Thursday, October 31, 2019
Films Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3
Films - Essay Example a result, some people who experienced only the earliest days of independent film, such as grandparents, have a view that these productions run hand-in-hand with grainy film images, bad sound, and convoluted storylines and production values. However, these misconceptions do not encapsulate the reality of modern independent film. Though financial interests do have an impact on the final product, it is the unwillingness to conform to traditional plot forms, a sense of aesthetic and artistic freedom, and a willingness to step outside of established film-making strategies and methods that truly characterizes the best films within the genre. Engaging in independent film means more than the product of willingness to work on a limited budget. It requires a brave, artistic soul and focused attention and dedication to creativity and innovation. How often would you consider the decision of a playwright to enter independent film rather than utilizing a large studio a result of artistic integrity versus an all-encompassing need to control the film produced? Or alternatively, at what point would it be better to compromise in terms of content or delivery in return for budgetary enhancement rather than attempt to create the film according to the writerââ¬â¢s vision
Monday, October 28, 2019
Public health Essay Example for Free
Public health Essay The difference in the roles of the public health nurse and the community health nurse lie not in the types of care offered but in the level at which this care is offered to patients. The public health nurse provides care to individuals or to the members of a family. The community health nurse, on the other hand, provides on-going care and tips to a wider base of persons within a community. The goal of the public health nurse is to promote the wellness of the persons that reside within a community, so this role is often confused with that of the community health nurse. In fact, in many regions and countries, the terms are used interchangeably. However, while the role of the public health nurse is to identify and deal with distinct illnesses being faced by persons at a given time, community health is concerned with the identifying issues in the physical and social environment that may affect the etiology of disease. The community health nurse works to educate the public regarding any such issues found to be of medical concern rather than merely to treat specific people with specific illnesses (Lundy James, 2001). à à à à à à à à à à à It is often the case, however, that the role of public health nursing is contained within that of community health nursing. One particular definition of community health nursing gives its role as promoting and preserving health within a given population through education and the integration ââ¬Å"of skills relevant to both nursing and public healthâ⬠(Lundy James, 2001, p. 874). Another definition demonstrating this integration of public health nurseââ¬â¢s role into that of the community health nurse is found in a journal by the ACHNE. It states that ââ¬Å"Community health nursing is a synthesis of nursing theory and public health theory applied to promoting and preserving the health of populationsâ⬠(qtd. in 2001, p. 874). It can therefore be seen that community health nursing extends beyond simply promoting prevention and good health practices; it also includes some measures taken by nurses toward ameliorating the effects of diseases being suffered by individuals in a given instance. This incorporates the role of the public health nurse. Therefore, the main difference between the two still appears to be the level at which the care is offered to the members of a population. Reference Lundy, K. S. S. James. (2001). Community health nursing: caring for the publicââ¬â¢s health. à à à à Sudbury: Jones Bartlett.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
The pathophysiology of a disease: COPD
The pathophysiology of a disease: COPD This assignment will discuss the pathophysiology of a disease process of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It will also show how biological, psychological and the social aspects of the disease that can have an affect on an individuals day to day life. COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This is a term used for a number of conditions; including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD leads to damaged airways in the lungs, causing them to become narrower and making it harder for air to get in and out of the lungs. The word chronic means that the problem is long-term. COPD is a condition which mainly affects people over the age of 40, and COPD has a higher prevalence occurring among women than men (NHS-Choices, 2008). COPD is also a condition that is long term and incurable that can have a serious affects on health and quality of life, its not fully understood why COPD develops. (Marieb, 2003). The student will also incorporate local and national health and social policies, including frameworks that are in place in relation to the patients illness. The student identified a patient named Mrs J. She was admitted to hospital due to exacerbation of COPD. Her primary diagnosis is Osteoarthritis of the Hip but also had symptoms of emphysema. Mrs J is a 55 year old women and is married, Mrs J also has an older child whom she has become quite dependant on and felt lik e she had impacted on her childs life and had become a hindrances. Mrs J has become more breathless as her condition develops over time and more so while she was lying in bed unable to carry out her daily activities such as doing the housework, leisure activities, also looking after her appearance as she normally would have done at home. COPD is becoming one of the fastest leading causes of disability (NHS choices, 2008). According to British Lung Foundation, (2010) a recent survey, 83% of COPD patients said their COPD slows them down, 79% said they had to cut down their activities and 56% said their condition has a great affect on their families. COPD is the most common respiratory conditions in adults in the developed world and poses an enormous burden to society both in terms of direct cost to the healthcare services and indirect costs to society through loss of productivity. Recent analysis estimated that National Health Service (NHS) spends à £818 million annually in the Unite d Kingdom (UK). (British Thoracic Society, 2006). However 50% of the cost is accounted for by poorly managed exacerbations resulting in frequent re-admissions to hospital (Coakley Ruston, 2001). Mrs J condition would of been triggered by her heavy smoking, the toxins from her cigarettes has made her bronchioles (airway and lungs) become inflamed and narrowing the airway, this will lead to irreversible damage to the respiratory system by obstructing the bronchial airflow and hindering gaseous exchange within the alveoli (Munden, J, 2007). Mrs J suffers from many symptoms due to her smoking these include shortness of breath, a persistent cough, yellowish green sputum, signs of cyanosis to her lips, also Mrs J has continued to smoke as she thinks the damage has already been done so her condition. The vast majority of COPD patients are smokers. By stopping smoking patients can slow the rate of decline in lung function and thus improve the patients prospects in terms of symptoms and survival. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidance on COPD states that All patients still smoking, regardless of age, should be encouraged to stop, and offered help to do so, at every opportunity. These deliver a small dose of medicine to the lungs, causing the airway muscles to open up. Bronchodilators are also effective in preventing over-expansion of the lungs. Short-acting beta2-agonists are the most commonly used short acting bronchodilaors for COPD. Their effects last for about 4 hours. Short-acting antichloinergics are also used as bronchodilators. Long-acting beta2-agonists are similar to the short-acting agonists described above but their effect lasts for 12 hours. Lomg-acting anti-cholinergics need only be taken once a day. The NICE guidance recommends that short-acting bronchodilators should be used for the initial treatment for breathlessness and exercise limitation and goes on to say that, if this isnt having an effect then the treatment should be intensified using eith er a long-acting bronchodilator or a combined therapy with a short acting beta2-agonist and a short-acting anticholinergic The respiratory system is the major part for gases exchange to take place, it allows takes the air that enters are bodies when we inhale and travels through the respiratory system, exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide and expels carbon dioxide when we exhale (munden, J, 2007). In the NHS there is a tool to calculate the smoking load and the packs in a year this tool is called smoking pack tool, this was used to see the damage that Mrs J had caused by smoking for so many years. This is because the seriousness of the disease depends on how much and how long the individual has smoked for. Mrs J has been smoking now for 45 years and on a average day having up to 40 cigarettes a day and is not prepared to quit as she feels the damage is already done. Mrs J smokes for comfort and feels that its all for her pleasure, she has become very isolated, her chronic bronchitis makes her breathless when doing actives and is not able to do her daily activities therefore is becoming depressed. Do this having a huge impact on her mental and social parts of her life. Patients with COPD have traditionally been divided into pink puffers and blue bloaters based on their physiological response to abnormal blood gases. The former work hard to maintain a normal pO2 which is why they puff away. They tend to have a barrel-shaped, hyperinflated chest and breath through pursed lips. The latter are blue because of hypoxia and polycythaemia. They are often obese and have water retention. This is why they are bloated. The blue bloaters are dependent upon hypoxia for their respiratory drive and to give oxygen and deprive them of this will lead to signficant hypercapnia and acid base imbalance. Although this concept is widely taught and acknowledged academically, in clinical practice patients tend not to be clearly in one or the other of these two categories (NICE Clinical Guideline (2004) Patients like Mrs J with airflow limitation clinically they have become known as pink puffers and blue bloaters (Kleinschmidt, 2008). Mrs J falls under the term blue bloaters as she linked to chronic bronchitis due to cyanosis which is a blue tinge to the lips, which occurs from poor gas exchange. pink puffers has been linked to emphysema as the patients may be showing signs of weight loss, using their accessory muscles with pursed lips giving them a reddish complexion, they may also adopt the tripod sitting position (Kleinschmidt, 2008). Although these conditions separate the patient may present with slight variations of them both, however they do differentiate through their underlying process, signs and symptoms (Bellamy Booker, 2004). Airways and air sacs within the lungs are manly elastic, with the air we breath the lungs change shape with inhalation they expand and return to the normal shape after they have been stretched with air. Mucociliary clearance is an important primary innate defense mechanism that protects the lungs from deleterious effects of inhaled pollutants, allergens, and pathogens. Mucociliary dysfunction is a common feature of chronic airway diseases in humans. The mucociliary apparatus consists of three functional compartments, that is, the cilia, a protective mucus layer, and an airway surface liquid (ASL) layer, which work in concert to remove inhaled particles from the lung. The nose and nasal cavity are composed of ciliated columnar epithelium cells which contain goblet cells and cilia, the goblet cells are responsible for secreting mucus which is able to trap the finer particles from inspired air and the cilia which are fine hairs that can trap larger particles. The cilia carrys the particles by a sweeping motion this is swept to the mouth or nose where it can then be swallowed, coughed or sneezed out of the body in order to prevent these particles from entering the lungs (Munden, J, 2007). The two major sources of mucus secretion in the respiratory tract are the surface epithelial goblet cells and mucous cells. In lungs, goblet cells are present in the large bronchi, becoming increasingly thin toward the bronchioles. The submucosal glands are restricted to the large airways with their density decreasing with airway calibre. In chronic respiratory diseases, such as COPD and asthma, submucosal glands increase in size (hypertrophy), and the number of goblet cells is increased (hyperplasia), becoming more dense in the peripheral airways, via a phenotypic conversion of nongoblet epithelial cells (metaplasia) (Rogers, 1994;Jackson, 2001). The increased of goblet cells density to ciliated cells in the bronchioles, under the conditions of hypersecretion, this impairs clearance of mucus. Lung histology from patients affected by COPD and asthma also shows the presence of edema, which can further reduce airway caliber and compromise lung function. A marked airway infiltration of macrophages and granulocytes is also present, principally neutrophils in COPD and eosinophils in asthma (Postma and Kerstjens, 1998). In clinical studies, these inflammatory parameters have been shown to correlate with a reduction in lung function (FEV1) and an exaggerated bronchoconstriction [airway hyperreactivity (AHR)] to nonspecific stimuli (Postma and Kerstjens, 1998). Smoking has many effects on the airways. Inhaled smoke destroys the cilia that are important for moving mucus to the throat for swallowing. As a result, mucus accumulates in the bronchioles and irritates the sensitive tissues there, causing a cough. Coughing is vital as it is the only way smokers can remove mucus from their lungs and keep the airways clean (Rubin, 2002). This is characterised by the smokers cough. Constant coughing to clear the sputum has an effect on the smooth muscle of the bronchioles which becomes hypertrophied (enlarged or overgrown). This in turn causes more mucus glands to develop. The goblet cells are replaced within the small airways (bronchi) with Clara cells they are another form of secreting cell these are important they form ciliated cells and to help regenerate the bronchiolar epithelium, they produce hypophase component and a protease inhibitor these help protect the lungs by mopping up debris (Stokley et al, 2006).To accomplish gas exchange the lung has two components; airways and the alveoli. The airways are two branching tubular passages that allow air to move in and out of the lungs, the wider segments of the airways are called the trachea and the two bronchi going to the right and left lung. The smaller segments are called the bronchioles and at the end of the bronchioles are the alveoli which are thin walled sacs like a bunch of grapes; small blood vessels (capillaries) run in the walls of the alveoli this is where gas exchange between air and blood takes place. (Matterporth Matfin, 2009). Rogers, 1994;Jackson, 2001 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NICE Clinical Guideline (2004); Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults in primary and secondary care COPD. BMJ Clinical Evidence. www.clinicalevidence.com, accessed 10 June 2009 Textbook of Medical Physiology (10th edition) Guyton, A.C. and Hall, J.E. (2000) W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia; London. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; September 2005. Britton M; The burden of COPD in the U.K.: results from the Confronting COPD survey.; Respir Med.2003 Mar;97 Suppl C:S71-9. [abstract] Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, NICE Clinical Guideline (2004); Management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults in primary and secondary care Lacasse Y, Goldstein R, Lasserson TJ, et al; Pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Oct 18;(4):CD003793. [abstract] Barr RG, Bourbeau J, Camargo CA, et al; Inhaled tiotropium for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005 Apr 18;(2):CD002876
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Briefer and Deeper: A Comparative Analysis of Depth-Oriented Psychother
Briefer and Deeper: A Comparative Analysis of Depth-Oriented Psychotherapy Introduction The use of psychotherapy in decidedly time-limited contexts is the hallmark of modern trends toward maximizing effectiveness and minimizing costs in the realm of health and mental health treatment. Although clients have historically utilized therapy for brief intervals (an average of 8 sessions), the use of models designed for this purpose is comparatively new. There is an ever-widening breadth of approaches - both formerly long-term designs modified to require fewer sessions and those born with the goal of brevity. Despite the diversity in brief psychotherapy (BPT) approaches, each therapy tends to be based on similar fundamental assumptions and general themes. For example, it is widely believed that a skillful therapist can affect useful changes in the lives of clients - changes that continue to build long after the treatment ends (Messer & Warren, 1995). These therapies also include root metaphors or ideas of where human difficulty arises, a set of curative factors, and an image of what it means to be mentally healthy (Borden, 1999). Finally, in an effort to address client issues briefly, the articulation of a clinical focus is seen as essential and can range from present day relational problems to underlying struggles with drives and anxiety - depending on the theoretical orientation. In comparison, Bruce Ecker and Laurel Hulley's Depth-Oriented Brief Psychotherapy (DOBT) model presents a slight variation to what has become the customary brief approach. DOBT is composed of techniques organized around the idiosyncratic, unconsciously held meanings of each client. Thus, there is no set formula or core dilemma to be address... ...ard theoretical pluralism in clinical practice. Most importantly, however, is DOBT's reassuring techniques which allows its clients a new, more coherent knowledge of themselves which leads to a deep and exquisite form of healing. References Borden, W. (1999). "Pluralism, pragmatism, and the therapeutic endeavor in brief dynamic treatment. W. Borden (Ed.) The therapeutic endeavor in brief dynamic treatment: Theory, research, practice, commentary. Haworth Press, New York. Ecker, B. & Hulley, L. (1996). Depth-oriented brief therapy: How to be brief when you were trained to be deep and vice-versa. Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco. Ecker, B. & Hulley, L. (1999). Depth-oriented brief therapy. [Online]. Available: www.dobt.com Messer, S. & Warren, C. (1995). Models of brief psychodynamic therapy: A comparative approach. The Guildford Press, New York.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Rethink your Drink Essay
Based on the feedback that I received from my provider Mable Siow, a CFNP at the pueblo clinic, I chose a poster presentation. I am a school nurse in a Native American Pueblo and because of the high obesity rate we have among our young people, I chose to teach about high caloric drinks. A poster presentation was appropriate because of my audience. The theme of my presentation was ââ¬Å"Rethink Your Drinkâ⬠Please see photo below. My school conducted a small health fair in our gym, on Friday March 3rd 2010, I was able to create a poster board presentation exactly like the one depicted above. I added Red bull and Monster as I have confiscated these types of drinks from my middle school kids. The reaction and response I received from the kids and the parents was amazing. When you create a display such as this, it is easy enough to understand and the visual presentation is a very powerful tool in the teaching of how much sugar is consumed in each drink. By the time the parents and kids left my table, I received some very positive feedback. I also had handouts of information that I downloaded from the internet on the amount of calories that equal one teaspoon of sugar. For example, each teaspoon of sugar is equivalent to 16 calories. If you drink a 20 oz Mountain Dew, you are consuming 312 calories and 19. 5 teaspoons of sugar. The community setting was a combination of a public health clinic and a child care center. I am the school nurse and the audience consisted of my school kids, their parents and the school staff. I believe that this presentation made a big impact on how the parents will view these drinks in the future. Our dental hygienist was very happy to see the presentation and mentioned that she will borrow it for her clinic, as there are high numbers of kids with severe tooth decay.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Essay on Omid Safi Memories of Muhammad Why the Prophet Matters
Essay on Omid Safi Memories of Muhammad Why the Prophet Matters There are currently about 1.5 billion Muslims who consider Muhammad as the reliable messenger of God and link to divinity. After the bombing of twin towers, there have been a lot of negative publications about Prophet Muhammad.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Essay on Omid Safi Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They depict Muhammad is a polygamist who started a religion that does not value women, and it embraces violence. He has been likened to Osama bin Laden. In fact, one of his portraits shows that he has hidden a bomb under his turban. A lot of violence has been linked with Islam leaving the non-Muslim in search of information about this religion. Dr. Safi a professor of Islamic studies recognizes that Prophet Muhammad is the center of all the confusion. He has written this book to aid the Muslim and non-Muslim understand his impact on Muslim religion. This essay will support the thesis that, Islam is about dignity and obedience to God, not oppression of women, extremism or terrorism. Mohammad was born at a time when communities worshipped idols rather than God. Most of their common practices revolved around superstition. Muhammad was sent by God to teach the people his will. The reason why people needed to obey God is to have an everlasting life in paradise. His ultimate message to mankind was that, there exists a supreme being with great authority and immense power. The author emphasizes the necessity of obeying and worshiping God, when he says After birth we envision God to be improved edition of ourselves, then the provider of comfort and all that is absent in our lives. Later we see him as a sovereign being, afterwards we discover that God is Love and magnificent (174). In addition to that, he says, One needs to know God to understand life(76). This emphasizes that humans cannot realize their purpose on earth, unless they seek God. ââ¬Å"Re garding women, Muhammad said that of all the precious things in the world, there is non that is precious as a righteous womanâ⬠(205). Muhammad did not regard women any less than men.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is shown when he said that if a woman obeyed Godââ¬â¢s law, such as praying five times a day and fasting in the month of Ramadan, she can choose to enter heaven, in whichever door she likes. These are the same requirements a man needs to fulfill in order to get to heaven. He also urges men to protect women, because if they do so, they would end up in heaven with Muhammad. Some of the Muslims have been associated with acts of terror. They claim that Muhammad teaches violence and spread of terror. During Mohammadââ¬â¢s lifetime, he was exiled and mocked. Even one of his neighbors used to throw rubbish on him every day in the morning. Over a nd over again he forgave his persecutors, even when he had the opportunity to revenge, for example, when Mecca was conquered. The relationship between Muhammad and the neighbor who used to throw rubbish at him changed for the better, after realizing the prophetââ¬â¢s kindness and concern. When she failed to throw rubbish on Mohammad one day, the prophet went up to see if everything was alright. The woman was touched by Muhammadââ¬â¢s care and, she became one of his followers. ââ¬Å"This clearly demonstrates that Mohammad had no hatred for his enemies instead; he showed them love and kindnessâ⬠(207). Some Muslims associate themselves with Mohammad through rage rather than sympathy. Speaking more on war, Safi quotes the Quran saying, ââ¬Å"Do not attack those who propose to fight you and do not be violent, for God hates aggressors. Quran 2:190 (27). Regarding Muhammadââ¬â¢s polygamy marriages, there are certain aspects that people should know. During those days, it wa s alright for the Semitic and Arabs to practice polygamy. It was a normal practice, particularly among the leaders and dignified men. David, Solomon, and Abraham of the biblical times also practiced polygamy. On the peak of his life, Muhammad was married to Khadija only. After she died, that is when Muhammad married many wives. ââ¬Å"Social and political motives to form alliances were the reason he married some womenâ⬠(143). To the non-Muslim, Muhammad considered all human beings as Godââ¬â¢s children. One of Muhammadââ¬â¢s religious practices was connecting social life with internal meditation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Essay on Omid Safi Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the core messages of Muhammad was that no one is more significant than the other. He quotes the words of the prophet from the Quran 2:177, Food for a single person satisfies tw o people, and food for two people satisfies four people, and food for four people satisfies eight peopleâ⬠(197). In his book, Safi tells the non-Muslim people that Muhammad was sent by God for the sake of humanity. He says, ââ¬Å"Muhammad stands for the potential in humans because he embraces what it means to be a perfect humanâ⬠(174). Safi says that Quran does not accommodate other religions ââ¬Å"â⬠¦..but simply conveys the idea of one God and one leadership spread by many messengers to a multitude of peopleâ⬠(264). Although Muslimââ¬â¢s believes are different from other religions, they consider everybody in this world to be equal in Godââ¬â¢s eyes. The author does not agree with Muslims who go out causing terror in the name of Muhammad. He says If a Muslims deserves to be called a Muhammads person, then it is up to a Muslims to embrace the qualities of compassion and fairness that Muhammad had. If Muslim is not to be merely a past description or deve lopment sign but a holy sign of hopeful to the morals of Muhammad, then it is critical to live by the divine example that Muhammad placed (Quran 33:21) (267). It is such a pity how bad the extremist Muslim make other law abiding Muslims look. Lastly Safi emphasizes on direct obedience, admiration of beauty, hospitality to strangers, high esteem of life, modest life, family and worship of Allah. Safi, Omid. Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters. New York: HarperOne, 2009. Print.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Emperor Penguin Facts (Aptenodytes forsteri)
Emperor Penguin Facts (Aptenodytes forsteri) The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the largest type of penguin. The bird is adapted to living its entire life in the cold of the Antarctic coast. The generic name Aptenodytes means diver without wings in Ancient Greek. Like other penguins, the emperor does have wings, but it cannot fly. Its stiff wings act as flippers to help the bird swim gracefully. Fast Facts: Emperor Penguin Scientific Name: Aptenodytes forsteriCommon Name: Emperor penguinBasic Animal Group: BirdSize: 43-51 inchesWeight: 50-100 poundsLifespan: 20 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Antarctic coastPopulation: Fewer than 600,000Conservation Status: Near Threatened Description Adult emperor penguins stand between 43 and 51 inches tall and weigh between 50 and 100 pounds. Weight depends on sex and season. Overall, males weigh more than females, but both males and females lose weight when incubating eggs and raising hatchlings. After the breeding seasons, both sexes weigh around 51 pounds. Males enter the season between 84 and 100 pounds, while females average around 65 pounds. Adults have black dorsal plumage, white feathers under their wings and on their bellies, and yellow ear patches and upper breast feathers. The upper part of the bill is black, while the lower mandible may be orange, pink, or lavender. Adult plumage fades to brown before molting each year in summer. Chicks have black heads, white masks, and gray down. Emperor penguins have bodies streamlined for swimming, flipper-like wings, and black feet. Their tongues are coated with rear-facing barbs that help prevent prey from escaping. Penguin bones are solid rather than hollow to help the birds survive the pressure of deep water. Their hemoglobin and myoglobin help them survive at the low blood oxygen levels associated with diving. On land, emperor penguins either waddle or slide on their bellies. Sian Seabrook, Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Emperor penguins live along the coast of Antarctica between 66à ° and 77à ° south latitudes. Colonies live on land, shelf ice, and sea ice. Breeding occurs on pack ice as far as 11 miles offshore. Diet Penguins are carnivores that prey upon fish, crustaceans, and cephalopods. They are social birds that often hunt together. They can dive to 1,500 feet, spend up to 20 minutes underwater, and forage over 300 miles from their colony. Chicks are hunted by Southern giant petrel and south polar skuas. Adults are only preyed upon by leopard seals and orcas. Behavior Penguins live in colonies ranging from 10 to hundreds of birds. When temperatures drop, penguins huddle in a rough circle around juveniles, slowly shuffling around so each adult gets a chance to shelter from the wind and cold. Emperor penguins use vocal calls to identify each other and communicate. Adults can call at two frequencies simultaneously. Chicks modulate the frequency of their whistle to call parents and indicate hunger. Reproduction and Offspring Although sexually mature at three years of age, most emperors dont start breeding until they are four to six years old. In March and April, adults begin courtship and walk 35 to 75 miles inland to nesting areas. The birds take one mate each year. In May or June, the female lays a single greenish-white egg, which weighs about one pound. She passes the egg to male and leaves him for two months to return to the sea to hunt. The male incubates the egg, balancing it on his feet to keep it off the ice. He fasts about 115 days until the egg hatches and his mate returns. For the first week, the male feeds the hatchling crop milk from a special gland in his esophagus. When the female returns, she feeds the chick regurgitated food, while the male leaves to hunt. The parents take turns hunting and feeding the chick. The chicks molt into adult plumage in November. In December and January all of the birds return to the sea to feed. Less than 20% of chicks survive the first year, as a parent must abandon a chick if its mate doesnt return before the guardians energy reserves are depleted. The adult survival rate from year to year is about 95%. The average lifespan of an emperor penguin is around 20 years, but a few birds may live as long as 50 years. Males keep chicks warm by resting them on their feet and snuggling them in an area of feathers called the brood patch.. Sylvain Cordier, Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN updated the conservation classification status of the emperor penguin from least concern to near threatened in 2012. A 2009 survey estimated the number of emperor penguins to be about 595,000 individuals. The population trend is unknown, but suspected to be decreasing, with a risk of extinction by the year 2100. Emperor penguins are highly sensitive to climate change. Adults die when temperatures rise high enough to reduce sea ice coverage, while low temperatures and and too much sea ice increases chick deaths. Melting sea ice from global warming not only affects the penguin habitat, but also the species food supply. Krill numbers, in particular, fall when sea ice melts. Emperor Penguins and Humans Emperor penguins also face threats from humans. Commercial fishing has reduced food availability and tourism disrupts breeding colonies. Emperor penguins have been kept in captivity since the 1930s, but only successfully bred since the 1980s. In at least one case, an injured emperor penguin was rescued and released back into the wild. Sources BirdLife International 2018. Aptenodytes forsteri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22697752A132600320. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22697752A132600320.enBurnie, D. and D.E. Wilson (Eds.). Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Worlds Wildlife. DK Adult, 2005. ISBN 0-7894-7764-5.Jenouvrier, S.; Caswell, H.; Barbraud, C.; Holland, M.; Str Ve, J.; Weimerskirch, H. Demographic models and IPCC climate projections predict the decline of an emperor penguin population. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106 (6): 1844ââ¬â1847, 2009. doi:10.1073/pnas.0806638106Williams, Tony D. The Penguins. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0-19-854667-2.Wood, Gerald. The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. 1983. ISBN 978-0-85112-235-9.
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