See information below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

See information below - Essay Example The frustration of being just two credits shy of graduation and newly married is touched on briefly, but is an important fact that helps clarify his frustration. As he takes us on his journey into the horrors of war, we begin to see a pattern of disorganization from those in authority, and vague answers to the young men's questions about their return home. One incident underscores this disorganization clearly. On a mission to a local Iraqi bank, two soldiers are left standing guard outside. While the rest of the group is inside the bank enjoying a precious few moments in air conditioning, insurgents fire upon the two men outside. One of the men is shot very seriously in the neck. Trying to get medevac to the scene proves to be the most difficult part of the incident. It seems commanding officers and their staff, do not leave the compound. Tracking the exact location of the bank and dispatching the appropriate help becomes a source of frustration for the men on the scene. What is tell ing in this scene is not that the two men were fired upon, but the slow and disorganized response from their commanding officers. The promise of going home is held in front of the men frequently throughout the story only to be withheld from them over and over again. They are told, 'just keep up the work a little longer. We'll be home soon.'(Crawford 19) The commanding officers seem unconcerned with the stress and fatigue that these men are facing, and only seem concerned with their own plans of glory and recognition.The imagery that Crawford uses gives us a land that is as bleak and unwelcoming as his first descriptions of the storm. We see a country decimated by war and it's citizens living in squalor. "The building was full of rotting feces. Piles of it, along with MRE toilet paper, littered the floor. The heat had turned the building into an oven, and the smell was overpowering."(Crawford 32) The gritty descriptions of crumbling buildings and human waste flowing in the streets fill the pages and lend to the feeling of a complete breakdown of a society.Interwoven through the stories of fear and exhaustion th ere are some moments of humor that remind the reader that these are ordinary men thrown into extraordinary circumstances. They are trying desperately to hang on to a sense of normalcy in an alien world. The story of Cum, a homeless Iraqi child, and his friendship with Crawford clearly display the overall feeling of desperation. While the story is told in a dispassionate way, the sense that the boy meant a great deal to Crawford is apparent based on his statement that they talked for hours without understanding each other's language. Without language to join them they manage to forge a friendship based on the child's innocent and eager nature. Eventually because of Iraqi attitudes toward Americans, something happens to the child. What that something is, is never made clear, but Crawford's guilt over the incident is palpable.The frequent mention of drugs seems to be another desperate attempt to escape the situation that he finds himself. One incident has a medic injecting Crawford wit h morphine just for the sleep the drug will allow him. Crawford spends a day in bed after the morphine

Research into motivations for mountain biking tourism

Research into motivations for mountain biking tourism The two types of survey taken into consideration were a mail survey and an e-survey. The former is reported to be the most effective method of surveying a membership organisation (Veal 1997). This delivery method was not undertaken though, due to the cost of printing 360 questionnaires and the accompanying letters, as well as purchase of envelopes and stamps. These expenses would increase substantially if reminders were to be sent. Therefore, it was decided that an e-survey would be employed. The advantages of an e-questionnaire included low cost of conducting the survey and the possibility of instant analysis of the collected data (Veal 1997). An additional benefit was the possibility of designing a visually attractive questionnaire. Furthermore, online surveys were selected as they are eco-friendly, owing to the non-use of paper (Survey Monkey 2007), an approach reflecting the basic principles of the Forestry Commission, the administrator of the locations which are a focus of this study. An e-survey is also more advantageous for the respondents as they are allowed to take their time to answer the questions. At the same time, completing a survey online is quicker in comparison with filling out a postal survey (Survey Monkey 2007). The biggest disadvantage can be the general perception of some e-surveys as part of the increasing volume of ‘junk e-mail’, which might play a role in response rates (Veal 1997). The spam and personal data protection concerns were addressed by selecting a legitimate and reputable organisation (IMBA U.K.) to distribute the e-questionnaire. Another disadvantage of a web-based survey, just like a postal one, is its limited administration, which can negatively affect the response rate (Survey Monkey 2007). Further drawbacks of using a web-based survey include technical faults and multiple submissions by the same respondent. Although it was impossible to prevent the former issue, the latter was solved by the use of a tool allowing only one response per computer. 2.3. Survey instrument A two-page, self-administered fully electronic questionnaire was designed using an online survey tool surveymonkey.com. The questionnaire design process offered by Veal (1997) was adopted in the present work. Firstly, literature review was conducted to identify conceptual problems and research questions. Secondly, a list of information required to address the issues as created. Thirdly, questionnaire was selected as a method which would meet the information requirements. The questionnaires used by Green (2003) in a survey on IMBA U.S. members, as well as a study by Cessford (1995) on New Zealand mountain bikers served as a blueprint in the questionnaire design process. The factors examined in the questionnaire can be divided into five groups corresponding to the research objectives: 1. mountain bikers general characteristics (type of mountain biking participated in, level of advancement, frequency of participation); 2. mountain bikers’ demographic and socio-economic characteristics (age, gender, household size, education, occupation and income); 3. the Forestry Commission locations used by mountain bikers (identification of the most popular mountain biking centres in Great Britain); 4. travel patterns of mountain bikers and trip-related factors in decision making (importance of promotional channels and of various destination features in destination choice, spend, means of transport and accommodation used, use of tour operators); 5. the importance of adventure components in mountain biking and the motivations of mountain bikers. The e-questionnaire consisted of 21 questions, 15 of which concerned the respondent’s mountain biking experience, while the remaining 6 their demographics (see Appendix 4). The demographics section was presented on the second page, as inserting all 21 questions on a lengthy single page might discourage respondents from completing the survey. 19 questions were closed, while only 2 open-ended. It was decided that pre-coded questions are a more reasonable option since the questionnaire was respondent-completed and, as reported by Veal (1997), open-ended questions are too time consuming, which can negatively affect response rate. As regards question techniques, 2 kinds of rating scales were employed, namely Likert scale with simple YES/ NO answers, as well as semantic differentials indicating the degree of importance of a particular feature using 5-point scale (1 – not important, 2 – quite important, 3 – important, 4 – very important, 5 – extreme ly important). These two scales were not only easy to construct and administer, but also respondent friendly. Several questions were checklist or multiple choice type, and only 2 were open-ended, though they did not require descriptive answers. The ordering format was based on Veal (1997), who suggested sequencing questions in the following order: easy, relevant and personal. The questions were kept compact and simplified wherever possible, and clarity of layout was assured by using the online survey tool. Introductory remarks specifying the purpose of the survey were included on top of the questionnaire, while confidentiality and anonymity were ensured in remarks preceding the demographic section of the questionnaire. In addition, a thank you page was created at the end of the questionnaire. These measures, coupled with the survey participation request posted on IMBA U.K. forum in advance, were employed to maximise response rate. In order to ensure validity of the questionnaire-based data, ‘dummy’ categories were included. In question 4, listing the Forestry Commission managed mountain biking centres, 3 non-existent locations were added – Mammoth (ENG), Gutter Valley (SCO) and Badger Trail (WAL). In question 8, the same feature was repeated twice under different wording (‘Strong mtb community/ culture’ and ‘Strong mountain biking community/ culture’). This approach is suggested by Veal (1997) as a tool of measuring the degree of error in r esponses. In the pre-testing stage of the questionnaire design, a 21-question draft was e-mailed to 10 members of IMBA UK forum who had earlier declared that they would be interested in completing it. The purpose of the pre-test was to determine whether the instructions and questions were interpreted in a manner which had been intended (Finn et al. 2000). Specifically, wording, sequencing and layout of the questionnaire were to be tested (Veal 1997). Most of those who replied described it as â€Å"easy to complete and not time consuming†. Nevertheless, problems in two questions were indicated. Firstly, extending the list of Scottish mountain biking sites in question 4 was suggested. Upon reviewing the Internet sources, a total of 8 sites were added to the list. Secondly, it was signalled that question 13 asking about an approximate spend per trip was not precise enough. This issue was addressed by specifying the areas of spending that the respondents should consider (travel, food, drink , accommodation).

The Problems With Low Carbohydrate and Low Fat Diets Essay -- Health N

The Problems With Low Carbohydrate and Low Fat Diets The low carbohydrate diets and the low fat diets both claim to be successful methods of losing weight and staying healthy. Both diet plans also attempt to carry out their goals by restricting what dieters can and cannot eat in relation to what is recommended by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Through altering what nutritionists suggest for a healthy regime, low carbohydrate and low fat meal plans potentially put dieters at a higher risk for developing health problems and diseases. Also, diet plans do not necessarily accomplish their goals when maintained over a long period of time. Diets set regulations on what should or shouldn’t be part of a daily nutritional intake. The USDA recommends between 2-5 servings, measured at about one cup per serving, each day from the dairy, protein, fruit, and vegetable food groups, with an additional 6-11 servings of carbohydrates. Low carbohydrate meal plans and low fat meal plans direct dieters to follow nutritional schedules that contrast with the USDA recommended diet plan. Low carbohydrate diets, such as the Atkins diet, significantly lower the daily carbohydrate intake while increasing the amounts of servings from the meat, dairy, and other groups. On the other hand, low fat diets such as the Weight Watchers diet instruct that dieters should consume more servings of carbohydrates and less of fatty foods and foods with animal fats, which include foods from the meat group, dairy products, and others. Both diets largely differ from each other as well as from the USDA recommended meal plan. Carbohydrates, which are chemical compounds such as sugars, starches, and celluloses, are converted by the body into energ... ...r health problems. Diets can be helpful or hazardous to ones health, depending on how they are followed. Works Cited â€Å"The Food Guide Pyramid,† USDA. http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/food/food-pyramid/main.htm â€Å"Low Fat Diets,† Diet-i.com. http://www.diet-i.com/diets/low-fat-diet.htm â€Å"Atkins – The Unhealthy Choice,† Sims, Jeremy. http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/atkins_diet/medical_report.htm â€Å"Low Carb Diet- How Do Low Carbohydrate Diets Work?† http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/news_features/lowcarbdiet.htm UC Berkeley Wellness Letter http://www.berkeleywellness.com/html/fw/fwNut02LowFatDiets.html 1 Sims, http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/atkins_diet/medical_report.htm 2 UCB, http://www.berkeleywellness.com/html/fw/fwNut02LowFatDiets.html 3 Sims, http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/atkins_diet/medical_report.htm

Academic Achievement

The relationship of academic achievement and self-esteem has been seen in a number of studies. These studies have become the basis of programs and strategies implemented by educators to promote healthy self-esteem in students.Self-esteem and academic achievement have a reciprocal relationship (Marsh and O’Hara, 2008). Some would say that self-esteem might be the cause of academic achievement and those who have a positive view of themselves are focused and motivated to learn. While those with low self-esteem are afraid to take risks, and tends to avoid active participation in classroom and school activities.On the other hand, some presupposes that academic achievement results to increased self-esteem and self-confidence.   No wonder, some teachers invest so much of their time and effort to help build their students' self esteem, while others challenge their students by raising their standards, with little regard of other circumstances affecting their students' performance.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In my opinion, it is not an issue of which of the two strategies is better, but rather, it is more an issue of how a teacher can strike the right balance and timing in implementing the appropriate strategy in motivating his student.Most teachers mean well if they put pressure on their students to perform well at school. But I believe that   a teacher can best demand work from an above average or superior student who, for some reason, lacks the motivation, but is innately competitive. Expecting higher standards from these students is likely to lead to academic achievement, and eventually increase their self-esteem and self-confidence.But not all students belong to this category.   An â€Å"ordinary† student has an â€Å"ordinary† view of himself.   He is less driven and finds competition less appealing.He will tend to view academic pressure placed by a well-meaning teacher as an added source of anxiety. To an ordinary stud ent who is experiencing school adjustment problems for instance, or who happens to be having personal difficulties,   the increased demands from a high-driven teacher is a good excuse for him to withdraw, and worse, to drop-out of school (Flook, 2008).Increasing the self-esteem of an under-motivated student and, working on the lack of   confidence of a low achiever   are two different issues. The challenge for teachers is for them to give an individualized approach in setting the standards for their students. It might be more appropriate to gear the academic pressure to those who are capable of handling the challenge. Meanwhile, they may continue to invest their time and effort in building the self-esteem of those who need it most.Teachers play a significant role in   nurturing the fragile egos of their students and improve their self-concept. It is not only their role to cultivate the intellect, but to provide emotional support and encouragement if the situation calls for i t. This strategy is really a gradual process and the results are not immediately seen. But no effort is wasted for a conscientious teacher.He can see the complete picture . He understands that a student's poor self-concept and low motivation are results of several factors, such as family roles or relationship problems, individual traits and characteristics, among many others.   Because self-perception is attributable to many variables, there is no single formula in addressing the problem of poor self-esteem and self-confidence.An effective teacher however, can see the root cause of the problem and act on it. If it is rooted in low competence, he knows which skills to cultivate. He does not set unrealistically high standards. Better yet, he lets his students set their own standards, but he knows just how to encourage them when they fall short of meeting these standards.Sometimes teachers choose not to accept excuses when their students perform less better than they expect. I still think it depends on the situation. Some students will benefit with a little push, and they are good to go. But pushing the wrong student too hard and at the wrong time might make the situation worse. What if the situation calls for the teacher to go out of his way to address his student's personal difficulties and circumstances?   More important than the grades and the homework are character, relationships and sense of self-worth. Are they not?ReferencesFlook, L. and Fuligni, AJ (2008). Family and School Spillover in Adolescents’ Daily Lives. Child Development Journal, 79 (3).Marsh, H. and O’Mara, A. (2008). Reciprocal Effects Between Academic Self-Concept, Self-Esteem, Achievement, and Attainment Over Seven Adolescent Years: Unidimensional and Multidimensional Perspectives of Self-Concept. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34 (4), pp. 542-552.

Islamic Finance & Critical Success Factors Essay

I Would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who contributed their time and effort and provided their insight in enabling the compilation of this report, it is with much regret that all of their names cannot be mentioned individually here, however special mention needs to be made of certain individuals, without whose input this report would have not been possible. Mr Baratha Devanarayana course coordinator and project supervisor of the Advanced Diploma in Business Management programme at the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) for the support and advice given in content structuring and format design of the report. Would also like to mention Mrs Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia and Mrs Shamshed Akhtar, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan whose knowledge and valuable insight on the Islamic finance industry as leading professionals in the field have provided the basis on which the compilation of this report has been made possible. Executive Summary Islamic finance is a financial system based on Shariah law or Islamic law which mandates the prohibition of charging or payment of interest encourages risk and profit sharing between all parties to a contract and emphasizes the need of ethical investment which contributes to the greater good of society as a whole. Islamic finance is now one of the fastest growing financial segments in the international financial system today with an estimated annual growth rate of 15 to 20%. Industry assets worldwide are currently estimated to be between $1. 3 trillion and its industry assets and overseas portfolios are estimated to reach 4 trillion in the medium term. Diverse financial products and services, progress in developing regulatory frameworks and enhanced international linkages are driving industry growth. The critical success factors for Islamic finance to foster the growth of the industry, the application of these critical success factors and there potential applicability in the Sri Lankan context will be analysed, a comparison between Islamic finance and the conventional system on some basic indicators for competitiveness, social development and development finance will be made and the Sri Lankan and regional potential of Islamic finance will be analysed as the research undertaking of this study. The progress that has been made on certain aspects of the Islamic financial system both locally and globally, the importance of Sri Lanka fostering the growth of the Islamic finance industry are some of the issues discussed in this study. As a prelude to the research part of this study the recent developments of Islamic finance both globally and locally and the historical development of Islamic finance will be looked at to facilitate an understanding on how the system has evolved from a single institution a few decades ago to a global industry with a global presence spreading from the Middle East to Asia and the West.

Synchronous Orbits of Communication Satellites essays

Synchronous Orbits of Communication Satellites essays Synchronous Orbits of Communication Satellites The orbits of communication satellites vary for the type of satellite it is. The type of satellite it is depends on the work it is designed for. For example spy satellites (and most of the LEO satellites) need to be close to earth to take clearer pictures. First to understand the elliptical shaped orbits of the communication satellites, one needs to know that an orbit is a regular, repeating path that an object in space takes around another one. There are several types of orbits. The most common orbits are the polar, geosynchronous, and sun-synchronous orbits. The more correct term is near polar orbits. These orbits lean over at an angle near 90 degrees. This allows the satellite to see almost every part of the Earth as the Earth rotates underneath it, while providing a better global view. It takes approximately 90 minutes for the satellite to complete one orbit around the Earth. The orbits of the satellites usually take place about seven hundred to eight hundred km above Earth. These satellites orbit around Earth going from pole to pole. A geosynchronous orbit (GEO) is a circular, low orbit (time) about Earth making a complete turn in 23 hours 56 minutes 4 seconds, about the same time it takes Earth to turn, so as the Earth spins, the satellite moves synchronously with it. Geosynchronous means "in time with the Earth." A spacecraft or satellite in geosynchronous orbit stays over the same line of longitude while being at 35,790 km above Earth. Often a satellite in geosynchronous orbit stays above the same spot on Earth. When this occurs, it is called geostationary orbit. This orbit is ideal for certain kinds of communication satellites, or meteorological satellites that have a job to do over one part of the world. Because of the fact that planets are not perfectly shaped, the third type of common orbits occurs as the orbit changes to the orbit of the sun, while moving...

Tearing, Ripping, and Rending

Tearing, Ripping, and Rending Tearing, Ripping, and Rending Tearing, Ripping, and Rending By Maeve Maddox English is rich in words to describe the act of cutting and pulling things apart, words like tear, rip, hack, slash, stab, and rend. Writers of violent fictionor journalists reporting the daily newscan choose just the right word to describe an injury: A taxi driver hacked an American to death after an argument over a $1.60 fare, Thai officials said late Sunday. [On a New York subway platform], a 24-year-old man was slashed with a Corona bottle in the neck, arms, and hands, and is recovering at Bellevue. Likewise, writers of romance are able to convey degrees of emotional pain by using the words figuratively. It’s the rejection that stabs you in the heart and crushes your soul. Here are six verbs to describe tearing, ripping, and rending: hack: This verb suggests heavy blows, possibly made in the heat of anger. tear: In modern usage, this is the verb we use with paper or another flimsy substance. If complete destruction is meant, we say â€Å"tear to pieces,† or â€Å"tear in pieces.† rip: This word can also be used of tearing paper, but carries a more forceful connotation. rend: A bit old-fashioned, rend has a Biblical ring to it. Mourners rend their garments; the Lord threatens to rend Solomon’s kingdom from him. The past tense is rent: â€Å"When the town of Sunnydale slid into the hellmouth on ‘Buffy,’ my fellow fans and I rent our hair and blubbered.† (OED example) NOTE: Rend is the verb in the expression â€Å"heart-rending†: â€Å"causing intense sorrow or emotional anguish.† Google Ngram Viewer indicates that the frequently heard eggcorn â€Å"heart-wrenching† first appeared in the 1950s. slash: This word suggests a sweeping blow with a sword, although in our day, a broken beer bottle will do. stab: This word implies the thrust of a short weapon, like a dagger. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterPeople versus Persons5 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers

Outrageously Funny Groucho Marx Quotes

Outrageously Funny Groucho Marx Quotes Groucho Marx and his brothers had an unmatched flair for comedy. However, it was Groucho Marx who became the reigning king of comedy in the 1940s. He was known for double meanings embedded in his one-liners, along with his ever-present cigar, prominent eyebrows, and glasses. Groucho Marx quotes are regarded as evergreen classics, absolutely laugh-out-loud funny, even many decades later. His wit is timeless. Groucho Marx Quotes  on Women As soon as I get through with you, youll have a clear case for divorce and so will my wife. Whoever named it necking was a poor judge of anatomy. Why dont you go home to your wife? Better yet, Ill go home to your wife, and outside of the improvement, she wont notice any difference. Behind every successful man is a woman; behind her is his wife. A man is only as old as the woman he feels. A woman is an occasional pleasure but a cigar is always a smoke. Alimony is like buying hay for a dead horse. Why was I with her? She reminds me of you. In fact, she reminds me more of you than you do! Anyone who says he can see through women is missing a lot. Funny, Ive met a lot of pin-up girls, but Ive never been able to pin one down. Time wounds all heels. On Reading Anybody who doesnt like this book is healthy. From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it. Outside of a dog, a book is mans best friend. Inside of a dog, its too dark to read. On Aging and Death Why should I do anything for posterity? What has posterity ever done for me? Bury me next to a straight man. Getting older is no problem. You just have to live long enough. Put-Downs and Puns All people are born alike- except Republicans and Democrats. Go, and never darken my towels again. One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas, Ill never know. Ive had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasnt it. I sent the club a wire stating, Please accept my resignation. I dont want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and youre probably watching the wrong channel. And I want to thank you for all the enjoyment youve taken out of it. Are you going to believe me or what you see with your own eyes? I never forget a face, but in your case, Ill be glad to make an  exception.

Leadership Journey Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership Journey - Assignment Example In the very first journal for instance, one got to realize that my initial belief and understanding that leadership is the ability to influence others is just a partial facet of a more comprehensive and widely encompassing theory. It was therefore immensely appreciated that one got to realize that there are different definitions of leadership. In one’s search in Google’s online search engine for the definition of leadership, it amazingly revealed that the output generated as much as 94.7 million results (Google, 2013). This is an indication of the extensiveness and comprehensive depth of studies and information generated on the topic of merely trying to define leadership. Through the course, one eventually got to realize that the concept of leadership constantly transforms and unfolds. It was very helpful to have differentiated the concept of leadership with that of management (Journal 1, 2013). Though closely related, leadership was learned to be an important component as one of the functions of management through directing or leading; in conjunction with the other functions of planning, organizing, staffing and controlling (Management Study Guide, 2013). Thus, one came to realize and recognize that leadership in a crucial component in the quest and pursuit of strategies that influence and direct others to achieve explicitly defined goals. Leaders were learned to possess traits, skills, competencies, and qualifications that make them effective in their specialized endeavors (Journal 2, 2013). Likewise, one learned more about the three skill approaches that were reportedly developed by Katz (Journal 3, 2013) and the role of leaders as coaches (Journal 4, 2013). All the relevant theories also assisted in gaining a more in-depth knowledge of leadership and how this is applied in contemporary settings. How does this relate to the theory? One learned that the concept of leadership has been tried to be explained through the various theories which were presented and expounded: transactional leadership (Journal 5, 2013); the path-goal theory (Journal 6, 2013); transformational leadership (Simic, 1998); the contingency approaches to leadership (Martires & Fule, 2004); and situational model of leadership (Hersey & Blanchard, 1988); among others. For instance, the understanding that leaders are born with innate traits and skills; and not made were eventually inspired in the traits approach. As emphasized, â€Å"theorists sought to identify certain personality traits like intelligence, ambition, and charisma that are associated with effective leaders† (Martires & Fule, 2004, p. 155). On the other hand, there was another approach which allegedly emerged: the behavioral approach. According to Martires & Fule (2004), â€Å"the behavioral approach endeavors to find answers to the question of what behaviors, actions, and skills make effective leadership possible. Compared to the trait approach, the behavioral approach has a great pr actical usefulness since behavior, actions, and skills can be modified and learned† (p. 156). The path-goal theory, for instance, was deemed an action-oriented approach to leadership effectiveness (Journal 6, 2013; Martires & Fule, 2004). Therefore, the importance of understanding this theory lies in determining what factors or strategies would assist leaders and managers in achieving identified goals. It was disclosed that â€Å"beyond the dual functions of goal-setting and path-finding, the (path-goal theory) suggests that the manager’s job is to create a motivational environment that enhances the likelihood that employees will behave toward goals. This requires that managers have to

Endangered Species Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Endangered Species - Research Paper Example Scholars have even suggested that the world may be in the verge of experiencing its sixth massive species die off (Darling 14). Extinction may be defined as the death of a particular species and thus, disappearing completely. In the past there have been about five events of historical mass extinction acknowledged by scientist: the Cretaceous, the Ordovician, the Triassic, the Permian, and the Devonian. Scientists are of the opinion that the world is actually experiencing the Holocene, which is the sixth massive species die off. Even though the past historical mass extinction episodes were induced by natural phenomenon, the current extinction event (the Holocene) is the directly cause by human activities. Discussion The current extinction event unlike the past ones is directly cause by human activities the earlier events were caused by events such as natural climate shifts, volcanic eruptions, and asteroid strikes. It is a proven fact that about 99 % of the currently endangers plants and animals in our planet , are at risk from the activities of human beings particularly those activities that leads to loss of habitat, global warming, as well as introduction of exotic species (Sheehan 33). It is worth mentioning that for every species that faces extinction, there is a very high possibility that other species that are bound to that particular species in the complex web of the ecology may also be at a risk of extinction following the interruption of the complex ecological web. Consequently, a number of species may be directly or indirectly at risk of extinction once a particular species disappears from the face of the earth following its extinction. One of the many species that are at risk of extinction is the Komodo dragon found in the natural habitats of Indonesian Islands. The Komodo dragons are found in Lesser Sunda islands, Komodo Islands, Rinca Islands, as well as Islands of Montang, Gili, and Padar found in indonasia. It is estimated that the remaining popul ation of the Komodo dragons is approximately 4,000 to 5,000 and as such, they are listed as the endangered species in the Red List of the IUCN. The komodo dragons are commonly reffered by the name of buaja, Ora, and darat which basically means terra firma crocodile. The scientific name of the Komodo dragon is Varanus Komodoensis. They weigh about 300 pounds and grow to a length of up to 29 inches, making it the largest and heaviest lizard in the world. The creature also has an incredible sense of smell (Sahtouris 32). The Komodo dragon has a very flexible skull for purposes of enabling it to swallow huge lumps of prey. The dragons’ bit is extremely dangerous as it has very deadly venom that is capable of killing the prey within a very short time. These fascinating creatures have a life span of about 20 to 40 years. They also have a freckled skin with various colors such as slate black, earthen red, and slate gray in the adult dragons, while on the younger ones they have numer ous colors ranging from green, brown, gray, and sometimes yellow (Miller 45). The major factors that poses a great risk of possible extinction of the komodo dragons is decrease in the prey base of the creature, volcanic activities, as well as forest fire. In addition, it is pertinent to mention that the loss of the creature prey based is largely as a result of human activities such as poaching these prey species, and forest fires caused by human activities

Communication Strategy in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communication Strategy in Business - Essay Example All the audience wants to know is if or not the presenter has done sufficient homework to have them listen to him/her. Having said that, when a presenter is able to narrate a story, it not only involves the audiences more into the presentation, but also gives them the impression that the presenter knows what he/she is saying. The non-story like presentation makes the audiences feel drawn out, in reaction to which, they are reluctant to approve of the presentation. It is linked to business presentations because these presentations provide the audiences with a lot of room for questions. An effective business story is the one which has a certain start, discussion of interim events and a defined conclusion. Since it is a business story, so it has to explain the nature of business, the risks and opportunities encountered, the way they were managed, how the resources were arranged, what was the scope of work, the organization structure and the organizational culture and the profits made as well as the losses incurred. Being â€Å"in command† means that the presenter leads the presentation rather than the audiences taking the lead. It also means that the presenter knows and is experienced in the business. Q. 2 Answer: Weissman is right in his consideration of the story as of more value than the graphics. The audiences know that they are there just to raise the questions. Being in a position to challenge the arguments of the presenter, they fully exploit the presenter if he/she bores them with flashing slides, that don’t really make any detectable connection with one another. What they want is a detailed explanation of the challenges encountered by the presenter and the way he/she dealt with them. The audiences are smart enough to know that many presenters attempt to get away with the scintillating and gaudy effects while the content is really very shallow and just insufficient. By narrating the story, the presenter takes the form of a lecturer and the au diences become students. Naturally, a sense of respect for the presenter starts to cultivate in the audiences’ heart. I disagree with Weissman’s view that the effects of the slides are just to support the presenter and not the audiences. The various sizes of fonts and the background effects and the color combinations are fundamentally there to satiate the vision of the audiences. The audiences need the text to be clearly visible in the background, so that they may be able to read the content of the slide. Also, the audiences are very critical about each and every word of the content. The moment they feel that the presenter is trying to play with the words, they start arguing. A presenter who is able to narrate the story should display minimal content in the slides, should keep the charts and drawings very simple and the colors light. It doesn’t really matter if the slides have a low profile because it is fundamentally the presenter who is in charge. Q. 3 Answer: Although I agree that a presenter must always prepare properly, yet I do not agree that he must never apologize. There is no point for an individual not to be apologetic at any point in something as exposed to the public criticism as a presentation. If a presenter tends to defend his/her point when he/she is not really supposed to, it has a very negative impact on his/her impression in the audiences’ eyes. He/she is perceived to be stubborn and rude rather than understanding and kind.

Explain how Descartes represents a new philosophical beginning Essay

Explain how Descartes represents a new philosophical beginning - Essay Example In mathematics, we encounter absolute certainty, according to Descartes.† (Kitcher, 2006, p. 482) His search for this absolute certainty in the field of philosophy begins with a radical rejection of all beliefs, perceptions and assumptions and a completely blank page on which he attempts to build up a new logical train of thought. This paper considers the steps that Descartes takes to distance himself from traditional ways of thinking and the nature of his radical new approach. The starting point that Descartes chooses is in keeping with the religious conventions of the time, since he addresses his work to â€Å"those Most Wise and Distinguished men, the Deans and Doctors of the Faculty of Sacred Theology of Paris† (Descartes, p. 484) and he quotes the Bible and the Lateran Council of 1512-1517 to show that he is familiar with matters of the faith. His use of radical scepticism is presented as different approach to both physical and metaphysical problems and he implies t hat his intention is to follow a path of discovery which will be different from, but not contradictory to, articles of faith which are taught by the established Christian Church. Since the turn of the seventeenth century the Medieval mind-set of the Church had been badly shaken, first by the reformation and consequent debates and schisms across Europe, and secondly by a whole host of scientific discoveries that raised interesting questions about man’s place in the universe. Nowadays we call this major shift in world view â€Å"the Enlightenment.† In the first section of his treatise Descartes applies his radical scepticism to religion and science alike, suspending all that he has been taught, and coming down to the fundamental observation that the human being is made of two separate substances: the mind, which is immaterial and capable of thinking, and the body, which is corporal and capable of using the physical senses to apprehend and interact with the world. He cons iders how unreliable the senses are, and concludes that the only thing that he is absolutely certain of, is the fact that he is thinking with his mind. Body, senses and everything else are laid to one side and he concentrates on this thinking part of himself. In the second section he formulates his most famous saying â€Å"cogito ergo sum: I think, therefore I am† (Descartes, p. 492) which shows that existence is derived from thinking, and not from anything outside the self that is thinking. This is a big departure from the teachings of the Church, which had traditionally placed itself in the role of teacher and authority on all matters. Thanks to the reformation there was a much greater focus on the individual, and Descartes latches on to this to stress both the mental activity that human beings are capable of, but also the fact that we are self-aware when we are engaged in this activity. All that exists around that thinking self is an illusion, and the only absolutely certa in thing is the individual and his ability to understand and to reason. The third section elaborates this point: â€Å"I am a thing that thinks, that is to say a thing that doubts, affirms, denies, understands a few things, is ignorant of many things, refrains from willing, and also imagines and senses.†

Are there any Medicaid policies towards illegal and legal immigrants Essay

Are there any Medicaid policies towards illegal and legal immigrants - Essay Example borders to work and to receive publicly-funded services, often with the aid of fraudulent documents. Such entry is a misdemeanor and, if repeated, becomes punishable as a felony. Over eight million illegal immigrants live in the United States -- some estimate even more.† (American Patrol, 21 September 2008.) Research has found that ill legal immigration affects the citizens of that particular country, especially the poor people and the legal immigrants. It is also found that the taxes paid by these illegal immigrants are far less than the services received by them. Countries like United States of America are trying their level best to counter this by increased border patrol but this is not only reason for illegal immigration, most of the cases occur because of people who overstay even after their visa is expired. United States of America provides Medicaid facilities to the legal and illegal immigrants but this results in a very big loss for the economy of the country because the people take undue advantage of the same by overstaying in the hospitals even after recovery. The Medicaid policies depend on state to state but there are some states in America which provide the young children and elders requiring medical attention with great facilities like free drugs, free nursing and proper m edical attention. Off late the federal law has brought in many restrictions to keep a check on the illegal immigrants, this also ensures a strict check on the money spent on the public welfare. Some of the services provided by Medicaid to the people are Vaccine for the children, rural health care services, transportation services and these are just a handful of many services provided by the Medicaid in America. The funding of these services provided by the states comes from a partnership between the federal and the state government and this was established in the year 1965, this comes under the social security act. â€Å"States with lower per capita

CHARITY PUBLIC RELATIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CHARITY PUBLIC RELATIONS - Essay Example Notably also, public relations is aimed at communicating to donors how resources have been spent and to attract further donations (Gregory, 2004). There is another outlook on public relations where persons tasked with this have to analyse trends, predict their consequences and counsel organizations on the best course of action along with how this will be implemented. This outlook provides credibility on the practice of public relations as it introduces a social science aspect where in the critics have dismissed public relations as being unsubstantial and flawed fundamentally (Butterick, 2011). Being difficult to define, public relations is a practice that is difficult to underpin its origins as well. One of the American pioneers of public relations, Ivy Lee, looked into policy management citing that good policy translates to good public relations. He went on to extend this definition by stating that public relations deals with everything entailed in expressing the policy or idea of an organization, incorporating the idea or policy expressed as well. For charitable organizations, their main concern is maintaining fruitful relationships between them and donors and this raises the issue of fund raising management. The policy or idea expressed by these organizations is philanthropic in nature that is not for the direct benefit of the organization rather for a societal issue such as public health. Philanthropy, in essence, is a relationship between donor and recipients where this relationship is mediated by cultivating an image of public good. Lee also looked into the ethics o f public relations at a time many were against the idea of press releases; he was of the opinion that organizations that sent out press releases to newspapers with the hope of influencing their content were not in the wrong so long as the sources of such releases could be identified. He felt that

Are there any Medicaid policies towards illegal and legal immigrants Essay

Are there any Medicaid policies towards illegal and legal immigrants - Essay Example borders to work and to receive publicly-funded services, often with the aid of fraudulent documents. Such entry is a misdemeanor and, if repeated, becomes punishable as a felony. Over eight million illegal immigrants live in the United States -- some estimate even more.† (American Patrol, 21 September 2008.) Research has found that ill legal immigration affects the citizens of that particular country, especially the poor people and the legal immigrants. It is also found that the taxes paid by these illegal immigrants are far less than the services received by them. Countries like United States of America are trying their level best to counter this by increased border patrol but this is not only reason for illegal immigration, most of the cases occur because of people who overstay even after their visa is expired. United States of America provides Medicaid facilities to the legal and illegal immigrants but this results in a very big loss for the economy of the country because the people take undue advantage of the same by overstaying in the hospitals even after recovery. The Medicaid policies depend on state to state but there are some states in America which provide the young children and elders requiring medical attention with great facilities like free drugs, free nursing and proper m edical attention. Off late the federal law has brought in many restrictions to keep a check on the illegal immigrants, this also ensures a strict check on the money spent on the public welfare. Some of the services provided by Medicaid to the people are Vaccine for the children, rural health care services, transportation services and these are just a handful of many services provided by the Medicaid in America. The funding of these services provided by the states comes from a partnership between the federal and the state government and this was established in the year 1965, this comes under the social security act. â€Å"States with lower per capita

Environmental engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental engineering - Essay Example Note that oxidation occurs in the presence of organic matter, so nitrate acts an electron acceptor in the absence of free oxygen. The chemical reaction in this phase can be represented as: The precipitation of ammonia in the form of MgNH4PHO4 (MAP) through the addition of phosphoric acid and magnesium oxide is called MAP process. In this process the pH value is critical in the precipitation of MAP. It has 90% efficiencies (Siegrist, 1996). This is a physico-chemical process. When the pH of wastewater is maintained to 10 is easy to convert NH4+ to free ammonia. Then, an air stream is used to capture NH3 and it is absorbed in a solution with sulphuric acid to form (NH4)2SO4. It has 97% efficiency, (Siegrist, 1996). This is a physico-chemical process called air stripping process. Finally, biological phosphorus removal technique offer advantages over chemical processes, reduced energy consummation and reduce sludge production (Park, 1999). This method is justified because phosphorus exists in several forms in wastewater: orthophosphate, polyphosphate and organic phosphates. Note that phosphorus comes from human excrement and detergents presents in domestic wastewater. 1. There are some microorganisms that without oxygen and nitrates (anaerobic atmosphere), assimilate and store fermentation products produced by other facultative bacteria. The microorganisms derive energy for this assimilation from polyphosphates organisms, which are hydrolyzed to liberate energy. The free phosphorus that results from the hydrolysis reaction is released to the mixed liquor (Sankaramanchi, 2010). 2. In the following anoxic or aerobic phase these same microorganisms, consume both phosphorus and oxygen to metabolize the previously stored substrate for energy production and cell synthesis. The organisms take up the phosphorus in excess. The phosphorus is removed from the system during the normal sludge wasting procedure (Sankaramanchi,

A Review On Alcoholic Detection From EEG Signals

A Review On Alcoholic Detection From EEG Signals Abstract: This review covers advances of the past decade, in the development of EEG signal processing algorithms for alcoholic detection. In recent years, various computational approaches have been proposed to detect alcoholism from EEG recordings. In this paper, we review some of those approaches, and discuss their limitations and potential In part I, an introduction to the effect of alcohol on EEG is discussed briefly. We review some of the known effects of alcohol on EEG signal in part II. Some of the exiting state of the art signal processing techniques for alcoholic detection in EEG recordings are discussed in part III. A review of various signal processing methods used to classify alcoholics and controls is done. The potential and limitation of such computational approaches are discussed in part IV. A discussion on the potential use of EEG as a biomarker for alcoholism and as a mass screening tool is also discussed .At the end of the paper, we conclude by briefly addressing the future challenges and open problems in part V. PART I Introduction Alcoholism is a social bane that is affecting the human life in all aspects. Not only it causes damage to the human brain and other organs of the body in various ways, it also brings about a lot of difficulties and discomfort to an alcoholic person in his/her social life. A lot of research has gone into finding the ill effects and the extent to which it damages the human body. Some of the harmful effects include lack of coordination between body and mind, loss of vision, imbalance in walking, incoherent speech, memory slips, depression to name a few. These effects can be observed after only a few drinks and they may vanish once the person gives up drinking. However a person who is addicted to drinking large quantities of alcohol for a long time may be affected with these effects that persist for a longer time and severely damage one or more organs of the body. The way in which alcohol affects the brain and the probable reversal of the ill effects caused by heavy drinking on the brain still remain as hot topics in alcohol research [1]. Some of the factors that determine the extent to which alcohol affects the brain are: i) quantity and how frequently a person drinks ii) the age of the subject at which the habit of drinking started and how long it is being continued iii) subjects age, education, gender, genetic predisposition and family history of alcoholism iv) possibility of prenatal exposure and the overall health condition[47]. Heavy drinking not only affects the human brain but it also damages other vital organs of the body. It is also found that females are more affected than males in the way the alcohol consumption damages the various organs of the body. For example, a few years of heavy drinking in women cause cirrhosis [48] cardiomyopathy [49] and nerve damage [50] than in alcoholic men. However, the studies on sensitivity of females brain to alcohol-induced brain damage as compared with males, have not shown any conclusive results [1]. Alcohol intake combined with poor general health condition or with severe liver disease causes damage to the human brain in an indirect manner. For example, thiamine deficiency is common in people with alcoholism which is a result of poor overall nutrition [1].  A large percentage of alcoholics suffer from thiamine deficiency and some may even develop severe brain disorders such as [51] Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) [52]. The symptoms of WKS include mental confusi on, oculomotor disturbances and difficulty with muscle coordination, forgetfulness and frustration and have difficulty with walking and coordination [53] . One of the organs that severely gets affected by long term alcohol consumption in large quantities is the liver. In a person with a history of heavy long-term drinking, the liver s function is to breakdown alcohol into harmless by-products and flush them out of the body. However, the liver may get damaged due to excessive alcohol intake, leading to liver cirrhosis. This condition of the liver can harm the brain, leading to a potentially fatal brain disorder called hepatic encephalopathy [54].Some of the effects of Hepatic encephalopathy are disturbances in sleep patterns, mood swings, personality changes, anxiety, depression, attention deficits, difficulty in coordination like shaking of the hands ( asterixis). In the worst case, patients may slip into coma ( hepatic coma), which can lead to death. It is indeed difficult to diagnose these effects as related to hepatic encephalopathy. New imaging techniques assist researchers to study specific regions of brain in such patients, which helps them in knowing exactly how hepatic encephalopathy progresses. The studies have confirmed that at least two toxic substances, ammonia and manganese are responsible for the development of hepatic encephalopathy. The severely damaged liver cells allow these harmful toxic products to enter the brain, which in turn harms the brain cells. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy may lead to physical, learning, and behavioural problems in the developing fetal brain. The most serious of these problems is the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Children with FAS may have distinct facial features [1]. FAS infants growth may be lesser than average. They may suffer from microcephaly. In infants with this syndrome, only a fewer neurons may be present or a fewer neurons may function properly. This will lead to problems in learning and behaviour for a long term. All alcoholics do not experience the ill effects of alcohol consumption in a similar manner to the same extent. The source of the disease may be different for different patients. This makes it difficult to pinpoint any one parameter as responsible for the brain disorders found in alcoholics. That is why, one of the active areas of research is to study why some patients are vulnerable to brain deficits while others are not [55]. Most alcoholics suffering from cognitive disorder improve in the structure and functioning of the brain within a year of abstinence [56-58].This may not be true in all cases. Therefore clinicians must devise different types of treatment methods to cater to different patients. They use brain-imaging techniques to determine the course and progress of treatment over a period of time. Researchers use imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), positron emission tomography (PET), and electrophysiological brain mapping. These methods provide precise and accurate information on structural, functional and biochemical changes in patients brain over time. Sometimes, two or more brain imaging methods are used together to correlate the results and monitor when a chronic alcoholic patient stops drinking and again after long periods of sobriety ,the possibility of relapse of the drinking habit in the patient [59]. The process of memorization and retrieval depend on factors such as attention and motivation [60]. MRI of brain assist the physicians to study the effects of long time abstinence from alcohol on memory and attention, as well as changes that take place when drinking habit relapses. The aim of these studies is to differentiate between the alcohol-induced permanent effects on the brain and those which are reversible with abstinence. PET imaging assists researchers to visualize, in the living brain, the damages associated with heavy alcohol consumption [61]. This also enables scientists to analyse alcohols effects on neurotransmitter systems, brain cell metabolism and blood flow within the brain. These studies on alcoholics have shown the frontal lobe disorders, which are responsible for various functions associated with learning and memory and deficits in cerebellum which controls movement and coordination. PET can also be used for monitoring the effects of alcoholism treatment on the a ffected parts of the brain and may give new directions in developing medications to rectify the chemical deficits found in the brains of people with alcohol dependence. Numerous studies have shown the ill effects of alcohol on the human brain by observing and analysing the electroencephalogram (EEG) of the alcoholic subject and compared with that of a control subject. Electroencephalography (EEG) is a simple non invasive tool that records the brains electrical signals by placing electrodes on the scalp. These signals show real-time activity as it occurs in the brain. Many studies have shown that the effect of alcohol on the human brain can be perceived by processing the recording the EEG of an alcoholic subject. The single channel EEG recordings of a control and an alcoholic subject are as shown in fig 1.It can be observed that the time series EEG data of both control and alcoholic subjects are not clearly perceptible to the bare human eye. However, with the help of certain signal processing techniques either in the time domain or frequency domain or time-frequency domain or spatial domain techniques, the latent features can be extracted to identify the effects of alcohol on the human brain. As an illustration, the PSDs of the EEG of both control and alcoholic subject are as shown in fig2. From this it is very clear that the power contained in various frequency components are different for both control and alcoholic subjects. C:UsersMUDocumentsMATLABeeg_epilep_codestime_series_data.jpg C:UsersMUDocumentsMATLABeeg_epilep_codespsd_c_a.jpg Fig 1.Time series EEG data of control Fig2. PSD plot of EEG of control and alcoholic subjects and alcoholic subjects Many alcoholic men have low amplitude of their P3 components (fig 3). P3 amplitudes in alcoholic women reduce to a lesser extent than in men. The uniqueness of the reduction in P3 component among other symptoms is that even after the patient drops the habit of drinking alcohol, this reduction in P3 persists[63].Therefore this parameter can be thought of as a biomarker for alcohol dependence rather than an effect of alcohol consumption. There are many studies conducted on the reduced P3 amplitudes of young people who are not exposed to alcohol but their fathers being alcoholics [64, 65].Therefore, P3 can be used as biomarkers to help recognizing people who may be at greatest risk for developing problems with alcohol. graph Fig 3 . P3 amplitude in control and alcoholic subjects (Courtesy:[1]) Compared to other imaging methods discussed above, electrophysiological methods such as EEG processing for detection of alcoholics has a lot to offer in terms of mobility and cost involved. Hence it can be used as a mass screening tool for the underprivileged with a history of alcoholism. PART II Effect of Alcohol on EEG recordings Studies have shown that some of the major effects of alcohol on EEG are: i) enlargement of frontal negative occipital wave component ii) increase in ventricular and sulcal CSF volumes iii) Reduction in p300 component iv)Reduction in pre frontal cortical excitability v)Reduction in the amplitude of Error related negativity vi) Binge drinking effect on ÃŽ ´ and fast ÃŽ ²waves vii) Reduction in the power of EEG signal in frontal region and enhancement of ÃŽ ¸ waves . viii) high ÃŽ ² and ÃŽ ¸ power in the resting EEG, abnormalities in eye movements, in saccadic inhibition during antisaccade tasks. These effects, however, are not always easily detectable. There tends to be a large variability from patient to patient. As a result, none of these phenomena allow at present to reliably detect the effect of alcohol at an early stage. Many recent studies have concentrated on how to improve the sensitivity of EEG for detecting alcoholism. In the following we briefly review some of these studies. A. Enlargement of frontal negative occipittal wave component Way back in 1990, Jerald Varner et al., reported a study of alcoholic organic syndrome patients using the occipital wave components of the event related potential (ERP) as an electrophysiological parameter [3]. The study was conducted on normal, Korsakoff, and alcoholic dementia patients. The frontal negative occipital wave was observed to be increased in alcoholic organic brain syndrome patients and it was concluded that it was probably due to an attention deficit, indicating a probable frontal lobe dysfunction. B. Increase in ventricular and sulcal CSF volumes Adolf Pfefferbaum et al., [4] quantified brain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes derived from computed tomography (CT) in alcoholics and controls. The results showed that the ventricular and sulcal CSF volumes in alcoholic patients were greater than was expected for their age. This also proved the previous results obtained from a similar study using CT and MRI showing greater vulnerability of the aging brain to alcohol. The absolute ventricular volumes were similar in MRI and CT, while MRI results showed larger sulcal volume estimates than the CT. It was concluded that MRI slice thickness and its resolution to partial volume effects led to this increase in sulcal volume estimate. C. Reduction in p300 component Shirley Y. Hill et al., studied the effect of alcohol on the p300 component [9] .According to this study , it was found that only patients(female) with comorbid depression had a reduced p300 amplitude ,while there was no difference in other alcoholic and control subjects(male and female) . From this study, it was also concluded that the P300 amplitude reduction seen in children prone to developing alcoholism seems to represent a delay in neuron development that normalizes as they grow into adulthood. In another similar study, Michio Hada et al., used bootstrap analysis method in which P3a current source density (CSD) maps showed distinct topographic mapping between alcoholics and control subjects in all the brain regions [10]. More sources and sinks were seen in the alcoholics than in the control subjects for P3a. The reduced P3a amplitude and sinks in alcoholics coupled with less specificity in their CSD maps, suggested disorganized less efficient functioning of the brain. This suggests a probable underlying CNS hyper excitability in alcoholics due to cortical disinhibition . D. Reduction in pre frontal cortical excitability Seppo Kahkonen et al. [13], reported the effects of alcohol on the prefrontal cortex in nine healthy subjects using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) activated electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Changes in EEG activity lasting up to 270 ms post stimulus were observed as a response to activation by TMS. The changes were observed more prominently at anterior electrodes suggesting the reduction in excitability in the prefrontal cortex due to alcohol. E. Reduction in the amplitude of Error related negativity A study by Clay B Holroyd et al., indicated that alcohol consumption reduces the amplitude of the error-related negativity (ERN)[14] component of the event related potential(ERP), a sharp negative going signal that occurs in the EEG at the instant when an incorrect motor response starts ( ie.,error commission). F. Binge drinking effect on ÃŽ ´ and fast ÃŽ ² waves Kelley E Courtney et al. evaluated the spectral power in the ÃŽ ´ and fast ÃŽ ² waves of EEG recordings of young undergraduate university students who varied in their binge drinking history [18].The aim of the study was to characterize the effects of binge drinking on central nervous system(CNS) neuroelectric activity in male and female undergraduate subjects. The EEG recordings of these subjects showed enhanced spectral power in the ÃŽ ´ (0-4 Hz) and fast- ÃŽ ² (20-35 Hz) bands for the high-binge drinkers. Although the dependence of fast- ÃŽ ² power on binge drinking still remains unclear, the change in fast- ÃŽ ² power indicates that EEG spectral pattern of high-binge drinkers is similar to that of alcoholics. This study indicated that the relative enhancement in fast- ÃŽ ² power may be used as a biomarker for potential future alcoholism even in the absence of familial alcoholism. G.Effect on ÃŽ ²,ÃŽ ¸ ,ÃŽ ³ waves ,eye movement disorders and saccadic inhibition Wu Di et al., discussed the change in the power of EEG signal in various parts of the brain after consuming alcohol , resulting in harmful effects on different parts of the brain and the body[19]. It was observed that while in the frontal region the power of the EEG signal decreased with the increase in the quantity of alcohol intake, the power of the EEG signal in central, occipital region increased. This study also revealed that while in the frontal region, the alcohol intake caused a transformation in the fast wave with decrease in the power of EEG signal, the fast wave reduced with an increase in the power of EEG signal in the central and occipital region. It was also observed that while the effect of alcohol in the frontal region indicated nerve stimulation of alcohol in this part, making drinkers to become excited after alcohol intake, in the central and occipital region, the effect of alcohol consumption led to an inhibitory action on the neuron cells, resulting in the weakeni ng of the body coordination and eyesight. Further it was noted that increase in alcohol intake resulted in ÃŽ ¸ waves generation and gradual enhancement as the subjects were in state of drowsiness and the central nervous system(CNS) of the subjects was inhibited. At the same time, ÃŽ ± and ÃŽ ² waves were seen to gradually enhance and the region of these waves expanded after consuming alcohol. The study also indicated that the correlation between parts of brain decreased gradually because the clustering of the EEG signal was separated gradually into small clusters with increased alcohol intake. From this observation, it was concluded that too much drinking may lead to the decrease of balance, stability between the parts of the brain. S. Campanella et al., [41], studied various physiological parameters such as continuous EEG, oculomotor measures, cognitive ERPs and event-related oscillations that are affected in chronic alcoholic patients compared to healthy controls. This study was aimed at identifying links between these physiological parameters, altered cognitive processes and specific clinical symptoms. The result of their study showed:(1) high beta and theta power in the resting EEG, suggesting hyperarousal of CNS (2) abnormalities in smooth pursuit eye movements, in saccadic inhibition during antisaccade tasks, and in prepulse inhibition, suggesting disturbed attention and abnormal prefrontal inhibitory cortical dysfunction; (3) decreased amplitude for cognitive ERPs situated along the continuum of information processing, suggesting that alcoholism is associated with neurophysiological deficits at the level of the sensory cortex and not only disturbances involving associative cortices and limbic structures; and (4) decreased theta, gamma and delta oscillations, suggesting cognitive disinhibition at a functional level. Ajayan Padmanabhapillai et al.,[71] investigated the early evoked gamma band response in male adolescents at high risk and at low risk groups for a visual stimulus. The results indicate that the deficient early evoked gamma band response may indicate the risk of development of alcoholism and could be a potential bio marker for future addiction to alcoholism. David A. Kareken et al., [72] used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine how family history affects the brains response to subjects preferred alcoholic drink odours (AO) as compared to appetitive control odours (ApCO). This study suggested that a family history of alcoholism and brain exposure to alcohol odour in heavy drinkers differentially affect the way in which brain responds to alcohol cues. H.Whole-genome association study on EEG waves Variation in resting EEG is associated with common, complex psychiatric diseases such as alcoholism, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders although it can not be used as a diagnostic tool for any of them. Such traits appear to be dependent on the underlying molecular processes than on clinical symptoms, and points to an alternative method for the identification of genetic variation that characterize complex psychiatric disorders. Colin A. Hodgkinsona et al.,[39], performed a whole-genome association study on alpha (ÃŽ ±), beta (ÃŽ ²), and theta (ÃŽ ¸) EEG power in a Native American cohort of 322 individuals to maintain the genetic and environmental homogeneity of this population. Three genes SGIP1, ST6GALNAC3 and UGDH were nominally associated to variability of ÃŽ ¸ or ÃŽ ± power. SGIP1 was estimated to account for 8.8 % of variance in ÃŽ ¸ power and this association was replicated in US Caucasians, where it accounted for 3.5% of the variance. Bayesian analysis of prior probability of association based upon earlier linkage to chromosome 1 and enrichment for vesicle-related transport proteins established the genuineness of the association of SGIP1 with ÃŽ ¸ power. It was also found that the association of SGIP1 with alcoholism provides validation of the use of EEG as an endo phenotype for alcoholism. I.Effect of alcohol on facilitation effect The aim of this study by P. Maurage et al., [32], was to study cross modal (auditory-visual) processing while the subjects were given an emotional stimuli and specifically the auditory-visual facilitation effect. Twenty patients suffering from alcoholism, and 20 healthy controls were asked to identify the emotion (anger or happiness) displayed by auditory, visual or auditory-visual stimuli. The stimuli were designed to elicit a facilitation effect (namely, faster reaction times (RTs) for crossmodal condition than for unimodal ones).It was observed that the alcoholics showed less significant facilitation effect compared to their healthy counterparts.This lack of facilitation effect may be used as a biomarker for an impaired auditory-visual processing in alcoholics. PART III I. Signal processing techniques for detection of alcoholism in EEG signal The Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a bio signal containing information about the state of the brain. The latent information present in the EEG signal may not be visible for the human expert and any subtle variations hence cannot be observed and monitored as and when it occurs. Especially in the time series EEG data, subtle variations can not be perceived by human eye. In such a situation the computational approach becomes very important to extract any such micro variations in the EEG recording, containing significant information about the status of any pathology present. Also, since EEG is an inexpensive method and due to its portability, it can be used as a powerful mass screening tool. EEG signals are the signatures of neural activities. They are captured by multiple-electrode either invasively or non-invasively, over the cortex under the skull, or certain locations over the scalp, and can be recorded in different formats. The signals are normally presented in the time domain, but by applying simple signal processing tools such as the Fourier transform to perform frequency analysis and some imaging tools to visualize EEG topographies , the brain activities can be visualized in frequency or spatial domains respectively. Various time domain, frequency domain, time-frequency methods, statistical signal processing technique such as Wavelet transform [5], Recurrent Neural network [6], nonlinear systems [7], logistic regression [8], spectral densities of DWT coefficients [16], etc., and chaotic signal processing techniques [2] are used to study the pathology of brain such as epilepsy. These techniques are also used to classify between alcoholic, non-alcoholic and epilept ic subjects. In recent years, several research groups have started investigating the potential of electroencephalograms (EEGs) for detecting alcoholism and study the short term and long term effects on the brain. There have been many algorithms developed so far for processing EEG signals. Some of the operations include time-domain analysis, frequency-domain analysis, spatial-domain analysis, and multiway processing. Also, several algorithms have been developed to visualize the brain activity from images reconstructed from only the EEGs. Separation of the desired sources from the multisensor EEGs has been another research area. This can later lead to the detection of brain abnormalities such as epilepsy and the sources related to various physical and mental activities. In this section, some of the signal processing techniques applied to EEG signal for the detection of alcoholism is reviewed. A. Extraction of spectral band power and parametric methods Ong, Kok Mang et al, have shown that VEP (visually evoked potential) could be influenced by long term alcohol abuse [20]. The power spectral density of the recorded VEP was estimated using Burg algorithm (parametric analysis) and the extracted Gamma band power was used as features to train the neural network to classify the alcoholics and non-alcoholics. The authors claim that classification result of 97.50% accuracy has been achieved, to discriminate alcoholics from non-alcoholics.Kok-Meng Ong et al., have proposed Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method for the optimization of the selection of a subset of channels for single trial Visual Evoked Potentials (VEP) signals [23]. The proposed method was successful in optimizing a subset of channels that guaruntees high classification accuracy of alcoholics and non-alcoholics Another similar study by Ramaswamy Palaniappan et al., show that the difference of VEP signals between alcoholics and non-alcoholics can be observed using two spectral power ratios in gamma band (37-50 Hz) extracted from seven channels. This result implies that gamma band spectral power could be used as a biomarker on the lasting effects of long-term use of alcohol on visual response though the studied alcoholics have been abstinent for a minimum period of 1 month. Here Genetic algorithm (GA) is used to optimize the selection of subset of the feature set and classification is done with Fuzzy ARTMAP (FA) classifier [11], using VEP signals. The seven spectral bands of VEP signals are extracted using infinite impulse response (IIR) band-pass filters with constant gain and uniform bandwidth. Spectral power in these bands is calculated using Parsevals theorem and used as features to train the FA and ML-BP classifiers. The proposed technique discriminates alcoholics from non-alcoholics wit h high accuracy. In continuation of the previous work, Ramaswamy Palaniappan et al., in their work have derived second order autoregressive (AR) coefficients [21] to discriminate alcoholics using single trial gamma band Visual Evoked Potential (VEP) signals using 3 different classifiers: Simplified Fuzzy ARTMAP (SFA) neural network (NN), Multilayer-perceptron-back propagation (MLP-BP) NN and Linear Discriminant (LD) function . Here elliptic filtering was used in the gamma band spectral range on single trial VEP signals. The average classification errors of 2.6%, 2.8% and 11.9% were obtained from LD, MLP-BP and SFA classifiers. The high accuracy of LD classification results show the effectiveness of the proposed method to discriminate between alcoholic subjects and controls. Several improvements were proposed to previous work of automated classification of alcoholics and non-alcoholics [24] by the same author. In the previous paper, MLP-NN classifying energy of gamma band VEP signals gave the best cla ssification performance using 800 VEP signals from 10 alcoholics and 10 non-alcoholics. Here, the dataset was extended to include 3560 VEP signals from 102 subjects: 62 alcoholics and 40 non-alcoholic. The classification performance was improved by i) increasing the gamma band spectral range ii) Multiple Signal Classification algorithm was used to obtain the power of the dominant frequency in gamma band VEP signals for feature extraction iii) the use of the k nearest neighbour classifier. The performance was validated by a 10-fold cross validation classification. Modification resulted in an improvement in the classification percentage from 94.49% to 98.71% in maximum averaged CVC accuracy. In this paper by Ramaswamy Palaniappan [30], a method is proposed to discriminate chronic alcoholic from non-alcoholic subjects while the subjects were sober. Energies of EEG signals in multiple gamma bands were used as features while the subjects were asked to do a picture recognition task .A neural network was used for classifying chronic alcoholic subjects from controls. Leave one out cross validation strategy revealed that alcoholics could be discriminated from non-alcoholics with accuracy of 94.55%. This study shows that the energy in gamma band spectral energy can be used as a biomarker for screening of alcoholics. The classification of chronic alcoholics from non-alcoholics using the EEG is studied in this paper by A Shahina et al., [27].Weighted Linear Prediction Cepstral Coefficients were extracted from the VEP and used as discriminating feature vectors. Auto associative neural network was used to classify these vectors into alcoholics and non alcoholics. A recognition accuracy of 52.5% is achieved. This shows that all the 64 channels do not have the same discriminatory attributes causing a reduction in the accuracy levels. Hence the authors conclude that in order to improve the classification performance, there is a need for the optimization of the number of channels to be considered for classification. In this study by Tugce Balli et al., [31], they investigated the electrophysiological differences between alcoholic and control subjects using two different approaches namely complexity and energy analysis. The EEG data used in this study were recorded from 77 alcoholic and 44 control subjects while the subjects were performing delayed matching to sample object recognition task for three types of stimuli. The experimental paradigm evokes object recognition, visual short-term memory and decision making abilities. The results indicated that all regions (i.e. frontal, central, temporal, parietal and occipital) in the brain exhibit more complexity and less energy for alcoholic subjects as compared to controls. When different visual stimuli pairs were compared among alcoholic and control subjects, the results from energy analysis showed group wise differences in occipital and parietal regions. These results provide a strong indication on the impairment in brains electrophysiological activ ity for alcoholic subjects due to a history of long term alcohol abuse. Chronic alcoholism is classically associated with major deficits in the visual and auditory processing of emotions. However, the cross modal (auditory-visual) processing of emotional stimuli, which occurs most frequently in everyday life, has not yet been explored.

Anorexia Nervosa Essay -- Eating Disorders

Thesis Statement: Anorexia Nervosa effects a person both physically and mentally. Anorexia represents one percent of most prevalent eating disorder diseases. The word anorexia itself means, â€Å" lack of appetite†. Anorexia is an all-encompassing pursuit of thinness. The person effected by Anorexia has an absolute fear of becoming obese (Matthew 4). Approximately one percent of adolescent girls develops Anorexia Nervosa, a dangerous condition in which they can literally starve themselves to death. People who starve intentionally starve themselves suffer from an eating disorder. The disorder, which usually begins in the young people around the time of puberty, involves extreme weight loss. At least fifteen percent below the individuals normal body weight. Many people with the disorder look emaciated, but are convinced they are over weight (Matthew 5). Anorexia Nervosa has three Diagnostic Criteria. One is refusal to maintain body weight at or above normal. The other is, intense fear of becoming fat, even though under average weight. The last one is, Disturbance in the way in which one’s body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self- evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight (Long 15). Anorexia Nervosa has two specific types, one is Restricting type and the other is Binge-Eating/Purging type. Restricting type during the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has not regularly engaged in binge- eating or purging behavior. In Binge- Eating /Purging type, during the current episode of Anorexia Nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in binge-eating/purging behavior (Rockwell 10). Anorexia may not be noticed in early stages. The Anorexic usually chooses to wear layered and baggy clothes to hide the â€Å"ugly fat body† .An Anorexic may have ritualistic eating patterns such as cutting food into little tiny pieces and weighing themselves. These can be found in people who are on a healthy diet, but in Anorexics these behaviors are extremely exaggerated. Other warnings are deliberate self-starvation with weight loss, fear of gaining weight, refusal to eat, denial of hunger, constant exercising, sensitivity to cold, absent or irregular periods, loss of scalp perception of being fat when the person is really to this. Some other associated features are depressed mood, somatic sexual dysfunction, and ... ...l with in society. Two developed Anorexia after seeing a â€Å" movie of the week† where the main character was Anorexic. Mike’s ten year old daughter developed Anorexia after seeing â€Å"The Body Trap†, a program on Nickelodeon. These findings seem to exemplify along standing debate, if educational programs prevent eating disorders or contribute to them. This is not a scientific study , just a dad with some very disturbing news: Television programs dealing with Anorexia and / or eating disorder are triggering Anorexia in some of our children (Long 15). Works Cited Cottrell, Randall R. "Anorexia Nervosa." Grolier Wellness Encyclopedia: Weight Control. Ed. Robert E. Kline. Vol. 15. Guilford, CT: Duskin, 1992. 117. Long, Phillip W. "Anorexia Nervosa." Internet Mental Health. Jan. 1997. St. Joseph Medical Center. 19 Aug. 1998 . Matthews, John R. Library in a Book: Eating Disorders. New York: Facts on File Inc. 1991 O’Dwyer, Michael P. Student Eating Disorders : Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. Washington, D.C.: National Education Association, 2005. Rockwell, L., Understanding Eating Disorders. Washington, D.C.: Taylor & Francis. 2004

The College Experience - Exploration and Self-discovery Essay -- Perso

The College Experience - Exploration and Self-discovery What do you want to do with your life? If only I had a nickel for every time I was asked that pesky question ... in particular, by some overly-concerned adult! I swear, if I hear it one more time, I'll launch into a screaming fit! It's right along the same lines as the annoying, "where do you see yourself in ten years?" As a student wrapping up my freshman year at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, even the question "what's your major?"can pose a bit of a problem. At this point in my life, I simply feel that such questions are too restrictive. Why is society fixated on categorizing everyone into neat little groups? I thought that college was meant to be a process of self-discovery, rather than a mere obstacle on the way to a career that's been predetermined since kindergarten! Yet you'd be amazed at the pitying stares you receive when you tell someone that you're undecided. You'd think that you'd just told them that you'd been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor! I'm here to reassure all those "lost souls" out there that there is nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do. My first year of college has been a veritable roller coaster of trying on and discarding various ideas of "what I want to be when I grow up." Like most people, I felt the overwhelming pressure to settle on a career before entering college, and so I arrived at USC as a declared broadcast journalism major. The only experience I had in this area was co-hosting my high school news program, which was more sketch-comedy than real news, and yet on the basis of that alone, I decided on my major... ...magazine, Palaver. And next year, in contrast to the small film company where I am now interning, my goal is to have a summer job at DreamWorks. All of this is an effort to cram as much into my four years as possible. And why not? There is something to be gained from every new experience, whether I stick it out for the duration or not. Maybe I'm flaky by nature, or maybe I'm just determined to get every bit of the well-rounded Liberal Arts education that my parents are shelling out big bucks for. Does it really matter? The point is this: don't ever let anyone tell you that there's something you can't do. If you have a yen for something, try it. You never know, you may discover some hidden talent that you didn't know you had. Or you may not. But hey, exploration and self-discovery is what the college experience is all about!

Health care profession

Health care professionals are doctors , nurses, surgeons and many more . Did you know that there are 13 characteristics of a health care professional, there is Empathy , Honesty, Dependability, Willingness to learn , Patience , Acceptance of critism , Enthusiasm, Self motivation, Tact , Competence, Responsibility , Team Player and Feedback. These characteristics are important to doctors , nurses , and surgeons because they need to understand the patients , they also need to be honest and patient wit them . Doctors ,nurses, and surgeons need these things to ucceed and accomplish their tasks .They also need to make the patients feel comfortable , they the need to let the patients know that they can count on them to do their Job and that their safe and secure with them . ln order for them to do these things their suppose to be fully trained ,or have a certification or have a license to work in the field of a health care. A good health care professional has communication skills which inc ludes speaking and listening to patients with this the doctor will be able to understand what the patients need. Health care is a vitual service that ouches the lives of millions of people at significant times like birth , illness, and death .Some injustices that doctors do is that when patients go through surgery , doctors tells the patients that there is no guarantee if you will get better or not ,or if you will survive or not or die with in surgery and some times doctors make patients sign a contract saying they have nothing to do with the death . 1 think this is injustice because when the doctors have no other way curing the patients they leave the patient there to die. It is Just sad seeing the doctor has no more options to save the patient lite .Some data snows that many people do not do not receive the right care ,or receive unnecessary harmful care. How do you have a good effect on patients ? If you want to have a good effect on patients you first need to take good care of t hem and show them that you care. The patient need to know and feel safe in the hands of whom its being taken care by, so it can be able to trust itself and the caretaker. Patients should be handled gently and not with force. If they need to take medicine shouldn't be by force or they might try to kill themselves because they feel harm is being done to them.Doctors should try their best to help a patient be cured ,or at least show the patient there is some hope instead making them feel death is near. The doctors should also try to make the patients feel better and to let them be treated fairly. In the movie Patch Adams it shows that a man named Patch wanted to become a doctor so he can help and understand patients. In the movie Patch was very patient , he was responsible for many patients that needed treatment and also took good care of them. .Patch had self motivation , that he would become a doctor no matter what .Patch had and used all of the characteristics hat a doctor should us e or have.. He helped patients smiled and laughed again. Patch had a big imagination that one day his dreams would come true and it did . As a doctor Patch was. , honest ,patient, tact , responsible ,discretion, he had acceptance of criticism, he was willing to learn , and he was enthusiasm. Patch loved being there for patients and helping them, he wanted to become the best doctor the world has ever seen. And most of all, Patch was a doctor who not only helped people and made them smiled but he showed them to always have a little bit of fun no matter how old you are.

Book Reflection Assignment Essay

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards is a very fascinating and insightful book that everyone who is interested in special education should definitely read. After reading the book, I could not help myself but be compelled by the story’s main insight about the beauty of life despite the challenges brought about by the pain of the past and the challenges of the present. In this book, two of the most compelling aspects that I would never forget are (1) the realization of Caroline of the struggles she is about to face for having a mentally handicapped child and (2) the hope and courage she has gathered all her life to be able to appreciate the beauty and mystery of her entire being. In the first insight, it is best exemplified by the most obvious and vividly compelling scenarios in the first few chapters of the book. One clear situation is when Caroline refuses the money Dr. David Henry wanted to give her to start a new life again and move away from the depressing and helpless state in Kentucky. It is well-explained in this scene that not only will the book open up a narrative form of the beauty of remembering the past, it also immediately gives a hint of how life should always be a story of redemption and courage. Interestingly, this opening insight reminds me of the most important lesson everyone living with special children should always remember: everything shall pass when you are being patient. Just like the freezing cold that surround the town of Kentucky and just like the undeniably unbearable pain of a mother who just realized the long arduous struggle of having a handicapped child, there is nothing in suffering that does not fully pass away in time. This is something that is well-linked throughout Kim Edwards Book and something we are immediately introduced right after we first realize how the hard future of Caroline’s twins shall be. In understanding the essence of special education, nothing is more important than realizing and putting in practice the virtue of being patient. That is why the main situation in the book that made me appreciate the second insight even more is the time when Caroline finally heard of David’s death and told her children the truth. In this scene, I am immediately reminded of the basic requisite needed in having enough patience to answer the needs of special children: the pure truth. Everybody deserves the truth. Just because the special children we are dealing with don’t always respond as fast as normal people do, does not mean they are less worthy of our trust. Just as the final realization of Caroline to tell her children everything about their past, we should never deprive anyone who is worthy of the truth the story they deserve to know. Thus, the resolution being highlighted in the final scenarios of this book simply shows the very important lesson in understanding the patience, courage and determination it takes to succeed in addressing the needs of special children: honesty. Impact The three things in the book that I can clearly identify as having a strong impact to me as I work with individuals with disabilities and their parents in the future are quite similar to the insight I just mentioned above: (1) the value of courage, (2)the virtue of patience and (3)the importance of trust. The value of courage is best described in the part of the book when Phoebe and Paul were already eighteen-years old and Caroline was about to tell David the truth but then failed to do so because of an event David was hosting. In one of the most subtle scenes in this part of the story, the courage of getting through life’s struggles while being patient clearly comes to mind. Something special education most importantly requires in cases where special children and their parents are made to do things they would otherwise just refuse to doing. The virtue of patience could not have been made clearer in the entire lay-out of the book. I could not express enough the important virtue of patience in handling patients with special needs. It’s no different when handling with parents. The difficulty of making parents understand the strength and commitment it takes to raise special children could not be a more ideal example for this. The importance of trust in dealing with special children and their guardians is also best linked in the entire story of the book. When Caroline handles the difficulty of having a kid who has a down syndrome, I was struck with awe on how much strength she was able to gather in simply making ends meet by simply being honest to herself. In dealing with special education, success on the part of the teacher is impossible without first getting the trust of the parents and their special children. In this aspect, I will not only agree with a critic who said that â€Å"The Memory Keeper’s Daughter is appealing to readers who want a literary page turner and something to discuss in their reading groups† (Rich, 2006, p. 1), but also declare that, overall, it is very successful at that. This simply goes to say that it is a highly commendable recommended book for a type of audience who wants to understand more the industry of handling special children and the challenges their loved ones are facing each day. This book is also very important to those who want to understand life in someone else’s unique view. If such is the goal and purpose of the novel, I would definitely say the author is more than successful in achieving it. Reference Rich, M. (2006). â€Å"A Stirring Family Drama Is a Hit (in Paperback)† . The New York Times. http://www. nytimes. com/2006/07/13/books/13memo. html? _r=1. Retrieved on 2009-07-05

Everyday Use by Alice Walker Essay

A loving mother The unconditional love of Mama towards Dee and Maggie is shown. For example, ‘I will wait for her (Dee) in the yard that Maggie and I made so clean†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Mama takes good care of the house in order to create a comfortable living environment for them. Also, mama saves money to send Dee to study in Augusta as to receive a better education although she is poor. Mama gives the best to her daughter. Tough and strong There is a long description portraying the masculine side of Mama. ‘In real life I am a big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands†¦I can kill and clean a hog as mercilessly as a man.’ shows Mama belongs to the labor class. Readers may guess that Mama is a single mother as her husband is mentioned once. Mama seems to bring teo daughters up by herself. Poor and uneducated The narrator directly divulges the education level of Mama: ‘I never had an education myself†¦sometimes Maggie reads to me.’ She can’t break through this poor life. Patient When mama asked what happen to ‘Dee’, Dee replied, ‘She’s dead’ which shows her inconsideration towards identity. Instead of blaming Dee, Mama accepts the big chances of Dee. Mama asks her about her new and complicated name: ‘How do you pronounce this name?’ I asked. ‘You don’t have to call me by it if you don’t want to.’ said Wangero ‘Why shouldn’t I?’ I asked. The one who understand the meaning of quilts /mature Mama explains the family tree and who is Dee’s named after in details. At las, she gives the quilts to Maggie because she knows Maggie also understand its importance and will treasure the quilts. -> However, the dream/thought of Dee and Mama is to be brought together on a TV program reveals the distant relationship between the two and also how Mama remains a practical woman with few illusions and dream of how things are. Voice (whether she can be trusted) of the narrator The voice of the narrator is trustful as she is honest to divulge everything to readers. Mama doesn’t feel ashamed about her education level and outlook. As a narrator, Mama reveals her background information directly: ‘I never had an education myself’; ‘In real life I am a big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands’. She also has no hesitation on talking about she has a daughter who walks like a lame animal.

Critically evaluate, in relation to the common law duty of care, the Essay - 11

Critically evaluate, in relation to the common law duty of care, the liability of employers for references. How, if at all, does - Essay Example For explicit jurisdictions of laws of duty care three tests and their accompanying principles are conducted, that is, the evaluation of whether the harm was reasonably foreseeable; whether there is a requisite degree of proximity between the claimant and the defendant, and whether is it fair, just and reasonable to impose a duty of care in line with public policy concerns (Bruggemeier, 2004, 4). With a variety of recognizable situations such as one road user to another, manufacturer to consumer, doctor to patient and solicitor to client; where courts recognize existence of duty of care, this paper will evaluate employer to employee common law of duty care in relation to references given to potential employers. In our case, the references would fall in the doctrine of â€Å"Respondeat Superior† or â€Å"let the master answer†, in which the university is the master and the potential employer and/or the graduate is the agent, such that the university is charged with respon sibilities of negligence (Giliker, 2010, pp.4-5). For instance, the university owes duty care to the graduate in relation to giving background/ academic information to the potential employer and in cases where the university provides false information to the employer on the competence of the potential employee, then university is charged with legal responsibility of lack of care on the part of the employer in relation to the employee. Defamation is a liability with which communication or any social exchange of given parties tend to harm the reputation of another, lowering or under-estimating his/ her association with other people or the environment (Shuy, 2010, 2). In our case for instance, the university exchanges information on the graduate’s competencies which in one way or another, intentionally or negligently, is false and/or ruins the graduate’s chances of getting hired and his/her future career path and profession. For this matter, the tests of whether the harm was reasonably foreseeable will depend on the information leaked to the potential employer in relation to the morally accepted or the limit of personal information that the institution is supposed to share. The degree of proximity between the claimant and defendant, graduate and the university respectively, will apply in that the case law for academic institutions is to guide the graduates along their career paths and defamation at this point would make the university legally liable. The clause of whether it is fair, just and reasonable to impose a duty of care in relation to public policy would differ in such a case depending with the sensitivity of the information and its relevance to the potential employer (Glanon, 2010, 12). For example, on the issues of integrity and competence/qualifications on some sectors of the economy such as public finance, internal security or public health, the institution ought to give the information regardless of the defamation injuries to the gradua te; basing the argument on the public policy concerns, and thus differing from the provisions of the duty care. Truth and privilege are the major defenses to the defamation claims that waive the