Tim Berners Lee: The Inventor Of The Internet

Tim Berners Lee: The Inventor Of The Internet Many people have had a significant impact on the world of mass media that radically changed how the world communicates information. One example of someone who has done just that would be Tim Berners-Lee, who is best known for his innovation: The World Wide Web. Tim Berners-Lee has impacted the world of mass media in several ways. First, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. Second, since the World Wide Web was invented, it has radically changed the way that the people communicate. Third, the internet has revolutionized how the press gets information to the people. Finally, while the Internet has its advantages, it has had alot more than its share of controversy. First, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. The story behind the invention of the internet is an interesting one. It all began around 1980 while Tim Berners-Lee was working as a software engineer at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, Switzerland; also known as CERN. He wanted to figure out a new way to organize his notes in a brain-like way, but while improving upon the abilities of that occasionally memory-constrained organ and came up with a new way of doing it building a software program called Enquire (TIME). Using the ideas that he used to build Enquire and other ideas that were current at the time, he created another way of finding files on his computer: by creating a type of hypertext notebook that allows the text in a document to be linked to other files on the computer. He then thought about accessing materials on other computers. He then thought about opening his computer to not only his coworkers at CERN, but to the scientific community everyw here. By using this type of networking scheme by connecting individual computers together on a network, it would mean no centralized system. This would mean that the new network would have no trouble with scalability, which means that it could grow to infinity. Tim Berners-Lee then built a coding system that was easy to learn and use to build web pages. It is called HyperText Mark-up Language, also well known as HTML. It has become the most wildly used language that web developers or even normal people use to create web pages and sites. He then created e new set of protocols that allowed these HTML documents to be connected across the Internet called HyperText Transfer Protocol, also well known as HTTP. Soon after that, Tim Berners-Lee wrote the code for the first web browser, which allowed users around the world to access web pages on the internet. Once the World Wide Web debuted in 1991, the world of mass media changed forever as it brought order and clarity to the chaos that was cyberspace. The World Wide Web (the information-sharing model built for the internet that is the way accessing and sharing information on the internet) and Internet (the massive network of computers) experienced growth at exponential rates (The Difference). At one point, the number of internet users was doubling every 53 days (TIME). Clearly, Tim Berners-Lees inventions made a huge impact on the mass media industry. Second, since the World Wide Web was invented, it has radically changed the way that the people communicate. Since the Internet was first brought online, many social networking sites have radically changed how people, businesses and organizations communicate. One of those websites is Facebook. With Facebook, anyone could create a profile on the site and not only post their thoughts on their wall for friends to see and comment on, but also use instant messaging to talk to friends in real-time and even share photos and videos between friends or even everyone on Facebook. Facebook has evolved the way that people communicate in several ways. One example is how easy it is for anyone to click the Add Friend and reconnect with old friends. Another example is how the sheer number of people using Facebook affects the mass media, numbering in the hundreds of millions, possibly soon to be in the billions. Because of how many people use Facebook, the chances are good that anyone wanting to find old friends would find them on Facebook. Businesses who want to advertize would use Facebook because their ads would reach a very large amount of people. Organizations who create community pages or groups for a specific cause could also speak to a very large amount of people. Another great example is how Facebook is real time and very easy to update. Since Facebook is real time, people could keep their profiles current from anywhere with just seconds of work at a time, even from mobile devices such as cell phones. This also allows people to share events as they happen within seconds (Welcome)(NEWS). Clearly, Tim Berners-Lees invention allowed the social networking sites to form and they evolved the way that people communicate. The global nature of the Internet and the World Wide Web only helps to let sites like this expand on a huge scale. Third, the internet has revolutionized how the press gets information to the people. For hundreds of years, the newspaper has been the best known and well used source of information on current events. However, in recent years, its popularity has declined. Nowadays, 61% of citizens in the western world get their news from the Internet, compared to 17% who get their news from the newspaper. This could be for several reasons. One reason would be that people could access up-to-minute news on the internet at any time from any location if they want to because of the nature of the internet and the evolution of mobile devices that have the capability to access it. There is no need to go to a newsstand or store to buy a newspaper to read news that might be out of date. Another reason is that publishing a story on the internet is also much easier and less expensive than publishing it on printed media. Internet news could also have photos and video supporting the text on a new agencys website. Another reason would also be that the news is available to many more people due to the worldwide nature of the internet (What are)(Newspapers). Another mainstream format that the internet is quickly replacing would be television. Internet television and streaming video are supplying news in about the same format as television with full motion video. Internet video is also easier to set up and less expensive to put a video online or watch it (Internet). Clearly, Tim Berners-Lees inventions revolutionized how the press gets information to the people. Finally, while the Internet has its advantages, it has had alot more than its share of controversy. Since Tim Berners-Lee invented the internet, it has caused many controversies in the world. One key example of a significant issue in many countries that the internet has provided is the use of censorship to filter obscene materials and the worldwide nature of the network. Some countries, such as China have responded with a strict internet censorship scheme that regulates what types of content the people may read or write. In fact, the censorship scheme has been given the nickname The Great Firewall of China in popular culture because it blocks thousands of websites that the Chinese government feels are a threat to the country and society. It also affects the ability of the press to report current events freely and without restriction. This was especially a huge issue during the Beijing Olympics, where there were many foreign journalists on site. Another key issue that the internet has caused is the issue of privacy. One major breach of privacy that involves the internet would be Google Street View. Google Street View is part of Google Maps and it allows anyone to view an area as if they were standing on a street. Google uses specially modified vehicles with cameras that take pictures in every direction as the car drives along. These pictures are then uploaded to Google Maps and allow users to use them in addition to maps to look at an area. This has caused major privacy problems because there are several occasions when the vehicle takes photos of people on private property that do not wish to be photographed for various reasons. While Google does offer users the option of reporting individual images to request their removal from the web, that that would be after the fact and the image could have be saved by anyone prior to removal (15 Biggest). Clearly, Tim Berners-Lee has made a significant impact on the world of mass media because while his inventions created many advantages to how media is delivered to the people, it also creates massive controversies in the process. Tim Berners-Lee has had a significant impact on the world of mass media that radically changed how the world communicates information. His innovations that caused these changes are the World Wide Web and the Internet. Tim Berners-Lee has impacted the world of mass media in several ways. First, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. Second, since the World Wide Web was invented, it has radically changed the way that the people communicate. Third, the internet has revolutionized how the press gets information to the people. Finally, while the World Wide Web and the Internet has its advantages, it has had alot more than its share of controversy. Clearly, Tim Berners-Lee has impacted the world of mass media in many ways, positive and negative. Gaucher’s Disease: Types, Symptoms and Treatments Gaucher’s Disease: Types, Symptoms and Treatments New Treatment Plans Give Hope to Patients with Gaucher’s Disease Katherine Van: Gaucher’s disease occurs within individuals because they lack the enzyme glucocerebrosidase in the body, which is responsible for breaking down fatty substances called glucocerebroside. Consequently, large amounts of fatty substances are able to build up and stay in the liver, spleen, lungs, bone marrow and brain because of the damaged and lack of glucocerebrosidase. Hence, the disease is also called glucocerebrosidase deficiency. Any age group can be diagnosed with this disease, but studies show that there is a higher percentage of the disease in Eastern and Central European Jewish people.     Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many types of Gaucher’s disease. The first form is called non-neuronopathic Gaucher’s disease because it does not target and damage the central nervous system. The symptoms are: Thinning of bones Extreme bone pain and bone fractures Enlarged liver Enlarged spleen Low amounts of healthy red blood cells Excessive fatigue Vulnerability to bruising Low amounts of blood platelets Yellow spots in the eyes Regular nosebleeds The second type of Gaucher’s disease is neuronopathic and it can be life-threatening because it damages the central nervous system. Babies after three months of birth can be diagnosed with this form of Gaucher’s disease. Its symptoms are similar to the non-neuronopathic form, but it also includes: Brain problems, including dementia Severe inflexibility Seizures The last form of Gaucher’s disease is called perinatal lethal and it is the most severe type. In fact, most infants with perinatal lethal die after a few days of birth. The symptoms listed below: Extensive swelling due to fluid accumulation Dry and scaly skin Serious neurological problems Gaucher’s disease develops as a result of mutations in the GBA gene. The GBA gene is responsible for making glucocerebrosidase enzymes, which simplifies glucocerebroside molecules into sugars and smaller fat molecules. However, mutations in the GBA gene impact the ability of the enzymes to function properly. Consequently, the large amounts of fatty substances cause organ failure. Patients can be diagnosed with Gaucher’s disease because of an inheritance pattern called autosomal recessive. The parents must be carriers of a Gauchers genetic mutation in order for the children to have Gaucher’s disease. Nevertheless, there is only a 25 percent chance that their child will be diagnosed with the disease. In order to identify and track the progression of Gaucher’s disease within patients, a series of diagnosis and tests are used. Enzyme analysis uses blood tests to identify a patient’s levels of glucocerebrosidase. If Gaucher’s disease was active in the patient, there are low levels of glucocerebrosidase in the blood. On the other hand, carriers have enzyme levels between the affected and unaffected people who are not carriers. Another test is called the genetic mutation analysis and it tries to find mutations in the genes associate with Gauchers disease. However, not all of the genetic mutations involved in Gauchers disease have been identified; thus this test is used to help classify which type of Gauchers disease patients have. In order to measure the progression of the disease, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can also be used. DXA uses low energy X-rays to measure bone density, while MRI uses magnetic fields and rad io waves to create images of organs. MRI can show organ enlargement, such as the spleen or liver. In addition, doctors perform prenatal testing in pregnant women that are carriers of Gaucher’s disease to test if Gauchers disease is active in the fetus. Doctors will analyze the amniotic fluid or tissues from the placenta to complete the prenatal testing. Gauchers disease cannot be cured; it is only controlled or managed. The type of treatment given to patients varies depending on the type and severity of Gaucher’s disease and condition of patients. One treatment given is the enzyme replacement therapy, where replacement enzymes in liquid substances are injected into the veins of patients every two-weeks. This type of treatment is effective within individuals with non-neuronopathic Gaucher’s disease. Nevertheless, people may regularly experience an allergic reaction to the enzyme treatment. Another treatment method available is the bone-marrow transplantation. This is a surgical procedure that is used for severe cases of Gauchers disease, where damaged blood-forming cells are removed and replaced. However, this medical treatment is not as common as the enzyme replacement therapy because it has more threats and hazards. Lastly, medication can also be used to manage Gaucher’s disease. The oral medication miglustat ( Zavesca) is an effective drug that minimizes the build-up of the fatty substances in non-neuronopathic Gaucher’s disease. Nevertheless, the medication can cause side effects in the digestive system, such as diarrhea and, weight loss. Furthermore, the drug can also interfere with sperm production. In ladies, birth control is advised while using miglustat and for three months after they stop using the drug. In December 2001, Genzyme, a Sanofi Company completed a study to compare the effectiveness of a drug, Cerezyme, in two different dosage amounts in their patients with Gaucher’s disease. Both males and females ages 18 and older were eligible for study. Nevertheless, only patients with type 1, non-neuronopathic Gaucher’s disease were allowed to participate. There were multiple research centers that participated in the lab, including eighteen in the United States, one in Canada, six in Europe, and one in Brazil. During the study, 90 participants were randomized and placed into two groups. The first group of people received their monthly dose of Cerezyme in two infusions; one infusion per two weeks (Q2). The second group of individuals received their monthly dosage in one infusion every month (Q4). The progression of the effects of the drug on the Gaucher’s disease was monitored by measuring the hemoglobin values and platelet count of patients. Magnetic resonance ima ging and computer tomography were also used to explore any improvements in the patient’s liver and spleen conditions. Moreover, researchers tried to identify if the change in dosage reduced the symptoms of patients, such as fatigue, vulnerability to bruising and yellow spots in the eyes. Genzyme believed that patients who received one infusion every 2 weeks would show a more positive reaction towards their non-neuronopathic Gaucher’s disease because there was a longer period of time in between the monthly dosage sessions of Q4. Hence, this could cause a deficiency of all the replaced glucocerebrosidase at the end of the month. Conversely, Q2 would be more stabilized because the enzyme glucocerebroside would be replaced every two weeks. In theory, by the end of each month, only half of the enzyme glucocerebroside would be deficient. Similarly, the findings of the lab, displayed in table one, showed that 80.8% of the participants of Q2 Cerezyme showed clinical success, whereas there was only 63.2% of clinical success within individuals using Q4 Cerezyme. Hence, Q2 was a better drug frequency in terms of safety and efficacy. Q2 Cerezyme Q4 Cerezyme Number of Participants Analyzed 26 57 Number of participants with Clinical Success 21 36 Proportion of participants with Clinical Success 80.8% 63.2% Table 1: Number of Participants with Clinical Success after the Completion of the Clinical Trial The chart above portrays the number of participants that showed improvements in their Gaucher’s disease in comparison to their condition before the clinical trial. For example, some participants noticed a reduction of symptoms, such as extreme tiredness, bruising, yellow spots in the eyes, and nosebleeds. As well, there were some improvements in hemoglobin values, platelet count, and liver and spleen conditions. A similar lab was conducted to test the efficacy of two dosage amounts in an enzyme replacement therapy on February 1, 2007. The global specialty biopharmaceutical company, Shire, wanted to test VPRIV, a hydrolytic lysosomal glucocerebrosidase-specific enzyme, that was used in long-term enzyme replacement therapy for patients with type 1 Gaucher’s disease. The controlled variable of the study were the 45 and 60 U/kg dosages of VPRIV, also known as velaglucerase alfa (GA-GCB), given to patients with type one Gaucher’s disease. Shire also used random trials to divide the participants into two groups that received the dosage every other week. Nevertheless, one group received 45 U/kg and the other group received 60 U/kg of VPRIV. Ages two and older of both genders were allowed to participate in the study. The duration of treatment for each patient was 12 months, where the first patient enrolled into the study on January 11, 2007, and the last patient participated in the res earch project on April 8, 2008. The progression of the effects of the drug on Gaucher’s disease was monitored by measuring the hemoglobin values and platelet count of patients. Magnetic resonance imaging and computer tomography were also used to explore any improvements of the patient’s liver and spleen conditions. Shire believed that 60 U/kg of VPRIV was a better treatment towards the non-neuronopathic Gaucher’s disease, assuming that VPRIV was safe and efficient, because there were more artificial enzymes. The data collected in table two supported their hypothesis as the average change of baseline of Gaucher’s disease was better in the twelve participants that used 60 U/kg of VPRIV every other week. A baseline is the initial amount of a substance where the final amount is compared to. A baseline is also referred to as the reference point. The chart supports Shire’s hypothesis as the spleen and liver volumes of VPRIV 45 U/kg patients decreased and hemoglobin and platelet concentrations increased towards a more normalized size or amount. Nevertheless, the research is still continuing and the data released is not fully up to date. VPRIV 45 U/kg, Every Other Week VPRIV 60 U/kg, Every Other Week Number of Participants Analyzed 13 12 Average Change of Baseline of Spleen Volume (units: Percent body weight) -1.87 -1.92 Average Change of Baseline of Liver Volume (units: Percent body weight) -0.30 -0.84 Average Change of Baseline of Hemoglobin Concentration (units: g/dL) 2.429 2.438 Average Change of Baseline of Platelet Counts (units: x10^9/L) 40.92 50.88 Table 2: Change of Baseline of Gaucher’s Disease in Participants After 12 Month Treatment The chart above portrays the average change of baseline of spleen volume, liver volume, hemoglobin concentration and platelet counts for two groups of patients; those who received 45 U/kg of VPRIV, and other who received 60 U/kg of VPRIV every other week. Negative values indicate a decrease in size, whereas positive values indicate an increase in size. The data was collected by using magnetic resonance imaging and analyzing participates’ blood tests. Overall, studies continue to occur in order to find more effective treatments for individuals suffering from Gaucher’s disease. The severity of this disease may vary from patients, but in general, the disease is very harmful as it can lead to deaths in young age groups. Gaucher’s disease attacks important organs in the body, such as the liver, spinal cord, heart and brain, and prevents the organs from functioning properly. Nevertheless, the disease only occurs due to genetics and the positive research projects conducted on Gaucher’s disease will continue to bring hope in humans. References http://www.convertunits.com/info/dl http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003647.htm http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/childhood-cancer-information/supportive-care/symptom-and-side-effect-management/low-platelet-count/?region=nu http://www.lilly.com/products/patient-safety/providers-role/Pages/adverse-event.aspx http://www.drugs.com/monograph/cerezyme.html http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gauchers-disease/basics/coping-support/con-20031396 http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/gaucher-disease http://www.shirecanada.com/en/default.aspx http://www.vpriv.com/about-vpriv/ http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/results/NCT00430625?term=gaucher+diseaserank=13sect=X012 http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00364858?term=Gaucher%27s+Diseaserank=3