a virus to infect cancer cells has been documented as early as the 1900s. Recently scientists have been able to manipulate the genetic structure of viruses so we can use them to treat cancer safely.

Functionalism Free Essays

Functionalism is the doctrine that what makes something a mental state of a certain type depends on the way it functions, or the role it plays and not on its internal structure. Simply put, functionalism gives utmost importance to the function or role a mental state plays. They also give prime importance to causal relations because according to the follower of this doctrine any form of mental state is â€Å"†¦determined by its causal relations to sensory stimulations, other mental states and behaviors. We will write a custom essay sample on Functionalism or any similar topic only for you Order Now † (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries). Let me take â€Å"pain† as an example. For the functionalist, pain is a mental state which arose because of a damage of some kind or because something is wrong with the body. For them, the only beings that could possibly experience pain are those who qualified to meet the condition stated above. However, the functionalists did not claim that there are only limited states of affair on which pain can be experienced. For them, various creatures may experience pain through different kinds of physical or mental states and thus the term multiple realizations came into context. Having defined what functionalism is, let me now move on to another important aspect of this paper-dualism. Dualism came from the Latin word dualis which means two. It is the belief that in everything in this world two important concept, which usually oppose each other exist. Just as there is a night then there must be a day. When there is good, there is evil. Such is the basis on which dualism is grounded.   In the philosophy of mind dualism aims to show the great difference there is between mind and matter. There are many differing points of view between the dualists themselves but they stood on the common ground that mind and matter are indeed distinct objects. According to the dualistic point of view where mind is made up of non-physical substance, our body is made-up of physical ones commonly known as matter. The mind and body dualism can be deduced as substance dualism which argues that mind and body are made-up of entirely distinct substances, and by property dualism which asserts that the mind and body may not be made-up of distinct substances but still, they are distinct and thus we cannot reduce one from the other. Now, how does functionalism differ from dualism? Functionalism is different from dualism because functionalism does not adhere to the idea of interactionism unlike that of dualism. Most believer of substance dualism argues for the sake of interactionism or the belief that mind and body, though distinct from each other, are still capable of causally affecting each other. Believers of the identity theory believe that there are at least some kinds of mental states which are completely identical to those of brain states. One known proponent of this theory is David Armstrong who proposed that â€Å"all mental states are identical with physical states†. This theory argues that the mind is indistinguishable from the brain. Due to their approach and beliefs regarding the mind they received numerous objections among which include the argument from multiple realizability. Believers of multiple realizability argues that mental events differ considerably from one organism to another and thus the idea that certain mental events are the same most of the timeis kind of preposterous. Thus functionalism and identity theory is very different from each other. Functionalism is considered to be more superior to other theories of mind such as dualism and the identity theory. Now, what brought about this superiority? Functionalism argues that everything is physical. The functionalists, unlike the other theories of the mind can do away without knowing how the brain came about its consciousness. The functionalists are satisfied to simply say that the function of our brain is to be conscious or consciousness. They do not put great effort in discovering what causes the consciousness of our brain which made them superior from the other mind theory. Another advantage functionalism may have over the other theories is its ability to equate conscious states with the functions of our brain, thus functionalism allows examination of our conscious states which plagues other theories. I said that it plagues other theories because they give too much privacy to matters of mind, believing that mind is a private matter and thus cannot be compared to other minds (such as the problem in Cartesian dualism). Functionalism, on the other hand faces no such problems because they give way to analyzing other minds or other experiences. The ability to test things empirically offered by functionalism shows its edge against dualism and the identity theory of the mind. Another advantage functionalism has over dualism and the identity theory of the mind is that the theory of functionalism offers understanding of the mind. However, no matter how great functionalism may be as compared to other mind theories it still has its drawbacks. It does not entirely solve the problems of the mind. Functionalism does not give us a clear explanation of the obvious distinction of the physical and conscious states. Besides, another objection arose from their claim that we can really differentiate one mind from the other. Surely, no one can fully understand how other minds work. Besides different people experiences things differently no matter how alike their experience may seem. For example, I may feel deep depression upon losing a pet but then I cannot really say that the depression Anne felt when she lost her dog is the same as mine, now could I? Thus, no matter how more advantageous functionalism may be over dualism and the identity theory it is still not wise to go on believing functionalism as a whole. One must still see the pros and cons of certain thoughts or theories. REFERENCES: â€Å"Assess functionalism† â€Å"Dualism and Mind† â€Å"Identity Theory† http://www.utm.edu â€Å"Functionalism† http://plato.stanford.edu/entries    How to cite Functionalism, Essay examples

Manufacturing Industry Process Improvement -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Manufacturing Industry Process Improvement? Answer: Introduction A particular measuring scale must be used that determines the quality of education provided by the schools. The knowledge absorption level of each student needs to be evaluated for his or her benefit as well as for the benefit of the schools. Every student is unique and the structure of the education must be centred on that concept. However, each teacher has his or her own teaching style and ability. The education structure must not put a limitation on that. The purpose of this report is to develop some quality control benchmark by studying the seven quality control tools. These tools will facilitate the development of a continuous improvement plan that could be utilized to improve the quality of education. This report contains elaborations on seven basic quality control tools, their descriptions and the two best tools among those that can be used to accomplish the expected goal. A well-structured improvement plan is also provided in this report along with a detailed implementation p lan. Tools and Techniques Available for Cause Determination David can use Root Cause Analysis for cause determination of the problems associated with the quality of education (Geerling, Chernofsky and Pratt 2014). This type of analysis can be used to determine the primary cause or the root cause associated with a problem. The cause is termed as root if the removal of the cause would solve the problem associated with the case (Raghavan 2015). David must evaluate the process and not just the people. This technique will help David to identify the flaws underlying the process where the students rates the performance of the teachers and the absence of any student attendance database. Quality Control Tools Seven quality control tools can be used to determine, assess and analyse the different quality control scenarios. Cause-and-effect diagram: This diagram is primarily used for product designing and prevention of any defect in the manufactured products. The causes are generally categorized into different groups that would aid in identifying and classifying different sources of cause variation (Dirnagl 2016). Categorising causes means that their identification is simplified in the event of any problem occurrence. The cause-and effect diagram is also known as fishbone diagram due to the utilization of the categorising concept. Check Sheet: Real-time data is collected at the data generating location in this scenario. The collected data can be either qualitative or quantitative (Sharma and Suri 2017). The person collecting the data, the collected data, the place and time of data collection and the reason for data collection are all implicated in the check sheet. The sheet is also known as tally sheet if it contains only quantitative data. The check sheet can be used to identify defects and understand the source of their occurrence by identifying the causes. Every problems and their respective causes are marked on the sheet and at the end of the assessment, the problem with the most marks are evaluated with the most priority. Control Chart: It is a type of chart where a graph is created based on the statistical findings where a chart is developed based on the process and the behaviour values (Magar and Shinde 2014). This tool can be used to determine and control any business or manufacturing process. Standard deviation is calculated using the data collected. The deviation would show any abnormality in the production or business process. This information can then be used to implement different methods that would help to control the operations and the processes. Histogram: This is a bar graph that helps to visualize the collected numerical data. A histogram is basically used for plotting continuous data (Arnold and Tilton 2015). Such graphs can be used to give precise reflection upon the data collected. The flaws in the processes can be rectified based on the data collected. Pareto Chart: This chart is a combination of a bar graph and a line graph. A Pareto chart can be used to specify the most common set of factors in quality control (Magar and Shinde 2014). The defects that occurs most commonly are identified and then the cause that primarily causes these defects. The causes are stated in decreasing order to show the defect that is commonly encountered. Since more than two graphs and three axes are used together to demonstrate the data, various aspects can be covered that could be utilized to analyse any number of flaws and their sources. Scatter Plot: A scatter plot can be used to map out data that is related either to one independent variable or between two independent variables. The data is seen as positively correlated if the dot pattern starts at the lower left side of the graph and ends at the higher right side (Manly and Alberto 2016). The data is seen as negatively correlated if the pattern of the dots starts at the upper left side and slopes down to the lower right side of the graph. This type of plot is generally used for quality control when the collected data has a non-linear relationship between them. Stratified Sampling: This type of quality control tool can be used where one sample is divided into multiple mutually exclusive homogeneous subgroups. Such a tool is used for population estimation (Jing, Tian and Huang 2015). Two tools that are best suited for application by David are as follows: A histogram can be used to analyse and evaluate the ratings given by the students to their teachers. As discussed, a histogram can be used to gather a huge collection of data. The data gathered from the students can then be used to determine the root cause of the problem (Latino, Latino and Latino 2016). The teachers must be interviewed separately to determine the authenticity of the collected data. The data collected through this technique must be anonymous in nature and should never be revealed by the school management under any circumstances. A Pareto Chart can be used to collect attendance information and examine the results of the analysis. The chart, as discussed, can depict attendance information in the line graph and the reasons for absence can be depicted in the bar graph. The most common reason can be viewed and a precise solution can be provided depending on the scenario and the reason of absence. Continuous Improvement Plan A continuous improvement plan is thus given in this section of the report that would help David to improve on the flaws of the school system. Issue Identification Date Issue Identified and Improvement Action Required Person or People Responsible Required by Date Expected Outcome and Date of Closure Review Date 14/1/2018 The feedback rating provided by the students to their teachers does not reflect the actual scenario. The management of the school must conduct the collection of the data to prevent any data manipulation by either the teachers or the students. The histogram style of quality control is seen as the best graphical style of data analysis in this scenario (Gelman 2014). The ratings must be then evaluated by a select board of members, constituting of David and four other people from the management, responsible for quality control in the school. David and the committee members. Data collection-25/1/2018. Finishing the interviews based on the data- 28/2/2018. The data collected on teacher review would be almost accurate with a 5% chance of error. The closure date should be around 6/3/2018. 2/3/2018 14/1/2018 Attendance information of the student was never documented. An electronic database can be used to save the attendance information of the students. Storing the information digitally would help David to analyse the situation easily. David 1/3/2018 Easy access to the attendance data collected. The closure date should be around 1/4/2018. 15/3/2018 14/1/2018 Applying the Pareto Chart technique to visualize the attendance of the students and understand the details behind their reasons for absence. David and the committee members. 1/5/2018 Better understanding of the reasons for student absence and the methods to handle them. The closure date should be around 10/5/2018. 5/5/2018 Implementation Plan Organizational Approval: The key stakeholders are identified (Lawrence and Weber 2014). They are presented with the ideas of quality control and the need for the application of the quality control tools. Approval of the implementation plan. Committee Development: David and some members from the management body of the school who would process. Data Needed: The feedback of the students regarding their teachers. The attendance of the students. Review Plan: Analysing the collected data and preparing the solution based on the sole discretion of the committee members. Positive result must be ensured. In case of any unfavourable results, the process can be scrutinized for execution errors (Soeanu 2016). Difficulties in Implementing the Proposed Plan The difficulties that might be faced during the implementation of the proposed plan: Teachers have a strong influence on students especially those belonging to the junior classes. They can easily manipulate the feedback process. Some of the teachers might raise objections against the anonymous feedback process. Getting bad reviews would mean that their appraisals might be hindered and even their promotion in some cases. The individual teacher interview process follows the feedback system. This interview process is time consuming and thus some teachers might view it as a waste of time. The documented attendance system would mean that the students would not be able take any unauthorized leave of absence. The student and their respective parents might find that a problem and can create objections during the plan implementation process. Long-Term Benefits of the Proposed Continuous Improvement Plan The proposed continuous improvement plan would significantly benefit the school and its students in the long term. The benefits are as follows: The anonymous feedback system would help to improve the performance of the teachers significantly. The teachers would not be able to manipulate the feedback of the students. All the feedback would be accurate. The students would feel at ease while giving the reviews as it is anonymous. This would drive the teachers to provide quality education to the students (Southerland, Gadsden and Herrington 2014). Any form of incentive to manipulate the feedback process is pointless, as the management would never share the details of the review. The students might or might not give positive feedback even after receiving the incentive. The interview process after the feedback system would also be beneficial as the teachers would be able to state justification to any bad feedback from the students. There can also be times where the student might give false bad review. This can be easily highlighted and scrutinized in the interview process. The student can even be penalized depending on the severit y of the false review. Quality control in the education sector is of prime importance and an efficient review system would definitely help to boost the system. A documented attendance system would also be productive for the school system. The students would be punctual and would not be absent without any authentic reason. Regular attendance by the students would mean that they would not be missing any important lectures. Thus, the quality of the education is improved too. The students are involved in continuous lectures in sequence and thus their understanding of the subjects improve drastically. Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that the concerns of David regarding the school education system is justified. The quality of education has been gradually going downhill due to lack of teacher-student involvement and enthusiasm for the process. The teachers are not motivated enough to provide the sufficient quality of education. Thus, they fail to motivate the students to be interested in the education process. Due to this, the students lose interest in coming to schools and get the fundamental education needed. The continuous improvement plan discussed in the report would definitely help to improve the education quality. However, it is a long-term process and must be treated as one. The implementation plan also included in the report would be helpful in applying the improvement plan. The problems that might be faced by the school committee while implementing the quality control plans is provided in the report. The report finally concludes with the long-term benefits of the implemented pla ns and the gradual improvement in education quality. Reference List Arnold, T. and Tilton, L., 2015. EDA I: Continuous and Categorical Data. In Humanities Data in R (pp. 25-46). Springer International Publishing. Dirnagl, U., 2016. Quality Control and Standard Operating Procedures. Rodent Models of Stroke, pp.291-300. Geerling, J., Chernofsky, M. and Pratt, S.D., 2014. Root Cause Analysis. ASA Newsletter, 78(6), pp.46-49. Gelman, A., Carlin, J.B., Stern, H.S., Dunson, D.B., Vehtari, A. and Rubin, D.B., 2014. Bayesian data analysis (Vol. 2). Boca Raton, Jing, L., Tian, K. and Huang, J.Z., 2015. Stratified feature sampling method for ensemble clustering of high dimensional data. Pattern Recognition, 48(11), pp.3688-3702. Latino, R.J., Latino, K.C. and Latino, M.A., 2016. Root cause analysis: improving performance for bottom-line results. CRC press. Lawrence, A.T. and Weber, J., 2014. Business and society: Stakeholders, ethics, public policy. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Magar, V.M. and Shinde, V.B., 2014. Application of 7 Quality Control (7 QC) Tools for Continuous Improvement of Manufacturing Processes. International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science, 2(4), pp.364-371. Magar, V.M. and Shinde, V.B., 2014. Application of 7 Quality Control (7 QC) Tools for Continuous Improvement of Manufacturing Processes. International Journal of Engineering Research and General Science, 2(4), pp.364-371. Manly, B.F. and Alberto, J.A.N., 2016. Multivariate statistical methods: a primer. CRC Press. Raghavan, A., 2015. Root cause analysis. In Management and LeadershipA Guide for Clinical Professionals (pp. 105-121). Springer International Publishing. Sharma, H. and Suri, N.M., 2017. Implementation of Quality Control Tools and Techniques in Manufacturing Industry for Process Improvement. Work, 4(05). Soeanu, A., Debbabi, M., Allouche, M., Blanger, M. and Lchevin, N., 2016. Hierarchy aware distributed plan execution monitoring. Expert Systems with Applications, 43, pp.66-81. Southerland, S.A., Gadsden, V.L. and Herrington, C.D., 2014. Editors introduction: What should count as quality education research? Continuing the discussion. Educational Researcher, 43(1), pp.7-8.

Teen Problem Essays - Adolescence, Educational Psychology

Teen Problem My assigned lot in life is that of the mother of a fifteen-year-old son. My son has not yet gone through the growth spurt that always accompanies adolescence. I can imagine that as my son, I would feel extremely self-conscious at all times. Speaking from experience, it`s hard to be so different than all your classmates are. Many high-school students dislike having distinguishing features that set them apart from the rest, such as being short. These features can be the basis for a lot of teasing and humiliation. Being a female, I don`t have any first-hand experience dealing with a male`s perspective, but I would think it would be even harder to be a short boy. Males in our society are stereotypically strong and muscular. Rarely do we see couples in which the wife is taller than the husband. My son must feel humiliated by his peers because he does not fit the "masculine mold". Teenagers are very impressionable. They are still trying to form their own identity, separate from that of their parents. Most adolescents want to be a person that everyone else likes and accepts, and some will take drastic measures to be just that. It could get to a point where my son would try to take some sort of growth supplement from the back cover of a magazine, which would not be a healthy idea. Teenagers often have such a burning desire to fit in that they hate themselves when they cannot. I say all of this from experience, currently going through "the best years of my life" right now. The thing to remember, though, is that everyone grows at a different rate, and not everyone is truly laughing at you. This information will be extremely hard for my son to believe, because I as a teenager myself still don`t get it. When you walk into a room, it is impossible for everyone to be staring at you and laughing about your appearance, because they are too worried about themselves! Teenagers don`t often realize that many of their peers feel just as uncomfortable in their own skin as they do. For my role as a mother, I think I need to be as supportive as possible. It can be a very detrimental thing for a teenager to feel like he doesn`t belong anywhere and that no one likes him, leading to drugs, alcohol, even death. I need to find out what my son needs and do my best to provide it for him, without turning him into a spoiled child. The best thing for a person who is upset is a loving, caring individual who supports him. However, none of this support can be shown in public. Adolescence is the time of natural separation from one`s parents, a time when parents begin to be "uncool" and "embarrassing". To show any sort of affection in front of his friends would make my son feel even worse. This would only be yet another thing that would set him apart from his peers (or at least he would think so). Overall, the fact that my son has not yet received his growth spurt will probably be viewed as a negative thing. He will be unhappy and teased by his friends for not appearing masculine, and this could lead to disastrous results. To prevent any of these happenings, I will try to be a loving, caring, supportive parent, although not in public, for I feel that would simply make it worse. The situation, however, could turn out to be very positive. When all of his friends have stopped growing, my son may shoot up past every one of them. We will not know how this turns out, however, for at least a few years, at which point it will probably be less of a problem. As a poster I once saw states (paraphrased), "The problem, once solved, is simple".