Reaction Paper on African Short Stories

Reaction Paper 3: South Africa is one on the most controversial countries in the world. It is located in the southern part, at the bottom of the continent of Africa as its name indicates. The country is known to shelter a diversity of languages and cultures. The country went through many violent events opposing the white minority dominating over all other races. Fortunately, a man named Nelson Mandela will change the course of history and impact Africa and the world in a great way.The role of this paper will be to reflect on the socio cultural and economic conditions of folks in South Africa by establishing the thread they all seem to have in common, to elaborate on the context that makes these conditions possible and in the end, we will try to suggest some solutions to these problems. In our study of the South Africans folks, we will use three important stories related to South Africa. These stories can be found in the book African Short Stories, edited by Chinua Achebe. Chinua Ache be is regarded as one of the most influential writers in African literature and all over the world.His trilogy of books about Nigeria and Africa are read all over the world and translated in many languages. He put together a number of stories related to Africa in a little book. These stories for the most part are talking about issues in life and particularly in Africa. The stories that we will use here are therefore related to South Africa. Theses stories are the bridegroom written by Nadine Gordimer, the coffee cart girl written by Ezekiel Mphalele and reflections in a cell put together by Mafika Gwala. All these stories are all reflecting one common thing, the conditions of life of black people in South Africa.The stories generally reflect the effects that apartheid had on the population of South Africa. It is important to clarify what the word apartheid refers to. Apartheid was a system in which racial segregation was the cornerstone and was encouraged and established by the nati onal government. It is important to note that a minority of white people formed the government and that the people that were racially segregated were people of other â€Å"color†, especially the Africans. In the stories presented in the book and on which we are reflecting, you can clearly see that black men and women are struggling.The neighborhood in which they live are extremely poor, the way they speak English is alarming, and the most important part is that the authors always made sure to display the apparent domination of the white people over the black people. Apartheid was the result of colonization. The minority constituted by white people had control over everything and was abusing that power to serve and maintain its selfish interest. As a result, all other racial groups were forced to live to serve the master, going through unimaginable suffering and pain.Apartheid was based on four main ideas: firstly, the population was structured in different groups according to their color. Secondly, only the white race was regarded as the civilized race. Thirdly, white interests should prevent before anybody’s interest. Finally, the white people formed a single nation along with the Afrikaans, formula that made them the largest racial group in the country. Apartheid was maintained by a series of repressive laws that were only made possible by the population Registration Act of 1950. That Registration was considered as the bible of apartheid.IT contained a classification of every person and based on that classification, the best interests of the â€Å"dominating minority† could be best served. People from African decent had their citizenship removed and all kinds of atrocities were committed. The white minority made sure that black people stayed non-educated because they knew that education was the road to emancipation. Luckily, one of the most popular world’s leaders, Nelson Mandela, succeeded in restoring black people rights just li ke Martin Luther king did with the black population here in the United States.Nelson Mandela, just like Martin Luther King applied a policy of non-violence to bring the apartheid system down. Some possible solutions to racial problems could be the adoption of non-violence doctrine like Gandhi and also education. Education can even be considered as the most important factor because leaders need to have an open spirit to be able to direct the masses. Another solution could be the use of religion to strengthen the mind. Religion can be essential and has always been essential in the black community. It brings peace of mind and strength in the war for justice and equality.

Never Forget Event in My Life Essay

There is an event that I will never forget in my life. It was the day experienced my first accident in the river. At that time, I and my friends came to river to fishing after having a class in the afternoon. at exactly3. 00 pm, I got there on foot and brought all fishing equipments. we were so happy and singing together. sometimes we made a joke and screamed like a crazy man. It was a nice and unforgettable childhood. In the fishing place, we made a chair from unuseful wood around of the river. Then, we sat on it and fishing together. Close to an hour, we had not got even one fish and made us felt so bored. Although, we were still going on and tried it again and again. About 30 minutes later, the float of my fishing equipment moved. Then my friend said that â€Å"you got it† and I pulled it and finally I got one fish, but it was not too big. I felt so happy and all of my friends came to me to see that fish. Then, they back to their sit and tried it again 15 minutes later, they got it one by one. one hour later, we had got many fish about 23 fish. One of my friend told me that â€Å" it is better to swim because it is so hot today. † All of my friend agreed and decided to stop fishing and swimming in the river. One by one they jumped in the river but at that time I felt so doubt to jump because I could not swim but my friends gave me spirit and one of them said that â€Å" you are a loser â€Å". Of course, that was made me angry. Then I jumped into the water. Because I could not swim, I asked help to my friends, but they could not help me because they were far enough from me. Suddenly, I looked at a wood float on the water on my right side, I reached it and hold it. It had saved my life. I was so scare and took a deep breath. All of my friends laughed me and they came to me and took me to the land. They asked me that â€Å"why did not you tell us that you cannot swim ? â€Å" and just said† I just want to having fun with you all. † Then they took me to the water again and taught me to swim well. I tried it and one hour later I did it even it was not to well, but I had made good trying. They were so happy and so did I. That was a nice and unforgettable childhood. I have many best many friends and they are helpful. At that time, I realized that if we want to do something, we have to think about it well before, even it is just a little thing in our life. An important event changed my life – going to the university Everyone knows how Cinderella changed her life after meeting the prince. I have my own Cinderella story. I was a little girl who was always in shame. I studied hard but always got bad scores. All my friends were my neighbors. I had never gone to a far place without keeping my family company. However, an amazing change happened in 1989. I did not meet the prince, but passed the universities’ entrance examination. As lucky as Cinderella, I went to the top university of my country. My life was changed from that moment. The first change was independence. I lived in a church dormitory which was near the campus; my parents could not cook and do laundry for me anymore. I had to deal with everything by myself even handle accidents. Once, I fell down from a scooter and hurt my neck and head. I knew I had to save myself at that moment. My parents knew that their little girl had grown up after that. Now, I study alone in a country far from my hometown I can live here as well as I do in my own place. Getting confidence in myself has led me to more successes. I got my first award of the top five percent in my class in the second year. I was not as smart as a lot of geniuses on the campus, but I got great scores in my interesting subjects. I was active in student activities. We succeeded in holding a campus book exhibition. We survived a serious typhoon when we had a tour in the mountain area. When I became an elder student, I taught and took care of the younger students. An interesting major and abundant student activities built my confidence step by step. The last change deeply affects my work, my research, and my life now. The university provided a good environment to open my view. My university is famous for freedom – freedom of speech, freedom of life, and freedom in academics.

Life, its problems, the good and the bad of human experience, are major concerns of Simon Armitage’s poetry

There are three poems I have chosen to help me discuss and write about my thesis ‘Life , its problems, the good and the bad of human experience, are major concerns of Simon Armitage's poetry'. They are the Untitled poem â€Å"I am very bothered†, â€Å"Poem† and â€Å"It Ain't What You Do, It's What It Does To You†. â€Å"Poem† is one of Armitage's life problem poems When You don't remember the good things a person has done but the bad things a person has done you remember. This poem has many lines which start with ‘and' which is a sort of list of things this person has done. Also he starts off the poem with â€Å"And if it snowed and snow covered the drive† which is like the poem is the second part of another poem or he has left out the beginning and got to the important part. There are three verses describing things he did. Mostly everything is good things about him for example â€Å"And for his mum he hired a private nurse† apart from the last sentence which describes him doing bad things for example â€Å"And twice he lifted 10 quid from her purse† (Mother). This made the reader only remember the bad things because it was the last thing the reader remembers about him from the whole paragraph. The last verse is about how people rated him as a bad person who he was only occasionally like everyone else in the world. There was one sarcastic part of the poem when he said â€Å"every week he tipped his wage† and soon after said â€Å"what he didn't spend he saved† because he would not have nothing to save if he spent half on alcohol. I think Armitage's poems puts in these sarcastic bits and bad or wrong doings spread over the poem so you are al ways reminded he is a bad person but he is clearly an average person but people judge you on all the things you do so you should be careful on what you do. â€Å"I am very bothered† is a poem of the bad of human experiences. It's about what you do to try to attract attention which has good and bad consequences. Simon Armitage shows how he feels about his experiences when he looks back on them. He feels very troubled when he remembers a time when he was in school as a child in a science lab. He put a pair of plastic handled scissors over a hot Bunsen burner until it was soft and melting slowly and gave it to a female pupil. When she held it around her fingers he described the scene as â€Å"O the unrivalled stench of branded skin as you †¦Ã¢â‚¬  meaning it was so bad no other bad smell could compete with it and that it left a mark of dull, dark, black, burnt skin. There was a burnt ring around one of her fingers and one of her thumbs that were marked for life. He described his feelings of this horrific atrocity by saying â€Å"Don't believe me if I say that was just my butterfingered way at thirteen, of asking you if you would marry me† butterfingered way meaning not really meaning it, not seriously so he means don't believe be if I said I was only joking when I said will you marry me. Finally, the poem â€Å"It Ain't What You Do It's What It does To You† is about human experiences which are mainly good. It starts off with him not have gone to America with hardly anything but then say he has lived with thieves in Manchester which are both bas experiences in the first verse. In the second verse he talks about only one thing he hasn't done which is gone to the quiet, peaceful Taj Mahal â€Å"padded through Tag Mahal, barefoot†. In the third verse he talks about only one thing he has done. Which is skimmed a flat stones across Black moss on a day so still he could hear every sound which is normally unheard of â€Å"hear each set of ripples†. In the fourth verse he starts off with him not have sky dived from an aircraft but he says â€Å"I held the wobbly head of a boy at a day centre, and stroked his fat hands† which has a really big effect on your life to see someone in a bad state. All these examples shown of things done or things he hasn 't done means he is saying our experiences effect our behaviour and ways of thinking and makes us more wiser on the things we do. Like In the final verse he describes the feelings of doing all those things inside of us as a â€Å"sense of something else† which I believe it's a feeling so out of this world that you have to do it to find out. All these poems we have studied show that Simon Armitage thinks deeply about humans and how they react to life experiences. Whether life experiences bring problems or happiness we all have to deal with them in the right way. For example from the poem ‘Poem' the problem of the man only remembered by the bad points and that man has to deal with that in the right way by defending himself and the people who rate him also have to be careful on what they say about people. We have to try and live through it all without it bringing us down and making us feel miserable. For example ‘The untitled poem about him very bothered about the girls burnt fingers we have to deal with the fact that it happened and to let it go and get on with our lives. We also have to make sure we don't make wrong decisions just to make ourselves feel happy and don't care about the others. For example again to the untitled poem Simon should of thought of the consequences and the pain of others but he didn't he was only seeking attention for himself. Now I hope you now know Simon Armitage poems are based on life's good and bad experiences.

Las Vegas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Las Vegas - Essay Example As the research stresses constantly updated society has become an icon of the American modern metropolitan experience that demonstrates, through its complex combination of theme park and city, how the spaces and practices of the metropolis have consistently shaped our modern experiences and culture. This paper declares that to remain a national attraction to the greatest possible number of consumers, hotels are quickly changed from one form of entertainment to another, from the glamorous settings of the gangster era to the family-oriented theme-hotels of the 1980s to the more sophisticated flair of the latest ideas represented in the Bellagio, an entire hotel devoted to luxury and the pampering of the cultured adult. This concentration on the new helps visitors to the city buy further into the concept of consumer spending, insisting they must participate in the latest events, gamble at the latest hotel/casino and be seen in the latest locations. It is this rapidly changing climate, as well, that Simmel suggests creates an atmosphere in which man must â€Å"react with his head instead of his heart† as the only means by which he can survive the constant sudden shifts in impressions. That the surrounding culture has bought into this concept of constant change and adaptation is evidenced in the speed with which individuals, including superstars like Brittany Spears, make life-changing decisions.

3 questions - statistics related Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

3 questions - statistics related - Assignment Example According to the table above, the mean average miles per gallon are 28.3792 when the total sample of purchasers is 24. In the same manner, out of the 24 sampled data, the sample variance is 8.859 whereas the sample standard deviation is 2.97643 as shown in the SPSS output table above. Under the sample of 24, which is below 30, the most appropriate statistical test, using the 0.5 significance level is the student’s t-distribution test. Under this test, the sample must be 30 or less, and the arithmetic mean is not normally distributed. According to the output table above, the Adjusted R squared is 0.030, meaning that only 3% of the variables explain the dependent variable Int. 2. The adjusted R squared helps in predicting how the regression model predicts responses for the explained observations. In this case, it is the fraction by which the variance of the errors that depends on the sum of squares is less than the variance of the dependent variables. Thus, as argued above, only 3% of the independent variables can predict the dependent variable statistically. When the ANOVA test is run in determining the means among populations, the f statistical value versus the critical value are determined. Under the corrected model, the f statistics is 3.227. Under the assumptions of the hypothesis tests, when the f statistic in attest is lower than the critical f value, then the null hypothesis is rejected. The value obtained means that under the purchase intensions implied by the data above, the null hypothesis is accepted and the independent variables in the states sampled explain the purchase variations. Also as shown in the second table, the means of the states in terms of consumptions are 37.0.18, 50.357, and 51.459 for the states IL, LA, and TX respectively. The standard error is also 4.339, 4.965, and 4.597 respectively as shown in the table

Time Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Time Management - Essay Example In the article, entitled Time Management Essential, the author emphasized the need to have enough time to achieve all of one’s set goals. The author gives a simple but clear definition of time management. â€Å"Time management really means managing yourself and your job responsibilities effectively.† (Ohio.com -Time Management Essential 2004) Bruch and Ghoshal (2002) reported of a ten year study of busy managers in which researchers found that managers fritter away 90 percent of their time in ineffective activities. Not only do managers utilize their time ineffectively but Jane Bergen (2006) noted that 30 percent of all employees time was spent searching for lost documents. (Key Organization Systems 2000-2008) The author of Time Management Essential posits two major reasons for the inefficiency of small businesses, namely, poor planning and poor communication. Similarly, Patricia Katz 2006, argues that â€Å"a lack of communication and a lack of attention† are tw o factors for spouses to separate. (Key Organization Systems 2000-2008) Katz 2006 proposes that the there has been an increase by 33 percent for individuals reporting excessive work hours on the part of their spouse. Further Hewlett and Luce in 2006 noted that 45 percent of high-earning managers are so fatigued at the end of a work day; they are unable to have a proper conversation with their partner. (Key Organization Systems 2000-2008) 13 percent of workers claimed to have seen their coworkers display angry outbursts because of stress in the workplace. Maseda in a 2004 Gallup Poll noted that 80 percent of workers reported stress from job related activities. (Key Organization Systems 2000-2008) Poor planning results in long unproductive hours at work and subsequently an increase in the stress level of employees. Consequently, it is essential that an organization develop strategies to assist in the effective

Impressionism and Its Effect of the Development of Art Essay

Impressionism and Its Effect of the Development of Art - Essay Example The essay "Impressionism and Its Effect of the Development of Art" discovers impressionism and it's effect of art development. The Impressionist form of art was peculiar in the sense that unlike other traditional paintings at the time of its origin, Impressionist paintings included relatively small, thin but nevertheless visible brush strokes. Impressionist paintings focused more on depicting light accurately in its altering qualities. Contrary to the fine finish detail to which most traditional artists always wanted to achieve in their works, the Impressionist’s were focused on capturing the immediate effect of a scene in their painting. It was often the case that still lifes and portraits were always painted indoors by artists before the emergence of Impressionism movement. The Impressionists realized they capture the momentary and transient effects of sunlight simply by painting en plein air. As a result, their paintings were a realistic reflection of modern life characteri zed by rich visual effects as opposed to details. In order to achieve the visual effects, the Impressionists often used short â€Å"broken† brush strokes composed of mixed and pure unmixed color. This provided the effect of intense color vibration in their paintings. Prior to the formation of the Impressionism art movement, art painting was being practiced. The earlier painters the 17th-century painters including the Dutch often focused their attention on common subjects but somehow their composition remained largely traditional.

Case study Internal Control, LJB Company Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Internal Control, LJB Company - Case Study Example The report must explain the effectiveness of the internal control procedures and mechanisms of the company during the most current fiscal year. Some of controls areas that the SEC expects companies to cover include fraud prevention, risk assessment, and accounting procedures. SOX also includes a clause that stipulates that major executive managers of public companies, including the CEO, must sign the quarterly and annual financial statements assuring they are free of material error and fraud. If fraud is detected in the financial information, the CEO could be liable up to 25 years in prison (Whitecollarfirm, 2011). LBJ Company is doing some things well. The controller is a valuable asset to the business. The company uses multiple processes that are needed to have good internal controls such as bank reconciliations and asking for a written explanation if an employee uses the petty cash account. The petty cash process can be improved by asking the employees for a receipt of the purchase. Further recommendations to the petty cash process will be mentioned in the next paragraph. In terms of fostering a good corporate culture, the managerial staff is showing loyalty, empowerment, and a belief in the employees. There are many internal control issues at LBJ Company. First, the accounting department is understaffed, which has the controller serving too many functions. This creates internal control deficiencies in the entire system. The controller should not be making purchases, receiving checks, or making bank deposits. Nobody is overseeing the work performed by the controller. I recommend the company hire two additional accountants for the department. The company also needs to raise the level of accountability and to verify the work of the department. This can be done by implementing two company audits twice a year to be performed by an independent auditor with CPA credentials. The

Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Discussions - Essay Example Aside from this, he also uses the word â€Å"come† recurrently to employ a sense of enticement, which perhaps does not just pertain to his condition while he was having this experience but also for people such as me who are reading his works to be pulled in to the story. What really works for me in the story, besides its interesting paradoxical nature, is the subtle restrain of emotions by the author. Hughes, instead of describing the sentiments of the protagonist, expounds on the surroundings of the character, mainly using verbs to push the story forward and into transition. This then makes the reader read between the lines and more sensitive to what the main character would feel given the circumstances, hence what the author really asks of his audience is to be human and to feel for the person if he or she was placed in a particular situation. Because of this, I could definitely relate to the story as I myself have experienced waiting for something that will never seem to come. Characteristically human as well, I have lied to myself and others to suppress what I am feeling inside of me. Human nature is generally paradoxical in this way: hope is simultaneously our strength and weakness. Though waiting only gives me disappointment, I still wait for something to save me; I still hope that it is coming, my salvation. The article that I have chosen has the heading â€Å"From Swine Flu to Bubonic Plague, Epidemics have always stirred Fear and Terror† by Richard Martin, a staff writer from the St. Petersburg Times. His introductory lines go: â€Å"So far, swine flu has infected fewer than 200 people, scattered across the United States. Most havent needed hospitalization. But the signs of fear are everywhere.† Many have been doing necessary, or as the writer might imply, unnecessary precautionary measures to avoid swine flu such as wearing of surgical masks in public places,

Robots Are Not Human Beings Essay Example for Free

Robots Are Not Human Beings Essay It is almost impossible to create a creature which is exactly the same as humans. Most of the robots can think as logically as we can and they can maybe act approximately the same we do but they hardly ever can show feelings. Not be able to think cognitive is one of the major problems in the short science fiction story â€Å"Liar† by Isaac Asimov. Herbie, a RB-34 robot, has the gift to read others mind. He is also trained not to hurt other peoples feelings. When people ask him something, Herbie gives them the answer they want to hear. The robot does not recognize, however, that with telling them a lie, he is going to hurt their feelings, too. He is not conscious of this issue. When Doctor Calvin explains Herbie his fault, he starts to realize that he always has to tell the truth whether it is good or not. Nevertheless, Herbie cannot change how he is because he is a robot. He was created to always say what the people wanted to know. This is one significant difference between human beings and robots. People can change their thoughts and actions, robots cannot. Calvin and Bogert do not realize at first either that a robot is not like a human being. They both believe that Herbie is like a normal person with extraordinary abilities. They are not aware of problems he might have. Both of them count on what Herbie says without questioning. A good example that demonstrates this behavior is on page 290, where Lanning and Bogert are arguing: â€Å"’you havent any secrets with a mind-reading robot around, so dont forget that I know all about your resignation. ’ The ash on Lannings cigar trembled and fell, and the cigar itself followed, ‘what †¦ what –‘† With the surprising reaction of Lanning we know that what Herbie said is not entirely true. Bogert, nevertheless, really believes that Herbie told him the truth because he thinks that this robot does not make mistakes. Herbie is a genius, and genius do not make faults. This is one of the major mistakes of the characters in the story. A reason why they are doing this is certainly because it is more convenient. You do not have to think about the solution. It is easier just asking a robot. Moreover, the robot tells you what you want to hear. We can also see Herbies lack of human traits in observing his feelings and emotions. Herbie tells Calvin that her lover loves her. He is not afraid of how she is going to feel when she finds out that this is a lie. Herbie does not consider the consequences. He just wants to complete his function and tells her what she wants to know. A normal person would probably not do this because he or she would be aware of the consequences. In addition to that, most of the people would feel bad for the other person at the end. The robot, however, does not understand what he did wrong. Technology made our life easier Many years ago, we were transporting goods by horse. Nowadays, we are that well-developed that we can ship goods by airplane or train all over the world and this fast. Technology made our life a lot easier. In the story, â€Å"The Nine Billion Names of God†, by Arthur C. Clarke, the monks wanted to benefit from this new technology, too. Their plan was to list all the possible names of God. The monks had the idea that it would be a lot easier and faster to get a machine that can evaluate the names for them. It was their belief that with a machine, they could be done in three months. Certainly the machine would complete the mission quickly, but would they still achieve God’s purpose? God’s purpose was that they list all possible names of God. This would have taken them four and a half centuries. With the machines they are going to finish the task earlier and they would save time to do something else. The machines, however, would list the names differently. It would not be handwritten anymore and there would not be so much effort behind it. Moreover, letting machines doing your work makes the work seem less important because it is not you that put the effort into. For example, if I wrote a handwritten letter and shipped it to my friend, she would probably be happier than if I had written her just an email, because it took me more time. Furthermore, I wrote every word. It was not the machine that wrote the word for me. It would be made with more love. The same thing would happen with all the names the monks should list. Maybe the task would not be completed if they do it with a machine because they were not sitting hours behind a desk and writing all the different names. To write down all the names would make them think about who God is and they would realize how important God is for them; this is maybe why God wanted to give them this task. Machines, however, are extremely helpful, effective and useful. They do a lot of work for us so that we can concentrate on other things. We would not live the same lifestyle without machines. I believe, however, that we exaggerate. Some things are still better handmade. It is not necessary to do everything with a machine. I miss, for example, buying my flight tickets with a person. Nowadays, you check in with a machine. There is nobody anymore that takes time for you and wishes you a good flight. I hope that this technology boom is going to decrease and that we find a good balance between using and not using machines. Women rule the world In the past it was common that men worked and earned the money for the family. The womans job was basically staying at the house, cleaning it and looking after the kids. This image was seen during many centuries. In 1910, when the comedy â€Å"Looking Forward†, by Theodore Marston, was written, it was not different. Women did not have the right to vote. This was only available for men. It was seen a lot more, however, that women went working than in the previous centuries. It was obvious, nevertheless, than women who went working were poorer than the women who stayed at home, because women working was not seen as good. When Marstons play came out, it was certainly attracting interest. He demonstrated a completely different life from what they were living at this point. He showed how he thought the world is going to be in 2010 and who is going to rule the nation. For him, women became a political and social majority in 2010. Moreover, the men were not allowed to vote anymore. We can read out of this play that people, mainly men, were aware of women becoming the leading gender. It is possible that they have been looking at the changes over the past years because we can see that with the years, women got more power. For example, until 1855, the women were not allowed to go to college. Therefore, it was impossible for them to get a same degree as the men. In 1910, it was already common for women to go to the same college as men did. This shows that female emancipation has changed rapidity. Maybe this was also the reason why men did not want to give the women the right to vote, because they were aware of women taking over the planet. Marston, however, anticipated that it was not possible to stop women empowerment and that one day women are going to get the right to vote. He was right by his statement. Women got the right to vote in 1989. His statement, however, was that women are going to be the â€Å"political and social majority† in 2010. This is mostly exaggerated. Nevertheless, it is true that women got a lot more involved in political and social contents. Nowadays, we see a lot of powerful women. Also, many countries have a woman as political president, as for example, Germany with Angela Merkel. She is accepted exactly the same way as a men political president would be accepted because people today do not decide because of gender anymore; they are more interested in what this person has to tell the nation and how he or she is going to make changes in a good way for the country. I am impressed, how good the author anticipated the future. It is fairly accurate that women do have a lot more power nowadays. They may not rule the whole world, but as I have shown in different examples, there are many women who have the same power as men do.

Exercise And Drugs On Cardiovascular System

Exercise And Drugs On Cardiovascular System The experiment was carried out in order to examine the effects of propanolol, salbutamol and GTN in subjects at rest and during exercise. This was done by taking recordings of SBP, DBP, MAP, PP, HR and PEFR at rest and during exercise for each drug. Using t-tests the results for each drug were compared at rest and during exercise in order to prove that changes were significant. However, only HR using propanolol was shown to have a significant decrease (two sample t-test, t=3.01, p=0.01). This was concluded to be because the subjects used were not medically unfit (in need of using the drugs). Introduction. Heart disease is an increasing cause of death in western countries due to unhealthy lifestyles smoking cigarettes, consuming alcohol, diets high in salt and fats as well as a lack of exercise. Because of this, a lot of medical research goes into developing drugs which lower the high blood pressure, brought about by an unhealthy lifestyle, as well as decrease heart rate in severe cases, provide acute relief of angina pectoris, reduce mortality following myocardial infarction and prevent recurrence of tachyarrhythmias, as stated by Craig and Stitzel (2004). Three of these drugs, propanolol, salbutamol and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), were used in the experiment. Propanolol is a non-selective ÃŽÂ ²-adrenoreceptor antagonistic drug (Geddes Grosset 2006). It is used to treat angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, certain cardiac dysrhythmias and hypertension (Marcovitch 2007). Propanolols mode of action works by depressing myocardium cellular cardiac membrane excitability. This membrane stabilising is thought to be effective against arrhythmias (Craig Stitzel 2004). It also decreases blood pressure, heart rate, myocardial contractility, cardiac output (and therefore arterial pressure) as well as conduction velocity in the heart (Craig Stitzel 2004). The drug is administered orally as it is subject to a significant degree of first-pass metabolism as well as extensive absorption from the gastro-intestinal tract. Because of this, during the experiment, the subject had to wait 50 minutes after taking the drug before taking recordings as propanolols peak therapeutic effect occurs between 1 and 1.5 hours after the drug is administered. I expect no change in mean arterial pressure (MAP) at rest after propanolol is taken. However, during post-drug exercise I predict there to be a reduction in MAP as well as blood pressure (Wheatley 1981). 1 -1-Salbutamol is a short acting, selective ÃŽÂ ²2-adrenoreceptor agonist drug (Marcovitch 2007). Salbutamol treats bronchospasm associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (Naish et al 2009) by inducing bronchodilation. Although the drug has adrenergic effects, it has minimal cardiac stimulation (Craig Stitzel 2004). Salbutamol is inhaled as a spray using a metered dose in haler (MDI) (Marcovitch 2007). By inhaling the drug, it immediately enters the bronchi in the lungs (the source of the bronchospasm) and provides a rapid onset of action and acute relief (Craig Stitzel 2004). Salbutamols maximal effect is reached within 5 to 20 minutes of administration (Dale et al 2003). Because of this, readings could be taken straight away during the experiment. For salbutamol I expect an increase in PEFR after the drug has been taken but no change in heart rate during post-drug exercise. Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) is a ÃŽÂ ²-adrenoreceptor antagonist and a potent vasodilator (Dale et al 2003). It is used to treat ischaemic heart disease, angina pectoris and coronary spasm (Marcovitch 2007). GTN relieves coronary spasm by redistributing coronary flow towards ischaemic areas via collaterals (collateral vessels that bypass narrowed coronary arteries (Dale et al 2003). Angina is due to a lack of oxygen in myocardium (Naish et al 2009). GTN acts to relieve angina by decreasing circulating blood volume, thus reducing the metabolic demand of the heart. It does this predominantly by dilating the veins, therefore decreasing preload and ventricular diastolic volume. GTN is administered sublingually as an oral tablet. Administration of GTN in this way allows it to pass straight into systemic circulation, thus avoiding the portal system and first-pass metabolism (Dale et el 2003). GTNs onset of action occurs within 2 to 5 minutes, with its maximal effects occurring between 3 a nd 10 minutes of administration (Craig Stitzel 2004). For these reasons, recordings were taken straight away (for 12 minutes) during the experiment. After GTN is taken, I expect to see a decrease in systolic blood pressure and a decrease in the heart rate. The aim of the experiment was to improve understanding of how propanolol, salbutamol and GTN are useful in treating the various forms of heart disease and how their physiology in the cardiovascular system operates. Method. 3 subjects, 2 female and 1 male, were deemed medically sound by a medical supervisor to take one of the following drugs, propanolol, salbutamol and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). Each of these drugs was obtained from a licensed chemist. All three subjects were seated comfortably at right angles to the lab bench. Using an electrical sphygmomanometer, each subjects resting systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at 3 minute intervals for 9 minutes. From the SBP and DBP values, the pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were calculated at each interval using the following formulas: 2PP = SBP DBP MAP = (PP/3) + DBP Also, for the two subjects chosen to take propanolol (subject A) and salbutamol (subject B), a Wright peak flow mini-meter was used to measure peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) at each interval. A mean of each recorded value across all subjects was calculated and recorded. Subjects A and B then took it in turn to use the cycle ergometer. The seat was adjusted to a comfortable height for cycling and a note of the seat height, for exercise after the drug was taken, was made. A load setting of 2 Kp was set and the subjects, in turn, were kept connected to the sphygmomanometer as they pedalled for 2 minutes at approximately 80 rpm. HR values were recorded every 15 seconds for both subject A and B. After exercise and prior to taking the drug, subject A and Bs HR, SBP, DBP and PEFR were recorded (HR every 15 seconds, SBP, DBP and PEFR every minute) for five minutes. PP and MAP were also calculated where possible (i.e. at the minute intervals). Subject A then took four 10 mg tablets (i.e. 40 mg) of propanolol and waited for 50 minutes to allow absorption of the drug. Using a sphygmomanometer, the first stage of the experiment was repeated with SBP, DBP, PP, MAP, HR and PEFR, as well as a mean value for each, were calculated and recorded at 3 minute intervals for 9 minutes. The subject then repeated exercise on the cycle ergometer, ensuring that the same height was used, a 2 Kp load setting was again used and a cycling average of 80 rpm was maintained. During this post-drug exercise HR was taken at 15 second intervals for 2 minutes. After post-drug exercise, HR, SBP, DBP and PEFR were recorded, PP and MAP were also calculated and recorded. HR was recorded every 15 seconds, SBP, DBP and PEFR were recorded every minute. These recordings were taken for 5 minutes. Subject B then took two doses of 0.1 mg (in separate inspirations) of salbutamol using a metered dose inhaler (MDI). The same steps as taken for subject B (post drug) were repeated. Using a sphygmomanometer, the first stage of the experiment was repeated with SBP, DBP, PP, MAP, HR and PEFR, as well as a mean value for each, were calculated and recorded at 3 minute intervals for 9 minutes. The subject then repeated exercise on the cycle ergometer, ensuring that the same height was used, a 2 Kp load setting was again used and a cycling average of 80 rpm was maintained. During this post-drug exercise HR was taken at 15 second intervals for 2 minutes. 3 After post-drug exercise, HR, SBP, DBP and PEFR were recorded, PP and MAP were also calculated and recorded. HR was recorded every 15 seconds, SBP, DBP and PEFR were recorded every minute. These recordings were taken for 5 minutes. Finally, subject C (glyceryl trinitrate) was administered 500 Â µg of glyceryl trinitrate (oral tablet form) sublingually whilst comfortably sat at right angles to the lab desk. By sitting down, tachycardia and postural hypotension due to venous pooling in the legs was minimised). Subject C was also connected to the sphygmomanometer. Readings of SBP, DBP, PP, MAP and HR were then calculated and recorded at 3 minute intervals for 30 minutes. At 12 minutes, the tablet had still not dissolved and so the subject chewed the tablet and placed the debris back under the tongue. It was also noted that subject C suffered from a slight headache due to decreased blood pressure. Statistics. To examine the results, the relevant data was used in statistical paired two sample t-tests so that it could be seen whether or not an increase or decrease across the data was of significance. Data was represented in the text with a standard error of the mean to show how accurate the data was by showing how much of the data in a sample was close to the mean value. Results. For propanolol, it was predicted that there would be no change in mean arterial pressure (MAP) at rest after propanolol is taken and that there would be a reduction in heart rate (HR) as well as blood pressure (BP). There was an increase in mean MAP at rest pre-propanolol (89.3 Â ± 15.3 mmHg, n=8) to post-propanolol (90.3 Â ± 20.3 mmHg, n=8) of 1 mmHg (two sample t-test, t=-0.21, p=0.84). This was an insignificant increase. At rest there was a decrease in mean HR from pre-propanolol (78 Â ± 13 bpm, n=8) to post-propanolol (65.86 Â ± 15.14 bpm, n=8) of 12.14 bpm, a significant decrease (two sample t-test, t=3.01, p=0.01). Blood pressure of the subjects immediately after beginning post-propanolol exercise (60.4 Â ± 40.4 mmHg, n=8) showed an average decrease of 19 mmHg compared to the subjects at pre-propanolol exercise (79.4 Â ± 28.6 mmHg, n=8) (two sample t-test, t=1.28, p=0.23). The t-test shows that this was not a significant decrease. For salbutamol it was hypothesized that there would be an increase in PEFR after the drug has been taken but no change in heart rate during post-drug exercise. PEFR of the subjects 5 minutes into exercise, post-salbutamol (505 Â ± 155 lpm, n=8) averaged 22.14 lpm higher than the subjects 5 minutes into exercise, pre-salbutamol (482.86 Â ± 177.14, n=8). However, this was not a significant difference (two sample t-test, t=-0.43, p=0.68). 5 minutes into exercise, there was an increase in HR of 5.71 bpm between pre-salbutamol (84.43 Â ± 22.57 bpm, n=8) and post-salbutamol (90.14 Â ± 15.14 bpm, n=8). However, the t-test showed this to be an insignificant increase (two sample t-test, t=-0.81, p=0.43). 5 Finally, it was hypothesized that GTN would cause a decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and a decrease in the heart rate. SBP showed an average decrease of 4.43 mmHg between an initial baseline of 115.14 Â ± 10 mmHg, n=8, and 30 minutes after the drug had been taken, 110.71 Â ± 8.29, n=8. This was shown not to be a significant decrease in SBP by a t-test (two sample t-test, t=1.02, p=0.33). The HR during the GTN experiment was seen to increase from 72.57 Â ± 15.43 bpm, n=8, to 75.86 Â ± 14.86 bpm, n=8. This was a total increase of 3.29 bpm. Again, this was not a significant increase as shown by the t-test carried out (two sample t-test, t=-0.61, p=0.56). Discussion. My hypotheses for propanolol were that I expected no change in mean arterial pressure (MAP) at rest after propanolol was taken. However, during post-drug exercise I predicted there to be a reduction in MAP as well as blood pressure (Wheatley 1981). The results have shown that there wasnt a significant increase in MAP at rest (two sample t-test, t=-0.21, p=0.84). However, the p-value shows that there is a large chance of error. On the other hand, there was a significant decrease in heart rate at rest (two sample t-test, t=3.01, p=0.01) with less than 1% chance of error. For salbutamol it was expected that there would be an increase in PEFR after the drug had been taken but no change in heart rate during post-drug exercise. There was an increase in PEFR of 22.14 lpm 5 minutes into exercise after taking salbutamol. However, the t-test showed that this was not a significant increase. After GTN was taken, I expected to see a decrease in systolic blood pressure and a decrease in the heart rate. The experiment showed that neither of these hypotheses was correct as although there was a decrease in SBP of 4.43 mmHg, there was an increase in HR of 3.29 bpm. Neither of these changes was shown to be significant. 6 During the experiment, the subjects chosen to take the drug were required to have a certain standard of medical fitness, with regards to blood pressure, in order to participate and take either propanolol, salbutamol or GTN. This was biased as the drugs are normally prescribed to patients with hypertension or who suffer from heart diseases such as angina. Therefore, the lack of significance in changes in the majority of the results could be because the subjects did not have a high blood pressure or heart disease, they were deemed medically fit and so antihypertensive drugs such as propanolol and GTN did not have many significant effects. Therefore in order to improve the experiment, I would use a wide range of both male and female subjects deemed medically fit (normal) as well as medical subjects deemed medically unfit. I would also carry out more t-tests comparing all aspects measured (SBP, DBP, PEFR, MAP, PP and HR). In such an experiment I would expect to see a significant change in recordings such as SBP and HR in the medically unfit patients after they had taken the drugs (propanolol, GTN or salbutamol). The physiological mechanisms which control HR and ventilation with respect to exercise are pH and oxygen supply. When the oxygen supply is too low and pH too acidic (due to an accumulation of carbonic acid in the blood) HR increases and smooth muscle in the bronchi dilates to increase oxygen supply and blood flow to the muscles. However, in subjects with an already high heart rate, it is dangerous to increase it further and so when exercising it is necessary to take drugs developed to decrease blood pressure so that the heart has to work less to deliver blood around the body and thus HR is decreased. The salbutamol had little effect in the subjects because although the drug has adrenergic effects, it has minimal cardiac stimulation (Craig Stitzel 2004). Therefore only a change in PEFR would be expected. 7