Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 4

The next day, I went to the address on Dante's business card. It was in Rainier Valley, which wasn't exactly rundown but wasn't upwardly mobile either. The directions led to a narrow shop jammed in between a barber and a shady-looking convenience store. PSYCHIC hung in red neon letters in the window. The â€Å"I† had burned out. Underneath it, a handwritten sign read: PALM READING & TAROT CARDS. I stepped through the door, making bells ring. The interior proved to be as barren as the exterior. A narrow counter flanked one wall. The rest of the small, stark space was empty, save for a round table covered in red velvet that had cigarette burns on it. A tacky crystal ball sat on top. This place was a wasteland compared to Erik's warm, inviting shop. â€Å"Just a minute,† a voice called from an open doorway in the back. â€Å"I've just got to – â€Å" A man entered the room and stopped when he saw me. He was about six-foot, with black hair pulled back in a ponytail. Two days worth of facial hair covered his face, and he wore jeans and a plain black T-shirt. Early forties, maybe, and pretty cute. He looked me over from head to toe and gave me a sly, knowing smile. â€Å"Well, hello. What do we have here?† He tilted his head, still studying me. â€Å"Not human, that's for sure. Demon? No, not strong enough. Vampire? No†¦not this time of day.† â€Å"I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I stopped, surprised that he'd sensed something in me. He had no immortal signature; he was definitely human. He must be like Erik, I realized. A mortal who could sense the immortal world, though he didn't have enough skill to pinpoint what I was exactly. Deciding there was no point in subterfuge, I said, â€Å"I'm a succubus.† He shook his head. â€Å"No, you aren't.† â€Å"Yes, I am.† â€Å"You aren't.† I was a bit surprised to be having this conversation. â€Å"I am too.† â€Å"No. Succubi are flame-eyed and bat-winged. Everyone knows that. They don't wear jeans and sweaters. At the very least, you should have a bigger chest. What are you, 34B or something?† â€Å"C,† I said indignantly. â€Å"If you say so.† â€Å"Look, I am a succubus. I can prove it.† I let my form change, shifting through several different female variations before returning to my usual one. â€Å"See?† â€Å"Well, I'll be damned.† I had a feeling he was playing with me. â€Å"Are you Dante?† â€Å"For now.† He approached and shook my hand, holding on to it. He flipped it over. â€Å"You here for a palm reading? I'll show you how to shape-shift your hand to get a good future.† I took my hand back. â€Å"No, thanks. I'm here because I have some questions†¦questions that Erik Lancaster thought you might be able to answer.† Dante's smile dropped. He rolled his eyes and walked over to the counter. â€Å"Oh. Him.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean? Erik's my friend.† Dante leaned his back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. â€Å"Of course he's your friend. He's everyone's friend. Fucking boy scout. If he could have shaken his holier-than-thou attitude and worked with me, we could have made a fortune by now.† I remembered what Erik had said about Dante being a con artist and a Hell-bound person. I didn't pick up any evil vibes off him, but there was a definite abrasiveness to his attitude that made Erik's assessment more plausible. â€Å"Erik has standards,† I declared. Dante laughed. â€Å"Oh, great. A holier-than-thou succubus. This is going to be fun.† â€Å"Look, can you just answer my questions? It won't take long.† â€Å"Sure,† he said. â€Å"I've got time – at least until the next rush of customers.† The bitter tone in his voice as he gestured to the empty room indicated that there hadn't been a rush in a very long time. â€Å"I had a dream the other night,† I explained. â€Å"And when I woke up, all my energy was gone.† â€Å"You're a succubus. Supposedly. That kind of thing happens.† â€Å"I wish everyone would stop saying that! This wasn't normal. And I'd been with a man the night before. I was charged up, so to speak.† â€Å"You do anything afterward that would have depleted the energy?† Everyone kept asking that too. â€Å"No. I just went to bed. But the dream†¦it was really strange. I don't know how to explain it. Really, really vivid. I've never felt anything like it.† â€Å"What was it about?† â€Å"A, um, dishwasher.† Dante sighed. â€Å"Did someone pay you to come here and mess with me?† Through gritted teeth, I related the dream. â€Å"That's it?† he asked when I finished. â€Å"Yup.† â€Å"Lame dream.† â€Å"Do you know what it means?† â€Å"Probably that you need to fix your dishwasher.† â€Å"It isn't broken!† He straightened up. â€Å"Sorry. Can't help you then.† â€Å"Erik said this was your specialty.† â€Å"It is, I suppose. But, sometimes a dream is just a dream. You sure you don't want me to read your palm? It's all bullshit, but I can at least make something up so you feel like the trip wasn't wasted.† â€Å"No, I want to know about my fucking dream. How can it be just a dream if I woke up with no energy?† Dante walked back over to me and flicked a piece of escaped hair out of his face. â€Å"I don't know. You aren't giving me enough to go on. How many times has it happened?† â€Å"Just the one time.† â€Å"Then it may be just a fluke, kiddo.† I turned toward the door. â€Å"Well, thanks for the ‘help.'† Hurrying over to my side, Dante caught my arm. â€Å"Hey, wait. You want to go get a drink now?† â€Å"I – what?† â€Å"I'll risk upsetting the masses and close up shop for the day. There's a great bar around the corner. Draft Budweiser – only a dollar a glass during happy hour. My treat.† I scoffed. I didn't know what was more absurd. That Dante thought I'd go out with him or that he thought I'd drink Budweiser. His attractiveness wasn't enough to make up for his weird personality. â€Å"Sorry. I have a boyfriend.† â€Å"I'm not looking to be your boyfriend. Cheap sex is fine with me.† I met his eyes. They were gray, similar to Carter's but without the silvery hue. I expected a joke here, but despite the perpetual smirk, Dante appeared to be perfectly serious. â€Å"Why on earth do you think I'd have cheap sex with you? Do I look that easy?† â€Å"You say you're a succubus. You're easy by definition. And even without the bat-wings and flame-eyes, you're pretty cute.† â€Å"Aren't you worried about your soul?† Even if he was as corrupt as Erik had insinuated – and I still wasn't really seeing that – Dante would take some kind of hit from sleeping with me. All mortals did. Of course, I'd met plenty of men – good and evil alike – who'd been willing to risk their souls for sex. â€Å"Nope. My soul's pretty far gone. This would just be for fun. Look, if you want to skip the beer, we can just get right to it. I've always wanted to do it on the table over there.† â€Å"Un-fucking-believable.† I pushed open the door. â€Å"Oh, come on,† he pleaded. â€Å"I'm pretty good. And hey, maybe your boyfriend's poor sexual performance is what's stressing you out and taking away your energy.† â€Å"Not likely,† I told him. â€Å"We don't have sex.† There was a moment's silence, then Dante threw back his head and laughed. â€Å"Did it occur to you that maybe that's stressing you out? Clearly the dishwasher is a metaphor for your broken sex life, which then forces you to wash dishes ‘by hand.'† I left, heading back to the bookstore where I could get a little respect. Some dream expert Dante had turned out to be. I could see now why Erik didn't really like him. I was also starting to wonder if maybe everyone was right. Maybe I had mentally burned myself out. Maybe the dream was really just a dream. I was almost at the bookstore when I got a phone call. â€Å"Miss Kincaid?† asked a pleasant female voice. â€Å"This is Karen from the Seattle Children's Alliance, calling to confirm your participation in our auction this week.† â€Å"Your what?† There was a pause. â€Å"Our charity date auction, to raise money for the Alliance.† I was still baffled. â€Å"Um, sounds like a great cause, but I have no idea what you're talking about.† I heard papers being ruffled. â€Å"We have you listed as a volunteer.† â€Å"For what, to be auctioned off for a date?† â€Å"Yes. It looks like†¦here we are. Your name was submitted by Dr. Mitchell.† I sighed. â€Å"Let me call you back.† I hung up and dialed Hugh. â€Å"Hey, Dr. Mitchell. You volunteered me to be auctioned off?† â€Å"It's not that different from what you usually do,† he argued. â€Å"And it's for charity.† â€Å"I buy the peace-on-Earth-and-good-will-toward-men thing from Peter and Cody – but not from you. You don't care about those kids.† â€Å"I care about the group's director,† Hugh said. â€Å"She's a fucking fox. I get some high quality candidates to raise money, and I can probably get her in bed.† â€Å"You're using a children's charity to further your sex life. That's horrible. And why didn't you ask Tawny? If anyone needs a date, she does.† â€Å"Her? Jesus Christ. It'd be a disaster. We're trying to make money here. Do you hate kids or something?† â€Å"No, but I don't have time to do it. I'll write them a check.† I hung up on his protests, just as I turned onto Queen Anne Avenue. I was a little early for my shift and decided to stop home and grab an apple and a granola bar. Last time I'd worked, we'd been so busy that I'd skipped my lunch break. I figured that this time, I should come prepared. My immortality wouldn't let me starve to death, but I could still get lightheaded and weak. Halfway down the hall to my apartment, I felt a shock wave of crystalline goodness. Angelic auras. I opened my door and found the whole gang: Carter, Yasmine, Whitney, Joel, and Vincent. None of them spoke; they were all just watching me expectantly. The angels would have sensed me long before I sensed them. They all sat in my living room, casually occupying my sofa and chairs as though they weren't a host of heavenly warriors. Well, not all of them were casual. Joel sat as stiff and formal as he had the first time I met him. â€Å"Oh, man,† I said, shutting the door behind me. â€Å"It's just like that They Might Be Giants song.† Vincent grinned. â€Å"‘She's an Angel'?† I nodded. â€Å"Somewhere they're meeting on a pinhead – â€Å" † – calling you an angel, calling you the nicest things,† he finished. â€Å"What are you doing here?† demanded Joel, interrupting our jam session. â€Å"Or not so nice,† I muttered. I turned from Vincent and glared at Joel. â€Å"I live here, remember?† â€Å"We're having a meeting,† he said. â€Å"Hey, when you asked if Vince could stay here, you never said anything about making this your top secret tree house headquarters. I don't care if you guys hold your choir practice here or whatever, but don't try to throw me out while you do.† â€Å"Sorry,† said Yasmine. I did a double-take. Apologies from angels were about as rare as from demons. From the look on his face, Joel was about as surprised as me. â€Å"We probably should have asked first. We can go somewhere else.† She leaned over my coffee table and started gathering up newspapers. Interesting. Apparently Vincent's fixation with the news was more than just a personal hobby. I glanced back up at Yasmine and tried to act like I hadn't noticed anything. â€Å"No, it's fine. I'm actually heading right back out. I just came by for some food.† She pushed strands of long, black hair out of her face. They'd slipped out of her ponytail. â€Å"You want Vince to make you something?† He turned to her, startled, wearing an astonished, yet still-amused look. â€Å"What am I, your personal assistant?† â€Å"Not with the kind of respect you show us,† she grumbled. I hid a smile. â€Å"Thanks, but I'm fine. I don't have the time.† â€Å"Good,† said Joel. â€Å"Then hurry up.† Whitney sighed and looked a little embarrassed – but not enough to contradict him. Yasmine had no such qualms and elbowed him in the ribs. â€Å"What was that for?† he exclaimed. â€Å"You have no manners,† she scolded. Grinning broadly, I went to the kitchen and found an apple. When I opened the cupboard to look for my granola bars, I found the box empty. â€Å"Hey,† I said, carrying it out to the living room. â€Å"Did somebody eat these? I had two left this morning.† Carter spoke up for the first time. â€Å"I was hungry.† I stared at him, incredulous. â€Å"You ate both of them?† â€Å"I was hungry,† he repeated, not looking contrite in the least. â€Å"Does it ever stop with you?† I exclaimed. â€Å"First the Christmas tree, now this? You didn't even throw the box away!† â€Å"I was hoping you'd forgotten about the Christmas tree. That was an accident, and you know it.† I sighed loudly and put the apple in my purse. â€Å"I'm going to the grocery store later,† said Vincent helpfully. Aubrey jumped up and settled herself between him and Yasmine. Both their hands instantly moved to pet her. Aubrey gave me a smug cat look at the attention. â€Å"I'll pick you up some more if you want.† â€Å"Pick him up some more so that he doesn't go rob the food bank next. See you guys later. No wild parties while I'm gone.† Carter, Yasmine, and Vincent laughed; Whitney and Joel didn't. When I'd shut the door behind me, I paused in the hall, wishing there was some way to spy on angels. There wasn't, unfortunately. I couldn't even hide from them. They could mask their signatures from me, but not vice versa. In fact, they all knew I hadn't left yet. Annoyed, I headed downstairs, curiosity burning in me. Why were they all here? Why did they need a human? And what role did the newspapers play? Figuring out what angels did with their time was always difficult. With my side, it was pretty straightforward. We were always looking to commit souls to Hell and did so in a well-monitored, micro-managed manner. Heaven's forces moved in mysterious ways, though. Carter's purpose in Seattle was a continual puzzle for my friends and me since none of us ever saw any evidence of him doing anything particularly noble, aside from sharing his cigarettes. He did always show a lot of interest in my love life and was quick to dispense cryptic pieces of advice, but I suspected that was more curiosity than altruism. Work was only a few blocks away. Since it wasn't raining, I simply walked down there. As soon as I entered Emerald City, Maddie approached me, an uncomfortable expression on her face. â€Å"Hey,† she said uneasily. â€Å"I, um, need your advice. I'm going to a wedding tomorrow and don't know what to wear. This is so stupid†¦but could you take a look at my options?† Peering around, I decided the store could function without us for ten minutes, particularly since it had taken Maddie a fair amount of courage to broach this subject. I'd never actually seen her dress up before. â€Å"Okay. Let's see what you've got.† We went back to my office, and she tried on three different dresses. No doubt Seth would have been amused to know she was changing clothes while I was in there. When she'd finished, I gave my honest opinion. â€Å"They don't do you justice.† â€Å"Which is a nice way of saying they look awful on me.† Maddie balled one of the dresses up and tossed it to the floor. â€Å"I hate this sort of thing. How can I write about women's issues and not be any good at them?† â€Å"Well†¦you write about different kinds of issues. The problem here is that you're wearing clothes that are too big for you.† Her dark eyes widened in surprise. â€Å"I'm big. They're loose. They hide it.† Maddie wasn't big, not really. She was a size ten or twelve, if I had to guess, and her short height emphasized that a little. But her curves were all proportioned correctly, and she had a very pretty face. Of course, compared to the anorexic models so popular among humans today, I could understand her attitude. â€Å"You are not big. But those dresses make you look it. Something smaller's going to make you look better.† â€Å"I can't wear tight clothes.† â€Å"They don't have to be tight. They just have to fit.† Maddie sighed and ran her hands down the sides of her thighs. â€Å"You don't know what it's like,† she said, the slightest accusatory note in her voice. â€Å"You're beautiful and tiny. Not all of us have the luxury of looking perfect all the time.† â€Å"No one looks perfect all the time,† I argued. â€Å"I certainly don't.† Okay, I kind of did. â€Å"You've just got to find the right things. And really, half of beauty is attitude. You feel sexy, then you are sexy.† Maddie looked dubious. â€Å"I don't think it's that easy. Guys aren't exactly chomping at the bit to ask me out. You know how long it's been since I was on a date?† â€Å"That goes back to attitude,† I said. â€Å"Look, I don't mean to sound harsh, but you don't always give off friendly vibes. I mean, you do to me. And to Doug. Sort of. But really, that's it.† â€Å"I know I'm not the best with people,† she admitted, crossing her arms over her chest. â€Å"But I just can't do meaningless small talk.† â€Å"Yeah, but you still have to do some talking. It's a fact of life.† â€Å"Well, if guys came and actually talked to me, maybe I could try. But they aren't really lining up.† She gestured at her body. â€Å"Because of this. And now we've come full circle.† â€Å"What if I could guarantee you a date?† I asked, suddenly inspired. Her lips quirked into a smile. It instantly transformed her face. â€Å"Are you asking me out?† â€Å"No, but someone else will, I'm certain of it. You just have to let me pick out your outfit.† â€Å"I'm not wearing anything slutty.† â€Å"It won't be,† I promised. I stood up from my chair. â€Å"Look, I've gotta run. Wear the yellow dress to the wedding. With a belt. I'll give you details later about the date plan.† She left, looking skeptical, and I threw myself into work. The rest of the day flew by. I never saw Seth in the caf? ¦ and presumed he was working at home today. We had a date later on, so I knew I'd see him then. Since becoming manager, I spent a lot of time holed up in my office, which was hard on the social part of me. But, every once in a while, I got to escape to cover someone's break or arrange a display. While near the self-help section, a guy carrying some books stumbled near me and dropped the stack. Hoping he hadn't tripped on a bump in the carpet and was planning a lawsuit, I hastily knelt down to help him. â€Å"No, no,† he said, cheeks burning. He was the age I looked, late twenties. Early thirties at most. â€Å"You don't have to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was already stacking them, though, and quickly understood his discomfort. They were books on all sorts of fetishes – in particular, exhibitionism and voyeurism. â€Å"Oh God,† he said, as I handed him the books. â€Å"I'm so embarrassed. I feel like such a pervert.† â€Å"It's okay,† I told him. â€Å"It's your business, and we've all got our†¦ah, preferences.† He looked mildly reassured but still clearly wanted to bolt. There was a wedding ring on his hand, and I expected I was dealing with a fetish he probably didn't share with his wife. Honestly, I was surprised he'd resorted to actual books when he could find a hundred times more sources on the Internet. Most likely he and his wife shared a home computer, and he feared discovery. It was Georgina the succubus, not Georgina the bookstore manager, who asked the next question. Georgina the bookstore manager would have gotten fired for it if caught. â€Å"You like the watching or the doing?† I kept my voice low. He swallowed, studied me for mockery, and must have decided I was serious. â€Å"The, um, doing.† For half a breath, I considered going for it with him. I needed the energy, badly. He'd be an easy mark, consumed with a secret obsession he couldn't fulfill anywhere else. But, it'd mean doing it in this body, and I didn't like that. This was my preferred, everyday shape. I didn't want to sully it with business. So, I smiled and sent him on his way, silently wishing him well in fulfilling his sexual desires. I called Seth later while I was walking home from work to confirm our date. We were going to meet over at the Pacific Northwest Ballet to see The Nutcracker. While he appreciated the performing arts, getting him to go out while his book's ending loomed had been a Herculean task, and I still couldn't believe he'd agreed. He'd only conceded after I'd promised he could show up at the last possible minute. Only, we apparently had different definitions of â€Å"last possible minute† because when the lights went down, he still hadn't surfaced. The ballet started, and I craned my neck each time I heard one of the doors open. The chair beside me stayed empty, unfortunately. It was a sign of my agitation that I missed a lot of the performance and couldn't appreciate Clara's dream – a dream as vivid for her as mine had been for me. I loved the ballet. I'd danced in a few shows over my lifetime and never got tired of watching graceful muscles and elaborate costumes. At intermission, I turned on my cell phone and saw that Seth had tried to call. I dialed him back without even listening to the voice message. When he answered, I said, â€Å"Please tell me a crazy fan kidnapped you and broke your legs with a sledgehammer.† â€Å"Um, no. Didn't you get my message?† â€Å"Well, no, seeing as my phone said it came in a half-hour ago. I didn't have it on because I was busy watching this thing. You know, The Nutcracker?† He sighed. â€Å"I'm sorry. I couldn't leave. I was too wrapped up. I thought if I, uh, gave you enough notice†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Notice? This was more like a belated birthday card. Six months after the fact.† Silence fell, and I felt some satisfaction in knowing he was quietly acknowledging his wrongdoing. â€Å"I'm sorry, Thetis. It was†¦I shouldn't have done it, busy or not. I'm really sorry. You know how I get.† Now I sighed. He was so damned sincere and adorable that I had a hard time holding a grudge. This wasn't, however, the first time he'd stood me up or otherwise neglected our social life. Sometimes I wondered if I allowed him too much indulgence. I spent so much time worrying about my transgressions taking advantage of him; maybe I was the one being walked over without even realizing it. â€Å"You want to meet up after the show?† I asked, trying not to sound mad. â€Å"Cody invited me out to the bar with them. We could hang out there for a while.† â€Å"Um†¦well, no.† â€Å"No?† The annoyance I'd tried to quell shot its head back up again. â€Å"I just forgave you for standing me up and wasting the money I paid on your ticket, and now you're turning down my conciliatory offer?† â€Å"Look†¦I really am sorry, but watching you and your friends get drunk isn't exactly appealing.† I sat for a moment, too stunned to respond. He'd spoken in his typically mild way, but I'd heard the slightest bit of derision underscoring his words. Seth didn't drink. He always tolerated my excesses good-naturedly, but I suddenly wondered if they irritated him after all. His meaning came through as haughtiness to me. â€Å"Sorry we're not up to your standards. God knows we can't expect you to do anything outside of your comfort zone.† â€Å"Please, stop. I don't want to fight with you,† he said with exasperation. â€Å"I'm really, really, really sorry about all this. I didn't mean to stand you up. You know that.† The lights flashed, signaling the end of intermission. â€Å"I've got to go.† â€Å"Will you†¦will you please come over tonight? Go out with your friends, let me finish, and then I'll make things up to you. I promise. I†¦I have an early Christmas present for you.† The hesitancy in his voice softened my heart. A little. â€Å"Yeah. Okay. It might be really late when I get there.† â€Å"I'll wait up.† We said our good-byes and disconnected. I watched the rest of the show in a grumpy mood and decided drinking and bitching with the gang couldn't come a moment too soon.

Google the Best Company Essay

The competition is steep for any company seeking to become one of the Best, and certainly for any company that shows up in the #1 slot. Yet Google chose a great role model to help them create the special culture that has supported their success. While definitely creating and following their own path, leaders at Google also turned to Genentech (#1 on the Best Companies list in 2006) as a source of ideas and wisdom to guide their growth as a company. And they have grown well, with confidence that their unique culture and approach to work life have contributed to the overall suc- cess of the organization. In their Culture Audit (a key component of the Best Com- panies evaluation process) they state, â€Å"There is no hard data that can ever prove that a free lunch and a multicultural, campus-like environment con- tribute to the organization’s success and profit. What can be proven is that Google is growing at an immense pace – retention of employees is high, attrition is low and revenues are strong ($6. 1B in 2005). People are eager to work at Google and applications to our job openings are exceedingly high (approximately 1,300 resumes a day). † Google’s employees confirm what is reported in the Culture Audit, with 95% of the employees who responded to the employee survey part of the Best Companies evaluation process saying, â€Å"Taking everything into account I’d say this is a great place to work. That’s an extraordinary sentiment for a fast paced, stressful yet exhilarating work environment. Even people who leave Google to try something different do so reluctantly (SF Chronicle, 1/7/07). Google’s leaders have figured out the formula that works for them by treating people with respect, supporting their creative endeavors, and working hard to adhere to their motto of â€Å"Don’t be evil†. It’s not magic, or rocket science or paternalism or entitlement. In some ways it is plain common sense. As they explain in their Culture Audit: â€Å"Our employees, who call themselves Googlers, are everything. Google is organized around the ability to attract and leverage the talent of exceptional technolo- gists and business people. We have been lucky to recruit many creative, principled and hard working stars. We hope to recruit many more in the future. As we have from the start, we will reward and treat them well. â€Å"

Middle Cerebral Artery Stroke Health And Social Care Essay

Stroke is a complex neurovascular disease caused by multiple mechanisms that result in a break of normal intellectual blood flow. Harmonizing to Kockrow and Christensen ( 2011 ) , ischemic in-between intellectual arteria shot is an unnatural status of the blood vass in the encephalon, characterised by bleeding into the encephalon of the formation of an embolus or thrombus that occludes the in-between intellectual arteria, ensuing in ischemia of the encephalon tissue usually perfused by the damaged cells. The in-between intellectual arteria supplies the largest volume of the cerebral hemisphere, including the basal ganglia, the internal capsule, and the ocular radiations from the thalamus ( Mitchell & A ; Moore 2004 ) . The disrupted blood flow in the MCA causes intellectual disfunction. Cerebral blood flow has an autoregulatory mechanism that protects against hypoxia and low perfusion ( Johnson 2012 ) . When intellectual blood flow decreases, there is addition in blood force per unit area and vasodilation occurs as the autoregulatory mechanism attempt to counterbalance ( Johnson 2012 ) . If the blood flow falls below a critical degree, intellectual blood volume is reduced and infarction occurs. Johnson ( 2012 ) explains that the deficiency of foods usually received from oxygenated blood and the harm which is caused by unexpected shed blooding into or around the encephalon taking to cell decease. Cerebral ischaemia initiates a figure of damaging cellular events enduring which consequence in monolithic cell decease and tissue harm beyond the country originally affected by the deficiency of blood flow ( Kockrow & A ; Christensen 2011 ) .Tissue plasminogen activator is a serine peptidase which converts plasminogen to plasmin, a fibrinolytic enzyme ( McElveen & A ; Macko 2009 ) . Upon disposal, recombinant TPA increases plasmin enzymatic activity, ensuing in fibrinolysis ( Harvey 2009 ) . It is used to handle the shot in the acute phase to reconstruct flow to the is chaemic country. In ischemic stroke the dead or deceasing cells are surrounded by the penumbra-an country of cells at hazard of or enduring ischemia as explained by Harvey ( 2009 ) . Cells busying the penumbra are ill perfused and as a consequence become progressively ischemic ( Mitchell & A ; Moore 2004 ) . Circulation can be improved when TPA is administered within 3 hours in an acute ischemic shot ( Elkind 2009 ) . This will besides assist to understate decease cells in the penumbra. Collins ( 2007 ) states that the usage of TPA halts the shot by fade outing the coagulum that is barricading blood flow to the encephalon. When suitably administered to patients who fall within narrow clinical guidelines, TPA can restrict the extent of encephalon hurt and better results after shot ( Johnson 2012 ) .Describe the functions of four members of the multidisciplinary squad ( other than nursing ) who will care for Mrs Carroll.The function of the squad is to supply holistic attention which r ealistically develops of import ends for Mrs Carroll and her household, whilst testing for shot complications and trouble-shooting as jobs nowadayss.Address DiagnosticiansThe address healers have established function for measuring swallow map every bit good as address ( Lindley 2008 ) . Regular address therapy can better the result after shot. Therapy begins without hold after a shot ( ideally the following on the job twenty-four hours ) and involves Sessionss of 1-2 hours per twenty-four hours as explained by Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009. The address healers are concerned with assessing, naming and handling communicating upsets, such as formation and perceptual experience of address, the ability to joint words and to understand and originate address ( Freeman 1998 ) . The address healer will help Mrs Carroll to re learn communicating accomplishments. The address diagnostician will besides intercede closely with the nurse, dietician and household to accomplish safe swallo wing schemes for Mrs Carroll.Physical therapistsThe physical therapists will measure Mrs Carroll physical capablenesss and restrictions in a collaborative procedure ( Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009 ) . The physical therapist administers therapies designed to rectify or understate malformation, addition strength and mobility or relieve uncomfortableness or hurting ( William, Perry & A ; Watkins 2010 ) . Stroke rehabilitation comprises of exercising intercession, to understate the effects of the encephalon cell harm and optimise re-learning as stated by Lindley ( 2008 ) . William, Perry & A ; Watkins ( 2010 ) explain that the interventions include the usage of specific exercisings, heat, cold, aqua therapy and electro physical therapy. The function of the physical therapist besides involves educating Mrs Carroll and her household in right methods of placement, reassigning and call uping to help with the discharge.Occupational healersThe occupational healers aim is to help Mrs Carroll to be independent in executing activities of day-to-day life ( Lindley 2008 ) . Freeman ( 1998 ) explains that the occupational healers will find Mrs Carroll ‘s ability to execute basic activities of life such as lavation, dressing and feeding. Their function includes the appraisal of basic and more advanced functional activities ( Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009 ) . The occupational healer plants on specific undertakings in coaction with nursing staff and physical therapists ( William, Perry & A ; Watkins 2010 ) . This involves a period of appraisal including the ability to understand instructions followed by specific preparation in basic ADLS ( William, Perry & A ; Watkins 2010 ) . As Mrs Carroll has adequate motor recovery to keep sitting balance the occupational healer starts working on basic lavation ( e.g. rinsing the face, cleaning dentitions ) . As recovery returns, more complex undertakings can be assessed and practised such as showers transportations , acquiring on and off the lavatory. The occupational healers assess the demand for, and supply, adaptative devices to advance independency with bathing, eating and dressing. Home alterations are besides assessed by the occupational healers to guarantee that the place environment is safe and contributing to Mrs Carroll ‘s independency degree as elucidated by Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009.PsychologistsPsychologist has an of import function in assisting Mrs Carroll towards a successful recovery. Their expertness is peculiarly utile in measuring temper, depression and assisting Mrs Carroll through hard accommodation periods by pull offing her choler and other hurt ( Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009 ) . The psychologist is concerned with the causes, bar and intervention of the single societal jobs particularly in respect to interaction between Mrs Carroll and the physical and societal environment ( Lindley 2008 ) . The psychologists will help the rehabilitation sq uad with schemes to pull off Mrs Carroll ‘s behavioral perturbations that impact on the twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours rehabilitation procedure ( Freeman 1998 ) .3. Describe the schemes that may assist active engagement of the patient and household in the rehabilitation plan.The active engagement of Mrs Carroll and her household has a important function to play after her shot. Their support will be of great comfort for Mrs Carroll and when the shot has caused major jobs, their aid in the recovery procedure is a cardinal portion of good shot attention ( Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009 ) . The household need to understand and be involved with the rehabilitative ends that Mrs Carroll has developed with the squad and the methods selected to run into these ends as explained by William, Perry & A ; Watkins ( 2010 ) . This can include acquiring the household members to reenforce peculiar preparation Sessionss and developing the household to pull off Mrs Carroll with a position to dispatch for illustration learning techniques to reassign Mrs Carroll from bed to wheelchair or acquiring Mrs Carroll into a attention safely ( Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009 ) . This will enable them to experience that they are playing a critical function in rehabilitation. Family members need to understand that their greatest part may be to let Mrs Carroll to be every bit independent as possible ( Gillespie & A ; Campbell 2011 ) . Another scheme that will assist the active engagement of the household is household conference with the multidisciplinary squad and the physician where they will have specific information on the type of shot that affected Mrs Carroll and about her advancement as illustrated by Popovich, Fox, & A ; Bandagi ( 2007 ) . Working with Mrs Carroll and her household will assist Mrs Carroll to accomplish realistic ends in their shot journey. It is besides really of import to learn the household techniques to heighten safety and communicating ( Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009 ) . Family members can besides supply valuable information about Mrs Carroll ‘s usual life style. The household members can help in reorienting Mrs Carroll to the affected side and implementing safety safeguards. It is besides of import for the household to be cognizant of the shortages and intercessions appropriate for Mrs Carroll ( Lindley 2008 ) .4. Mrs Carroll ‘s defeat with motor activities and address make her angry. Discuss how choler may be used to ease effectual header and how rehabilitation nurses can enable patients to utilize their energy therapeutically.Nursing intercessions to ease emotional accommodation to stroke should include hearing, detering self-blame, promoting Mrs Carroll to verbalize her feelings, advancing independency, assisting Mrs Carroll reappraise her state of affairs, and show credence and acknowledgment of her advancement as highlighted by William, Perry & A ; Watkins ( 2010 ) .It is of import tha t early marks of uneffective header to be detected so that patients at hazard for depression may be assessed and treated. The psychologist can besides help in supplying get bying schemes for nurse and speech healer to pull off Mrs Carroll ‘s defeat and choler ( Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009 ) . By back uping Mrs Carroll, instead than taking her, the nurse can assist her to gain her restrictions, consolidate loss and authorise her to be after for a hereafter that will be fulfilling to her.The construct of hope can be characterized by an unsure desire to accomplish ends that will let Mrs Carroll to set and travel end stations when transmutations occur as explained by Western ( 2007 ) . An achieved end or success against a nerve-racking experience creates an immediate sense of peace and good being and a generalized hope emerges for future successes harmonizing to Popovich, Fox, & A ; Bandagi ( 2007 ) . Hope is of import to recovery as it gives persons the motive and str ength to accomplish their ends ( Western 2007 ) . Empowerment so can be seen as a agency of assisting persons to recognize and accomplish their ends. Mrs Carroll becomes frustrated when she can non pass on, but alternatively of retreating from the conversation the nurse should promote her to do regular efforts to pass on with the squad and household. Hence her address will better daily and this will assist to accomplish her set ends ( ( Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009 ) .5. Describe the medicines that Mrs Carroll is taking and discourse the grounds for administrating these medicines in his current status. Why should a cholesterin lowing agent be considered for Mrs Carroll?MetforminHarmonizing to Tiziani ( 2010 ) , Mrs Carroll was prescribed Glucophage as she has a history of Type 2 diabetes. Metformin acts chiefly by diminishing the production of glucose in the liver as described by Bullock and Manias ( 2011 ) . It besides slows soaking up of glucose signifier the intestine, inhibits glucagon secernment and tissue glycolisis ( Lindley 2008 ) . This medicine is prescribed when the blood sugar degree can non be controlled with diet alone ( Lindley 2008 ) .Avapro HCTThis medicine is used to handle mild to chair high blood pressure explained by Tiziani ( 2010 ) . The combination of a thiazide water pill ( hydochlorothiazide ) and angiotensin receptor adversary produces a greater decrease in blood force per unit area ( Tiziani 2010 ) .Irbesartan blocks the potent vasoconstrictive and aldosterone-secreting effects of angiotonin II by selective hostility of the angiotonin II receptors localized on vascular smooth musculus cells and in the adrenal cerebral mantle ( Bullock & A ; Manias 2011 ) . Hydrochlorothiazide increases plasma renin activity, increases aldosterone secernment, and decreases serum K. Coadministration of an angiotonin II receptor adversary tends to change by reversal the K loss associated with thiazide water pills ( Bullock & A ; Manias 2011 ) . This medicine will assist to take down Mrs Carroll ‘s blood force per unit area.ClopridogrelThis medicine is used to forestall thromboembolic events, ischemic bosom disease and bar of shot ( Tiziani 2010 ) . Harmonizing to Bullock and Manias ( 2011 ) , it inhibits thrombocyte collection by irreversibly adhering to adenosine disphosphate thrombocyte receptor. Mrs Carroll has a past history of atrial fibrillation and she has a high hazard of shot from embolisation of cardiac thrombus ( Freeman 1998 ) . This medicine will cut down the hazard of holding a shot. Mrs Carroll ‘s LDL cholesterin degree is high and this increases the hazard of ischemic shot and bosom disease ( Lindley 2008 ) . A cholesterin take downing agent should be considered for Mrs Carroll to assist forestall farther vascular disease ( Mitchell & A ; Moore 2004 ) . William, Perry & A ; Watkins ( 2010 ) explain that the lower the blood cholesterin, the lower the subsequent hazard of ischemic shot and other thrombotic vascular disease. The cholesterin take downing agent has the ability to brace atheromatic plaque, cut down thrombogenicity every bit good as its consequence on dyslipidaemia ( Tiziani 2010 ) .6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of get downing Mrs Carroll on medicine to command her urinary incontinency?Harmonizing to Bullock and Manias ( 2011 ) , anticholinergics interfere with the parasympathetic excitations of the detrusor musculus by barricading the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, ensuing in fewer nonvoluntary contractions ( . One of the disadvantages of utilizing medicine to command her urinary incontinency is that it causes hazard of mental confusion ( Tiziani 2010 ) . Her cognitive operation has decreased since she had the autumn, hence this medicine will do it worse. Anticholinergics medicine additions hazard of terrible irregularity, Mrs Carroll suffers from irregularity already this medicine will increase the hazard of holding intestine obstructor. Furthermore, bladder preparation can better urinary incontinency and encouraging Mrs Carroll to utilize medicine will cut down her independency and motive ( Lindley 2008 ) . Mrs Carroll might experience embarrassed to go to therapy due to her urinary incontinency. Therefore she could decline therapy and this will non assist in the recovery procedure. Urinary incontinency may do clamber dislocation and roseola due to extra of wet in the genital-perineal country ( Borleis 2012 ) . This medicine will besides cut down the hazard of Mrs Carroll acquiring a urinary piece of land infection as she would non necessitate to travel to the lavatory more frequently. Furthermore, good continency attention plays a cardinal function in assisting to reconstruct Mrs Carroll self esteem and independency ( Freeman 1998 ) . The medicine will besides assist Mrs Carroll to come on with vesica preparation ( William, Perry & A ; Watkins ( 2010 ) .7. Mrs Carroll had a strong spiritual religion prior to her shot but has since refused to see the Priest or members of her church. What intercessions might you implement to assist her recover her religious well being?Mrs Carroll might b e embarrassed to run into her friends due to her status. First I would try to find the ground ( s ) for the hurt, and back up the Mrs Carroll to analyze her beliefs and values ( Tanyi 2006 ) . Supply research-based grounds to Mrs Carroll about the positive impacts of spiritualty on her wellness and operation ( Tanyi 2006 ) . Spending one on one clip with her and assist her to reflect back on her past religious well being might assist in cut downing her religious hurting.I would mention Mrs Carroll to a societal worker who may mention her farther to a psychologist ( Lindley 2008 ) . Her religious well being might non be straight related to her faith. Involve her in a speculation group with other patients who had stroke to assist her talk about her state of affairs. I would easy present one friend at a clip and see how she reacts to that. It is besides really of import to let Mrs Carroll to grief for the loss of what her life was and guarantee that she is cognizant that the nurse is a t that place to assist her. Pastoral attention services are inter-denominational and will be able to offer religious attention to Mrs Carroll ( Funnel, Koutoukidis & A ; Lawrence 2009 ) .8. How does the nurse utilise patient information obtained during admittance to help in the acknowledgment of discharge demands? What community resources would you see to assist Mrs Carroll and her hubby?A thorough nursing appraisal obtained during admittance enables the nurse to place existent and possible jobs of Mrs Carroll ( Fawcett & A ; Rhynas 2012 ) . Discharge planning is critical to advance good being and maximal recovery ( Freeman 1998 ) . On admittance, it was identified that Mr Carroll is really dependent on his married woman and that he is due for an operation in two hebdomads. Furthermore, they live in a two floor three sleeping rooms townhouse which will non be ideal for her when she come back from infirmary due to her limited mobility. To guarantee continuity of attention, the interd isciplinary procedure start on admittance by interceding with the societal worker, occupational healer, physical therapist and societal web as explained by Lindley ( 2008 ) . Mrs Carroll is active in the community and she besides has supportive friends within the Parish Community. The community can besides organize a support group for shot patients to run into other people from the community who understand what you have been through. A resource battalion can be developed for Mr Carroll supplying inside informations of community services and benefits available. On discharge, guarantee good links and information sharing between the infirmary and community squads, and between wellness and societal attention suppliers. Arrange chances for shot subsisters and households to run into cardinal community staff such as territory nurses and stroke affair nurses before discharge ( Gillespie & A ; Campbell 2011 ) .9. Mrs Carroll was an active member of his community but now has limited address. Describe any schemes you could utilize to help communicating and the discharge instruction you would supply to her hubby sing her communication with others in societal state of affairss.Communication troubles can significantly impact quality of life and cause hurt and defeat for households, friends and the patient ( Speech Pathology Services 2012 ) . A broad scope of schemes can back up communicating such as taking distractions when speaking to the patient as explained by Speech Pathology Services 2012. The usage of different sorts of communicating such as gesture, indicating or composing will assist to understand Mrs Carroll ( William, Perry & A ; Watkins 2010 ) . The nurse should explicate to Mr Carroll that it is really of import to talk in short sentences, easy and in a respectful tone with normal volume. When pass oning with Mrs Carroll, the individual should let excess clip to treat the information and repetition the message or state it in another manner ( Speech Pathology Ser vices 2012 ) . The usage of communicating devices will besides advance comprehension and apprehension ( Freeman 1998 ) . Communicating with his married woman could be really frustrating, it really of import for him to stay unagitated and patient. It is indispensable to supply accessible information for Mrs Carroll and her household on the peculiar type of address damage that Mrs Carroll has to heighten apprehension and assistance communicating ( William, Perry & A ; Watkins 2010 ) .10. Complete an admittance and discharge FIM for Mrs CarrollPlease see affiliated

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Elizabeth Gaskell Essay After Helen died things didnt get much better. The farm workers started to look down upon him and hardy waited till my fathers back was turned rated the stepson, even his own brother looks down upon him unintentionally I sometimes repeated the disparaging words I heard Without fully understanding their meaning. This makes us feel a lot of sympathy towards Gregory and we feel sorry for him. There seems to be a close link between Gregory life and his Mother life. No matter what happens, they try to make the best of things and get on with it. Preston maintains and feeds his hatred of Gregory instead of repressing it; he cherished his feeling of alienation he had from Gregory. He lived the save type of life as her, one of suffering and one full of sorrow, death seems like a better place for him he is along side the one and only person who loved him. Preston holds a grudge on Gregory right from the very start. But we must admire Gregory for not begrudging him or any other person who treats him badly even if they have just been nasty to him, he would do a kind turn for anyone, even if they had been scolding him. He is parallel to his mother. This helps us to warm to him as a character. Gregory is stoical and endures things with uncomplaining patience whichs helps us to admire him. Gaskell creates a character that speaks highly of Gregory. Nearly every one of the farm workers has a bad thing to say about him apart from old Adam. Gregory is sent out onto the hills as a Shepard with along with Adam who trains him. Adam is the only person apart from Gregorys mother who has not got a bad word to say about him, but indeed praises him. This is likely to the fact that Adam was almost the first person who had a good opinion of Gregory and even told this to his boss, Preston. Later in the story when the narrator goes missing, Gregory goes out in the thick snow to look for his half brother risking in his own life and not even thinking about it. This also seems parallel to Helen who had done similar for Gregory by putting Gregory first and looking out for him without even thinking about it. When Gregory manages to find the narrator, Gaskell makes us feel even more admiration for him. In the freezing snow, he gives his brother the Maud (woollen shawl) that he is wearing so that the narrator can stay just a little bit warmer. This makes us warm to Gregory, because of the fact he is suffering for the sake of his brother. Gaskell evokes admiration from the readers, Gregory died for his brother, and someone he barely knew and did not even complain about it. Gaskell creates a character that many of the readers may take a disliking to and manages to get ambivalent responses from the readers. Preston is described as being an old bachelor long past forty and one of the wealthiest farmers thereabouts. Helen agrees to marry him solely on that the fact that he promised to take good charge of her boy, and let him want for nothing, neither in way of keep nor in education. This almost seems a purely business agreement. He uses Gregory as an excuse in order to marry Helen. Gaskell makes our response to Preston more complex than any other of the characters; she manages to get a complicated reaction to Preston through a short story. With the other main characters, it is obvious how Gaskell is trying to portray them but it is not obvious in Prestons case. We are suspicious of him at the start. At the start of The Half Brothers Preston is made out to be a horrible man, but by the end of the story our feelings have softened against him. He is very impatient, he does not wait for Helen to love him Perhaps love would have come in time. Preston begrudges Gregory as child for the attention he receives from Helen. He is jealous of him, and cannot stand Helen loving Gregory more than him. Preston is dehumanised. He does not love Gregory at all, but hates him. But later on we see that Preston is humanised, glad and proud his son was born. He becomes sorry for his poor wifes state, but still blames it on Gregory and holds him responsible for Helens death even though it is his own fault for arguing with her. After Helens death Preston honours the agreement for which they were married under, to look after Gregory. But he makes no attempt to love him, only to give him material things that money can buy, nothing emotional. Even Preston is hurting Gregorys dog, just because it belongs to Gregory, he has a real dislike to anything that Gregory owns or anything to do with. Even Prestons own son thinks he is to hard on Gregory I believe that my father cherished his feeling of alienation to my brother as a duty, than strove to repress it But towards the end of The Half brothers Gaskell makes us feel differently towards him. There is a sense of deep regret from Preston on his deathbed about the way that he treated Gregory throughout his life God forgive me my hardness of heart towards the fatherless child! After his death he knows that Helen loved Gregory more and so as a sign of repentance had desired that he might lie at the foot of the grave, in which, by his desire, poor Gregory had been laid with our mother. Preston is very grateful and thankful to Gregory for saving his sons life I would have given him half my land I would have blessed him as my son. He even tries to be kind to the dog, but it wont let him near it. Gaskell is very good at creating and holding suspense for long periods of time through the story. At the start of the story, just after Helens husband dies suspense starts to build up as we become worried about Helens future and continues to hold the suspense until she marries Preston. When the narrators gets lost, the fact that night came on quicker makes us feel unnerved that night is overtaking him and that he may get stuck there all night. An eerie atmosphere is created which intensifies the suspense even further some wild boggy moor Tautology is used to emphasis how dark it and adds to the suspense noiseless expansion of black darkness. Gaskells use of language also helps to create suspense. Suddenly the air was filled , suddenly is placed at the beginning of the sentence to show how quickly and unexpectedly the snow fell. We start to become worried for the narrator and the suspense is built up even further by the emotional language used I shouted terrible, wild shouts for bare life and choked with tears desolate, helpless death I was to die shows how extreme the situation is, how isolated and lonely the narrator must have felt. The narrator starts to give up hope and we start to feel very sorry for him and then just as all hope is gone, lassie comes to his rescue, we now see that he saved and is going to get home safely as he has been found. Just as soon as we feel relief that he has been found, there poses as even bigger problem, instead of one person being lost, there are two the suspense is deepened even further than before. As the two try to find their way home, it is apparent that they are not going to get home and could die out there. All of this creates suspense and makes the reader want to read on to see if the pair gets home all right. The suspense reaches it climax near the end of the story. When the narrator determined to sleep and doesnt care if he dies. When the pair realise that they can go no further, they stop as a last resort they know that they are going to die and sent lassie back to get help. The suspense is mounted to see whether or not lassie can get back to the ranch before the pair die of the cold. Then the narrator fell asleep. We think is the end, he has fallen asleep he will die. But then a sense of relief comes over us when we find that the narrator has been found just time and survives, but Gregory is not so lucky. Through out the story The Half Brothers Gaskell evokes and manipulates many of our feelings. But some readers, including myself find that some of the story mawkish and trying to push at our emotional buttons in an unsophisticated way. Gaskell style of writing helps to manipulate our feelings. The way she portrays Helens and Gregorys lives makes us feel a lot of sympathy towards them but we admire the way they put up with everything without complaining. She creates a character, which seems to be the bad guy of the story and evokes complex feelings for him from us. Some readers including myself may find that Preston is an horrid man and continue to think the same even when Gaskell tries to soften his image by saying that he has become humanised, but others may feel that he is a good man at heart and this is portrayed at the end of the story when he is deeply regretful. Gaskell is very good at creating suspense and makes us worried about the characters and makes us want to read on. So overall Gaskell is very good at manipulating our feelings.

Coincidence Counting With NAI Scintillation Detectors

Coincidence Counting With NAI Scintillation Detectors ABSTRACT Coincidence counting is a technique employed in nuclear medicine for PET imaging. This technique utilizes a positron emitting radionuclide that is injected into patients to track biochemical and physiological processes. The positron annihilates with an electron and emit two 0.511MeV gamma rays which are detected simultaneously by two scintillation detectors. In the experiment, two gamma ray sources, 60Co and 22Na were used with a NaI scintillation counter. A single channel analyzer (SCA) was used to count the number of voltage pulses whose height fell within the gate width. The absolute efficiency and intrinsic efficiency was obtained as a function of distance. Real and random coincidences were determined from the spectrum obtained with varying gate width and gate delay for each source. The optimum gate width obtained was 5 µsec for both sources with gate delays of 1.2 µsec and 0.2 µsec for 22Na and 60Co respectively. The real coincidences for 22Na and 60Co were found to be 200 .1  ± 2.3 and 76.5  ± 1.7 respectively. The random coincidences obtained were 25.1  ± 3.4 and 13.4  ± 2.6 for 22Na and 60Co respectively. This was determined by using the LINEST function. The percentage thus of random to real coincidences obtained in this experiment was 12.54  ± 1.85 % and 17.52  ± 3.81 % for 22Na and 60Co respectively. It was deduced that the uncertainty in determining a random coincidence was higher in 60Co than in 22Na. the magnitude of the uncertainty is as a result of fluctuations in the instrumentation. Hence the Na system is more efficient for coincidence counting and so it is useful in the PET system. INTRODUCTION Coincident counting is a radiological measuring technique that is utilised in the nuclear medicine in the PET scan whereby two photons emitted from an event are detected simultaneously by a ring of detectors. Sodium Fluoride (F18-NaF) is the positron-emitting radionuclide employed in PET for bone imaging [1]. Upon decay, the positron are emitted which travels for a short distance and under Compton’s scattering thereby loosing most of its energy. It then undergoes annihilation with an electron and emit two high energy 0.511MeV photons. The 0.511MeV photons are emitted 180 degrees apart and interact with the PET detector rings at opposite sites. [2] The detectors are made up of scintillation crystals coupled with photomultiplier tubes powered by a high voltage which produces a pulse with a height proportional to the gamma-ray energy. A SCA counts the number of voltage pulses whose height falls within a predetermined window of photon energies. Coincidence measurement is utilised when a single detector cannot produce all the information expected, as gamma rays are randomly produced, hence the need to set several detectors. Real coincidences occur when two photons are emitted in coincidence from the same annihilation event and are detected simultaneously within a certain time frame set by the gate width. Random coincidences occur when two photons emitted from different events are detected simultaneously within the time frame of the gate width. [3] The gate width determines the time window within which the simultaneous emission of the gammas are detected. The optimum gate width therefore will ensure that the maximum number of real coincidences are detected to minimise the events of random coincidences. In the ideal situation when the gate width is zero the real coincidences can be observed, and with an increase in gate width the random coincidences can be observed. In the PET scan, this will ensure efficiency of the coincidence system. The need for the gate delay is to enable the second pulse to be detected within the time frame of the gate width and this is usually a minute time frame. It takes into account the minute fluctuations that occur at time of pulses. By alternating the gate delay and gate width, the rate of coincidence can be determined. In this experiment the two sources used were 60Co and 22Na. 60Co emit two gamma rays upon beta decay at energies 1.3325Mev and 1.1732MeV with 60Ni daughter nuclide. The 22Na undergoes a beta decay and electron capture decay with the emission of a 1.275MeV gamma photons and two 0.511Mev upon interactions with the detector material. The positron from the beta decay of 22Na annihilates an electron of the detector and emit the two gammas at 0.511Mev energies at 1800. The coincidence counting system records just a certain portion of events depending on the solid angle as a function of distance. Coincidence counting as a function of distance is maximum in the middle and zero at the edge [4]. The photons can undergo several interactions in the detector before they are detected and that render the detector inefficient and so there is the need for its efficiency to be determined. The efficiency can be classed into two as absolute and intrinsic efficiencies and they are defined as Absolute efficiency ÃŽ µabs = Number of pulses recorded [3] Number of radiation quanta emitted by source Intrinsic efficiency ÃŽ µint = Number of pulses recorded [3] Number of radiation quanta incident on detector These efficiencies are related by ÃŽ µint = ÃŽ µabs * (4à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  /à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦) [3] where à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ is the solid angle of the between source and detector. The solid angle is dependent on the distance between source and detector (d) and the radius of the detector (r) and it is determined by the this equation, à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ = 2à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬   1 d [3] √d2 + r2 To determine the efficiency of the coincidence system, the absolute efficiency for real and random coincidences were also determined for both sources based on the equations below. ÃŽ µabs for real coincidences for 22Na = ÃŽ µabs * ÃŽ µint ÃŽ µabs for random coincidences for 22Na = (ÃŽ µabs)2 * Activity * Intensity * Time ÃŽ µabs for real coincidences for 60Co = ÃŽ µabs * ÃŽ µabs ÃŽ µabs for random coincidences for 60Co = (ÃŽ µabs)2 * Activity * Intensity * Time METHOD Two NaI detectors coupled with photomultipliers with high voltages and preamplifiers were used for this experiment. The inputs were connected to spectroscopic and SCA amplifiers. Detector 1 was first corrected for background by counting for 5 minutes. The 22Na gamma ray source was varied with distance and the absolute efficiency of the detector was determined as a result. Detector 2 was introduced and set at a distance of 10cm apart from Detector 1. 22Na was positioned in the middle and the counting was set to 5 minutes. The gate width and gate delay were varied and their spectrum observed. The experiment was repeated for the second gamma ray source, 60Co. The optimum gate delay was determined and varied with the gate width to obtain the optimum gate width. A linear graph of count rate against gate width was obtained that showed the real and random coincidences based on the slope gradient obtained. The percentage ratio of the random to real coincidences were determined and the uncertainty associated with the experiment was also determined. RESULTS/DISCUSSION The background spectrum was corrected in the count reading for both sources. The background radiation is as a result of scattered radiation associated with the experiment. The absolute efficiency of the detector was determined for both sources as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 and Table 1a 1b and Table 2a 2b for 22Na and 60Co respectively. The absolute efficiency was obtained using the formula Absolute efficiency = Sum of count Intensity x Activity Figure 1: Absolute efficiency as a function of the distance between the 22Na source and detector Figure 2: Absolute efficiency as a function of distance between the 60Co source and detector The 22Na revealed a gradual decrease in efficiency with increasing distance, whereas 60Co revealed a rapid drop in efficiency as a function of distance. 60Co revealed lower absolute efficiencies since the measure of the number of pulses obtained by the 60Co was less than the number of photons emitted by the gamma ray source. This could have been due to Compton scattering reducing the number of photons actually detected as a pulse. The 22Na however revealed quite high absolute efficiencies and so can be confirmed that the detector was efficient in detecting the 22Na than the 60Co. The intrinsic efficiency was determined using the equation below. ÃŽ µint = ÃŽ µabs * (4à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬  /à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦) The solid angle was determined for the detector when the distance between both detectors was varied between 5cm to 20cm and the radius of the detector was measured as 10cm. This is shown in Tables 3 and 4 and Figures 3 and 4 for 22Na and 60Co respectively. Figure 3: Intrinsic efficiency as a function of distance between the 22Na source and detector Figure 4: Intrinsic efficiency as a function of distance between the 60Co source and detector The intrinsic efficiency for 60Co was lower than 22Na. It can be deduced that the number of 60Co photons incident on the detector was more than the number of pulses recorded. Hence signifying that the detector was not efficient in detecting the 60Co. The 22Na however displayed high intrinsic efficiency almost approximating the maximum value for intrinsic efficiency. The intrinsic efficiency were found to be fluctuating with the highest being 0.9898 and 0.3872 with a solid angle of 1.3029 at 13cm distance from detector for 22Na and 60Co respectively. This is as result of the detector’s geometry detecting the photons at different solid angles. The solid angle determines how much of the photons can be detected as a function of distance. The overlap of the error bars signifies the uniformity of the errors. The probability of a 0.511MeV gamma travelling in the direction of the detector and being absorbed by it, will imply that the second 0.511MeV will also travel in the correct direction. Both detectors detecting the two 0.511MeV gammas can be determined to yield the absolute efficiency for real coincidences. This can be deduced from the notion that photons travelling in the right direction will be absorbed in the right direction by both detectors. The results of absolute efficiencies for real and random coincidences for 22Na and 60Co is shown in Table 5 6 and Figure 5, 6, 7 8. The efficiencies for both sources decreased with distance and it was lower for 60Co. The absolute efficiency for random coincidences was however for both sources than the absolute efficiency for real coincidences. It can thus be inferred that the absolute efficiencies for real coincidences for both 22Na and 60Co yields less probability of detection of real coincidence with 60Co as compared to the 22Na. The abso lute efficiencies for random coincidences was however comparable for both sources as the probability of detecting the second event within the gate width is possible for both sources. Figure 5: Absolute efficiency for real coincidences as a function of distance for 22Na Figure 6: Absolute efficiency for random coincidences as a function of distance for 22Na Figure 7: Absolute efficiency for real coincidences as a function of distance for 60Co Figure 8: Absolute efficiency for random coincidences as a function of distance for 60Co The gate delay was varied with gate width to obtain the optimum values of delay and width. The optimum gate delay was obtained as 1.2 µsec and 0.2 µsec for both 22Na and 60Co respectively and was used for the experiment. A linear graph of count rate as a function of gate width was obtained and a fixed gate width was obtained as shown in Figure 5 and 6 and table 7 and 8 Figure 5: A linear graph of count rate as a function of gate width applying a 1.2 µsec gate delay for 22Na Figure 6: A linear graph of count rate as a function of gate width by applying a 0.2 µsec gate delay for 60Co Real coincidences occur on the intercept of the linear slope gradient, whereas random coincidences can be found with the slope. For 22Na the optimum gate width obtained was 5 µsec. The graph of count rate as a function of gate width yielded a slope gradient of y = 5.019x + 200.15. By applying the optimum gate width and correcting for the gate delay, the real and random coincidences were determined using the LINEST function. The real coincidences was found to be 200  ± 2.3 whereas the random coincidences was found to be 25.1  ± 3.4. The percentage thus of random to real coincidences obtained in this experiment was 12.54  ± 1.85 %. This gives the value of pure coincidences that are not dependent on gate width. For 60Co, the optimum gate width was 5 µsec. The graph of count rate as a function of gate width yielded a slope gradient of y = 2.6801x + 76.483. When the optimum gate width was applied whilst correcting for the minute gate delay, the real and random coincidences were determined using the LINEST function. The real coincidences was found to be 76.5  ± 1.7 whereas the random coincidences was found to be 13.4  ± 2.6. The percentage of random to real coincidences obtained in this experiment was 17.52  ± 3.81 %. The above results was compared with the measured values obtained from the graph. The intercept gave the real coincidences as 200.15 and 76.48 for 22Na and 60Co respectively. The point of data convergence on the straight line gave the optimum gate width and the count equivalent was found as 225.28 and 90.02 for 22Na and 60Co respectively. The difference between this value and the real coincidences yielded the random coincidences as 25.13 and 13.56 in 22Na and 60Co respectively. Hence the percentage ratio of the random and real coincidences was obtained as 12.49% and 17.73%. This is equivalent to the values obtained from the calculated coincidences with the differences being due to uncertainties. The uncertainties with this experiment were with the NaI detector which contributed to scatter around the cover. The count rates resulted in some uncertainties as well and has been sown in table 8 for both detectors. The solid angle presented an uncertainty as the measurements for the detector could incur a large margin of errors. From all the results synthesized for both sources it could be gathered that the 22Na was an efficient source for coincidence counting compared to the 60Co. This is as a result of the geometry of the detectors as the Co system does not show a coincidence system and so there is more likelihood of a random coincidence than a real coincidence as compared to the Na system. This concludes that the 22Na will be efficient in a PET system, hence the reason for positron emitting radioisotopes being used in the PET system to ensure the maximum number of coincidences are being detected CONCLUSION The experiment was performed to examine the coincidence counting in two gamma ray sources and to determine the real and random coincidences as a function of gate width. The optimum gate width obtained was 5 µsec for both sources with gate delays of 1.2 µsec and 0.2 µsec for 22Na and 60Co respectively. The real coincidences for 22Na and 60Co were found to be 200.1  ± 2.3 and 76.5  ± 1.7 respectively. The random coincidences obtained were 25.1  ± 3.4 and 13.4  ± 2.6 for 22Na and 60Co respectively. This was determined by using the LINEST function. The measured count rates was also determined from the graph and resulted in real coincidences for 22Na and 60Co respectively as 200.15 and 76. 48 and random coincidences of 25.13 and 13.56. The percentage thus of random to real coincidences obtained in this experiment was 12.54  ± 1.85 % and 17.52  ± 3.81 % for 22Na and 60Co respectively. This gave the quality of the uncertainty in the coincidence system. It was deduced that the uncertainties in determining a random was higher in 60Co than in 22Na hence the Na system is more efficient for coincidence counting and very useful in the PET system. REFERENCES [1] The detection of bone metastases in patients with high-risk prostate cancer:99mTc-MDP planar bone scintigraphy, single- and multi-field-of-view SPECT,18F-fluoride PET, and18F-fluoride PET/CT.Even-Sapir et al, J Nucl Med(2006)47:287–97 [2] The Physics of Medical Imaging, ed. S. Webb. IoP publishing [3] Radiation and Detection Measurement, Glen N Knoll, 3rd Edition [4] Coincidence Counting, E. K. A. Advanced Physics Laboratory, Physics 3081, 4051 APPENDIXES Table 1a: Counts rate as a function of distance between source and detector for 22Na Table 1b: Absolute efficiency as a function of distance between source and detector for 22Na Table 2a: Counts rate as a function of distance between source and detector for 60Co Table 2b: Absolute efficiency as a function of distance between source and detector for 60Co Table 3: Intrinsic efficiency as a function of distance between source and detector of 22Na Table 4: Intrinsic efficiency as a function of distance between source and detector for 60Co Table 5: ÃŽ µabs for real and random coincidences as a function of distance for 22Na Distance(cm) ÃŽ µabs à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ 4à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬   ÃŽ µint ÃŽ µabs for real coincidences ÃŽ µabs for random coincidences 5 0.09940 3.473 12.57 0.35967 0.0994 48.7255 10 0.05091 1.8403 12.57 0.347637 0.0509 12.8015 13 0.04015 1.3029

Natural gas as source of energy

Natural gas as source of energy ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I Munish kumar of B.Tech MBA (IT) want to express my intense feeling and experienced that I had while making this term paper. I am really thankful to our Chemistry Mam Mrs. Sonika who not only give us this term paper to do but also widen our view in respective topic. Last but not the least, I would like to thanks my friends who not only encourage me but also helped in completing this term paper. Introduction to Natural gas : as a source of energy It is a mixture of hydrocarbons (molecules that contain only carbon and hydrogen and gases (most notably methane, ethane, propane, and butane) that exist naturally in rocks beneath the surface of the earth. it is widely used as a heating source, and in some cases specific portions of the natural gas are used as starting materials in industrial processes. natural gas is the product of the decaying of living matter over millions of years. specific conditions (including low oxygen levels) are necessary for this to occur. the hydrogen gases are trapped in geological formations known as anticlines. each of the major hydrocarbon components of natural gas is used as a fuel source.before natural gas can be used as a fuel, it must undergo extensive processing to remove almost all materials other than methane. the by-products of that processing include ethane, propane, butanes, pentanes and higher molecular weight hydrocarbons, elemental sulfur, and sometimes helium and nitrogen.natural gas is a versatile source of energy, which can be used by different actors. heating and electricity generation have been the main traditional uses. Description/technical characteristics Natural gas is colourless, odourless, tasteless, shapeless and lighter than air. it is gaseous at any temperature over -161Â ° c. when it is at its natural state, it is not possible to see or smell natural gas. for safety reasons, a chemical odorant that smells a little like rotten eggs, mercaptan, is added to natural gas so that it can be smelled if there is a gas leak. Natural gas is a mixture of light hydrocarbons including methane, ethane, propane, butanes and pentanes. Other compounds found in natural gas include co2, helium, hydrogen sulphide and nitrogen. the composition of natural gas is never constant, however, the primary component of natural gas is methane (typically, at least 90%), which has a simple hydrocarbon structure composed of one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms (ch4). methane is highly flammable, burns easily and almost completely, while it emits very little air pollution. natural gas is neither corrosive nor toxic, its ignition temperature is high, and it has a narrow flammability range, making it an inherently safe fossil fuel compared to other fuel sources. in addition, because of its specific gravity of 0.60, lower than that of air (1.00), natural gas rises if escaping, thus dissipating from the site of any leak. The carbon and hydrogen in natural gas are thought to have originated from the remains of plants and animals that were accumulated at the bottom of lakes and oceans over millions of years. After having been buried under huge layers of other sediments, the organic material is transformed into crude oil and natural gas as a result of the high pressure from the layers of sediments and the heat from the earths core. The oil and gas are then squeezed out of the marine shales in which they were deposited, and from there go into porous sedimentary rocks. oil and gas migrates upward through the porous rock, as it is less dense than the water, which fills the pores. Several different types of oil and gas traps exist. Occurance of natural gas Natural gas is found throughout the world in reservoirs deep beneath the surface of the earth and floor of the oceans. It forms as pockets of gas over crude oil deposits or is trapped in porous rock formations. Natural gas can be found in oil deposits, as associated natural gas, although non-associated natural gas is often found without the presence of oil. When natural gas is cooled to a temperature of approximately -260Â °f at atmospheric pressure, it condenses to a liquid called liquefied natural gas (lng). One volume of this liquid takes up about 1/600th the volume of natural gas. lng weighs less than one-half that of water, actually about 45% as much. lng is odourless, colourless, non-corrosive, and non-toxic. When vaporized it burns only in concentrations of 5% to 15% when mixed with air. Neither lng, nor its vapour, can explode in an unconfined environment. Since lng takes less volume and weight, natural gas is liquefied for ease of storing and transporting. Natural gas is considered as a clean fuel because of its environmentally friendly properties: commercialised natural gas is practically sulphur free and thus it produces virtually no sulphur dioxide (so2), natural gas emits lower levels of nitrogen oxides (nox) emissions than oil or coal and emissions of carbon dioxide (co2) are less than those of other fossil fuels (according to eurogas 40-50% less than coal and 25-30% less than oil).1] Natural gas chemical composition. The primary component of natural gas is methane (ch4), the shortest and lightest hydrocarbon molecule. it may also contain heavier gaseous hydrocarbons such as ethane (c2h6), propane (c3h8) and butane (c4h10), as well as other sulphur containing gases, in varying amounts, see also natural gas condensate Natural gas is used to produce steel, glass, paper, clothing, brick, electricity and as an essential raw material for many common products. Some products that use natural gas as a raw material are: paints, fertilizer, plastics, antifreeze, dyes, photographic film, medicines, and explosives. Slightly more than half of the homes in the United States use natural gas as their main heating fuel. Natural gas is also used in homes to fuel stoves, water heaters, clothes dryers, and other household appliances. The major consumers of natural gas in the United States in 2008 included: Electric power sector 6.7 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) Industrial sector 7.9 Tcf Residential sector 4.9 Tcf Commercial sector 3.1 Tcf Storage of natural gas in smaller fueling locations and on vehicles, natural gas is stored in thick-walled steel, aluminum, or composite tanks built to last more than 20 years. Fossil fuel A fuel that is derived from the decay of plant or animal life; coal, oil, and natural gas are the fossile fuel. fossil fuels are non renewable energy.because they take millions of years to form and reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are being formed. concern about fossil fuel supplies is one of the causes of regional and global conflicts. the production and use of fossil fuels raise environmental concerns. a global movement toward the generation of renewable energy is therefore under way to help meet increased energy needs. 3] Liquefied natural gas uses as source of energy The ability to liquefy the components of natural gas (either as a mixture or in isolation) has made natural gas much more practical as a energy source.. the liquefaction of natural gass components of the different boiling points of methane, ethane, and other gases as a way of purifying each substance. a combination of refrigeration and increased pressure allows the individual gases to be stored and transported conveniently. at one time, the natural gas which often accompanied petroleum.in the ground was simply burned off as a means of getting rid of it. recently, however, this gas has been collected, liquefied and used along with the petroleum.4] Residential uses as source of energy Residential applications are the most commonly known use of natural gas. it can be used for cooking, washing and drying, water warming, heating and air conditioning. domestic appliances are increasingly improved in order to use natural gas more economically and safely. operating costs of natural gas equipment are generally lower than those of other energy sources. Commercial uses as source of energy Main commercial uses of natural gas are food service providers, hotels, healthcare facilities or office buildings. commercial applications include cooling (space conditioning and refrigeration), cooking or heating. Compressed natural gas as a source of energy Compressed natural gas (cng) is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline (petrol), diesel, or propane fuel. cng is made by compressing natural gas (which is mainly composed of methane [ch4]), to less than 1% of its volume at standard atmospheric pressure. it is stored and distributed in hard containers, at a normal pressure of 200-220 bar (2900-3200 psi), usually in cylindrical or spherical shapes.CNG is used in traditional gasoline internal combustion engine cars that have been converted into bi-fuel vehicles. Uses as source of energy for transportation Natural gas vehicles (ngvs) NGVS are natural gas powered vehicles. natural gas can be used as a motor vehicle fuel in two ways: as compressed natural gas (CNG), which is the most common form, and as liquefied natural gas. natural gas vehicles fleet accounts for about one and a half million vehicles worldwide (according to the international natural gas vehicles association). concerns about air quality in most parts of the world are increasing the interest in using natural gas as a fuel for vehicles. cars using natural gas are estimated to emit 20% less greenhouse gases than gasoline or diesel cars. these vehicles are not a new technology since they have been used since the 1930s. in many countries ngvs are introduced to replace buses, taxis and other public vehicle fleets. natural gas in vehicles is inexpensive and convenient. Rating in world in transportation fuel Compressed natural gas (methane) is a cleaner alternative to other automobile fuels such as gasoline (petrol) and diesel. as of 2008 there were 9,6 million natural gas vehicles worldwide, led by pakistan (2.0 million), argentina (1.7 million), brazil (1.6 million), iran (1.0 million), and india (650 thousand).[12][13] the energy efficiency is generally equal to that of gasoline engines, but lower compared with modern diesel engines. gasoline/petrol vehicles converted to run on natural gas suffer because of the low compression ratio of their engines, resulting in a cropping of delivered power while running on natural gas (10%-15%). cng-specific engines, however, use a higher compression ratio due to this fuels higher octane number of 120-130. Hydrates Hydrateshuge quantities of natural gas (primarily methane) exist in the form of hydrates under sediment on offshore continental shelves and on land in arctic regions that experience permafrost such as those in siberia (hydrates require a combination of high pressure and low temperature to form). however, as of 2009[update] no technology has been developed to produce natural gas economically from hydrates. Domestic use as a source of energy Natural gas is supplied to homes, where it is used for such purposes as cooking in natural gas-powered ranges and/or ovens, natural gas-heated clothes dryers, heating/cooling and central heating. home or other building heating may include boilers, furnaces, and water heaters. cng is used in rural homes without connections to piped-in public utility services, or with portable grills. however, due to cng being less economical than lpg, lpg (propane) is the dominant source of rural gas5]. Biogas part of natural gas When methane-rich gases are produced by the anaerobic decay of non-fossil organic matter (biomass), these are referred to as biogas (or natural biogas). sources of biogas include swamps, marshes, and landfills (see landfill gas), as well as sewage sludge and manure[4] by way of anaerobic digesters, in addition to enteric fermentation particularly in cattle. Town gas Town gas is a mixture of methane and other gases, mainly the highly toxic carbon monoxide, that can be used in a similar way to natural gas and can be produced by treating coal chemically. this is a historic technology, still used as best solution in some local circumstances, although coal gasification is not usually economic at current gas prices. however, depending upon infrastructure considerations, it remains a future possibility POWER GENRATION Power generation electric utilities and independent power producers are increasingly using natural gas to provide energy for their power plants. in general, gas fuelled power plants have lower capital costs, are built faster, work more efficiently and emit less pollution than other fossil fuel power plants. technological improvements in design, efficiency and operation of combined cycle gas turbines and co-generation processes are favouring the use of natural gas in power generation. a combined-cycle power plant uses waste heat to produce more electricity, while natural gas co-generation, also called combined heat and power, produces power and heat that is useful for industry as well as commercial users. this cogeneration reduces pollution emission considerably. Fuel cells A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air to produce electricity, heat and water. fuel cells operate without combustion, so they are virtually pollution free. since the fuel is converted directly to electricity, a fuel cell can operate at much higher efficiencies than internal combustion engines, extracting more electricity from the same amount of fuel. the fuel cell itself has no moving parts, making it a quiet and reliable source of power. natural gas is one of the multiple fuels on which fuel cells can operate. In industries as a source of energy natural gas is used as an input to manufacture pulp and paper, metals, chemicals, stone, clay, glass, and to process certain foods. gas is also used to treat waste materials, for incineration, drying, dehumidification, heating and cooling, and cogeneration. Advantages of natural gase Natural gas is more environmentally friendly that coal or oil. it is composed of methane, which has just one carbon, producing very low carbon emissions. natural gas emits an estimated 70% less carbon dioxide that other fuels. natural gas burns cleaner than heating oil, and does not leave product, like ash, behind. Natural gas is very popular, and the major source of energy for most consumers. it is conveniently pumped to homes across the country through a network of underground pipeline. it is provided through a local providers and utility companies. 6] Cost-effective Natural gas is more cost-effective because it is in abundant supply in the united states. this is further proven because natural gas, as opposed to oil, is not required for import from foreign countries. Disadvantages One disadvantage, credited as an advantage as well, is the environmental impact. experts on both sided argue these facts. it is cleaner to burn. however, natural gas is also a non-renewable resource. its use and availability is finite, as opposed to coal or oil. many critics also say natural gas extraction is leaving large craters within the earth. Combustible Due to its make-up, natural gas is combustible and easily explosive if handled improperly. with a leak, the gas builds up within a room or structure. when that gas is ignited it causes an explosion. the severity of the explosion depends upon the amount of the leak. Natural gas is toxic if inhaled, leading to severe health risk or even death. BIBILOGRAPHY:- www.ehow.com www.naturalgas.org http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=natural_gas_home-basics http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter08.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/transportation/afvs/cng.html www.ornl.gov/reporter/no16/methane.htm http://www.getenergyaware.org/energy-natural-gas.asp http://www.kidzworld.com/article/1423-fossil-fuel-energy