Self introduction - Hannah

1. Hometown:
Hi everybody, I'm Hannah, coming from Beijing, which is the capital of China as well as the center of political, culture and education. Furthermore, Beijing is one of the most representative city with a long history. With the constantly developments since the Reform and Open in 1978 which was conducted by Deng Xiaoping, China becomes prosperous day by day. Today's China, is a perfect combination of past and present. Why would i say that? The ancient architectures are well preserved, the high tech doesn't stop their steps toward developed as well. All of the elements appeal billions of foreign tourists coming to China every year. You must hear about The Forbidden City and The Great Wall. don't you?
Besides, China is the heaven of food. As an old saying goes: Food is the paramount necessity of the people. Well prepared meals are one of the most significant things during each single day in Chinese people. Kung Pao Chicken, Orange Chicken, Hot pot, Peking duck as well as sugar-coated haws on a stick. Whatever the main dishes or the later desserts, Chinese do their best. It's totally the fabulous enjoyment of taste!

2. English Learning Background: 
I have been studying English since primary school. I got 6 in my IELTS test. For my personal condition, my weaknesses are grammar and reading, while i am pretty good at oral expressing. In the following weeks in UCR extension, i will definitely work on my weaknesses, making my strong points even better. Hoping i could get a obvious achievements with the help of professors.
3. Academic Interest:  
I major in hospitality institute. Why would i select my major? I really into the elegant environment in fancy hotel. People who works there will have a better temperament and better quality. I'm here for PGDM which means i will have 6 months classes and 3 months unpaid internship. The internship is my most exciting part! I really looking forward to work in local so that i can learn something authentically which is impossible to learn from books!
4. Future Plans:  
I want to work as a HR staff in hotel. Because i used to work at The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing as an English Trainer. You know that, basic stuff for waiters, waitress and housekeeping attendants. I really enjoy the feeling of teaching other people with my patient! I would be really proud and happy when i see their improvements and the confident smile on their face. Because they are not shy any more to speak to foreign guests like before! They dare to speak out now! The feeling of teacher is amazing,don't you feel that?
5. Hobbies:  
I am a crazy fun of shooting! I have my own single-lens reflex camera - 60d. Although it is not the expensive one, i regard it as my favorite baby as well. My best friend Ma is a model, we knew each other more than ten years, really going back a long way! We share sorrow and joy together, nothing could replace our life long friendship! Since you know my hobby and my friend's occupation, you must know what i will type in the following words. We travel together twice a year. Bangkok, Chiengmai, Lijiang, Xishuangbanna, and the most beautiful beach in China. We left our steps everywhere we went, also the fabulous moments were recorded by my camera. The feeling of the cooperation between me and her is more than i can express in words.I love my friend, i love travel all over the world, i love photograph!

Causes and effects of Obesity- Mohammad Alarji

In the artical,'' Cusses of obesity in UAE'' by,''http://writefix.com/?page_id=568''. Obesity has become a major problem in the UAE. Over 60% of Emirate nationals are overweight. Obesity can be split into three main causes -  diet, lifestyle and education. One of the major causes is  the diet.  Emirates children  eat more and more high-carbohydrate, high-fat burgers and pizza in fast-food restaurants. but, some traditional foods are also very oily. Lifestyle is a second main cause of obesity. As a result of cheap foreign function, many Emirates now have sedentary jobs, and do not exercise regularly. Parents do not teach good eating habits to children, and many people lack knowledge about good nutrition or a balanced diet. Obesity affects the individual and the country. The biggest effect is on the individual. First of all, being overweight has health risks.  Obesity can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions. The quality of life suffers, as it is difficult to enjoy exercise or move. Another result is lack of self-esteem. This can lead to depression, eating disorders and crash diets. The country is also affected. It becomes very expensive for the government to provide advanced medical care such as heart transplants. Unhealthy citizens are also less productive. and their children learn poor eating habits. Obesity or even being overweight has serious effects on the individual and the society. Both need to take action to examine the causes of this problem and find solutions.

Causes and effects about obesity/Mohammed Alrasi

 Summary:


     Causes: The food is high in fats and cholesterol, and contains too much carbohydrates. The body is overloaded with fats and sugar, which is converted into body fat. The second main cause is lack of exercise and this leads the person to obesity. Obesity occurs when a person’s weight is far above his ideal body weight.  Poor food choice is one of the main causes. People today eat more and more junk food and fast food.  A third contributing factor is lack of awareness about good eating habits. Mothers give their children too much choice and too little guidance in what to eat, advertising confuses many people with claims for particular types of commercial processed foods, and conflicting information about diets and healthy eating from the food industry and medical experts leaves many people puzzled. The last cause is that is people these days love fast food more than fresh food, so this leads to have obesity. 


     Effects: As far as one of the effects is concerned, I can allude to the fact that in this day and age  people who become overweight find it harder to exercise, which in turn can lead to increased eating. Many obese people suffer from low self-esteem, especially as children, which again in turn can result in increased comfort eating. The second effect is that is Obesity can lead to heart problems, diabetes and other serious health problems, which can cost millions to treat, and which reduce can economic productivity and life expectancy for the country and its citizens. It could even be argues that obesity saps energy from the individual and the country, leading to laziness in other aspects of life.
When it comes to the third effect, I can mention the fact that obesity saps energy from the individual and the country, leading to laziness in other aspects of life.
The last Effect for obesity is that people who are obese feel that they are so indolent and lazy, and these things lead them to be boring for people.


     Commentary: In my opinion, obesity has increased in the recent four decades. 40 years ago, people did not have so many restaurants that can lead them to be fat. However, nowadays we have a plethora of restaurants can lead us to have obesity. In order to be healthy in our lives, we have to be away from junk food because it is the main reason why some people are obese. Obesity is one of the important reasons why some people do not have longevity. Obesity is one of the most common obstacles that people face these days. 
http://www.admc.hct.ac.ae/hd1/english/cause/causeeffect_obesity.htm

Causes&Effect of High Blood Pressure_YINA

According to the article: Blood pressure in gray area? You're still facing stroke risk

Name: Yina

SUMMARY:

      In the essay "Blood pressure in gray area?You're still facing stroke risk"the report from CNN NEWS.This article gives us the data of the risk of the high blood pressure and analysis this data.Specifically,the scientists thinks that anyone with blood pressure even slightly higher than the optimal 120/80 may be more likely to have a stroke –including those patients who are diagnosed as prehypertensive.Both hypertensive and prehypertensive participants were more likely to be men,obese, have diabetes, and have impaired fasting glucose. Both hypertensive and prehypertensive participants were more likely to be men,obese, have diabetes, and have impaired fasting glucose.High blood pressure is a measure of how hard your blood pushes against the walls of your arteries. Blood pressure that is too high harms your blood vessels. This raises your risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems. But you can take steps to get your blood pressure back to normal.However not everyone will have the high blood pressure,it raised cholesterol levels,lack of exercise, smoking,excessive weight and a poor diet are leading risk factors.From the article we know that “ Lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, exercise, diet, especially reduction in salt, can help,” says Dr. Ralph Sacco, vice president of the American Academy of Neurology and chairman of neurology at the University of Miami Medical Center.But the patient need to make efforts,if not when the high blood pressure out of control it can lead to heart damage,stroke and even death.

COMMENT.

From this article i found out that the high blood pressure as a usual and frequency encountered illness,is an important risky factor that evokes cardiovascular disease.But actually most of people can improve this situation with diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes. If those steps don't lower your blood pressure enough, you can take medicine. But because you are treating your blood pressure before it gets too high, lifestyle changes may be all you need.Health is really important for everyone and everyone need to do something to keep fit!Public health researchers say it is largely the result of increases in obesity, smoking and high blood pressure.Light beer drinking seemed to be the most beneficial form of alcohol in reducing the risk of high blood pressure.Unhealthy lifestyle predisposed him to high blood pressure.High blood pressure contributes to more excess deaths in women than any other preventable factor.This may be explained at least partly by alcohol-induced high blood pressure, the researchers say.Doctors say high blood pressure, heart disease, smoking, diabetes and high cholesterol all increase the risk of stroke.So let's stop smoking, drinking...Let's have a healthy lifestyle.

Causes and Effects of high Cholesterol Levels in Blood _ Pedro Guizardi

On the article “High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need To Know”, the National Institutes of Health - NIH awareness people about the causes and effects of High Cholesterol levels in blood. NIH alert about the fact that High Cholesterol considerably increases the chances of having a heart attack or develop a heart disease. It has been responsible for the death of more than a million Americans each year. The Cholesterol levels become higher with the increase of fat-like substance in the blood. The substance accumulates inside of the arteries decreasing the flow of blood or blocking it. The lower quantities of oxygenated blood that flow cause many heart problems. NIH also emphasizes the necessity to keep the cholesterol number updates does not matter your age. An important exam called “lipoprotein profile” measure the cholesterol data such as total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and Triglycerides. It is important to know that is required 9- to 12-hour fasting to make the exam. People age 20 or more have to make this exam at least once every 5 years. The Cholesterol level is affected by things that can be avoided and heredity things, which cannot be avoided.  Some of the main causes of High Cholesterol level that can be avoided are Diet, Weight, and lack of Physical Activity.  On the other hand, there are some causes that can be controlled, but cannot be avoided. Age, gender, and heredity are examples of unavoidable causes.  The effects of High Cholesterol levels in blood can be increased in people that have already had heart disease and in people that have diabetes. These problems associated with High Cholesterol levels can lead to a heart attack, which can cause death. The High Cholesterol is measure in four categories according to the risk of it.  If you had a High Cholesterol level diagnosed, there are two different ways to treat it. The first one is Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC), which consist in physical activities, weight control, and food reeducation. The second one is necessary in cases of advanced Cholesterol Levels. It consists in assimilate the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes with a drug treatment. 

High Blood Cholesterol - Sally

                         High Blood Cholesterol: What you need to know

Summary: According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood institute(NHLBI). The higher blood cholesterol makes the greater heart attack. 

Cause:

A lot of things can cause high blood cholesterol, there are five points from the NHLBI:

The first point is that diet maybe influences the blood cholesterol. If you eat more fat, it will make you have the high blood cholesterol. But not just saturated fat, the cholesterol of the foods also cause the high blood cholesterol. If you reduce the saturated fat and cholesterol in your food, you will keep your blood cholesterol level down low.

The second point is that being overweight also can increase your blood cholesterol, even it maybe cause heart attack. 

The third point is that not being the physical activities is a big problem to low down the blood cholesterol, people need to do some physical activities for keeping  the weight and reducing the  level of the blood cholesterol.

The forth point is that the differences of the age and gender also make the different the level of the blood cholesterol. The older the man and woman changes, the higher the blood cholesterol increases. And if the woman and man have the same old years, the woman probably has the higher blood cholesterol.

The final point for causing the high blood cholesterol is heredity. Sometimes, the high blood cholesterol was brought from your mother when you were born.

Effect:

The high blood cholesterol maybe cause the heart disease. A lot of cholesterol in the blood will narrow the arteries and make the blood flow to the heart hardly. The  blood carries oxygen to the heart, if not, the heart is lacking of the oxygen. If the blood and oxygen can not carries to the heart, the people may have the big pain.

Commentary:

In this big pressure society, people all focus on how to make money, they forget the health is most important. If we have a poor health, we can't do anything. We should keep the balance diet, it's good that we eat the vegetable more than meat in our food. And do more physical activities to suffer from kinds of blood and heart diseases.

link: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/resources/heart/heart-cholesterol-hbc-what-html.htm

High Blood Pressure: Causes and Effects _ Natalia Carolina Camargos Ferreira

Summary

            According to the article “Blood Pressure Rising around the Globe” (1), almost 1 billion of people around the world have high blood and over 500 million will suffer with this by 2025. The big problem is that the high blood pressure can cause other health problems and many times people don’t know how much serious is this. So this article has the purpose to inform the causes and the effects of this disease that have been among the main causes of deaths according to the World Health Organization (2).

            The high pressure -or hypertension- is a condition in which there is an unusual big pressure done by the blood against the artery walls(3). This pressure elevation can be caused by two major factors: the heart pumps blood with excessive force and the arterioles are narrower than usual causing more pressure against the vessel’s walls. One person can have the high pressure for years without feel symptoms, but even without them, the blood vessels are being damaged. Moreover, high pressure can have other effect in other vital organs such as brain and kidneys. That’s the reason why the high pressure is often known as “silent killer”.

            The main symptoms of the high pressure are: drowsiness, confusion, headache, nausea, loss of vision and respiratory distress (difficulty breathing). In addition, as already mentioned, the high pressure can also have complications damaging other organs , as shown in the picture bellow. For example, the high blood pressure can cause heart diseases like: Coronary Artery Disease (thickening of the blood vessel walls), Heart Failure (caused by the workload), and Cardiac Arrhythmias(irregular heartbeats). Additionally, the high blood pressure can cause stroke such as silent cerebral infarcts. Diabetes and kidney diseases can also be derived from the increase of the blood pressure. Moreover can be other complication from the high blood pressure: dementia (loss memory), eye damage and sexual dysfunction.    

       

Comments     

              The high pressure blood has been a big problem in the world because each year the number of people in this condition has been increasing so much. The increase of the blood pressure can cause serious problems for important organs and damage the body’s health. It’s important that people be aware about the causes and effect of the hypertension because sometimes the person doesn't feel the effect in a short time but years later when the body is too damaged.

References

(1) http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18660422/ns/health-heart_health/t/blood-pressure-rising-around-globe/#.U-EUXPldW0I

(2) http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/

(3) http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/high-blood-pressure

Self introduction, Juhao

My name in Juhao,Yin. I come from China, and my hometown is Huadian City, Jilin Province. Huadian is a very small but beautiful city. Her name is from white birch, it means that there are a lot of white birches all over the city. Huifa River is the mother river of Huadian. Her name is a transliteration from  Manchu language. Huadian is famous for gold, there are some gold ores, it is similar to California.

Chinese learn English when they are very young, so do I, I start to learn English when I was about ten years old. I have learned it for a long time, but I still can not use it very well, it is depressing.

Now I am a junior student in Huazhong University of science and technology. I do not know why I choose this university when I graduated from high school, Perhaps because it is far away from my hometown, and I want to see more of the country. I major in Finance. I think it is interesting. It will be helpful for me to find a job in Board of Trade of  Dalian. Dalian City  is a wonderful city of China, I want to work there in future.

There are many things I like to do in my free time. Sometimes I play the computer games like LOL. Of course it will be very boring and tiring if you play it for a long time. So I would like to play sports after that. Basketball.badminton and table tennis are all my favorite sports. Sometimes I like watching movies, I like many kinds of movies, such as comedy.action movie.science fiction film. But I think they are always shallow. I just kill time by watching them. So my favorite movie type is drama film like Cinema paradiso. The legend of 1900. these movies impress me and make me think someting. They can influence and change me. I have benefited a lot from them.

High Blood Pressure------Henry

In the article ''  Hypertension ''from Wikipedia,the author gives us some information about High Blood Pressure.High Blood Pressure is also called Hypertension (HTN). HTN is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated. Blood pressure is summarised by two measurements,systolic and diastolic. This equals the maximum and minimum pressure, respectively. Normal blood pressure at rest is within the range of 100–140mmHg systolic (top reading) and 60–90mmHg diastolic (bottom reading). High blood pressure is said to be present if it is often at or above 140/90 mmHg.

High blood  pressure can be classified as either primary (essential) hypertension or secondary hypertensionThe remaining 5–10% of cases (secondary hypertension) are caused by other conditions that affect the kidneys, arteries, heart or endocrine system.

Hypertension puts strain on the heart, leading to hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease if not treated.

 Hypertension is also a major risk factor for stroke, aneurysms of the arteries (e.g. aortic aneurysm), peripheral arterial disease and is a cause of chronic kidney disease. 

Cause

•  blood pressure rises with aging and the risk of becoming hypertensive in later life is considerable.

•  Hypertension results from a complex interaction of genes and environmental factors.
•  Lifestyle factors that lower blood pressure include reduced dietary salt intake,^[
•  Stress appears to play a minor role^[3] with specificrelaxation techniques not supported by the evidence.
• Recent studies have also implicated events in early life (for example low birth weight, maternal smoking and lack of breast feeding) as risk factors for adult essential hypertension,^[26] although the mechanisms linking these exposures to adult hypertension remain obscure.
• Hypertension can also be caused by endocrine conditions, such as Cushing's syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, acromegaly, Conn's syndrome or hyperaldosteronism, hyperparathyroidismand pheochromocytoma.^[5][27] Other causes of secondary hypertension include obesity, sleep apnea, pregnancy, coarctation of the aorta, excessive liquorice consumption and certain prescription medicines, herbal remedies and illegal drugs.

Research

Selective radiofrequency ablation of the nerves supplying the kidneys, which employs a catheter-based device to cause thermal injury to the nerves surrounding the renal artery without affecting other sympathetic nerves, may lower blood pressure.

Cause&Effects of High Cholesterol levels in Blood_KATE

How does cholesterol cause heart disease?

If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, the cholesterol will build over the wall of your arteries.  Overtime, It  increases  and it causes of hardening of the arteries so that your arteries become narrow and your blood flow to the hearth will slow down  or can’t flow to the hearth.  The blood carries oxygen to the hearth. If the hearth can’t get enough oxygen, you may suffer chest pain. High blood cholesterol increases the chance of having a heart attack or some of heart disease.

How High Cholesterol Causes Stroke?

Plaque buildup can keep your brain from getting enough blood and oxygen. If a clot completely blocks an artery which is feed your brain, you have a stroke.

Factors You Can Control

-Alcohol

drinking more than the recommended daily amount of alcohol

-Smoking

-What you eat

Cholesterol that come from foods such as egg yolks, meat , cheese and chocolate. If you  restrict cholesterol foods , saturated fat and trans fats, you can control your cholesterol level.

-Overweight

Being overweight tends to increase your LDL(bad) level, lower your HDL(good) level, and increase your total cholesterol levels

-Your activities

Lack of regular exercise can lead the weight gain and raise your bad cholesterol levels. Being exercise can help you lose your weight and your bad cholesterol levels. It can help you increase your good cholesterol levels.

Factors you can not control

-Age and Sex

Men often have lower  levels of good cholesterol than women. Before age 55.women usually have lower bad cholesterol levels than men. Nevertheless, After age 55 , women can have higher bad cholesterol levels than men.

-Heredity ( gender and age)

High cholesterol levels in blood can run in families.

An inherited condition ,which is called familial hypercholesterolemiaexternal , causes very high LDL (bad)cholesterol. This begin  at birth, and may cause a heart attack at an early age.

Most people should have :

-LDL, “bad” cholesterol, less than 100 mg/dL.  If you already have heart disease, you may need to aim for under 70 mg/dL.

-HDL, “good” cholesterol, 60 mg/dL or higher

-Triglycerides, another type of risky fat in your bloodstream, less than 150 mg/dL

Diagnosis of high cholesterol

Blood test : you should not eat for 12 hours before the test so that your food does not affect the result. Your doctor or nurse may take a blood sample using either a needle and syringe, or a finger prick.

Home testing : kits are also available but may not be very accurate. You should speak to your pharmacist about your result if you use a kit.

Level of cholesterol

- under 4mmol/l for total cholesterol

-under 2mmol/l for LDL cholesterol

-above 1mmol/l for HDL cholesterol

-under 1.7mmol/l for triglycerides

Who should have a cholesterol test?

If you are at high risk of cardiovascular or you have a family history of high cholesterol, you should have your cholesterol levels checked. 

Reference :

National heart,Lung, and blood institute

high cholesterol what it can do to you

Gladiator - Abdulah Alzayer

Gladiator

Summary :

The book Gladiator by Dewey Gram is about Maximus , Emperor Marcus Aureliu , and Commodus the Emperor’s son . First, The story began in winter of A.D 180 in the Roman Empire . The Emperor M.A wants Maximus to become Protector of Rome before he hands Power to the Senate , he doesn’t want his son , Commodus to become the Emperor . Then, Commodus kills his father and he becomes the Emperor . Then, he sends his troops to kill Maximus and his family . Next, Maximus escapes and he rushes home to protect his family but he was too late . After that, Maximus is taken Prisoner and sold as a slave to Proximo, a gladiator trainer . Then, Proximo takes Maximus to Rome and he becomes the most popular gladiator in Rome , but Commodus is angry because he thought Maximus was dead . Then, Maximus fights Commodus and he kills Commodus , but he was mortally wounded and he died . In the end, The Colosseum is empty , but Rome was free .

Opinion :

            I dislike the story because it was sad from the beginning , there was a war between the Roman army and German , and many people were killed , and Commodus killed his father . However, I like the end of the story because the hero, Maximus died . I hate stories that end with the victory  of the hero .

DNA project ‘to make UK world genetic research leader’ _Summary_Natalia Carolina Camargos Ferreira

Summary

According to the article “ DNA project ‘to make UK world genetic research leader’ “, written by James Gallacher, talks about a revolutionary research, which have been developed by Genomics England, in which scientist have been sequenced DNA codes of people with cancer or rare diseases. Using this research, the scientific can identify the specific mutation that causes a determined disease or tumor. Fifteen thousand families will participate of this project. As explained by Sir John Chisholm, executive chair of Genomics England, this project will make that chemotherapy would be replaced by therapies. Prof Jeremy Farrar, director in a world reference of genetics research, says that  this study will transform the way how the diseases have been diagnosed and treated in all whole the word.

 

 

 

            Comments

       Medicine has been developed so much. Scientists  have been doing important discoveries around the world  like this one that  this article talks about. The most interesting in this research is that the diseases will be better comprehended and this will allow that the chemotherapy can be replaced by therapies. One big advantage for this change is because the therapies are less harmful in comparison with the chemotherapy. The chemotherapy is a strong process in which the person who has the disease receive so much radiation and it can cause a lot of collateral effects such as pains, infections and loss of hair. These effects happen because the person who has a disease  is subjected to a high radiation dose. Replacing the chemotherapy by therapy will decrease the collateral effects once the therapy is one more specific treatment. Besides, it is less harmful, the therapy is also cheaper than the chemotherapy, what it is an important point because a lot of people who suffer with these diseases can  not afford the expensive treatment that it requires.

Fitness buff helps disabled find 'strength'---sally

summary:

This story narrated that a bodybuilder helped the disabled to live life like they're supposed to. This bodybuilder's name is Ned Norton, he worked in the gym and had dedicated himself to providing free and low-cost strength and conditioning training for hundred of people living with a variety of disabilities. And he got a CNN hero in this year. 

Ned Norton had a big heart to help the patients to change independent. Most of the people he trains are in wheelchairs and rely on their upper body strength to get around. Tom Clement who got the spinal cord was helped by Norton's gym 15 years. And Kathleen lane also got the concentrate on the Norton, Lane, who is in the wheelchair, also benefits from the social aspect of the program. Norton does know what he's doing in the gym, because that's what he loves doing and that's what he has to offer to help people. 

commentary:

In my opinion, this CNN hero Ned Norton has a lot of qualities in his life. 

Firstly, I think he is a ordinary person, but the thing which he helped the disabled is not ordinary. And he is very selfless, he don't need any more returns for helping this people.

Secondly, I think Ned had a dream in his heart. He loves his Job though he hasn't get any returns. He loves his career.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/01/us/cnnheroes-norton/index.html?iref=allsearch