Sodium, and Potassium Essay Example for Free

Sodium, and Potassium Essay Discussion In this lab, six different metals were tested for their reactivity in water. From less reactive to most reactive, the metals were as follows: Aluminum, Magnesium, Calcium, Lithium, Sodium, and Potassium. A pattern found in the periodic table explaining the reactivity of metals is the further down in a family, and the further left in a period, the more reactive the metal will be. Aluminum and Magnesium were both the less reactive. Neither of the metals produced hydrogen, or not enough to have a positive test to prove it was there. Metals + H O H + Metal Hydroxide Calcium gave off a large amount of Hydrogen gas. Lighting a splint, placing it in the test tube, and hearing a loud pop proved this. When the calcium was placed in the water, it caused the temperature to rise to such a high level it was not possible to hold with bare hands. This could be because the electrons are moving so quickly that it causes the temperature to rise. The calcium formed a white, powder-like precipitate at the bottom of the test tube. Lithium, Sodium, and Potassium all had very violent reactions in water. Phenolphthalein was added to the beakers after the metals had reacted, and the water turned a pink/ purple color proving that these metals make bases, and therefore have a pH between eight and. Common reactions between metals were they all formed hydrogen gas, even if it was a very small amount. Lithium, Sodium, and Potassium all tested positive to be a base with phenolphthalein, and all had an oily surface. A pattern found in the periodic table explaining the reactivity of metals is the further down in a family, and the further left in a period, the more reactive the metal will be. This is because the elements in period I, Lithium, Sodium, and Potassium, only have one valence electron, and it is quite simple to lose it. Also, the further down the family, the more the ionization energy decreases because of the shielding effect (the inner electrons block the attraction of the nucleus for outer electrons) and atomic radius (the greater the distance between the nucleus and the outer electron). However, the further to the right of the periodic table, the more the ionization energy increase because of the nuclear charge, electron arrangement ( an electron in a full of a half full energy level requires additional energy to be removed), and atomic radius. This explains why Aluminum was the least reactive, and Potassium was the most reactive.

Schizophrenia Essay -- essays research papers

Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic, and often disabling brain disease. While the term Schizophrenia literally means, "split mind," it should not be confused with a "split," or multiple, personality. It is more accurately described as a psychosis -- a type of illness that causes severe mental disturbances that disrupt normal thought, speech, and behavior. The first signs of schizophrenia usually appear as shocking or radical changes in behavior. Others may have severe psychotic symptoms listed above. But many people also show "negative" symptoms, such as decreased emotional arousal, mental activity, and inability to socialize. Schizophrenics often report a sense of strangeness and confusion about the source of their sensations. They feel great loneliness, anxiety, and an overwhelming sense of being disconnected from others. A schizophrenic person may think and communicate incoherently, jumping from one idea mixing a "word salad" of new words or jumbled phrases. It is common for schizophrenics to be suspicious and resentful. They may sense that their thoughts are stolen, broadcast aloud, Or replaced by new information from strangers seeking to control their behavior. They may describe voices that speak directly to them or criticize their behavior Schizophrenia often appears earlier in men -when they are in their late teens to early adulthood - and in women in their 20s and early 30s, but the disease affects men and women with equal frequency. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 2.2 million American adults or about 1. 1 % of the population age 18 and older in a given year have schizophrenia. Some people experience only a single episode and remain symptom-free afterward. More commonly, however, the course of illness fluctuates over several decades, with each recurrence leading to increasing impairment. Experts don't know what causes schizophrenia, but they agree that it most likely results from a complex interplay of genetic, behavioral, and other factors, similar to other diseases. It is widely believed that neurotransmitters, brain chemicals that allow communication between brain cells, play a role in causing schizophrenia, but the exact mechanism is not known. Most m... ...ns is often difficult for schizophrenics. They may deny that they are ill, or their disease itself may hinder their ability to take regular medication. Fortunately there are many ways for patients, doctors, and families to improve adherence. Some antipsychotic medications are available in long-acting injectable forms so that the patient can receive a dose of medication just once a month. Other useful tools include pillboxes or electronic timers that beep when medication should be taken. Families can also help by motivating the patient to take their medicines properly. Often, additional drugs, such as antianxiety medications or antidepressants, may be used to treat side effects of the antipsychotic medicines or other symptoms related to the schizophrenia, including stiffness, tremors, and depression. Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy by itself is of little value without medication, and vice versa. While medication can be effective in relieving psychotic symptoms, psychotherapy can help with behavioral symptoms such as socialization and communicating appropriately. Supportive and sympathetic psychotherapy helps these patients understand their disease and re-enter society and family life.

Lord of the Flies: The Beastie Essay

From the start of the novel, we are made to believe that there is a beast on the island that the boys are situated on. The boys gradually become more and more afraid of the â€Å"Beastie† as the novel unravels however there is no physical evidence to prove that a beast does in fact exist. But however, there are events which lead up throughout the novel, which would lead you on to believe that there is a beast from the boy’s point of view, but we as the readers are told things that the boys are not, and therefore we know that there is no beast, only a beast that exists in themselves, which becomes more sinister and evil as we progress. In chapter one, we discover that the boys are stranded on an island by themselves with no adults. Although this seems good at the very start, as there is no authority, so they can do what they want, it later becomes a reason to fear as with no adults, there’s no protection – they are vulnerable to the outside world. There is no one to keep them safe at night, no one to fend for them or provide food, and to make matters worse, they can’t be rescued if no one knows they’re there, which is soon realised – â€Å"No body don’t know we’re here†. So with no protection and no means of rescue, fear slowly starts to develop and spread among the boys – â€Å"We may stay here until we die.† They soon realise that a structured society is needed for them to survive. A reason to be scared provides more reason to fear things, as we find out in chapter two. A rumour of a beast, which is described as a snake, is started by one of the little uns – the one with the birthmark. One of the older boys states what the boy with the birthmark describes as he lacks confidence in front of other people – â€Å"A snake thing – ever so big, he saw it†. This rumour strikes fear into the boys, and spreads like a rumour to. An idea surfaces from one of the wiser and older boys. â€Å"He must have had a nightmare, stumbling among all those creepers.† This shows that creepers here are something to scare people – a symbol of fear. This is because to the younger ones, creepers look similar to snakes (or â€Å"beasties†), and although to the older boys they might not look like something to fear, they are still a little afraid as the fear spreads around the little uns and up towards the big uns. As the fear of the beast begins to take hold of the boys, they feel a need for shelters to protect them. However the older boys believe that the shelters will make the little uns feel safer, but really they are just creating a self illusion, as they need the shelter as much as the little uns, but are scared to admit it. A shelter in their eyes is a home, and a home symbolises security, protection a place to feel safe, so without a shelter, or a home, the boys are exposed to the elements and the beast. With the shelters built, the boys feel a little bit more secure, and Jack, in his own way, reassures the group with his speech about how stupid everyone is by being afraid of something that doesn’t exist. However he says that if a beast did exist, he would have hunted it down and killed it by now, which sounds like Jack is not afraid to the others, but he must have some kind of doubt in his mind if he’s thinking about it being there. The boys don’t see through Jacks illusion and take the reassurance. However just when the boys are feeling better about the beast, the little un called Percival speaks up about his experience. He says that the beast doesn’t live on the island, it lives in the sea – which quickly squashes any assurance they just gained. The idea of a beast that could be anywhere around them, as after all they are trapped on an island, gives more fear – not knowing where it is, when it could strike. They are the prey, open and vulnerable, and the beastie is the predator, hidden and invisible. At least before, they had a rough idea where it was, but now they will have to watch their back more than ever – if the rumour is correct. The fear spreads even more and a sense of paranoia grips the boys. However Simon, who is viewed by us, the reader, to be the â€Å"helper† or â€Å"Christ-like† character, expresses a very deep point of view. He talks about how there is no beast, not physically any way. The beast is a figment of the boys imagination – as after all that’s what they are boys, who typically have vibrant imaginations. He believes that because there is no adults, no authority who usually do the protecting, and that their all alone, they have come up with this paranoid delusion which we know to be the beast. Simon, being one of the most mature on the island, in my opinion seems to be the closest to really understanding what the beast actually is. In chapter six, we the reader, are told about a parachutist who was shot down we presume. We are told that he parachutes down to the island and is dragged around, giving the impression of a puppet to the wind, limp and lifeless – in other words dead. However we know about the parachutist, but the boys on the other hand don’t. So when Sam ‘n Eric are looking after the fire and the spot the parachute flopping up and down – as if it was a living being, the two boys instantly believe it’s the beast. The boys didn’t have a reason to fear the beast, until they thought they saw something which they believed to be the beast. They jumped to a conclusion straight away, because of the rumours of the beast. And when the boys got back, they told the other boys, and once again the fear spreads around. However the â€Å"beast† was sighted near the fire, which means that the boys have no means of rescue without fire, unless they confront their fears. The boys, under the leadership of Jack, go up to the fire to confront the beast with weapons. They begin to fight fire with fire, and themselves gradually become a beast on their own. If another person, unknown to they boys was to accidentally stumble into their camp, the boys would surely mistake him/her for the beast and kill them. The boys have become ruthless in order to survive, and have become savages. Ironically Jack himself said â€Å"We don’t want to become savages†, yet he is a key reason as to why the boys have become the evil savages that they are now. In chapter eight, Jacks hunters leave a gift for the beast, in hope that it will acknowledge them and leave them alone. However they are contradicting themselves, as they said that they did not believe in the beast. This shows that they have become more afraid of the beast as time has passed. Yet as the hunters become more aware and afraid of the beast, Simon on the other hand becomes less afraid. He already believed that there was no beast, but his â€Å"fit† showed him more clearly that there was nothing to be afraid of. He realises that a â€Å"pig’s head on a stick† is nothing to be frightened of. Jacks group eventually split from Ralph and the others, and ultimately split from civilisation to. The conch represented civilisation, and without it, the boys become savages. The beast that they once feared has grown inside of them, and now they are the beast of the island. The novel refers to them as â€Å"savages†, indicating that they themselves have become what they feared the most – monsters. Living in fear of the beast has made them more ferocious and brutal towards unknown beings. They become more like a tribe and start chanting – â€Å"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!† they have become evil.

About the Social Security Death Master File

One of the federal governments most effective weapons against financial fraud, identity theft -- and now terrorism -- is a massive database of dead people grimly known as the Death Master File. Produced and maintained by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and distributed by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), the Death Master File is a massive computer database containing more than 85 million records of deaths, reported to Social Security, from 1936 to present. How Crooks Use Dead People Assuming the identity of a dead person has long been a favorite ploy of criminals. Everyday, living bad people use the names of dead people to  apply for credit cards, file for income tax refunds, try to buy guns, and any number of other fraudulent criminal activities. Sometimes they get away with it. More often, however, they are foiled by the Social Security Death Master file. State and federal government agencies, financial institutions, law enforcement, credit reporting and monitoring organizations, medical researchers and other industries access the Social Security Death Master file in an effort to prevent fraud -- and since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks -- comply with the USA Patriot Act. By methodically comparing applications for bank accounts, credit cards, mortgage loans, gun purchases, and other applications against the Death Master File, the financial community, insurance companies, security firms and state and local governments are better able to identify and prevent all forms of  identity fraud. Fighting Terrorism Part of the USA Patriot Act requires government agencies, banks, schools, credit card companies, gun dealers, and many other businesses, to make an  effort to verify the identity of customers. They must also maintaining records of the information they used in verifying customers identity. Those businesses may now access an online search application or maintain a raw data version of the file. The online service is updated weekly and the weekly and monthly updates are offered electronically via web applications, thus reducing handling and production time. Other Uses for the Death Master File Medical researchers, hospitals, oncology programs all need to track former patients and study subjects. Investigative firms use the data to identify persons, or the death of persons, in the course of their investigations. Pension funds, insurance organizations, Federal, State and Local governments and others responsible for payments to recipients/retirees all need to know if they might be sending checks to deceased persons. Individuals may search for loved ones, or work toward growing their family trees. Professional and amateur genealogists can search for missing links. What Information is on the Death Master File? With records of over 85 million deaths reported to SSA, the Death Master file includes some or all of the following information on each decedent: social security number, name, date of birth, date of death, state or country of residence (2/88 and prior), ZIP code of last residence, and ZIP code of lump sum payment. Since Social Security does not have the death records of all persons, the absence of a particular person from the Death Master file is not absolute proof that the person is alive, notes the Social Security Administration.