Sunday, May 17, 2020

Process of Becoming a Climax Community

A climax community is a relatively stable and undisturbed biological community of animals, plants, and fungi that have evolved into a steady state of development which secures the stability of all the collective  communities. Through a natural successional  process of instability, all individual  organism ecosystems simultaneously transition  through a series of more stabilizing stages where they all finally maintain their individual positions in the community and where they become stable from egg and seed to maturity. So, all biotic communities on earth engage in a forward-moving evolutionary process that takes place in several major defined steps or stages. Until climax completion, these transitional  stages are each called a serial stage or a  sere.  In other words, a sere is an intermediate stage found in  ecological succession  in an ecosystem advancing towards a particular organisms  climax community. In many cases, there is more than one serial stage to pass through before  climax conditions are attained. A serial community is a name given to each group of biota within the succession. A  primary succession  describes primarily the plant communities that occupy a site that has not previously been vegetated. These plants can also be described as the vegetative  pioneer community.   Defining Plant Succession To understand a climax plant community, you must first understand plant succession which is simply the replacement of one plant community by another. This can occur when soils and sites are so harsh that few plants can survive and takes a very long time for plants to establish a root-hold to begin the process of succession.  When destructive agents like fire, flood and insect epidemic destroy an existing plant community, plant establishment can happen very rapidly. Primary plant succession starts on raw unvegetated land and usually  exists as a sand dune, an earth slide, a lava flow, a rock surface or a retreating glacier. It is obvious that these harsh conditions for plants would take eons for this type of exposed earth to decompose to support higher plants (with the exception of the earth slide which would start plant succession fairly quickly). Secondary plant succession generally starts on a site where some disturbance has set back a previous succession. The sere  can be continually setback which then lengthens the period to a potential  final plant community climax condition. Agricultural practices, periodic logging, pest epidemics, and wildland fire are the most common agents of secondary plant succession setbacks. Can You Define a Climax Forest? A plant community that is dominated by trees representing the last stage of natural succession  for that specific locality and environment, to some, is considered a climax forest. The name usually given to any particular climax forest is the name of the primary existing tree species and or its regional location. To be a climax forest, the trees growing within a particular geographic region should remain essentially unchanged in terms of species composition for as long as the site remains undisturbed. But, is this really a climax forest or just another late sere  that has avoided disturbance the longest. Do foresters who only manage trees over decades know enough to determine a climax forest and assume it to be the equivalent of late-stage succession? Should speculative ecologists conclude that there can never be a climax forest because cyclical disturbance (both natural and human-caused) will always be a constant in North American forests? The Climax Debate Is Still With Us The first published discussion(s) on the existence of climax communities started nearly a century ago with foundational papers written by two ecologists, Frederick Clements, and Henry Gleason. Their ideas were debated over decades and definitions of a climax changed with a greater understanding of a new science called ecology. Political winds also confused the topic with terms like virgin forests and old-growth forests. Today, most ecologists agree that climax communities are not common in the real world. They also agree that most exist in space and time and can be observed on large  time scales of many decades and on wide ranges of an  area, from a dozen acres to thousands of acres. Others believe that there can never be a real climax community because of constant disturbance over time. Foresters have adopted a silviculturally practical approach when managing large stable communities of climax tree species. They use and name a climax forest to be the final sere in terms of the stabilization of major tree species. These conditions are observed on a human timescale and can maintain specific tree species and other plants over hundreds of years. Examples of some of these are:   The coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest.The wetlands  in North America.The redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests.Beech-maple of the North American Northeast.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Autism in the Media Essay - 2151 Words

Autism in the Media Weepinbell, w-e-e-p-i-n-b-e-l-l; Tentacool, t-e-n-t-a-c-o-o-l ; Geodude . . . , yelled Connor. We were playing his favorite game - identify and spell the names of all 156 Pokà ªmon characters. Connor is a three-year-old boy I worked with as part of the SonRise therapy that his mother organized after he was diagnosed with autism. During my thrice-weekly Connor-directed playtime visits, I entered his world instead of making him enter mine and encouraged eye contact to strengthen Connors connection with others. I begin this critique of autism depiction in mass media relating my relationship with Connor because he informs my understanding of autism and colors my critique of media†¦show more content†¦Currently, seventeen in every 10,000 children is diagnosed with autism, and reported rates of autism are increasing.3 Experts disagree about what causes autism.2 Genetics appear to play an important role-autistic individuals have a series of documented brain structure abnormalities (see Grandin, 1995)--but environment is also important. Teasing apart the specific etiology of this disorder is difficult, because genetics and environment play off one another. For example, infants with a genetic predisposition to pull away from touch and refuse eye contact tend to receive less stimulation.2 Developmental deficiencies that result could therefore be attributed to either genetics or environment because their effects are intertwined. Parents of autistic children, eager for a cure, drive much of the current research on autism. To date, research has focused on the identification of autism genes, and the furthering of the effectiveness of human gene therapy. Until such genes are fully characterized, serious questions remain about appropriate medication of autistic children and more broadly about social definitions of normal behavior.Show MoreRelatedThe Media And Its Effects On Children Essay957 Words   |  4 PagesScience Media 9455 Word Count:961 The media can be a powerful tool to get a message across. The media have been around for a while now, and in some cases it can be a useful tool to catch up with current events. In other cases it can be a total misrepresentation of the truth when it comes to controversial topics. The media use some controversial topics in order to get more and more people watch, read, and listen to their source. 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According to Finke, Hickerson, McLaugh-lin (2012) nearly 445,000 students, between the ages of 6 and 21 years old, diagnosed with au-tism are served in schools in the United States. Hall (2012) reported the contributions by re- nowned geneticist and autism pioneer, Michael Wigler. Wigler’sRead MoreHealth Of The Medi Using The Models Of Health1349 Words   |  6 Pages Health in the Media: Using the Models of Health to Assess Media Articles about Health Topics Catherine Stratton HST209: Introduction to Health, University College, University of Toronto Table of Contents Abstract†¦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 Paper†¦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‚¬ ¦.4-7 Works Cited†¦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‚¬ ¦.8 Abstract The effect of having constant access to media is that consumers are overwhelmed with information, whichRead MoreComparative Essay : The Night Time, By Mark Haddon, And The Curious Incident Of The Dog1021 Words   |  5 Pages(Haddon, M, p. 20.) 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Venlafaxine in Treatment of Depression †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Venlafaxine in Treatment of Depression. Answer: Introduction In this report, I will discuss provide an overview of a 28 year old male Mr. John Gray, explaining the reason for his admission in the hospital, his medical symptoms, nursing problems associated with his treatment, required nursing care and an evaluation of decision making factors that may help his recovery following Levett-Jones clinical reasoning cycle (Levett-Jones, 2013). In the final section I will contemplate my learning from the experience. Mr. John Gray is 28 years old male and single who had been admitted to the ward a week ago following an episode of self harm. John belongs to the farming community, north of Brisbane and his father is a grazier. He expects to take over the family farm soon. He is facing several issues like bruise marks on his legs and arms due to failed suicide attempts. He does not take part in any activities management and is quite reluctant to socialize. Therefore, he has been admitted to treat his depression. Depression is a state of disordered mood and aversion to any form of activity that affects the health and well being of a person (Karp, 2016). Mr. Grays farm appears to have suffered a great deal owing to the present drought conditions in his district. He has a rope burn mark on his neck. On evaluation it has been found that the mark is a result of breaking of a rope, which he presumably used to hang himself. He has several bruise and broken skin on his legs and arms. They have occurred due to subsequent fall after his attempt to hang. However, he did not suffer any serious physical injuries. The areas where his skin got broken were covered with a tape and some nonadherent dressing. The occupational therapist reported John was reluctant to take part in any individual activity or small group games. When I went to introduce myself, he was lying on the bed with the covers pulled up high. He did not want to engage in any conversation. When I addressed him, he began to grunt and turned away from me and faced the wall. On medical assessment it was found that he had a normal blood pressure of 125/75, respiratory rate of 18 breaths per minute and a body temperature of 36.3 C. Respiratory rate is the number of breath taken by a person per minute. The normal adult respiration rate is12 to 20 breaths per minute. His pulse recording was 66 beats per minute. A normal heart rate while sitting or relaxing should be between 60-100beats per minute. Depression is generally classified as a form of common mental disorders. It is characterized by loss of interest, sadness, low self-worth, guilt feelings, loss of appetite, tiredness and lack of concentration (Solomon, 2014). John exhibited similar kind of a behavior on his admission to the hospital. Studies suggest that any form of financial loss can act as a risk factor and make a person vulnerable to depressive disorder. In this case study, Johns farm has suffered huge financial loss due to drought. This financial stress eventually brought about a sense of worthlessness and a feeling of despair in him (Greenberg, 2017). Evidence suggests that depression is one of the major risk factors for suicide. Patients who experience a delusion of poverty have a five times higher likelihood to commit suicide compared to those without such delusions management. His financial condition is probably responsible for previous suicide attempts (Crowe Butterworth, 2016). He had a loss of appetite. H e reluctantly went for lunch on compulsion but ate almost nothing and soon returned to his bed (Sowislo Orth, 2013). The proves that he is suffering from dysthymic disorder, which is characterized by poor self esteem, low energy, poor appetite and feeling of hopelessness. Identify problems or issues John is on a medication of 75mg venlafaxine twice a day and not subjected to any other medication or psychotherapy. It has been established that monotherapy is not sufficient to reduce depressive symptoms. This is the first issue in his treatment (Vel'tishchev, 2015). He needs a higher dose of the drug in conjunction with other medicines. Another issue is his eating habit. I was informed that he had again skipped breakfast. Studies provide evidence on the relationship between potential changes in appetite and food preference and depression. John was compelled to go for lunch but did not have it. The idea of force feeding is controversial in such eating disorders. It makes a patient more aggressive and violent. The third issue found related to the case study was his repeated suicide attempts. Suicidal ideation arises from hopelessness and continuous frustration. Unrealistic expectations make several patients determined to end their life (Riumallo-Herl et al., 2014). The mark around hi s neck and the bruises on his body provide evidence that he has tried to inflict self harm upon himself. Moreover, when I went to his room to introduce myself and build a rapport, he had the covers pulled up high, grunted and turned away. A suicidal tendency can make him attempt such a self harm for another time while being isolated in his room and can create devastating consequences (Shah et al., 2014) Therefore, constant monitoring needs to be done to ensure his safety. I attempted to contemplate on a questioning technique to achieve a sound understanding of his problems. I asked myself questions like, what was theproblem, how severe is his mental illness and what can be done to provide relief. A psychiatric nurse is expected to identify probable outcomes specific for individual patients. The ultimate goal was to improve the status of his health. The outcomes should have been mutually and distinctly identified. I wanted to determine the efficiency of probable therapeutic interventions (Gunasekara et al., 2014). Clarification of goals is an essential step in the therapeutic procedure. Goals should be measured in behavioural terms. I wanted to realistically describe the changes I intended to accomplish within a time frame. I wanted to establish short term goals for his betterment. My short term goals were to ensure that John will come out of bed and participate in small group games and individual activities at the end of two weeks. I wanted to ensure that he does not encourage suicidal thoughts, the sense of wellbeing gets established and he starts eating properly (Choon et al., 2015). This will involve an assessment of his family and medical history, the factors responsible for the condition and involving his family for a better care provision. Research studies state that a patient taking multiple classes of antidepressants are likely to have better prognosis. A combination of bupropion (75-400mg per day) with venlafaxin can be used as a first line treatment method (Laib et al., 2013). Gradual administration of a combination of these two drugs will synergistically act to reduce depressive symptoms and will increase social function. Psychotherapy and cognitive counseling will also prove effective (Karyotaki et al., 2016). A trial, which involved more than 400 people with depression, found that a combination of these therapies and medication successfully treated depressive disorder in patients. Cognitive counseling, assisting him with personal hygiene and self care, initiating gradual conversation, encouraging him to write down his feelings on suicide, educating him on depression, constant supervision on his eating and sleeping patterns and providing a detailed information on the need for medical compliance can help in promoting wellness. Evaluate outcomes The treatment plan should be customized for him based on thorough assessment of his symptoms and an analysis of the side effects and therapeutic benefits. Comprehensive primary healthcare services are needed to promote optimal mental health in patients. Providing emotional support would ensure his safety, reduce helplessness and increase his trust in the staff (Driessen et al., 2015). Furthermore, the use bupropion in conjunction with venlafaxine can lead to a sudden increase in blood pressure and extreme sweating. Thus, there should be a constant monitoring on his vital signs. Furthermore, a high dose of the two drugs may lower the seizure threshold in the patient and increase its occurrence (Furukawa et al., 2014). The dosage of the medicines should be immediately reduced if the patient exhibits such an episode of seizure. After I reflected on the incident, I was able to build a rapport with John and attend to his needs. I understood that the financial stress and family responsibility made him afraid and distressed. He was unable to devise a way of covering the monetary loss and felt embarrassed on his failure. This led to development of suicidal tendencies. I also realized, on appropriate interventions like empathy and emotional support, his self-esteem was rebuilt. It became difficult when he did not respond. I further reflected that it is necessary to employ interpersonal skills and non verbal stimuli (Renner, Cuijpers Huibers, 2014). Combination of the two drugs as learnt from evidence based practice significantly lowered his symptoms. I learnt that such patients need continual therapy and counseling based support to recover. Conclusion Depression is a mood of disturbance, which is characterized by grief and sadness occurring due to personal tragedy, monetary loss or lack of interest in some activities. Providing treatment to a depressed patient is a significant job for a registered mental healthcare nurse in practice. This report analyzed and reflected on the techniques I used to assess Johns bio-psycho-social needs and the probable treatment goals that I intended to achieve. The report also elaborated on references I gained after extensive literature reading, to clarify evidence-based treatment management. In conclusion, on using the clinical reasoning cycle as a parameter to identify the mental health issues, I was able to establish a proper scope of practice and formulate safe care provisions for the patient. References Choon, M. W., Abu Talib, M., Yaacob, S. N., Awang, H., Tan, J. P., Hassan, S., Ismail, Z. (2015). Negative automatic thoughts as a mediator of the relationship between depression and suicidal behaviour in an at?risk sample of Malaysian adolescents.Child and Adolescent Mental Health,20(2), 89-93. Crowe, L., Butterworth, P. (2016). The role of financial hardship, mastery and social support in the association between employment status and depression: results from an Australian longitudinal cohort study.BMJ open,6(5), e009834. Driessen, E., Hegelmaier, L. M., Abbass, A. A., Barber, J. P., Dekker, J. J., Van, H. L., ... Cuijpers, P. (2015). The efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for depression: A meta-analysis update.Clinical Psychology Review,42, 1-15. Furukawa, T. A., Ogawa, Y., Takeshima, N., Hayasaka, Y., Chen, P., Cipriani, A., Barbui, C. (2014). Bupropion versus other antidepressive agents for depression.The Cochrane Library. Greenberg, L. S. (2017). Emotion-focused therapy of depression.Person-Centered Experiential Psychotherapies, 1-12. Gunasekara, I., Pentland, T., Rodgers, T., Patterson, S. (2014). What makes an excellent mental health nurse? A pragmatic inquiry initiated and conducted by people with lived experience of service use.International Journal of Mental Health Nursing,23(2), 101-109. Karp, D. A. (2016).Speaking of sadness: Depression, disconnection, and the meanings of illness. Oxford University Press. Karyotaki, E., Smit, Y., Henningsen, K. H., Huibers, M. J. H., Robays, J., de Beurs, D., Cuijpers, P. (2016). Combining pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy or monotherapy for major depression? A meta-analysis on the long-term effects.Journal of affective disorders,194, 144-152. Laib, K., Brnen, S., Pfeifer, P., Vincent, P., Hiemke, C. (2013). 1023Therapeutic drug-monitoring of bupropion for depression.European Psychiatry,28, 1. Levett-Jones, T. (Ed.). (2013).Clinical reasoning: Learning to think like a nurse. Pearson Australia. Renner, F., Cuijpers, P., Huibers, M. J. H. (2014). The effect of psychotherapy for depression on improvements in social functioning: a meta-analysis.Psychological medicine,44(14), 2913-2926. Riumallo-Herl, C., Basu, S., Stuckler, D., Courtin, E., Avendano, M. (2014). Job loss, wealth and depression during the Great Recession in the USA and Europe.International journal of epidemiology,43(5), 1508-1517. Shah, R., Franks, P., Jerant, A., Feldman, M., Duberstein, P., y Garcia, E. F., ... Kravitz, R. L. (2014). The effect of targeted and tailored patient depression engagement interventions on patientphysician discussion of suicidal thoughts: a randomized control trial.Journal of general internal medicine,29(8), 1148-1154. Solomon, A. (2014).The noonday demon: An atlas of depression. Simon and Schuster. Sowislo, J. F., Orth, U. (2013). Does low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Vel'tishchev, D. Y. (2015). Efficacy of Venlafaxine (Velaxin) in the Treatment of Depression: Results of Recent Trials.Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology,45(5), 576.