What is the Disease? ALS is an extremely deadly disease affecting the nerve cells that control the victim’s voluntary muscles. These nerves shrink and eventually die, leaving the muscles without stimulation. As these muscles go without stimulation, they too eventually shrink and die. The victim progressively weakens to the point of complete paralysis of all…
In 1991, Governor William Weld modified parole regulations and permitted women to seek commutation if they could present evidence indicating they suffered from battered women’s syndrome. A short while later, the Governor, citing spousal abuse as his impetus, released seven women convicted of killing their husbands, and the Great and General Court of Massachusetts enacted…
Clinical Characteristics DSM IV – for major (unipolar) depression, 5 of the following should occur nearly every day for at least 2 weeks: Emotional symptoms – sadness, depressed mood, loss of appetite, loss of motivation for usual activities. Somatic symptoms – insomnia/hyperinsomnia, weight loss/gain, tiredness. Cognitive symptoms – negative self-concept, low self esteem, apathy, self-blame,…
GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyrate, is a nutrient that is part of the metabolism process in mammalians. It can be found in every cell of the human body. The greatest quantities can be found in the kidney, heart, skeletal muscles, and brown fat tissues (Chin and Kreutzer, 1992). Chin and Kruetzer also believe it to be a…
Phrenology is basically the study of personality through the study of the shape of the skull. The basis of this theory is that the brain conforms to the shape of the head and its contours. This pseudoscience says that because we have isolated where different parts of personality come from we can tell how dominant…
Schizophrenia is a serious brain disorder. It is a disease that makes it difficult for a person to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, to have normal emotional responses to other, and to behave normally in social situations. People with schizophrenia may also have difficulty in remembering, talking, and behaving…
Lyme disease is a tick-transmitted inflammatory disorder characterized by an early focal skin lesion, and subsequently a growing red area on the skin (erythema chronicum migrans or ECM). The disorder may be followed weeks later by neurological, heart or joint abnormalities. Symptoms The first symptom of Lyme disease is a skin lesion. Known as erythema…
The potent drug cocaine was first prescribed as an anesthetic and a painkiller by doctors who believed that it was a safe substitute for morphine. The drug is a white, crystalline compound that has been processed from the leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca), a tropical shrub commonly found wild in Peru and Bolivia…
Anabolic steroids are performance enhancing drugs. They are a synthetic form of the chemical testosterone that is normally found in the body. By taking anabolic steroids, a person’s testosterone level can be raised up to a hundred times more than the usual amount of 2.5 to 10 mg. Per day. The increase in testosterone increases…
There are many possible reasons why a child may grow slowly, including: hereditary factors (short parents), diseases affecting the kidneys; heart, lungs or intestines; hormone imbalances; severe stress or emotional deprivation; infections in the womb before birth; bonediseases; and genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. The Turner Syndrome (known as Ullrich-Turner Syndrome in Germany) is a congenital…
Memory loses are sometimes trivial and meaningless and go unrecognized. However, when these loses are so great that a person does not know who or where they are the concerns are quite grave. Although it is realize that Alzheimer’s disease destroys the brain memory function, many do not realize precisely how the memory is destroyed…
Type II muscle fibers oxidize lactate at a very fast rates. When muscle contraction produces a significant amount of lactate, it is then released into the central circulation of the blood, and within seconds it is made available to that muscle for energy. Therefore, 75% of the lactate produced from high intensity exercise is made…
Since ancient history, many athletes have resorted to performance enhancing aids to give them an edge on their opponents. Greek Olympians used strychnine and hallucinogenic mushrooms to psych up for an event. “In 1886 a French cyclist was the first athlete to die from using a performance enhancer, called speedballs, a mixture of cocaine and…
In order to offer the operator a significant amount of control over the vehicle, certain systems must be installed. The drive train connects the engine to the wheels while also providing various speeds for the driver. The brake system gives the operator a way to slow or stop the vehicle and the steering system lets…
The engine is the vehicle’s main source of power. The engine uses fuel and burns it to produce mechanical power. Chemical Energy converted into Mechanical Energy The heat produced by the combustion is used to create pressure which is then used to drive a mechanical device. Internal vs External Prior to the 20th century, the…
The Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) is a comprehensive national system for safe management of hazardous chemicals, which is legislated by both the federal and provincial jurisdictions. WHMIS is a three (3) part effort of labour, industry, and government which took several years to develop. It is unique in that it represents a consensus…
Scale is a measuring device that enables designers to represent accurately the size of an object in a technical drawing. The term scale describes the ratio of the drawing size relative to the actual size of the object. When you draw an object to scale, the drawing represents a ratio of the object size. With…
Gears are available in various shapes and sizes. Their application throughout the transportation industry varies greatly. When two (2) or more are used together as an assembly they are commonly referred to as a transmission (gearbox). The transmission’s primary task is to transmit motion, change the direction of the motion and/or change the rate of…
The modern vehicle is made up of a variety of parts and components all working together to achieve a final product: “The Car”. These parts and components are assembled in groups to perform various tasks. These groups are referred to as systems. There are many systems that make up the modern vehicle, some working with…
In a conventional manual transmission (gearbox) application there are two (2) gears involved (driven and Drive) for any given gear ratio. Each gear rotates on its own shaft. These gears can only offer two (2) variations between the input shaft and output shaft, forward or reverse but the ratio remains the same. With a planetary…
