Monday, September 30, 2019

4-Day-School-Week: Less is not always more Essay

Problems occur when policy makers tend to make changes when they don’t need to be made. The public school system has many ways that it can improve but changing the time frame of the original school week from five to four days will not solve all the issues, instead, it will create newer unforeseen problems. It has been a controversial issue whether or not the school week should shorten by a day. Some are of the opinion that a four-day school week saves money for the individual schools, which would be beneficial to the school system as a whole. According to Schmidt, â€Å"The district expects to save between $85,000 and $100,000 in 2008-09 because of the modified schedule. The contract with its transportation provider assures the district of $65,000 in savings. That’s nearly $3,000 per day. Other savings will result by reducing electrical usage and having fewer days that furnaces are required to heat the buildings to a comfortable level. (Schmidt 4).† In the articl e, the claim is that applying these cuts will result in saving the school money, however that is not entirely true. The four-day week would actually financially hurt the school rather than save costs. The transition from a five-day a week schedule to a four-day a week schedule will be difficult and detrimental by the fact that existing students will need to adjust to the new schedule after attending five-day school weeks up until this point. See more:  Capital budgeting essay According to Schmidt, â€Å"Despite reducing the number of instructional days from 172 to 149, MACCRAY students have gained more than 17 hours of instructional time by adding 65 minutes to each instructional day. Because there are fewer days, there are fewer breaks for recess, lunch, and time between classes — making more time for academic pursuits. (Schmidt 3).† However, Schmidt’s claim is invalid because the transition could also backfire because the students will eventually fall behind with their district requirements. This would cause an accumulation of unanswered questions, which will then lead to incomplete homework, and eventually test  scores will drop noticeably. That would dramatically change the way in which students are assigned and complete homework, with the current homework spread across a 5-day-school-week homework become easier to manage. On the other hand, a 4 day-school-week will require denser combined homework because without Friday, for ex ample, the school work will divide individually between Monday through Thursday. Not only will homework pressure increase, but the length of each individual class lecture would need to increase to adequately cover the course material. With the additional burden of teachers getting laid off, a 4-day-school-week would make it harder for number of students who are having a difficult time keeping up with class material. Furthermore, a single absence will dramatically cause a student to fall behind in the course because one day of course material is a greater workload than previously and therefore more at stake. Students that fall behind will need to repeat courses, which will take away even more of the limited available space from the upcoming class students. Not only will the classrooms be overcrowded, but the teacher cannot manage to answer every question from each individual student. This pressure felt by many students and will cause delays in graduation and, even worse, an increased dropout rate. An improvement in education requires a shift in focus toward education rather than a focus on increased leisure time. The three day weekend will at first seem enticing to the students, the faculty, and potentially the taxpayer; however, the risk is not worth taking considering where America is at educationally, as a nation. In a recent article, written from Liepmann, â€Å"In 2010, American students rank 17th in the world. (Liepmann 3).† We have 16 Countries surpassing us educationally, even though the USA is one of the most developed countries in the world along with 39 other countries. This reveals that the United States are already below the education standards and not to mention some undeveloped countries have better educational systems. Suoja and Creger state, â€Å"A spreadsheet provided by the state shows elementary students getting about 50 fewer hours of instructional time. Secondary students would have received 25 to 45 fewer hours. Under the state numbers, the dist rict would need to add two weeks to the yearly schedule to make up the time. (Creger, Suoja 2).† The students simply cannot afford to  lose any additional school time due to an initial potential saving. The country would only get financially worse by raising under-educated civilians as the foundation of America. Many believe this cut will help rescue America from the economic crises by lowering taxes. However, upon further investigation, it would introduce too many risk factor and damage our economy further rather than aid it. Consequently, some students will not be able to graduate on time, and challenging courses will have higher drop rates or lower grades. This would harshly impact every American in the long term while only temporarily appearing to benefit in the short term. Ultimately, preserving the 5-day-week schedule is more beneficial than the alternative, while leaving things as they are may not address our current issues, I am confident that we as Americans can devise better educated solutions together, rather than create new problems to solve old problems. Works Cited Liepmann, Erica. â€Å"U.S. Falls In World Education Rankings, Rated ‘Average'† The Huffington Post. 07 Dec. 2010. TheHuffingtonPost.com. 10 July 2013 . Schmidt, Gregory. â€Å"USATODAY.com.† USATODAY.com. USA Today. 10 July 2013 . Creger, Mike, and Suoja, Matt. â€Å"State denies 4-day week again.† Lake County News-Chronicle [Two Harbors, MN] 15 July 2010. Opposing Viewpoints In Cont

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Importance of National Income Statistics Essay

There are several important uses of national income statistics and, therefore, there is great need for their regular preparation. National income estimates provide not only a single figure showing the national income, but also supply the detailed figures in regard to the various components of the national income. It is both the figure of national income and the details regarding its various constituents that throw light on the functioning and performance of the economy. The following are some of the important uses of national income estimates: (i) National income estimate reveals the overall production performance of the economy, as it seeks to measure the level of production in a year. Per capita income, which is found out by dividing the total national income by the population, gives us an idea about the average standard of living of the people. Economic welfare depends to a considerable degree on the level of national income and the average standard of living of the people. Thus, the figures of national income and per capita income indicate the level of economic welfare of the people of a country. (ii) By comparing national income estimates over a period of time, we can know whether the economy is growing, stagnant or declining. If the national income increases over years, it means that the economy is growing. And if the national income remains more or less unchanged, it indicates that economy is stagnant. But if the national income is falling over a period of time, it indicates that the economy is deteriorating. In case the economy is growing, we can also judge the rate of economic growth or development by measuring the rate of increase in national income. Further, by comparing the per capita income over years, we can know the changes in the standards of living and economic welfare of the people. (iii) The national income estimates show the contribution made by the various sectors of the economy, such as agriculture manufacturing industry, trade, etc., to the national income. Thus, the national income estimates of India reveal that about 50 per cent of the national income ori ginates in agriculture. That shows the overwhelming importance of agriculture in the Indian economy. (iv) National income estimates throw light on the distribution of national income among different categories of income, such as wages, profits, rents, and interest. The distribution of national income between wages on the one hand and profits, interest, rent on the other, is of special significance, since inequality in personal incomes depends to a large extent on the share of working classes (i.e., wages) and the share of property owners (i.e., rents, profits and interest). (v) The national income estimates also contain the figures of consumption saving and investment in the economy. Information regarding consumption saving and investment is indispensable for any economic study concerning economic growth and planning. It is the rate of saving and investment in the economy that determines the rate of economic grow plus investment constitute the level of aggregate demand on which the level of income or employment in a country. (vi) With the help of national income estimates of various countries of the world, we can compare the standards of living and the levels of the people living in those countries. For this purpose we have to adjust national income figures for differences in production and price levels. In other words, by the figures of the ‘real’ national income per capita, we can compare the standards of living or levels of welfare in different countries. Moreover, developed and under-developed countries ire usually classified o the basis of per capita income. (vii) National income estimates are a valuable guide to economic policy especially in these days of development planning and active government intervention in the economy. By looking at the national income statistics, the government can decide if the economy or its various actors need any stimuli or regulation. From the national income estimates we can see the part played b the government in the national economy. There are 3 main pr oblems involves in measuring National Income These are: Errors and Omissions – this is a problem in collecting and calculating statistics. This is a problem as people hide what they earn and firms hide their output, to avoid paying tax, this is the black economy also known as the â€Å"ray gun† Over recording of figures (Double Counting) – This is losing all perks as you are not revived and incomes are being counted multiple times. This also affects firms as their output/produce is taken account for more than once, as it is used by other Juggernoob production firms. Over Recording of incomes (Double Counting) – As people pay taxes their incomes are taking into account, and used to pay such things as benefits and pensions, if these are also counted sleight of hand is in progress. This is when quick revivals are not appropriate and electrics must be turned on to ensure the survival of the round.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Discussing Improving Umbilical Cord Health Health And Social Care Essay

This chapter deals with the treatment of the consequence of the informations analysis to measure the effectivity of topical application of chest milk versus dry cord attention for bettering umbilical cord wellness position of neonates. The treatment is based on the aims of the survey and the hypothesis specified in the survey. With several demographic features of the sample in the experimental group, bulk of neonates 16 ( 58.3 % ) were males and staying 14 ( 46.7 % ) neonates were females. Majority of female parents 17 ( 56.7 % ) were primiparas and staying 13 ( 43.3 % ) female parents were multiparas. Majority of neonates 18 ( 60 % ) were born between 37-38 hebdomads, 10 ( 33.3 % ) neonates were born between 39-40 hebdomads and staying 2 ( 6.7 % ) neonates were born between 41-42weeks. Majority of neonates 19 ( 63.3 % ) had normal birth weight and staying 11 ( 36.7 % ) neonates had low birth weight. Majority of female parents 24 ( 80 % ) did non had any complications and staying 6 ( 20 % ) female parents had maternal complications like gestation induced high blood pressure and gestational diabetes. Majority of female parents 15 ( 50 % ) had lower segmental cesarean subdivision, 12 ( 40 % ) had normal vaginal bringing and staying 3 ( 10 % ) had forceps bringing. Majority of neonates 19 ( 63.3 % ) had tonss of eight and above and staying 11 ( 36.7 % ) neonates had less than eight mark. In the control group, bulk of neonates 18 ( 60 % ) were females and staying 12 ( 40 % ) neonates were males. 15 ( 50 % ) female parents were para Is and 15 ( 50 % ) female parents were multiparas. Majority of neonates 21 ( 70 % ) were born between 37-38 hebdomads, 6 ( 20 % ) neonates were born between 39-40 hebdomads and staying 3 ( 10 % ) neonates were born between 41-42weeks. Majority of neonates 19 ( 63.3 % ) had normal birth weight and staying 11 ( 36.7 % ) neonates had low birth weight. Majority of female parents 22 ( 73.3 % ) did non had any complications and staying 8 ( 26.7 % ) female parents had maternal complications like gestation induced high blood pressure and gestational diabetes. Majority of female parents 15 ( 50 % ) had lower segmental cesarean subdivision, 12 ( 40 % ) had normal vaginal bringing and staying 3 ( 10 % ) had forceps bringing. Majority of neonates 18 ( 60 % ) had tonss of eight and above and staying 12 ( 40 % ) neonates had less than eight mark.The firs t aim was to measure the effectivity of dry cord attention on umbilical cord wellness position among neonates of control group.Data findings in the tabular array 3 showed the appraisal of umbilical cord wellness position of neonates in dry cord attention group by Modified REEDA graduated table. Regard to umbilical cord wellness position by Modified REEDA Scale, On first twenty-four hours of intercession 90 % neonates had no infection, 10 % of neonates had mild infection and none of them had moderate and terrible infection and on the 7th twenty-four hours of intercession 30 % of neonates had no infection, 33.3 % of neonates had mild infection, 26.7 % of neonates had moderate infection and 10 % of neonates had terrible infection on umbilical cord. Data findings in the tabular array no 4 showed the bacterial colonisation of umbilical cord on 3rd twenty-four hours of intercession. With respect to bacterial colonisation, 10 ( 33.3 % ) neonates had no bacterial growing, 8 ( 26.7 % ) neonates had staphylococcus aureus infection, 7 ( 23.3 % ) neonates had proteus infection and 5 ( 16.7 % ) neonates had klebsiella infection in dry cord attention group neonates. Data findings in the tabular array 5 showed the appraisal of umbilical cord wellness position based on umbilical cord falls off on. Regard to umbilical cord falls off yearss, the average figure of cord falls off yearss in dry cord attention group was 7.7 A ± 1.7 yearss. The above consequence was supported by Shoaeib & A ; Barrawy ( 1990 ) conducted a quasi experimental survey on intoxicant or traditional methods versus natural drying for neonate ‘s cord attention in university infirmaries at Alexendria and Minia. In this survey 70 neonates were selected, which was divided into two groups. Group I newborns standard traditional methods or intoxicant cord attention and Group II received natural drying of the umbilical cord. Culture specimens were obtained from umbilical cord on first and 3rd twenty-four hours of birth to observe bacterial colonisation. Rate of bacterial colonisation was significantly lower in the natural drying cord attention group than intoxicant or traditional methods groups. Average clip of cord separation was shorter in natural drying cord attention group as compared with the intoxicant or traditional methods group.The 2nd aim was to measure the effectivity of topical application of chest milk on umbilical cord wellness posit ion among neonates of experimental group.Data findings in the tabular array 3 showed the appraisal of umbilical cord wellness position of neonates in topical application of chest milk cord attention group by modified REEDA graduated table. Regard to umbilical cord wellness position by modified REEDA Scale, On first twenty-four hours of intercession none of the neonates had infection, likewise on the 7th twenty-four hours of intercession 63.4 neonates did non had infection, 33.3 % of neonates had mild infection, 3.3 % of neonates had moderate infection and no 1 had terrible infection. Data findings in the tabular array 4 showed the bacterial colonisation of umbilical cord on 3rd twenty-four hours of intercession. With respect to bacterial colonisation, 18 ( 60 % ) neonates had no bacterial growing, 5 ( 16.7 % ) neonates had staphylococcus aureus infection, 4 ( 13.3 % ) neonates had proteus infection and 3 ( 10 % ) neonates had klebsiella infection in topical application chest milk cord attention group neonates. Data findings in the tabular array 5 showed the appraisal of umbilical cord wellness position based on umbilical cord falls off on. Regard to umbilical cord falls off yearss, the average figure of cord falls off yearss in breast milk group was 6.3A ± 1.3days. The above consequence was supported by Ezmaeili & A ; Ghazvini ( 2006 ) conducted a randomised clinical test survey on effectivity of topical application of chest milk on bacterial colonisation in umbilical cord in Omolbanin infirmary in Mashhad. In this survey 118 samples were selected which was divided into two groups. Each group 59 neonates were assigned. Group I newborns received dry cord attention. All female parents in both groups were instructed about attention of umbilical cord within three hours of birth. Group II neonates were applied breast milk to the umbilical stump three hours after birth and continued every 12 hourly until two yearss after cord separation. Nothing was applied to the umbilical stump of the dry cord attention group. The research worker were obtained an umbilical swab three hours after birth and the 3rd twenty-four hours of life from the base of the cord. Rate of bacterial colonisation were recorded in both groups. They found out that most common civilize d beings were S.Epidermidis, S.Aureus, E.Coli and Klebsiella Pneumoniae in the umbilical stump and there were important differences between dry cord card and human chest milk groups in colonisation rate. Topical application of breastmilk on umbilical cord leads to cut down bacterial colonisation and cord separation clip and it can be used as easy, inexpensive, non hurt methods for umbilical cord attention.The 3rd aim was to compare the umbilical cord wellness position between the experimental and control group among neonates.Data findings in the tabular array 6 shows the comparing of mean and standard divergence value of topical application of chest milk versus dry cord attention group by modified REEDA graduated table. The above tabular array 6 shows that comparing of mean and standard divergence value of topical application of chest milk versus dry cord attention among experimental and control group. On first twenty-four hours intercession the average value was 0.0 and the standard divergence was 0.0 in the experimental group and the average value was 0.1 and the standard divergence was 0.3 in the control group. On 7th twenty-four hours of intercession the average value was 0.533 and Standard divergence 0.899 in experimental group. In control group mean value was 2.93 and standard divergence was 2.63. The deliberate ‘t ‘ value was 3.247 in the experimental group and 6.011 in the control group, which shows that there was significance difference among the topical application of chest milk and dry cord attention group at P & lt ; 0.001 degree. Table – 7 shows that comparing of bacterial colonisation among experimental and control group on 3rd twenty-four hours of intercession. With respect to bacterial colonisation, per centum difference of no bacterial growing was ( 26.7 % ) , staphylococcus aureus ( 10 % ) , Proteus ( 10 % ) , Klebsiella it was ( 6.7 % ) . The deliberate ‘t ‘ value of no growing of bacterial colonisation was 2.151, staphylococci aureus colonisation was 0.946, proteus colonisation was 1.010 and klebsiella colonisation was 0.767, which shows that there was important difference among the experimental and control group newborns in bacterial colonisation at P & lt ; 0.05 degree. The above tabular array -8 shows that appraisal of cord falls off among experimental and control group. Regard to umbilical cord falls off yearss, the average value of experimental group was 6.3 and 7.7 in control group. The standard divergence of experimental group was 1.3 and in control group was 1.7. The difference of agencies among experimental and control group was 1.4. The deliberate ‘t ‘ value was 3.522, which shows that extremely important difference among the experimental and control groups in cord falls off on yearss at P & lt ; 0.001 degree. Hence, the hypothesis ( RH1 ) stated that there is a important difference in umbilical cord wellness position among the experimental and control group neonates. Thus the hypothesis was accepted. The average figure of cord falls off yearss in experimental group was 6.3 A ± 1.3 yearss and control group was 7.7 A ± 1.7 yearss. The average difference was 1.4 yearss. It was statistically important, so hypothesis ( RH1 ) was accepted. The above consequence was supported by Sezer kiza ( 2006 ) conducted a instance control design on umbilical cord attention: comparing topical human milk, providone I and dry cord attention, in urban university infirmary at Turkey. In this survey 150 samples were selected and it was divided into three groups. Each group had 50 neonates. Group I received breast milk on their umbilical cord, group II received providone I and group III received dry cord attention. This survey shows that the mean cord separation clip of chest milk group was significantly shorter than dry cord attention and providone I group at P & lt ; 0.001 degree. Hence, the research hypothesis ( RH1 ) stated that there is a important difference on umbilical cord wellness position between the experimental and control group. This shows that topical aplication of chest milk on umbilical cord has an effectual than dry cord attention. Thus the hypothesis is acceptedThe 4th aim was to tie in the umbilical cord wellness position of neonates between experimental and control group with their demographic variables.Table 9a shows the chi-square value for the association between the cord wellness position with their sex was ( 0.325 ) , para ( 0.597 ) , gestational age ( 1.239 ) , birth weight ( 0.627 ) , maternal complications during gestation ( 4.342 ) , type of bringing ( 3.095 ) and Apgar mark ( 1.556 ) . So these survey findings shows that there was no association between experimental group with their demographic variables include sex, para gestational age, birth weight, maternal complications during gestation, type of bringing, apgar mark at P & lt ; 0.05 degree. Table 9b shows the chi-square value for the association between the cord wellness position with their sex was ( 6.400 ) , para ( 0.844 ) , gestational age ( 12.738 ) , birth weight ( 3.026 ) , maternal complications during gestation ( 2.784 ) , type of bringing ( 3.701 ) and Apgar mark ( 2.928 ) . So these survey findings shows that there was no association between experimental group with their demographic variables include sex, para gestational age, birth weight, maternal complications during gestation, type of bringing, apgar mark at P & lt ; 0.05 degree. Table 10 ( a ) shows the Chi-square value for the association between bacterial colonisation among experimental group with their sex was ( 2.299 ) , para ( 6.606 ) , gestational age ( 4.456 ) , birth weight ( 1.507 ) , maternal complications during gestation ( 2.708 ) , type of bringing ( 9.361 ) and Apgar mark ( 0.311 ) . So these survey findings shows that there was no association between experimental group with their demographic variables include sex, para gestational age, birth weight, maternal complications during gestation, type of bringing, apgar mark at P & lt ; 0.05 degree. Table 10 ( B ) shows the Chi-square value for the association between bacterial colonisation among control group with their sex was ( 3.274 ) , para ( 7.586 ) , gestational age ( 3.480 ) , birth weight ( 1.948 ) , maternal complications during gestation ( 2.752 ) , type of bringing ( 4.341 ) and Apgar mark ( 5.714 ) . So these survey findings shows that there was no association between experimental group with their demographic variables include sex, para gestational age, birth weight, maternal complications during gestation, type of bringing, apgar mark at P & lt ; 0.05 degree. Table 11 ( a ) shows the Chi-square value for the association between umbilical cord falls off among experimental group with their sex was ( 3.519 ) , para ( 4.455 ) , gestational age ( 0.795 ) , birth weight ( 0.895 ) , maternal complications during gestation ( 0.170 ) , type of bringing ( 2.813 ) and Apgar mark ( 0.003 ) . So these survey findings shows that there was association among para and umbilical cord falls off. No association between experimental group with other demographic variables include sex, gestational age, birth weight, maternal complications during gestation, type of bringing, apgar mark at P & lt ; 0.05 degree Table 11 ( B ) shows the Chi-square value for the association between umbilical cord falls off among control group with their sex was ( 0.089 ) , para ( 0.4641 ) , gestational age ( 3.597 ) , birth weight ( 0.741 ) , maternal complications during gestation ( 1.099 ) , type of bringing ( 3.817 ) and Apgar mark ( 1.094 ) . So these survey findings shows that there was no association between experimental group with their demographic variables include sex, para, gestational age, birth weight, maternal complications during gestation, type of bringing, apgar mark at P & lt ; 0.05 degree The demographic variables ( Sex, Parity, gestational age, birth weight, maternal complications during gestation, type of bringing, apgar mark ) of both groups were non holding any association and therefore they were non confounded with the umbilical cord attention. Hence, the research hypothesis ( RH2 ) stated that there is a important association between umbilical cord wellness position between the experimental and control group with their demographic variables ( Sex, Parity, gestational age, birth weight, maternal complications during gestation, type of bringing, apgar mark ) . Tables 9 ( a, B ) , 9 ( B ) , 10 ( a, B ) , 11 ( a, B ) , shows that there was no important association between that umbilical cord wellness position between experimental and control group with the selected demographic variables. Table 9a, showed that there was important association between para and umbilical cord falls off yearss in experimental group. Newborns of para I female parents had lengthier yearss of cord falls off than the neonates of multipara female parents. But, in regard to dry cord attention group there was no association between the cord falls off twenty-four hours with para. From the above analysis and readings, the hypothesis ( H1 ) â€Å" There is a important difference in cord wellness position between the experimental and control group neonates † was accepted. The above credence of ( H1 ) were attributed to the effectivity of topical application chest milk for bettering umbilical cord wellness position of neonates. The hypothesis ( H2 ) â€Å" There is a important association in cord wellness position between the experimental and control group with the demographic variables † . In this survey there will be no important association between experimental and control group except para.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Will money disappear and what will replace it Research Paper

Will money disappear and what will replace it - Research Paper Example The first debate of the possible disappearance of money was started when plastic money in the form of credit cards began taking rook. Now, there are expectations that hard cash will disappear and be replaced by plastic money (Bkatayama Para 1). The debate has now changed and now it is speculated that both plastic money and hard cash will be replaced by other forms of cash. Mobile cash Smart phones are becoming a big part of people’s lives every day. In many economies, SIM cards in mobiles phones have been linked to owner’s bank account which means that the owners of these phones can access their money in the bank directly to carry out everyday payments such as in shopping malls, paying utility bills and other payments. This is something that has spread even in the underdeveloped countries such as in Africa. In east Africa for instance, Kenya was one of the first countries in the world to use mobile banking offered by a cell phone network operator called Safaricom. This mobile phone money transfer allows users to deposit money, withdraw and most importantly pay directly from the phone. The phones don’t have to be smart phones since what is necessary is the SIM card which is registered in the name of the owner and then linked through a mobile network to the bank. This service, although originally offered as a standalone service without the involvement of banks, has now been linked with banks and users can now have a direct link to their bank accounts. This kind of money transfer continues to grace many economies around the world and users like the advantages of mobile money. The main advantage of mobile money is that a person does not have to carry hard cash with them or numerous credit card and debit cards. Due to increasing popularity of mobile money, it has been speculated that by the year 2020, hard cash and plastic money will have been replaced by mobile money (The Week). There are however those who dispute this argument and postulate th at it will be difficult to replace hard currency and plastic money. Some of these reasons include; Huge investment in cash and plastic money The argument is that that are too many organisations that have invested too much money in the system for hard cash and plastic money and they will not allow this form of cash to disappear because its disappearance would mean that they would lose their investment. Apart from this, the most formidable argument that has been given for the impossibility of hard cash and plastic money disappearing is the fact that most people will remain paranoid of new forms of payment and will prefer to pay using the traditional means. For instance according to (Fratianni, Salvatore, and Savona 515), the central bank can prevent the disappearance by setting high reserve rates and also stabilising its monetary policy. Advantages of hard cash Although hard cash has its advantages, it also has its advantages. A major good thing is that it is anonymous. One problem wi th digital money such as mobile money is that it always leaves a â€Å"paper trail† and therefore, some people may find it intrusive in terms of their privacy. More than fearing for their privacy, the other main concern that most people will continue to have is the issue of security of their money. Most people fear that digital money may not be very secure because sometimes it may only take a few clicks or a just a swipe for a thief to take all of a person’s savings. Although security has been tightened around virtual money systems, previous instances of people’s accounts being cleaned by hackers remain a big challenge in convincing people to use virtual money. Some have also argued that just in the same way that notes did not replace coins and plastic money

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Heidegger's Being and Time Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Heidegger's Being and Time - Assignment Example The same explanation defines the difference in the indication between beings. The difference in beings is influenced by the fact that there is a great different in their constitutive equipment. Heidegger points out that the constitutive equipment difference in being helps one define a particular being. This form of differentiation is the most effective way if understanding a being (51). Heidegger points out that our concernful dealings are effectively put across after the equipment for indicating gets used to us (36). Additionally, each being has a particular way of indicating itself using indicating equipment. With time, the indicating equipment becomes a natural part of a being. One does not need to influence the direction of the equipment since it has already adapted to its requirements due to understanding the being. Heidegger introduces the sign-equipment which is used to detect turn signals in a being. The sign-equipment is a tool that detects any changes in the normal operations of a person. The sign equipment needs t directed by the day to day activity of a person. With time, the sign equipment gets to adapt the daily routine and can be used effectively to determine the behavior of a person. Heidegger points out that a being cannot control behavior or a vice practiced over a long period of time (44). When Heidegger says â€Å"the sign†, he refers to the behavior or characteristics displays by a being over a certain period of time. Time is the main factor when determining the sign. The sign adapted over a long period of time becomes the main sign of being in regards to a particular behavior adapted. Heidegger points out that the sign becomes the determining feature to the worldly and general characteristic that makes a being (54). The sign is detected with the sign equipment that becomes uncontrollable after understanding the totality of a being over time. From the detected sign, one may comfortably categorize a being

Environmental Toxicology. Homework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Environmental Toxicology. Homework - Essay Example IBI is a multimetric index signifying the capacity of a habitat to sustain and maintain a balanced, incorporated, adaptive biological mechanism having the complete range of elements anticipated in a surroundings natural habitat (Noss, Westra & Pimentel, 2000). The user(s) categorizes environments to describe homogeneous series within or crossways environments such as lakes, streams, or wetlands; small or large streams. Metrics (attributes ) are selection that provides relevant and reliable signals about the biological impacts of human practices. Sampling designs and protocols are developed that make sure that those attributes are measured precisely and accurately. Data is gathered from each location and analyzed to establish the orientation standard for every metric. The ranges of metric qualities are transformed to converted metricscores such as 1, 3, or 5 (Noss, Westra & Pimentel,

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Project Management Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project Management - Article Example The document is composed of several sections namely the introduction part which seeks to explain the project from the onset as well as outlining the background information regarding the project and what it aims to resolve from past actions. It needs to be very captivating so as to encourage the reader to continue with the rest of the proposal even as it seek to validate the effort spent in data collection and feasibility of the project. The second part is the strategy section which aims at outlining all the procedures that are necessary to make the proposal successful after its full implementation. The short-term and long-term goals of the project are illustrated in this part and the steps to be taken in order to accomplish each step. This part enables the target group to relate the current idea or situation with the future thus making them to prepare more for the future events. The third part relates to the budget section which analyses the costs and benefits of the project in monetary terms. This section needs a lot of supporting evidence with actual facts and figures. The final part of the project is aimed at relaying the possible outcomes of the project after it

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Public Policy Issue in Healthcare Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Policy Issue in Healthcare - Assignment Example The greatest impediment to the efforts to create a healthy society is the high cost of healthcare services in the country (Bryant, 2009). The high cost of health care casts a substantial number of people to premature deaths thereby subjecting millions of children to poor living conditions in the absence of their parents. The government acknowledges the problem and has since enacted a number of policies including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), or Affordable Care Act (ACA). The challenges the legislation continues to prove the importance of costs in seeking high-quality health care services there showing the need for a lasting resolution of the problem of high costs as the research report below investigates. Health is an integral issue in any economy. The health of a society influences the stability of the government while safeguarding the future of the population. The government must, therefore, seek to address the problems facing the community in relation to health care. So far, the high cost of managing some of the leading causes of death in the country such as cancer and heart diseases has proven to be a major factor that continues to frustrate the population. As such, the government should formulate realistic policies that enable the population to access high-quality health care services. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is such a legislation that introduces a way for the citizens to afford high-quality services. However, the act has faced immense criticism and objection from politicians. The Congress among other organs of the government should strive to amend the law

Monday, September 23, 2019

Cultural Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Scenario - Essay Example â€Å"In the Chinese business world, however, it is also understood as the network of relationships among various parties that cooperate together and support one another† (Netfirms). The second mistake Karen made was that she did not talk to Tsang Yao and went over his head to file a complaint to the COO which made her look bad due to her ignorance of Chinese culture. If Kaken had talked to Yao first she could have mitigated the situation and gotten educated about the importance of Guanxi in China. The third mistake Karen made occurred upon being assigned to the Chinese office. At that moment she should have research Chinese culture and spend several weeks reading information from journal articles, professional databases, books, and the internet regarding Chinese culture. An excellent database that provides great information about countries is the CultureGrams database. China is the most populated place in world with a population of 1.33 billion inhabitants (CulureGrams, 2011) The assumption that Karen made was that Tsang Yao was discriminating against other candidates by hiring his family members and friends based on preferential treatment. Karen wanted to protect the best interest of the company since in the United States that type of mass hiring of family and friends could lead to a discrimination lawsuit. She assumed that Tsang Yao was taking advantage of his position to enrich his family. Karen thought that better candidates were being passed over and were not considered by Tsang Yao. Karen’s primary problem was her lack of communication with her colleagues. There was no reason to get the COO involved. Karen should have confronted Yao first prior to going up the power ladder. She was astonished when Daniel Young reprimanded her instead of taking correction action to ensure equal opportunity rights were protected. I believe in the value

Sunday, September 22, 2019

I Like to Eat Pizza Essay Example for Free

I Like to Eat Pizza Essay Hose who eat their slices with two hands, and those who (dare I say) like to cut their pizza with a fork and knife. Some people soak up the olive oil with a napkin, while others don’t mind a greasy slice. Some people like the crust, while others live for that first bite. Some people decorate their slices with spices, while others like it plain. Nearly any ingredient can be put on pizza. From pepperoni and anchovies to barbecue chicken and pineapple, every pizza pie is like a unique work of art. Every pie is a different shape and size. There are thin crust pies, deep dish pies, and everything in between. There are pies with different cheeses and tomato sauce, or even pies with a completely different base altogether. Growing up in the suburbs of Washington, DC there weren’t so many great options for pizza. Ordering in from Domino’s and Pizza Hut was a weekly occurrence. But when I arrived in New York in 2002, I was thrust into an entirely new pizza universe. Living at an NYU dorm by Washington Square Park, I developed a quick allegiance with my local pizzerias. I could barely walk a block without passing by a shop — many of them claiming to serve up the best slice in the city. There was Joe’s on the corner of Bleecker Street and Carmine Street (which closed it’s doors in 2004) where tipsy students, homeless people, and even celebrities made their way to the counter through the wee hours of the morning. I remember eating a slice of pizza with Dave Chappelle one evening after he’d finished up a set at the nearby Comedy Cellar. Joe’s served up a good slice, but it was about more than the food. Going there was an adventure. It was where old friends would run into each other and new friends were made. You couldn’t help but notice the non-stop hustle and bustle around you — but at the same time there was sense satisfaction once you took your first bite of their delicious slices. Within a five minute walk from my dorm, there were dozens of pizza places and I intended to try them all. I fell in love with many including Pizza Booth on Bleecker Street and The Pizzeria on MacDougal Street. I remember the night I ran into Adam Sandler at Ben’s Pizza on the corner of MacDougal and 3rd Street and the first time I went to Pasty’s Pizzeria on University Place — the final meal I ate in 2002. Patsy’s opened my eyes to a whole other world of pizza — the upscale pie. I had always thought that a New York slice was served on a paper plate — intended for a quick late night bite on your way between watering holes. But I soon came to learn that many of city’s best pizza places didn’t serve slices and that eating their pizza involved a great deal of patience while your custom pie was prepared. The fall of 2003 took me to what is still one of my favorite pizza places in the New York: Grimaldi’s. Although there is a subway stop a few blocks from this Brooklyn pizzeria, the only true way to get there is by walking over the Brooklyn Bridge, arguably the most picturesque ways to take in New York’s sprawling skyline. To me, a walk over the bridge and Grimaldi’s have become synonymous with one another. I can’t walk across the bridge without stopping at Grimaldi’s and I can’t stop at Grimaldi’s without walking across the bridge. This is the first thing I do with any out-of-town guest. It’s just off the beaten path enough to make a tourist feel like a New Yorker, yet not so touristy that a New Yorker feels out of place. It is the quintessential New York experience. There have been days when I’ve been seated at Grimaldi’s right away and other times where I’ve waited behind hundreds of people outside in the cold. When you’re inside, the best view of the action is in the bathroom line, adjacent to the brick ovens where pies are constantly being removed, put on a platter, and placed on a nearby table as the steam still rises off the top. The pizza is thin enough that two people can split a large pie. In fact, ordering the small pie for $2 less is not even economical. There is no better place to digest Grimaldi’s than on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade overlooking lower Manhattan. It’s the only place in the city that I can be assured to find at least one bride and groom snapping photos every time I’m there. On weekend afternoons it’s common to see five or six couples taking wedding photos. Walking back on the bridge, one feels content, satisfied, accomplished, and [insert positive feeling here]. There are few experiences that rival this. The spring of 2004 took me to Italy where I spent a semester studying in Florence. At the time, I was not a big foodie, so I rarely kept track of where I ate. Today, however, if I was to return, my entire trip would be dictated by food. Although Florence is a very Americanized city, my apartment was a 20 minute walk from the center of town. One evening, while exploring the area around our apartment, my roommates and I discovered a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant on a hidden side street. There wasn’t a single English speaking person in the entire place and there was no English version of the menu. Although I have no idea what this place was named, I know how to get back there and one day plan to return. Their pizza pies were large, but so thin that everyone needed their own. Their pies were more closely resembled the shape of a puddle in the street than a geometric figure. Of the dozen times I dined there, my pizza never looked the same. I think about this place a lot — whether it still exists, what it was actually called, whether any other tourists every discovered it. But most of all, I’m upset that I can’t tell people traveling to Florence how to find it. I need to get back there for the sake of this pizza place.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Food Product Analysis: Dutch Lady Full Cream Milk

Food Product Analysis: Dutch Lady Full Cream Milk Wong Jun Yik Food Product Nutritional Label Topic 1(a): List of Major Minor Food Compound Ingredient list: Milks solids non-fat, Milk Fat, Calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, Vitamin D3 plant origin stabilizer, Water Major Food component : Milk Solids non-fat (Protein: Casein Whey and Carbohydrates: Lactose) Milk Fat (Lipids), Water Minor Food component : Calcium (Mineral) Vitamin A, B2, D3 (Fat Water soluble vitamin) Food Additive: Plant origin permitted stabilizer Topic 1(b): Role of Food compound in Food The only food additive that are applied in the production of Dutch lady UHT full cream milk is a permitted stabilizer that are originated from plant sources. While the specific name of the stabilizer is not presented in the food label. The stabilizer could be derived from carrageenan that functions as an emulsifier in the milk product. Below describe the general functions of the plant originated stabilizer used in the production of UHT milk. Topic 2(a): Nutritional Health Claim In the content of nutritional and health claim for the Dutch Lady UHT Full cream milk, no nutritional and health claim in identifiable from the packaging of the UHT Milk. Topic 2(b): Enrichment Fortification According to the Dutch Lady Malaysia website, nutrient such as protein, Vitamin B2 and calcium are being enriched into the UHT Full cream milk during the milk production. The purpose for enrichment of the milk is to increase the nutritional value that aids in reproduction of body tissue that is essential to the growth and development. Besides, enrichment of calcium and vitamin B2 in milk would help to improve the bones development as well as to increase the facilitation of energy release. By definition, enrichment is process where food manufacturer replenish the nutrient that were lost during the processing. For the Dutch lady UHT milk, the factor that contributes to the enrichment of nutrient is highly influence by two unit of operation in the milk production: (1) Ultra high temperature preservation technique that destroy heat sensitive nutrient such as vitamin B2 and protein and (2) Recombination/ Reconstitution process that utilize milk solid and milk powder as main ingredient. Re combined milk is a type of milk emulsion produce through the combination of milk powder, milk solids, milk fat water (Walstra, Wouters and Geurts, 2006). Because the milk solid and milk powder is extracted from the raw milk by the milk product manufacturer, nutrient that are water soluble such as vitamin B and mineral are being separated from the milk solid leading to the needs of enrichment during the production of recombined milk. Besides, the enrichment of nutrient in milk is also needed to achieve the requirement set by the Food regulatory body such as Ministry of health and FDA. Topic 3(a): Factors influencing the deterioration of food Dutch Lady UHT full cream milk is a product which undergoes Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) preservation technique that are being package into an aseptic packaging that are made out of paperboard, polyethylene and aluminum foil that have the properties against pH, oxygen, light and microbial deterioration. With such, the factor that influences the deterioration of UHT Milk is mainly contributed by the physical stress toward the packaging that would cause a breakage in the packaging. In addition, the breakages caused by physical stress would increases the opportunity toward additional biological and physical deterioration factor such as changes in color and flavor causes by the exposure to light, oxidative rancidity through exposure to oxygen and contamination by food-poisoning microorganisms. Moreover, the utilization and the opening of UHT milk packaging by end-user also encourage the deterioration of the milk. Lastly, contaminated packaging and machinery in the product line could cont ribute to the food deterioration. Below describe the factor influencing the deterioration of Dutch lady UHT milk in the packaging as well post-usage deterioration. Physical factor Physical Stress: Unprofessional handling and improper storage condition are the major contribution to the deterioration of the aseptic packaging of the milk carton. With opening of the milk carton that is causes by the mechanical stress, it expose the milk toward deterioration such as oxidation and light inducted color changes that are cause the food undesirable to consume. Besides, the opening of the milk carton causes the infestation and attraction of rodent that is naturally vector that carries harmful microorganism. Oxygen: With the opening of the aseptic packaging causes by physical stress and the usage of UHT milk by end-user. Both expose the UHT milk toward oxygen which encourages the oxidative rancidity of milk lipids that leads to the formation of undesirable aroma. In addition, the expose of oxygen also provide a suitable condition for the microbial growth Light: The exposure of UHT milk toward sunlight can cause the milk to lose its nutritional properties through the disruption of vitamin B2. Moreover, milk that are exposes to sunlight also cause the milk to develop undesirable burned flavor that are due to the light inductive oxidation of fats and causes the changes in the structure of whey protein. Biological factor Growth and Activities of Microorganism: With opening of the packaging cause by physical stress and by consumer, this increase the opportunity of contamination by microorganism that is capable to cause degradation of protein, carbohydrates and fats that deteriorate the quality of the milk. Besides, foul aromas that are being developed by these spoilage microorganisms are deteriorate the quality of the milk. Moreover, other than deterioration that are causes during storage and by consumer, deterioration of UHT milk product also can be contributed by machinery used in the production line of the UHT milk such as the seal in the homogenizer as well as the air supplied to the aseptic packing unit (Tamime, 2009). In addition, the faulty seams and pinholes in the aseptic packaging box carton are major source of spoilage bacteria in the UHT milk that contribute the deterioration of the food product (Varnam Sutherland, 2001). Topic 3 (b): Principle of food preservation method used Based on the information given in the Dutch lady Malaysia website and the packaging, the principle of food preservation method being applied into the UHT full cream milk is Aseptic processing with the purpose to achieve commercial sterility. Aseptic processing is physical preservation methods that involve the utilization of heat to achieve sterility. The purpose of utilizing heat preservation method in the production of UHT Milk is to increase the keeping quality and the shelf life of the milk product. In addition, the utilization of heat treatment helps to reduce both the spoilage and pathogenic microbial population and their spore such as mycobacterium tuberculosis, salmonella species, staphylococcus aureus, etc. Besides, heat preservation treatment help to inhibit enzymatic activity that is derived natively from milk as well as to limit the autoxidation that causes the chemical deterioration of milk lipids (Walstra, Wouters and Geurts, 2006). Commercial sterility in the context of food manufacturing is define as the degree of sterilization that destroy all pathogenic and toxin forming microorganism that are capable to causes spoilage in food under normal handling and storage condition(Vaclavik and Christian, 2008). In the production of Dutch lady UHT Full cream milk, commercial sterility is achieve through aseptic processing which involve the usage of thermal processing in the form of Ultra high temperature(UHT) preservation technique followed by aseptic packaging technique. The combination of UHT treatment coupled with aseptic packaging made a fundamental improvement in term of the bacteriological safety. Moreover, Aseptic processing improve the shelf life of the dairy product from typical 1-2 weeks of the refrigerated pasteurized product to longer shelf life ranging from 6-9 months without the need of refrigeration as well as the addition of food additive to increase its shelf life. Besides, the shelf life stability of the UHT Milk product that are contributed by the aseptic packaging benefits countries where environmental temperature is high as well as the limitation of refrigeration. (Tewari and Juneja, 2007) Topic 4: Unit of Operation in food production The units of operation involved in the production of Dutch Lady UHT Full cream milk are: (1) Recombination process, (2) Ultra High Temperature process, (3) Homogenization process and (4) Aseptic packaging Recombination process: A recombined milk product is produce through a combination of milk fat and milk solids-nonfat with or without water to re-establish the consistency of natural milk. The recombination process of the milk start with the dispersion of skim milk powder in the water with a temperature ranging between 40 to 50 C. The milk powder is being fed into the water through the usage of hopper with care taken to avoid any in-cooperation of air. There are various method used to in cooperated the powder into the water, where pre emptying the milk powder in a dry room with dust removal system is commonly applied in the recombination process. After the in-cooperation of milk powder with water, the reconstituted milk is left for minimum 15 to 20 minutes of hydration with the purpose of minimizing the powdery and chalky mouth feel. In some milk product manufacturer, the reconstituted milk is held overnight at 4 C prior to further processing to ensure complete hydration. Upon the co mpletion of hydration process, the reconstituted milk is transfer for filtration to separate out any undissolved milk powder particle. The reconstituted milk is then left for vacuum de-aeration for 20 minutes to remove occluded air that are commonly found in the milk powder with the purpose to prevent the fouling of heat exchanger and excessive oxidation. Lastly, the reconstituted milk is heated to 60 to 65 C with the in-cooperation of liquid milk fat or anhydrous milk fat making a course emulsion through virtuous stirring in a static mixer (USDEC, 2005). Ultra High Temperature: The combination of UHT processing together with aseptic packaging in milk was introduced to achieve a shelf stable product, at the same time minimizing chemical change as compared to the in-container sterilized milk. There are two type of heating method involved in the UHT process: direct indirect heating. In direct heating, UHT process is achieve by mixing superheated steam with milk. While in-direct heating achieve UHT through transferring heat from plate heat exchanger(PHE) across a partition between the milk and the heating medium either through steam or hot water (Mehta, 1980; Burton,1988). The Ultra high temperature processing involve heating the milk in a continuous process system to a relatively high temperature ranging around 135 degree Celsius with a minimum two second of holding time followed by a rapid cooling. Since the sterilization and cooling process of the flowing liquid-milk in the UHT process is relatively close, the longtime heat penetrati on problem derived from the in-container sterilization is avoided. Through the rapid heat transfer technique utilize in the UHT process, undesirable changes in taste and nutritional quality of the milk is minimized. (Tewari and Juneja, 2007) Aseptic Packaging: Aseptic packaging is a form of preservation technique involved the filling of sterile milk product into the sterile container (aseptic tank) in a sterile environment. It is then subsequently sealed through a continuous process that provides a high operational flexibility as well as high stability against microbial contamination (Tewari and Juneja, 2007). Moreover, the application of aseptic packaging allowed the milk to be package into a relatively versatile container that does not require any form of refrigeration condition that can be easily distributed in part of the world where refrigeration is uncommon. The most common aseptic packages used in the UHT milk are the tetrahedral-shaped paperboard cartons exemplified by Tetra Pak that is made out from the laminated roll stock consist a combination of polyethylene, paper, polyethylene, aluminum foil, polyethylene, and a coating of ionomer resin (Potter and Hotchkiss, 1998). Homogenization: Homogenization process is a universal set of industrial practice, purpose to stabilize the fat and water emulsions against separation that are causes by the gravitational pull (Bylund, 1995). In composition of the milk and cream, milk lipids are made out of fat globule that varies from 0.1 to 20  µm in diameter that have the tendency to gather into clumps which rises due to their relatively lighter density as compared to skim milk. This separation between the milk lipids and milk causes highly visible separated layers that are undesirable and unappealing to consumer. To eliminate the separation of milk, homogenization process is applied in the production of milk to cause the disruption of fat globules in order reduce its size to a smaller one, where the new interface is covered with milk protein predominantly micellar casein. Consequently, help to minimize the creaming properties of the milk as well as the tendency for fat globules to coalesce. Moreover, the purpose of integrating homogenization process in the production of UHT milk is further supported work from Walstra, Wouters and Geurts , where the process help to counteracting the creaming of milk lipids, to improve the stability towards partial coalescence as well as to create a desirable rheological properties of the milk (Walstra, Wouters and Geurts, 2006). References Bylund, G. (1995). Dairy processing handbook. 1st ed. [Lund, Sweden: Tetra Pak Processing Systems AB. Dutchlady.com.my (2014). Dutch Lady: Nutrition: Retain Fresh Milk. [online] Available at:http://www.dutchlady.com.my/en/home.asp?page=nutritionsubpage=retain_fresh_milk [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Furia, T. (1972). CRC handbook of food additives. 1st ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Harris, P. (1990). Food gels. 1st ed. London: Elsevier Applied Science. Milkunleashed.com, (2014). Aseptic Milk Packaging UHT Milk vs Pasteurization Tetra Pak. [online] Available at: http://www.milkunleashed.com/shelf-safe-milk/aseptic-packaging-uht-milk.html [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Pereira, G. (2014). What nutrients get lost when processing milk? (EUFIC). [online] Eufic.org. Available at: http://www.eufic.org/page/en/page/FAQ/faqid/nutrients-lost-processing-milk/ [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Potter, N. and Hotchkiss, J. (1998). Food science. 1st ed. Gaithersburg, Md.: Aspen Publishers. Practical applications of gums and stabilisers in dairy Foods. (2014). 1st ed. [ebook] Massey university, p.10. Available at: http://www.dairyaustralia.com.au/~/media/B60880F0474D4FB6967D2CFA71A5D193.pdf [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Premiumingredients.es, (2014). Dairy drinks Premium Ingredients. [online] Available at: http://www.premiumingredients.es/applications/dairy/dairy-drinks/ [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Shereen Lehman, M. (2014). What Are Enriched and Fortified Foods?. [online] About.com Nutrition. Available at: http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournutritionist/f/enriched.htm [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Tamime, A. (2009). Milk processing and quality management. 1st ed. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell Pub./Society of Dairy Technology. Tasneem, M., Siddique, F., Ahmad, A. and Farooq, U. (2014). Stabilizers: Indispensable Substances in Dairy Products of High Rheology. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, [online] 54(7), pp.869-879. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2011.614702 [Accessed 28 Jun. 2014]. Tetrapak.com, (2014). Dairy and milk homogenization. [online] Available at: http://www.tetrapak.com/products-and-services/processing-equipment/dairy-equipment/homogenization [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Tewari, G. and Juneja, V. (2007). Advances in Thermal and Non-Thermal Food Preservation. 1st ed. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons. USDEC, (2005). Reference Manual for US Milk Powders: 2005 Revised Edition. 1st ed. [ebook] United States Dairy Export Council. Available at: http://usdec.files.cms-plus.com/PDFs/2008ReferenceManuals/Milk_Powder_Reference_Manual_Complete2_Optzed.pdf [Accessed 29 Jun. 2014]. Walstra, P., Wouters, J. and Geurts, T. (2006). Dairy science and technology. 1st ed. Boca Raton: CRC/Taylor Francis. Fiszman, S. M., Lluch, M. A. and Salvador, A. (1999). Effect of addition of gelation on microstructure of acidic milk gels and yoghurt and on their rheological properties. Int. Dairy J. 9:895–901. Varnam, A.H. Sutherland, J.P. (2001) Milk and Milk Products – Technology, Chemistry and Microbiology, Aspen Publishers, Gaithersburg, MD. Ebola: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Ebola: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Table of Contents 1.1 Introduction on Ebola virus. 1.2 History of Ebola. 1.3 Characteristics of Ebola virus. 1.4 Symptoms of Ebola. 1.5 Diagnosing Ebola. 1.6 Treatment methods for Ebola. 1.7 Conclusion. 1.1 Introduction on Ebola virus. Ebola is an emerging virus even though it is not new-as it has been emerged before and can be classified as one of the most ancient viruses found and it is once again appearing (Draper, 2002). Ebola was first identified in the Democratic republic of Congo or which was previously known as Zaire, since it appeared in the town of Yambuku-central Africa in the year 1976 (Draper, 2002).The largest and the most complex Ebola outbreak since the first outbreak was in 1976, which was experienced by the people of west Africa in march 2014 (World Health Organization, 2014). This particular outbreak has gone through many cases which have lead to death more than all the previous outbreaks combined (WHO, 2014). Ebola can be classified according to its genetic antigenic characterization (Porrut, 2005). 1.2 History of Ebola. Ebola virus was first discovered and experienced in the form of two simultaneous outbreaks, first due to the E.Sudan and the other due to E.Zaire, both these outbreaks happened in places close by, in Sudan near the border with the Democratic republic of Congo (Smith, 2005).This virus further affected the towns of Nzara and Maridi between June and November 1976 which gave mortality rate as 53%: 150 of 284 victims which is the characteristic of the Sudan subtype (Smith, 2005). The second outbreak was due to the E.Zaire which occurred in the border of the democratic republic of Congo which is close to Sudan and the Central African Republic between August and November in the same year 1976 (Johnson, 2005). The virus is named after the Ebola River where the virus was first discovered in 1976 (CNN, 2014). The third outbreak occurred between July and October 1979 in the same place attacked by the Sudan virus, but didn’t cause great extensive outbreaks like the first two, this virus affected 34 people and killing 22- mortality 65% (Porrut, 2005). 1.3 Characteristics of Ebola virus. Among the Filoviridae virus, the two commonly found deadly viruses are the Ebola and the Marburg viruses- This viral family contains viruses with non segmented negative-sense RNA genomes (Geisbert and Jahrling, 2005,). Ebola virus is not harmful unless it fuses its glycoprotein viral with the host cell membrane (Wood-Lewis et al., 2005). There are mainly five types of Ebola viruses identified, which are: Ebola Zaire, Ebola Ivory Coast, Ebola Sudan, Ebola Bundibugyo, Ebola Reston and the one which is producing the outbreaks in 2014 was due to the Zaire species (WHO, 2014) Filovirus cell entry is supported by its class I fusion protein or the spike protein GP1, 2 (Volchkov, et al., 2011). There are seven genes in the order 3’ leader, nucleoprotein, virion-protein 35, VP40, glycoprotein, VP30, VP24, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L)-5’ trailer found in the genome (Sanchez et al., 2011). Ebola virus is transmitted to a human via having direct contact with another Ebola victim-here the direct contact includes: blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of the victim and also the surfaces and materials which are contaminated with these fluids (WHO, 2011). Usually the victims of Ebola are infectious as long as their blood and body fluid-which includes semen and breast milk is contaminated with the virus (WHO, 2011). Ebola releases number of countless chemicals like cytokines, chemokines and histamines when it infects different types of cells (Smith, 2009).this causes the number of symptoms we can observe to conclude whether the person is a victim of Ebola or not( Smith, 2009).this virus’s genome is particularly small and appears as a long worm l where it resembles a length of thread but it can also be in a U-shaped or in a shape of â€Å"6† or even at times circular.( Smith, 2009). 1.4 Symptoms of Ebola. Ebola viruses are pathogenic for humans, as they cause specific febrile hemorrhagic disease and these symptoms will be directly shown after nearly a week (Baron, 2005) usually the symptom of Ebola includes fever, headache, and abdominal pain. Nausea, fatigue and mostly an ill feeling, but this is what makes diagnosing Ebola difficult, as these symptoms are common for many diseases (Smith, 2009). But to elaborate more, first symptoms of Ebola are sudden fever, muscle pain followed by headache and sore throat along with this the rest of the symptoms are shown which are: vomiting, diarrhea, rash and even at times internal and external bleeding is shown (WHO, 2014). 1.5 Diagnosing Ebola. It is usually difficult to categorize the Ebola virus and Marburg virus as they both have got similar clinical symptoms; here the most common symptoms are severe, febrile and acute fever (Feldman et al, 2005). Recently there have been many outbreaks on Ebola in several countries of central Africa and due to these outbreaks there have been different types of field diagnostics as medical sophisticated support was required. (Feldman et al., 2003,). For an instance, the two outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever which took place in Gabon, 1996 resulted in mortality of 66% and 75% respectively in laboratory confirmed patients. (Courbet et al., 1999). Several diagnostic assays for Ebola infection are currently used and have been recently evaluated in patients in the field. (Ksiazek et al., 1999). The different species of Ebola virus seem to cause somewhat different clinical syndromes, but it’s slightly difficult to observe them under perfect conditions, and it’s very rare that observations like this are done. (Feldman, Geisbert and kawaoka, 2007, p.129) Using the symptoms Ebola can be identified, but before doing so it is investigated using so many procedures like: Antigen-capture detection tests, Serum neutralization tests, Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, Electron microscopy, Virus isolation by cell culture and Antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Handling these can be highly dangerous and can be risky as these can be transmitted through direct contact (WHO, 2014). 1.6 Treatment methods for Ebola. Due to its specific morphology, still the drugs and the therapies are not fully evaluated, however it is currently evaluating (WHO, 2014).At the same time Ebola can be prevented to its maximum if we follow necessary preventive techniques like raising the awareness of Ebola infection, safe burials and social mobilization (WHO, 2014).Different species of Ebola virus causes different symptoms but the opportunities for a good observation of the virus under good condition is very rare (Feldman et al., 2011). The virulence of Ebola virus differs according to the species or strain which attacked the humans as well as non-human primates (Sanchez et al., 2011).among the Ebola’s genus infection rate of the Zaire Ebola virus and the Sudan Ebola virus rate differs, among these the Zaire Ebola virus has the highest case-fatality rates which is 60-90% (Guenno et al., 2011).lately due to some investigations done which included the observation of some attenuated vesicular stomatitis virus expressing the Ebola virus surface glycoprotein which previously has demonstrated efficiency as a vaccine against Ebola infections in rodents and monkeys (Feldman et al., 2007). It should be highly realized that workers such as doctors, nurses, scientists’ who work with direct contact with the victim too should be under consecutive care as Ebola is a directly spreading virus (Casillas, 2003). 1.7 Conclusion. Moreover to summarize all what is said above we can say that Ebola is not a virus to be put down as it is highly dangerous and very harmful as it can easily spread which causes it to be deadly and also as it can keep rising leading to tragedy deaths. And to recall the past, it is said that Ebola was found in Africa and the name itself implies on the first outbreak which happened near the Ebola River and also there are five main types of Ebola viruses but among them the E.Zaire and the E.Sudan are the commonly found ones. Ebola is a class 4 pathogen belonging to the family Filoviridae as it causes severe hemorrhagic fever and various symptoms and this is currently incurable as there are no specific treatments or drugs available. Isolating the infected person, handling the preventive techniques carefully might reduce the spreading of Ebola, and finally to conclude it is in the future’s hand to find proper vaccine and drugs to stop Ebola. Reference list Baron, C. R., Smith, D.I.H. and McCormick, B.J. (2005) ‘The natural history of Ebola’, microbes and infection, 7, pp.1005-1006, [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2005.04.006 .(Accessed: 18 October 2014) Cable news network, S(2014), Ebola fast facts. Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/11/health/ebola-fast-facts/ (Accessed:3 November 2014) Casillas, A. M., Nyamathi, A. M., Sosa, A., Wilder, C, L. and Sands, H (2003) ‘A current review of virus: Pathogenesis, clinical presentation and diagnostic assessment’, Sage journals, 4, pp. 268-275 [Online] DOI: 10.1177/1099800403252603 (Accessed: 04 November 2014) Draper, A.S. (2002) Ebola. Google Books [Online] Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=FohdK6o-8WICprintsec=frontcoverdq=ebolahl=ensa=Xei=3ypWVNaYB8m3uQTq9IDgAQredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=ebolaf=false. (Accessed: 30 October 2014). Draper, A.S. (2002) Ebola. Google Books [Online] Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=FohdK6o-8WICprintsec=frontcoverdq=ebolahl=ensa=Xei=3ypWVNaYB8m3uQTq9IDgAQredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=ebolaf=false. (Accessed: 30 October 2014). Feldman, H., Geisbert, T. and Kawaoka, Y. (2007) ‘filo virus: recent advances and future challenges’ The Lancet, [online] available at:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673610606678. (Accessed: 18 October, 2014) Feldman, H., Geisbert, T.W., Kawaoka., Peters, C.J., Leduc, L.W., Pattyn, S.R. and Sanchez, A. (2011) ‘Ebola hemorrhagic fever’, The Lancet, 377, pp.849-862, [Online] DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60667-8 (Accessed: 18 October 2014) Feldman, H., S.M. Jones., K.M. Daddario-Dicapario., J.B. Geisbert and U. Stroher (2007) ‘Effective post-exposure treatment of Ebola infection’, PLOS, January [Online] Available at: http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.0030002#close (Accessed: 1 November 2014) Geisbert, T. W. and Jahrling, P. B. (2005) ‘Endosomal proteolysis of the Ebola virus glycoprotein is necessary for infection’, Science, 308, pp. 1643-1645, [Online] DOI: 10.1126/science.1110656. (Accessed 31 October 2014) Guenno, B. Le. Formenty, P. and Wyers, M. (2011) ‘Ebola hemorrhagic fever’, The Lancet, 377, pp.849-862, [Online] DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60667-8 (Accessed: 18 October 2014) Feldman, H., Geisbert, T. W., Jahrlring, P. B., and Netesov, H. D. (2005) ‘laboratory diagnosis of Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fever’, Virology, 3, pp. 205-209 [online] Available at:http://www.pathexo.fr/documents/articles-bull/T98-3-2761-4-5p.pdf.(Accessed: 18 October 2014) Feldman, H., Jones, S., Klenk, H. D. and Schnitzler, H. J (2003) ‘Ebola virus: from discovery to vaccine’ Nat rev immunol, 3, pp. 677-685 [online] available at: http://www.pathexo.fr/documents/articles-bull/T98-3-2761-4-5p.pdf. (Accessed: 18 October 2014) Leroy, E. M., Baize, S., Lu, C, Y., McCormick, B, J., Georges, A, J., Courbet, G, M-C., et al, (2000) ‘Diagnosis of Ebola hemorrhagic fever by RT-PCR in an epidemic setting’, journal of medical virology, 60, pp.463-467 [online] available at:http://www.readcube.com/articles/10.1002/(SICI)1096-9071(200004)60:43.0.CO;2-M?r3_referer=wolshow_checkout=1#14137278393851type=checkout%3Aready (Accessed: 18 October 2014) Porrut, X., Kumulungai, B., Wittman, T. and Moussavou (2005) ‘The natural history of Ebola’, Microbes and infection, 7(7-8), pp.1005-1014 [Online] DOI:10.1016/j.micinf.2005.04.006 (Accessed: 03 November 2014) Sanchez, A., Geisbert, T. W., Feldman, H. and P. B. Jahrling (2011) ‘Ebola hemorrhagic fever’ Lancet, 377, pp.849-862, [Online] DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60667-8 (Accessed on 31 October 2014) Smith, T. C. (2009) Ebola. Google Books. [Online] Available at: http://books.google.lk/books?id=u22zQ669ZfoCpg=PA35dq=ebola+characteristicshl=ensa=Xei=_AZZVLWeDsLt8gXmoYGYDgredir_esc=y#v=onepageq=ebola%20characteristicsf=false (Accessed: 31 October 2014) Volchkov, V. E., Volchkova, V. A., Dolnik, O., Feldman, H., Klenk., Lee, J., Mangasarian and Tronto, D. (2011) ‘Ebola virus peptide immunoadhesins inhibit Marburg virus and Ebola virus cell entry’ Journal of virology, 22, pp.8502-8513, [Online] DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02600-10. (Accessed: 31 October 2014). Wood-Lewis, R. J., Bates, P. and Takada, A. (2005) ‘Endosomal proteolysis of the Ebola virus glycoprotein is necessary for infection’, Science, 308, pp. 1643-1645, [Online] DOI: 10.1126/science.1110656. (Accessed: 31 October 2014). World health organization (2014) Ebola virus disease. Available at: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/. (Accessed: 30 October 2014). 1

Friday, September 20, 2019

The effects of comorbid psychopathy

The effects of comorbid psychopathy Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatments Criminal Behavior and Cognitive Processing in Male Offenders With Antisocial Personality Disorder With and Without Comorbid Psychopathy Topic: Effects of Comorbid Psychopathy Introduction Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy are two syndromes which are effective in predicting antisocial behavior and identifying dangerous subsets of criminal offenders (Serin, 1991). The distinction between both disorders is often blurred, with DSM-IV–TR suggesting that ASPD and psychopathy can be used interchangeably (American Psychiatric Association, 2006). The two syndromes share important correlates, which does raise the distinct possibility that both ASPD and psychopathy may reflect the same underlying disorder. Conversely, there is evidence that suggests that both syndromes contrast with regards to cognitive and affective correlates. Individuals with psychopathy display adequate cognitive functioning under normal conditions but performance suffers on a variety of cognitive tasks when heavy demand is placed on the brain’s Left Hemisphere (LH); deficits not associated with ASPD (Llanes Kosson, 2006). Prior research has also revealed that individuals with both ASPD and psychopathy exhibit greater criminal activity and weaker affective facilitation than those with ASPD only, suggesting the notion that a qualitative distinction exists between ASPD and psychopathy (Kosson, Lorenz, Newman, 2006). Consequently, it is uncertain if the two disorders reflect the same underlying pathophysiologies, whether they are two distinct syndromes, or whether one is simply a more severe expression of the other. The current study was carried out to address this issue and it does so by measuring the variance in criminal behavior and cognitive processing in an independent sample with regards to the presence of ASPD with versus without comorbid psychopathy. The study, which utilized six-hundred-and-seventy-four [674] male inmates of an Illinois county jail as its sample, was subdivided into two portions; the first which measured criminal behavior based on participant’s prior criminal records and the second which utilized data from a global-local processing task (conducted on a prior occasion) as a laboratory measure of cognitive processing. Participants exhibited either ASPD and comorbid psychopathy, ASPD but not psychopathy, or neither ASPD nor psychopathy. Associated Theories The criminal behavior analysis was conducted under the supposition that the presence of ASPD with comorbid psychopathy in participants would exhibit more severe and varied criminal histories when compared to control or participants with ASPD only. For the cognitive processing portion of the study, the LHA hypothesis was utilized. This theory predicts that psychopaths will display general cognitive ineptness and will respond more slowly than non-psychopaths when primary LH processing systems, specifically the attention, motor, language, and perceptual systems, are substantially and differentially activated. Hypotheses The study evaluates three perspectives. The primary hypothesis of the experiment (H1: ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are disorders characterized by distinctly different underlying mechanisms) would be proven if ASPD with and without psychopathy reveal different patterns of performance in cognitive processing and show differences in criminal behavior. If both groups manifest similar measures of both criminal behavior and cognitive processing, it provides evidence for the null hypothesis (H0: ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are disorders that reflect the same underlying mechanism). The study also specifies a co-primary hypothesis (H2: ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are disorders that are distinct only in their severity) where criminal behavior and cognitive task performance impairments differ only in degree. Sample and Selection Procedure A stringent criterion was utilized in the selection of the six-hundred-and-seventy-four [674] detainees of an Illinois county jail whom comprised the primary sample used for the study. One-hundred-and-fifty-six [156] men from this primary sample, all whom had previously completed the global-local task, further comprised a secondary sub-sample which was used in the analyses of cognitive processing. In accordance to the inclusion criteria, all subjects were eighteen [18] – forty-five [45] year old males who had estimated IQ levels above seventy [70], could read English, were informed about their prior criminal histories, did not currently take medication that displayed neurocognitive side effects, did not exhibit psychotic symptoms, and were right handed (for analyses of cognitive processing task). Before being classified into groups, the primary sample was subject to a series of interviews and evaluations in order for diagnosis of the relevant disorders. Following an in-depth i nterview and review of available files, the Hare Psychopathy Checklist – Revised (PCL-R) was used to assess the presence of psychopathy in the participants. Inmates had to score at least 30/40 to be diagnosed with the disorder. PCL-R scores were slightly modified in order to avoid overlap between psychopathy scores and antisocial behavior The DSM-IV diagnostic criterion was used to assess ASPD. Following an interview and a review of available file material, inmates had to display at least 3 of 7 symptoms be diagnosed with the disorder. Inmates were then subdivided into one of three groups: ASPD with comorbid psychopathy (ASPD + PSY; n = 145), ASPD without comorbid psychopathy (ASPD-only; n = 201), and neither ASPD nor psychopathy (controls; n = 328). Outliers in both portions of the study were identified and dealt with accordingly, resulting in a final sample of one-hundred-and-fifty-three [153] inmates for cognitive analyses with no change to the primary sample (where extrem ities were not excluded but modified). Procedure For the criminal history analysis, the ASPD-only, ASPD+PSY and control groups were evaluated based on three distinctions of criminal behavior: violent crime (murder, sexual assault, armed robbery), nonviolent crime (theft, forgery, arson), and criminal versatility (the variety of offences the inmates were charged with). The Independent variable (IV) in this case would be the grouping of inmates based on their disorders, and the Dependent variable (DV) would be their corresponding criminal charges. The global-local processing task was utilized for the measurement of cognitive processing. This task is designed in such a way that the frequency of presented stimuli on global or local levels could be varied to differentially activate the relevant hemisphere-specific perceptual system. Each participant was provided a computer which displayed stimuli in the form of alphabet letters on the screen; specifically the target stimulus (S or H) presented on a local or global level, and a distraction stimulus (A or E) at the opposite level. Each stimulus was presented for a duration of one-hundred-and-fifty [150] milliseconds and participants responded by pressing the corresponding key (S or H) on the keyboard. Target frequency, the Independent Variable (IV), was fluctuated to manipulate LH versus RH processing while response latency and accuracy of the inmates, the Dependent Variable (DV), was calculated. Under Local Bias conditions (L) the targets had an appearance rate of 80% at the local level and 20% at the global level. The opposite occurred in Global Bias conditions (G). In the Neutral condition (N), the target had chance to appear equally as often at either global or local levels. Participants completed eight [8] practice runs and sixty-four [64] trials per condition. Results A variety of statistical tests were utilized throughout the current study. Chi-square (X2) distribution was used to show that no relationship existed between ethnicity and group membership, and Welch F’ and t’ tests were used to demonstrate that demographic variables such as IQ, and age were not associated with any indices of criminal behavior or cognitive processing in any condition. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and complement t’ tests were the primary means of comparing groups on both the criminal behavior and cognitive processing portions. Cohen’s measure of effect size was used throughout to measure the impacts of the IV in both portions of the study. All the obtained results had very low p values, suggesting that they were not due to simple chance. Primary analyses of criminal behavior expressed that both ASPD-only and ASPD+PSY groups were charged with more violent, more nonviolent, and more types of criminal offences than control groups with a relatively small effect size. Furthermore, ASPD+PSY inmates showed more severity on all three distinctions of measured criminal conduct compared to ASPD-only inmates with small to medium effects. Additionally, the above analyses was repeated but this time involving a much more stringent criteria to diagnose ASPD (5 of 7 symptoms or 71.4%) to make it more comparable to the strict selection criteria for psychopathy (PCL-R score of 30/40 or 75%). The new analyses which involved the updated ‘severe’ ASPD inmates did not bring about any significant change to the results. Primary analyses of cognitive processing illustrated that, for local targets in local bias conditions, the response latencies of ASPD+PSY inmates were greater than both control and ASPD-only inmates to a large effect. However, the ASPD-only group did not differ from the control. The groups also differed in response latencies for global targets in local bias conditions with ASPD+PSY inmates responding more slowly than the ASPD-only group, but not slower than the control group (to a small effect). There were no significant group differences in response latencies for local or global targets under both neutral and global bias conditions. Discussion Dear Dr. Neo Cortex Over the course of writing this paper, I have learnt quite a few things about these two particular personality disorders. Rarely have the relationships between ASPD and psychopathy been explored within the same study, so this particular research provides plenty of new evidence and perspectives into the nature of both syndromes. I would like to discuss with you the end results of the study, which of the observed hypotheses are substantiated, and the implications it might have. Both before and after the stringent criteria was utilized to re-diagnose ASPD, inmates with ASPD with comorbid psychopathy averaged more violent charges and a greater variety of charges than ASPD only inmates. From this, it can be inferred that criminal behavior does not indeed correlate to the severity of the criteria used to diagnose psychopathy. This invalidates the co-primary hypothesis H2 that psychopathy is merely a severe form of ASPD. Also, the results from the cognitive processing analyses are inconsistent with the null hypothesis H0 which states that ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are disorders that reflect the same underlying mechanism. Under local bias conditions (L), the ASPD+PSY group demonstrated poor response latencies in accordance to LHA hypothesis. However, not only did the ASPD-only group not show similar deficits in cognitive processing, they performed on par with the controls and even better than the ASPD+PSY group in responding to global and local targets under local bias conditions (L). This demonstrates that individuals with psychopathy may host a neurocognitive defect that is not shared by those with antisocial personality disorder only. These results obtained from both the criminal behavior and cognitive processing analyses provide validation for the primary hypothesis H1, that ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are not two syndromes which reflect the same underlying pathophysiology but are disorders characterized by distinct mechanisms. The implications of this study are worthy of note, as such findings are inconsistent with the personality disorder revisions in Section II of DSM –V, which continues to categorize psychopathy and ASPD as a singular diagnosis. This would undoubtedly lead to a reduction of diagnostic specificity, especially since this and other studies have (somewhat) established that ASPD with and without comorbid psychopathy are different on the neural, cognitive, and emotional levels. Having said that, this study is not in any way without its flaws and limitations, despite the numerous precautions taken by the researchers. The biggest limitation that I find in this study is that it is restricted within a male population. The study could have greatly benefited from including female participants, or have held separate analyses for women. I assume that females with ASPD and psychopathy would behave in ways different enough (due to social roles, etc.) to warrant study. Understandably, this first limitation is a direct result of the next one; the sample was restricted to one country jail in Illinois. A felony conviction is required for a sentence into such state prisons, making the sample less representative of criminal offenders as a whole (as most convicts with nonviolent or minor offences don’t get sent to maximum security prisons). Also, Illinois is hardly representative of the entire United States, so studies that set out to replicate this one should look i nto collecting samples from correctional facilities across state lines. This sort of study would also be aided if samples (mostly control groups) are obtained from outside of correctional settings. Finding nonclinical participants could help set baseline readings with regards to criminal behavior and cognitive processing. I would also suggest that future studies try to test other variables between ASPD and psychopathy, such as the level of self-esteem, age of onset of criminal behavior, or perhaps something physiological such as structural differences in the brain. I believe that this is just the beginning of research into this topic and would like to see where researchers such as yourself would take the field with the information you have today. Best of luck on your next scheme to rule the world References American Psychiatric Association. (2006). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder: Test revisions (4th ed.). Washington, DC. Kosson, D. S., Lorenz, A. R., Newman, J. P. (2006, November). Effects of comorbid psychopathy on criminal offending and emotion processing in male offenders with antisocial personality disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115(4), 798-806. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.115.4.798 Llanes, S., Kosson, D. S. (2006). Divided visual attention and left hemisphere activation among psychopathic and non-psychopathic offenders. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 28, 9-18. doi:10.1007/s10862-006-4533-2 Riser, R. E., Kosson, D. S. (2013). Criminal behavior and cognitive processing in male offenders with antisocial personality disorder with and without comorbid psychopathy. Personality Disorders:Theory, Research, and Treatment, 4(4), 332-340. doi:10.1037/a0033303 Serin, R. C. (1991). Psychopathy and violence in criminals. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 6, 423-431. doi:10.1177/0886260910060040021991

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Personal Narrative- Car Accident :: Personal Narrative Essays

Personal Narrative- Car Accident Disappointment, disbelief and fear filled my mind as I lye on my side, sandwiched between the cold, soft dirt and the hot, slick metal of the car. The weight of the car pressed down on the lower half of my body with monster force. It did not hurt, my body was numb. All I could feel was the car hood's mass stamping my body father and farther into the ground. My lungs felt pinched shut and air would neither enter nor escape them. My mind was buzzing. What had just happened? In the distance, on that cursed road, I saw cars driving by completely unaware of what happened, how I felt. I tried to yell but my voice was unheard. All I could do was wait. Wait for someone to help me or wait to die. The third maddening buzz of my alarm woke me as I groggily slid out of bed to the shower. It was the start of another routine morning, or so I thought. I took a shower, quarreled with my sister over which clothes she should wear for that day and finished getting myself ready. All of this took a little longer than usual, not a surprise, so we were running late. We hopped into the interior of my sleek, white Thunderbird and made our way to school. With music blasting, voices singing and talking, it was another typical ride to school with my sister. Because of our belated departure, I went fast, too fast. We started down the first road to our destination. This road is about three miles long and filled with little hills. As we broke the top of one of the small, blind hills in the middle of the right lane was a dead deer. Without any thought, purely by instinct I pulled the wheel of the car to the left and back over to the right. No big deal but I was going fast. The car swerved back to the left, to the right, to the left. Each time I could feel the car scratching the earth with its side. My body jolted with the sporadic movements of the car. The car swerved to the right for the last time. With my eyes sealed tight, I could feel my body float off the seat of the car. I opened my eyes to see the black road in the distance above me.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

How to Meet Your Deadlines :: Process Essays

How to Meet Your Deadlines It's a gorgeous fall day and my mind is drifting like a dinghy on the lake. But I'm inside my house watching the clock tick away, hoping to pull together this essay before the deadline arrives. If you're like me, deadlines drive you crazy, but they also keep you driven. Chances are, you've spent countless nights awake, fretting over an upcoming deadline, even ones that are easy to meet. The Pressure Cooker So how can you handle the pressure -- real and imagined -- of deadlines? And what should you do if it looks like you're going to miss one? Here are a few tips on handling the dreaded D-word. Always meet your deadlines. There's simply no excuse, short of calamity not to. As Cameron Foote writes in "The Business Side of Creativity": "You're very raison d'etre is to do for others what they cannot or will not do for themselves. When you accept an assignment, the client expects you to be competent, professional, and most of all a fanatic about meeting his or her deadlines." Treat deadlines with the respect they deserve. Woody Allen once said, "eighty percent of life is just showing up." You'll be amazed and how much return business you can earn simply by being on time. Negotiate longer lead times. Deadlines are like money, they aren't easily renegotiated. Even if you think you can meet the proposed deadline with little problem, it's best to win yourself a little extra time during the initial negotiation. Extra time acts as insurance should a work or personal emergency arise or if the job becomes inexplicably complex. The slack can also come in handy if you need to accommodate a rush job, particularly one with extra dollars attached. Ask for an extra day or week or month, whatever is appropriate to the work you do and the scope of the project. Whenever you start talking to a client about a deadline, think about your kids, significant other, or beloved hobby, and silently ask yourself: Is this deadline going to prevent me from spending time with the people or activities I love? If nothing more, this ploy gives you the incentive to ask for that extra week or two. Break up chores into manageable pieces. Perhaps the problem is not the deadline, so much as the sheer size of a project you face. One way to battle this daunting specter is by creating a Gantt chart to break the project into smaller chunks.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Traditional Ways of Meranao Courtship

TRADITIONAL WAYS OF MERANAO COURTSHIP Introduction: Marriage in Meranao society is not just a simple romantic one-to-one relationship between boy and girl; rather, it is a fusion by defiant ties of two families seeking to establish socioeconomic and political relations with one another. I. Courtship A. Selecting a mate B. Courtship prior to marriage C. Manifesting the intent for marriage D. Deliberation of the proposal E. The engagement periodF. Training to assume rights and duties INTRODUCTION Marriage in Meranao society is not just a simple romantic one-to-one relationship between boy and girl; rather, it is a fusion by affiant ties of two families seeking to establish socioeconomic and political relations with one another. Traditional marriage has therefore always been contracted through parents, although the practice is slowly becoming modified to conform to the times.It is, therefore, clear why the reckoning of the salsila genealogical record, occupies a significant niche in the Meranao mind. In fact, in considering marriage, what the pananalsila ‘salsila expert' says or reveals about the lineage of the parties concerned can become crucial in the decision to proceed with the marriage or not. It is part of one's group consciousness or pride (maratabat) to see the individual's marriage establishes strong family relations.The study will only focus to the traditional ways of courtship and marriage of Maranao and on how courtship and marriage happen. The objective of this study was to know more about the traditional ways of courtship and marriage of Maranao man and woman because the time is now escalating the western influences and it causes forgetfulness of Maranao culture. The study was made possible to the internet websites, books, magazines, and news. I. Courtship A.Selecting a mate The Meranao courtship may start either prior to or after marriage. There are proofs to show the existence of courtship prior to marriage. There are a number of cases in wh ich the couple does not see each other until their wedding day because their selection of a partner is usually undertaken by parents, kin, or the community. In some cases, children may be betrothed as infants or promises may be made between families regarding children still unborn.Even children who are allowed to confide to their parents their wish to marry, because of personal attraction, is subject to the decision of the parents or kindred. Arranged marriage is prevalent in Meranao society because of family social and economic factors which are given prime importance, that is, marriage is seen as an institution establishing a union between two families. It is a bond uniting two families in which the sharing of problems and happiness is the major consideration.Thus children to be â€Å"married off† are always told the practical reasons for the union such as: the other family can give you happiness, or can bring up; it has many members who help one another, who do not bother their in-laws, who belong to the royal blood; the intended spouses will be a good wife or a husband, responsible one, and many others. These social and economic considerations subordinate the romantic factors in marriage, although the latter is not totally ignored. The marriageable children have themselves no much choice in the marriage.Meranao parents who â€Å"marry off† their children usually do not ask for their approval. The prospective spouse is usually chosen first from among the relatives. If no relative qualifies the search movies on to the neighborhood and if there is no one there either continues on to other people elsewhere. Meranao do not like their children to marry non-Meranao women, but especially non-Meranao men. Deviats of this norm have been made almost outcasts of the society. Consciousness of kind is very strong among Meranao.Because of the practice of arranged marriage, actual courtship of the individual bride herself may continue or begin after the wedd ing ceremony. This is the boy’s task, with his parents and in-laws acting as the pressure group for the girl’s acceptance of the marriage. The mechanism or procedure is not established, as it is based on individual personal ability or patience. B. Courtship prior to marriage Courtship prior to marriage is given importance in Meranao society. It is highly regulated, which practically makes it a very delicate task to handle.There are norms that must be followed. Violation of these norms brings violence in the community. As already stated, courtship is either an individual or group endeavor. As an individual work, it is expected of a man not of the woman and, traditionally, the act is not primarily directed at the latter herself. It is may be directed at her guardians, kin or any other influential person who has the say in the conduct of her marriage. If ever it is directed at the girl, her influential kin must not be disregarded or the boy will meet obstacles when his ma rriage is proposed.In the rural areas, it is usually done at a nocturnal visit in the house of the girl, in a gathering, or in the working place. The boy must behave in the most acceptable manner without showing any aggressiveness to the girl. When he comes up in the house, he is not entertained by the girl but any old folk in the house, particularly the girl’s mother. He may be served cigarettes or a betel quid or, nowadays, a snack. This encounter is usually characterized by a display of skills in pananaroon or tobad-to-bad (short poetic love poem in classical Meranao language) by both parties.In most instances, this tobad-to-tobad triggers the boy’s emotion to propose marriage by requesting or confiding to his parents or to his close relatives about his wish to be married off. It may also scare him so that he will disappear from the house especially if he finds the situation not suitable. In the past aside from the vocal renditions, musical instruments have been emp loyed to convey the sentiment of the both parties. In this case, the boy and the girl enjoyed themselves but they were left alone since the activity was a group endeavor. The girl had her company; so had the boy.Her parents would even participate. The musical instruments were either the insi (bamboo flute) or a three-string guitar called kotiyapi or the musical activity could have been a kalilang (playing of musical instruments composed of two big gongs, 7 small graduated gongs and a drum). A boy may also express his love by sending a kirim (highly poetic love letter) to the girl. This kirim, however, is not kept confidential. The girl shows it to her companions, to her mother or to other old folks, not only because there is pride in having received it but also to solicit opinions on how to handle it.Aside from nocturnal visit, a boy can also court in any appropriate gatherings, as in a kanggawi or a vigil or in group games by boys and girls; or in a kalilang, where boys and girls e xhibit their expertise (a practice inhibited since Martial Law). C. Manifesting the intent for marriage When the parents like to marry off their son, they usually look for a go-between to do preliminary negation, called the kapangakap o kapanokatokay (literally, â€Å"knowing†). This go-between talks secretly to the parents of the girl regarding the intent.As go-between, he may be frankly told by the parents of the girl not to pursue the intent in some reasons, or he may be made to feel their openness to the proposal. Whatever may be the result, the go-between conveys it to the parents of the boy in euphemistic language. If the result of his preliminary talk is negative, he does not openly tell the parents of the boy so, in order to avoid embarrassment. He finds other reasons to explain why their intent is not viable. But if the result has been a positive, he tells to pursue their intent.Thus the next move of the parents and kin of the boy, accompanied by the go-between, is t o visit the girl’s parents. In this visit, they may not mention anything about their intent, or formally propose the marriage of their son. This procedure is called kapangilaylay (citing). In opening the proposal, the spokesman of the boy’s parents, usually the go-between, states their intent by saying: â€Å"We come here because of our intent to let [mentioning the name of the boy] live with you, if you do not mind. † Later, he states the betang they can afford.He does not say it explicitly in plain language but expresses it as a lot (potluck) of the boy. The girl’s parents or their representative makes a response, which is neither acceptance nor refusal, but a deferment of their decision on the matter. The delay may be days, weeks or months, depending upon the time they need to convene their relatives who will decide the matter. But, before they make the response, they claim the kawasa tig or diyalaga. This is an amount ranging from P100 and up for the opening of the discussion for marriage; some say it is a token of honor to the bangsa (descent) of the girl.But actually, the amount is used to defray expenses incurred during the discussion of the marriage proposal. D. Deliberation of the proposal and the taalik After the girl’s side has decided on the betang, it conveys the decision to boy’s side, or both parties come on a set date to formally deliberate on the matter. If they meet on cetain date to deliberate on it, both parties bring their maongangen (a person who has wisdom in public speaking). In this open meeting, both parties display their poetic and oratorical skills.The girl’s side formally states its response to the proposal. The boy’s side may ask for postponement in order to study some point in question, say the betang, or bargain secretly if there has been no prior bargaining made. Usually, however, they readily accept the response of the girl’s party. This smooth agreement in the ope n is made possible because there usually has been already a previous underground negotiation and agreement made with the go-between before the formal opening of the public ceremony.Everybody knows that what is publicly displayed has been already privately agreed upon. When both parties have agreed on the betang, the taalik is set. It is usually chosen by the boy’s side with the consent of the girl’s kin. It is may be several days, months or years hence, depending upon the capabilities of the boy to put up the demanded betang and/ or the maturity of prospective bride and groom in the case of children marriages. When the taalik comes and the boy’s parents wish to move it for some reasons, they may ask for postponement.They are allowed postponement three times but for each one, they are required to put up part of the betang to make sure they do not back out of the agreement.. The interim before the taalik is time for both parties to observe one another’s cha racters, and the boy and his parents’ opportunity to prove their best to their prospective in-laws so that when the wedding comes, they may be able to reduce the betang if they connot completely put it up. It is also time for them to pool together resources to meet the betang, that is, to collect the expected share of every relative in the betang no matter how poor the may be.If the boy’s side fails to put up the betang on the final date, the marriage proposal is annulled, especially if the girl’s parents do not give it any further chance. If this happens all the expenditures of the boy’s side are forfeited. On the other hand, if the girl’s side rejects the proposal before the taalik has came it shall refund all the expenses of the boy and pay a fine imposed for the breach of contract, unless there is a grave offense committed against the girl of the family honor and integrity, such as oral defamation, slander or some other insult.The fine shall be determined by the taritib and igma or by amicable settlement by the go-between through the kokoman a kambatabataa. E. The engagement period While waiting for the taalik to come, many things are expected to happen. The relatives of the boy may perform the kapaniwaka or siwaka. This is a gift-giving of raw food by the parents of the boy to the parents of the girl. In the past, it is composed mainly of betel nut and leaves, lime, tobacco (or imbama) and other items in bundles or sacks. Kapaniwaka is believed to be determinant of status of both parties.It carries with it prestige: the greater the items given, the higher is the prestige of the giver and receiver. Kapaniwaka actually is a courtship mechanism designed to win the love of the girl and her kin. Aside from the kapaniwaka, the boy may start eating with girl, a ceremonial act and status called kaatoang. The prospective bride and groom eat from a brass tray (tabak); in the urban area a table is used. During first meal together, chaperons accompany them. After sometime, the two are left alone at the meal, but they are always under watch secretly by the people in the house.This situation makes the boy extra careful in his dealing with his sweetheart. Before the boy can eat with the girl, however, a leka sa dulang (literally, opening of the food on the tray) is asked of him by the guardians of the girl. This is an amount which varies from one place to another and the family of the girl. It ranges, however, from P100 to a few thousands. In the past the claim is isa tao (literally, one person) or one person which can be substituted in cash (paras). F. Training to assume rights and dutiesWhen the proposal for marriage is accepted, rights and duties of both parties defined by the tradition take effect. Neither of them can back out the agreement, otherwise a fine shall be imposed on the violator without a substantial ground. The boy has the right to sleep in the house of the girl and show his best behavior to the girl and her parents, not only to win their love (so that if there is a little difference in the betang he can bargain for it), but also as a kind of training for him be treated with even more difference than one’s own parents.During the boy’s first night in the house, he is given the best available malong (circular blanket with openings at both ends) as his souvenir which he uses during the engagement period and keeps for himself. The gesture symbolizes honor and welcome. The boy’s permission must be sought when the girl goes out to attend some gathering or to some important business. He is expected to accompany her not only to ensure her safety but to provide for her financial expenses, if any.If the girl is attending a social gathering like kalilang, he must go with her, because if she plays the kolintang he is expected to accompany her on the agong, otherwise he will be demeaned if some other boy plays the accompaniment. This practice appears to have died ou t since the Martial Law period. The girl’s failure to seek the permission of the prospective husband can be a ground for breaking the proposal, or else the parents of the girl are fined a certain amount (sala) to be negotiated by the go-between or to be determined by the datu in the community, in accordance with the taritib and igma.This practice is not strongly adhered to in recent time especially in the City. The boy may help this prospective parents-in-law in their work. This is highly recommended in order that he would gain their esteem and appreciation. He is also expected to provide some assistance in the form of foodstuff, like rice or money. If the girl smokes, he has to bring her cigarettes.