The Anxiety of Writin. My Writing Habits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Anxiety of Writin. My Writing Habits - Essay Example I have many colleagues and class mates who seem to easily write their papers, and some even seem to enjoy the process of writing, but for me, it is a stupendous endeavor, and a task rather than an enjoying skill and an absorbing engagement. Through the writing of this personal essay, I not only plan to highlight my writing habits and manner, but also hope to discover what makes writing so hard for me, and what are the ways in which I can improve upon it. The kind of writing that I mostly am subjected to is academic and technical writing, owing to the classes and the courses that I have undertaken for my education. As a result, it is very formal in style, and needs to be authentic and properly referenced. Perhaps that is the reason for my dislike of this task. It is very difficult for me to get started in any paper. The beginning is often the hardest part of the paper for me. I tend to procrastinate and leave the actual act of writing for later; instead, I spend most of the time reading the source material and making notes. Although it is a good practice to thoroughly research the topic and make notes about it when writing academic papers, I make it an excuse for not doing the actual write-up. ... That might be one of the reasons for writing so many rough drafts first. Once I have copied the text on the computer from the notes that I have made, I leave it at that, without reading the final paper in order to find any mistakes that I might have made or any revisions that might be needed. Perhaps this is because I have exhausted myself writing the drafts, and typing the final paper is so much of a horror for me that once it is over, I do not have the heart or the nerve to go through the process of reading and revising again. Several times, due to my habit of not reading the final copy, I have ended my making many typing errors and grammatical mistakes which could have been easily avoided had I read the paper once. I believe the reason behind this is the fact that I get very conscious and nervous to get the facts write and to provide proper referencing to avoid plagiarism. This is essential when writing academic papers. I get very worried about the formalities of the paper, and in the process end up hating the actual practice of writing. I am more at ease when I am writing personal essays or fiction, which occurs rarely. However, I feel free to express myself then, without worrying about referencing and facts and figures. When writing fiction, I do not write a rough draft on a paper with pencil first; I type directly on the computer. Even if I feel the need to write a rough draft first, I ignore it, because I want to break free of the constraints of academic writing. Fiction writing gives me more opportunities to explore myself and my writing style, and to develop my interest in writing. Sometimes, I even happen to enjoy it, as long as I do not have to give it up for checking or review. This is because of my lack of confidence even as a fiction writer.

Causes of Epilepsy and Seizures

Causes of Epilepsy and Seizures Contents (Jump to) Introduction to Epilepsy Seizures Causes of Epilepsy Conclusion References Figures Appendix Introduction to Epilepsy Epilepsy is the oldest known brain disorder dating back as early as 2080BC (Cascino et al., 1995). It was first identified as a disease by Dr Jon Hughlings Jackson in 1880 who defined it as â€Å"An occasional, sudden, massive, rapid and local discharge or the grey matter† (Scott, 1978). This definition has been confirmed 50 years later by Electroencephalography. A more recent definition was devised stating â€Å"Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which the nerve cell activity in your brain is disturbed, causing a seizure during which you experience abnormal behaviour, symptoms and sensations, including loss of consciousness.†(Scambler, 1989) Worldwide, it is estimated that there are 65 million people living with epilepsy with almost 80% of the cases reported occurring in the developing world (Ngugi et al., 2010). Within the UK, the prevalence is between 1 in 40/70,000 which equates to 3% of the population will develop epilepsy in their lifetime. Recurrent seizures are the hallmark characteristic of an epileptic. If an individual has one seizure early in their lives then none thereafter, they are said to have had an epileptic seizure but do not suffer from epilepsy. (Duncan et al., 2006) Seizures A seizure is abnormally excessive neuronal activity localised to a particular area of the brain known as the cerebral cortex causing a disruption to normal brain function. These cortical discharges will transmit to the muscles causing convulsions or commonly referred to as a fit. Figure 1 Generalised seizure with neuronal activation in both hemisphere Classifying seizures is done based on the site of the brain which the seizure begins. This will be either; Partial – where the onset of seizure is localised to one part of the hemisphere (fig. 1), Generalised – where the onset of the seizure is across both hemispheres (fig. 2) or Secondary generalised – where a partial seizure later spreads to involve the majority of the 2 cerebral hemispheres (Duncan et al., 2006). Figure 2 Partial seizure with neuronal activation in one hemisphere The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) have defined 6 main types of seizures: Clonic, Tonic, Tonic-Clonic, myoclonic, absence and atonic (Solodar, 2014), with all having the shared characteristic of syncope. Tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal seizures) are the most common and typically last 30 seconds with an initial back arching motion (tonic phase), followed by severe shaking of body limbs (clonic phase) in which sufferers can become incontinent and bit their tongue (fig. 3). Myoclonic seizures consist of muscle spasms throughout the body, while absence seizures only display mild symptoms such as a slight head turn or repetitive eye blinking (Engel and Pedley, 2008). Figure 3 Tonic and Clonic phases of a seizure Causes of Epilepsy Majority of cases are termed idiopathic, meaning there is no known reason for the disorder in that individual. The difference in causes amongst the general population can be seen in figure 4. Genetic factors can causes epilepsy as can environmental factors. In general it is a combination of the two which go on to cause someone to become epileptic. Over 500 genes have been identified to be linked to the disorder if mutated with some making individuals more sensitive to environmental conditions that can initiate seizures (Sanchez-Carpintero Abad et al., 2007). Some symptomatic causes of epilepsy include; brain tumours, strokes, low oxygen during birth, head injuries during birth or during a person’s lifetime, infections such as meningitis or anything which causes damage to the brain (Chang and Lowenstein, 2003). Figure 4 Causes of epilepsy amongst the general population Conclusion Epilepsy is a condition which has a host of causes as have been highlighted. It is the category of seizure within the brain an individual has which will determine the type of seizure they have and the altered body state which is displayed. This can be a very distressing disorder for sufferers as they are unable to control when they have a seizure and could occur at a very dangerous time such as whilst driving. The effective management via medication, surgery or lifestyle changes can reduce a person’s chance of suffering future seizures. Unfortunately in the majority of cases, the cause is unknown. This makes it highly difficult to target the disease for a cure, therefore minimising the probability of a seizure is the next best thing. References CASCINO, G., HOPKINS, A. O. SHORVON, S. D. 1995. Epilepsy, London, Chapman Hall Medical. CHANG, B. S. LOWENSTEIN, D. H. 2003. Epilepsy. N Engl J Med, 349, 1257-66. DUNCAN, J. S., SANDER, J. W., SISODIYA, S. M. WALKER, M. C. 2006. Adult epilepsy. Lancet, 367, 1087-100. ENGEL, J., JR. PEDLEY, T. A. 2008. Epilepsy : a comprehensive textbook, Philadelphia, Pa. ; London, Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams Wilkins. NGUGI, A. K., BOTTOMLEY, C., KLEINSCHMIDT, I., SANDER, J. W. NEWTON, C. R. 2010. Estimation of the burden of active and life-time epilepsy: a meta-analytic approach. Epilepsia, 51, 883-890. SANCHEZ-CARPINTERO ABAD, R., SANMARTI VILAPLANA, F. X. SERRATOSA FERNANDEZ, J. M. 2007. Genetic causes of epilepsy. Neurologist, 13, S47-51. SCAMBLER, G. 1989. Epilepsy, London, Tavistock / Routledge. SCOTT, D. 1978. About epilepsy, London, Duckworth. SOLODAR, J. 2014. Commentary: ILAE Definition of Epilepsy. Epilepsia, 55, 491. Figures ENGEL, J., JR. PEDLEY, T. A. 2008. Epilepsy : a comprehensive textbook, Philadelphia, Pa. ; London, Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams Wilkins. – figures 1 2 http://www.doctortipster.com/10291-generalized-tonic-clonic-epilepsy-seizures-grand-mal-seizures-clinical-presentation.html figure 3 http://www.cureepilepsy.org/egi/about.asp figure 4 Appendix Reference Type: Book Record Number: 1988 Author: Cascino, Gregory, Hopkins, Anthony October and Shorvon, S. D. Year: 1995 Title: Epilepsy Place Published: London Publisher: Chapman Hall Medical Edition: 2nd ed / edited by Anthony Hopkins, Simon Shorvon and Gregory Cascino. Short Title: Epilepsy ISBN: 0412543303 :  ¹95.00 Accession Number: b9561325 Call Number: 616.853 20 British Library DSC 95/22799 British Library STI (B) GV 05 blsrissc Keywords: Epilepsy. Notes: GB9561325 bnb 2362 Previous ed.: 1987. Includes bibliographies and index. Research Notes: Useful book, especially for historical aspects. Uses different terminology for seizures than other material, possibly due to age of print Reference Type: Journal Article Record Number: 2037 Author: Chang, B. S. and Lowenstein, D. H. Year: 2003 Title: Epilepsy Journal: N Engl J Med Volume: 349 Issue: 13 Pages: 1257-66 Epub Date: 2003/09/26 Date: Sep 25 Short Title: Epilepsy Alternate Journal: The New England journal of medicine ISSN: 0028-4793 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra022308 Accession Number: 14507951 Keywords: Cerebral Cortex/pathology/physiopathology Electroencephalography Epilepsy/classification/etiology/pathology/*physiopathology Hippocampus/pathology Humans Ion Channels/physiopathology Neuroglia/physiology Sclerosis Thalamus/physiopathology Notes: 1533-4406 Chang, Bernard S Lowenstein, Daniel H NS39950/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Govt, P.H.S. Review United States N Engl J Med. 2003 Sep 25;349(13):1257-66. Research Notes: Good overview of the disorder with relevant sections around the causes Author Address: Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Database Provider: NLM Language: eng Reference Type: Journal Article Record Number: 10337 Author: Duncan, J. S., Sander, J. W., Sisodiya, S. M. and Walker, M. C. Year: 2006 Title: Adult epilepsy Journal: Lancet Volume: 367 Issue: 9516 Pages: 1087-100 Epub Date: 2006/04/04 Date: Apr 1 Short Title: Adult epilepsy Alternate Journal: Lancet ISSN: 0140-6736 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(06)68477-8 Accession Number: 16581409 Keywords: Adult Aged Anticonvulsants/adverse effects/*therapeutic use Drug Resistance/*genetics Electroencephalography *Epilepsy/diagnosis/drug therapy/physiopathology Humans Incidence Infant Pharmacogenetics Abstract: The epilepsies are one of the most common serious brain disorders, can occur at all ages, and have many possible presentations and causes. Although incidence in childhood has fallen over the past three decades in developed countries, this reduction is matched by an increase in elderly people. Monogenic Mendelian epilepsies are rare. A clinical syndrome often has multiple possible genetic causes, and conversely, different mutations in one gene can lead to various epileptic syndromes. Most common epilepsies, however, are probably complex traits with environmental effects acting on inherited susceptibility, mediated by common variation in particular genes. Diagnosis of epilepsy remains clinical, and neurophysiological investigations assist with diagnosis of the syndrome. Brain imaging is making great progress in identifying the structural and functional causes and consequences of the epilepsies. Current antiepileptic drugs suppress seizures without influencing the underlying t endency to generate seizures, and are effective in 60-70% of individuals. Pharmacogenetic studies hold the promise of being able to better individualise treatment for each patient, with maximum possibility of benefit and minimum risk of adverse effects. For people with refractory focal epilepsy, neurosurgical resection offers the possibility of a life-changing cure. Potential new treatments include precise prediction of seizures and focal therapy with drug delivery, neural stimulation, and biological grafts. Notes: 1474-547x Duncan, John S Sander, Josemir W Sisodiya, Sanjay M Walker, Matthew C Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Govt Review England Lancet. 2006 Apr 1;367(9516):1087-100. Research Notes: Very good overview with clear explanation around neuronal activity of seizures Author Address: Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy, Institute of Neurology UCL, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. [emailprotected] Database Provider: NLM Language: eng Reference Type: Book Record Number: 10529 Author: Engel, Jerome, Jr. and Pedley, Timothy A. Year: 2008 Title: Epilepsy : a comprehensive textbook Place Published: Philadelphia, Pa. ; London Publisher: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams Wilkins Pages: 2797 Edition: 2nd ed. Short Title: Epilepsy : a comprehensive textbook ISBN: 9780781757775 (set) :  ¹173.00 0781757770 (set) :  ¹173.00 Call Number: 616.853 22 British Library DSC m07/.34665 vol. 1 British Library STI (B) 616.853 British Library DSC m07/.34666 vol. 3 British Library DSC m07/.34664 vol. 2 Keywords: Epilepsy. Notes: GBA771698 bnb editors, Jerome Engel Jr., Timothy A. Pedley ; associate editors, Jean Aicardi [et al.]. Previous ed. : c1998. Includes bibliographical references and index. Formerly CIP. Uk Research Notes: Had everything covered in good detail. Reference Type: Journal Article Record Number: 10335 Author: Ngugi, Anthony K., Bottomley, Christian, Kleinschmidt, Immo, Sander, Josemir W. and Newton, Charles R. Year: 2010 Title: Estimation of the burden of active and life-time epilepsy: a meta-analytic approach Journal: Epilepsia Volume: 51 Issue: 5 Pages: 883-890 Short Title: Estimation of the burden of active and life-time epilepsy: a meta-analytic approach ISSN: 0013-9580 DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02481.x Abstract: To estimate the burden of lifetime epilepsy (LTE) and active epilepsy (AE) and examine the influence of study characteristics on prevalence estimates. Notes: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02481.x Research Notes: Only really useful for prevalence related material URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02481.x Name of Database: READCUBE Reference Type: Journal Article Record Number: 11373 Author: Sanchez-Carpintero Abad, R., Sanmarti Vilaplana, F. X. and Serratosa Fernandez, J. M. Year: 2007 Title: Genetic causes of epilepsy Journal: Neurologist Volume: 13 Issue: 6 Suppl 1 Pages: S47-51 Date: Nov Short Title: Genetic causes of epilepsy Alternate Journal: The neurologist ISSN: 1074-7931 (Print) 1074-7931 (Linking) DOI: 10.1097/NRL.0b013e31815bb07d Accession Number: 18090951 Keywords: Animals Cerebral Cortex/physiopathology Epilepsy/*etiology/*genetics/pathology Humans Ion Channel Gating/genetics Ion Channels/genetics/*physiology Abstract: BACKGROUND: The contribution of genetic factors to the origin of different epilepsies is a fact established by epidemiological, clinical, and molecular studies. These studies have made it possible to identify numerous mutations in different genes that cause or predispose to the development of certain types of epilepsy. REVIEW SUMMARY: The study of single-gene epilepsies has contributed relevant data regarding the pathophysiology of epilepsy. Most of these genes encode voltage- or ligand-gated ion channels. Other single-gene epilepsies are related to mutations that provoke alterations in neuronal maturation and migration during embryonic development. Nevertheless, the most common forms of epilepsy are not caused by single mutations but by a combination of polymorphisms, most of which are unknown, that generate an alteration in neuronal excitability. In some syndromes, genetic alterations and their consequences have made it possible to explain the therapeutic response to diff erent drugs. Therefore, the progress being made in genetics is changing the classification and diagnosis of epilepsy; moreover, it can sometimes influence the choice of treatment. CONCLUSION: The advances made in genetic knowledge of epilepsy have led to the description of new epilepsy syndromes and to a better characterization of known ones. However, the genes responsible for the most common forms of idiopathic epilepsy remain mostly unknown. This means that for the time being, in clinical practice, genetic diagnosis is limited to uncommon syndromes and to cases in which treatment decisions or genetic counseling can be derived from the diagnosis. Notes: Sanchez-Carpintero Abad, Rocio Sanmarti Vilaplana, Francesc X Serratosa Fernandez, Jose Maria eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Govt Review 2008/01/26 09:00 Neurologist. 2007 Nov;13(6 Suppl 1):S47-51. doi: 10.1097/NRL.0b013e31815bb07d. Research Notes: Very complicated to read. Poorly illustrated. URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18090951 Author Address: Pediatric Neurology Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Clinica Universitaria de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain. [emailprotected] Reference Type: Book Record Number: 2015 Author: Scambler, Graham Year: 1989 Title: Epilepsy Place Published: London Publisher: Tavistock / Routledge Short Title: Epilepsy ISBN: 0415017580 (pbk) : No price 0415017572 (cased) : No price Accession Number: b8920431 Call Number: 362.1/96853 19 British Library DSC 89/23194 British Library HMNTS YK.1989.a.5440 Keywords: Epileptics Psychology. Notes: GB8920431 bnb 2054 Graham Scambler. The Experience of illness Bibliography: p124-130. _ Includes index. Research Notes: Written with the patient in mind but lacks specific scientific data Reference Type: Book Record Number: 2011 Author: Scott, Donald F. Year: 1978 Title: About Epilepsy : revised Edition Place Published: [S.l.] Publisher: Duckworth Edition: 3rd Ed. Short Title: About Epilepsy : revised Edition ISBN: 0715609467 Call Number: British Library DSC 79/5721 Research Notes: Very well written with good scientific data to back up claims. Reference Type: Journal Article Record Number: 10484 Author: Solodar, J. Year: 2014 Title: Commentary: ILAE Definition of Epilepsy Journal: Epilepsia Volume: 55 Issue: 4 Pages: 491 Date: Apr Short Title: Commentary: ILAE Definition of Epilepsy Alternate Journal: Epilepsia ISSN: 1528-1167 (Electronic) 0013-9580 (Linking) DOI: 10.1111/epi.12594 Accession Number: 24731170 Keywords: *Advisory Committees Epilepsy/*classification/*diagnosis Female Humans Male *Research Report *Societies, Medical Notes: Solodar, Jessica eng Comment 2014/04/16 06:00 Epilepsia. 2014 Apr;55(4):491. doi: 10.1111/epi.12594. Epub 2014 Apr 14. URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24731170 Research Notes: Good summary of definitions around seizures and all terminology within epilepsy 1

throwing a football Essays -- essays research papers

Throwing a football   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the football travels through the air for a long pass it always follows a curved path because the force of gravity influences the movement of the ball in the vertical direction. As the ball travels up, gravity slows it down until it stops briefly at its peak height; the ball then comes down, and gravity accelerates it until it hits the ground. Projectile motion is the path of any object that is launched or thrown and has an arched course (howstuffworks)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the football to travel the most accurate and furthest distance, the ball must have the tightest spiral it can develop. â€Å"This will influence how the ball slows down in flight, because the ball is affected by air drag (howstuffworks).† A spiraling throw will have less air drag, will not slow down as much and will be able to stay in the air longer and go farther than a wobble throw. The velocity of the ball and the angle of the throw are the major factors that determine the path of the ball. Vectors are also involved in throwing a football because a vector is the direction in which you are throwing. Also when throwing on the running. For example the quarterback rolls out at a speed of 5m/s and after he twist his body to throw down field the vector is now at an angle of 75 degrees, so the quarterback must understand the speed he is running at in order to make an accurate throw (physics.unl.edu). Ø  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The football has ...

The Glass Menegerie vs August Osage County

Patel 1 The More Dysfunctions, The More Escapes The Wingfields and Westons are both inimitable families who carry distinctive traits and characteristics. In the play, The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams portrays a southern family in the 1930's trying to deal with life's pressures, and their own fears after their husband and father deserts them. In the play, August: Osage County, Tracy Letts depicts a large eccentric family who come together after the death of the patriarch, Beverly, and try to triumph over the obstacles in life.Unhealthy and detrimental relationships among family members are ample between the two families. The Wingfield and Weston families are both trapped by their own dysfunctions, which force them to be confined in their own homes, ultimately causing the abandoned matriarchs to either face the truth or continue to run from it. First, the Wingfields and Westons are both abnormal families who share a lot of the same dysfunctions as one another. Each member of the Wingfield family has their own issues and problems.Laura has a slight physical disability, but her mind is significantly more crippled. Laura is very weak and open to attack; she is unable to defend herself from the truths of life. Amanda attempts to portray herself as a loving mother, doing everything she can for her children, and caring nothing for herself, Patel 2 when in fact, she is quite selfish, demanding and disrespectful. Amanda disrespects Tom, as she says,†What is the matter with you, you-big-big-idiot! (Williams 21) Amanda claims that she devotes her life to her children, and that she would do anything for them, but is very suspicious of Tom’s activities, and frequently pressures Tom, trying to force him in finding a gentleman caller for Laura, believing that Laura is lonely and needs a companion. Tom resents his mother greatly, not only because she always gets her way with him, but because she is so suspicious of his activities, causing a limited trust bet ween them. The Weston family has their dysfunctional issues as well.Everybody in the family is constantly worried over the fact that the patriarch, Beverly, has mysteriously disappeared which is than discovered to be a suicide. The pill popping and unstable mother, Violet, does not make the situation any better. She is a drug addict who frequently disrespects people in spite of their attempts to help. As well, she shows a great lack of respect over the passing of her husband. Many family members, especially Barbara Fordham, the eldest daughter, is stressed over Violet’s condition and often tries to stop her addiction.Barbara confronts her mother about the situation and asks for the pills by saying, â€Å"Gimme those goddamn pills-â€Å" (Letts 96) There is no admiration between any of the family members, therefore resulting in conflict and argument on a frequent basis. Patel 3 Furthermore, both families are confined in their homes and are forced to see and talk to one anoth er. The Wingfields constantly give the impression of being discontented with each other. No adoration is being recognized, nor appreciation of one another. They cannot escape their run-down apartment due to their financial crisis.Tennesee Williams depicts the prison-like atmosphere of the apartment, as he writes, The Wingfield apartment is in the rear of the building, †¦ one of those vast hive-like conglomerations of cellular living-units that flower as warty growths in overcrowded urban centers of lower middle-class populations and are symptomatic of the impulse of this largest and fundamentally enslaved section of American society to avoid fluidity and differentiation and to exist and function as one interfused mass of automatism. (Williams 3)Due to the shortage and scarcity of money, the Wingfields cannot have a great life style. The condition of their apartment resembles their torn apart family. The fire escape is the closest way for the Wingfield family to escape. The fire escape gives Tom the opportunity to abandon the apartment and get away from his nagging mother. Amanda sees the fire Patel 4 escape as an opportunity for gentleman callers to enter their lives. Laura’s view is different from her mother and her brother; her escape seems to be hiding inside the apartment.Also, the Westons are trapped in their homes and can’t seem to escape. They don’t all live together, but are brought together as one due to the death of the patriarch, Beverly. Every member of the Weston family has their differences. They endure many problems as they live with one another. An indication of incarceration is when Violet tapes the shades and lets nobody opens them. Charlie questions Mattie Fae about the situation, â€Å"This business with the shades, taping the shades? † (Letts 20) As soon as the family members see that they can break away from the house, they leave as soon as they can.Even though the family is brought together, they are all happier with their individual lives away from the family. Lastly, facing the truth can be challenging and exigent for certain people. In this case, Amanda Wingfield is not aware of the truth and repeatedly nags and aggravates her children. Amanda stipulates Tom to comb his hair, as she says, â€Å"Comb your hair! You look so pretty when your hair is combed. † (Williams 38) Amanda mainly bothers Tom about finding a gentleman caller for Laura, she feels that Laura is lonely and needs a companion in order to be happy and pleased in life.Also, she Patel 5 thinks that Laura will not be secure and protected in the future if she does not find a companion. Amanda often fantasises about her past, and uses it to escape reality. She constantly reminds Tom and Laura of the time she received seventeen gentleman callers. As opposed to Violet, who is aware of the truth, but continues to run from it. There are several things that Violet knows, but doesn’t mention to the other members of the family. Violet is aware of the fact that Barbara and Bill’s marriage is ruined and the chances of getting a divorce are high.Also, she knows that Beverly had an affair with Mattie Fae and they had a son, Little Charles. Violet tells Ivy the truth about her and Little Charles, as she utters, â€Å"Little Charles and you are brother and sister. I know that. † (Letts 133) Violet escapes from the truth by taking pills and drinking alcohol. She doesn’t want to tell anybody about the past because she doesn’t want to cause more nuisances in the family household. Thus, it is clear that the Wingfield and Weston families have their similarities and differences as well.Each family has their own issues and challenges; they handle it in various ways. Each family member approaches certain situations differently. Each of the two families has many disagreements and conflicts, and they all find a common route to get out of it. The Wingfield’s and Westonsâ₠¬â„¢s have many dysfunctions, which lead them to be incarcerated in their households, eventually, Patel 6 forcing the remaining mothers to make a decision in either facing the truth or running away from it.

Blood Bank Management

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop a blood management information system to assist in the management of blood donor records and ease/or control the distribution of blood in various parts of the country basing on the hospital demands. Without quick and timely access to donor records, creating market strategies for blood donation, lobbying and sensitization of blood donors becomes very difficult. The blood management information system offers functionalities to quick access to donor records collected from various parts of the country.It enables monitoring of the results and performance of the blood donation activity such that relevant and measurable objectives of the organization can be checked. It provides to management timely, confidential and secure medical reports that facilitates planning and decision making and hence improved medical service delivery. The reports generated by the system give answers to most of the challenges management faces as far as blood donor r ecords are concerned. Chapter 1 1. 0 INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Background to the StudyBlood Donor Recruitment (BDR) is the process of drawing blood from a voluntary Blood Donor (BD) for future blood transfusion, Wikipedia (2006). In Uganda, blood collection, safety and management is an activity that is carried out by Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) in partnership with Uganda Blood Transfusion (UBTS). Founded in 1939, URCS is part of the world wide Red Cross Humanitarian Movement whose mission is to mobilize the power of humanity for improving the lives of the vulnerable in Uganda, Muller (2001).URCS fulfills this mission while adhering to the principles of impartiality, neutrality, independence, unity, universality and voluntary service for the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. It operates throughout Uganda with 45 branch offices. Besides providing adequate supply of blood for transfusion, URCS is involved in the first aid services, road safety, tracing, disaster mitigation/preparedness, mob ilization for routine immunization, HIV homecare, youth empowerment and Community based HealthCare (CBHC).URCS had a manual system using paper cards to recruit BDs, collect/keep blood donor records and disseminate results to BDs who are scattered throughout the country. The paper card system (PCS) used to specifically capture personal data and medical history of the BDs. This information would be used in identifying/locating existing BDs, carrying out pre- donation counseling and taking blood results. Unauthorized persons however, easily accessed the paper system and hence making it impossible to keep secrecy and confidentiality expected of medical records.The security of the medical records was also not inadequate as any person could easily access them. Lukande (2003), states that such a system is time consuming, prone to errors of entry and analysis resulting from the fatigue of the users. The PCS at URCS had lead to accumulation of physical paper cards due to increasing number of blood donors, a situation that frustrated the system users because of the delays and at times failure to access historical records. The safe blood policy was lacking at URCS because the PCS could not cater for the key attributes of the policy.Gerard (2002), states that the main principles upon which the safe blood policy is based on are the informed consent, confidentiality and secrecy of the BDs. The Ethiopian Red Cross Society publication, Development in the 1990 states that information from blood donors should be completely confidential and if this is not assured, names of the blood donors should not be recorded at all and/or an alternative record identification should be used. Full implementation of the safe blood policy has called the use of information technology (IT) in providing working solution to the identified challenges.The associated problems with the PCS included delays in accessing historical records, inconsistencies and errors in data entry that stem right from acqu isition of data from the blood donors because the exercise is of routine nature and very tedious to the system users. The automation of the system using modern IT has improved the quality of service. Secondly, with the use of IT, now relevant and timely blood donor reports can easily be generated and hence facilitating planning and decision-making.Scolamiero (2000), recommends blood donor services automated information system as a solution to routinely collected, accurate and readily available information in blood transfusion services. It is also important to note that the impact of information technology on organizations is increasing as new technologies evolve and existing ones expand. According to Clifton (1995), nearly all business executives say that information technology is vital to their business and that they use IT extensively.Certainly business executives main concern is planning, coordination and decision-making, therefore, the role of IT in enhancing management of blood donor records is of major importance. In all, the computerization of blood donor PCS at URCS came at the ripe time given the background to the situation. This is more so because the demand for safe blood in Uganda has increased due to soaring increase in total population. Therefore, modern means to manage the PCS using IT had to take route. 1. 3 General ObjectiveThe main objective of the study was to create electronic blood donor management information system in order to assist in the management of blood donor records, planning and share information in a more confidential, convenient and secure way using modern technology. [pic] 1. 3. 1 Specific Objectives To conduct a study on blood donor management To design an electronic blood donor management system To validate the design using a prototype 1. 4 Scope The study geographically limited itself at the URCS blood donation/collection centers.It focused more on the acquisition, distribution and management of blood units for BDR activit ies. The study specially emphasized the creation and implementation of an electronic management information system that automated blood donor data acquisition and dissemination of results. This in turn will ease and speeds up the planning, decision-making process because of the timely, secure, confidential and reliable reports. 1. 5 Significance of the Study This study is important to URCS and the blood donors because it aimed at addressing problems of security, secrecy and confidentiality of blood donor records.It also strived to check the delays, errors, inconsistencies in medical records and timely access to historical records all of which had far fetched impact on planning and decision-making. The study resulted into the following benefits: It has eased the control and distribution of blood in various parts of the country basing on the hospital demands. URCS can now create market strategies for blood donation, lobbying and sensitization of the blood donors. Automated data acquis ition and quick access to medical records by the legal users of the system will be assured. [pic]It has eased the monitoring of the results and performance of the blood donation activity and hence relevant and measurable objectives of URCS are checked. It will continue to improve on the planning and decision-making process by providing to management timely, secure and confidential medical reports related to blood donation. It will also improve medical service delivery due to timely and easy generation of management reports by the relevant entities. The study will benefit the URCS management, who will find it easy to strategically plan, coordinate and take decisions concerning BDR activities.URCS counsellors on the other hand will be able to keep confidentiality of the donor’s results and disseminate blood results to donors with ease. Meanwhile that is the case, the automation of the data collection process will simplify the work of the data clerks. Equally important, the bloo d donormmobilizes will be have strong grounds for laying sensitization strategies between regions thatmyield more blood units and those with less. The study also has formed further environment of knowledge for students who may wish to take research in blood donor management. 2. Blood Donor Systems: Challenges and Successes The blood donation service involve a series of interdependent operations such as donor registration, donor screening/evaluation, blood collection, blood screening, inventory management and blood dissemination. Most of the popular existing blood information systems in the western world today are mainly online systems. The systems interfaces do not meet fully the blood safe policy described in this study and as such not suitable for illiterate population. Most blood donors in Uganda are rural based where online systems ay not be the best. The level of computer literate among the blood donors in Uganda is growing because the majority of them are school students. The main challenge remains customizing interfaces that are suitable for capturing basic donor information. Some of the attributes on the interfaces used in the western world such as state and province are not applicable in Uganda. Tripura blood donor information system is a good example of the blood donorsystem that is not suitable for Uganda. Also some key attributes such as age and sessions in [pic]Uganda are lacking on most the interfaces viewed. The interfaces also are not user-friendly as there are many links within the system that can easily confuse the system users and hence leading to data entry errors and boredom. At the Macau blood Transfusion Centre, system Integrado de Bancos de Sangue (SIBAS) works as its solution of computerized blood bank information system. SIBAS complies with the client/server infrastructure, as does its client, and provides an integrated environment for those isolated but interdependent operation in the blood center.With the introduction of the SIBAS t he blood service at Macau has been enhance in the following aspect. Operational efficiency- the processing time has been shortened in that blood donors need not fill in many regular items. On the other hand, the steps for donor cards are under full control and hence leading to donor satisfaction and confidence. There is also improved information consistency and validity. The Indian case study of Prathma Blood Center, Gupta (2004), promises insights into the integration of IS/IT in management of blood records.The Prathma Blood Center is a quest for modernizing blood banking. The entire function from blood donation to its testing and separation, storage, issue and usage have been integrated through a custom designed enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that minimizes human intervention and making it less error prone. The implementation of ERP in blood bank in India has registered many successes in medical data such as security, confidentiality, secrecy and quick retrieval of hi storical records all of which were challenges at URCS blood center.However, full automation of all blood donation activities like the case cannot be done in Uganda due to limited resources. It requires transition, as it is resource constraining in terms of IT, other equipments and human resources. 2. 3 Blood Donor Systems: Challenges and Successes The blood donation service involve a series of interdependent operations such as donor registration, donor screening/evaluation, blood collection, blood screening, inventory management and blood dissemination. Most of the popular existing blood information systems in the western world today are mainly online systems.The systems interfaces do not meet fully the blood safe policy described in this study and as such not suitable for illiterate population. Most blood donors in Uganda are rural based where online systems may not be the best. The level of computer literate among the blood donors in Uganda is growing because the majority of them are school students. The main challenge remains customizing interfaces that are suitable for capturing basic donor information. Some of the attributes on the interfaces used in the western world such as state and province are not applicable in Uganda.Tripura blood donor information system is a good example of the blood donor system that is not suitable for Uganda. Also some key attributes such as age and sessions in Uganda are lacking on most the interfaces viewed. The interfaces also are not user-friendly as there are many links within the system that can easily confuse the system users and hence leading to data entry errors and boredom. At the Macau blood Transfusion Centre, system Integrado de Bancos de Sangue (SIBAS) works as its solution of computerized blood bank information system.SIBAS complies with the client/server infrastructure, as does its client, and provides an integrated environment for those isolated but interdependent operation in the blood center. With the introdu ction of the SIBAS the blood service at Macau has been enhance in the following aspect. Operational efficiency- the processing time has been shortened in that blood donors need not fill in many regular items. On the other hand, the steps for donor cards are under full control and hence leading to donor satisfaction and confidence.There is also improved information consistency and validity. The Indian case study of Prathma Blood Center, Gupta (2004), promises insights into the integration of IS/IT in management of blood records. The Prathma Blood Center is a quest for modernizing blood banking. The entire function from blood donation to its testing and separation, storage, issue and usage have been integrated through a custom designed enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that minimizes human intervention and making it less error prone.The implementation of ERP in blood bank in India has registered many successes in medical data such as security, confidentiality, secrecy and qu ick retrieval of historical records all of which were challenges at URCS blood center. However, full automation of all blood donation activities like the case cannot be done in Uganda due to limited resources. It requires transition, as it is resource constraining in terms of IT, other equipments and human resources. SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN 4. 1 Introduction Following the literature review, background information and correlative knowledge regarding this research project follows.In the first part of this chapter, the demand and requirements of the proposed system are discussed and analyzed through dataflow diagrams, the entity relations model and the data dictionary. According to this analysis, the specification of the system is defined. This provides the foundation for chapter 5 (Implementation and Testing). This chapter presents the various design techniques and processes available for building web based applications. It explains the design technique chosen, showing its advanta ges and disadvantages. 4. 2 A different approach for designing web based applicationsTraditionally, software has been broadly classified into different categories. Some of these categories include real-time software, personal computer software, artificial intelligence software and business software. Web-based systems and applications (WebApps) such as web sites and information processing applications that reside on the Internet or an intranet, require a somewhat different method of development than these other categories of computer software (Pressman, 2000) [xx]. This is because web based systems involve a mixture of print publishing, software development, marketing, computing, internal communications, external elations, art and technology. WebApps are network intensive,content driven, continuously evolving applications. They usually have a short development time, need strong security measures, and have to be aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the population of users is usually d iverse. These factors all make special demands on requirements elicitation and modelling. 4. 3 Requirements and Analysis The requirement analysis stage of a software engineering project involves collecting and analyzing information about the part of the organization that is supported by the application.This information is then used to identify the users' requirement of the new system (Conolly et al, 2002) [xx]. Identifying the required functionality of the system is very important as a system with incomplete functionality may lead to it being rejected. A description of the aim of the project is given here along with details of the functional and non-functional requirements for the system. The test sheets for evaluating the completed system are also presented. [pic] 4. 3. 1 RequirementsThe requirements of the Web-based management information system are to develop: †¢ a web based front end for entering donated blood details including the donor, his/her blood group, sex, age, and status of the donated blood †¢ a web based front end for searching the information relating to a given donor or a given blood group; †¢ a facility to still enter donor and donated blood information via Endnote and also maintain the Endnote database using those details entered via the web front end and †¢ a facility to produce summary information of donor and donated blood particulars and any other related activities. . 3. 2 Functional Requirements In this research project we aim at developing a system which should improve on the current one with a lot of functionalities and therefore the Major target or goal here is to: †¢ to develop a blood donor database that can support the five above mention sub- databases that is to say; DonorDB, Donation DB, DiseaseDB, Transfusion DB and Statistical DB †¢ to develop a client interface that allows privileged users to carry out tasks such as inserting or modifying and deleting data in the database; to develop a searching functionality in order to allow normal and privileged users to search the details of a given donor, blood group, stakeholder and if necessary a type of disease common which causes one to need the donated blood †¢ to fully integrate the Web-based management information system to the World- Wide-Web and hence allow access from any Internet networked terminal and Web browser around the world; to develop a facility that can export details entered via the web front end to Endnote as well as import and confidential detail from the Endnote Database; †¢ to develop a functionality that produces summary information of required data to enhance decision making; †¢ to embed high security features in the Web DBMS to provide privacy, integrity; †¢ to allow privileged users to maintain the Web-based management information system by adding/deleting particulars, backing-up or resetting the database and extract online summary in the form of histograms for each donor and lists of f ree-format comments.Thus a graphical reporting tool should be provided for analyzing the data. †¢ and finally the system should be flexible enough to store data for several years and also be able provide sufficient User and Administration Guides. 4. 3. 3 Non-functional Requirements The system must be developed to suit the particular needs of a user-friendly environment. This means that the system must accommodate a clearly understandable user interface as well as clear online help documentation at any stage of the user interaction with the system.A fast response time in obtaining and providing information to the system may also prove to be a significant advantage. In addition to these requirements, the system should also embrace the following requirements:- Security: Each user is required to log in. The system should log staff that has been assigned user names and passwords. The system should be designed to make it impossible for anybody to logon without a valid username and pa ssword. Data encryption should be employed to keep the user login name and password secret.Reliability: The system would be used by about 50 staff working at the Red Cross head quarters and also some other many staff in the collaborating clinics and hospitals. The system should have little or no downtime and be able to handle multiple concurrent users. Ease of Use: The general and administrative views should be easy to use and intuitive. Online help and documentation should be provided. Performance: The system should have a quick response time. For the purpose of this research project, this would be defined as less than 5 seconds.System and Browser compatibility Testing: The system should be accessible on the following browsers – Microsoft Internet Explorer 5. 5+, NetScape Navigator 6. 0+ and Mozilla 1. 3+. System requirements: Red Cross society Uganda has a UNIX server. This system would be designed to run on a minimum hardware configuration of 500MHz x86 machines. Consideri ng the vast hardware available at the society , this would not pose any problems. Server Software: Operating System: Windows XP PHP version: PHP 5. 0+ Web Server: Apache Web Server. 2. 0+ Database: MySQL 4. 01+ [pic] . 4 Access Level Analysis In order to take closer look into what the system should do and how, it was necessary to decompose the system’s functionalities based on the user type and levels of access. The three main user groups and access levels are: †¢ Global User Group (normal access level) †¢ The Red Cross User Group (privileged access level) †¢ The Administration (privileged access level) Therefore, the requirements could be efficiently analyzed depending on the user group and the functionalities they should be allowed to perform. 4. 4. 1 Main System Page (Index)It is required for the system to provide a Main Page where any Global user (any user within and outside the Red Cross Organization) will be able to access. The main functionality of this page will be to allow any user to search the database by using information such as quantity of donated blood, available blood and the groups, or any other general information which may not be considered confidential. The search capabilities of the main page might not be limited to the exact blood donor, but may for example provide the means for displaying any information that might be relevant but not confidential.The Main Page should also include a Login facility for any privileged or normal user to be able to have access to more advanced functionalities of the System. 4. 4. 2 The Red Cross User Group When a Red Cross user has successfully logged into the system via the Main Page Login facility, it will be necessary for the system to display a specific menu with all available option that can be carried out. Therefore by taking into account the system requirements, it will be necessary to nclude options such as Enter donor details, Search donor, Use Endnote Facilities, Produce Summa ry Information as well as an option that will be related to the appropriate User Guide. A Logout option will also be appropriate for the Red Cross user to be able to logout when desired. 4. 4. 3 Entering-Amending Blood donor Details For a user to be able to amend and enter into the system’s database it will be essential to take into account that the blood donor system will be integrated to Endnote. Therefore, it will be essential for the system to provide to the user the exact fields as Endnote does for any particular type of details.In addition, when a particular of a given donor has successfully been submitted or amended into the database it will be essential for the system to display the appropriate message (i. e. Blood donor successfully entered into database). 4. 4. 4 Searching the Blood Donor Database The Searching Facility for the Red Cross user should not differ from the facility that will be provided on the Main Page of the system for all users. Therefore, the Red Cr oss user will be able to search any type of information in the database using the same way as specified for the Global User. 4. 4. 5 Producing Summary InformationFor this requirement it is essential to firstly understand why and when it will be used and to adjust the functionality to best suit these purposes. In order for the system to efficiently produce summary information it will have to provide a menu providing options such as Produce Annual Report, or Produce General Report etc. 4. 4. 6 Endnote Facilities In order for the system to be effective, it will be necessary for it to be integrated with the Endnote software. Therefore, it will be very significant to accommodate two options that will include Importing blood particulars from Endnote and Exporting blood particulars to Endnote.How this will be done will mainly rely on taking full advantage of particular Endnote filters that are provided for these reasons. 4. 4. 7 Administrator For maintenance purposes it will be of great si gnificance to include advanced Administrator functionalities that can only be accessed by this particular user group. The most reasonable options for an administrator to perform may include tasks such as deleting donors (should not be provided to the Red Cross user group for security reasons), Backing-up and Restoring the database, Resetting the blood donors database etc.In addition to these functionalities the administrator may also be asked to perform tasks related to Red Cross or Global user (i. e. Entering new donors, Searching for a given donor or available blood group) and therefore any functionality provided by the system must be included in the administrator capabilities. .5 Task Structure Diagrams For the development of a more consistent and effective system, it was essential to firstly identify which information should be included accomplish this, it was first of great significance to group all the relevant tasks (system functionalities) depending on the users.The way the systems tasks could be efficiently identified was by using a special technique from the Discovery method called Task Structure Sketching (Simons, 2002). 4. 5. 1 The Red Cross User Red Cross User Functionalities Fig 4. 1: The Red Cros User Task Structure Diagram Insert New Data Edit data Search for Data Produce summary Use Endnote Search for a recipient Search donors Search for disease Export d donations Weekly report Produce annual reports Import donations Search for hospitals Edit clinics Update data Edit donors -recipients Edit diseases Insert new disease Insert recipients Insert donor The Administrator UserAdministrator Functionalities Fig 4. 2 The Administrator Task Structure Diagram Red Cross user Functionalities Delete data Backup data Reset database Backup database Restore Database Delete a phased out disease Delete donor Delete recipient The administrator can perform any task that are performed by the Red Cross User 4. 5. 3 The Global User Global User Functionalities Search database Login Search by recipients Search by donors Search y Year Login as Red Cross User Login as Administrator Want to donate blood – 4. 7 Web Engineering Web engineering is the process used to create high quality Web-based systems and applications (WebApps).Web engineering (WebE) exhibits the fundamental concepts and principles of software engineering by following a disciplined approach to the development of computer-based systems, emphasizing the same technical and management activities (Pressman, 2000) [xx]. The design and production of a software product (such as a web application) involves a set of activities or a software process (Sommerville, 2004) [xx]. A software process model is an abstract representation of a software process. Three generic process models usually adopted in projects are †¢ The waterfall model – This has distinct project phases, which can be easily monitored.These phases are requirements specification, software design, implementation and testing. †¢ Evolutionary development – An initial system is developed quickly from abstract specifications. This is later refined with the input of the user to produce a system that meets the users needs. It is an iterative model. Two refinements of this approach are the incremental and the spiral models. The incremental model of evolutionary development delivers software in small but usable â€Å"increments†, where each increment builds on those that have already been delivered.The spiral model couples the iterative nature of prototyping with the controlled and systematic aspects of the waterfall model. †¢ Component-based software engineering – This is based on the existence of a large number of reusable components and is best suited in an object-oriented environment. A process model helps address the complexity of software, minimize the risk of project failure, deal with change during the project and help deliver the software quickly. For this pr oject two process models were considered: 1. Spiral model 2. A waterfall model. [pic] 4. A WebE Spiral model The spiral model shown in Fig 4. 4 is suggested by Pressman (2000)[xx]. The process consists of 6 main stages, outlined below: 1. Formulation: This is an activity in which the goals and objectives of the WebApp are identified and the scope for the first increment in the process is established. 2. Planning: This stage estimates overall project cost, evaluates risks associated with the development effort, prepares a detailed development schedule for the initial WebApp increment and defines a more coarsely granulated schedule for subsequent increments. Analysis: This stage is the requirement analysis stage for the WebApp. Technical requirements and content items to be used are identified. Graphic design requirements are also identified. Fig 4. 4: The WebE Spiral Model 4. Engineering: Two parallel set of tasks make up the engineering activity. One set involves content design and production, which is non-technical work. This involves gathering text, graphics, and other content to be integrated into the WebApp. At the same time, a set of technical tasks (Architectural design, Navigation design, and Interface Design) are carried out. . Page generation: This is the construction activity that makes use of automated tools for WebApp creation and the content is joined with the architectural, navigation and interface designs to produce executable Webpages in HTML. 6. Customer Evaluation: During this stage, each increment of the WebEprocess is reviewed. Powell (2002) [xx] presents a waterfall model for web engineering (Fig 5. 2). The advantage of this model is that it helps developers plan most of the work up front. 4. 9 Design Phase The design involves the production of technical and visual prototypes.This stage has some on-technical aspects such as gathering of web content. Powell (2002)[xx] points out that ontent gathering can be one of the biggest problems in we b projects. This clearly is not the ase with this survey application as there is very little content required. For the server side rogramming and other technical aspects of the design emphasis will be laid on such design oncepts and principles as effective modularity (high cohesion and low coupling), nformation hiding and stepwise elaboration. The goal is to make the system easier to adapt, ehance, test and use (Pressman, 2000) [xx]. 4. . 1 Producing HTML There are basically 4 methods of producing HTML – 1. Coding by hand using a simple text editor 2. Translation in which content produced in a tool such as note pad is saved as aHTML document. 3. Using a tagging editor that helps fill in the required tags 4. Using a â€Å"What you see is what you get editor† (WYSIWYG) such as MS FrontPage or Macromedia Dreamweaver ©. All these methods have their advantages and disadvantages. While coding by hand may be slow and error prone, it does provide great control over markup, a s well as help address bugs and new HTML/XHTML elements immediately.At the extreme, â€Å"What You See Is What You Get† (WYSIWYG) editors provide visual representation of a page and require no significant knowledge of HTML or CSS. However hey often generate incorrect or less than optimal markup and tend to encourage fixed size resentations that do not separate the look and the structure (Powell, 2003) [xx]. Putting all hese into consideration, a tagging editor, HTML-kit © was chosen for this work. While tagging editors can be slow and require intimate knowledge of HTML and CSS, they provide agreat deal of control and are a lot faster than hand editing. [pic] 4. 10 Architectural DesignWebApps fall into 4 main structures. They can be linear, grid, hierarchical, or networked (fig 4. 5). In practice most web sites are a combination of some of these structures. Fig. 4-5. Navigational Structures of websites/Web Applications ( Lemay, 2000) Considering the nature of this web applic ation, a combination of both hierarchical and linear structures will be adopted. The actual survey web pages will have a linear structure while the Admin pages will have more hierarchical nature. 411 Database Design Database design involves the production of a model of the data to be stored in the database.A data model is a diagram of the database design that documents and communicates how the database is structured. The database design methodology followed in this project is that suggested by Connolly et al(2002)[xx]. Connolly presents quite a detailed guide to designing database but not all of those steps may apply here, as this project is not too complex. The design process is divided into three main stages – conceptual, logical and physical database design. The purpose of the conceptual database design is to decompose the design into more manageable tasks, by examining user perspectives of the system.That is, local conceptual data models are created that are a complete an d accurate representation of the enterprise as seen by different users. Each local conceptual data model is made up of entity types, relationship types, attributes and their domains, primary keys and integrity constraints. For each user view identified a local conceptual data model would be built. (Connolly et al,2002) [xx]. In building the conceptual data model, a data dictionary is built to identify the major entities in the system. An entity relationship (ER) diagram is used to visualize the system and represent the user’s requirements.The ER diagram is used to represent entities and how they relate to one another. The ER diagram also shows the relationships between the entities, their occurrence (multiplicities) and attributes. Following the view integration approach, a different data model (ER diagram) is made for each user Data Dictionary Entity Name Description Donors A person who donates blood Recipients A person who receives blood Diseases The diseases which are foun d in the infected donated blood Blood group The blood that is donated by the donors Hospital/ClinicHospitals to which donated blood is distributed Staff Red Cross staff District Districts from which donors and recipients originate from Table 4. 1: Data Dictionary 4. 11. 1 Conceptual Database Design In this stage, a local conceptual data model is built for each identified view in the system. Alocal conceptual data model comprises of entity types, relationship types, attributes and their domains, primary and alternate keys, and integrity constraints. The conceptual data model is supported by documentation such as a data dictionary.The entity types are the main objects the users are interested in. Entities have an existence intheir own right. Entity types are identified and their names and description are recorded in adata dictionary. Care is taking to ensure that all relationships in the users requirements specification are identified. An Entity-Relationship diagram is used to represe nt the relationship between entities. The multiplicity of each relationship is included. This is because a model that includes multiplicity constraints gives a better representation of the enterprise.Relationship descriptions and the multiplicity constraints are recorded in the data dictionary. Each model is validated to ensure it supported the required transactions. Entity name Attributes Description Data Type Size Nulls Multi Valued Donors donorId (PK) -dNames -sex – dob – distId (FK) – doreg Donor identification number Donor’s names Donor’s sex Date of birth District of origin Date of registration Text Text Text Date Int Date 8 30 6 30 3 30 No No No No No No No No No No No No Recipients -rId (PK) -rNames -sex – dob – distId (FK) – doreg Recipient’s identification umber Recipients names recipient’s sex Date of birth District of origin Date of registration Text Text Text Date Int Date 8 30 6 30 3 30 No No No No N o No No No No No No No Diseases -dId (PK) -dNames -drating Disease identification number Disease names Disease rating on how people are infected from it Text Text text 8 30 20 No No No No No No Blood bGroup(PK) donorId (FK) rId (FK) status Blood group Donor identification number recipient identification number status of the donated blood whether infected or not Text Text Text text 2 8 8 15 No No No No No No No No Hospital/Clinic hId (PK) hNames distId (FK) Hospital identification number Hospital name District identification Number text text int 8 100 3 No No No No No No Staff staffId (PK) staffNames sex dob department Staff identification number Staff names Sex Date of birth Department to which the staff belongs text text sex date text 8 50 6 15 100 No No No No No No No No No No District distId distName District number District name int text 3 100 No No No No Entity name Multiplicity Relationship Entity Name Multiplicity Donors 1 Donates Blood 1 Recipients 1 Receives Blood 1 Disease s Contained in Blood 0 .. * Blood 1 Donated by Donor 1 .. * Hospital/ Clinic 1 Receives Blood 1 .. * Staff 1 Registers Donors 1 .. * District 1 Has Recipients 1 .. * Table 4. 2: An extract from the data dictionary showing a description of the relationships between the entities. 4. 11. 2 Logical Database Design The process of logical database design constructs a model of the information used in an enterprise based on a specific data model, such as the relational model, but independent of a particular DBMS and other physical considerations (Connolly et al, 2002)[xx].The logical database design consists of an ER diagram, a relational schema, and any supporting documentation for them. In the logical data model, all attributes of entities are primitive. Producing a logical data model involves normalization. The aim of normalization is to eradicate certain undesirable characteristics from a database design. It removes data redundancy and thus prevents update anomalies. Normalization helps increase the clarity of the data model. Integrity constraints are imposed in order to protect the database from becoming inconsistent.There are five types of integrity constraints – required data, attribute domain constraints, entity integrity, referential integrity and enterprise constraints. The resulting relations are validated using normalization. For this project, producing relations in third normal form (3NF) will suffice. Non-relational features, such as many-to-many relationships and some one-to-one relationships, are removed from the conceptual data model. The design is also reviewed to make sure it meets all the transaction requirements. [pic] 1.. * 1.. 1 1.. * 1.. * 1.. 1 1.. 1 registers Donors PK donorId Names sex dob FK distId doreg District PK distId distName Recipient PK rId rNames sex dob FK distId doreg Hospital PK hId (PK) hNames FK distId Staff PK staffId staffNames sex dob department Diseases PK dId dNames drating Blood PK bGroup FK donorId FK rId status Fig. 4. 6: The ER diagram 4. 11. 3 Physical Database Design Physical database design translates the logical data model into a set of SQL statements that define the database for a particular database system. In other words, it is the process of producing a description of the implementation of the database on secondary storage.It describes the base relations and the storage structures and access methods used to access the data effectively, along with associated integrity constraints and security measures. The target DBMS in this case is MySQL. The following translations occur: 1. Entities become tables in MySQL. 2. Attributes become columns in the MySQL database. 3. Relationships between entities are modeled as foreign keys. Donation Process View Video †¢ [pic] Getting Ready for Your Donation †¢ †¢ The Donation Process Step by Step †¢ †¢ After the Donation To get ready for your  donation: | |[pic] | |Make an Appointment | |It always helps us to know in adv ance when you are coming in to make a donation. | |[pic] | |Hydrate |[pic] | |Be sure to drink plenty of fluids the day of your donation. | |[pic] | | |Wear Something Comfortable | | |Wear clothing with sleeves that can easily be rolled up | | |above the elbow. | |[pic] | | |Maintain a Healthy  Level of Iron in Your Diet  Before | | |Donating | | |If possible, include iron-rich foods  in your diet, | | |especially in the weeks before your donation. | |[pic] | |Bring a List of Medications You Are Taking | |We will need to know about any prescription and/or over the counter medications that may be in your system. |[pic] | |[pic] |Bring an ID | | |Please bring either your donor card, driver's | | |license or two other forms of identification. | |[pic] | | |Bring a Friend | | |Bring along a friend, so that you may both enjoy | | |the benefits of giving blood. | |[pic] | | |Relax! | | |Blood donation is a simple and very safe procedure| | |so there is nothing to worry about. |