Friday, January 31, 2020

Irish Urban Land Development Essay Example for Free

Irish Urban Land Development Essay Currently, Ireland is classified as a First World Economy and it has experienced exceptional economic development at an average rate of eight per cent per year between 1994 and 2001, with a humble growth rate of four per cent per year as from 2001 to date (Stewart 2005). With this rate of growth, Ireland has become more urbanized with increased population, changing agricultural practices, and reformation of local authorities to hold increased public participation and boost lucidity. In addition, there has been a change in the household development, an escalating number and forms of homes with a changing tenure system accompanied by population changes. These elements together with the exceptional economic development and low interest rates have changed the economic, environmental and social outlook of Ireland. The changes have presented numerous challenges such as traffic clogging, environmental squalor, urban sprawl, and lack of affordable housing. This has led to a broken nexus between economic development and human welfare (Drudy 1982). Ireland has had several mechanisms aimed at effecting efficient land use planning within the urban environment towards achieving sustainable development. These mechanisms include an abundance of policies and strategies. These policies and strategies include sustainable development, a strategy for Ireland 1997, National spatial strategy for Ireland 2002, and National development plan 2002-2006 among others. However, even with these initiatives, numerous challenges still persist for urban and regional policy-making in the search of an effective and efficient sustainable development (Stewart 2005). It can be debated that some political, social, and economic elements do repel policy impact from policies intentions considering the extent to which current challenges continue to exist (EU Commission 2001). Much of research related to urbanization of population is colored with powerful anti-urbanism and a desire after the values and simple life styles of traditional upcountry areas. In Ireland some research on urbanization too stresses the goodness of upcountry and the cons of urban trends. These biases are more apparent in the research and policies related to urban land and urban advancement onto agricultural land (Drudy 1982). In fact, the preservation and defense of agricultural land and rural facilities has been the force behind the ratification of physical planning laws (Bengston et al 2004). During the late 17th and 18th centuries the existing urban model was increased by establishment of great number of new towns and villages together with re-development and extension of the existing settlements. It is argued that most of the Irish town begun as a village and outgrew into modest origins by the end of 18th century. These growths were as a result of network of roads and new canal system linking the rural and the major towns and this served as a reinforcement of the dominance of Dublin which was by then the best peopled town (Drudy 1982). The escalating growth of Irish urban regions particularly Dublin presented severe land, energy and social impacts. Growth was limited to a ring of suburban prompting rapid population increase with extreme demand for school, shopping centre, transport systems and local employment. This demand called for more land thus increasing pressures on agricultural land for urban development. Irish dedication to sustainable development can be measured by looking at its housing and land-use policies. The development of one off housing in the rural areas is the significant sign of urban sprawl. In a nation marked with a growing ratio of low density space, the prevalence of one off housing suggestion is a wholesome system failure (Bengston et al 2004). Irish land use is mostly governed by local government development plans but implementation of policies are not uniform. Viewing the one-off housing policy under the economies of scale, the houses are more expensive in service provision but a lot of burden to the developer, house purchaser and even Irish community at large. This is echoed by EPA which state that single housing homes in the upcountry leads to greater car usage therefore increasing energy demands and greater usage of small waste water treatment facilities which have the tendency to pollute underground water (Bengston et al 2004). The opposition of one off housing focuses on the economic burdens for its occupants and on the exchequer. However, when placed on a national framework, there are unquestionably broader economic challenges at stake. For example the impact of sustained site sales on Irish agricultural commodities. The sale of some areas has benign effects on agricultural activities. The fact is that site sale shackle Ireland farming over medium and long-term. Smart Growth an Option for Ireland Smart growth model was born in US in the 90s and this concept entails identifying a common platform where developers, the public and public officials together with environmentalists among other stakeholders finds acceptable means of accommodating growth. The smart growth approach emphasizes on integrating economic, social, and environmental elements of planning and development. It is not an anti-development approach as many may argue but equivalent of the bigger picture of sustainable development as defined by Bruntland as development that provides the requirements of the current generation without jeopardizing the capacity of the same resources to provide the needs of the future generations (Bruntland 1987). The concept imply to offer an answers towards managing growth through public policies instruments for example regulatory instruments and fiscal policies such as incentives and disincentives aiming at accommodating growth in ways that are economically feasible, environmentally friendly and enhancing quality of life. Some of the concerns that the approach targets to address is traffic congestion, urban sprawl, overcrowding and pollution (Stewart 2005). Conclusion The global essential towards achievement of sustainable growth implies that it is important to seek means to accommodate development in ways that is economically feasible, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible. One of the major critics of traditional urban planning is that the concept, method and technique engaged lean towards re-enforcing the present. This makes it challenging for town and city to reflect, plan and establish future alternative ideas suiting to all stakeholders’ true requirements. There is a dire necessity of replacing the conventional short term quick fix model to long term integrating and holistic model in the planning and development strategies. There is need for collaboration on finding solutions and powerful political leadership for Ireland to progress from rhetoric to reality in delivering it land use policies that will lead to positive, efficient and sustainable communities. Smart growth is not a solution to development concerns but an alternative approach to the present development model and a feasible way of mitigating current and probable future social economic and environmental concerns (Stewart 2005).

Thursday, January 23, 2020

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

To Kill A Mockingbird In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, a character Atticus states; â€Å"Courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.† Throughout history, there have been many courageous people who have strongly demonstrated the quality of courage. Courage is a reoccurring theme that Harper Lee chooses to emphasize throughout To Kill A Mockingbird that many of her characters pursue as a strong quality. However, courage is proven to be most evident through Atticus, Scout, and Calpurina. Atticus is truly a man of courage. Throughout, To Kill A Mockingbird he has to face many situations where a courageous decision is needed in order to help someone very important. Although there are many characters that are against Atticus’ decisions, he still tries to see them through knowing that the odds of succeeding are weak. Atticus definitely defines courage when he makes the decision to represent a Negro named Tom Robinson, in court. Unfortunately, many people in the town of Maycomb are prejudice and look down upon Atticus for choosing to do so. However, Atticus knowing how strongly people feel about his decision for defending a black man feels that it is something he must do. A quote from the novel symbolizing his courage is found where Jem and Scout are asking Atticus why he is defending Tom Robinson: â€Å"Every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine I guess.† This quote represents his courage because it shows that he has a responsibility and is going to do the best job he can even when he understands that the odds are against him. Atticus also displays courage when he tells Scout that you shouldn’t judge someone until you have been in his or her shoes. A quote showing this is found where Scout explains to Atticus about her day’s misfortunes at school and how Miss Caroline tells her that she was taught the wrong way by her father: â€Å"First of all, Scout if you can learn a simple trick, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.† This quote further explains his courageous qualities because it shows that he doesn’t believe in judging others until you have been in their skin, or until you know a person.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Relationship between humans and nature Essay

Marlowe in his poem ‘The passionate shepherd to his love’ talks of the strong link between humans and the nature that surrounds them. The poem from beginning to the end talks mainly of the nature that surrounds us wherever we go. The poem makes us understand that we are actually dependent on nature for all our needs. The nature in its splendor is so beautiful that Marlowe has actually united with the environment. The poem captures the joy of love, in the midst of nature. In fact reading the poem makes one wonder, if the natural splendor that surrounded Marlowe when he wrote the poem, was the reason for his love to flow like a river. Nature makes one forget about the present. In fact, it makes us forget all about ourselves and become one with nature as we enjoy and be part of the beauty that surrounds us in all its glory. Marlowe in this poem talks more of the nature that surrounds him and less about his love. The poem talks of the quiet simplicity of rural life and how humans are part of nature. There is no way of separating humans from nature. The humans are dependent on nature for their very existence. The nature is dependent on humans to be admired and glorified. The human dependence on nature is highlighted by the fact that Marlowe is sitting upon a rock. He wants to make a bed of roses; wool for a coat from the lambs, buckles for the slippers from gold, a belt of straw, the list goes on. Marlowe by writing this poem has made the readers understand the relationship between humans and nature. Annie Dillard in ‘Sojourner’ talks of the Earth in its entire splendor. She talks of the mangrove tree that floats and becomes like an island in a sense. She rediscovers the magic of nature and how it can be viewed in a beautiful sense. People ordinarily will not give a second thought to a tree floating. She magnifies the significance and projects a simple natural event into something extraordinary. In fact Annie Dillard brings to life the mangrove tree that is all but dead. A tree that has no life has been brought to life with her words. When Dillard talks about the mangrove tree, she actually means the Earth and its movements. She tells that Earth is a sojourner, creating its own path and moves in a path that cannot be followed by any other thing on Earth. She tells that Earth is a wet ball thrown into eternity and humans are part of this. We the humans and nature have united to become one. She ends with a question asking what will happen at the end of the journey. The mangrove tree will finally end up in the Ocean. So where do the Earth and the humans living on it finally end up, is a question left unanswered. Mangroves play a major role in the essay by Annie Dillard. She uses the tree to show the human nature. The mangrove starts from scratch and builds a strong foundation. The human nature and relationships are similar. We all start from scratch and build many strong relationships as we grow. Some who are not able to make any relationships are like the mangrove tree felled by the hurricane, being tossed and not knowing the final destination. Annie Dillard unites with nature and is part of it. She talks of the Earths movement in words that make a person imagine and feel the true aura of nature. She has merged the human nature and the nature to be examples of each other.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Battling Alzheimers Disease Then and Now - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1284 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/04/12 Category Medicine Essay Level High school Tags: Alzheimer's Disease Essay Did you like this example? Alzheimers disease (AD) is a chronic illness of extreme neural atrophy characterized by extensive memory loss, disorientation, and labored social communication/behavior. Often beginning after 65 years of age, AD constitutes between 60â€Å"70% of all dementia cases (Duthey 6) and, by extension, afflicts between 35â€Å"50 million globally at any given time (Park). The tracking of AD is largely an arduous task, even with sophisticated neuroimaging such as tensor-based morphometry and cortical thickness mapping; however, due to its devastating toll, a treatment for it is still of great importance to medical professionals and sufferers alike. Fortunately, our 21st-century knowledge of AD and of its impact on ones brain seems to furnish neuroscientists worldwide with more-than-adequate insight on how to develop novel treatments of unprecedented effectiveness for the disease. To the German physician Alois Alzheimer (who first stumbled upon AD back in 1906 by probing the case of Auguste Deter, then a 51-year-old woman admitted to the Frankfurt Hospital where he practised), todays advances would indeed come across as astonishing considering all the progress made in the field over just 111 years. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Battling Alzheimers Disease: Then and Now" essay for you Create order On the one hand, a hypothetical method involving precise control of the innate immune response in humans by virtue of IL-33 signaling is proposed in hopes of rescuing memory deficits (Fu, 2016). On the other hand, another method of therapy is proposed contradictory to the notion that AD halts the assimilation of new memories (Roy, 2016) by using optogenetic techniques. Lastly, the research of Roy is backed by evidence apropos of the therapeutic use of deep brain stimulation for treatment of neuromotor impairment (Scharre, 2016). While this paper does chiefly shed light upon the technicalities of these pioneers work and that of a few others, it remains worthwhile to note (as I will through the means of the paper) also the moral and socioeconomic implications of the research described herein. In a groundbreaking investigation published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), the hidden role of interleukin-33 in fixing cognitive decline associated with Alzheimers comes to light with the discovery that its injection in APP/PS1 transgenic mice undoes deficiencies in contextual memory and synaptic plasticity unique to ADs pathology (Fu, 2016). Upon further research, it was revealed that IL-33 not only reduces the accumulation of soluble peptides (by promoting the phagocytic activity of microglia) but also discourages the adverse inflammation thats so closely linked with the disease in discussion. On the other hand, another such investigation published in the Nature International Journal of Science proves the amnesia characteristic of early AD to be an outcome of compromised memory retrieval rather than compromised memory storage. An AD model involving transgenic mice of various ages was extensively studied via the light-specific stimulation of hippocampal engram cells so to rescue lost episodic memories by way of optogenetic technologies (Roy, 2016). These results (defended by several studies with regard to the significance of dendritic spines in memory processing) collectively support the claim that LTP-inducing optogenetics may serve as an effective component of future AD therapy. To boot, AD deficits (e.g. in solving everyday problems or making choices on a daily basis) may also be ameliorated through deep-brain stimulation (DBS) targeted at the ventral capsule/ventral striatum area (Scharre, 2016). While all three instances of research offer hard scientific evidence regarding improvement of symptoms unique to AD, Fus research is particularly consistent with other neurological studies that specifically look into how inflammation increases as humans age and how it is inherently linked to many diseases common for the elderly (in this case, over 65), such as atherosclerosis, osteoarthritis, and consequently, Alzheimers. While inflammation is naturally a complex biological response for protection against harmful stimuli such as a pathogenic attack, its occasional abnormalities are in fact known to underlie a wide range of systemic conditions. Although it is not included as a major example of research in this paper, the intriguing work of Professor Clive Holmes, along with that of his colleagues at the University of Southampton (UK) and Kings College London, includes the isolation of a cytokine vital to the acute-phase reaction of macrophages, TNF ±. It has been found through this study itself that AD can, in a way, be diagnosed by monitoring levels of this protein in the bloodstream. Additionally, the study refers to possible treatment of the neuroinflammation associated with AD via a compound known as etanercept, a TNF ± inhibitor used to mend autoimmune disorders that is in phase II clinical trials as of 2015 so that its potency against AD may be measured; it is however hypothesized to work by blocking CSF1R, a receptor needed for microglial activation (Fillit). Multiple laboratory experiments have also uncovered the apparent effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as 2-(4-isobutylphenyl) propionic acid or acetylsalicylic acid, on the advancement of numerous aspects of AD pathology, most notably the continual presence of dystrophic extensions and amyloid deposition, suggesting an increase in the housekeeping activities of microglia, including phagocytosis of cellular debris (Vlad, 2008). Yet another line of strong affirmation for the inflammation-Alzheimers link comes from large-scale analyses of thousands of participants for the detection of small variations in unusual and typical genotypes for AD. Alzheimers risk has, on the basis of the results of these studies, been tied to several genes involved in innate immunity, a primary group of nonspecific bodily defenses. One gene, TREM2, encodes for a novel monocytic/neutrophilic receptor and is of special interest to scientists. It has been found that homozygous or missense mutati ons within this locus may result in elevated likelihood for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsons disease, as well as early onset forms of autosomal recessive dementia (due to impeded proteolytic maturation of microglia). Much of this research portrays AD as a logical progression of neurodegeneration in which accumulated oligomers (created as enzymes called secretases cleave precursor proteins) stimulate microglia to release an intricate series of extracellular signaling molecules, resulting in chronic inflammation. A significant portion of neuronal apoptosis as it occurs in AD may also be due to degranulation of microglia and rising amounts of reactive oxygen species, processes which can culminate in neurotoxicity. The previously mentioned interleukins mentioned in Fus research contribute heavily to deposition by acting as original mediators for phosphorylation (e.g. tyrosine kinase) cascades in microglia, gradually setting the stage for a hyperactive immune responseand thus cognitive dysfunction. As of the present day, Alzheimers disease (AD) remains an indisputably debilitating and degrading illness that never fails to rob those in its grip not only of their societal and financial grounding, but also their individuality. As the Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde once rightly said, Memoryis the diary we all carry about with us. If not fixed, AD could cost Americans alone an estimated $1.1 trillion by 2050 in the totality of all its complications (Johns 2). In the fullness of time, AD lastly calls into question ethical predicaments that form the first barriers to a universal cure. After all, in our efforts to protract morbidity, we must not forget to treat humanely and with the best expression of care, love, and attention (Post 1932). In order to gain a complete understanding of the pathophysiology of Alzheimers disease (AD) for avenues of treatment, it is necessary to conduct a study that examines the biochemical perspective of neural proteopathy, a term that denotes protein misfolding in cells of the human nervous system. For this purpose, it is important to examine the state of activation of microglia in different stages of AD for appropriate determination of the exact effect(s) of potential anti-inflammatory therapies. Therefore, evidence supporting the beneficial or detrimental performance of microglia in AD must be collected, primarily to aid in finding biomarkers for diagnostic or therapeutic interventions. With sufficient knowledge and practice, a panacea for the far-reaching dilemma of AD can surely be found.