Ventricular Assist Devices :: Heart Transplants Health Technology Essays

Ventricular Assist Devices The Jarvik 2000 is a vast improvement in artificial hearts since its predecessor the Jarvik-7. The Jarvik 2000 is a ventricular assist device. Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) are a less invasive alternative to an artificial heart transplant. They are intended to assist the heart in pumping blood, not to replace the heart. These devices are implanted into the body and pump blood through the aorta thus, relieving the weakened ventricle of its normal workload. It works as a rotary pump so that blood is constantly flowing and therefore there is no longer a pulse. This device is not completely self-contained; a battery pack and the external components must be worn around the waist. This allows the patient unrestricted movement and not be immobilized as was the case for the original artificial heart. The battery pack transmits energy up to a component around the skull, the power is then conducted through wires that pass internally down the neck. Unlike Jarvik-7, which was to serve as a temporary artificial heart until a donor was found and a transplant could be performed, the Jarvik-2000 is being developed as a permanent assist device.5 Peter Houghton Mr. Peter Houghton is the first patient who was fitted with the ventricular assist device. He was 61 years old during the time of the operation, which took place in June of 2000. Mr. Houghton, who was suffering from heart failure, was only expected to live a couple of weeks longer without a heart transplant or artificial help. He underwent the procedure that took 14 hours in order prolong his life. He showed significant progress six weeks after his surgery with his heart and liver functions improving greatly. Mr. Houghton is capable of exercise due to the ability to manually control the blood flow rate of the device throughout his body. Recently on August 16, 2004 Mr. Houghton set the world record for longest time as a patient living with a cardiac assist device, at that day he had lived with the device for 1518 days. His condition has improved so much that he can live with the device turned off for short periods of time.

Conformity CourseworkIn this research Essay

Conformity Conformity is when a person alters their behaviour so that it is similar to that of other people. There are two motives for conformity (also known as majority social influence): Normative social influence: emulating the behaviour of others to fit into a group. People may conform if they want people to like them. Informational social influence: emulating the behaviour of others in an attempt to be right. Conformity Studies Muzafer Sherif used the auto kinetic effect (an optical illusion, in which a small point of light appears to move around when shone on a wall in a dark room) in his conformity study (this is an ambiguous stimulus). When the participants were asked individually how far they thought the light moved; the answers given varied greatly (from 2 to 25cm). Participants were then put into groups of three and gave an answer In front of the other two in a series of identical tests, each time the participants were asked the answers given converged into a group norm. Afterwards the participants were tested individually again and their answers stayed close to the group norm, when asked whether they were influenced by the estimates of others the participants said that they did not feel that they had altered their estimates to fit in with others at all. Solomon Asch criticised Sherif’s experiment citing that there was no definite answer, and wanted to find out how likely people were to conform when the answer was obvious. Asch’s conformity experiments were a series of studies that starkly demonstrated the power of conformity in groups. Asch used cards similar to those above in his research. Asch asked students to participate in a test of visual perception. In fact, all but one of the participants was a confederate of Asch, and the study was really about how the remaining student would react to the confederates’ behaviour. The participants asked to answer questions on the length of several lines drawn on a series of cards. They were questioned about the length of the lines. The confederates had been briefed to all give incorrect answers in the tests. 33% of participants conformed to the incorrect majority view (group norm) of the others in the room. When the confederates were not unanimous in their judgment, participants were much less likely to conform than when the confederates all agreed, even when the confederate gave an answer that was obviously wrong. A control group who were asked on their own with no other participants gave all the correct answers. Jenness asked students how many beans they thought were in a jar. He recorded their responses and then allowed the students to confer amongst themselves. The students were then asked again about the quantity of beans and Jenness found that the given estimates converged between the first and second answers into a group norm. These three studies appear to show the effects of informational social influence. Research Aims and Hypothesis Aims In this research I aim to discover if or how often people will conform to other (fake) answers when asked to estimate how many rubber bands (the ambiguous stimulus) are contained within a transparent plastic container in an opportunity study. Hypothesis My hypothesis is that people who are given a sheets with higher guesses on it will give higher estimates than the people who had the sheets with lower guesses on due to the effects of informational social influence. I think that the ambiguity of the task group for the participants will affect the degree with which they conform e. g. if I used ten grains of rice, conformity would be much lower than if I used one million, this would be difficult to prove, however. Since participants would be using their own judgement on a small quantity, answers would be close, but not due to conformity. Even if conformity was the cause, I would not be able to tell from asking the participants; in Sherif’s study participants did not feel influenced by other participants even though they did conform. I predict a higher mean for the group given the higher sheets, a lower mean for the group given the lower sheets and the mean for the controls to be in between the two. I predict that the range for the high and low groups will be about the same, but that control group will have a significantly larger range than either of them. Method Design My study is an experiment; I am using this type of research because I want to experience first hand what effect certain elements have on the results of the study. Because this is an experiment, there will several types of variables present (participant variables will also be present, but those are unavoidable). The independent variables in this study are the guesses written on the sheets before they are given to the participants. The dependant variables in this study are the guesses written on the sheets by the participants. Situational Variables To avoid other factors affecting my results I need to eliminate these situational variables as far as possible. Location Because I am using an opportunity sample, the location is likely to vary, therefore I will always ask people in a location with similar qualities. Distractions I will need to find a quiet area in order to prevent participants from being distracted. If participants are distracted, they may just put any answer down, without giving their answer as much consideration as they would in a quiet environment. Other people Other people may act as a distraction, or the participant may conform with them instead of the guesses on the sheet. Standardisation To succeed in eliminating the situational variables I need to standardise the experiment. 1 Give written instructions 2 Ask participants alone in a quiet room 3 Give participants a standard time looking at the container Participants I will use an opportunity sample in my study, this means that participants will be gained as and when I can find them, or when I have the opportunity to test them. I will use 30 participants, all students or lecturers (Lecturers and students in my psychology group were only used as controls) at Worcester College of Technology. Materials I will use: A pen A transparent container full of rubber bands 20 sheets (10 with high guesses on that will be given to the High group, and 10 with low guesses on that will be given to the Low group) The high sheets will have these numbers on: 700, 670, 800, 731, 950, 825. The low sheets will have these numbers on: 400, 470, 550, 342, 535, 380. Procedure 1. I will ask people that I see at college individually if they will guess how many rubber bands are in a container. 2. I will ask them to look at the rubber bands and then to write down an estimate of how many there are on a piece of paper. The control group will not be shown any other estimates. The piece of paper will have one of two groups of fake answers already written on it, although the participants will not be told this. One paper will have high answers written on it (given to the high group) and the other low answers (given to the low group). 3. Once I have collected my data I will present it in a graph/table. Ethical Considerations In this experiment consent will be gained from any participants, however, it is not fully informed consent, as the participants will not be told that this is a study into conformity and that the guesses that they see on the paper are not genuine, this is deception and therefore not ethical. This is unavoidable without explaining that this is an experiment into conformity, potentially altering their behaviour, therefore defeating the entire object of the study. To make my study as ethical as possible, I will fully inform participants of what I have done, and why I have done it once they have given their estimates in a process called debriefing. I will then ask their permission to use their data in my study, if that permission is refused, then their data will be omitted from the study.

Same Sex Marriage Should be Legal Essay - 930 Words

Marriage is the sacred bond between two people who love and cherish one another. Traditionally this bond has been held between man and woman. With so many changes in the world, there are more openly homosexual people in our society. Though people have become more accepting of the existence of homosexuality, gays and lesbians are still considered unequal when it comes to marriage. Homosexual couples should have the same rights to marry as heterosexual couples. Denying this right is unjust and is discrimination towards a group of people. Same-sex marriage has become more of a political issue when it really should be left up to one’s own personal and religious beliefs. Even though there are a few states that recognize legal†¦show more content†¦California is one of the states that allow domestic partnership and recently allow marriage. According to Olson, California has categorize Californian couples: â€Å"heterosexual couples who can get married, divorced and remarrie d, if they wish; same-sex couples who cannot get married but can live together in domestic partnerships; and same-sex couples who are now married but who, if they divorce, cannot remarry.† Many may feel that homosexual marriage is morally wrong because of their religious beliefs. It is one of our rights as Americans to freely believe in what we want to believe in including same gender marriage. Theodore B. Oison in â€Å"The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage† quoted the Declaration of Independence: â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.† In Gay Marriage? Absolutely,† Cat Saunders feels that this statement in the constitution alone should be enough to guarantee a legitimate gay marriage. How can you live your life if you are not â€Å"free (liberty)†¦ to marry the person you lov e (the pursuit of happiness).† If there is supposed to be a separation of church and state then why does the government have so much control over holy matrimony? The choice to marry whomever should be left to the religious organizationsShow MoreRelatedSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1288 Words   |  6 Pages Marriage is not precisely the same as it used to be interpreted. For example, women used to be their husband’s property. Sometimes the women were forced to marry whoever their parents wanted them to marry and most of the time they couldn’t leave the marriage. Nowadays women have more freedom. They can vote, they can run their own business, and they can marry whichever man they want to. The laws change as the people’s mind change. As they get more comfortable with the idea, they become more openRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal Essay1475 Words   |  6 PagesSame sex relationships relate to when a man or woman are attracted to someone of th e same gender of themselves. It is being rejected as same gender marriage denies the obvious purpose between a man and a women which is procreation (Richardson-Self, 2012). Denying same sex couples the legal right to get married, could mean that they are being denied their basic human rights to enjoy human benefits (Richardson-Self, 2012). However, the opposing view is that if gay marriage was granted the legal rightsRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1403 Words   |  6 PagesSame-Sex Marriage â€Å"I now pronounce you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  At some point in a person’s life, they have heard or will hear those words. What follows, however, has changed somewhat over the years; although, the commitment has remained the same. Those words historically indicate that until the death of a spouse, that couple shall remain together. Who should be able to determine whom that spouse is for that person? Some people judge others for their sexuality and how it is affecting them, but they never stop andRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1144 Words   |  5 PagesGay Marriage There are many issues the revolve around same-sex marriage. Many issues like: Whether same-sex should be legalized and should there be an amendment on same-sex marriage? There are multiple side to view this, but gay marriage but in my opinion gay marriage is socially accepted. it should be legal and it does affect American teens in a broad spectrum of ways. There have been a lot of issues on whether or not same-sex marriage should be legal or not. According to Burns, â€Å" The unionRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal998 Words   |  4 PagesSame sex marriage ought to be legalized on the grounds that it is uncivilized and unmerited. Marriage is a commitment between two people that cherish one another. In almost every country and culture, marriage is a commitment of loyalty and love. Marriage is an authority contract gathering two individuals together, furnishing them with profits of holy matrimony such as tax cuts and clinical privileges. The debate throughout most countries today is whether or not the rights of these profits and commitmentsRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1659 Words   |  7 Pages Same-sex couples can hardly remember a time where they were not fighting for their right to marriage in the United States. After several court cases, California Proposition Six, and their struggle against the Defens e of Marriage Act (DOMA), same-sex couples found their way into U.S. society. Many misguided studies appealed to those opposing same-sex marriage, but after several years of integrating in society, same-sex couples found the support they were looking for. Before the Supreme CourtRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal899 Words   |  4 Pages In the United States, same sex marriage became legal nationwide on June 26, 2015, when the United States Supreme Court overruled the court in favor of same sex freedom and marriage. The victory of same sex marriage came to be recognized from the Obergefell v. Hodges case which was submitted when an American Ohio man was denied and regretted to get his name on his late husband’s death certificate. Same sex marriage has been a controversial social issue in the United States for several decades. SinceRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1491 Words   |  6 PagesSame sex marriage is one of the most debatable issues in the modern world. Marriage has been accepted as the social union between a man and a woman for the past thousand years. Homosexuality was viewed with scorn, and marriages among same sex couples were prohibited in most cultures across the globe. However, gay relationships are slowly obtaining acceptance, as homosexuals have come to be expressive in fighting their rights to marry in the early 90’s. As homosexuality grows in acceptance in theRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal892 Words   |  4 PagesLove Same sex marriage is now allowed in all states across the country. But it took years and years for this â€Å"issue† to be finally laid to rest. The first state to legalize same-sex marriage was Massachusetts in 2004. There was not a last state to legalize gay marriage. The supreme court realized how many states were now legalizing it, so they just had all of the states left legalize it as well. ProCon.org supplies information that â€Å"Twenty-six states were forced to legalize gay marriage becauseRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal2253 Words   |  10 Pages1776). The recognition of same-sex marriage is an issue influenced by numerous factors, and debates continue to arise over whether people in same-sex relationships have the right to marriage. Marriage provides many benefits, legally, financially, and personally. Same-sex marriage can open up those in same-sex relationships to tax benefits and financial demands comparable to those afforded to and required of peo ple in opposite-sex marriages. Same-sex marriage also gives them legal protections, such as