A Short Overview of the Zika Virus

A Short Overview of the Zika Virus Zika is a virus transmitted through mosquito bites. The Zika virus was first detected in Brazil in May of 2015, the virus has traveled to Africa and parts of Asia. Zika has is new to the western hemisphere, spreading through out Latin America and the Caribbean. Since then 1.5 million people have been reported infected in Brazil. In the U.S. there has been many travel related cases 625 cases in the New York, 510 in Florida, and 152 cases in California. Zika doesn’t just have effects now but also has health effects in the long-term. The virus causes a disease in unborn and born infants called Microcephaly. The disease causes children to be born with abnormally small heads and often deformed brains. The U.S is advising pregnant women to not travel anywhere the virus is prevalent. In El Salvador women were asked to wait until 2018 to become pregnant. Sexual transmission has also been reported in 10 countries, including the United States, France, Germany, Italy and New Zealand. In all known cases, transmission has been from a man to a woman or to another man, not from a woman to anyone else. In at least one case, a man who never had Zika symptoms transmitted it sexually. Health authorities recommend that men who have had no symptoms should wait eight weeks. Zika is almost never fatal, but its been known to kill people. The virus has killed a man in Puerto Rico. The man, in his 70s, is the first reported U.S. death from the virus, which is spreading faster across America. The patient who died in Puerto Rico had a very rare complication called immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura. Another patient, who died in Utah, had a Zika virus infection that contributed to her death. There is no vaccine against the Zika virus. Efforts to make one have just begun, and creating and testing a vaccine normally takes years and costs hundreds of millions of dollars. The C.D.C. does not recommend a particular antiviral medication for people infected with the Zika virus. The symptoms are mild – when they appear at all – and usually require only rest, nourishment and other supportive care. Travelers to these countries are advised to avoid or minimize mosquito bites by staying in screened or air-conditioned rooms or sleeping under mosquito nets; wearing insect repellent at all times; and wearing long pants, long sleeves, shoes and hats.

The Crystal Cathedral Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Crystal Cathedral - Essay Example It rises up in the centre of the park and has around 10,000 pieces of tempered silver-colored glass windows encased in a network of white steel trusses. The interiors of the cathedral can allow a seating congregation of nearly 3,000 people. If required, the portions of the exterior walls open up which allow additional members to remain in their cars while viewing the worship service in the insides. The glass used on the external surface is reflective. It allows only 8 per cent of light and heat to penetrate to the insides. The building happens to be the world's first all-glass church. The plan comprises of the basic elements of a typical church in a shape of a four pointed star some 460ft by 200ft that reaches up to 128ft at its apex. Its height is even bigger than that of Notre Dame in Paris. The church complex is designed by American architect Philip Johnson and John Burgee. The building is huge in scale, and its all of its walls are clad by mirrored glass to the outside over a steel lattice structure. It has a symmetrical plan and an asymmetrical section. The crystalline shaped and glass-covered steel lattice frames have been used to give the building its present structure and form. In the floor plan of the church, the nave has been squished to pull out the transept. The idea behind doing this was to get the public closer to the performances and the alter place to have a better view of the activities. On further simplification of this geometry, this form has eventually given rise to the form of a star in its plan, with free-standing balconies in three points and the chancel in the fourth corner. The glass hung on the steel lattice frames gives an effect of a non-massive building. On the outsides the mirrored glass makes an entirely mirrored building with only around one tenth of sunlight entering the insides of the building. The construction with a triodetic steel frame helps in venting the hotter air to the outside from its top and it functions as a gigantic chimney. This provides natural cooling the interiors as cool air enters fro m the lower openings. Image 2: the aerial view of the Crystal Cathedral in the park, note its star shaped plan Made almost entirely of glass and a framework of steel, the cathedral is having an angular, mirror-like exterior, a transparent sun-lit interior, a giant television screen, and an altar place made out of marble. The walls and roof are clad in the mirrored glass over a structure of space frame and it helps in attaining passive solar heating in small proportions. The openable strips of the ventilating windows also help in attaining wind cooling. This is needed as the building is located in suburban area of Garden Grove having a climate of mild desert. The apex at the top is made with the help of triodetic steel frame that act as a chimney to carry out wind movements and provide natural cooling. The glass, being reflective by its characteristics, allows only eight per cent of light and heat to penetrate to the insides. The supporting structure is a triodetic steel frame. It works as a giant chimney and allows heat to rise out of the building and preventing a greenhouse effect. The cathe dral has 10,000 panes of reflective glass, which allows only 8% of outside light into the church. This gives the interior a sub watery appearance. The audio services,

Investment Environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Investment Environment - Assignment Example The company wants to enter the market of Saudi Arabia. In this context, the market of Saudi Arabia will be analyzed with respect to different parameters. The analysis of the market will help to bring out the potential and threats of the market for the international business operations. This report will assist to provide details about marketing opportunities and potentials for the global business environment. Argos Ltd is the UK based retail firm that operates as a multi-channel retailer recognized for delivering value, choice, and convenience to the customers. The company offers general merchandise and products for home through their 700 stores located in the UK market and Republic of Ireland along with online and telephone assistance. During the financial year of 2010, the company had been able to generate more than  £4.30 billion with the workforce of 33,000 across the business segments. The company serves more than 130 million customers annually. They are able to generate sales through the internet that consists of 26% of the total sales. These are few of the reasons for selecting the company for the analysis (Argos Limited, 2011). The Fast Moving Consumable Goods (FMCG) segment of Saudi Arabia shows huge potential. There are more than 24.20 million people out of which 7.0 million are non-Saudi residents consuming FMCG goods (Mousa, 2009). The retail sector of Saudi Arabia is expected to grow by a whopping US$ 125 billion by 2014 as there are several international brands planning to enter the retail market of Saudi Arabia. In the global retail ranking, Saudi Arabia has positioned itself in the ninth place. The market has been able to attract many international retailers and had overtaken well-known retail destinations such as Russia, Hong Kong, and Japan. More than 43% of international brands are attracted towards this retail destination.